Patent GB-966402-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to the handling of flat articles
IPC: B65H29/04
Filed: 1960-12-20
Abstract: 966,402. Delivering sheets. FERAG FEHR & REIST A.G. Dec. 20, 1960 [Dec. 23, 1959], No. 43709/60. Heading B6H. [Also in Division B8] Papers fed from a printing press in an overlapping stream are picked up in succession by grippers following on endless path and the leading paper as it approaches the gripper is detected by a photo-electric device which actuates the gripper. Printed newspapers 3 are delivered in overlapping arrangement from a rotary printing press between two pairs of endless belts 2<SP>1</SP>, 22<SP>11</SP>, Fig. 1, a pulley 5 mounted between the belts 2<SP>1</SP> bending the papers slightly so as to stiffen them. Each paper is gripped by its leading edge between the jaws of a gripper unit 7 which then travels under the influence of gravity along a sloping section 62 of a guide rail 6 and deposits the paper on a conveyer 26 composed of lateral and bottom conveying belts 25. The rail 6 is hollow and has the cross-section of an angular C, the slot therein facing outwards. Each gripper unit 7 comprises a pair of laterally spaced plates 8 on which are rotatably mounted two pairs of rollers 9, a roller 10 at right angles thereto, a fixed gripper jaw 11<SP>1</SP> and a pivoted gripper jaw 11<SP>11</SP>. The rollers 9 engage in the rail 6 and the roller 10 provides additional guidance for the gripper unit in the slot of the rail. The jaw 11<SP>11</SP> is biased towards the jaw 11<SP>1</SP> by a spring 12. A pair of arms 13 carrying cam-follower rollers 15 is mounted on the jaw 11<SP>11</SP>. As each unit approaches the conveyer 26 the rollers 15 ride on to a pair of cam tracks 16 which open the gripper jaws. Simultaneously the unit is engaged from the inside of the rail 6 by a conveyer chain 18 which moves it up a vertical section 64 of the track 6. On reaching the top of the section 64 the unit slides by gravity down an inclined section 65 of the track and comes to rest at the upper end of a column of gripper units adjacent to the delivery ends of the belts 2<SP>1</SP>, 2<SP>11</SP>' The bottom unit in the column is prevented from sliding down the rail section 62 by a stop 19 mounted on the armature of a solenoid 21, which stop is projected into the path of the units 7. The cam tracks 16 end just beyond the stop 19, so that the unit arrested by the stop still has its jaws open. A newspaper 3 is fed by the belts 2<SP>1</SP>, 2<SP>11</SP> into the open jaws of the gripper unit arrested by the stop 19 and passes through a light beam 23 which controls a photo-electric device 22<SP>1</SP>, 2211. Interruption of the light beam causes actuation of the solenoid 21 which momentarily retracts the bolt and allows the gripper unit 7 arrested thereby to slide down the rail section 62 but returns the bolt in time to prevent the succeeding gripper unit from being released until a paper 3 has been fed into its jaws. In the modification shown in Fig. 6, the rail section 62 is bifurcated, the two portions 6<SP>1</SP>, 611 thereof being twisted through 90 degrees until their slots face each other. The gripper units are directed alternately into the two portions and carry out an angular movement through 90 degrees whereby the newspapers are moved into the space between the rail portions 6<SP>1</SP>, 611. In this way the folded edges of the newspapers are alternately positioned at one and the other side of the stack when the grippers release the papers. In this embodiment the clamping edges of the gripper jaws may be angled in order to bend the newspapers slightly and thereby stiffen them. This embodiment may be used for placing an insert in newspapers, the inserts being carried by the grippers in one rail portion and the newspapers in the grippers in the other rail portion and provision being made for the folded newspapers to be slightly open when they are swung inwards. In another form, Fig. 8, the rail 6 has two compartments 66, 68. A chain conveyer 31 on which are mounted rubber surfaced rollers 30 runs in the compartment 66 and is continuously driven. The gripper units 7 are guided in the compartment 68 and each has a shoe 27 pivoted to its underside and spring-biased away from the unit into contact with the rollers 30 of the conveyer 31 whereby the units are moved along the rail 6 at twice the speed of the conveyer. Each gripper unit carries a rearwardly projecting wedge 34 which, when the units are formed into a column to the rear of the stop 19, engages the shoe 27 of the succeeding unit and raises it out of engagement with the conveyer 31.