Abstract:
The invention relates to a signature hopper loader and method for feeding signatures to a hopper on a binding line. The hopper loader includes a conveyor and a deblocker that work together to feed signatures to the hopper. The deblocker is preferably positioned adjacent the conveyor such that the deblocker serves to laterally shift the signatures facilitating deblocking and/or alignment of the signatures.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The invention relates to feeding signatures to a hopper on a binding line, and more particularly, to a signature hopper loader and method for delivering signatures to a hopper on a binding line.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    A typical binding operation utilizes multiple hoppers or packer boxes that are each adapted to receive signatures from a source of signatures. The hoppers incrementally deliver individual signatures onto a binding line where complete books of signatures are gathered and carried onto another location for further processing to complete the binding process.  
           [0003]    Signature hopper loaders are typically used to supply the signatures to the hopper. The advantages of automatically supplying signatures to the hopper instead of manually loading signatures into the hoppers are well known. A typical signature hopper loader receives a log of signatures at one end, and through a series of conveyors delivers a supply of signatures to the hopper.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    The invention relates to an improved signature hopper loader and method for feeding signatures to a hopper on a binding line. The hopper loader includes a conveyor and a deblocker that work together to feed signatures to the hopper. The deblocker is positioned adjacent the conveyor such that the deblocker serves to laterally shift the signatures facilitating deblocking or separating of the signatures and facilitating alignment of the signatures. Deblocking of the signatures while they are traveling on the hopper loader enhances the reliability associated with supplying individual signatures to the hopper since the signatures are less likely to stick together. Aligning of the signatures improves downstream processing including uniform loading of the signatures to the hopper. Supplying individual signatures to the hopper in turn promotes feeding of individual signatures from the hopper onto the binding line minimizing double feeds, no feeds and misfeeds.  
           [0005]    The present invention also relates to a method of transporting signatures along a travel path to a hopper on a binding line. The method includes transporting the signatures along the travel path and laterally displacing the signatures to facilitate deblocking and/or alignment of the signatures. Laterally displacing the signatures includes moving one edge of each signature into engagement with a deblocker. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]    [0006]FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a signature hopper loader embodying the present invention.  
         [0007]    [0007]FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the signature hopper loader illustrated in FIG. 1.  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 3 is an enlarged side elevation view of the signature hopper loader illustrated in FIG. 1.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 4 is a further enlarged side elevation view of the signature hopper loader illustrated in FIG. 1.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a similar portion of the signature hopper loader as shown in FIG. 4.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 6 is an enlarged top plan view illustrating a portion of the signature hopper loader illustrated in FIG. 1. 
     
    
       [0012]    Before the invention is explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other forms and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology as used herein is for the purpose of illustration and description and should not be regarded as limiting.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0013]    [0013]FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a signature hopper loader  10  embodying the present invention. The hopper loader  10  includes a housing  12 , a first conveyor assembly  14  and a second conveyor assembly  16 . The housing  12  is preferably on castors  18  that engage a floor or a support surface such that the castors  18  enable the hopper loader  10  to be movable from one location to another.  
         [0014]    The first conveyor assembly  14  includes a first end  20 , a second end  22  and a support plate  26  (FIG. 2). Signature guides  28   a,    28   b  are positioned adjacent to the edges of the support plate  26  to laterally guide movement of the signatures as they move along the first conveyor assembly  14 . The signature guides  28   a,    28   b  are preferably laterally adjustable so as to accommodate signatures of different sizes.  
         [0015]    The first conveyor assembly  14  includes a first conveyor that includes two chains  34   a,    34   b  which transport signatures longitudinally in the direction of Arrow A in FIGS. 1 and 2. The chains  34   a,    34   b  are adapted to receive and support a log of signatures, and then move the signatures toward the second conveyor assembly  16 . The chains  34   a,    34   b  are preferably endless segmented flight conveyor chains that are metal sprayed to obtain a rough top finish to provide the necessary friction to engage and move the signatures. A pair of chain guides  35   a,    35   b  (FIGS. 2 and 5) is fixed to the support plate  26  such that each one of the guides  35   a,    35   b  positions a respective one of the chains  34   a,    34   b.  It should be noted that any conventional type of chain or conveyor material could be used without departing from the scope of the present invention.  
         [0016]    The first conveyor assembly  14  includes a horizontal section  36  that extends from the first end  20  and an arched declined section  37  which is positioned near the second end  22 . The horizontal section  36  extends from the first end  20  until it meets the arched declined section  37  positioned on the second end  22 . It should be noted that the first conveyor assembly  14  could have other configurations which are known in the art, such as comprising only a horizontal section for example, without departing from the scope of the present invention. A horizontal extension (not shown) may also be mounted adjacent to the first conveyor assembly  14  such that a greater number of signatures can be accommodated by the first conveyor assembly  14 .  
         [0017]    The second conveyor assembly  16  is mounted to the housing  12  so as to be pivotable with respect to the first conveyor assembly  14 , although any conventional conveyor assembly could be used without departing from the scope of the present invention. The first conveyor assembly  14  and the second conveyor assembly  16  intersect at a transition point  42  (FIGS. 1 and 3) where the signatures are transferred from the first conveyor assembly  14  to the second conveyor assembly  16 .  
         [0018]    The second conveyor assembly  16  preferably includes lateral signature guides  40   a,    40   b  that are adjustable so as to accommodate different sizes of signatures between the guides  40   a,    40   b.  The amount of space between the signature guides  40   a,    40   b  on the second conveyor assembly  16  preferably matches the amount of space between the signature guides  28   a,    28   b  on the first conveyor assembly  14 . The second conveyor assembly  16  receives the signatures from the first conveyor assembly  14  and delivers the signatures in a shingled stream to a hopper (not shown) that is positioned at an exit end  48  of the second conveyor assembly  16 .  
         [0019]    The second conveyor assembly  16  includes a second conveyor that is made up of three belts. The three belts are preferably endless belts that travel in a loop between a first end  46  and a second end  48  (FIG. 3) of the second conveyor. The belts are preferably made of a material such as strained polyester. It should be noted that any different number of belts and conveyors of various materials could also be utilized without departing from the scope of the present invention.  
         [0020]    Each belt in the second conveyor is driven at a speed that is preferably faster than the speed at which the belts  34   a,    34   b  of the first conveyor  32  are driven such that the signatures are oriented into a shingled stream on the second conveyor assembly  16 . The relative speed of the first conveyor and the second conveyor may be varied to modify the spacing in the shingled stream as the signatures travel on the second conveyor assembly  16 .  
         [0021]    During operation of the hopper loader  10 , a sensor (not shown) monitors the amount of signatures in the hopper as is known in the art. When the amount of signatures in the hopper falls below a particular level, the chains  34   a,    34   b  move signatures that have been loaded onto the first conveyor assembly  14  along a first travel path of the lateral edges of the signatures designated as Arrow B in FIG. 6 toward the second conveyor assembly  16 . As the signatures move toward an end of the horizontal section  36 , the signatures engage a deblocker  56  (see FIGS.  4 - 6 ) such that the signatures are laterally displaced by the deblocker  56  from the first path of travel to a second path of travel, designated as Arrow C in FIG. 6, that is in the same plane as the first path of travel, and continue to move along the first conveyor assembly  14  toward the second conveyor assembly  16 .  
         [0022]    Laterally moving the signatures facilitates separating the signatures from one another for individual delivery to the second conveyor assembly  16  and subsequent individual feeding into the hopper from the exit end  48  of the second conveyor assembly  16 . Without deblocking, signatures have a tendency to stick to one another due to static electricity. Laterally moving the signatures also facilitates aligning of the signatures to make downstream processing more uniform. It should be noted that the deblocker  56  may be positioned at any point along the first conveyor assembly  14  or the second conveyor assembly  16  without departing from the scope of the present invention.  
         [0023]    The deblocker  56  may take many forms and is illustrated in FIGS.  1 - 6  as a rotating deflecting wheel  58 . However, other configurations such as a guide plate could also be utilized. The deflecting wheel  58  includes an axis of rotation  60  (FIGS. 3 and 4) that is preferably perpendicular to a plane containing the first travel path of the signatures at the point where the signatures engage the deflecting wheel  58 . The axis of rotation  60  may be located inside or outside of first travel path. In addition, the deflecting wheel  58  may be fixedly positioned to contact the signatures or movable to selectively contact the signatures.  
         [0024]    Referring to FIG. 6, as the signatures contact an outer surface  62  on the deflecting wheel  58 , a lateral edge on each of the signatures is maneuvered along the outer surface  62  of the deflecting wheel  58  such that the signatures are displaced laterally relative to the first travel path. The magnitude of the lateral displacement is equal to the lateral distance between a point  70  at which the lateral edges of the signatures initially engage the deflecting wheel  58  and a point  72  where the signatures lose contact with the outer surface  62  of the deflecting wheel  58 . The point  70  of initial contact may be varied by moving the deflecting wheel further into or out of the travel path of the signatures or by varying the diameter of the wheel  58  for example.  
         [0025]    The lateral guides  40   a,    40   b  on the second conveyor assembly  16  are laterally offset from the guides  28   a,    28   b  on the first conveyor assembly  14  to compensate for the lateral shift as the signatures pass by the deflecting wheel  58 . The deflecting wheel  58  may be passive (i.e. free wheeling), driven in combination with the conveyor assemblies  14 ,  16 , or driven independently from any other drive on the hopper loader  10 . Air nozzles  72  may be used to blow air at the signatures from one or more orientations as the signatures pass by the deflecting wheel  58  to further facilitate deblocking the individual signatures.  
         [0026]    The deflecting wheel  58  can be fabricated from a material such as mild steel and have a rough outer surface  62 . The diameter of the wheel  58  can vary depending upon the particular application, for example, the wheel may have a diameter of 6 inches.  
         [0027]    The present invention is not confined to the particular construction and arrangement of parts herein illustrated and described, but embraces all such modified forms that may come within the scope of the following claims. It would be apparent that many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. Therefore, it should be understood that the invention may be practiced in forms other than those specifically described. Alternative embodiments and variations of the present invention may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art upon reading the above description.