This invention relates to packaging and more particularly to a device to facilitate packaging articles with plastic wrapping material or synthetic plastic binding material.

So-called "stretch-film" - usually a synthetic plastics material such as linear polyethylene having inherent "cling" properties - has been used for the wrapping or packaging of many types of articles, such as pallet-borne articles including bricks, glass contain¬ ers, packs of beverages such as beer, and of bulky and/or heavy products such as large rolls of newsprint, kraft paper and the like. The stretch film binds the articles together as a single unit to facilitate their handling and transport. Special machines have been developed to "stretch-wrap" such groups of articles. Background of the Invention

In many cases it may be desired to package together, as for despatch or marketing, pluralities of like or dissimilar articles, either with or without a pallet. For example, in such fields as food distribution, hardware supplies, etc., it may be desirable to package together several articles to be sold together as a unit. Heretofore, in such applications, a number of articles, which may be separate, or individually packaged in cartons or boxes, may be packaged together with cellulose tape, bands, cord, lashing, metal or plastic strapping, or the like binding materials. Such packaging methods are time-consuming and labour intensive and, therefore, relatively expensive. Background Art

Several forms of machine have been proposed to assist in the wrapping of articles with a stretch film. Australian Patent No. 511,642 discloses an automatic wrapping machine for wrapping layers of film web around a load. With this machine, a turntable holds the load in position and rotates relative to a supported roll of

stretchable film. A brake is applied to the roll to place tension on the film web so as to stretch the web as it is applied to the rotating load.

This machine is designed for relatively large loads and is, consequently, relatively expensive to manufacture.

Australian Patent No. 519,456 discloses a process using a similar type of wrapping machine, while Australian Patent No. 505,121 discloses another form of apparatus for wrapping a plurality of loads into a unitized load. Similarly, United States Patent Nos. 4,050,221, 4,271,657 and 4,432,185 all disclose other forms of stretch wrapping machines for wrapping a plurality of packages into a unit or wrapping palletized loads. The use of such machines requires that the loads be transported to the machine, loaded thereon, clamped or supported in some way while the machine wraps the stretchable film about the load. United States Patent No. 4,102,513 discloses a portable, hand-held dispenser for wrapping a roll of plastic stretch film about an object. The dispenser has a reel assembly on which is mounted the roll of stretchable film. Two handles are connected to the reel assembly for support thereof during use. The support assembly includes a support shaft secured to a base plate and carrying a pair of opposed rotary end supports mounted for rotation on the shaft. The supports engage into the ends of a roll of plastic stretch film. At least one of the supports has a friction brake member operable to act as a brake and restrict rotation of the roll of stretch film on the support shaft. One of the hand grips is operatively associated with the rotary end supports to increase or decrease the drag on the roll and to thereby vary the tension on the film during wrapping. This dispenser, however, requires two hands for operation thereof and requires the braking on the roll of film to be controlled by the operator during use.

European Patent No. 0 081 328 dated November 26, 1982 discloses another form of film dispenser in which

the film passes around a pair of rollers which are mounted pivotally relative to the film roll. Tension applied to the film causes one of the rollers to be pressed against the surface of the roll of film, and the rollers are geared together so that one roller rotates at a greater speed than the other to thereby stretch the film longitudinally between the rollers. The dispenser has a wheeled base for movement around a palleted load. While this dispenser is portable, it requires to be rolled along a floor around a palleted load, and a handle is provided at the upper end to facilitate such movement. Further, the stretch of the film is controlled by the difference between the peripheral speeds of the two rollers. As soon as tension on the film is diminished, the forces holding one of the rollers against the surface of the film roll also diminishes thus permitting the roll unrestricted movement and diminishing the stretch between the rollers.

It is therefore desirable to provide an improved device for packaging objects which avoids at least some of the previous packaging problems.

It is also desirable to provide a packaging device which facilitates the use of a plastics film, preferably linear, low-density polyethylene film as a packaging material. it is an object of the invention to provide a portable film dispenser which can be operated with one hand and which allows the user to stretch wrap an article or a group of articles.

A further object of the invention is to provide a film dispenser which is of relatively simple construc¬ tion, of relatively few moving parts and which ^• is relati vely easy to use.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a film dispenser in which the stretch of the film applied to an article may be controlled as desired. Summary of the Invention

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a device for dispensing a packaging

mediu comprising holder means to hold a roll of the packaging medium such that the roll is able to rotate, brake means applied to the roll of the packaging medium, and support means for the holder means to enable the medium to either be applied to articles or to be withdrawn from the roll, said brake means including at least one roller means engaged with a surface of the roll of the packaging medium and biasing means to bias the said roll and at least one roller together. in one preferred form the holder means comprises opposed journals adapted to engage opposite ends of a hollow core of the roll of plastic medium. In another form, the holder means comprises a mandrel which may be fixed relative to the support means, in which case the roll of plastic material will rotate relative thereto, or may be journalled for rotation relative to the support means.

In a preferred aspect there is provided a device for dispensing a packaging medium of stretchable, synthetic plastic material from a roll thereof comprising holder means to carry the roll for relative rotation, support means associated with the holder means whereby the device can be hand-held, wall-mounted or otherwise disposed for use, and brake means including a braking roller carried the support means, at least one of the roll and braking roller being biased towards the other so that the braking roller engages a surface of the roll to restrict rotational movement thereof.

Preferably, the support means comprises at least one handle attached to or integral with the holder means. In an alternative embodiment, the support means includes a base adapted to be secured to a wall, bench, table or other surface.

The braking roller preferably is mounted to engage the surface of the roll of plastic material and biasing springs apply a pressure between the roller and the roll to impart a retarding force to the roll to restrict rotation thereof. Thus, when the plastics material is drawn

from the roll the braking roller restricts rotation of the roll which causes the material to be tensioned and therefore stretched. The degree of tension, and therefor stretch, may be adjustable by adjusting the spring tension. In one form, the springs are attached to cam levers mounted on the support means which are movable to increase or decrease the spring tension and therefore vary the pressure applied by the braking roller to the roll of plastics material. Other means may be used to vary the biasing force and to ensure a substantially constant force is applied irrespective of the diameter of the roll.

In one form of the invention, the device is provided with an eye, or runner, spaced from the roll and the brake means. By passing the plastics material from the roll through the eye or runner, the material is formed into a strand, similar to a cord or the like. In another form, the plastics material is passed through a folding or banding device to form the relatively thin material into a band suitable for banding or tying articles together.

In preferred embodiments of the invention the device includes cutting means usable to cut the plastics material when drawn from the roll. In one form, the cutting means comprises a blade mounted on the support means. In another form, the cutting means comprises a cutter movable coaxially relative to the roll and engage- able with the plastics material adjacent the brake means. In a further embodiment, the cutter means comprises a blade, preferably serrated, extending substantially parallel to the roll surface but spaced therefrom and engageable by plastics material drawn from the roll.

In use of the device of the invention, an end of the plastic stretch-wrap material on the roll, which i _s mounted for rotation on the holder means, is applied to articles to be wrapped and is held in position while the device and articles are moved apart. The movement causes the plastics material to stretch while simulta-

neously being wrapped about the article. When the tension in the film reaches a predetermined minimum, sufficient force is exerted to stretch the film and, at the same time, to overcome the effect of the braking means to draw film from the roll.

A linear polyethylene film can be stretched to several times its original length, depending upon its application. Because of inherent elasticity of some types of film, a stretched film may tend to return to its unstretched size or state thereby exerting a pressure on goods or articles wrapped in the film to firmly hold the goods together.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a film dispenser comprising a housing, handle means for the housing, a pair of opposed guideways in the housing to support opposed ends of a core tube on which is mounted a roll of packaging material, the roll being rotatable relative to the housing, biasing means acting on the core tube to bias it towards the front of the housing, and a brake roller rotatably mounted in the housing and engageable by the roll of packing material. If desired, the dispenser may be designed as a wall-mounted stretch-film dispenser having the same features as outlined above. in order that the invention is readily understood, hereinafter will be described certain embodiments thereof, by way of example only and with reference to the accompany¬ ing drawings.

Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a side-on schematic perspective of a first embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a preferred form of mandrel; Figure 3 is a top plan view of a second embodiment; Figure 4 is a sectional top plan view of a further embodimen ,

Figure 5 is a perspective view illustrating a further embodiment of the invention;

Figure 6 is a top plan view, partly cut away,

of the dispenser of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken along the lines 7-7 of Figure 6; and

Figure 8 illustrates a modified construction of braking roller.

Description of the Preferred Embodiments

Figure 1 shows a stretch-film dispenser able to be operated single-handedly. The device of this embodiment comprises a mandrel 8 - later to be described with reference to Figure 2 - which is journalled for rotation within a frame 10. The mandrel is such that it is able to be passed through the hollow core of a roll 11 of stretch-film.

At that end of frame 10 which is remote from the roll 11 and mandrel 8 there is a handle, or hand-grip

12. The dispenser has a braking roller 13, preferably a rough-textured rubber roller, carried by arms 6 and having spindle end 16 slidable in slots 7. The roller

13 is so biased by springs- 14 as to be able to maintain a substantially constant braking action force on the roll

11. This braking force is sufficient to permit an adequate degree of stretch of the film of the roll 11 to be attained when the device is put to use. One end of . each biasing spring 14 is attached, as in holes 15 in the sides of the frame 10, while the other end is attached to the spindle 16 of braking roller 13. As an alternative, compression spring means could be employed to ensure the required degree of biasing of the braking roller on the roll of stretch film. Ideally, adjustment means are provided for appropriate adjustment of the springs in the various embodiments of the invention, such as the plurality of holes 15.

Referring to Figure 2, this shows a mandrel 8 of telescopic construction. Within a barrel 17 is accommodated an inner member 18 having a head 19 of diameter equal to that of barrel 17. Also within barrel 17, at that end remote from head 19, is a compression spring (not shown) to bias the spigots 20 into co-acting

sockets in frame 10. A detent or stop 21 works in a slot 22 in barrel 17 to prevent inner member 18 from coming out of barrel 17. In use, the mandrel 8 is simply removed from the housing 10 by relative movement of the barrel 17 and inner member 18 to withdraw the spigots 20 from the sockets in the frame 10. Alternatively, the handle 12 may comprise interengaging socket and spigot parts which enable the handle to be dismantled thus providing access to the mandrel 8. Figure 3 is a top plan view of another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a mandrel, which may be similar to that shown in Figure 2, or which may be fixed within a frame 23, passes through the hollow core of a roll 11 of stretch-film 24. The frame 23 has a handle or handgrip 25 and the dispenser is provided with a biased braking roller 26. The braking roller 26 is carried by a wire frame 35 which is held to the frame 23 by a pair of eyes 28. A torsion spring 27 which is integral with the frame 35 applies the biasing force to the braking roller 26.

Referring to Figure 4 there is shown a further embodiment of a hand-held dispenser 31 to dispense plastic film from a roll 32 which is wound onto a core 30, of cardboard or other material. The core 30 is supported on spigots 33 and 34 integral with frame side members 36 and 37 respectively. The frame side member 36 has an integral handle 38 which extends substantially coaxial with the spigots 33 and 34. The handle 38 has an enlarged bulb 39 on its free end which snap-fits into a socket 41 formed in the side member 37 to hold the frame parts together.

A roller 42, preferably of a rubber compound or the like, is carried by springs 43 and 44 to engage the surface of the film roll 32. The springs 43 and 44 are attached to tension adjusting members 46 and 47 respect¬ ively located within the frame side members 36 and 37. Each adjusting member has a finger 48, 49 engageable with one of a plurality of seats 51 disposed on a side wall

of a slot 52 formed in each frame side member 36 and 37.

The frame side member 36 has a cutting blade 53 fixed thereto and protected by a guard 54 which will permit the film to contact the blade 53 while preventing inadvert- ant contact by a user.

The film of plastics material may be formed into a band, cord or "string" for certain applications. For this purpose, the dispenser 31 is provided with an eyelet

56 carried by a wire support 57 or the like so as to be spaced from the roller 42. When the plastic film is passed through the eyelet 56 the constriction of the eyelet together with the tension applied to the film as well as its inherent "cling" property, causes the film to take up the form of a string which is extremely strong. Referring to Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8, the dispenser of this embodiment comprises a housing 62, moulded of synthetic plastic material and having a front section

63 and a rear section 64 pivoted together about an axis

66. A clip 67 holds the two housing sections in the operable position as shown in Figure 5.

The housing is provided on opposite sides with a pair of guideways 68 which are able to receive the ends of a film roll core or a core tube 69 so as to be movable along the guideways 68 whilst permitting rotation of the roll 11 of the film material.

The rear housing section 64 is formed with an integral handle 71 while the front housing section 63 carries a braking roller 72. The braking roller 72 comprises a spindle 73 mounted in the front section 63, bearing bushes 74 mounted on each end of the spindle 73 and a substantially rigid, PVC roller 76 rotatably mounted on the bearing bushes 74.

A pair of biasing springs 78 are mounted on a journal 79 coaxial with the pivot axis 66. One leg 81, of each spring 78 is supported by a bar 82 in the rear housing section 64 while the other leg 83 of each biasing spring 78 bears against the core tube 69 carried in the guideways 68. The biasing springs 78 thus bias the core

tube 69, and hence the roll 11 towards the braking roller 72. In use, film material passes from the roll 11 between the nip created by the engagement of the roll 11 with the braking roller 72, to be applied to an article or a group of articles to be wrapped with the stretch film material. The braking force applied by the braking roller 72 enables the film to be stretched as it is applied to the articles, the degree of stretch being dependent both on the biasing force and the rotational freedom of the braking roller 72. By passing the stretch film through the nip, the material is always firmly held on the roll 11 and a constant tension is able to be maintained during wrapping.

Referring to Figure 8, the biasing roller 72 may have an inbuilt clutch mechanism which is adjustable to vary the rotational freedom of the braking roller 72, in use. The structure illustrated in Figure 8 comprises a pair of flanges 86 and 87 adapted to engage the ends of the braking roller 72. The flanges 86 and 87 are -held together by a spring 88 and a screwed spindle 89 connected to a handle 91. By adjusting the axial position of the spindle 89, by threaded movement of the handle 91 and spindle 89, the tension in the spring 88 can be varied to thereby vary the pressure applied by the flanges 86 and 87 on the ends of the braking roller, thereby varying the rotational freedom thereof.