Patent GB-189803092-A (GB)
Title: Automatic Apparatus for Accurately Feeding Sheets of Paper to a Printing Machine, Folding Machine, or the like.
Inventor: BUG ABEL
Filed: 1898-02-07
Granted: 1898-04-23
Abstract: 3092. Bug, A. Feb. 7. Feeding sheets.-Fig. 1 is a diagram, and Fig. 2 a side elevation of the apparatus. The sheets are fed singly from the top of a pile 1 on a table 2, and are carried down a sloping table 3 to the stops 6 of the impression cylinder &c. 7 by grippers 5. The grippers 5 move in a curved path (see broken lines in Fig. 1), which varies according to the height of the pile. The driving-shaft 9 is rotated in one direction and then the other from the inking-apparatus of the printing-machine. A shaft 12 driven by a worm and wheel 10, 11 from the shaft 9 is provided with a cam 13 and arm 14 operating a vertically-sliding bar 16 having a pawl 19 which engages and lifts a vertically-sliding rod 25. Rack teeth on the rod 25 operate a pinion on a shaft 28 which moves a second rod 25, on the other side of the machine. The rods 25 carry a transverse bar 29 having a foot 30 which is lifted, during the feeding of a sheet, and then drops on to the pile. The pawl 19 is disengaged from the teeth of the rod 25, when it has descended to a c e r t a i n point, by an incline 23. Geared to the shaft 9 by gears 36, 37 is a screw shaft 38 geared to a transverse shaft 41. To the shaft 41 are also geared inclined screw shafts 43, one at each side of the machine. On the shafts 43 are nuts 44 having sockets for sliding rods 50 pivoted to the gripper slides 49 which move on guiderods 46. The upper ends of the rods 46 are raised and lowered to cause the grippers to move in the required curved paths by the operation of a pawl 53 on a nut 52 on the shaft 38. The pawl 53 has a roller 55 moving on an incline 56, and when the roller passes off the latter the pawl engages the teeth of a vertically-sliding rod 58. The rod 58 moves a slide 63 having rack teeth engaging a pinion on a shaft 65 which operates a slide similar to 63 on the other side of the machine. On the slides 63 are rollers 61 engaging extensions 48 of the gripper guide-rods 46. The downward movement of the rod 68 is limited by an arm 67 thereon engaging a stop arm 68 on the rod 25. The top sheet 4 is fed forward to the grippers as follows:- On the shaft 41 is a worm which drives a shaft 71 geared by bevel-wheels 72, 73 to a vertical shaft 74, in a bracket 75, 76, 77, 78, the transverse angle-piece 78 of which can be adjusted to the rear of the pile. At the opposite end of the piece 78 is a similar bracket 75, 76, 77. Sliding on and rotating with the shaft 74 is a sleeve having a bevel-wheel 94 and a cam 114. The sleeve is journalled in a bearing on a sleeve 81 which slides on the rod 75. A toothed rack 82 projects down from the sleeve 81, and is raised and lowered by a pawl 84 pivoted to an arm of the shaft 71. A sleeve similar to 81 slides on the rod 75 at the other side of the machine, and the two sleeves are geared to move in unison by means of a transverse shaft 89, journalled on the sleeves, and having spur-wheels 90 gearing with the fixed toothed racks 76. A transverse shaft 91 is journalled in the sleeves 81, and is operated from the shaft 74. Carried by the shafts 89, 91 are brackets having vertically-sliding presser-feet. The feet are raised by the operation of a cam &c. from the shaft 91. The rear end of the top sheet is raised by sticky rollers on arms pivoted to the brackets. These arms are operated by gears from the shaft 91. As soon as the rear end is lifted, the presserfeet are released and drop on to the rear of the pile. Journalled in the sleeves 81 is a shaft 92 having arms connected by adjustable rods 117 to slides 122 having rollers which feed the sheet forward to the grippers. The shaft 92 is operated by an arm 112 engaging the cam 114. The slides 122 move on guides 119 carried by arms on the rod 29. The sliding sleeves 49 of the grippers are connected by a transverse angle bar having bearings for the two shafts 125, 126 of the grippers 5. The grippers are closed by springs, and are held open by means of pawls engaging noses or projections on the spindles. These pawls are moved to release and close the grippers as they move up to the sheet. The grippers are opened to release the sheet and re-engage them with their holding- pawls by means of a stop engaging an arm on the shaft 125, and an arm on the latter which operates the other shaft 126. The sheets are registered on the table 3 as follows:-The sheets are moved up to the front stops by a sheet of cardboard on to which they drop, and which is carried by a slide. This slide is operated by a connection from two transversely-sliding rods having pushers by which the sheet is registered sideways. These pushers move towards each other until their distance apart is a little less than the width of the sheet, and nipping-pins then descend on to the sheet so that the latter is stretched as the pushers move apart. One of the nipping-pins has a greater hold on the sheet, so that it retains its hold longer than the other. Cams &c. for raising the nipping-pins are provided. The transverse-sliding rods are operated by cam wings on a shaft operated by a toothed rack bar reciprocated from the shaft 71.