Patent Publication Number: US-6663551-B2

Title: Buckle chute folding machine with a deflector control mechanism

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to a folding machine for folding one or more sheets of document into a folded piece and, more particularly, to a buckle chute. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Folding machines are well known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,701,233 (Beck et al.) discloses a method of folding a sheet by bulging a portion of the sheet and then folding the bulged portion through a roller nip. U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,965 (Marzullo) discloses a folding apparatus wherein a buckle chute is used for stopping a sheet, causing the sheet to enter a roller nip for folding. U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,131 (Gough) also discloses a folding apparatus having a buckle chute. In all folding machines having one or more buckle chutes, the sheet is allowed to enter into a channel of the buckle chute until the leading edge of the sheet is stopped by a stop. The leading edge stays in contact with the stop while the bulged portion is moved toward the roller nip for making a folded edge. If a number of folded edges are to be made on one sheet in a folding machine, it is required that the folding machine to have a number of buckle chutes, each corresponding to a folded edge. However, the number of folded edges can be the same as or smaller than the number of buckle chutes. For example, with a folding machine having three buckle chutes, it is possible to make a folded piece with one, two or three folded edges. When the number of folded edges is smaller than the number of buckle chutes on the folding machine, one or more of the buckle chutes on the folding machine must be blocked so that the sheet is prevented from entering the channel of those blocked buckle chutes. In the past, the buckle chutes to be blocked are removed from the folding machine so that a deflector can be installed in front of the channel of the buckle chute. The blocked buckle chutes are then put back on the folding machine. The installed deflector prevents the sheet from entering the channel of the corresponding buckle chute and directs the deflected sheet to the next buckle chute, if there is any. 
     Removing buckle chutes from a folding machine and re-installing them not only cause some downtime of the folding machine, but may also affect the alignment of the buckle chutes with other components of the folding machine as well. 
     Thus, it is advantageous and desirable to provide a buckle chute wherein a deflector can be put in place on a buckle chute when required without the need of taking the buckle chute from the folding machine. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to the present invention, a buckle chute has a front side, a back side, a left side and a right side for use in a folding apparatus having a first driving mechanism and a second driving mechanism for folding at least one sheet of paper having first and second lateral edges defining a width into a folded piece of the same width, and the first and the second lateral edges are adjacent the left and right sides of the buckle chute. The buckle chute is disposed between the first driving mechanism and the second driving mechanism. The buckle chute comprise: 
     an upper guide and a lower guide for forming a channel having an entry point on the front side of the buckle chute adjacent the first driving mechanism; 
     a deflector mechanism, disposed near the entry point of the channel and operable 
     in a first position for allowing a leading edge of said at least one sheet or the folded piece to enter to the channel while said at least one sheet or the folded piece is driven by the first driving mechanism toward the entry point of the buckle chute, or 
     in a second position for preventing the leading edge of said at least one sheet or the folded piece from entering the channel and further directing the leading edge toward the second driving mechanism; and 
     a stop, disposed in the channel between the front side and the back side, for stopping the leading edge of said at least one sheet or the folded piece entering the channel, when the deflector mechanism is operated in the first position, from advancing further into the channel toward the back side so as to cause said at least one sheet or the folded piece to buckle at a locality thereof outside the entry point of the channel toward the second driving mechanism for forming a folded edge at the buckled locality by the second driving mechanism as the first driving mechanism continues driving said at least one sheet or the folded piece toward the buckle chute, wherein the deflector mechanism comprises: 
     an elongated member having a left end and a right end adjacent to the respective sides of the buckle chute, the left end and the right end each having a mounting section with a mounting point defining a rotational axis of the elongated member, and 
     an extended section extended between the left end and the right end from the mounting section of each end and along the longitudinal axis, and 
     a mounting system, disposed near the entry point of the channel for pivotably mounting the elongated member at the mounting point at each end of the elongated member, allowing the elongated member to rotate about the rotational axis relative to the mounting system such that 
     when the deflector mechanism is operated in the second position, the extended section of the elongated member is caused to move toward the entry point of the channel, thereby blocking the entry point, and 
     when the deflector mechanism is operated in the first position, the extended section of the elongated member is caused to move away from the entry point of the channel, thereby unblocking the entry point. 
     According to the present invention, the mounting system comprises: 
     a left crank and a right crank, each disposed near the respective side of the buckle chute, each crank having a first portion with a first pivot point and a second portion with a second pivot point spaced from the first pivot point; and 
     a left mounting member and a right mounting member, each fixedly disposed near the respective side of the buckle chute adjacent to the entry point, for pivotably mounting the respective crank at the second pivot point thereof, allowing the first portion to move toward the front side or the back side of the buckle chute relative to the respective mounting member, and each end of the elongated member is pivotably mounted to the respective crank at the first pivot point such that the elongated member can be caused to rotate about the rotational axis relative to the cranks, wherein the elongated member is further fixedly mounted to the left and right cranks at the respective ends, each at a further mounting point at the first portion of the respective crank, spaced from the first pivot point and further away from the second pivot point such that 
     when the deflector mechanism is operated in the second position, the cranks are caused to move toward the front side of the buckle chute, forcing the extended section of the elongated member to move toward the entry point of the channel, and 
     when the deflector mechanism is operated in the first position, the cranks are caused to move toward the back side of the buckle chute, forcing the extended section of the elongated member to move away from the entry point of the channel. 
     According to the present invention, the left and right cranks are linked to an actuating mechanism capable of causing the left and right cranks to move toward the back side of the buckle chute when the deflector mechanism is operated in the first position and to move toward the front side of the buckle chute when the deflector mechanism is operated in the second position. 
     According to the present invention, the actuating mechanism comprises: 
     a left arm, disposed near the left end of the buckle chute, for pivotably mounting the left crank at the second portion thereof, 
     a right arm, disposed near the right end of the buckle chute, for pivotably mounting the right crank at the second portion thereof; and 
     a linking mechanism mechanically engaged with the arms for simultaneously moving the arms for causing the cranks to move toward the front side or the back side of the buckle chute. 
     According to the present invention, the linking mechanism comprises: 
     a left linking member; 
     a right linking member; 
     a left bell crank movably linking the left linking member and the left arm; 
     a right bell crank movably linking the right linking member and the right arm; and 
     a lever, separately mounting the left and right linking members for simultaneously rotating the left bell crank in a first direction and the right bell crank in a second direction opposite of the first direction so as to simultaneously move the left and right arms. 
     The present invention will become apparent upon reading the description taken in conjunction with FIGS. 1 to  12 . 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic representation illustrating a folding apparatus having two buckle chutes. 
     FIG. 2 a  is a diagrammatic representation illustrating the deflector on the buckle chute being opened to allow a sheet of document to enter into the channel of the buckle chute. 
     FIG. 2 b  is a diagrammatic representation illustrating the deflector being closed to deflect the sheet away from the buckle chute. 
     FIG. 3 a  is a diagrammatic representation illustrating a buckled portion being formed on a sheet of document. 
     FIG. 3 b  is a diagrammatic representation illustrating the buckled portion being folded into a folded edge. 
     FIG. 3 c  is a diagrammatic representation illustrating a second buckled portion being formed on the folded sheet. 
     FIG. 4 a  is a diagrammatic representation illustrating the leading edge of a sheet being deflected away from the first buckle chute. 
     FIG. 4 b  is a diagrammatic representation illustrating the leading edge of the sheet entering the second buckle chute. 
     FIG. 4 c  is a diagrammatic representation illustrating a buckled portion of the sheet being formed. 
     FIG. 5 a  is a diagrammatic representation illustrating a folded piece resulted from the folding arrangement, as shown in FIGS. 3 a - 3   c.    
     FIG. 5 b  is a diagrammatic representation illustrating a folded piece resulted from the folding arrangement, as shown in FIGS. 4 a - 4   c.    
     FIG. 6 a  is a top view of the buckle chute showing the deflector mechanism operated in an open position. 
     FIG. 6 b  is a top view of the buckle chute showing the deflector mechanism operated in a closed position. 
     FIG. 7 a  is a top view showing a lever plate linking to the deflector mechanism being operated in a first position. 
     FIG. 7 b  is a top view showing the lever plate being operated in a second position. 
     FIG. 8 a  is a top view showing a bell crank linking to the deflector mechanism being operated in the first position. 
     FIG. 8 b  is a top view showing the bell crank being operated in the second position. 
     FIG. 9 a  is a side view showing the position of the actuator arm and the crank relative to the mounting member when the deflector mechanism is operated in the open position. 
     FIG. 9 b  is a side view showing the position of the actuator arm and the crank relative to the mounting member when the deflector mechanism is operated in the closed position. 
     FIG. 10 is a side view showing the mounting section of the deflector mechanism. 
     FIG. 11 is an isometric view showing a crank for mounting the mounting section of the deflector mechanism. 
     FIG. 12 is a side view showing the buckle chute, according to the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a folding apparatus  1 . As shown, the folding apparatus  1  has two buckle chutes  100 ,  100 ′ positioned among three roller nips  31 ,  33  and  35 . The roller nip  31  is formed by rollers  20  and  22 , the roller nip  33  is formed by rollers  22  and  24 , and the roller nip  35  is formed by rollers  24  and  26 . The buckle chute  100  is positioned adjacent to the roller nips  31  and  33 , and the buckle chute  100 ′ is positioned adjacent to the roller nips  33  and  35 . The number of buckle chutes determines how many folded edges a folding apparatus is capable of making on a sheet of document. However, the number of folded edges made on a sheet by the folding apparatus can be less than the number of buckle chutes in the folding apparatus. As shown in FIG. 1, the first buckle chute  100  and the second buckle chute  100 ′ are similar, except that they are oriented differently. The buckle chute  100  has an upper guide  120  and a lower guide  130  forming therebetween a channel  122 . A sheet  10  (FIGS. 2 a  and  2   b ) entering the folding apparatus  1  along an input path  50  is driven by the roller nip  31  toward the entry point  116  of the buckle chute  100 . The sheet  10  is guided by the upper guide  120  and the lower guide  130  to enter the channel  122  along a direction  52 . A stop  140  is provided in the channel  122  to prevent the sheet  10  from advancing further into the buckle chute  100 . The folded piece  18  (FIG. 5 a - 5   b ) exits along an exit path  60 . Stop  140  is preferably adjustable in the manner described in co-pending patent application Ser. No. ______, (Attorney Docket F-383) entitled ADJUSTABLE BUCKLE CHUTE FOLDING MACHINE, by David Auerbach and William Wright, filed concurrently with this application, and which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     The buckle chute  100  has a deflector  150 , located near the entry point  116  and mounted to a mounting system  170  for rotation. The deflector  150 , controlled by an actuator arm  220 , is operable either in an open position or in a closed position. As shown in FIG. 2 a,  the deflector  150  is operated in the open position to allow the leading edge  40  of the sheet  10  to enter into the channel  122  of the buckle chute  100 . Preferably deflector  150  acts to guide the paper into the buckle chute  100  with the surface of deflector  150  opposite of the surface used to deflect sheet  10  from entering buckle chute  100 . As shown in FIG. 2 b,  the deflector  150  is operated in the closed position, preventing the sheet  10  from entering the buckle chute  100 . As such, the leading edge  40  of the sheet  10  is deflected toward the roller nip  33 . The sheet  10  is further driven by the roller nip  33  toward the buckle chute  100 ′ (FIG.  1 ). 
     FIGS. 3 a - 3   c  show how the sheet  10  is folded into a folded piece  18  (FIG. 5 a ). As shown in FIG. 3 a,  the deflector  150  of the buckle chute  100  is operated in the open position, allowing the leading edge  40  of the sheet  10  to reach the stop  140 . As the rollers  20  and  22  keep driving the sheet  10  toward the buckle chute  100 , they cause a portion of the sheet to buckle. The buckled portion is further moved toward the nip  33  and drawn into the nip  33 . A folded edge  42  is thus formed by the nip  33 , as shown in FIG. 3 b.  FIG. 3 c  illustrates the folded edge  42  entering into the buckle chute  100 ′ and being stopped by the stop  140 ′ of the buckle chute  100 ′ for making a second folded edge  44  by the nip  35 . After the sheet  10  exits the nip  35  along the exit path  60 , it becomes a folded piece  18 , as shown in FIG. 5 a.  Reference numeral  48  denotes the trailing edge of the sheet  10 . The distance between the leading edge  40  and the folded edge  42  is determined by the distance between the stop  140  in the buckle chute  100  and the entry point  116 , but it is also determined by the distance from the entry point  116  to the nip  33 . 
     If the deflector  150  of the buckle chute  100  is operated in the closed position, a sheet  10 ′ driven into the folding apparatus  1  by the nip  31  is deflected by the deflector  150 , as shown in FIG. 4 a.  The leading edge  40 ′ of the sheet  10 ′ is drawn into the nip  33  and moved into the buckle chute  100 ′, as shown in FIG. 4 b . While the leading edge  40 ′ of the sheet  10 ′ is stopped by the stop  140 ′ of the buckle chute  100 ′, the rollers  20 ,  22  and  24  keep advancing the sheet  10 ′ into the folding apparatus  1 . As a result, the sheet  10 ′ is buckled and the buckled portion is moved toward the nip  35  for making a folded edge  46 ′. After the sheet  10 ′ exits the nip  35  along the exit path  60 , it becomes a folded piece  18 ′, as shown in FIG. 5 b.    
     FIGS. 6 a  and  6   b  are top views of the buckle chute  100  showing an actuating mechanism being used to control the deflector  150 . The buckle chute  100  has a front side  102 , a back side  104 , a left side  106  and a right side  108 . The actuating mechanism comprises a right actuating arm  220  adjacent to the right side  108  and a left actuating arm  220 ′ adjacent to the left side  106 , and a linking mechanism  230 . Each actuating arm  220 ,  220 ′ has a front arm section  222 ,  222 ′ linked to the deflector  150  and a rear arm section  224 ,  224 ′ linked to the linking mechanism  230 . The deflector  150  is an elongated member having a right end  160  and a left end  160 ′ adjacent to the respective sides  106 ,  108  of the buckle chute  100 . Each end  160 ,  160 ′ has a mounting section  152 ,  152 ′ with a first mounting point  154 ,  154 ′ (see FIG.  10 ). The first mounting point  154  in the right end  160  and the first mounting point  154 ′ in the left end  160 ′ define a rotational axis  162  of the deflector  150 . The elongated member of the deflector  150  further has an extended portion  156  extended from the rotational axis  162  between the right end  160  and the left end  160 ′ (see FIG.  10 ). The actuating arms  220 ,  220 ′ and the deflector  150  are mechanically connected to the mounting systems  170 ,  170 ′ to control the deflector  150  (see FIGS. 9 a  and  9   b ). 
     The linking mechanism  230  comprises a left bell crank  240 ′ for pivotally linking to the rear arm section  224 ′ of the left actuating arm  220 ′ and a right bell crank  240  for pivotally linking to the rear arm section  224  of the right actuating arm  220 . The bell cranks  240 ,  240 ′ are linked to a lever plate  300  via linking members  290  and  290 ′. The bell cranks  240 ,  240 ′ are pivotally mounted to a mounting plate  280 ,  280 ′, which is fixedly mounted to the buckle chute  100 . The lever plate  300  is pivotally mounted at a pivot point  362 . The lever plate  300  has a lever  310  to actuate the deflector  150 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 6 a  and  6   b,  each of the linking members  290 ,  290 ′ has a first linking end  292 ,  292 ′ for pivotally connecting to the respective bell crank  240 ,  240 ′, and a second linking end  294 ,  294 ′ for pivotally connecting to the lever plate  300 . When the lever  310  is moved to the right position, as shown in FIG. 6 a,  the actuator arms  220 ,  220 ′ are caused to move toward the back end  104  of the buckle chute  100 , forcing the deflector  150  to rotate in a clockwise direction about the rotational axis  162  and moving the extended portion  156  upward, relative to the first mounting points  154 ′,  154  (see FIG. 9 a ). As such, the deflector  150  is set to the open position to allow a sheet  10 ,  10 ′ to enter the channel  122  of the buckle chute  100 . When the lever  310  is moved to the left position, as shown in FIG. 6 b,  the actuator arms  220 ,  220 ′ are caused to move toward the front end  102  of the buckle chute  100 , forcing the deflector  150  to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction about the rotational axis  162  and moving the extended portion  156  downward, relative to the first mounting points  154 ,  154 ′ (see FIG. 9 b ). As such, the deflector  150  is set to the closed position to deflect a sheet  10 ,  10 ′ away from the buckle chute  100 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 7 a  and  7   b,  the lever plate  300  is pivotally mounted at the pivot  362  to a mounting plate  350 , which is fixedly mounted to buckle chute  100 . The second end  294  of the right linking member  290  is pivotally mounted to the right side of the lever plate  300  at a pivot point  364  between the pivot  362  and the lever  310 . The second end  294 ′ of the left linking member  290 ′ is pivotally mounted to the left side of the lever plate  300  at a pivot point  364 ′ adjacent to the pivot  362  further away from the lever  310 . Thus, when the lever  310  is moved to the right position, as shown in FIG. 7 a,  the right linking arm  290  is caused to move toward the right side  108  and the left linking arm  290 ′ is caused to move toward the left side  106  of the buckle chute  100 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 8 a  and  8   b,  the right bell crank  240  is pivotally mounted at a pivot  250  to the fixed mounting plate  280  for rotation. In particular, the right bell crank  240  has a front section  244  pivotally linked to the first linking end  292  of the linking member  290 , and a rear section  242  pivotally linked to the rear arm section  224  of the right actuating arm  220 . When the right linking member  290  is caused to move toward the right side  108  of the buckle chute  100 , as indicated by arrow  402  in FIG. 8 a,  the right linking member  292  causes the right bell crank  240  to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction, forcing the actuating arm  220  to move toward the back side  104  of the buckle chute  100 , as indicated by arrow  404 . When the right linking member  290  is caused to move toward the left side  106  of the buckle chute  100 , as indicated by arrow  406  in FIG. 8 b,  the right linking member  290  causes the right bell crank  240  to rotate in a clockwise direction, forcing the actuating arm  220  to move away from the back side  104  of the buckle chute  100 , as indicated by arrow  408 . Similarly, the left linking member  290 ′ causes the left actuating arms to move toward or away from the back side  104  when the left linking member  290 ′ is caused to move toward or away from the left side  106  of the buckle chute  100 . 
     FIGS. 9 a  and  9   b  show the mounting system  170  for mounting the deflector  150  and the actuating arm  220 . The mounting system  170  comprises a crank  180  and a mounting member  190 . The crank  180  has an upper portion  182  having a first pivot point  186 , and a lower portion  184  having a second pivot point  188  (see FIG.  11 ). The mounting member  190 , which is fixedly mounted to the buckle chute  100  under the lower guide  130  (FIGS. 1-2 b ), has a front end  192  for pivotally mounting the crank  180  at the second pivot point  188  so as to allow the upper portion  182  of the crank  180  to move back and forth, relatively to the second pivot point  188 . The upper portion  182  of the crank  180  is used to pivotally mount, at the first pivot point  186 , the front arm portion  222  of the actuating arm  220  together with the mounting section  152  of the deflector  150  at the first mounting point  154  so as to allow the deflector  150  to rotate about the rotational axis  162  (see FIG. 6 a ). The mounting section  152  of the deflector  150  is also fixedly mounted at a second mounting point  158  (FIG. 10) to the upper portion  182  of the crank  180  at a point  189  adjacent to the first pivot point  186 , further away from the second pivot point  188 . Because of the relationship between the fixed mounting point  158  and the pivotally mounting point  154 , the deflector  150  is caused to rotate when the crank  180  is caused to move back and forth by the actuating arm  220 . As shown in FIG. 9 a,  the crank  180  is caused to move away from the front end  102  of the buckle chute  100 , causing the extended portion  156  of the deflector  150  to rotate in a clockwise direction about the rotational axis  162  to unblock the entry point  116  of the channel  122  of the buckle chute  100  (FIGS. 1 and 2 a ). As shown in FIG. 9 b,  the crank  180  is caused to move toward the front end  102  of the buckle chute  100 , causing the extended portion  156  of the deflector  150  to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction about the rotational axis  162  to block off the channel  122  of the buckle chute  100  (FIG. 2 b ). 
     As the lever plate  300  is mounted near the back side  104  of the buckle chute  100 , the lever  310  is located far away from the rollers  20 ,  22 ,  24  and  26 . It may not be necessary to remove the buckle chute  100  from the folding apparatus  1  in order to change the position of the lever  310 . Furthermore, a spring  340  is disposed between the mounting plate  350  and the lever plate  300  near the lever  310  to prevent the lever  310  from accidentally changing positions, as shown in FIG.  12 . 
     It should be noted that the bell crank  240 , as shown in FIGS. 6 a  and  8   b,  is caused to rotate in a clockwise direction when the linking member  290  is moved away from the right side  108  of the buckle chute  100 , thereby moving the actuator arm  220  toward the front side  102  of the buckle chute. It is possible to mount the linking member  290  and actuator arm  220  on a similar bell crank in a different way such that the actuator arm  220  is moved away from the front side  102  when the bell crank is caused to rotate in the clockwise direction by the rightward movement of the linking member  290 . Furthermore, the linking member  290  is caused to move away from the right side  108  when the lever  310  is moved to right position, as shown in FIGS. 6 a  and  7   a.  It is also possible to mount the linking member  290  to a different location on the lever plate  300  such that the linking member  290  is caused to move toward the right side  108  when the lever  310  is moved to the right position. 
     Although the invention has been described with respect to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and various other changes, omissions and deviations in the form and detail thereof may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.