Patent ID: 7934529
Filing Date: 2011-05-03
Classification: B31F,Y10T

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for the manufacture of swatch bearing sheets, the apparatus comprising: at least two work stations including at least one adhesive applying station configured to apply adhesive to sheets moving therethrough and at least one swatch applying station, the adhesive applying station upstream from the at least one swatch applying station, the swatch applying station configured to deposit swatches onto adhesive applied to the sheets at the at least one adhesive applying station to make the swatch bearing sheets; at least a first, second and third endless vacuum belts, each of the belts having pores which pores are configured to have a vacuum be pulled therethrough, the first, second and third belts configured to transport sheets from upstream to downstream through the work stations, the at least three vacuum belts spaced from each other and configured to continuously engage the sheets as the sheets travel through the at least two work stations having upstream and downstream sides; a sheet feeder configured to supply sheets to the first endless vacuum conveyor belt; at least one elongated vacuum chamber configured to pull a vacuum through the pores in the first belt and hold the sheets onto the first vacuum conveyor belt, the first vacuum belt upstream the adhesive applying station, the second vacuum belt conveyor downstream the adhesive applying station and upstream the swatch applying station, the first vacuum belt configured to move the sheets to the adhesive applying work station and the second belt configured to move the sheets from the adhesive applying work station to the swatch applying work station, the first vacuum belt ending at the upstream side of adhesive applying station and not extending thereunder, the second belt starting at the downstream side of the adhesive applying station and not extending thereunder, each of the first and second vacuum belts providing moving support surfaces for the sheets, and the pores of the first endless vacuum belt configured to have the vacuum pulled therethrough to hold the sheets onto the first belt as the sheets on the first belt proceed in the downstream direction to the adhesive applying station; a vacuum release area upstream the adhesive applying station which area is configured to release the sheets from the pull of the vacuum through the pores of the first belt as the vacuum belt conveyor approaches the upstream side of the adhesive applying station, the second endless vacuum belt starting at the downstream side of the adhesive applying work station spaced from the first endless vacuum conveyor belt and starting from the downstream side of the adhesive applying station without extending under the adhesive applying station, the pores of the second endless vacuum conveyor belt configured to have a vacuum pulled therethrough and which vacuum engages a sheet with a vacuum as it emerges from the adhesive applying station and as the sheet is released from the vacuum provided by the first vacuum belt, the second endless belt ending upstream the swatch applying station and not extending thereunder; a second vacuum release area upstream the swatch applying station which second vacuum release area is configured to release the sheets from the pull of the vacuum through the pores of the second belt as the second belt approaches the upstream side of the swatch applying station, the third endless vacuum belt spaced from the second endless vacuum belt, the third endless vacuum belt starting from the downstream side of the swatch applying work station spaced from the downstream side of the swatch applying station without extending under the swatch applying station, the pores of the third endless vacuum conveyor belt configured to have a vacuum pulled therethrough and which vacuum engage a sheet as it emerges from the swatch applying station and is released from the vacuum provided by the second vacuum belt.