Patent GB-753188-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in and relating to collating machines for sheets
IPC: B65H39/04
Filed: 1954-09-14
Abstract: 753,188. Feeding sheets; sheet delivery apparatus. DAVIDSON CORPORATION. Sept. 14, 1954 [Oct, 9, 1953], No. 26537/54. Class 100 (1). A sheet collecting machine includes a plurality of inclined load-type, gravity feed tables vertically spaced apart, a corresponding number of belt-type sheet-conveyers associated respectively with the tables, and co-operative sheetfeed and belt-drive mechanisms disposed in adjacent planes between the discharge ends of the tables and receiving ends of the conveyers. Pile tables and supports.-The machine comprises four pile tables or containers 2 (Fig. 1) each having a bottom plate 2a and adjustable side-plates 2c. The tables include brackets 2d which are formed with slots 2g through which project bolts on the side frames 9 of the machine, and co-operating with wing nuts 2f for adjusting the tables at the required angle. Sheet separators.-The sheets are separated from the piles by means of friction rollers 4, each mounted on a transverse shaft 10. Rotatably mounted on the shaft 10 are pinions 12 (Figs. 4 and 7), co-operating with a rack-bar 11 supported in guide members 17, and at its lower end by a stabilizer 18. The rack-bar 11 is reciprocated by a link 16 eccentrically connected to a disc 14 on a main drive-shaft 15 suitably driven from a motor H. Attached to each pinion 12 is a pawl 20 adapted to co-operate with a ratchet-wheel 21 fast on each shaft 10 so that on reciprocation of the bar 11 the rollers 4 are rotated a predetermined amount to separate a sheet from the table 2 and forward it towards co-operating sets of rollers 7, 8 (Fig. 1). The shafts of the rollers 7 are geared together and driven from the motor H. The rollers 7 also carry the endless conveyer bands 3. Idler rollers 8 co-operate with the rollers 7 for forwarding the sheets and are mounted in pairs between plates 8a secured to rockshafts 24 by blocks 8c (Fig. 12). The rollers 8 are spring- biased towards the rollers 7 by means of compression springs surrounding studs 8c. Stopmembers 8h are also provided. The rock-shafts 24 are provided at one end with crank arms 24a connected to a vertical link 25, reciprocated against the action of a spring 25a by a cam element 26 on the shaft 15 and a lever 27 having a cam follower 27a. The shafts 24 are rocked in timed relation with the reciprocation of the rack-bar 11. Faulty sheet feed detectors.-In the event of one of the sheets not being fed together with the other three a switch A having a detector finger a is allowed to close an electric circuit so that a solenoid B (Fig. 4) is energized, thus preventing lowering of the rollers 8 to retard the forwarding of the three fed sheets by engagement of an armature b<SP>1</SP> with an extension 27b on the lever 27. Control switches (Fig. 14, not shown) are also set in motion in such a way that if the missed sheet is fed by the rollers 4 during the next three machine cycles the relay B is deenergized and the four sheets are fed to the conveyers 3 by the lowering of the rollers 8 at the end of the third cycle. If, however, no sheet is fed during the next three machine cycles the operation of the machine is stopped. Further switches J<SP>2</SP> (Fig. 2) are provided which are adapted to stop the machine in the event of a double sheet or a thick sheet being fed. The switches J<SP>2</SP> include detector plate J pivoted to vertically disposed shields J<SP>1</SP> which may be adjusted by movement of a tapered rod J<SP>5</SP> through the medium of an offset lifting member J<SP>4</SP>. The plates J have projections j<SP>9</SP> adapted to actuate vertically disposed rocking levers J<SP>7</SP> to operate the switches J<SP>2</SP>. Sheet delivery apparatus; registering; sheet forwarders.-The fed sheets are presented by the conveyers 3 to a gate member K (Fig. 3) comprising a plurality of elements k formed with sheet arresting portions k<SP>1</SP>. Cross-bars 9e are also provided and have slots 9g for accommodating the portions k<SP>1</SP>. The gate member K is reciprocated in guides 9d against the action of a spring K<SP>2</SP> (Fig. 20) by a screw stud p located on one arm of a three-armed lever P secured to a rock-shaft Q. The lever P is actuated by a link p<SP>6</SP> operated by a cam on the driver shaft 15 (Fig. 1). The third arm of the lever P is connected through a pin-and-slot connection p<SP>1</SP> to a cam element P<SP>4</SP> which operates a lever P<SP>5</SP> connected to the lowermost rock-shaft 9h on which is mounted a pair of idler rollers 3b co-operating with belt-supporting rollers 3a for forwarding the sheets after alignment of the sheets against, and after lowering of, the gate member K. The rollers 3b are arranged in pairs on the rock-shafts 9h which carry crankarms 9j (Fig. 5), connected to a common vertically disposed link 9k so that they may be actuated in unison by the lever P<SP>5</SP>. The collated sheets are delivered against a fixed deflector M and on to a receiver L which may be advanced a set amount on each machine cycle to separate the batches of collated sheets by means of a ratchet device N (Fig. 4) controlled from a separate cam N1 on the main shaft 15 through linkage N<SP>2</SP>.