Importance

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Abstract

A strip unwinding machine has laterally spaced tracks for receiving opposite ends of a shaft on which a roll of strip mounted. A transfer assembly moves a new roll and shaft along the tracks from a loading position to an unwinding position, and a rotatable unwinding roller is located at the unwinding position. The transfer assembly also urges the roll against the unwinding roller to cause the roll to be rotated thereby with consequent unwinding to the strip from the roll. A raising assembly which rotates completely around the unwinding roller raises a nearly empty roll and shaft at the unwinding position upwardly from the tracks and from the transfer assembly while maintaining engagement of the roll with the unwinding roller to enable a new roll and shaft to be brought to the unwinding position by the transfer assembly. A cutting assembly carried by the raising assembly cuts the strip from the nearly empty roll when the new roll is brought into engagement with the unwinding roller by the transfer assembly to cause the last portion of the strip unwound from the nearly empty roll to adhere to an initial portion of the strip on the new roll so as to continuously feed strip from the machine.

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First Claim