Abstract:
Printed products are guided from an infeed to a delivery belt by a plurality of partially overlapping paddle blades. The paddle blades are secured to an endless carrier such as a chain or a toothed belt. The printed products are deposited on the delivery belt in a smooth, gentle manner as they slip out of the pockets defined by the adjacent overlapping paddles.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a device. A plurality of partially overlapping paddles are pivotably fastened on an endless holder for guiding printed products. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     A device for delivering printed products from a folding apparatus of a web-fed rotary printing press is known from CH 682 230 A5. This device consists of an endless chain conveyor, on each of whose links a paddle and a clamping element are each arranged. One printed product is respectively received between the paddle and the clamping element and is deposited at another processing station. 
     The object of the present invention is based on providing a device which delivers printed products in an imbricated or overlapping manner on a delivery belt. 
     In accordance with the present invention, this object is attained by using a printed product guiding device which utilizes a plurality of pivotable paddles attached to an endless holder. The paddles or blades are partially overlapping and define an arrangement of printed product receiving pockets. 
     The advantages which can be achieved by means of the present invention reside, in particular, in that, assuming the same production speed, each printed product which has fallen into a paddle pocket can have a dwell time which is several times longer than in a pocket of, for example, a known prior art paddle wheel. Even at high production speeds, the printed products can be steadied and aligned after having been received in the paddle pockets of the present invention. 
     Because of the pivoting movement of the paddles, the printed products slide more slowly, and therefore are placed in better alignment, on the delivery belt. This is advantageous in particular when using non-curved paddles, which can be produced in a simple manner. 
     With a further embodiment of the invention, the dwell time of the printed products in the paddle pockets can be extended by means of the arrangement of a delivery path. The printed products can be pushed out of the paddle pocket more gently by means of this arrangement and an improved delivery quality can therefore be achieved. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention is represented in the drawings by means of several preferred embodiments and will be described in greater detail in what follows. 
     Shown are in: 
     FIG. 1, the schematic representation of a lateral view of a delivery device in a first preferred embodiment with two chain wheels; 
     FIG. 2, a representation analogous to FIG. 1, but of a second preferred embodiment with more than two, for example three, chain wheels; 
     FIG. 3, an enlarged representation of the paddle chain in accordance with FIG. 1, which is guided around the upper chain wheel, but with a lever system which reduces the deflection of the paddle tips when the paddle chain is reversed; 
     FIG. 4, a lateral view of two paddles with the paddle chain symbolically represented; 
     FIG. 5, a lateral view of the paddle chain with tongues, but without paddles; and in 
     FIG. 6, a schematic representation of a lateral view of a delivery device in a third preferred embodiment with a paddle wheel, which has a plurality of paddles. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A delivery device  2  for printed products is arranged underneath an outlet wedge, for example, of a known belt guide system  1 , as seen in FIG  1 . The delivery device  2  has two spaced wheels, each respectively fastened on a shaft  4 ,  6 , with the wheels being used for guiding a carrier or traction means. The wheels are designed as chain wheels  7 ,  8 , for example, and the traction means is provided as an endless roller chain  11 , for example. The shafts  4 ,  6  of the chain wheels  7 ,  8  are seated or supported at their left and right ends on lateral frames—A lateral frame  3  is represented in FIGS. 1 and 2. The chain wheels  7 ,  8  are arranged one on top of the other, so that the roller chain  11  extends approximately vertically with respect to the direction of a product take-away conveying installation, for example a delivery belt  9  extending in the horizontal direction. The first chain wheel  7  is located in the vicinity of the end of the belt guide system  1  which feeds products to the delivery device  2 . The second chain wheel  8  is arranged in the vicinity of the delivery belt  9  which takes products away from the delivery device  2 . 
     The chain wheels  7 ,  8  together conduct the endless roller chain  11 , which has paddles  12  on its chain links  22  as seen more clearly in FIG  3 . The paddles  12  are fastened on the chain links  22  in such a way, that the paddles  12  partially overlap in the manner of fish scales paddle pockets  13 , for receiving printed products, are formed between each two paddles  12  arranged one behind the other. These product receiving paddle pockets  13  are open opposite the direction of movement of the roller or paddle chain  11  again as shown in FIGS  1  and  2 . 
     The first chain wheel  7  can be designed as a reversing wheel and the second chain wheel  8  as a drive wheel for the paddle chain  11 . The paddle chain  11  moves in a counterclockwise direction in such a way that a printed product released by the belt system  1  can fall into each paddle pocket  13 . 
     The distance between the upper and lower chain wheels  7 ,  8  can be greater than the distance between five paddles  12 , for example, or also be a multiple of a diameter of a chain wheel  7  or  8 . A plurality of paddles  12  can be arranged on the paddle chain  11 , for example  35  to  45  such paddles  12  can be carried on the chain  11 . 
     Because of the force of gravity, the printed products can align themselves on a vertical, straight alignment and steadying path A, located between the first and second chain wheel  7 ,  8  viewed in the running direction of the claim  11 . Further alignment of the products takes place on a subsequent curved steadying path B extending in the vertical direction. Alignment of the products in the pockets  13  takes place entirely on the paths A and B. 
     In accordance with another preferred embodiment, it is possible to arrange two smaller chain wheels, not specifically represented, in place of the second chain wheel  8  used in configuration shown in FIG.  1 . In place of the large radius r 8  of the claim wheel  8 , there would therefore be two smaller radii available for reversing the traction means. The traction means or chain  11  then would extend horizontally between the two smaller radii, for example. A delivery path would then be formed. It is also possible to provide known technical means for aligning the printed products. In this way a defined spacing between the printed products is achieved. 
     The delivery belt  9 , which is itself known per se, is designed in such a way that the upper belt  14  travels in the same direction as the direction of rotation of the second chain wheel  8 . 
     A guide device  16  can be provided along the steadying tracks A, B and is used for supporting the ends of the printed products projecting out of the paddle pockets  13 . For example, this guide device  16  can have a plurality of rods arranged next to each other and each extending in the vertical direction. 
     A known product removed device  15 , for use in slipping the printed products out of the pockets  13  is arranged underneath the second chain wheel  8  and extends about at an angle, of approximately 135° in respect to a horizontal line  10 . 
     In accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention there is provided a delivery device  21  above the delivery belt  9 . This second printed product delivery device  21  is generally similar to the first printed product delivery device  2  with the primary difference being that a further, or third chain wheel  18  arranged on a third shaft  17  is provided. Now two chain wheels  8 ,  18  are located above the delivery belt  9  as shown in FIG.  2 . The two chain wheels  8 ,  18  can be arranged at a relatively large distance, but can also be positioned closely one behind the other. A plurality of paddles  12 , for example 50 to 60, can be arranged on a paddle chain  19  in this second delivery device  21 . 
     Together, the chain wheels  7 ,  8 ,  18  guide the endless roller or paddle chain  19 , which is designed analogously to the paddle chain  11  of the first delivery device  2 . Because of the arrangement of the third chain wheel  18 , a delivery path D is created between the second chain wheel  8  and the third chain wheel  18 , along which a gradual, or a gentle removal of the printed products out of the paddle chain  19  is made possible. This is achieved in that the paddle chain  19  moves on a line  25  which is held parallel in respect to the upper belt  14  of the delivery belt  9  in the area of the printed products delivery path D. A product removal device  20  is arranged at a larger obtuse angle of approximately 150° in respect to the parallel line  25 . The delivery quality of the printed product is improved in this way. 
     The second or the third chain wheels  8  or  18  can be used as the drive wheel. 
     Depending on the width of the printed products, several chain wheels  7 ,  8 ,  18  will be arranged at axial distances from each other on each shaft  4 ,  6 ,  17 , each of the chain wheels  7 ,  8 ,  18  support endless paddle chains  18  and together they receive the printed products in a paddle pocket  13 . 
     Other traction means, such as belts, toothed belts or cables can be used in place of roller chains  11  or  19  in the first two embodiments  2  and  21 . 
     The paddle chain  11 ,  19  can be designed as described in a manner as follows, and as shown, for example in FIGS. 3 to  5 . The chain links  22  are alternatingly designed as inner links  38  or as outer links  39 , as depicted in FIG.  5 . Each chain link  22  is connected by means of chain bolts  23  with the neighboring chain link  22 . Selected ones of the chain links  22  have tongues  34  pointing in the direction of the paddles  12  and separated longitudinally from adjacent tongues  24  at a clear distance e of two chain links  22  as seen in FIGS. 4 and 5. The tongues  24  are fastened alternatingly and opposite each other on both inner links  38  and on an outer links  39  of claim  11  or  19 . The tongues  24  respectively each have a bore for receiving a common bolt  26 . The bolt  26  supports a two-armed paddle holder  27 , which is pivotably seated on the chain link  22 . 
     A first arm or paddle arm  41  of the paddle holder  27  receives the paddle  12 , which has a paddle tip  28 . A second arm or control arm  29  pointing in the direction of the paddle chain  11 , is for example embodied to be L-shaped, i.e. as an angled lever. The end of the second or control arm  29  points in the direction opposite the tongues  24  and is connected with a first end  31  of a coupler  32 , or of a coupler  33  with these couplers  32  and  33  being shown in FIG. 3. A second end  34  of the coupler  32 , or of the couple  33 , is hingedly connected with the seventh trailing chain bolt  23 . 
     Each coupler  32 ,  33  is generally U-shaped, for example. So that the couplers  32 ,  33  do not interfere with each other when their ends overlap, they are oriented so they face each other with their open U-shaped elements. Moreover, the couplers  32  are arranged on one side of the paddle chain  11 ,  19  in the conveying direction, and the couplers  33  are arranged on the other side of the paddle chain  11 ,  19 . 
     The paddle holders  27  are designed in such a way that a projection  37  extending in the vicinity of a paddle bottom  36  is narrower than an opening between the two angled control arms  29 . The projection  37  of a paddle holder  21  can therefore be introduced into the opening between the two control arms  29 . A solid guidance of the individual chain links  22  is provided in this way. Therefore the paddles  12  partially overlap each other. 
     The paddle holders  27 , and therefore the paddles  12 , are pivotably seated on the paddle chain  11 ,  19  because of the arrangement of the couplers  32 ,  33  between the control arms  29  of the paddle holders  27  and a trailing chain bolt  23  of the paddle chain  11 ,  19 . Therefore a radius r 28  of a curve, through which the paddle tips  28 , including the couplers  32 ,  33 , pass in the reversing area of the paddle chain  11 ,  19 , is less than would be the case without the inclusion of the couplers  32 ,  33 . This is of particular advantage in the reversing area of the paddle chain  11 ,  19  around the lower chain wheel  8  shown in FIG. 1, because the printed products are delivered to the delivery belt  9  by gentle removal, which aids in increasing the delivery quality. 
     In order to achieve a comparatively small radius r 28  of the paddle tips  28  in the reversing area of the paddle chain  11 ,  19 , it is also possible to attach freely rotatable control rollers on the control arms  29 , instead of the couplers  32 , respectively arranged between the control arms  29  and the paddle chain  11 . These control rollers will then roll off, frictionally connected, on a control cam fixed in place on the lateral frame. The result of this is that a radius r 29  of a curve, through which the ends of the control arms  29  pass in the reversing area of the paddle chain  11 ,  19 , is less than a radius of a chain wheel  7 ,  8 . 
     It is furthermore possible to attach a clamping device in the paddle bottom  36  of each paddle holder arm  41 , which clamps the printed product after it has been placed into the paddle pocket  13  and only releases it again prior to reaching the removal device  15 ,  20 . 
     Such a clamping device can consist of a movable clamping jaw, on which a spring force acts, and which acts against the fixed paddle holder arm  41 . For example, by means of a cam-controlled lever arm, the movable clamping jaw can be temporarily brought into an opening position, i.e. for picking up and releasing printed products. 
     In accordance with a third preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention, as seen in FIG. 6, a steadying path C extending in a vertical direction has a curved section. Here, an endless carrier, for example a ring-shaped paddle holder  42  of a paddle wheel  43 , is used. The paddle holder  42  is supported by means of spokes  44 , which are connected with a hub  46  in a radial direction. The paddle wheel  42  has a plurality of paddles  12 , for example  35  to  65  paddles  12 , on the circumference of its ring-shaped paddle  12  holder  42 . The paddles can be designed straight, or also can be slightly curved. The printed products are delivered in an imbricated or shingled manner on a delivery belt  9  by means of a removal device  47 . 
     While preferred embodiments of a device for guiding printed products in accordance with the present invention have been set forth fully and completely hereinabove, it will be apparent to one of skill in the art that a number of changes in, for example, the type of printing press used to print the products, the type of belt guide system used to supply the printed products to the device for guiding the printed products, and the like may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention which is accordingly to be limited only by the following claims.