Separating element for stocking and transporting yarn spools on a pallet

Abstract

 Separating element in plastic material for stocking and transporting on a pallet of yarn spools wound on supports, comprising a plain base structure (2), provided on one side with means for engagement (12) with the support of each yarn spool, and with a flat supporting element (30), substantially circular, provided with a central opening in correspondence of the engaging means (12), suitable for providing a supporting base for the spool.

Description

[0001] The present invention refers to separating elements for yarn spools stacked on a pallet, also known as trays or layer separators.

[0002] For their shipping and stocking, the yarn spools are positioned on a pallet by means of automatic machines and then wrapped by a film of heat-shrinkable plastic material or packaged in cardboard boxes. Other automatic machinery is later used to pick up the yarn spools from the pallets.

[0003] In order to arrange the spools on the pallets, in stacked layers, separators are inserted between the layers, such separators also performing a lateral retraining function and making easier the centering of the spools by the packaging machine and their subsequent picking up.

[0004] For this purpose there have been used separating elements made of cardboard sheets provided with holes in correspondence of which plastic truncated cones for centering the spools are inserted and secured.

[0005] This solution however has many drawbacks, it requires a manual positioning of the cones in the centering and securing holes, the cardboard trays usually are not reusable since they are subjected to breaking and damaging, and moreover, if the yarn spools lean directly on the cardboard, the portion of yarn directly in contact with the cardboard could be damaged by friction and rubbing originating during the transport.

[0006] In order to overcome these drawbacks there have realised separating trays made of plastic material, integrating in the tray also the centering cones for the yarn spools. These trays are stronger and more durable, and therefore can be reused several times, besides they maintain the spool slightly lifted eliminating the rubbing between yarn and tray. However they present different drawbacks.

[0007] The cost of the mold is high due to the large dimensions of the article to be molded. Moreover, being the spools supported only in their central part, in correspondence of the support on which they are wound, the stability of the system pallet-separating tray-spools is highly reduced, especially if the number of stacked layers is high. This implies the need of paying particular attention during the shifting and transporting of the pallets. An unstable equilibrium can in fact jeopardise the automated operations, requiring manual operations and, in general, increasing the manufacturing costs.

[0008] A further drawback, common to both the cardboard trays with plastic cones and the plastic ones, consists in that the upstanding cones all protrude at the same locations on each tray thus preventing an effective superimposing of the stacked trays, typically during the encasing phase when a machine picks up single trays from a stack and place them between the tiers of yarn spools.

[0009] Examples of cardboard trays are illustrated in US-A-4 141 447 (with cut-outs folded upright for supporting the spools), and in EP-A-465 815.

[0010] Plastic material trays are disclosed for example in EP-A-229 392, EP-A-194 405, US-A-4 142 634, US-A-4 042 108, EP-A-514 985. GB-A-1 544 983 discloses modular component parts with an associated connecting system for forming centering devices in the packaging of yarn spools.

[0011] It is an object of the present invention to overcome the above mentioned limitations and drawbacks of the prior art devices.

[0012] This object of the present invention is accomplished through a separating element for yarn spools having the characteristics recited in claim 1.

[0013] Additional objects of the present invention are obtained through the features recited in the dependent claims.

[0014] The separating element realised according to the invention is substantially flat, allows to support the spool on a smooth surface distributing uniformly the weight and it is realised in modular form.

[0015] These and other objects are reached by the structure realised according to the invention, as claimed in the enclosed claims.

[0016] The aforesaid and other objects of the invention will become more evident from the description of a preferred embodiment with reference to the attached drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a modular element of the separating element realised according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a cross section according to line A-A of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a plan view of a separating element realised according to the present invention;

Figure 4 is a plan view of a second embodiment of a modular element of the separating element, realised according to the present invention;

Figure 5 is a lateral view of the modular element of the separating element of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a plan view of a supporting element of the separating element, according to present invention; and

Figure 7 is a cross section according to line B-B of Figure 6.

[0017] With reference to Figures 1 and 2, a modular element of a separating element for layers of yarn spools is realised in plastic material and provides a base structure 2 having in its central portion means 12 for the engagement with the yarn spools.

[0018] The base structure 2 is realised in a single piece of plastic material and consists substantially of a perimetrical edge 6, that runs along the whole periphery of the structure 2, and a plurality of orthogonal rigid elements 8 disposed radially from a central ring 12 toward the perimetrical edge 6, defining a plurality of areas.

[0019] A second ring 20 defines externally empty areas 10 separating them from filled areas 4 comprised between the external ring 20 and the perimetrical edge 6.

[0020] The central circular ring 12 acts as engaging means with the yarn spool. In particular the support on which the spool is wound, that normally partially projects from the spool, penetrates into the ring 12. The support, and accordingly the whole spool, is therefore laterally constrained.

[0021] Alternatively the engaging means could be realised as a central projecting element, that penetrates into the support of the yarn spool, limiting the lateral movements of the spool itself.

[0022] The orthogonal rigid elements 8, together with the internal ring 12 and the external ring 20, constitute a supporting structure for a flat supporting element for the yarn spool, having a shape substantially circular and provided with a central opening in correspondence of the support on which the yarn is wound.

[0023] The supporting element 30 is a thin disk made of plastic material, smooth and perforated in the middle. Moreover it is provided with lockpins 14a, 16a suitable to be inserted in corresponding holes 14 and 16 present in the base structure 2 respectively in correspondence of the internal ring 12 and of the external ring 20.

[0024] Particularly the lockpins 14a are inserted into a perimetrical portion 15 external to the internal ring 12 while the lockpins 16a are inserted in holes 16 provided in the filled areas 4 near the external ring 20.

[0025] The perimetrical orthogonal edge 6 comprises, on each side, means 18 for allowing the junction between adjacent modular elements by means of elastic clips.

[0026] Figure 2 shows in section, according to line A-A, the element of figure 1. In particular are visible the rigid elements 8 that provide a concave supporting surface for the supporting element 30. This expedient allows the supporting element to bend itself partially under the weight of the yarn spool and to adapt itself to possible protrusions or irregularities present in the base surface of the same yarn, increasing the contact surface between yarn spool and supporting element reducing the load for unity of surface.

[0027] Moreover the support provided by the internal ring 12 is lower then the supporting plane of the external ring, allowing the supporting element 30 to adapt itself to the natural form slightly conical of the base of the yarn spool.

[0028] As it is visible in the section of Figure 2 the base structure 2 is perfectly symmetrical and could provide support also for a second supporting element situated on its lower side.

[0029] The lockpins 14a, 16a allows in fact to insert and remove the supporting elements from the base structure 2 in order to change the configuration of the separating element or for possible substitutions due to partial breakages.

[0030] The same separating element can therefore be used as a separator between layers of spools, using two supporting elements, or as a base element laying on the pallet or as an upper element on the top of the stack of spools, using only one supporting element.

[0031] Figures 6 and 7 show in detail, respectively in a plan view and in a sectional view, the circular supporting element 30 of the separating element. In particular are visible the lockpins 14a, 16a suitable for inserting in corresponding holes 14 and 16 provided in the base structure.

[0032] Figure 3 shows a separating element, comprising four modular elements joined together by means of elastic clips 32, wherein each module is provided with an upper supporting element 30 for the yarn spools, visible in Figure, and eventually with a second supporting element applied below on the opposite side.

[0033] The modular separating elements are, advantageously, rectangular or square shaped, nevertheless it is provided that said elements could have any polygonal shape regular or irregular and that the separating element could be obtained by joining separating elements having different shapes.

[0034] The number of elements that they compose the separating element depends, however, by the dimensions of the single yarn spools and by the dimensions of the supporting pallet.

[0035] Figure 4 shows a different embodiment of a modular separating element, structurally similar to the modular element of Figure 1. The supporting structure for the flat supporting element for the body of the spool and the supporting element itself are in fact identical to those of the separating element described above.

[0036] The filled areas 4 presents on the contrary some differences. In particular they present, on a first side, four protruding areas 40 and four recessed areas 42 that correspond, on the opposite side, respectively to four recessed areas and to four protruding areas.

[0037] The protruding areas 40 of a modular element, better visible in the side view of Figure 5, could be inserted into corresponding recessed areas of a superimposed modular element. In this way it is favoured the joint stacking for the stocking and transporting of the modular elements or the assembled separating elements without the spools.

[0038] The overlap of the separating elements is also favoured by the fact that they are practically flat and without protruding supports for the spools.

Claims

1. Separating element in plastic material for stocking and transporting on a pallet of at least one yarn spool wound on a support, comprising a base structure (2) substantially flat, provided on at least one side with means for engagement (12) with the support of said spool, characterised in that it comprises a supporting element (30) for said yarn spool, disposed around said means for engagement (12), suitable for providing a supporting base for a base surface of said yarn spool.

2. Separating element according to claim 1, characterised in that said means for engagement (12) with said support comprise a central circular ring (12) in which is inserted part of the support projecting out of the yarn spool.

3. Separating element according to claim 1, characterised in that said supporting element (30) comprises a substantially circular smooth disk, substantially flat, provided with a central opening in correspondence of said means for engagement (12) and made of plastic material.

4. Separating element according to claim 3, characterised in that said supporting element (30) is provided with lockpins (14a, 16a) suitable to be inserted in corresponding holes (14, 16) obtained in the base structure (2) on which the disk is leant.

5. Separating element according to claim 4, characterised in that said lockpins allow to join together in a removable way the supporting element (30) and the base structure (2).

6. Separating element according to claim 3, characterised in that the portion of the base structure that supports the circular supporting element (30) comprises an external ring (20) and a series of rigid elements (8) disposed radially from said central ring (12) toward the perimeter (6) of the base structure (2), defining a plurality of empty areas (10) comprised between said central ring (12) and said external ring (20) and a plurality of filled areas comprised between said external ring (20) and the perimeter (6).

7. Separating element according to claim 6, characterised in that said rigid elements (8) present a supporting surface for said supporting element having a concave profile, allowing the supporting element (30) to partially bend itself under the weight of the yarn spool and to adapt itself to possible protrusions present in the base surface of the same yarn spool.

8. Separating element according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that it comprises, on a second side, means for engagement with the support of a second yarn spool, a circular supporting element and rigid elements for supporting said supporting element.

9. Separating element according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that it is realised as a modular element provided laterally with means (18) for the junction with other adjacent modular elements.

10. Separating element according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that it comprises some areas (40) protruding from the base structure, disposed on each side externally to said supporting element, and some corresponding recessed areas having a complementary shape, disposed on the opposite side.

11. Separating element according to claim 9, characterised in that the protruding areas (40) of a separating element can be inserted into corresponding recessed areas of an other separating element, in order to allow a joint stacking for the stocking of the separating elements without the yarn spools.

Drawing