APPARATUS FOR OVERTURNING AND FEEDING STRIPS OF STAPLES FORMING THEM IN GROUPS

Abstract: The apparatus according to the invention provides the use of a U-shaped pusher (3) that moves apart two identical groups (4) of staple strips (2) with upwardly turned wings (21), from a feeder line (1) onto a support member (5) and an overturning device (6) respectively, the latter attracting its own group (4) electromagnetical­ ly and bringing it to mate with the one carried by the support member (5) which is then lowered so that it may receive two further similar groups (4); afterwards an ejector (8) feeds the two pairs of groups (4) to the following station.

Description: The present invention relates to an apparatus for over­ turning and feeding strips of staples forming them in groups. In the technical field of the machines for the production and packing of staples, several machines adapted to produce continuous bands of staples are already known. These continuous bands are then divided into many individual strips each of them having the same length and therefore being provided with the same number of staples. Afterwards these staple strips are manually removed and coupled in a mirror but offset relation­ ship so that the height of two thus coupled strips is equal to that of one strip only with the addition of the thickness of the base surface of the second strip. Once they are coupled, the pairs of staple strips are gathered in groups and introduced into their respective packing. The object of the present invention is to provide a device allowing the creation of said groups of staple strips in a completely automatic manner. The invention as it is characterized in the appended claims attains this object; in fact it is composed of a pusher bringing two similar groups of staple strips onto a support member and an overturning device that, turning about an offset axis with respect to the axis of symmetry of the two groups of strips, causes its own group, retained by an electromagnet, to mate with the group of the support member in a mirror but vertically offset relationship. One of the advantages reached by the present invention essentially resides in its construction simplicity which makes it very efficient and reliable. A further advantage is represented by the possibility of providing the presence of a package feeding device disposed downstream of the above apparatus so that the packing of staple strips can take place in a completely automatic manner which is very useful from the stand­ point of both the economy and productiveness. A still further advantage resides in that the apparatus in question allows a very precise performance while reducing the possibilities of damaging the staple strips. The invention will be described hereinafter in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings showing an embodiment thereof by way of a non-limiting example. In the drawings -Fig. 1 is a plan view of the apparatus for overturning and feeding strips of staples forming them in groups, according to the invention; -Fig. 2 is a side view of the same apparatus; -Figs. 3 and 4 are taken along the line III-III of Fig. 1 and show the essential steps of the apparatus in question. The apparatus according to the invention (see Fig. 1) consists of a feeder line 1, a pusher 3, a vertically movable support member 5, an overturning device 6 and an ejector 8 all supported by a framework 14. The feeder line 1 is downwardly defined by a horizontal plate 141 being part of the supporting framework 14 and sideways by two parallel guides 17. Along the feeder line 1 strips of staples 2, hereinafter called strips, are continuously fed; they have the same length and are disposed at right angles to their feed direction along the feeder line 1. For reasons that will become more apparent in the following, the wings 21 of the strips 2 are all turned upwardly. The pusher 3 supported by the plate 141 is of a U-shaped construction the arms 31 and 32 of which are parallel to the longitudinal directions of the strips 2, and is enclosed within two parallel guides 11 engaged with the plate 141. The arms 31 and 32 have an identical length L measured along the longitudinal direction of the feeder line 1 which length corresponds to a multiple of the width of one strip 2. The guides 11 are offset with respect to each other along their longitudinal direction so that while one, referenced at 111, completely comes in contact with the feeder line 1, the other, referenced at 112, has its wall contacting the pusher 3 in alignment with the free ends of the guides 17. Said pusher 3 having the free ends of its arms 31 and 32 turned towards the feeder line 1, is moved by a fluid-actuated cylinder 15, through a connecting bracket 16; said cylinder is supported at its lower part and in a vertical alignment with the arm 32, for a reason to be described later, by the plate 141. By the action of the cylinder 15, the pusher 3 moves from a backward position in which the free ends of its arms 31 and 32 are aligned with the inner wall of the near guide (17 Fig. 1) to a forward position in which its arms 31 and 32 completely pass through the feeder line 1 and the free ends thereof are aligned at right angles to the close edge B of a rectangular hole 19 provided on plate 141. At the opposite sides of the feeder line 1, between the arms 31 and 32 of the pusher 3 when in its forward position, two parallel guides 18 are provided which form two extensions for the guides 17 and are in engage­ ment with the plate 141. The support member 5 and the overturning device 6 are housed within the hole 19 of the plate 141. The support member 5 includes a horizontal plate 51 aligned with the arm 31 of the pusher 3 and in coplanar relation with the plate 141 (see Fig. 3 too) when the support member is in its upper position. The plate 51 is provided at the top with a limb 52 adapted to form an extension for the guide 111 in connection with the support member 5 and is engaged with the upper end of two vertical posts 20 slidably supported by a bracket 142 being part of the supporting framework 14. Also the free end of a vertical rod 121 acts on the plate 51 at the bottom thereof; said rod 121 is part of a fluid-­ actuated cylinder 12 in turn in engagement with the free end of the vertical rod 131 of a further fluid-actuated cylinder 13 connected to the bracket 142. The stroke of the rod 131 of the cylinder 13 is equal to the height of a group of strips 2,while the stroke of the rod 121 of the cylinder 12 is greater, for a reason to be described later. The overturning device 6 essentially consists of a hub 61 rigidly mounted on a horizontal shaft 22 vertically offset relative to the axis of symmetry of the arms 31 and 32 of the pusher 3,and of a wing 62 of the hub 61 itself which is on top provided with a groove 63 in coplanar relation with the plate 141 and in alignment with the walls of the guides 17 and 18 adapted to contain the group 4 of strips 2 moved by the arm 32 of the pusher 3. Means 9 adapted to retain the group 4 of strips 2 housed within the groove 63 is applied to the wing 62 on its side opposite said groove. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, said means consists of a continuously energized electro­ magnet 9 which is interlocked, for the de-energizing thereof, to detection means 10. Should the strip 2 be of a non magnetic material, the retaining means 9 could consist of known suction means. A flat surface 23 adapted to contain the group 4 of strips 2 pushed onto the support member 5 by the pusher 3 is fixed to the hub 61 on its side opposite the wing 62. The axis 7 of the shaft 22 is provided to be on a level with the free ends of the wings 21 of the strips 2 disposed on the plate 51 of the support member 5 or on the wing 62 of the hub 61 being part of the overturn­ ing device 6. Provision is made for a means 24 acting on the shaft 22(see Fig. 1)and adapted to cause the latter to rotate so that the wing 62 is brought from its opening configuration as seen in Fig. 3 in which the groove 63 is in coplanar relation with the plate 51 of the support member 5, to the closing configuration seen in Fig. 4, in which the groove 63 parallel to and disposed over the plate 51 itself. By way of example only in the figures said means 24 consists of a fluid-actuated cylinder. Said detection means 10 is in turn energized, and as a result the electromagnet 9 is de-energized, when the overturning device takes the configuration seen in Fig. 4. Said detection means may for example consist of a proximity sensor detecting the "vacuum" of the cavity 6b . The ejector 8 (see Figs. 1 and 2) is provided to be disposed below the plate 141 and in alignment with the groups 4 of strips 2 supported by the plate 51 of the support member 5 when the latter is in its lower­ most configuration, the rods 121 and 131 of the fluid-­ actuated cylinders 12 and 13 respectively being complete­ ly retracted. Practically the ejector 8 is a plane having the same height as two pairs of groups 4 of strips 2, which is supported by two side guide supports 25 connected at the bottom to plate 141. The ejector 8 is controlled by a fluid-actuated cylinder 26 so that it moves from a backward position, external to the vertical dimensions of the plate 51 of the support member 5, to a forward position in which said ejector 8 is past the plate 51 of the support member 5. The operation of the apparatus according to the invention is the following. We assume that an operating cycle is just over, that the feeder line 1 has been entirely occupied by the strips 2 (see Fig. 1), that the pusher 3 has reached its backward position as well as the ejector 8 (see Fig. 1 again), that the support member 5 has occupied its upper position, its plate 51 being in coplanar relation with the plate 141 of the supporting frame­ work (14) (see Fig. 3), that the overturning device 6 has reached its opening position (see Figs. 1 and 3) and that the electromagnet 9 has been energized. The cylinder 15 is now actuated and it causes the pusher 3 to move on towards its forward position: during its stroke the pusher 3 removes two similar groups of strips 2 from the feeder line 1 and transfers them onto the support member 5 and onto the overturning device 6 respect­ ively. Then the pusher 3 can return backward as far as the feeder line 1 is cleared off and is filled with strips 2 again; meanwhile the fluid-actuated cylinder 24 is operated, which causes the rotation of the overturning device 6 from its opening position to its closing position. Since the hub 61 of the overturning device 6 rotates about an axis 7 that is offset in relation to rotates about an axis 7 that is offset in relation to the axis of symmetry of the two arms 31 and 32 of the pusher 3 and therefore also offset with respect to the groups 4 of strips 2 moved by the latter, the wings 21 of the strips 2 of the two groups 4 are offsett too, so that they can be introduced into each other as shown in Fig. 4. While it is going to reach its closing position, the overturning device 6 energizes the detection means 10 that de-energizes the electromagnet 9. Sub­ sequently the fluid-actuated cylinder 24 is operated in the opposite way relative to the preceding one so that it brings the overturning device 6 back to its opening position. The electromagnet 9 is actuated again after the overturning device 6 has moved away a certain amount from its closing position in order to avoid the separation of the just made up pair of groups 4 of strips 2. Meanwhile the fluid-actuated cylinder 13 is operated, which causes the plate 51 of the support member 5 to be lowered one step corresponding to the height of the just made up pair of groups 4 of strips 2, that is to the height of a strip 2 with the addition of the thickness of the base surface of the strip 2 itself. As soon as the overturning device 2 reaches its opening position, the pusher 3 will perform a new stroke in order to bring two further groups of strips 2 onto the support member 5, or better onto the supported pair of groups 4 of strips 2, and onto the overturning device 6 respectively. The overturning device 6 is brought again to its closing position and the pusher 3 to its backward position. When the overturning device 6 has put down also this group 4 of strips 2 on the support member 5, the fluid-actuated cylinder 12 is operated, which causes the plate 51 of the support member 5 to be lowered to the utmost so that the two superposed pairs of groups 4 of strips 2 are brought into alignment with the ejector 8 (see Fig. 4 in which the ejector 8 is shown in a dotted line). While the overturning device 6 is reaching its opening position, the fluid-actuated cylinder 26 is operated, which causes the superposed pairs of groups 4 of strips 2 to be ejected from the support member 5. A package feeding device could be provided in combination with this apparatus according to the invention so that the ejector 8 would be able to insert the pairs of groups 4 of strips 2 directly into their respective packages. Finally the two fluid-operated cylinders 12 and 13 are both operated so that the plate 51 of the support member 5 is returned to its raised position and a new operating cycle begins following the same procedures as herein­ before. A simplified embodiment of the invention with respect to the one described above is devoid of the ejector 8 the function of which is performed by the pusher 3; this one in fact, after bringing the second groups 4 of strips 2 onto the support member 5 and the overturning device 6, stops and moves further on past the support member 5 after the latter has reached its upper position again and the overturning device 6 has moved away therefrom and is no longer within the horizontal dimensions of the pusher 3 itself. In the accompanying drawings is provided the introduction of two pairs of groups 4 of strips 2 but, should the introduction of one pair only take place, it would be sufficient to operate the fluid-actuated cylinders 12 and 13 always simultaneoysly. If, on the contrary, more than two pairs of groups 4 of strips 2 are provided for each package, it will be sufficient to equip the apparatus in question with many fluid-actuated cylinders 13 (or with multi-stroke drive means) depending upon the number of pairs of groups 4 for each package, and to lower the ejector 8 depending upon the lowermost position reached by the plate 51 of the support member 5. The apparatus as conceived is susceptible of many modifications and variations all within the scope of the invention. Furthermore, all details may be replaced by technically equivalent elements.

Claims: 1. An apparatus for overturning and feeding strips of staples forming them in groups characterized in that it comprises: - a feeder line (1) for the strips for staples disposed in a parallel side-by-side relationship at right angles to their feeding direction and with their wings (21) turned upwardly; - at least a U-shaped pusher (3) provided with identical arms (31, 32) and horizontally movable parallelly to the longitudinal direction of the strips of staples (2) between a backward position, in which its arms (31, 32) are at the outside of the feeder line (1) and a forward position in which its arms (31, 32) come in contact with the feeder line 1 and move away two identical groups (4) of staple strips (2) therefrom; - a support member (5) and an overturning device (6) for each pusher (3) each of them being adapted to receive one of the two groups (4) of staple strips (2) moved by the pusher (3) which is going towards its forward position, the overturning device (6) being provided with means (9) adapted to retain its own group (4) of staple strips (2) and being rotatably movable about a horizontal axis (7) between an opening position in which it is in coplanar relation with the support member (5) and receives a group (4) of staple strips (2) from the pusher (3) and a closing position in which it is in parallel relation­ ship with the support member (5) itself being superposed thereon with its staple strips (2) offset with respect to the ones supported by said member so that the former can loosely mate with the latter; - at least an ejector (8) for each pusher (3) horizontal­ ly movable between a rest position at the outside of the vertical dimensions of the latter, and an operating position in which it completely comes in contact with the latter in order to transfer groups (4) of staple strips (2) from the support member (5) to the following operating station. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the axis of rotation (7) of said overturning device (6) is vertically offset with respect to the axis of symmetry of said pusher (3). 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said ejector (8) is the pusher (3) itself which is moved past the support member (5) when the latter has come back to its upper position and the overturning device (6) has moved away therefrom and is at the out­ side of the horizontal dimensions of the pusher itself (3). 4. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said support member (5) is movable between an upper position in which it receives the first two groups (4) of staple strips (2) and a lower position in which said supported groups (4) of staple strips (2) are ejected, and in that said ejector (8) is horizontally movable when it is flush with the lower position reached by said two groups (4) of staple strips (2) carried by said support member (5). 5. The apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that said support member (5) when vertically moving between its upper and lower positions reaches at least an intermediate position in which it receives two second groups (4) of said staple strips (2). 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said retaining means (9) of the overturning device (6) consists of an electromagnet de-energized by means (10) detecting the presence of said overturning device (6) in the closing position thereof, said electromagnet (9) being energized again when the overturning device (6) has considerably moved away from the support member (5). 7. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said retaining means (9) of the overturning device (6) consists of suction means that is de-energized by means (10) detecting the presence of said overturning device (6) in the closing position thereof, said suction means being energized again when the overturning device (6) has considerably moved away from the support member (5). 8. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said pusher (3) is slidable along a plane coplanar to the supporting plane of said feeder line (1) and the arms (31, 32) of the same are contained within side guides (11). 9. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said support member (5) is controlled by at least two fluid-actuated cylinders (12, 13) in a coaxial cascade relationship, at least one of them being provided for one-step displacement of said support member (5), the step being at least equal to the thickness of one group (4) of said staple strips (2) and the other being provided for the displacement of said support member (5) towards said lower position thereof.

Inventors: SARTI, FRANCO
Applicants: ITALPUNTI MACCHINE S.N.C. DI SARTI FRANCO & C.
Application year: 1985
Main classification: B65G57
IPC codes: B65B5, B65G57