APPARATUS FOR USE IN HANDLING AND TRANSPORTING USED CORES ON WHICH PAPER FOR PRINTING IS WOUND

This invention relates to apparatus for use in handling and transporting used cores on which paper for printing is wound. More especially, this invention relates to apparatus for use in handling used cores at a print works, transporting the used cores to a paper mill, and unloading the used cores at the paper mill.

Print works use reels of paper for printing. Each reel is formed by winding paper onto a core. The cores are long, bulky and heavy and they are traditionally moved by machinery such for example as fork-lift tucks. When the reels are used up, the cores remain with some residual paper on the cores. These cores and their residual paper are still long, bulky and heavy and their removal from the print works presents a problem. Firstly they cannot be easily moved due to their size and weight. Secondly they just cannot be disposed of, and they need to be returned to a paper mill where they can be properly disposed of or refurbished for reuse.

It is an aim of the present invention to reduce the above mentioned problem.

Accordingly, in one non-limiting embodiment of the present invention there is provided apparatus for use in handling used cores at a print works, transporting the used cores to a paper mill, and unloading the used cores at

the paper mill, which apparatus comprises a first container at the print works and for receiving the used cores from a printing press in the print works, a first sloping portion in the first container and on which the used cores in the first container rest, a first unloading area in or near the print works and for unloading the used cores from the first container, a second sloping portion in the first unloading area and which is such that it slopes more than the first sloping portion, a storage unit in or near the print works and having a plurality of sloping shelves which are positioned one above the other and which are for receiving the used cores from the first unloading area, first lift means in or near the print works for lifting the used cores onto the shelves of the storage unit whereby the storage unit is then able to be transported to the paper mill, a third sloping portion on the first lift means and which slopes towards the storage unit, and second lift means in or near the paper mill for unloading the used cores from the shelves of the storage unit so that the used cores are able to be disposed of or refurbished, and the apparatus being such that in use the first sloping portion in the first container slopes away from the printing press and towards a fork-lift truck to be used for transporting the first container to the first unloading area whereby the used cores are able to roll under gravity towards the fork-lift truck, the second sloping portion slopes away from the fork-lift truck and towards the first lift means whereby the used cores are able to roll under gravity towards the first lift means when the first container is placed by the fork-lift truck on the second sloping portion of the first unloading area, and the shelves slope away from the first lift means whereby the used cores are able to roll under gravity off the third sloping

portion of the first lift means and onto the shelves of the storage unit and whereby the used cores are able to roll under gravity off the shelves of the storage unit at the paper mill.

The apparatus of the present invention enables the cores to be handled at the print works, transported to the paper mill, and unloaded at the paper mill in a simple and effective manner, using gravity for much of the time.

The apparatus may be one in which the first container is an open frame work container. Other types of container may be employed.

The apparatus may include a second container for receiving the first container. The second container may be a solid walled bin. Other types of second container may be employed.

The first unloading area may be a multi-platform first unloading area. Other types of first unloading area may be employed.

The first unloading area may include separator means for separating paper remaining on the used cores.

The storage unit is preferably an open sided storage unit. Other types of storage unit may be employed.

The first lift means is preferably a mechanical first lift means. Other types of first lift means may be employed.

The second lift means is preferably a mechanical second lift means. Other types of second lift means may be employed.

The apparatus may include a second working area which is at the paper mill, and which comprises means for receiving the used cores unloaded

from the storage unit. The second working area may be appropriate for use in disposing of the used cores, or alternatively this second working area may be appropriate for refurbishing the used cores for reuse.

The used cores may be made of any suitable and appropriate material including cardboard, aluminium and plastics materials. The cores may have end members. The end members may be made of any suitable and appropriate materials.

The cores may be of any suitable and appropriate size, for example 700 - 2300mm long and 76 - 200mm diameter. The cores may be transported to the paper mill in any suitable and appropriate manner, for example by lorry over land, and via docks if the cores are to be transported overseas.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described solely by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of part of apparatus of the present invention, which apparatus is for use in handling used cores at a print works, and transporting the used cores to a paper mill;

Figure 2 is a plan view of printing apparatus at a print works and shows how used cores are placed into a plurality of second containers, the second containers then being handled as shown in Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a side view of one of the first containers shown in Figure 1 positioned in one of the second containers shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the two containers shown in Figure 3;

Figures 5, 6 and 7 are end, plan and side elevational views of the first container as shown in Figures 3 and 4; and

Figure 8 is a side view like Figure 1 but shows part of the apparatus of the present invention for unloading the used cores at a paper mill.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown apparatus 2 for use in handling used cores 4 at a print works 6, transporting the used cores 4 to a paper mill 8, and unloading the used cores 4 at the paper mill 8.

The apparatus 2 comprises a first container 10 which is at the print works 6 and which is for receiving the used cores 4 from a printing press 12 in the print works 6. There is a first sloping portion 14 in the first container 10. The used cores 4 in the first container 10 rest on the first sloping portion 14.

The apparatus 2 further comprises a first unloading area 16 in the print works 6. The first unloading area 16 is for unloading the used cores 4 from the first container 10. The first unloading area 16 has a second sloping portion 18. The second sloping portion 18 is such that it slopes more than the first sloping portion 14. By way of example, it is mentioned that the first sloping portion 14 may slope at 5°, and the second sloping portion 18 may slope at 10°.

The apparatus 2 further comprises a storage unit 20. The storage unit 20 has a plurality of sloping shelves 22 which are positioned one above another. The shelves 22 are for receiving the used cores 4 from the first unloading area 16. Positioned between the first unloading area 16 and the storage unit 20 is first lift means 24. The first lift means 24 is for lifting the used cores 4 onto the shelves 22 of the storage unit 20. The storage unit 20

is then able to be transported to the paper mill 8. A third sloping portion 26 on the first lift means 24 is such that it slopes towards the storage unit 20.

The apparatus 2 further comprises second lift means 28 at the paper mill 8. The second lift means 28 is for use in unloading the used cores 4 from the shelves 22 of the storage unit 20. The used cores 4 are then able to be disposed of in a proper manner or, alternatively, refurbished for reuse.

The apparatus 2 is such that in use, the first sloping portion 14 in the first container 10 slopes away from the printing press 12 and towards a fork- lift truck, the forks of which are shown as forks 30 in Figure 3. The fork-lift truck is for use in transporting the first container 10 to the first unloading area 16. As can be appreciated from the top left hand part of Figure 1 , the first sloping portion 14 causes the used cores 4 to roll under gravity towards the fork-lift truck.

As can be appreciated from the bottom left hand part of Figure 1 , the second sloping portion 18 slopes away from the fork-lift truck and towards the first lift means 24. This enables the used cores 4 to roll under gravity towards the first lift means 24 when the first container 10 is placed by the fork-lift truck on the second sloping portion 18 of the first unloading area 16.

As can be appreciated from the bottom right hand part of Figure 1 , the shelves 22 slope away from the first lift means 24. This enables the used cores 4 to be able to roll under gravity off the third sloping portion 26 of the first lift means 24 and onto the shelves 22 of the storage unit 20. As shown in Figure 8, it also enables the used cores 4 to be able to roll under gravity off the shelves 22 of the storage unit 20 at the paper mill 8.

As can best be appreciated from Figures 3 - 7, the first container 10 is an open frame work container. The first container 10 sits in a second container 32. The second container 32 is in the form of a solid walled bin.

The first unloading area 16 is a multi-platform area having the second sloping portion 18 on a first platform 34. A second platform 36 has a sloping surface 38 for enabling the used cores 4 to keep rolling off the first sloping portion 14, out of the first container 10 and over the sloping surface 38 of the second platform 36.

The second platform 36 is provided with separator means 40 for separating paper remaining on the used cores 4. The separator means 40 may be a core stripping machine. The used cores 4, without their residual paper, then continue to run under gravity onto the third sloping portion 26 of the first lift means 24. The first and the second lift means 24, 28 are both mechanical lift means.

As shown in Figure 2, the print works 6 may be such that it comprise five of the printing presses 12. Each printing press 12 has a reel arm 42 (see Figure 1) for depositing used cores 4 into the first container 10 which is in the second container 32. For simplicity of illustration in Figure 2, the first containers 10 have not been shown. The second containers 32 are able to move towards and away from the printing presses 12 on tracks 44. The tracks 44 thus enable the printing presses 12 to be loaded with reels of paper, and to have the used cores 4 removed when the reels of paper are empty.

In Figure 8, it will be seen that the shelves 22 are shown with used cores 4 of different diameters. The second lift means 28 is shown with a

sloping portion 46 which is able to slope at a required angle by means of a ram device 48 which will usually be pneumatically operated. The sloping portion 46 is provided with an extension portion 50 which is able to extend underneath the shelves 22 and receive the used cores 4 as they roll off the shelves 22. The used cores 4 are then able to be appropriately disposed of or alternatively refurbished for reuse, as may be desired.

For simplicity of illustration, the storage unit 20 has not been shown with closure members required for keeping the used cores 4 on the shelves 22 until such time as it is desired to empty a shelf 22 of its used cores 4.

It is to be appreciated that the embodiment of the invention described above with reference to the accompanying drawings has been given by way of example and that modifications may be effected. Thus, for example, the first container 10 and the storage unit 20 may be of a different design to those shown. Instead of the various component parts of the apparatus being in the printing works 6 and in the paper mill 8, they could be near the printing works 6 and the paper mill 8, for example just outside.