An apparatus and method feeding, destacking and orienting books for subsequent operation such as a jacket wrapping operation. This is achieved by feeding stacks of books forwardly on a conveyor into a destacking station. The books are stripped one at a time from a stack at a stacking station and fed forwardly. A sensor senses the orientation of the book and controls a selectively turning, usually of alternating books, to have all the book backbones facing in the same direction while they are traveling forwardly.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for destacking books 
and orienting and feeding the oriented books for subsequent operations. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Books such as hard cover books are often delivered on large pallets in 
stacks with the books being counterstacked within a stack. That is, 
adjacent books in the stack have their backbones pointed in opposite 
directions. If the books are to be operated in a subsequent operation, for 
example, being jacket wrapped with a wrapper or container by automatic 
equipment, it is often necessary to destack the books and feed them 
forwardly in a continuous stream at a required rate to keep the subsequent 
operation running at the desired speed. For the jacket wrapping equipment, 
the destacked books also must be oriented so that all of the books face in 
the same direction. 
Heretofore, much of the destacking and book orienting has been done 
manually. In the manual operation, book stacks would be placed on a lift 
table and one or two persons would lift the top book of the stack and 
place it on the infeed conveyor to the jacket wrapping machine. Because 
the books were counterstacked, the person would manually turn every other 
book so that all of the books were facing in the same direction as they 
went into the jacket wrapper. The manual operations are slow, e.g., about 
40 books per minute, when compared to higher, automated book feed rates 
such as 40 to 75 books per minute. In addition to being slower, the 
manually repetitive operations of lifting and turning the books are 
desired to be eliminated and replaced with a more ergonomically desired, 
automated process. From a cost standpoint, it is desirable to replace the 
two people feeding and turning the books with a faster, automated system. 
It is important when handling the books, whether in a stack or when 
destacked, that the equipment handle the books carefully and not bang one 
book against another book and cause damage to one or more of the books. 
Thus, there is a need for a new and improved method and apparatus for 
destacking, orienting and feeding books at high speeds with reliable 
equipment. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a new and 
improved method of feeding, destacking and orienting books for a 
subsequent operation such as a jacket wrapping operation. This is achieved 
by feeding stacks of books forwardly on a conveyor into a destacking 
station. The books are stripped one at a time from a stack at the stacking 
station and fed forwardly. A sensor senses the orientation of the book and 
controls a selective turning, usually of alternating books, to have all 
the book backbones facing in the same direction while they are traveling 
forwardly. 
In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the books are stripped from 
stacks that are continuously traveling upwardly to spaced pushers or 
strippers that push and strip the top book of the stack from the stack, 
i.e., the top book is stripped from the top of the stack and pushed onto a 
conveyor that conveys the book to the orienting station. The preferred 
sensing device for sensing the orientation of the book is an electric eye 
that senses the front or the backbone of the book as the book is carried 
past the electric eye. The preferred orienting device comprises rotatable 
plates or pallets on a continuously traveling conveyor. Each plate is 
selectively controlled to turn or orient the book in accordance with the 
sensed condition for the book being carried by the plate. Thus, the books 
can be destacked, oriented and delivered at speeds up to 75 books per 
minute while eliminating the slower speed manual system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
As shown in the drawings, for purposes of illustration, the invention is 
embodied in an apparatus 10 (FIG. 2) for destacking books 11 from a stack 
of books 12 shown in FIG. 1 in which alternating books 11a and 11b have 
their spines or backbones 14 and front portions 16 facing in alternating 
directions within the stack. In accordance with the preferred method of 
the invention, the books in the stack 12 are automatically fed forwardly 
from an accumulating or stream conveyor 20 to a stripper station 22 
wherein a book is stripped from one end of the stack and is fed forwardly, 
one at a time and at spaced intervals, to an orienting device 24 at an 
orientating station 26. A sensing device 28 senses the book backbone or 
front and causes the orienting device to turn selected books so that all 
of the books are facing in the same direction. 
Referring now in greater detail to the preferred method of destacking, 
orienting and feeding of books, the book stacks 12 are fed as a stream by 
the stream conveyor 20 into a lifting station 32 where the book stacks 12 
are lifted upwardly as by elevators 34 or the like to an overhead 
traveling stripper device 36 which strips the books from the top of the 
stack such as by pusher or stripper elements 38 on the overhead traveling 
stripper device. Also in the preferred embodiment of the invention the 
sensing device 28 is provided with an electric eye 39 which senses the 
orientation of the book being placed on a rotating plate or platen 40 at 
the orienting station 26. Herein, books are carried forwardly and they are 
simultaneously turned and oriented on an endless orienting conveyor 42 to 
a discharge station 46 at which is located a discharge device 47 such as a 
discharge conveyor 48 which conveys the destacked and oriented books to a 
device (not shown) for subsequent operation, such as a jacket wrapping 
machine for wrapping the book inside a jacket. 
Referring now in greater detail to the description of illustrated apparatus 
used to practice the method of the invention, the incoming stream feed 
conveyor 20 is provided with a conveyor mechanism or supporting and 
rotating rollers 50 located beneath the book stacks 12. As best seen in 
FIG. 2, an operator has loaded a number of book stacks on the underlying 
rotating rollers which carry each stack forwardly until it reaches side 
clamp devices 52 which move laterally to engage the sides of the book 
stacks to hold the same against forward travel by the underlying rotating 
rollers until released. The side clamps 52 are located adjacent a 
gate-pusher station 56, as best seen in FIGS. 3 and 5. Under the time 
controlled sequence of the computer (not shown), the gate-pusher elements 
58 on opposite sides of the conveyor 20 are shifted from an open or gate 
position, which is shown in solid lines in FIG. 5 and in FIG. 3, which 
allow a stack to pass between the respective opposed gate-pusher elements 
58 to a closed, pusher position, which is shown in dotted lines in FIGS. 3 
and 5 at locations behind a loading book stack on the stream conveyor. 
The leading book stack 12a (FIG. 3) is held by a side clamp device 52 until 
its fluid cylinder, linear actuator 52a is actuated to retract from 
engaging the sides of the leading book stack which allows the leading book 
stack only to travel forwardly. The linear actuator 52a, when being 
actuated to a clamping position, moves laterally across the conveyor to 
forcibly press the book stack against a jogger plate 54 which engages the 
opposite sides of the bock stack 12a. The leading book stack 12a is 
separated from the next following book stack 12b to facilitate loading of 
the leading book stack onto lifting plates. The second book stack 12b is 
clamped by second side clamp device 55 having its own fluid cylinder 
actuator 55a to push its clamping pad 52b against the sides of the book 
stack and to clamp the book stack 12b against the jog plate 54. Thus, the 
side clamp device 55 holds the second leading stack from traveling 
forwardly to abut the first leading stack 12a when the latter stops its 
forward motion. This prevents the books in stacks from banging against 
each other. The leading book stack 12a travels forward on the rollers to 
abut a selectively, raisable stop 70 that is raised to engage the bottom 
book of the leading stack and to stop its travel and to hold the leading 
stack adjacent the discharge end of the stream conveyor 20. 
When an elevator 34 is positioned to receive the leading stack, the pusher 
elements are shifted from their solid line gate position of FIG. 5 to 
their closed pusher position shown in dotted lines in FIG. 5. The pusher 
elements then slide forwardly along the conveyor to abut the trailing side 
of the leading book stack at the raised stop 70, which is then lowered, 
and the pusher elements 58 push the stack onto an elevator plate 81 which 
is positioned to receive the lower surface of the lower book on the 
leading stack 12a. To transfer the book stack 12a to the elevator plate 
81, the pusher elements 58 are mounted on slidable carriages 62 (FIG. 4) 
which have a pair of bearing mounts 64 slidable along horizontal slide 
rods 66 under operation of a double acting, fluid cylinder 68 which 
reciprocates the slidable carriage along the slide rods. A controller (not 
shown) times the operation of the upper fluid cylinders 60 to move the 
pusher elements to their open, gate position and to their closed pushing 
position and likewise the operation of the lower fluid cylinders 70 to 
cause forward and aft travel of the carriage 62 and the pusher elements 58 
thereon. 
In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, the book 
stacks 12 are lifted substantially continuously in an upward flow or 
travel by a pair of alternating conveyor or lifting plates 80 and 81. As 
best seen in FIG. 6, the preferred lifting elevators comprise a carriage 
84, as best seen in FIG. 6, which slides on a pair of vertical slide rods 
86 for vertical movement while a motor drive unit 87 has a nut to mesh 
with and travel along a vertical ball screw 88 to drive the lift plate 81 
and carriage 84 upwardly at a controlled and variable speed rate to match 
the speed of the stripping conveyor and the speed of the orienting 
conveyor. 
The illustrated lifting plates 80 and 81 are shifted horizontally between 
the effective lifting position, as shown by the upper plate 81 in solid 
lines in FIG. 6 and a retracted position shown for the lower lifting plate 
80 in FIG. 6. To this end, the lifting plates are mounted on elongated 
horizontal slide rods 94; and the lifting plates are movable horizontally 
by double acting cylinders 95 to slide within a pair of slide blocks 98 
between the retracted and lifting positions. Each lifting plate 80 or 81 
is shifted to the retracted position for travel downwardly. After having 
reached the bottom of is travel, the lifting plate 80 or 81 is then 
shifted by operation of its fluid cylinder 95 to the extended operative 
position for a subsequent traveling upwardly and carrying of books 
upwardly. This provides a substantially continuous stream of books to the 
stripper device 23 at a high rate of speed. 
Usually the uppermost book 11 of the lower stack 12 on the lower lifting 
plate 80 or 81 is positioned one space below the stack of books on the 
upper plate. Thus, when the last book of the upper stack is stripped from 
the upper lifting plate, the top book in the next stack is engaged not by 
the first but by a succeeding stripper element 38. Preferably, during the 
upward traveling, the stacks 12 of books 11 are guided between a pair of 
stationary, angled book stack guides 100 which extend vertically and are 
fixed to stationary cross, frame numbers 102, as best seen in FIG. 6. 
The preferred and illustrated stripper device 36, as best seen in FIGS. 2, 
3 and 4, comprises an overhead conveyor endless chain 110 which extends 
around the forward pulley 112 and by another pulley 114 to travel in an 
endless path with a series of spaced pusher elements 38 affixed to the 
endless band chain 110, with each of the pusher elements being timed to 
push and engage a single book 11 to strip it from the top of the stack 12. 
The stripper element 38 pushes the top across a flat horizontal slide bed 
115 (FIG. 2) to a location adjacent an upstanding frame post 116 where the 
book is pushed to the rotatable plate or platen 40 on the orienting 
conveyor 42. The latter has a pair of conveyor chains 120 and 121 which 
extend about and are driven by a motor 125 and gear box 126. The endless 
chains 120 and 121 travel between spaced sprockets 128 and 136 carried on 
a frame 137. The orienting plates 40 are pivotally mounted on upstanding 
pivot shafts 142, as best seen in FIGS. 2 and 10, to turn in bearings 138 
which are carried by a transverse supporting bar 144 (FIG. 9) extending 
between the respective chains 120 and 121. 
As best seen in FIG. 10, each orienting plate 40 has a bar cam 140 affixed 
to the lower end of its pivot shaft 142 to be engaged and selectively 
pivoted by an actuator comprising, in this instance, a diverter assembly 
143. The diverter assembly includes a solenoid 144 operated by the 
electric eye sensor 28 to cause the solenoid to retract or extend its 
shaft 144a. The solenoid shaft has a pivot connection 144b to an outer 
portion of a deflector element 146. The deflector element has a pivot 
mounting 147 mounted on a stationary cross frame member 149. Each of the 
bar cams 140 has a roller bearing 150 at its outer end to engage the outer 
end of the deflector element and to be pivoted by the pivoting deflector 
as the solenoid shaft 144a is extending or retracting. Four bar cams 140 
are mounted at 90.degree. from each other, as seen in FIG. 10, and the 
diverter causes each bar cam to pivot the plate 40 and book thereon 
through 90.degree. when actuated by the solenoid 144. Thus, the deflector 
element 146 is selectively actuated and pushed against the rotatable 
pallet to turn it through 90.degree. in one direction or the other 
direction so as to alternately turn alternate books so that all of the 
book backs 14 are facing in the same direction. Thus, the book backbones 
14 are selectively positioned in the right direction by the diverter. 
Preferably, the electric eye 39 is located in close proximity to the book 
mounted on the pallet 40 as it travels beneath and discharges from below 
the stripping conveyor and then the diverter 146 is operated to turn the 
pallet 40 to properly position the books. At the discharge station 46, the 
preferred discharge device 48 comprises a pair of conveyor belts 123, 124 
which convey the now properly oriented books as they leave the pallets 40 
into a wrapping station or the like for a subsequent operation. 
Referring now to FIG. 8, the drive for the oriented conveyor can be better 
seen and it comprises the motor 125 and output gear unit 126 which drives 
a belt 130 extending upwardly to a drive sheave 132 for a shaft 134 which 
carries the main drive sprocket for the conveyor chains 120 and 121. An 
opposite sprocket 136 is shown in FIG. 8 with chain 120 traveling there 
about in an endless path. Also, as best seen in FIG. 8, the conveyor belts 
48 for discharging the oriented books are mounted for endless travel 
around sprockets 140. A suitable drive is connected for the sprockets 140 
to the orient conveyor chain drive so that they travel in timed 
relationship and at the same speed that carried the discharging books from 
the turnable pallets or plates 40 on the conveyor chains 120. 
A brief description of the above-described and illustrated apparatus will 
now be given. Stacks of books 12 are placed on the conveyor surface 50 by 
an operator who typically removes the stacks of books from a pallet (not 
shown) that was transported by a forklift truck and delivered to a 
position adjacent the conveyor 20. The conveyor 20 is called a stream or 
accumulating conveyor in that it usually will have a stream of book stacks 
12 thereon. The book stacks are conveyed by the underlying, power driven 
rollers to adjacent the elevators. The selective operation of book clamps 
52 clamps the leading book stack 12a and the book clamp 52b clamps the 
book stack 12b. 
When the leading stack 12a is released by the operation of the clamping 
device 52 to its release position, the leading stack of books travels to 
the left as viewed in FIG. 3 will pass between the pair of retracted gates 
and pusher elements 58 with the underlying conveyor elements 50 pushing 
the released stack forwardly to abut the selectively raised stop 70 (FIG. 
4) which abuts the lower book of the stack 12 and holds the same against 
further movement onto the lifting plate 80 or 81. During this operation, 
the second book stack is held by the clamping device 52b. 
When the elevator plate 81 is in the position shown in FIG. 4, the closed 
pusher elements 58 travel forwardly along slide rails 66, and because the 
stop 70 is now retracted, the pusher elements are able to push the stack 
onto the elevator plate 81, as shown in FIG. 4. The pusher elements 58 
will then return to the left in FIG. 4 for a subsequent gating and pushing 
sequence. The second book stack is released to travel to abut the pusher 
elements and to be clamped by the first clamping device 52. 
The top book of the upper stack 12 is stripped and pushed at right angles 
by the stripper device 23 to travel horizontally. The illustrated stripper 
device 23 has depending pusher elements 38, each of which strips a top 
book and pushes it along a stationary bed plate 115 and then onto a 
rotatable orienting plate 40 of the orienting conveyor. The electric eye 
39 senses the backbone 14 or the front 16 of the book leaving the 
stripping station 22 on the rotatable plate 40 and operates the solenoid 
144 to pivot the diverter 146 against the bar cam to turn the pallet 40 
through 90.degree. in alternating operations to place all book backs 
facing rearwardly, in this instance. 
The preferred sensing by the electric eye 39 is to sense the depth of the 
book side facing the electric eye. If the open side of the book is facing 
the electric eye, it measures a depth within a certain range. On the other 
hand, if the bookback is facing the electric eye, there is a lack of depth 
being sensed and the electric eye 39 actuates the solenoid 144 to rotate 
the book. If no book is present, the electric eye 39 senses no depth and 
actuates the solenoid to pivot the plates 40 each through 90.degree.. 
Because the sensor senses each of the books, the operator may place stacks 
with the top book 11 in the stack either having an open end or a backbone 
for facing the electric eye 39. That is, the operator need not be 
concerned with the particular arrangement of counterstacking because the 
electric eye will sense the orientation of the stripped book irrespective 
of its prior position within a stack. The oriented books are carried by 
the plates 40 to the discharge conveyor 47 which carries them to a 
machine, such as a wrapping machine, for a subsequent operation. 
It will be appreciated that although various aspects of the invention have 
been described with respect to specific embodiments, alternatives and 
modifications will be apparent from the present disclosure, which are 
within the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the 
following claims.