Patent GB-933841-A (GB)
Title: Sheet handling machine
Inventor: PEARCE LEWIS CASS
IPC: B65H39/07
Filed: 1961-07-05
Abstract: 933,841. Collating sheets. AMERICAN GREETINGS CORPORATION. July 5, 1961, No. 24296/61. Class 100 (1). A machine for collating sheets of paper, e.g. greetings cards C, C<SP>1</SP>, comprises an endless conveyer 245 having opposite vertically travelling runs 246a, 246b, Fig. 36, at which are located sheet loading and sheet discharge stations respectively, the collated sets of sheets being carried round the upper end of the conveyer between the stations, four tables B on each of which is placed a pile of identical sheets, and suction separators S associated with each table for feeding sheets individually from the piles to the conveyer. The conveyer 245 is continuously driven and comprises a chain 246 to which are secured sheet-supporting pockets U. Each pocket U comprises four arms 255, 256, Figs. 5, 31, mounted on a base 252 the outer ends of which are engaged between guides 260, 261. A vertical strip 264 secured to the machine frame is mounted between the arms 255, 256 where they pass the tables B so as initially to prevent the sheets from abutting against the base 252. One sheet from each table B is fed into each pocket U as it passes so that each pocket contains a collated set of four different sheets as it passes over the top end of the conveyer. Knocking-up devices.-Sheet guides 268, 269, Fig. 31, are mounted at the side of the conveyer at the loading station and have inclined surfaces 268a, 269a which held square-off the sheets laterally as they are fed into the pockets. The sheet edges next to the base 252 are automatically squared-off as the pocket passes beyond the range of the strip 264 and round the top end of the conveyer. Sheet ejection.-The sets of sheets are ejected from the pockets U as they are carried down the downward-travelling run of the chain 246, by an ejector arm 290, Fig. 36, which passes between the arms 255, 256 and between the set of sheets in a pocket U and the corresponding base 252. The ejector arm is pivoted at 302 between a pair of arms 301 themselves pivoted to the machine frame at 299. Cams 291, 292 respectively cause vertical reciprocation and oscillation about pivot 302 of the arm 290, such movements being synchronized with the advance of the conveyer 245 to ensure ejection of the sheet sets at the appropriate moment. As they pass between loading and discharge stations the sheet sets are inverted and if the sheets are greetings cards having relief ornamentation C6<SP>1</SP>, Fig. 5, on one face the cards the fed on to the conveyer with that face downward and emerge from it with that face upward. Sheet separators; pile tables.-A number of endless bands 68, Figs. 5, 31, passes over the surface of each table B and serves to advance sheets which are manually placed thereon at the right-hand end of Fig. 5, to the corresponding separator S at the other end of the table. For convenience the sheets are placed on the table with a slight inclination in the direction shown and as they are moved over the table are engaged by a stationary roller 130 around which is stretched a band 131 held taut by a spring 132, such engagement causing the sheets to tilt over in the opposite direction so that a smooth (i.e. without relief ornamentation) face of the sheets is presented for engagement by the separator S. Each separator S comprises a pair of suckers 171 which perform vertical and horizontal reciprocating movements to pick the end sheet off the pile and feed it into the bite of a pair of feed rollers 230, 232 which convey the sheet into one of the pockets U. The suckers 171 are arranged as shown in Fig. 28 on a bar 167 which is normally horizontal but which can tip to an inclined position should the face of the end sheet not be horizontal. The mouths of the suckers 171 may be inclined as shown at Z so as to raise the edges of a sheet first and obviate the picking up of more than one sheet. A valve is provided in the pneumatic circuit coupled to the separators S which valve permits suction to be applied to the separators in sequence from the bottom separator to that at the top when the machine starts to operate and to be cut-off from the separators in the same sequence when the machine is about to be stopped; such sequential application and cutting-off of suction obviates incomplete sets in any of the pockets U at the beginning or end of operations. A sensing roller 225 participates in the vertical reciprocating movement of the suckers and engages the top or left-hand end of the sheet pile as seen in Fig. 5. Should the height of the pile fall below a predetermined value the roller actuates mechanism which accelerates the drive to the bands 68 until the pile is again higher than the predetermined value. Feelers and detectors; stationery guides.- The feed rollers 230, 232 are adjustable along their shafts so that they may be positioned out of the path of travel of any relief ornamentation on greeting cards. The shaft 231 of the rollers 230 is vertically movable at one or both ends and spring-biased downwards; this feature may be used to prevent deformation of any ornamentation which must necessarily pass between the rollers or to actuate a means for detecting feed failure or double sheet feed. A stationary guide 266 of spring steel is mounted near each of the three upper tables B and prevents sheets fed into the pockets U from the table(s) below from slipping out of the pockets and fouling the feed rollers.