The present invention relates to a device according to the preamble to appended Claim 1.

There is a great need in the art for rationalisation of the handling of sleeves for, for example, envelope paper, both before, during and after rolling up of the paper webs. It is common practice that paper webs are rolled up simultaneously on three to four magazine rolls and sometimes more, which are packed together to form transport packages of a width of 500-1000 mm. The rolls that are to be packed together are placed on a loose inner sleeve which is kept in position by means of plugs in their outer ends or sealing by means of adhesive tape. The inner sleeve can be slit in order to keep the rolls in place without sealing at the outer ends. Further, the rolls can be held in position, or clamped together, by means of fixedly nailed plastic strips etc. These different methods entail considerable manual handling because of a costly handling of the loose inner sleeves. The inner sleeves are bulky and the requisite space is considerable. As a result, the whole of the prior art handling operation will be extremely costly.

The task forming the basis of the present invention is to realise a device for more rational handling of both the sleeves and the paper rolls.

This task is solved according to the present invention in the device disclosed by way of introduction in that it has been given the characterising features as set forth in appended Claim 1.

A device according to the present invention makes it possible to rationalise to an extremely high degree the handling of both the sleeves and the finished paper rolls, and it is extremely simple to take care of the integrating body in connection with the conversion of the rolls at the point of use. Thus, the present invention further realises a device which as good as entirely obviates the need for handling of the sleeves with and without paper separately. It is only at the end user where the body according to the present invention needs to be handled together with the empty sleeves. A major advantage inherent in the device according to the present invention is the low extra weight.

The present invention will now be described in greater detail hereinbelow, with reference to the accompanying Drawings. Fig. 1 schematically shows a perspective view of a number of sleeves on one embodiment of a device according to the present invention. Fig. 2 schematically shows a similar perspective view to that of Fig. 1 of an embodiment of the device according to the present invention outside the sleeves. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of a part of the device shown in Fig. 1.

The device according to one embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises three short sleeves 1, 2 and 3 on which paper webs are to be wound up, which is usual in connection with the handling of, for example, envelope paper webs. The sleeves 1, 2 and 3 are placed on a body 4 which is inserted in the sleeves 1, 2 and 3 and has circular, cylindrical configuration. The body 4 should not be longer than the total length of the sleeves 1, 2 and 3. The body 4 should be of a length which corresponds substantially to the total length of the sleeves 1, 2 and 3. It should further be emphasised that the number of sleeves 1, 2 and 3 is naturally optional. It is common practice to handle between three and four sleeves on one and the same body 4. In such instance, the total length of the number of sleeves 1, 2 and 3 may amount to approx. 500-1000 mm. In this case, the inserted body 4 is substantially as long as the sleeves 1, 2 and 3 together. It may be of importance that the ends of the inserted body 4 be located inside the end edge surfaces of the outer sleeves 1 and 3, as is apparent from Fig. 1, in order to avoid damage to the ends of the body 4.

The body 4 is manufactured so as to be expandable for pressing against the inside of the sleeves 1, 2 and 3. In the illustrated embodiment, the body 4 is manufactured from an expandable material, e.g. plastic or rubber. Further, the body 4 is cylindrical and sealed at the ends in order to be airtight. A longitudinal section of a hose-shaped cylindrical body 4 is shown in Fig. 3. At the one end, the body has an air filler valve 5 for supplying air thereto, and thereby expansion of the body 4 against the inside of the sleeves 1, 2 and 3 and release of air when it is desirable to remove the body 4 from the sleeves 1, 2 and 3. The valve 5 may suitably be of the non-return valve type, e.g. of the type which is used in beach balls, and may be kept in position by means of a screw cap on an outer thread 8.

Fig. 2 particularly illustrates that the body may have, at least in the longitudinal direction, rigid sections 6 and interjacent less rigid sections 7, the major part of the rigid sections 6 facilitating insertion of the body 4 in the sleeves 1, 2 and 3. The rigid sections 6 are outwardly arched and the less rigid sections 7 are inwardly arched, until the body 4 is inflated with air or other suitable medium.

It is relatively simple to place a number, e.g. five sleeves 1, 2 and 3 on a substrate and insert therein a non-expanded body 4. After expansion of the body 4, all of the sleeves 1 , 2 and 3 may be handled as a unit in an extremely simple manner, since they are held together by the body 4. The package of sleeves 1, 2 and 3 and the inserted and expanded body 4 may be placed in a paper rolling machine for rolling up paper webs on the sleeves 1, 2 and 3. The package with the insertion body 4 and the sleeves 1, 2 and 3 or paper rolls 1, 2 and 3, may thereafter be packed together and transported to a site of use for conversion of the paper rolls into an end product.

The outside of the body 4 may be provided with devices or means for increasing the friction between the surface of the body and the inside of the sleeves 1, 2 and 3. This may also be achieved by means of ridges, projections or the like in the wall material of the body 4. The friction between the surface of the body and the inside of the sleeves 1, 2 and 3 may also be governed by the choice of the air pressure inside the body 4.

The body 4 may be constructed in numerous different ways. A hose of a suitable material, e.g. rubber, and of a suitable length and diameter, which should be slightly less than the inner diameter of the sleeves 1, 2 and 3, may be provided with outer and/or inner rigidifϊcations which are substantially longitudinal, the ends being sealed with an air seal and at least one end being provided with an air supply valve 5.

The body 4 may also be manufactured in a manner similar to a PET bottle, whose mouth is closed in airtight fashion and provided with an air supply valve, and whose wall is sufficiently expandable in order, by air inflation, to be pressed against the inside of the sleeves.

It is important to emphasise that the number of sleeves on an expandable body is naturally optional, and the present invention is naturally not restricted to the number of sleeves disclosed in the foregoing description and shown on the Drawings.

Many modifications are naturally conceivable without departing from the scope of the inventive concept as defined in the appended Claims.