Abstract:
A device is used to transfer printed products from the paddle wheel pockets of a paddle wheel or a delivery fan. A gripper chain carries a plurality of grippers which remove the printed products from the pockets without damaging them. A gripper chain drive wheel and the paddle wheel or wheels have a common axis of rotation but are driven separately from each other.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a device for transferring printed products from paddles of a rotating paddle or delivering form to grippers of a gripper chain type of printed product transport device. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     A device is known from CH-PS 427 625, wherein the printed products are positively removed from the paddle wheels by means of a chain equipped with grippers. Here, several paddle wheels as well as a chain wheel are fastened on a common shaft and therefore rotate at the same speed. 
     Shortly after the printed products have been taken up by the grippers, in this prior art device the paddle wheel pockets are turned out of the area of the printed products held in the grippers. In this case, it is disadvantageous that the portion of the printed product located in the gripper jaws can be damaged while being turned out of the bottom of the paddle wheel pocket. This applies in particular to thick printed products. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The object of the present invention is directed to producing a device for transferring printed products out of a paddle wheel. 
     In accordance with the invention, this object is attained by the provision of a gripper chain or printed product traction device. The axes of rotation of the paddle wheel or delivery fan, and of the traction device drive wheel are located on a common axis of rotation. The paddle wheel or wheels, and the traction device drive wheel can be driven independently of each other. 
     The advantages which can be attained by the present invention rest in particular in that, after the transfer of a printed product to a gripper, the bottom of a paddle wheel pocket moves away from the front edge of the printed product before the paddle wheel pocket is turned out of the area of the printed product. In this way, the damage-free removal of the printed product from the paddle wheels and its transfer to a chain conveyor is assured by a compact and simple construction of the paddle wheel and chain drive. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A preferred embodiment of the present invention is represented in the drawings and will be described in greater detail in what follows. 
     Shown are in: 
     FIG. 1, a schematic representation of the lateral view of a device for removing printed products, along a line I—I in FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 2, an enlarged representation of a detail “z” with the entry location of a printed product in accordance with FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3, an enlarged representation of a detail “y” with the separation line between the paddle wheel and the gripper in accordance with FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4, a longitudinal section through a device in accordance with FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Four synchronously rotatable paddle wheels  2 ,  3 ,  4 ,  5 , for example, which are spaced apart from each other in an axial direction of shaft  9 , are arranged underneath a belt system  1  arriving from a folding device, for example, as seen in FIGS. 4 and 1. A chain wheel  11  is fastened, so as to be fixed against relative rotation by means of wedges, and is centered between the center paddle wheels  3 ,  4  on the shaft  9  having an axis of rotation  10 . Shaft  9  is seated for rotation in two lateral frames  7 ,  8 . The shaft  9  is driven by means of a drive wheel  12  which is, for example, located outside of the lateral frame  8  all as seen in FIG.  4 . The number of revolutions of the drive wheel  12 , and therefore of the shaft  9 , can be, for example {fraction (2/15)}th of the number of revolutions of the plate cylinder of the rotary printing press. On its circumference, the chain wheel  11  has fifteen teeth  13 , for example, as depicted in FIG.  1 . The teeth  13  engage a gripper chain  14 . The ride walls or flanks between each of the teeth of the chain wheel  11  are in interlocking contact with chain rollers  27 ,  28  located on each chain link  16  as may be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2. 
     Each chain link  16  supports a gripper generally at  17 , which each is respectively consisting of one fixed clamping jaw  18 , and one pivotable clamping jaw  19 . The pivotable clamping jaw or cheek  19  is supported by two levers  21 , which are hinged on both sides of the chain link  16 . Each such lever  21  is a component of a three-piece lever arm, which is respectively hinged on both sides of the chain link  16 . A second lever arm  22  respectively supports a cam roller  23  to be actuated on a control cam  24  fixed in place on the frame all as shown in FIG.  2 . On its end, a third lever arm  26  has one point of the attachment or application of force of a tension spring  29 , whose abutment is located in the vicinity of the bottom of the gripper jaw  31  of each gripper  17 . The pivotable clamping jaw or cheek  19  can be pivoted by the action of the tension spring  29  from a stable open position through an extended dead center position into a stable closed position by means of actuating the second lever arm  22  on the control cam  24 . 
     The control cam  24  can be fastened, for example by means of a holder  32  of a U-shaped cross section, on a mounting fixed on the frame, for example a guide disk  33 . However, two levers  22 , rollers  23 , holders  32  for control cams and guide disks  33  can also be provided. 
     Each one of the four paddle wheels  2  to  5  rotates around the axis of rotation  10  and has a hub  36 ,  37 ,  38 ,  39 , each of which has a number of paddles  41  on its exterior circumference. The number of paddles  41  is less than the number of teeth  13  located on the circumference of the chain wheel  11 . For example there may be provided fifteen teeth  13  and fourteen paddles  41 . The means that the pitch t s  of the paddle wheels  2  to  5  is respectively greater than the pitch t k  of the chain wheel  11 . The paddle wheel hubs  36 ,  37 , or respectively  38 ,  39  are arranged, fixed against relative rotation, and spaced apart from each other, on individual bushings or with several hubs on each bushing for example two wheels—each on a bushing  42 ,  43 , or all together. The bushings  42 ,  43  are seated coaxially and rotatably on the shaft  9  to the left and right of the chain wheel  11  as shown in FIG.  4 . 
     On its end most adjacent to its associated one of the lateral frames, each bushing  42 ,  43  is connected, fixed against relative rotation, with a bushing gear wheel  44 ,  46 , each of which meshes with an intermediate gear wheel  47 ,  48  of at least twice the width of the bushing gear wheel  44 ,  46 . Each intermediate gear wheel  47 ,  48  also is in engagement with a shaft wheel  49 ,  51  arranged, fixed against relative rotation, on the shaft  9 . 
     Each bushing wheel  44 ,  46 , which fixed on a bushing  42  or  43 , repectively has a lesser number of teeth, for example  70  teeth, with respect to a greater number of teeth, for example  75  teeth, of each shaft gear wheel  49 ,  51  fixed on the shaft. In order to have the same axial distance in spite of this, the bushing gear wheels  44 ,  45  are positively corrected, and the shaft gear wheels  49 ,  51  are negatively corrected. 
     The paddle wheels  2  to  5 , or respectively the bushings  42 ,  43 , rotate at a higher number of revolutions n s  in respect to the number of revolutions n k  of the chain wheel  11 , which revolves at a lower number of revolutions n k . The number of revolutions n s  in n k  have a relationship such as m/14 to m/15, wherein “m” means the number of grooves around a plate cylinder circumference. By means of the higher number of revolutions of the paddle wheels  36  to  39 , it is achieved, that the paddles  41  lead the grippers  17  by a defined amount and gently move away from the folded products. The lower belt of the gripper chain  14  is surrounded with guide rods  50  starting at the transfer location for the printed products  6 . 
     The bushing gear wheels  44 ,  46  for driving the paddle wheels  2 ,  3 ,  4 ,  5 , and the shaft gear wheels  49 ,  51  fastened on the shaft  9  are respectively in engagement with the intermediate gear wheel pinion  47 , or respectively with the intermediate gear wheel  48 . Thus gears  44  and  49  mesh with pinion  47  and gears  46  and  51  mesh with pinion  48 . 
     The intermediate gear wheels or pinions  47 ,  48  are each respectively seated or supported on their assosiated lateral frame  7  or  8 , by means of a shaft  52 ,  53 . A driven gear wheel  54 ,  56  is located on each shaft  52 ,  53  and is arranged fixed against relative rotation. Each driven gear wheel  54 ,  56  meshes with a synchronizing gear wheel  57 ,  58 . Both synchronizing gear wheels  57 ,  58  are respectively arranged on a synchronizing shaft  59  for synchronizing the numbers of revolution of both bushings  42 ,  43 . The synchronizing shaft  59  is also seated fixed in the lateral frames  7  and  8  on both sides. 
     The functioning of the device for transferring printed products in accordance with the present invention is described as follows. Printed products  6 , preferably folded, and coming from the belt system  1  of the folding device, reach the bottom  62  of the paddle wheel pocket  61  at an inlet location A of the counterclockwise rotating paddle wheel  2  to  5 . An opened gripper jaw  31  of a gripper  17  is simultaneously located at this inlet location A in a position in which the bottom  63  of the gripper jaw  31  is in a position which is axis-parallel in relation to the shaft  9 . By means of this, the fold edges, in particular those of thick folded products of, for example, four millimeters, have an even support surface. After the entry of the printed product  6  into the paddle wheel pocket  61 , or respectively into the gripper jaw  31 , the second lever  22  supporting the roller  23  moves against the control cam  24 , which is fixed on the frame. Because of this, the pivotable clamping jaw  19  is pressed against the printed product  6 . Thus, the printed product  6  is clamped in place in the gripper jaw  31 . 
     Because of the higher number of revolutions and therefore also the greater circumferential speed of the paddle wheels  2  to  5 , the bottom  62  of the paddle wheel pocket  61  moves away from the bottom  63  of the gripper jaw  31 . Therefore a movement of the paddle wheel pockets  61  takes place at a separating line B of the movement direction of the gripper chain  61 , which makes damage to the front edge of the printed product  6  impossible. 
     Displacement of the inlet location A can take place by means of turning the shaft drive wheel  12 . Because of the gearing between the gear teeth  46 ,  51 , or respectively  44 ,  49 , a difference between the bottom  62  of the paddle wheel pocket  61  and the bottom of the gripper jaw  31  is created here. This difference can be compensated in that the shaft  53  with the gear wheel  47 , or respectively the shaft  52  with the gear wheel  47 , are exchanged for a differential gear. Such a gear can be designed as a harmonic drive gear or a sliding gear. 
     The traction mechanism  14  can be embodied in different ways: for example as a chain, toothed belt or a flat belt with drive openings at regular distances. 
     The invention is not limited to the arrangement of paddle wheels  2  to  5  on bushings  42 ,  43 , which are located on the driveshaft  9  for the traction mechanism drive wheel  11 —for example a chain wheel—. Instead, the traction mechanism drive wheel  11  can also be arranged in a rotatable and drivable manner on a combined bushing which can encompass bushings  42  plus  43 , on which all paddle wheels  2  to  5  are then seated. 
     While a preferred embodiment of a device for transferring printed products in accordance with the present invention has been set forth fully and completely hereinabove, it will be apparent to one of skill in the art that a number of changes in, for example the type of printing and folding devices being used, the number of pages of printed product, and the like may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention which is accordingly to be limited only by the following claims.