Patent Abstract:
An apparatus for multiply bundling stacks of cut reams which is comprised of multiple band stock wrapping devices, placed side by side, a move away device for individualizing the rows of cut stacks towards the band stock wrapping devices, and an upstream feeder pusher device. All devices are located on an alignment table for receiving a ream of cuts to be individualized and wrapped with band stock, with each ream of cuts consisting of multiple rows and stacks of cuts, where the depths and number of rows in each ream of cuts is variable.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to apparatus for the multiple bundling or wrapping of stacks of cuts, said apparatus comprising a plurality of side-by-side band stock wrapping units, an upstream feed pusher unit, an alignment table for receiving a ream of cuts to be individualized and banded, said ream arranged in a plurality of rows of stacks of cuts, and a move-away unit for moving the rows of stacks of cuts from the fed-in ream and for individualizing same. 
     Multiple bundlers of this kind, which are known e.g. by DE 26 27 610 A1, are used to cut up large-size printed sheets into individual stacks of cuts—post cards, labels, pocket calenders and similar items—by means of a guillotine-type cutter and to wrap band stock around each individual stack for the further processing thereof. 
     Multiple bundlers of this kind may be fed by means of feed pusher units of the type known e.g. by DE 298 04 929 U1. In a feed pusher unit of this kind the individual rows of stacks of cuts constituting the ream to be individualized are pushed stackwise from the ream at 90° to the working direction and are then shifted another 90° for movement to a multiple bundling station. 
     Swiss Patent 652,675 discloses a multiple bundler using a transverse blade to divide the reams of stacks of cuts. Following such division, the equally sized rows of stacks of cuts so formed are multiply wrapped and then separated to form individual stacks of cuts. 
     Finally, DE 195 02 535 A1 teaches a so-called bar-type bundler which separates a plurality of packs of cuts and bundles them to form a bar. To this end, the device picks up cuts placed in a planar side-by-side relationship and assembles them to form a bar for bundling. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is the object of the present invention to simplify the operation of a multiple bundler and to obtain enhanced versatility in the processing of the reams of cuts. 
     This object is achieved by providing for a variable depth of the rows of stacks constituting a ream of cuts. Also, provisions can be included for moving the rows of stacks of cuts away sequentially and for individually wrapping the stacks of cuts constituting said moved-away rows. 
     The ream of cuts consists of rows of stacks of cuts in their cut-to-size condition, each stack having the same stacking depth and the same or a variable width; a machine for processing such reams includes provisions to arrange the feed pusher unit, the move-away unit and the bundling station in an straight-line relationship in a working direction. 
     In prior multiple bundlers it was necessary to place the cut-to-size stacks of cuts on a feed table and to advance them by means of a pusher member having the same width. For individualizing them, a transverse pusher would move each stack 90° out of the path of movement to a bundling position from where another pusher would advance it on its desired path, this second pusher acting at another 90° angle so as to forward the rows of stacks of cuts to the bundling station proper. 
     In the present invention, the ream, which are made up of cut-to-size stacks of cuts in a broad variety of row depths and stack widths, can be loaded and processed in a straight-line working direction. Angled paths of movement are avoided, and the feed or alignment table of the multiple bundling machine can be loaded directly from the upstream guillotine cutter. 
     The move-away unit is capable of detecting and moving a broad variety of row depths and stack widths in a ream of cuts. The number of stacks within each row of stacks can be variable, as can be the number of rows of stacks of cuts within a ream of cuts. 
     The inventive multiple bundling machine (in-line bundler) does not require personnel of its own as the bundling operation is readily controlled by the personnel operating the preceding machine, which regularly is a guillotine cutter. 
     Further advantageous measures are described in the dependent claims. The invention is shown in the attached drawing and will be described in greater detail herein below. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a multiple bundler incorporating an upstream straight-line feed pusher/move-away unit; 
     FIG. 2 is a side view of a multiple bundler of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a plan view of a multiple bundler of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a front view in the direction of product movement of the multiple bundler of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is an isometric view of a feed pusher/move-away unit of FIG. 1, showing a primary pusher in the load position, the move-away unit in its basic position and the secondary pusher in the wait position; 
     FIG. 6 shows the feed pusher/move-away unit of FIG. 5 with the primary feed pusher raised, moved back and lowered behind the last row of stacks of cuts and the ream of cuts to be divided advanced to the position of scanner-controlled transfer to the move-away unit; 
     FIG. 7 shows the feed pusher/move-away unit of FIGS. 5 and 6, with a primary row of stacks of cuts moved to its end position by the move-away unit; 
     FIG. 8 shows the feed pusher/move-away unit of FIGS. 5 to  7  with the secondary pusher returned and pivoted up behind the separated row of stacks of cuts; 
     FIG. 9 shows a feed pusher/move-away unit of FIG. 8 with the secondary pusher lowered behind the separated row of stacks of cuts; 
     FIG. 10 shows a feed pusher/move-away unit of FIGS. 5 to  9  with a secondary pusher having pushed the row of stacks of cuts into the bundling position of the multiple bundler for wrapping with band stock; 
     FIG. 11 shows a feed pusher/move-away unit of FIGS. 5 to  10  with the secondary pusher associated with the move-away unit in its forward waiting position and with the next row of stacks of cuts moved on the move-away unit and individualized by the primary pusher; 
     FIG. 12 shows an isometric detail of a slotted platen of a move-away unit with the individualizing means sunk into the platen; 
     FIG. 13 shows an isometric view of a slotted platen as in FIG. 12 with individualizing means raised from the longitudinal slots of the slotted platen above the working plane thereof at the transition from the feed pusher unit to move-away unit; 
     FIG. 13 a  shows a detailed isometric view of a lateral guide rail as in FIG. 13 with a ramp and a raised supporting surface; 
     FIG. 14 shows an isometric view of a slotted plated as in FIGS. 12 and 13 with the individualizing means guided in the longitudinal slots and advanced to the end position; 
     FIG. 15 shows an isometric view of an alignment table of a feed pusher unit for a multiple bundler as in FIG. 1 with the lift plate lowered; 
     FIG. 16 shows an isometric view of a feeder table as in FIG. 15 with the lift plate raised; and 
     FIG. 17 shows a plan view of a ream of stacks of cuts to be separated and wrapped with band stock, with the stacks in each row and the rows of stacks in the ream each being variable in number. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The assembly shown in FIGS. 1 to  4  constitutes a so-called multiple bundler  10  substantially comprising a feed pusher unit  12 , a move-away unit  18  and a bundling station  28 . Feed pusher unit  12 , move-away unit  18  and bundling station  28  are arranged one behind the other in a straight-line relationship along a working direction  32  (arrow) and are incorporated in the multiple bundler. 
     Feed pusher unit  12  consists of a feed or alignment table  11  having a continuous smooth platen  11   a  along which a feed pusher  12   a  of unit  12  is reciprocable. 
     A drive and lift unit  17  is provided to reciprocate feed pusher  12   a  up and down, as well as back and forth, relative to platen  11   a.  To this end, feed pusher  12   a  is guided along a feed pusher guide rail  16  mounted above platen  11   a.  Further, alignment table  11  has a substantially vertically upright alignment plate  15  cooperating with platen  11   a  and feed pusher  12   a  to form a cubical or rectangular corner  15   a.    
     A control panel  21  is provided for jointly operating multiple bundler  10 , feed pusher unit  12 , move-away unit  18  and bundling station  28 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 5 to  11 , feed pusher unit  12  is joined in the working direction  32  by a move-away unit  18 . Feed pusher unit  12  and move-away unit  18  have a common working plane  33 . Move-away unit  18  essentially consists of a platen  18   a  having longitudinal slots  20  there through. 
     Individualizing means  19  are disposed inside longitudinal slots  20  for reciprocation along the working direction  32 . In the embodiment example illustrated—see FIG.  13 —said individualizing means  19  comprise blades sloped along their top surface. 
     These individualizing means  19  in the form of blades have a coefficient of friction higher than that of the remainder of slotted platen  18   a.  This way, the rows of stacks  14  to  14   n  placed on slotted platen  18   a  for individualizing can be drawn along working direction  32  into their end position  27  shown in FIG.  7 . 
     To this end, individualizing means  19  are adapted to be moved back and forth in slots  20  in the working direction  32  along the entire slotted platen  18   a  so as to move rows of stacks  14  to  14   n  to be individualized into their end position  27 . 
     As further shown in FIG. 5, a ream  13  loaded on alignment table  11  may comprise a plurality of rows of stacks  14   a,    14   b,    14   c  to  14   n.    
     As shown in FIG. 2, slotted platen  18   a  has associated therewith a secondary pusher  22  adapted to be rotated by pusher pivoting mechanism  24  by about 90° above the top level of rows of stacks  14  to  14   n,  said secondary pusher also adapted to be reciprocated along working direction  32  by means of a pushing unit  24   a,  which FIG. 6 shows in greater detail. 
     On its bottom side facing slotted platen  18   a,  said secondary pusher  22  has tabs  23  thereon which engage longitudinal slots  20 . These pushing tabs  23  engaging longitudinal slots  20  reach underneath the advanced rows of stacks  14  and keep the lowermost sheets thereof from sticking to platen  18   a.    
     Secondary pusher  22  has guide rollers  25  on either side thereof. These guide rollers  25  run on guide rails  34   a  arranged along both sides of slotted platen  18   a,  as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. 
     Guide rails  34   a  enable said secondary pusher  22  to be moved across slotted platen  18   a.  In the process, it will be advanced up to the area of bundling station  28 . As shown in FIG. 13 a,  lateral guide rails  34   a  have a ramp  34   b  which merges with a raised supporting surface  34  in the area of bundling station  28 . 
     Ramp  34   b  of supporting surfaces  34  causes said secondary pusher  22  to be raised slightly—i.e. by about two to three millimeters—above working plane  33  of move-away unit  18  so as to prevent potential damage to the—usually padded—feed-in area  28   a  of bundling station  28 . 
     One or more scanning devices  26  are provided between feed pusher unit  12  and move-away unit  18  to detect the position of the leading row of stacks  14  to be advanced once it has been positioned over the individualizing elements  14 . Such scanning means may be in the form of sensors, light transmitter/detector combinations (light barriers) or the like. The position of scanning means  26  may be varied in dependence on the size and length of the rows of stacks  14  to  14   n  to be individualized so as to enable both very small cuts and very big cuts to be pushed safely into the bundling position. 
     As shown in FIG. 8, the secondary pusher  22  is adapted to be moved by means of unit  24   a  in a direction opposite to working direction  32  behind row of stacks  14  placed down in its end position  27  by individualizing means  19 . Having reached its position behind row of stacks  14 , pusher  22  is rotated by pusher pivoting mechanism  24  to its push position shown in FIG.  9 . 
     As shown in FIG. 10, row of stacks  14  to be wrapped with band stock is pushed by secondary pusher  22  into bundling station  28  for further processing. Immediately thereafter, or simultaneously therewith, the next row of stacks  14   a  to be processed is advanced by primary feed pusher  12   a  onto move-away unit  18  and then moved into end position  27  by individualizing means  19 . 
     As shown in detail in FIG. 12, slotted platen  18   a  of move-away unit  18  has a plurality of longitudinally extending parallel slots  20  there through. In the transition area from feed pusher unit  12  to move-away unit  18 , as shown in FIG. 13, individualizing means  19  are adapted to be raised from slots  20  above the level of working plane  33  of slotted platen  18   a.    
     The scanning means  26  provided in the transition area from feed pusher unit  12  to move-away unit  18  are adapted to be adjusted to the length of the row of stacks to be individualized so as to raise individualizing means  19  under the leading stack  13   a  of a row of stacks  14  to be individualized. 
     As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, a transversely extending slot  30  can be provided in platen  11   a  of aligning table  11  of feed pusher unit  12 . This slot  30  receives a panel  29  adapted to be raised therefrom to form a stop  31  for a next-following ream of cuts  13  (not shown) to be processed; see FIG.  16 . This stop  31  can be used to receive and align the next ream of cuts  13  for processing further down along the production line. 
     Another ream of cuts  13  to be processed can be aligned and positioned against stop  31  without delay by the feed pusher unit  12  during the return movement thereof so that the production run can start right after the unit has reached its return position. All these measures enable the feed, move-away and wrap operations to be performed in a quasi-continuous manner on complete rows of stacks  14  to  14   n  in one straight-line working direction  32 . 
     Each ream of cuts  13  can comprise different numbers of stacks of cuts  13   a  in each row of stacks  14   a  to  14   n.  This way, a ream of cuts  13  can be assembled from rows of stacks  14   a  to  14   n  with stacks of cuts  13   a  having different widths. 
     The number of rows of stacks  14   a  to  14   n  within a ream  13  can vary if the row depths  13   b  of the individual rows of stacks  14   a  to  14   n  are different, so that any one row of stacks  14   a  to  14   n  can be made up of stacks of cuts  13   a  of different stack widths as long as the row depth  13   b  is uniform. For further processing, one side of ream  13  engages alignment plate  15  (see FIG. 6) while its opposite side, which faces control panel  21 , can extend to varying distances between rows of stacks. 
     Whereas the present invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments thereof, it will be understood that various changes and modifications will be suggested to one of ordinary skill in the art, and it is intended that the invention encompass such changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the apended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1