Abstract:
A newspaper product conveyance device is provided for feeding a newspaper inserter including a chassis having a transfer belt extending at an incline between a first end of the chassis and a discharge area located adjacent a second end of the chassis. The conveyance device further comprises a roller assembly including a plurality of rollers, the roller assembly extends at an angle from the chassis adjacent the first end and defines with the first end of the chassis a newspaper product feed area for holding a stack of newspaper products. A motor is provided for advancing the transfer belt to move the newspaper products from the product feed area to the discharge area, whereby the roller assembly and transfer belt cooperate to cause a uniform stream of newspaper product to be transported to the discharge area for discharge to the inserter.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION DATA  
       [0001]    This Application claims priority from previously filed U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/235,845 filed on Sep. 27, 2000, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates generally to a paper conveying apparatus or device and more specifically to an apparatus or device that transports or conveys printed newspaper products from a supply such as a pallet to a newspaper inserter machine for newspaper assembly.  
           [0003]    In the newspaper industry, assorted machines and apparatuses are employed to automate a variety of newspaper operations and processes. For example, in the packaging or mail center of a newspaper facility, the process of assembling the various newspaper sections, inserts and fliers into a complete newspaper (i.e., the newspaper assembly process) is typically machine assisted or automated. In particular, an inserting machine such as the type manufactured by Heidelberg, Harris Inc. or Sheridan Systems is used to automate practically the entire newspaper assembly process.  
           [0004]    As is well known in the art, an inserter includes a plurality of stations for mechanically feeding the various printed products that comprise a complete newspaper. At each feeding station, a hopper is provided for receiving a stack of a particular type of newspaper section or insert. The newspaper sections may include comics, news or business sections. The inserts may include circulars, advertisements, advertising coupons and television guides that range in shape, dimension and texture.  
           [0005]    The hopper may be loaded with printed products either manually or mechanically for feeding to the inserter. For manual loading of the hopper, one or more people physically move a stack of inserts or newspaper sections from a pallet or other supply directly into a receiving area formed within the hopper. Typically, prior to placing the stack into the hopper, the stack is manually jogged to separate and introduce air between the individual inserts or newspaper sections that comprise the stack. In addition, the hopper area may include a mechanical jogger for jogging the stack just prior to feeding the inserter. Jogging the stack prevents jamming of the inserter as individual newspaper sections or inserts are fed from the hopper into pockets in the inserter for newspaper assembly.  
           [0006]    Alternatively, hoppers are loaded using a mechanical hopper loader. Known hopper loaders include the NP225 Hopper loader by Sheridan Systems. Conventional hopper loaders such as the NP225 comprise at least two independent conveyor assemblies for moving a stack of product from a supply (e.g., pallet) to a hopper. The first conveyor assembly is oriented in a horizontal plane and receives a manually pre-jogged stack of printed products. The stack of printed products is spread out or “shingled” manually to form a product stream that is fed from the first conveyor assembly to an incline conveyor assembly that feeds the inserts or newspaper sections to the hopper. At the top of the conventional hopper, a jogging assembly comprising a pair of jogging paddles is used to square or align the printed product stream just prior to reaching the hopper.  
           [0007]    A control panel mounted to the hopper loader is also provided to set the speeds of the first and incline conveyor assemblies. The conveyor assemblies are typically controlled by a demand photo sensor that is synchronized with the rate at which inserts or newspaper products are fed from the hopper to the remainder of the inserter. That is, as the supply of newspaper sections or inserts go below a predefined height within the hopper, the demand photo sensor detects the reduced stack height and energizes the conveyor assemblies to transport additional printed products to the hopper until a suitable stack height is achieved.  
           [0008]    These conventional or prior art hopper loaders are generally effective in feeding printed product to a hopper. However, the prior art design does suffer from a number of shortcomings or inefficiencies. For example, having to manually jog the stack before placing it on the first conveyor assembly delays the speed or frequency in which the hopper loader may be fed with additional product. As a result, the conveyor assemblies must be set at a speed that keeps pace with the loader who must manually jog and shingle the stack along the conveyor belt. This delay may result in a reduction of newspaper production.  
           [0009]    Additionally, an uneven or inconsistent product stream may result since the shingling step must be performed manually. An uneven product stream may result in inconsistent feeding of product to the hopper. This may cause jamming of the inserter. In addition, an inconsistent product feed may result in an insert not being fed into a pocket (miss) or more than one insert being fed into a pocket (double).  
           [0010]    It has also been found that conventional hopper loaders do not convey or transport inserts of varying dimension and texture with the same level of efficiency and consistency. That is, some small inserts or high-gloss inserts may not reach the hopper in a uniform product stream. This lack of uniformity in the product stream requires the operator to manually adjust the product stream at many different points along the conveyor assemblies. As a result, the operator spends too much time tending to the product stream to avoid jams, misses or doubles rather than feeding additional product onto the hopper loader for delivery to the hopper.  
           [0011]    Finally, because conventional hopper loaders require two conveyor assemblies to move product from a supply to a hopper, the overall dimension or footprint of the conventional hopper loader is quite large. In the packaging center, space around the inserter is typically at a premium. As a result, the extra size of the conventional hopper loader may make it difficult to accommodate other equipment or machinery or additional personnel to manually load the hopper.  
           [0012]    Accordingly, a need exists for a conveying device to deliver printed products to a hopper that delivers a uniform product stream while minimizing the need to manually jog and shingle printed product. A further need exists for a such a conveying device that may be adjusted to transport printed products of varying dimension and texture. A still further need exists for such a conveying device that utilizes a single conveying assembly to transport printed product to a hopper while reducing movement and ergonomically improving the conveying device for easier and more efficient manual loading of the conveying device.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0013]    In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved conveying device or apparatus for delivering printed products from a supply to a hopper.  
           [0014]    It is still a further object of the present invention to provide such a device that delivers a uniform shingled product stream while requiring little or no manual pre-jogging or shingling.  
           [0015]    It is still a further object of the present invention to provide such a device that may be easily adjusted to accommodate printed products of varying size and dimension without affecting the ability to deliver the printed product with a smooth and uniform shingled pattern.  
           [0016]    It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide such a device or apparatus that may be easily modified to move the device from work station to work station.  
           [0017]    In the present invention, the above objects are achieved by providing a conveying device for loading a hopper including (1) a tail roller conveyor assembly, (2) an incline conveyor assembly that utilizes a single variable speed transport/conveyor belt extending from a location adjacent the tail roller conveyor assembly to a nose portion of the conveying device, and (3) a linear jogging assembly mounted along the nose portion of the conveying device. The conveying device is controlled through a control panel that is preferably mounted to the device.  
           [0018]    More particularly, a printed product conveyance device is provided including a chassis having a transport medium (e.g., transfer belt) that extends at an incline between a first end of the chassis and a second end thereof. The device further includes a support assembly that extends at an angle from the chassis adjacent the first end thereof and defines therewith a printed product feed area adapted to receive a stack of printed product. A means (e.g., motor) is provided for causing the transport medium to transfer printed product from the printed product feed area to a discharge area located adjacent the second end of the chassis, whereby the printed product is moved uniformly from the printed product feed area toward the discharge area under the action of the transport medium.  
           [0019]    In another aspect of the present invention, the rear support assembly of the conveyance device is comprised of a plurality of rollers for assisting in the feeding of the printed product from the feed area to the discharge area, whereby the action of the plurality of rollers acts to separate the printed product as it moves along the transport medium to the discharge area.  
           [0020]    In other aspects of the present invention, the conveyance device includes an alignment gate for maintaining the alignment of the product stream as it is transferred from the feed area to the discharge area. Further, a linear jogging assembly is used adjacent the discharge area to ensure that the printed product is evenly fed to the inserter.  
           [0021]    As will be detailed herein, the conveying device for delivering printed product to a hopper according to the present invention provides a means of mechanically keeping the inserting machine hopper filled with newspaper sections and inserts to meet the high speed requirements of a newspaper packaging center. The preset pile or stack height in the inserter hopper is automatically maintained. The conveying device of the present invention is capable of feeding most products, preprints, pre-stuff packages and inserts.  
           [0022]    Other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification.  
           [0023]    The present invention accordingly comprises the various features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the constructions hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0024]    For a fuller understanding of the invention, reference is made to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of the conveying device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of the opposite side of the conveying device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line  3 - 3  in FIG. 1;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line  4 - 4  in FIG. 2;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 5 is a detailed view of the adjustable fence taken along the line  5 - 5  in FIG. 2;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line  6 - 6  in FIG. 2;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 7 is a detailed view of the reciprocating mechanism of the jogging assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 8 is a detailed elevational view of the mounting assembly for securing the conveying device to an inserter according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 9 is a detailed sectional view of the mounting assembly taken along line  9 - 9  in FIG. 8; and  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 10 is a detailed elevational view of the height adjustment assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0035]    Reference is made to FIGS. 1 and 2 showing the general arrangement of a conveying device  10  for transporting printed products to a hopper according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The conveying device  10  is shown as generally including a tail roller conveyor assembly  14 , an incline conveyor assembly  18  utilizing a single variable speed transfer belt  22  and a linear jogging assembly  26 .  
         [0036]    The various components and moving assemblies of the conveying device  10  are controlled through a control panel  28  mounted to the chassis or frame of the conveying device  10 . The control panel  28  and its operation are well known in the art. Additionally, as is also well known in the art, a demand photo sensor (not shown) is used to automatically control the flow of printed products from the conveying device  10  to the hopper.  
         [0037]    An exemplary or preferred embodiment of the conveying device  10  and its operation will now be discussed in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In particular, referring now to FIGS. 1 through 3, the tail roller conveyor assembly  14  is shown as including a generally rectangular chassis or frame  32  (preferably steel). The frame  32  includes a pair of laterally spaced members  36 ,  38 , each member  36 ,  38  including a plurality of spaced holes or bores. Each one of the bores or holes on lateral member  36  corresponds to a matching bore or hole located on opposite lateral member  38  such that between lateral members  36 ,  38  a succession of bore pairs are defined along the length of frame  32  to rotatably support a plurality of rollers  46 .  
         [0038]    Each roller  46  includes a pair of stub shafts at the ends thereof, at least one stub shaft being depressible (such as by spring loaded mounting of the stub shaft) to secure the roller within a bore pair between the first and second lateral members  36 ,  38 . A belt  50 , such as a heat-welded stretchy belt, may be mounted around the plurality of rollers  46  to prevent printed products from slipping between adjacent rollers  46 .  
         [0039]    The tail roller assembly  14  is joined to a first end of the incline conveyor assembly  18 . The tail roller assembly  14  and incline conveyor assembly  18  may be manufactured as separate assemblies and joined such as by welding or bolting. Alternatively, the tail roller and incline conveyor assemblies  14 ,  18  may be manufactured as a single unitary chassis or frame.  
         [0040]    Referring now to FIG. 3, the printed product feed area  54  of conveying device  10  including a stack of printed products  56  to be fed to a hopper (not shown) of a conventional newspaper inserter is shown in detail. The printed product feed area  54  is formed at the junction of the tail roller assembly  14  and incline conveyor assembly  18  that is easily accessible by a person loading printed products to be moved up the incline conveyor assembly  18  to the hopper. The stack of printed products  56  is deposited in the product feed area  54  and transported on transfer belt  22  up the incline conveyor assembly  18  under the action of a drive assembly comprised of a roller chain, gearbox and DC drive motor located within housing  58  of conveying device  10 . Drive assemblies of the type used to drive transfer belt  22  are well known in the art.  
         [0041]    In an exemplary embodiment, the angle formed between the tail roller assembly  14  and incline conveyor assembly  18  is preferably approximately 90 degrees. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the angle α formed between the plane defined by the tail roller assembly  14  and the plane defined by the incline conveyor assembly  18  is approximately 90 degrees. By setting this angle at approximately 90 degrees, the printed products sit squarely within the product feed area.  
         [0042]    Additionally, to ensure a uniform shingled product stream, the incline conveyor assembly  18  is preferably pitched at an angle β ranging between approximately 20 degrees and 45 degrees as measured with respect to an X-axis, as shown in FIG. 3. Within this range of angles, the overall length of the conveying device  10  is minimized while maintaining a product feed area that sits at a height that is ergonomically suited to persons of average height. It should also be noted that pitching the angle beyond 45 degrees may cause uneven shingling of the product stream due to the increased action of gravity on the printed products as they move up the incline conveyor assembly  18 .  
         [0043]    Referring now to FIGS. 2 through 5, the printed product stream moves rectilinearly up the incline conveyor assembly  18  between a fixed paper guide  60  and an adjustable paper guide  64  The adjustable paper guide  64  may be moved inwardly toward the fixed guide  60  to accommodate printed products of different widths. As shown generally, in FIG. 2, the adjustable guide  64  is mounted to bracket or brace  66  which is secured to the incline conveyor assembly  18  at opposite ends thereof by pivot arms  70 ,  72  and Kipp handles  76 ,  78 .  
         [0044]    As shown in more detail in FIGS. 4 and 5, in order that paper guide  64  may be moved toward and away from fixed guide  60 , arms  70 ,  72  are each pivotally mounted at a first end to incline conveyor assembly  18  by means of bolts  80 . At the opposite ends of pivot arms  70 ,  72 , each arm is slidably connected to brace  66 . As shown in FIG. 5, brace  66  includes slots  74 ,  74  that receive Kipp handles  76 ,  78  to slidably connect pivot arms  70 ,  72  to brace  66 . The Kipp handles  76 ,  78  may be manually loosened to free pivot arms  70 ,  72  to slide within slots  74 ,  74  as brace  66  is moved to vary the width of the product stream path, as shown in FIG. 5. After a desired width is obtained, Kipp handles  76 ,  78  may be manually tightened to lock the paper guide  64  in a fixed position.  
         [0045]    Thus, as detailed above, an ergonomic conveying device  10  is achieved by mating the roller assembly  14  directly to the incline conveyor assembly  18 . In such an embodiment, the plurality of rollers  46  form a low friction bearing surface that assists a person in loading a stack of printed products from a supply (e.g., pallet) onto the conveying device  10  as shown in FIG. 3. At the same time, the rollers  46  help to jog the stack as the printed products move up the incline conveyor assembly  18 . The result is a uniformly shingled product stream automatically created under the influence of the transfer belt  22  as the product moves up the incline conveyor assembly  18  between the fixed paper guide  60  and adjustable paper guide  64  to a substantially horizontal nose section or discharge area  84 .  
         [0046]    In the event a type of printed product requires manual jogging, the conveying device  10  is equipped with a jogging table  80  that can be mounted in any one of a plurality of receivers  82  disposed around the periphery of the conveying device  10 . The jogging table  80  which may be set up in any of the receivers  82 , as shown in FIG. 2, may be used to manually jog the product before loading the printed product into the product feed area of the conveying device  10 .  
         [0047]    In a preferred embodiment, the nose portion  84  extends at least partly over the inserter in the vicinity of the hopper. Since inserters and their hoppers may have varying dimensions, the nose portion  84  may be manufactured to various lengths to work with a variety of inserters and their hoppers.  
         [0048]    The nose portion  84  mounts jogger assembly  26  that extends along a portion of the incline conveyor assembly  18 . More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, the jogger assembly  26  includes a fixed fence or guide rail  92  and a reciprocally mounted fence  94 . Fence  94  is mounted to move reciprocally in a linear direction toward and away from fixed fence  92 . This reciprocating action of fence  94  aligns the product stream as it moves along the nose section  84  toward the hopper. The front end  98  of the fence  94  that extends along incline conveyor assembly  18  is pitched outwardly to push back any part of the product stream that may skew as it passes paper guide  64  before reaching nose section  84 .  
         [0049]    A reciprocating mechanism  100  for moving fence  94  is located below nose section  84  behind a guard stream aligner  102 . The reciprocating mechanism  100  comprises a pair of cylindrical or tubular races  106 ,  108  that define a linear path or track along which a reciprocating assembly  110  slides inwardly and outwardly (right and left directions, respectively, in FIG. 5).  
         [0050]    More particularly, the reciprocating assembly  110  includes a first slidably mounted rectangular bracket  114 , an elongated arm  116  and a fastening plate  118 . Fastening plate  118  connects arm  116  and bracket  114  such that arm  116  and bracket  114  slide in unison along races  106 ,  108 . The reciprocating assembly  110  is inwardly biased by means of a pair of springs  120 ,  122  connected to a second rectangular bracket  126 . The second rectangular bracket  126  is fixed to races  106 ,  108  by means of set screws  128 . A third rectangular bracket  132  is provided between arm  116  and first bracket  114  that is also fixedly mounted to races  106 ,  108 .  
         [0051]    The reciprocating assembly  110  may be moved inwardly and outwardly by means of a cam  140  located between the first bracket  114  and second bracket  126 . The cam  140  is connected to a pivot shaft  144  that is rotated by an electric motor (not shown). The rotation speed of cam  140  is adjusted through control panel  28 . In operation, a rotation speed is selected at panel  28  causing an eccentric edge of rotating cam  140  to drive against the first bracket  114  causing the reciprocating assembly  110  to move outwardly (away from second bracket  126 ) against the action of springs  120 ,  122 . As cam  140  rotates beyond the eccentric edge, pressure against the first bracket  114  is released allowing the reciprocating assembly  110  to return to its starting position under the return action of the inwardly biasing springs  120 ,  122 . Each time the cam  140  rotates, this action is repeated. Thus, as the speed of rotation of the cam  140  is increased, so is the reciprocating action.  
         [0052]    Referring again to FIG. 2, the top end of arm  116  includes a two piece mounting bracket  150  for supporting slidably reciprocating fence  94 . A square stock support rod  154  is provided to support the reciprocating fence  94  within bracket  150 . A Kipp handle  158  is provide to manually loosen bracket  150  in order to move fence  94  forward and rearward along the axis of rod  154 . The fence  94  may be adjusted to correspond to the width of the product stream path and the adjustable guide  64 .  
         [0053]    In operation, the reciprocating fence  94  aligns the product stream by forcing the stream against fixed guide  92  thereby maintaining the rectilinear motion of the product stream along nose section  84  until the printed products drop into the hopper. Thus, the adjustable paper guide  64  and adjustable, reciprocating fence  94  maintain the rectilinear movement of the uniformly shingled product stream up the incline conveyor assembly  18  and over the horizontal nose section  84  until the products drop into the hopper.  
         [0054]    In a preferred embodiment, the conveying device  10  may be configured as either a left-sided, right-sided or dual-sided hopper loader. With respect to the convention that has been adopted herein, the conveying device shown in FIGS.  1 - 10  may be considered right-sided. That is, the adjustable paper guide  64  and adjustable, reciprocating fence  94  are mounted on the right side of the conveying device  10 . However, the device may be changed to a left-sided machine by moving the adjustable paper guide  64  and reciprocating fence  94  to the left side of the conveying device  10 , while moving the fixed guide  60  and fence  92  to the right side. Additionally, the reciprocating mechanism  100  must be reversed such that the reciprocating assembly  110  is now on the left side of the conveying device  10 .  
         [0055]    Alternatively, a second reciprocating fence and assembly can be added to replace fixed fence  92 . A second reciprocating assembly and guide may be advantageous for certain types of inserters. Additionally, paper guide  60  may be replaced with an adjustable guide  64 . With such a configuration, the conveying device may be used to feed any hopper on any side of the inserter without having to change parts such as would be necessary when changing a right-sided machine to a left-sided machine or vice versa.  
         [0056]    The conveying device  10  according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is intended to mechanically feed the vast majority of newspaper sections and inserts. Since the conveying device  10 , as described, may be adapted or manufactured to feed any hopper, wheels are provided for moving the conveying device  10  into and out of engagement with various hoppers.  
         [0057]    Additionally, since the height of a particular hopper may vary, the vertical height of the conveyor device  10  may be manually adjusted. As shown in FIG. 10, the conveying device  10  includes a height adjustment assembly that comprises a fixed nut  200 , a threaded shaft  204  and an adjustment nut (not shown) that is milled or machined to shaft  204 . The adjustment nut is located under plate  206  shown in FIG. 10. A height adjustment assembly is disposed on opposite ends of conveying device  10 .  
         [0058]    To adjust the height of conveying device  10 , the adjustment nut on each side of the conveying device is turned causing treaded shaft  204  to turn. As each threaded shaft  204  is turned, the height of conveying device  10  is raised or lowered along legs  210 , depending on whether the adjustment nut is turned clockwise or counter-clockwise. However, it may be necessary to first loosen bolts  214  and  214 ′ before raising or lowering conveying device  10 . Alternatively, to simplify the process, bolts  214  may be replaced with shoulder bolts and bolts  214 ′ may be replaced by Kipp handles  220 , as shown in FIG. 8.  
         [0059]    After the conveying device  10  has been moved into position adjacent the inserter and the desired height obtained, the conveying device  10  may be anchored to the inserter using mounting assembly  230 , as depicted in FIGS. 8 and 9. Mounting assembly  230  includes a mounting plate  234  that is secured to conveying device  10  and vertically and horizontally adjustable along slots  238  and  240 , respectively. The mounting plate  234  includes a shaft  244  that is mated within a coupling  250  (see FIG. 9) mounted to the inserter. Bolts  254  may be used to secure the shaft  244  to the coupling  250 .  
         [0060]    It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, since certain changes or modifications may be made in the above constructions without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.  
         [0061]    It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.