US 12,221,242 B2
Electronic control of metered film dispensing in a wrapping apparatus
Patrick R. Lancaster, III, Louisville, KY (US); Michael Mitchell, Louisville, KY (US); Thomas Harris, Louisville, KY (US); Robert D. Janes, Sr., Louisville, KY (US); and Richard L. Johnson, La Grange, KY (US)
Assigned to LANTECH.COM, LLC, Louisville, KY (US)
Filed by Lantech.com, LLC, Louisville, KY (US)
Filed on Aug. 2, 2017, as Appl. No. 15/667,344.
Application 15/667,344 is a continuation of application No. 12/349,929, filed on Jan. 7, 2009, granted, now 9,725,195.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/006,338, filed on Jan. 7, 2008.
Prior Publication US 2017/0327260 A1, Nov. 16, 2017
Int. Cl. B65B 57/02 (2006.01); B65B 11/00 (2006.01); B65B 11/02 (2006.01); B65B 11/04 (2006.01); B65B 41/16 (2006.01); B65B 57/04 (2006.01); B65B 59/00 (2006.01)
CPC B65B 57/02 (2013.01) [B65B 11/025 (2013.01); B65B 11/04 (2013.01); B65B 11/045 (2013.01); B65B 41/16 (2013.01); B65B 57/04 (2013.01); B65B 2011/002 (2013.01); B65B 59/001 (2019.05); B65B 2210/18 (2013.01); B65B 2210/20 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of wrapping a load, comprising:
providing relative rotation between a film dispenser and the load during a wrapping cycle;
dispensing a film from a prestretch portion of a film dispenser, including driving rotation of a packaging material roller of the prestretch portion of the film dispenser;
sensing a film speed of the film downstream of the packaging material roller of the prestretch portion of the dispenser by an idle roller positioned downstream of the packaging material roller of the prestretch portion of the film dispenser and defining a film path extending between the packaging material roller of the prestretch portion of the film dispenser and the idle roller and having a length that is substantially fixed during dispensing of the film;
the idle roller being downstream from the prestretch portion of the film dispenser, the idle roller further being a non-driven idle roller; and
controlling a dispensing rate of the film dispenser based on the sensed film speed by controlling a rate of rotation of the packaging material roller of the prestretch portion of the film dispenser based at least in part on the sensed film speed.