Patent Publication Number: US-6705607-B2

Title: Device for transporting printed products

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a device for transporting printed products, comprising an endless circulating traction member on which receiving means are fastened at regular spacings which are configured for picking up and subsequently releasing the supplied printed products. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Such devices are known, inter alia, as cycled transporting devices in the printed product processing industry and transport individual printed products from a printing machine via several processing stations to the shipping area. This arrangement has a traction member formed by a guided chain on which, at regulars spacings, clamp-like grippers are fastened which, in the open position, pick up printed products at a supply station by closing the grippers and transport the printed products to a processing station arranged downstream where the printed products are released for removal by opening the grippers. 
     These known devices convey the printed product in a suspended state into a cycled rotating compartment wheel which inserts the printed products, for example, into pockets of an insertion machine. European patent 0 380 921 B1 describes such a device for loading an insertion machine with printed products. 
     These known devices lack precision and reliability, in particular, when a relatively high processing speed is to be employed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a device which is of a simple configuration and with which the printed products can be supplied in a precise fashion with a relatively high processing speed. 
     In accordance with the present invention, this is achieved in that the receiving means comprise rollers cooperating in pairs and forming with their circumference a conveying gap, wherein the rollers are drivably supported with one end on axles arranged perpendicularly to the conveying direction on a support frame connected to the traction member. 
     A simple configuration can be achieved when at least one roller of a roller pair can be connected with a drive member. 
     For a direct utilization of the device according to the invention, it is advantageous when along the traction member at least one supply station for feeding printed products to the receiving means and at least one dispensing station for transferring the printed products to further processing station(s) are provided, when the supply and dispensing stations are in the form of drive members. 
     Preferably, the drive members are formed as stationary control curves or driven control means which realize an exact processing. 
     Expediently, for avoiding an inexact pick-up and dispensing of the printed products, the length of a stationary control curve is less than a division (spacing) between two receiving means fastened on the traction member. 
     When the printed products are pushed out of the receiving means in a direction opposite to the direction of the receiving action, an arrangement of the control curves such that the latter are staggered alternating on opposite sides along the traction member is particularly suitable. 
     A simple and proven configuration is provided when the roller pairs are in driving connection by means of gear wheels so that only one roller of the roller pair is driven by a drive member in the circulating direction. 
     In this connection, it is favorable when the roller driven by the drive member is provided on its circumference with a drive bead, wherein the rotational speed of the roller can be affected by changing the drive bead diameter. 
     For removing individual printed products from the sequentially arranged receiving means or for a regular partial removal of printed products, it is advantageous when the drive members correlated with the rollers to be driven are configured to be switched on as needed. 
     When the printed products to be received are relatively large, it may be necessary to provide a longer pick-up stretch so that the length of a stationary control curve should be greater than a division (spacing) between the receiving means. 
     When a longer pick-up stretch is required, it is advantageous when one supply station or dispensing station has two neighboring control curves having correlated therewith a drive bead of a roller to be driven of two sequentially arranged receiving means, respectively. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     In the following, the invention will be described by means of one embodiment with the aid of the drawing, reference being had to the drawing with regard to all details not disclosed particularly in the description. The drawings show in: 
     FIG. 1 a schematic illustration of a device for transporting printed products according to the invention; 
     FIG. 2 a side view of a portion of the device illustrated in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 a plan view onto the device illustrated in FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 a detail side view of an alternative drive member; and 
     FIG. 5 a cross-section of receiving means of the device viewed in the travel direction. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1 shows the device  1  according to the invention for transporting printed products  5  removed individually by means of a so-called individualizing feeder  2  from a stack  3  to an insertion machine  4 . The insertion machine  4  comprises pockets  7  circulating on chains  6  into which, as illustrated, the printed products  5  are inserted transversely to the conveying direction. In the illustrated embodiment the main products (printed products  5 ) transferred by the feeder  2  are supplied on an ascending section of a deflection wheel to the pockets  7  of the insertion machine  4  with the fold leading and opened on the adjoining descending section of the deflection wheel so that they can be supplied with the next printed product on the further conveying path for insertion. Prior to this, the printed products  5  are transferred by a delivery  9  of the feeder  2  or any other supply device onto receiving means  8  of the device  1  connected to the driven traction member  13  and received by the device  1 . For this purpose, the printed products  5  are gripped, with the fold leading, approximately perpendicularly to the conveying direction of the device  1  having approximately the same speed as the insertion machine  4 , on a conveying section communicating with the delivery  9  of the feeder  2 . The receiving means  8  have two paired rollers  11 ,  12  cooperating with one another for conveying and forming about their circumference a conveying gap  10 . One end of the rollers  11 ,  12  is supported to be rotatably driven in opposite directions on axles  15  arranged perpendicularly to the conveying direction F, wherein the axles  15  are connected to a support frame  14  connected to the traction member  13 . Of the roller pairs  11 ,  12 , the drive roller  12  which is the leading one in the conveying direction can be brought into driving connection with a drive member  27  at a supplying or receiving station  16  or dispensing station  17  of the printed products  5 . The conveying section cooperating with the delivery  9  of the feeder  2  is formed as a supplying or receiving station  16  while a conveying section in the vicinity of the insertion machine  4  is configured as a dispensing station  17 . 
     For the purpose of removing printed products  5  before transfer onto the insertion machine  4 , a removal station  18  can be provided on the conveying path. The drive members  27  acting on the roller  12 , as illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3 and  5 , can be formed by stationary or adjustable control curves  19 . 
     Also, driven control means, for example, a driven belt  20  acting onto the drive roller  12  and driven in rotation, as illustrated in FIG. 4, can be used as alternative drive members  27 . 
     Adjustably configured control curves  19  or driven control means  20  can be switched off with regard to their action. As a result of the processing method and arrangement of the processing devices according to FIG. 1, the control curves  19  or control means  20  of the supply and dispensing stations  16 ,  17  or the removal station  18  along the traction member  13  of the device  1  are arranged alternatingly on opposite sides. 
     For providing the desired opposite rotation of the rollers  11 ,  12  of a receiving means  8  thus forming a conveying gap  10 , which gap extends at the delivery  9  of the feeder  2  approximately parallel to the fold of the supplied printed products  5 , preferably approximately horizontally, the rollers  11 ,  12  of a roller pair are connected drivingly by means of a gear wheel  21 ,  22 , respectively (see FIG.  3 ). 
     The printed products  5  can be received by the receiving means  8  and dispensed in one direction or, by reversing the direction of rotation, can be dispensed in a direction opposite to that of the receiving action. 
     The drive of the rollers  11 ,  12  is realized by means of a drive bead  23  which projects annularly from the circumference of the roller  12  and, in order to provide an optimal use of the conveying gap  10 , is connected thereto in the area of the one-sided support of the roller  12 . By means of the adjustability of the drive members, they can be switched on and off. 
     For processing larger printed products  5  which require a longer pick-up stretch, the control curves  19  or the control means  20  have a length approximately as long as two divisions (spacing) of two receiving means  8  fastened on the traction member  13 . 
     In one embodiment of the device  1  according to FIG. 3, a removal station  18  is formed by two adjacently positioned and staggered control curves  19 ,  19 ′ or control means  20 ,  20 ′ which are separately actuatable so that it is possible to remove a printed product from the device  1  at the removal station  18  without this affecting a printed product  5  also within the active range of the control curves  19 ,  19 ′ or the control means  20 ,  20 ′. 
     In FIG. 5, the constructive configuration of the device  1  is illustrated in a simplified way. The receiving means  8  are attached in a floating arrangement in a guide device  24  of a link chain  25  used as the traction member  13 . On the yoke-shaped support frame  14  two projecting pins  26  are fastened on which a roller  11 ,  12  is supported, respectively. 
     While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the inventive principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.