Patent GB-189812683-A (GB)
Title: Improved Method and Means for Feeding Sheets of Paper and other Material to Printing, Ruling, Calendering and the like Machines.
Inventor: KERSHAW WILLIAM
Filed: 1898-06-07
Granted: 1899-05-27
Abstract: 12,683. Kershaw, W., Cliff, W., Chorley, R., and Pilkington, A. June 7. Feeding sheets.-Fig. 3 shows a sectional elevation of feeding-apparatus by which sheets are separated from a pile d and fed forward in fanned-out or overlapping position between feedrollers e to tapes f by which they are conveyed to a printing &c. machine. The top undisturbed sheet is buckled at the rear corners by buckling-fingers 2 moving from the sides towards the centre of the rear edge d<1> of the pile d. The buckling-fingers 2 are pivoted on brackets x adjustable by screws 67 on a transverse bar v carried by brackets w adjustable on longitudinal rods i mounted at each end on vertically-sliding rods h and operated by cams which give a rising and falling motion to the bars i and v. This movement operates the buckling-fingers, which are lifted from the sheet at the end of their forward or buckling movement, and a detent and presser-foot on each of the brackets x descend on to the exposed corner of the succeeding sheet. During the buckling operation a foot 40 rests on the pile, and it is raised by a cam while the top sheet is drawn forward. The foot 40 is carried by a vertical rod 41 operated by the cam 43 on the shaft b. The rod 41 is mounted to slide longitudinally between a pair of bars 42 hinged at b so that they, with the foot 40, may be swung away from the table c when placing a pile of sheets &c. upon it. In the side frames a are guideways or slots 16 for slides 17 carrying a feed-roller 22, which engages the front portion of the top sheet and draws it forward into the bite of the rollers e, which are driven intermittently to an extent sufficient to move the sheet forward only a part of its length at each operation. The front portion of the guide 16 is bent downwardly to bring the roller 22 down on to the pile during the later part of its forward movement. The roller 22 is prevented, by a ratchet, from rotating during its forward movement. The slides 17 are reciprocated by levers 10 pivoted at 12 and operated by rods 13 and crank-pins. The upper ends of the levers 10 are hinged and held by springs, so that the rearward movement of the slides 17 may be arrested by stops on the brackets w. On the slides 17 is hinged a lifter 34 of thin sheet metal having a front edge, or tongues thereon, sliding on the pile and adapted to engage the rear edge of the sheet last fed forward and lift such sheet over the roller 22, as shown at s', so that the roller 22 can operate on the next sheet beneath. The sheets are then fed by the rollers e, e in overlapping position as shown at s, s<1>, s<2>. The table c is raised to keep the top of the pile at constant level by four screws 48 geared by bevel gearing 54 and shafts 53 &c. to a shaft 49 operated by a ratchet or notched disc engaged by a pin on a rod 52 pivoted at one end to one of the levers 10. This rod is moved laterally so that its pin engages the notched disc, or not, according to the height of the pile, by means of a pivoted cam arrangement engaged by the long arm of a bent lever having a foot 58 permitted to drop on to the pile at intervals by a spring 69 on a rock shaft p.