Assembly containing stacks of a web of material

Abstract

The invention concerns an assembly (A) containing a plurality of stacks of strip shaped material, which is fanfolded in the stacks between a leading end ( 111 a, 112 a ) in a first end of the stacks and a trailing end ( 121 a, 122 a ) in a second end of the stacks, and arranged to be able to be fed out through unfolding of the material continuously at least until the assembly has been emptied. The assembly contains two such packs ( 1, 2 ) each of which contains a plurality of such stacks ( 101 a - d, 102 a - d ) arranged side by side. The leading ends and the trailing ends of the strip material of the stacks of the two packs are alternately joined to one another, so that a continuous strip is achieved with a leading end ( 111 a ) of the assembly in a first stack of one of the packs and a trailing end ( 122 d ) in a last stack of the other pack. The joined strip material sections between the trailing ends of the stacks of the second pack and the leading ends of the stacks of the first pack extend between the joined strip material sections between the trailing ends of the stacks of the first pack and the leading ends of the second pack. A plurality of such assemblies (A) may be spliced to form a multi-assembly.

1 - 9 . (canceled)  
   
   
       10 . An assembly containing a plurality of stacks of a web of material which is fanfolded in the stacks between a leading end in a first end of the stacks and a trailing end in a second end of the stacks, and arranged to be possible to be fed out by continuously unfolding the web of material at least until the assembly has been emptied, characterized in that the assembly comprises two units, here referred to as first and second packs, which packs have six pair-wise opposite sides, namely a pair of opposite fold-sides, comprising a first and a second side defined by the folds of the strip-material of the stack; a pair of opposite end-sides, defined by the ends of the stacks, one of the end-sides, here referred to as the third side of the stack, being defined by the leading ends of the stacks when the strip material is being unfolded, while the opposite side, the fourth side of the pack, is defined by the trailing ends of the stacks, said third sides being turned in the same direction when the packs are oriented such that the first pack has a fold-side facing a fold-side of the second pack; and a pair of lateral sides, comprising a fifth and a sixth side, defined by the outer side of the outer stacks of the respective pack, 
 that the leading end of one of the stacks of the first pack, here referred to as the leading stack of the first pack, is the leading end when unfolding the strip material of the assembly,    that the trailing end of the leading stack of the first pack is joined to the leading end of a stack of the second pack, here referred to as the leading stack of the second pack,    that the trailing end of the leading stack of the second pack is joined to the leading end of next stack of the first pack, which next stack lies next to the leading stack of the first pack in a chosen direction from one lateral side to the opposite lateral side,    that the trailing end of said last mentioned stack is joined to the leading end of the stack lying next to the leading stack of the second pack in said direction,    that the trailing end of said last mentioned stack is joined to the leading end of the next stack of the first pack, the trailing end of said next stack being joined to the leading end of next stack of the second pack, etc, comprising alternately connecting the leading and trailing ends of the stacks of the two packs up to and including the last stacks to be emptied through unfolding of the strip material of the packs,    that the trailing end of the last stack to be unfolded out of the second pack is the trailing end of the strip material of the integrated assembly, and    that the joined strip material sections between the trailing ends of the stacks of the second pack and the leading ends of the stacks of the first pack extend between the joined strip material sections between the trailing ends of the stacks of the first pack and the leading ends of the stacks of the second pack.    
   
   
       11 . An assembly according to  claim 10 , characterised in that the leading stacks are outer stacks of the two packs, the outer sides of which are lateral sides, which are turned in the same direction when they are parallel.  
   
   
       12 . An assembly according to  claim 10 , characterised in that one of the packs is turned 180° about an axis extending between two opposite sides of the pack, so that the first or second side of the first pack faces the first or second side, respectively, of the second pack, when the two sides which face one another are parallel and said fifth and sixth sides, respectively, of the two packs, are turned in the same direction.  
   
   
       13 . An assembly according to  claim 11  characterised in that one of the packs is turned 180° about an axis extending between two opposite sides of the pack, so that the first or second side of the first pack faces the first or second side, respectively, of the second pack, when the two sides which face one another are parallel and said fifth and sixth sides, respectively, of the two packs, are turned in the same direction.  
   
   
       14 . An assembly according to  claim 12 , characterized in that the second sides of the packs face one another.  
   
   
       15 . An assembly according to  claim 13 , characterized in that the second sides of the packs face one another.  
   
   
       16 . An assembly according to  claim 14 , characterized in that the strip material in the region of the connections between the trailing ends and the leading ends of the stacks of the two packs is not twisted about the longitudinal axis of the strip material.  
   
   
       17 . An assembly according to  claim 15 , characterized in that the strip material in the region of the connections between the trailing ends and the leading ends of the stacks of the two packs is not twisted about the longitudinal axis of the strip material.  
   
   
       18 . An assembly according to  claim 12 , characterized in that the second sides of the packs are turned in the same direction.  
   
   
       19 . An assembly according to  claim 13 , characterized in that the second sides of the packs are turned in the same direction.  
   
   
       20 . An assembly according to  claim 18 , characterized in that the strip material in the region of the connections between the trailing ends and the leading ends of the stacks of the two packs is twisted half a turn about the longitudinal axis of the strip material, alternately in one or the other direction.  
   
   
       21 . An assembly according to  claim 19 , characterized in that the strip material in the region of the connections between the trailing ends and the leading ends of the stacks of the two packs is twisted half a turn about the longitudinal axis of the strip material, alternately in one or the other direction.  
   
   
       22 . An assembly according to  claim 10 , characterized in that the trailing end of the strip material of the assembly is joined to the leading end of an additional assembly.  
   
   
       23 . An assembly according to  claim 22 , characterized in that the assemblies are included in a multi-assembly which contains a number of packs, which number is a multiple of two, however at least four packs.  
   
   
       24 . An assembly according to  claim 11 , characterized in that the trailing end of the strip material of the assembly is joined to the leading end of an additional assembly.  
   
   
       25 . An assembly according to  claim 24 , characterized in that the assemblies are included in a multi-assembly which contains a number of packs, which number is a multiple of two, however at least four packs.  
   
   
       26 . An assembly according to  claim 12 , characterized in that the trailing end of the strip material of the assembly is joined to the leading end of an additional assembly.  
   
   
       27 . An assembly according to  claim 26 , characterized in that the assemblies are included in a multi-assembly which contains a number of packs, which number is a multiple of two, however at least four packs.  
   
   
       28 . An assembly according to  claim 14 , characterized in that the trailing end of the strip material of the assembly is joined to the leading end of an additional assembly.  
   
   
       29 . An assembly according to  claim 28 , characterized in that the assemblies are included in a multi-assembly which contains a number of packs, which number is a multiple of two, however at least four packs.  
   
   
       30 . An assembly according to  claim 16 , characterized in that the trailing end of the strip material of the assembly is joined to the leading end of an additional assembly.  
   
   
       31 . An assembly according to  claim 30 , characterized in that the assemblies are included in a multi-assembly which contains a number of packs, which number is a multiple of two, however at least four packs.  
   
   
       32 . An assembly according to  claim 18 , characterized in that the trailing end of the strip material of the assembly is joined to the leading end of an additional assembly.  
   
   
       33 . An assembly according to  claim 32 , characterized in that the assemblies are included in a multi-assembly which contains a number of packs, which number is a multiple of two, however at least four packs.  
   
   
       34 . An assembly according to  claim 20 , characterized in that the trailing end of the strip material of the assembly is joined to the leading end of an additional assembly.  
   
   
       35 . An assembly according to  claim 34 , characterized in that the assemblies are included in a multi-assembly which contains a number of packs, which number is a multiple of two, however at least four packs.