GB2490524A

GB2490524A - Band-drive package

Info

Publication number: GB2490524A
Application number: GB1107410.1A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Burgo Wharton; Tim Clarke
Original assignee: Duff Design Ltd
Current assignee: Duff Design Ltd
Priority date: 2011-05-04
Filing date: 2011-05-04
Publication date: 2012-11-07
Also published as: GB201107410D0; WO2012150461A1

Abstract

A band-drive component comprises a generally planar bridge member (46, fig 1) extending between support members 44 that extend, or are movable to extend, out of the plane of the bridge member and are arranged for attachment to a sleeve 22 of a band-drive article. Tab members (14, 20, fig 6) may be provided such that moving one tab member out of the sleeve slides the band around the divider portion (16, fig 1), which in turn drives the other tab member to move out of the sleeve in the opposite direction. A child-resistant latch member (62, fig 8) may be provided.

Description

Improvements relating to band-drive articles This invention relates to band-drive articles such as band-drive packages! In particular, though not exclusively, this invention relates to novel methods of making band-drive articles and to novel structures of such articles.

Prior art band-drive articles are exemplified in a non-limiting way by our European Patent No. 1140639. Band-drive articles of the type described in EP 1140639 are generally made by encircling a divider portion of a cardboard blank with an endless band, attaching first and second tab members to the band on opposite sides of the divider portion, and folding the remainder of the blank to form a sleeve surrounding the tab members. The divider portion and the sleeve are therefore integral panels of a common folded blank.

The band supported by the divider portion enables opposed sliding movement of the first and second tab members into and out of the sleeve. Moving one tab member out of the sleeve slides the band around the divider portion. That movement of the band, in turn, drives the other tab member to move out of the sleeve in an opposite direction. Conversely, movement of one tab member back into the sleeve also, via the band, pulls the other tab member back into the sleeve. The band therefore acts as a drive belt that couples the tab members for opposing movement into and out of the sleeve.

Band-drive articles have various uses. They may, for example, take the form of band-drive packages and act as packaging for optical disks, mobile telephones and associated products, chocolates, cosmetics, pharmaceutical products, cigarettes, swatch samples, information cards and electronic components or other items. Such items are generally held within tab members of the band-drive articles, which may for example take the form of sliding trays and/or blister packs.

Additionally or alternatively, band-drive articles may be used to present or to display information. For instance, one or more tab members of a band-drive article may hold a booklet or the like, such as an instruction leaflet that may fold out when that tab member is pulled out of the sleeve to drive movement of the other tab, which other tab thereby carries the contents of the package out of the sleeve in the opposite direction. It is also possible for one or more tab members to be printed directly with

I

information, which may comprise text and/or graphic designs such as instructions for use of the contents of the package, or branding.

As band-drive articles comprise moving pads and include components that fit snugly within a sleeve, quality and precision of manufacture are important. Inaccurate assembly of band-drive articles may result in snagging of the band or damage to the band-drive article or its contents in use. Inaccurate assembly may also lead to high rejection rates in mechanised high-speed production of such articles.

Band-drive articles of the type described in EP 1140639 may be produced manually or automatically. An example of an automated production method is disclosed in our International patent application published as WO 2007/1 29090. The contents of EP 1140639 and WO 2007/1 29090 are incorporated herein by reference.

The present invention aims to provide an alternative to the automated production method disclosed in WO 2007/1 29090, which attaches tab members to the band on opposite sides of a divider formed by a cardboard blank, and then folds the blank to form a sleeve surrounding the tab member(s). In high-speed automated production, it has proved challenging to fold the blank reliably and accurately around the divider and the tab members to form a sleeve.

The invention is not limited to packages for any particular application. Nor is the invention limited to the production of complete packages: aspects of the invention relate to the production of band-drive components and assemblies that can be made into, or incorporated into, packages in subsequent manufacturing operations. Those subsequent operations may, for example, be performed at a different manufacturing facility following transport of the band-drive components or assemblies from one location to the other.

Whilst they were devised with a view to automated production, the solutions of the invention may also be used with benefit in non-automated production involving assembly of packages wholly or partly by hand.

Conceptually, the invention involves making a band-drive component separately from a sleeve, and thereafter marrying the band-drive component with the sleeve.

Preferably, tab members are added to the band-drive component to make a band-drive assembly that is then married with the sleeve to make a band-drive article. The term sleeve' is to be taken to embrace any open-ended container from which tab members may extend in use of a band-drive article.

In one sense, the invention resides in a band-drive component comprising a generally planar bridge member extending between support members that extend, or are movable to extend, out of the plane of the bridge member and are arranged for attachment to a sleeve of a band-drive article. This provides an elegant, effective and easily-manufactured structure for a band-drive component and for a band-drive article including such a component.

The support members are suitably integral with the bridge member and may be hinged to the bridge member. To keep the bridge member parallel to a face of a sleeve containing the band-drive component, the support members preferably extend, or are movable to extend, substantially the same distance out of the plane of the bridge member. Conveniently, the support members extend, or are movable to extend, in generally the same direction from the plane of the bridge member. The component may, for example, be of C-or H-section.

The support members are preferably arranged for adhesive attachment with the sleeve of the band-drive article, and may have adhesive applied to them. Further or in the alternative, the support members may be arranged for engagement with the sleeve of the band-drive article.

Where a drive band encircles the bridge member, tab members may be attached to the band for linked opposed movement around the bridge member. This forms a band-drive assembly in accordance with the invention.

Advantageously, for safety-critical applications such as child-resistant packaging, at least one of the support members has an aperture for engagement with a latch member, that latch member being on a tab member to resist opening movement of the tab member.

The inventive concept extends to a kit of parts for a band-drive article, comprising a sleeve in combination with the component or the assembly of the invention. The inventive concept also extends to a band-drive article, comprising a sleeve and a discrete band-drive component disposed within and attached to the sleeve, that component comprising a generally planar bridge member extending between support members that extend out of the plane of the bridge member and are attached to the sleeve.

Beneficially, the support members bear against a face of the sleeve to space the bridge member from that face. The support members suitably also bear against opposed faces of the sleeve for attachment to the sleeve by an adhesive or other means such as mutual engagement.

For child-resistant packaging, the sleeve advantageously includes an aperture engageable by a latch member of at least one of the tab members to resist movement of that tab member with respect to the sleeve. The strength of the package is improved if the aperture of the sleeve is in a portion of the sleeve having at least two layers, for example at an overlap between two sections of a sleeve blank.

Where the support member also has an aperture, the aperture of the support member is advantageously aligned with the aperture of the sleeve. In this case, latch-engagement edges of the apertures of the support member and the sleeve are suitably in mutual alignment.

To conceal the latch member, the aperture of the sleeve may penetrate an inner layer of the sleeve and be covered by an outer layer of the sleeve, in which case the outer layer of the sleeve is suitably depressible to disengage the latch member from the aperture in the inner layer.

The invention extends to a method of making a band-drive article, comprising making a band-drive component separately from a sleeve, and thereafter marrying the band-drive component with the sleeve. The band-drive component suitably comprises a band encircling a generally planar bridge member that has a structure for attachment to the sleeve. The method of the invention may comprise placing a band around the bridge member and/or attaching tab members to the band.

The method of the invention may be expressed as providing a discrete band-drive assembly comprising tab members attached to a band-drive component that comprises a band encircling a generally planar bridge member extending between support members that extend out of the plane of the bridge member; and attaching the band-drive assembly to a sleeve. That method preferably further comprises moving the support members out of the plane of the bridge member, and may also comprise shaping the sleeve to form a receptacle for the band-drive assembly before attaching the band-drive assembly to the sleeve.

More generally, the method of the invention preferably comprises shaping the sleeve to surround the band-drive component after the band-drive component is attached to the sleeve.

The inventive concept also encompasses a method of making a band-drive component, comprising placing a band around a generally planar bridge member extending between support members, and moving the support members out of the plane of the bridge member. The support members may be moved out of the plane of the bridge member after the band is placed around the bridge member.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the main components of a band-drive package in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a divider component of the package of Figure 1 encircled by a band; Figure 3 is a perspective view showing upper and lower tab member components of the package of Figure 1 being attached to the band encircling the divider component of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a perspective view of the assembly of components shown in Figure 3, with side portions of the divider component folded out of the plane of a central portion of that component; Figure 5 is a perspective view of the assembly of components shown in Figure 4 being married with a sleeve component of the package of Figure 1; Figure 6 is a perspective view of the sleeve component folded around the assembly of components within to complete the package; Figure 7 is a perspective view of a variant of the divider component shown in Figure 1, again encircled by a band, adapted for use in a child-resistant band-drive package; Figure 8 is a perspective view of an assembly comprising upper and lower tab member components attached to the band of the divider component shown in Figure 7, with side portions of the divider component folded out of the plane of a central portion of that component; Figure 9 is a perspective view of a sleeve component for the child-resistant variant of Figures 7 and 8; and Figures ba, lOb and bc are sequential, schematic, enlarged sectional detail views showing the interaction of a movable latch member with side portions of the divider component and a sleeve of a child-resistant band-drive package.

Referring firstly to Figure 1, a band-drive package 10 in accordance with the invention comprises, from top to bottom as shown, an information leaflet 12 attached to an upper tab member 14; a divider 16 encircled by an endless band 18; a lower tab member 20; and a sleeve 22. The generally planar divider 16 separates the upper tab member 14 and the lower tab member 20 within the sleeve 22 in the assembled package 10, as shown in Figure 6.

The tab members 14, 20, the divider 16 and the sleeve 22 are suitably of cardboard although other materials such as plastics are possible. It is also possible for some of those components, including the divider 16 and/or the sleeve 22, to be of plastics and others to be of cardboard. This is an advantage of the divider 16 being a separate component from sleeve 22.

The band 18 is suitably of a plastics film, which may for example be a low-friction polypropylene sheet material as sold under the trade mark Treofan GND.

Polyethylene film could be used instead, although that material is more prone to stretching.

The lower tab member 20 and the sleeve 22 comprise thumb-cuts 24 at one end that allow a userof the package lOto grip an end of the uppertab member 14 between a finger and thumb when pulling the upper tab member 14 out of the sleeve 22.

Whilst many other optional details are omitted from the schematic views of the drawings, one of the tab members 14, 20 may be adapted to carry various items and the other tab member 14, 20 may be adapted to display information. For example, the lower tab member 20 may comprise a blister pack for medicines and the upper tab member 14 may serve as a pull member to drive movement of the lower tab member 20 out of the sleeve 22. In that example, the information leaflet 12 suitably unfolds from the upper tab member 14 to provide information about the medicines carried by the lower tab member 20. However, it would be possible instead for both of the tab members 14, 20 to carry items; alternatively it would be possible for neither of the tab members 14, 20 to carry items but instead merely to display information such as a marketing message.

Figure 1 also shows further details of the sleeve 22, which is an elongate oblong of cardboard or other suitable sheet material folded transversely into five oblong integral sections. Those sections comprise first, second and third minor edge sections 26, 28, that define the thickness and length of the finished package 10 and that alternate with first and second major face sections 32, 34 that define the width and length of the finished package 10.

With reference now to Figure 2, the divider 16 comprises a generally oblong panel whose ends each have a waist formation defined by a cut-out 36. The cut-outs 36 lend an H-shape to the divider 16 in plan view. A central narrow neck portion 38 of the divider 16 is defined between the cut-outs 36. The divider 16 supports the band 18 in longitudinal orientation, which is sized to fit snugly and hence to slide smoothly around the neck portion 38. The cut-outs 36 defining the neck portion 38 provide desirable lateral location for the band 18 during production and in use of the package 10, but are not essential.

Fold lines 40 extend inboard of, and parallel to, the long edges 42 of the generally oblong divider 16. Side portions 44 of the divider 16 are defined between the long edges 42 and the fold lines 40. The fold lines 40 are suitably creased, scored, perforated or otherwise weakened to allow the side portions 44 to be folded out of the plane of the central portion 46 of the divider 16, as will be described later with reference to Figure 4. The central portion 46 is a generally planar bridge member and the side portions 44 are support members movable to extend out of the plane of the bridge member.

Referring meanwhile to Figure 3, this shows tab members 14, 20 being attached by adhesive to the band 18 on the divider 16. The divider 16 may remain in the same orientation during this process, in which case the tab members 14, 20 approach the divider 16 in mutually opposed directions such as from above and below as shown.

Advantageously in that case, the tab members 14, 20 may be applied simultaneously to the band 18 on opposite sides of the divider 16, although they need not be. For example, the divider 16 may be inverted after applying one tab member 14, 20 to the band 18 so that the other tab member 14, 20 can be applied subsequently from the same direction to the band 18 on the other side of the divider 16. Conveniently, therefore, inversion of the divider 16 allows both tab members 14,20 to be applied to the band 18 from the same direction, most conveniently from above the divider 16.

Figure 3 shows that the band 18 is crossed by at least one seam -in this case a weld 48 -at which free end portions of the band 18 are joined to form a loop. Whilst adhesive attachment of the free end portions to each other is possible, the seam will usually be a weld 48 as shown at which the band portions are fused together. As will be explained later, there may be two welds 48 or other seams mutually opposed about the loop; it is also possible to have a seamless band in some variants.

It is advantageous to attach a tab member 14, 20 to the band 18 at a position overlying the weld 48, as this reinforces the weld 48. When the package 10 is assembled and used, this also prevents the weld 48 catching on an edge of the divider 16, which could otherwise hinder smooth running of the band 18 around the divider 16. To achieve this, the band 18 is advanced around the divider 16 to position the weld 48 slightly inboard of an end of the neck portion 38 before the tab members 14, 20 are attached to the band 18. The band 18 may be advanced around the divider 16 by hand or, in a mechanised process, by pinch rollers or the like as disclosed in WO 2007/1 29090.

The tab members 14, 20 may be attached to the band 18 in various ways, for example by adhesive strips (not shown) extending across the band 18. In a fully closed state of the package 10, and for the purpose of its assembly, adhesive strips lie slightly inboard of respective ends of the neck portion 38 and preferably over welds 48 as mentioned above. Each adhesive strip is suitably a double-sided label of pressure-sensitive adhesive for precise dimensional control and for ease of handling: such labels may be supplied on a transfer tape. Such labels may also have removable peel-off covering strips that remain in place until the labels need to be primed to be ready to bond.

It is also possible, and may be preferred, for adhesive such as adhesive strips or labels to be applied to a tab member 14, 20 and for the tab member 14, 20, with the applied adhesive, to be pressed onto the band 18 such that the adhesive overlies a pre-positioned weld 48. Heat sealing and cyanoacrylate adhesives are possible alternatives for attaching the tab members 14, 20 to the band 18. Adhesive may alternatively be applied in gel or semi-solid form, for example by the application of a line of hot-melt adhesive or an array of dots of such adhesive, for example parallel lines of adhesive dots applied parallel to each weld 48 with at least one line of dots being disposed to each side of the weld 48. In this way, a tab member 14,20 attached to the band 18 bridges and strengthens the weld 48.

Figure 4 shows the resulting assembly 50 of the divider 16 with tab members 14, 20 attached to the band 18 on opposite sides. The side portions 44 of the divider 16 have been folded orthogonally with respect to the plane of its central portion 46.

Folding may be performed manually or as part of an automated process, for example using static ramp-like plough folding guides that act upon passing dividers 16 as they flow through a folding machine as disclosed in WO 2007/129090.

Figure 5 shows the assembly 50 with the side portions 44 of the divider 16 folded as shown in Figure 4, when being married with the sleeve 22. The sleeve 22 is prepared by folding the second and third edge sections 28, 30 into parallel relation, orthogonally with respect to the plane of the second face section 34. This defines a C-section receptacle into which the assembly 50 fits, with the side portions 44 of the divider 16 being received snugly as a close sliding fit within the second and third edge sections 28, 30 of the sleeve 22. The edges 42 of the divider 16 bear against the second face section 34 so that the width of the side portions 44 defines the spacing between the inside of the second face section 34 and the central portion 46 of the divider 16 that carries the belt 18. Adhesive at the interface between the side portions 44 of the divider 16 and the second and third edge sections 28, 30 of the sleeve 22 secures the assembly within the sleeve 22 in this position: any of the abovementioned adhesive techniques may be employed for that purpose.

The final manufacturing step necessary to complete the package 10 as shown in Figure 6 involves folding the remainder of the sleeve 22 onto itself to surround the assembly 50. Specifically, the first face section 32 of the sleeve 22 is folded orthogonally with respect to the second edge section 28 to overlie the assembly 50.

This brings the first edge section 26 against the outer side of the third edge section of the sleeve 22. The first edge section 26 and the third edge section 30 are then bonded to each other at their mutual overlapping interface by any suitable adhesive technique such as those described above to complete the sleeve 22 encircling the assembly 50.

It will be apparent that the side portions 44 of the divider 16 perform a dual role: they enable the assembly 50 to be attached to the sleeve 22; and they also position the central portion 46 of the divider 16 at an appropriate central location between the major face sections 32, 34 of the sleeve 22.

Figures 7, 8, 9 and lOa to bc show how the invention may be applied with benefit to a child-resistant band-drive package exemplified in our International patent application published as WO 2009/024772, whose contents are also incorporated herein by reference. Like numerals are used for like parts.

Referring initially to Figures 7 and 8, a side portion 44 of the divider 16 is cut away to define an aperture 52. The aperture 52 has two edges that extend from a fold line 40 to the adjacent long edge 42 of the divider 16: a first edge 54 that extends orthogonally with respect to the central longitudinal axis of the band 18; and a second edge 56 that is spaced longitudinally from and parallel to the first edge 54.

Figure 8 shows that in this example, the lower tab member 20 is replaced by an injection-moulded plastics tray 58 for storing potentially hazardous materials such as medicines. Medicines or the like are suitably presented in a blister pack (not shown) that is surrounded and protected by the tray 58.

A side wall 60 of the tray 58 has an integrally-moulded resiliently-supported latch member 62 located between the opposed ends of the tray 58. When the side portions 44 of the divider 16 are folded out of the plane of the central portion 46, the latch member 62 aligns with and protrudes through the aperture 52 as shown in Figure 8.

Figure 9 shows that the sleeve 22 is optionally adapted to suit this child-resistant variant by virtue of its third minor edge section 30 being cut away to define an aperture 64. The aperture 64 of the sleeve 22 extends the full depth of the third minor edge section 30 and aligns with the aperture 52 of the divider 16 when the divider 16 is seated in the sleeve 22. The aperture 64 has first and second parallel edges 66, 68 that extend orthogonally with respect to the central longitudinal axis of the band 18.

The first edge 66 of the aperture 64 aligns with the first edge 54 of the aperture 52 when the divider 16 is seated in the sleeve 22.

Figures 1 Oa to I Oc show that the latch member 62 engages with the first edge 54 of the aperture 52 to lock the tray 58 until the latch member 62 is depressed sufficiently to disengage from that edge 54. A hollow 70 in the side wall 60 of the tray 58 allows the latch member 62 to be depressed by providing clearance for inward movement of a section of the flexible side wall 60 that defines the latch member 62.

The latch member 62 comprises a ramp 72 and a shoulder 74, the shoulder 74 being engageable with the aligned first edges 54, 66 of the apertures 52, 64 to lock the tray 58. The latch member 62 further comprises live hinges 76 and is resiliently movable between an engaged state and a disengaged state. Details of the engaged and disengaged states of the latch member 62 will now be described with reference to Figures lOato bc.

By default, the resilience of the live hinges 76 biases the latch member 62 outwardly into its engaged state, which is shown in Figure ba. In the engaged state, the latch member 62 protrudes beyond the side wall 60 of the tray 58 so that the shoulder 74 may engage with the aligned first edges 54, 66 of the apertures 52, 64.

When the latch member 62 is pressed inwardly by a user against the bias of the live hinges 76, thus moving toward the inside of the tray 58, the latch member 62 assumes its disengaged state as shown in Figures lOb and lOc. In the disengaged state, the latch member 62 lies substantially flush with the side wall 60 of the tray 58.

The shoulder 74 now disengages from the aligned first edges 54, 66 of the apertures 52, 64 50 that the tray 58 can be moved with respect to the sleeve 22 as illustrated in Figure lOc.

Figures bOa to bc show that the user need not press directly on the latch member 62. Child-resistance and ease of use may be improved by concealing the latch member 62 behind a flexible portion 78 of the sleeve 22 that is depressed to bear against the latch member 62. The flexible portion 78 is defined elegantly by a single-wall portion of the sleeve 22, on the first minor edge section 26 where it overlaps the third minor edge section 30.

A further advantage of the variant of the sleeve 22 shown in Figure 9 is a double wall thickness on the side that engages the latch member 62, to the benefit of strength and positive engagement, and hence child-resistance. The double wall thickness is created between the third minor edge section 30 of the sleeve 22 and the side portion 44 of the divider 16 disposed within.

Some optional variations have been mentioned above; other variations are possible without departing from the inventive concept. For example, whilst adhesive attachment is preferred for assembling cardboard parts, it would be possible instead or additionally to interengage parts by snap-fit formations or the like. Such engagement may be particularly appropriate for attaching injection-moulded plastics parts to each other.

The order of manufacturing steps may be varied. For example, adhesive may be applied to the side portions 44 of the divider 16 before or after they are folded out of the plane of the central portion 46. It is also possible for adhesive to be applied to the second and third edge sections 28, 30 before or after they are folded out of the plane of the second face section 34.

The divider may also be of different design. For example, the side portions of the divider need not be integral with the central portion of the divider: the divider could instead be assembled from separate parts. Alternatively it would be possible for the divider to be an integral pre-formed component, which may for example be an injection moulding of plastics, with side portions extending out of the plane of the central portion that carries the band.

In the child-resistant variant, more than one latch member may be provided if desired. For example, a pair of latch members may be spaced one each side of the package to be depressed simultaneously to release a tray containing medicines or the like.

It is also possible for a tab member to move out of a sleeve in two opposed directions by virtue of the invention disclosed in our International patent application published as WO 2007/083156, the contents of which are also incorporated herein by reference. In a child-resistant context, this bi-directional opening is facilitated by the second edge 56 of the aperture 52 being parallel to the first edge 54, and by the second edge 56 of the aperture 52 being aligned with the second edge 68 of the aperture 64 of the sleeve 22. A variant of the latch member 16 may dispense with the ramp 72 and instead have an additional opposed shoulder 74 that engages with the aligned second edges 56, 68 of the apertures 52, 64 to resist movement in a second direction.

Where a child-resistant package has both tab members adapted to carry potentially hazardous materials, each aperture 52 and/or 64 may be engageable by two latch members, one on each of the tab members. In that case, the latch members may be mutually opposed to engage respective opposed edges of the aperture 52 and/or 64.

In a broad sense, the present invention is not concerned with how the band 18 is placed or formed around the divider 16. This can be achieved in various ways.

For example, a continuous, unbroken band 18 may be produced by cutting orthogonally across a parallel-sided tube of plastics film. Where the divider 16 has no narrowed neck portion, the band 18 may simply be slipped over the divider 16.

Conversely, if the divider 16 has a narrowed neck portion, the band 18 may be held in a loop and the divider 16 may be bent resiliently to reduce its length, whereupon the divider 16 is inserted into the looped band 18 while being held in that shortened curved shape. When released, the divider 16 regains its flat shape and hence its full length to support the band 18 in a close sliding fit for smooth running around the neck portion of the divider 16. These manufacturing steps are apt to be performed by hand.

The tube of plastics film can be extruded seamlessly or, more practically, it may be longitudinally welded or otherwise joined from a sheet. If the latter, each band 18 cut from the tube will be crossed by a single weld 48 or other seam.

In an alternative banding technique disclosed in WO 2007/1 29090 that better suits mechanised production, strips of film are introduced one each side of a divider 16 to sandwich the divider 16 between the strips. The strips are then welded together at both ends of the neck portion 38 of the divider 16 and are cut to create a band 18 around the divider 16. In that case, the band 18 has two opposed welds 48, one to each end of the neck portion 38. Once the welds 48 and cuts have been made to complete the band 18, the band 18 is advanced around the divider 16 to reposition the welds 48 slightly inboard of opposed ends of the neck portion 38 to receive the tab members 14, 20.

Whilst only selected embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, the size, shape, location or orientation of the various components can be changed as needed and/or desired. Similarly, the order of assembly of the components may be varied.

Components that are shown directly connected to or contacting each other can have intermediate structures disposed between them. The functions of one element can be performed by two, and vice versa. The structures and functions of one embodiment can be adopted in another embodiment. It is not necessary for all advantages to be present in a particular embodiment at the same time. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of the embodiments according to the present invention are provided for illustration only, and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

Claims 1. A band-drive component comprising a generally planar bridge member extending between support members that extend, or are movable to extend, out of the plane of the bridge member and are arranged for attachment to a sleeve of a band-drive article.
2. The component of Claim 1, wherein the support members are integral with the bridge member.
3. The component of Claim I or Claim 2, wherein the support members are hinged to the bridge member.
4. The component of any preceding claim, wherein the support members extend, or are movable to extend, substantially the same distance out of the plane of the bridge member.
5. The component of any preceding claim, wherein the support members extend, or are movable to extend, in generally the same direction from the plane of the bridge member.
6. The component of Claim 5 and being of C-or H-section.
7. The component of any preceding claim, wherein the support members are arranged for adhesive attachment with the sleeve of the band-drive article.
8. The component of Claim 7 and having adhesive applied to the support members.
9. The component of any preceding claim, wherein the support members are arranged for engagement with the sleeve of the band-drive article.
10. The component of any preceding claim, wherein at least one of the support members has an aperture for engagement with a latch member.
11. The component of any preceding claim, further comprising a drive band encircling the bridge member.
12. A band-drive assembly comprising the component of Claim II, with tab members attached to the band for linked opposed movement around the bridge member.
13. The assembly of Claim 12 when comprising the component of Claim 10, wherein at least one of the tab members includes a latch member that engages the aperture of a support member extending out of the plane of the bridge member.
14. A kit of parts for a band-drive article, comprising a sleeve in combination with the component of any of Claims I to 11 or the assembly of Claim 12 or Claim 13.
15. A band-drive article, comprising: a sleeve; and a discrete band-drive component disposed within and attached to the sleeve, that component comprising a generally planar bridge member extending between support members that extend out of the plane of the bridge member and are attached to the sleeve.
16. The article of Claim 15, wherein the support members extend substantially the same distance out of the plane of the bridge member.
17. The article of Claim 15 or Claim 16, wherein the support members extend in generally the same direction from the plane of the bridge member.
18. The article of any of Claims 15 to 17, wherein the support members bear against a face of the sleeve to space the bridge member from that face.
19. The article of any of Claims 15 to 18, wherein the support members bear against opposed faces of the sleeve for attachment to the sleeve.
20. The article of any of Claims 15 to 19, wherein the support members are adhesively attached to the sleeve.
21. The article of any of Claims 15 to 20, wherein the support members are engaged with the sleeve.
22. The article of any of Claims 15 to 21, further comprising a band around the bridge member and tab members attached to the band for linked opposed movement around the bridge member.
23. The article of Claim 22, wherein at least one of the support members includes an aperture engageable by a latch member of at least one of the tab members to resist movement of that tab member with respect to the sleeve.
24. The article of Claim 22 or Claim 23, wherein the sleeve includes an aperture engageable by a latch member of at least one of the tab members to resist movement of that tab member with respect to the sleeve.
25. The article of Claim 24, wherein the aperture of the sleeve is in a portion of the sleeve having at least two layers.
26. The article of Claim 25, wherein said portion of the sleeve is an overlap between two sections of a sleeve blank.
27. The article of Claim 25 or Claim 26, wherein the aperture of the sleeve penetrates an inner layer of the sleeve and is covered by an outer layer of the sleeve.
28. The article of Claim 27, wherein the outer layer of the sleeve is depressible to disengage the latch member from the aperture in the inner layer.
29. The article of any of Claims 24 to 28 when dependent from Claim 23, wherein the aperture of the support member is aligned with the aperture of the sleeve.
30. The article of Claim 29, wherein latch-engagement edges of the apertures of the support member and the sleeve are in mutual alignment.
31. A method of making a band-drive article, comprising providing a band-drive component separately from a sleeve, and thereafter marrying the band-drive component with the sleeve.
32. The method of Claim 31, wherein the band-drive component comprises a band encircling a generally planar bridge member that has a structure for attachment to the sleeve.
33. The method of Claim 32, comprising placing a band around the bridge member.
34. The method of Claim 32 or Claim 33, comprising attaching tab members to the band.
35. The method of any of Claims 31 to 34, comprising: providing a discrete band-drive assembly comprising tab members attached to a band-drive component that comprises a band encircling a generally planar bridge member extending between support members that extend out of the plane of the bridge member; and attaching the band-drive assembly to a sleeve.
36. The method of Claim 35, comprising moving the support members out of the plane of the bridge member.
37. The method of Claim 35 or Claim 36, comprising shaping the sleeve to form a receptacle for the band-drive assembly before attaching the band-drive assembly to the sleeve.
38. The method of any of Claims 31 to 37, comprising shaping the sleeve to surround the band-drive component after attaching the band-drive component to the sleeve.
39. A method of making a band-drive component, comprising placing a band around a generally planar bridge member extending between support members, and moving the support members out of the plane of the bridge member.
40. The method of Claim 39, wherein the support members are moved out of the plane of the bridge member after the band is placed around the bridge member.