Patent GB-723844-A (GB)
Title: A device for separating form sheets from manifold packs or assemblies
IPC: B41L1/00
Filed: 1952-11-11
Abstract: 723,844. Manifolding units. NILES-BEMENT-POND CO. Nov. 11, 1952 [Aug. 6, 1952], No. 28358/52. Class 16. A device for separating form sheets from a manifold pack or assembly comprises traversing means to advance the assembly against an abutment within the device, gripping means to engage the torwara edge of the assembly, a pair of closely adjacent rotating rollers, means to bend an intermediate portion of the assembly adjacent the trailing edge and to guide the trailing edge between the rotating rollers to tear the form sheets from the assembly, whereby one portion of the assembly is ejected by the rollers, and, upon release of the forward edge of the assembly from the gripping means, the remaining portions of the assembly are ejected by the traversing means. The separating device is mounted between side plates 10 separated by angle bars 11 and the bars 12 and supported on a platform 14, the whole under a cover 16 with openings 22, 24 at the ends. In the opening 22, guide members 18, 19 lead an inserted manifold pack W on to parallel continuously travelling bands 20 passing over a drive roller 21 and adjustable take-up roller 23, the roller 21 being driven from a motor 25 through pulleys 27, 30 and 34, 36, the pulleys 30, 34 being at opposite ends of a roll 32. The pack W is advanced by the bands 20 till the forward end strikes against vertically movable abutments 38 which are mounted on a carriage 40, above the bands 20, longitudinally adjustable for different lengths of pack along parallel rods 50 by means of a screw 52 engaging a nut 54 on the carriage 40. The screw 52 is rotated by a handle 62 on a shaft 60 through bevel gears 56, 58 and the carriage 40 has a pointer 124 extending through a slot in the cover 16 which either slides over a scale for adjusting the position of the carriage or a pack is held against an abutment 126 and the carriage moved until the portion 124 reaches the end of the pack. Two micro-switches 42, 44 are mounted on opposite sides of the carriage 40 with operating arms extending in the path of the packing the switch 44 being normally closed and the switch 42 being closed by the pack lying against the abutments 38, to operate a solenoid 46 and start a cycle of operations. The armature and solenoid 46 oscillates a bell crank 118 against a spring 120 to disengage a detent 104 from a single rotation clutch 106 which allows a single complete revolution of a cam shaft 48 having three cams 72, 80 and 84. Cam 72 through a lever 68 operates a parallel linkage system 70 to raise a table 64 lying under the top bands 20 and with slots to receive the bands, so that the pack W is lifted off the bands and its forward edge, comprising only the ends of the form sheets, is gripped between the table 64 and a series of grippers 66 pivotally mounted on the carriage 40. At the same time the abutments 38 are moved upwardly by the table and held in the upper position by a plate 90 on the carriage 40 engaging a notch in each abutment, the plate 90 being moved by a spring 100 as a finger 92 on the plate 90 is released by a pivoted abutment 94 held in its operative position by a headed bar 98 engaged by an abutment on the table 64. Cam 80 simultaneously operates a bell crank 78 which, through arm 79 and small bell crank and link, oscillates guide members 74, 76 to bend the trailing edge of the pack W upwardly, the members 74, 76 being continuations of the guides 18, 19 and the trailing edge comprising the header and carbons attached thereto. Cam 84 then operates, through an extension of one of them, a number of pivotally mounted arms 82 which withdraw the trailing edge from the guide members 74, 76 and fan out the formsheets, the guide members 74, 76 then being lowered by cam 80. The cam 84 then lowers arms 82 and the trailing edge of the pack W is presented between the roll 32 and a co-operating roll 86 spring pressed against the roll 32, the rolls engaging the trailing edge and thereby gripping the header and carbon edges to separate them from the form sheets still held by the grippers 66 and table 64. The header and carbons are then passed by the rolls 32, 86 out of the lower opening 22. Cam 72 then lowers table 64 so that the form sheets are resting on the bands 20 which advance them to pass them out of the opening 24. The form sheets pass and open micro-switch 44 so that the solenoid 46 cannot be energised for a fresh operation of the cam shaft 48 until the form sheets are past the abutments 38, the abutments being held in the raised position by the plate 90 until the table 64 reaches its lowermost position, the parts then being ready for a fresh operation of the device. U.S.A. Specification 2,289,161 is referred to.