Patent GB-542234-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in wrapping machinery
IPC: B65B35/16
Filed: 1940-08-05
Abstract: 542,234. Endless conveyers. FORGROVE MACHINERY CO., Ltd., EDIS, J. N., and CONNETT, W. H. Aug. 5, 1940, No. 12596. [Class 78 (i)] [Also in Group XVII] A device for feeding articles, such as sliced. loaves of bread, in succession from a conveyer to a wrapping machine comprises a pair of grippers that move to-and-fro between the wrapping mechanism and a delivery station on the conveyer, means for closing the grippers on an article in the delivery station, a latch for preventing the closing of the grippers unless an article is properly positioned, and a trip mechanism that releases the latch when an article arrives at the delivery station. The loaves 13, Fig. 1, are fed continuously, but not necessarily at regular intervals, from the slicing machine on to the conveyer 10 which consists of an endless belt moved step-by step. side guides 15, Fig. 1 and 2, support the ends of the sliced loaves, the distance between the guides being adjustable. On each side of the conveyer is a slide 36 on which a gripper 35 is pivoted. The slide is pivoted at 42, 78 to the upper ends of levers 41, 77, respectively, which are pivoted to the frame of the machine, the lever 41, being oscillated by a cam 34. This oscillation reciprocates the grippers in the direction of the length of the conveyer between the end of the conveyer and the wrapping mechanism (not shown) Each gripper is urged inwards, towards the loaves in the conveyer, by a spring 59, but is moved outwards at appropriate times by a lever 50 which is pivoted to the slide 36 and is connected to the gripper by a link 47. The end of the lever 50 has a roller which runs along the upper surface of a lever 52 pivoted at 53 to the machine frame. The lever 52 is oscillated about its pivot by a cam 55, and the free end 56 of the lever is formed with a notch 57 that is normally engaged by a pivoted trip lever 58. At the end of the conveyer is a trip plate 33 provided at its ends with upwardly extending lugsl, that are pivoted at 62 to standards 63 carried by levers 65 secured to a shaft 66. This shaft is rocked periodically by a cam 69 to withdraw the trip plate 33 below the level of the conveyer. The lower end of the plate 33 is connected by rods 71 to the trip levers 58. In operation, a loaf arrising at the front of the conveyer, the delivery station, strikes the trip plate 33 and thus swings the trip lever 58 out of engagement with the notch 57 and allows the levers 52 to be lowered by the cam 55. This movement of the lever 52 allows the grippers to close on the loaf at the delivery station and carry it to the wrapping mechanism, the plate 33 being lowered out of the path of the loaf by the oscillation of the lever 65. The raising of the levers 52 by the cams 55 causes the grippers to release the loaf, and they are then moved back to the delivery station. If the loaf arrives at the delivery station too early, it is detained by the trip plate 33 until the grippers close on it. If the loaf arrives too late, the trip plate 33 will not be actuated and the grippers will be unable to close and will make an idle stroke. Thus the loaves themselves control the closing of the grippers which can close only when a loaf is in correct position for transfer to the wrapping mechanism.