Laminator with anti-wrap components, heat core, and user interface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024253340-A1
Application number	US-202218563709-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 31, 2022
Priority date	May 28, 2021
Publication date	Aug 1, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an improved laminator for processing and laminating sheets of material. The disclosed laminator includes anti-jamming or anti-wrap components to prevent sheets of material from wrapping around rollers in the machine. The anti-wrap components may include wires positioned in self-healing grooves in the rollers of the machine. The machine may also include a heat core to provide heating to a plurality of sets of rollers. The laminator may also include a user interface to provide an operator with status information and emote to encourage the operator to interact with the machine in an efficient manner. The laminator may also include sensors, controller, and display to recognize a cleaning sheet and inform an operator of the status of the cleaning cycle.

First claim

1 . A laminator, the laminator including rollers for moving material, the rollers including a first roller and a second roller, each roller having circumferential channels, a first anti-wrap component positioned in a channel of the first roller and a second anti-wrap component positioned in the second channel, the first and second channel each being self-healing.

2 . The laminator of claim 1 , wherein the first anti-wrap component is not opposed in the same vertical plane to another anti-wrap component.

3 . The laminator of claim 1 , wherein the anti-wrap component is a wire.

4 . The laminator of claim 3 wherein the anti-wrap component includes a spring.

5 . The laminator of claim 1 , further including a feed slot for inputting material, the feed slot including a door, a display communicating to an operator the status of the laminator, the display pulsing and the door opening to indicate the laminator is ready to receive material.

6 . The laminator of claim 1 , further including a display for communicating a status of the laminator to an operator, a thickness sensor to sense the thickness of material processed by the laminator, a controller in communication with the thickness sensor and the display, the display providing the operator information regarding the thickness of the material processed.

7 . The laminator of claim 1 , the laminator including a first feed roller and a second feed roller, the first roller, second roller, first feed roller, and second feed roller being positioned within a heat core formed between a first heat shroud and a second heat shroud.

8 . A laminator including a first feed roller and a second feed roller, a first heating roller and a second heating roller, a first heat shroud and a second heat shroud, a plurality of anti-wrap wires, each of the first feed roller, second feed roller, first heating roller and second heating roller including a plurality of circumferential channels, the channels self-healing partially about the anti-wrap wire positioned within a channel.

9 . The laminator of claim 8 wherein the anti-wrap wire includes a spring.

10 . The laminator of claim 8 wherein heating roller channels have a width, the anti-wrap wires have a diameter, and the width of the heating roller channels being less than the diameter of the anti-wrap wires.

11 . The laminator of claim 8 , wherein the heating roller channels have a depth and the anti-wrap wires have a diameter, wherein the depth of the channels is between 2 and 4 times the diameter of the anti-wrap wire.

12 . The laminator of claim 8 , the first feed roller, second feed roller, first heating roller, and second heating roller being positioned within a heating core formed between the first heat shroud and second heat shroud.

13 . The laminator of claim 8 , the channels of the first heating roller not aligning with the channels of the second heating roller and the channels of the first feed roller not aligning with the channels of the second feed roller.

14 . The laminator of claim 8 , further including a display for communicating a status of the laminator to an operator, a thickness sensor to sense the thickness of material processed by the laminator, a controller in communication with the thickness sensor and the display, the display providing the operator information regarding the thickness of the material processed, the controller setting a speed of rotation for the rollers in response to the thickness of the material.

15 . The laminator of claim 14 , further including a feed slot sensor in communication with the controller, the controller detecting authenticating indicia from signals received from the feed slot sensor, the controller initiating a cleaning cycle and communicating a cleaning cycle to the operator by the display.

16 . A laminator including a pair of input rollers, a pair of heating rollers and a pair of exit rollers, the input rollers and heating rollers positioned within a heating core positioned between a pair of heat shrouds, the heating rollers each including a plurality of channels perpendicular to an axis of rotation of each roller, a plurality of anti-wrap components to prevent material from wrapping around a roller, the anti-wrap components positioned within the channels of the heating rollers, the channels of the heating rollers not aligning with one another.

17 . The laminator of claim 16 , wherein the anti-wrap components are wires including a spring.

18 . The laminator of claim 17 , further including a display for communicating a status of the laminator to an operator, a thickness sensor to sense the thickness of material processed by the laminator, a controller in communication with the thickness sensor and the display, the display providing the operator information regarding the thickness of the material.

19 . The laminator of claim 16 wherein the pair of heating rollers include a silicone outer layer, the channels closing around the anti-wrap components when the pair of heating rollers are compressed against each other.

20 . The laminator of claim 16 wherein the pair of input rollers and pair of exit rollers, each input and exit roller including a plurality of channels perpendicular to the axis of rotation, the channels of the exit rollers not being in alignment with each other.

Assignees

• Fellowes Inc

Inventors

• Matlin Tai Hoon
• Losser Jim
• Applegate Shawn
• Maletich Peter

Classifications

• B32B41/00

  Arrangements for controlling or monitoring lamination processes; Safety arrangements · CPC title

• B02C25/00

  Control arrangements specially adapted for crushing or disintegrating · CPC title

• B32B2309/105

  Thickness · CPC title

• B32B2037/0061

  the apparatus being an office laminator · CPC title

• B32B37/06

  characterised by the heating method · CPC title