Improvements in Apparatus for Feeding Sheets of Paper to Printing Machines and for similar purposes.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Mar., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 31st May, 1898-Accepted, 13th Aug., 1898
[Communicated from abroad by JAMES MADISON BLAISDELL, of 29, Oliver Street,
Boston, in the County of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, United States
of America, Manufacturer.]
Improvements in Apparatus for Feeding Sheets of Paper to Printing
Machines and for similar purposes.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The present invention relates to a method of and apparatus for feeding sheets of
paper from a stack or pile when it is desired to transfer the sheets one by one
from the pile to a position where they are to be operated upon by other instrumen-
talities, as for example in case of sheets of paper which are to be fed to a printing
press, or labels which are to be applied to packages.
In accordance with the invention the sheets are fed from a pile and the top sheet
is caused to be acted upon by atmospheric pressure to force the same into contact
with a suitable surface and separate it from the sheet lying next below; the
action of the atmospheric pressure being progressive, that is to say, acting on
succeeding portions of the sheet, a portion of which is retained stationary with
relation to the pile, between which and the surface against which the sheet is
forced a relative change of position is produced. This relative change of position
produces a corresponding change of position of the sheet with relation to the surface
against which it is forced, so that the sheet instead of being bodily sucked up,
so to speak, is progressively acted upon, a portion only being forced against the
surface when the surface first arrives at its operative position, the remainder
being gradually drawn into contact with the surface in the change of position
thereof relative to that of the surface of the sheet.
The apparatus embodying the invention comprises a support for the pile of
sheets, and a sheet picker, as it may be called, the said sheet picker consisting of a
chamber from which the air is partially exhausted and which has an inlet in the
wall thereof through which the air tends to enter, so that a sheet adjacent to the
said wall near the inlet will be acted upon by atmospheric pressure and drawn into
contact with the said wall over the inlet.
The apparatus is further provided with means for effecting a change of position
of said sheet picker with relation to the sheet support whereby one of said parts
is caused to move past the other, so that that portion of the sheet which first
becomes adjacent to the inlet will be first acted upon by the atmospheric pressure,
and the remainder thereof progressively subjected to pressure in the relative
change of position aforesaid.
The sheet picker may consist of a rotatable druni or cylinder having one or
more inlets arranged along the periphery thereof, so that in the rotation of the
drum each inlet will pass the sheets, which are supported in a pile, the top of
which is adjacent to the periphery of the drum.

page_text: The apparatus embodying the invention is further provided with means whereby
the sheets are retained stationary with relation to the support when they are first
acted upon by the atmospheric pressure, so that the drum or sheet picker while
attracting the sheet will move along the surface of the same, whereby the sheet is,
as it were, smoothed into contact with the surface of the drum until substantially
wholly separated from the remainder of the pile and wholly picked up ready to be
transferred.
The device may also be provided with means whereby that portion of the sheet
which has been engaged to hold the sheet stationary during the progressive action
above described is subsequently disengaged or released, the release of the sheet
taking place after the main portion of the sheet has been drawn over the inlet as
above described.
After the sheet is thus picked up and separated from the rest it is obvious that
any suitable devices may be employed for removing the same from the chamber
at the desired position, such for example as a pair of nippers on the platen or
cylinder of a printing press towards which the sheets are commonly pushed by
hand; or if the chamber be stationary and the support movable, the sheet may be
merely dropped by otherwise closing the inlet or letting air into the chamber.
Dated this 25th day of March 1908
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Apparatus for Feeding Sheets of Paper to Printing
Machines and for similar purposes.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The present invention relates to an apparatus for feeding sheets of
paper from a stack or pile when it is desired to transfer the sheets one by one
from the pile to a position where they are to be operated upon by other instrumen-
talities, as for example, in case of sheets of paper which are to be fed to a printing
press, or labels which are to be applied to packages.
•
In accordance with the invention, the sheets are fed from a pile and the top sheet
is caused to be acted upon by atmospheric pressure to force the same into contact
with a suitable surface and separate it from the sheet lying next below; the
action of the atmospheric pressure being progressive, that is to say acting on
succeeding portions of the sheet, a portion of which is retained stationary with
relation to the pile, between which and the surface against which the sheet is
forced a relative change of position is produced. This relative change of position
produces a corresponding change of position of the sheet with relation to the surface
against which it is forced, so that the sheet instead of being bodily sucked up,
so to speak, is progressively acted upon, a portion only being forced against the
surface when the surface first arrives at its operative position, the remainder
being gradually drawn into contact with the surface in the change of position
thereof relative to that of the surface of the sheet.
The apparatus embodying the invention comprises a support for the pile of
sheets, and a sheet picker, as it may be called, the said sheet picker consisting of a
chamber from which the air is partially exhausted and which has an inlet in the

page_text: wall thereof through which the air tends to enter, so that a sheet adjacent to the
said wall near the inlet will be acted upon by atmospheric pressure and drawn into
contact with the said wall over the inlet.
The apparatus is further provided with means for effecting a change of position
of said sheet picker with relation to the sheet support whereby one of said parts
is caused to move past the others, so that that portion of the sheet which first
becomes adjacent to the inlet will be first acted upon by the atmospheric pressure,
and the remainder thereof progressively subjected to pressure in the relative
change of position aforesaid.
The sheet picker may consist of a rotatable drum or cylinder having one or
more inlets arranged along the periphery thereof, so that in the rotation of the
drum each inlet will pass the sheets, which are supported in a pile, the top of
which is adjacent to the periphery of the drum.
The apparatus embodying the invention is further provided with means whereby
the sheets are retained stationary with relation to the support when they are first
acted upon by the atmospheric pressure, so that the drum or sheet picker while
attracting the sheet will move along the surface of the same, whereby the sheet is,
as it were, smoothed into contact with the surface of the drum until substantially
wholly separated from the remainder of the pile and wholly picked up ready to be
transferred.
The device may also be provided with means whereby that portion of the sheet
which has been engaged to hold the sheet stationary during the progressive action
above described is subsequently disengaged or released, the release of the sheet
taking place after the main portion of the sheet has been drawn over the inlet as
above described.
After the sheet has been picked up and separated from the rest as above
described, it is obvious that any suitable devices may be employed for removing the
same from the chamber at the desired position, such for example as a pair of nippers
on the platen or cylinder of a printing press towards which the sheets are com
monly pushed by hand, or if the chamber be stationary and the support movable,
the sheet may be merely dropped by otherwise closing the inlet or letting air into
the chamber.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a sufficient portion of the feeding device to illustrate
the invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same; Fig. 3 is a side elevation
showing the parts in a different position from that shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a
rear elevation or view of the machine as looked at from the right of Fig. 2; Fig. 5
is a vertical section on a small scale of the chamber.
The sheet picking device a is shown as comprising a closed traveling chamber
having one or more inlets a², which are shown as sets of perforations in one of its
walls, the said chamber being herein shown as a rotatable cylinder from which
the air is continually exhausted or drawn out as through an outlet tube A. Each
of the openings a² is shown as consisting of a number of small perforations covering
a space substantially the same in area and shape as that of the sheet of paper
which is to be picked up, so that when the paper lies in contact therewith it will
close the openings and be held snugly against the outer wall of the chamber by
atmospheric pressure.
The sheets of paper which are to be operated upon are piled up so that the top
of the pile is adjacent to the surface of the movable chamber, or sheet picking
device, which will hereinafter be referred to as the carrier, so as to be picked up by
O suction as the openings a² travel by. The carrier a is herein shown as provided
with a series of such inlets which may be of any desired number so that a number
of sheets can be carried forward at the same time.
To maintain the top of the pile always at substantially the same level, as the
sheets are picked off, the pile of sheets is supported upon a movable shelf or
5 support b provided with means whereby it constantly tends to move towards the
surface of the carrier so that as each sheet is picked off, the next sheet, which is
then at the top of the pile, is moved to substantially the position originally

page_text: •
occupied by the sheet which has been picked off. As herein shown, the said
shelf b is connected as by a cord c² with a weight 3, the said cord passing over a
pulley so that the downward tendency of the weight produces a corresponding
upward tendency of the support or movement thereof towards the surface of the
carrier.
To determine the position of the pile the machine is provided with a retaining
device or presser foot d which is adapted to engage the top sheet when it is in
proper position and keep the shelf from rising until the said top sheet is picked off
and the next sheet is engaged by the retaining device.
To insure the separation of the top sheet from those underneath it, the retaining
device d is arranged to engage the edge of the sheet which is first reached by
the inlet a, or, in other words, the rear edge of the sheet; the construction and
operation being shown to the best advantage in Fig. 2.
It will be seen, therefore, that as the inlet reaches the pile of sheets the atmos-
pheric pressure under the top sheet will tend to lift the body thereof away from the
point where it is held by the retaining device as shown, and in thus acting upon
the sheet instead of lifting the sheet bodily will lift only the rear portion thereof
so that the front end will be drawn horizontally along the surface of the next
sheet, the operation being such that the effect of adhesion between the adjacent
sheets will be overcome so that there is no tendency to pick up more than
one sheet at a time.
As the carrier travels forward, moreover, the body of the sheet will be gradually
sucked up against the wall thereof over the inlet while the rear end of the sheet
is held by the retaining device so that the sheet is gradually drawn or spread along
the surface of the carrier without any possibility of displacement, each successive
sheet taking the same position relative to the carrier with great accuracy. This
spreading and smoothing process will obviously continue as long as the sheet is
held stationary with relation to the support, or, in other words, as long as the
retaining device will operate to withstand the tendency of the carrier to drag.
away the sheet. It is desirable, however, to cause the retaining device to actually
release the sheet at a predetermined time in the operation, and for this purpose
the portion of said device which engages the sheet is adapted to be lifted after
the main portion of the sheet has reached the desired position with relation to the
carrier, and as herein shown, the said retaining device is normally held in position
by means of a spring d², and provided with a projection ³ which is adapted to be
operated upon by the cooperating projection upon the carrier, the said pro-
jection being arranged as best shown in Fig. 3 to lift the retaining device
just at the time when the front edge of the sheet has been drawn into contact with
the front portion of the inlet to the carrier.
It will be seen, therefore, from the foregoing description that the sheet is drawn
and smoothed out upon the surface of the carrier and maintained in position
during this operation by the retaining device until the whole sheet with the excep-
tion of a small portion or flap at the rear thereof is in contact with the carrier,
after which the retaining device is lifted, allowing the said small portion or flap
to be drawn up against the inlet a³ so that the whole sheet is then held in place
by pressure and carried forward.
In order that the presser foot or retaining device may be lifted wholly out of
contact with the top of the pile to release the top sheet as above described and to
prevent the next sheet from being frictionally engaged by the under surface of
the top sheet as it is drawn out, the device is provided with means for arresting
the upward movement of the support at this time, and as herein shown, the pro-
jection from the said retaining device d, is arranged to extend over the periphery
of the pulley e, the said pulley being arranged to constitute the fulcrum for the
said projection which is first forced into contact with the periphery of said pulley
and operates as a brake to arrest the movement thereof, and then rocks upon said
periphery to lift the retaining device d against the stress of the spring d³. The
retaining device d, or more strictly speaking, the arms d³ which are connected

page_text: 5
ith said retaining device, there being two of such arms one at each side or
rrier, are secured to the outside of a box or casing which is adapted to contain
e sheets supported upon the shelf b, and the pivot support d consists of a pin
the outside of the said box cooperating with an elongated slot d³, there being
ich a slot in each of the arms d³ and a pin at each side of the box. This form of
apport affords the lost motion necessary for the rocking of the said arms on the
ulleys to arrest the upward movement of the shelf and to release the top sheet;
being obvious that as soon as the projection a³ has passed beyond the end of the
rm the stress of the spring d² will draw the retaining device d downward until
he top of the slot d5 rests upon the pin d, which then constitutes a fulcrum on
which the arm is rocked to lift it out of contact with the pulley, and release the
upport b so that the sheet which is then at the top takes the place of that which
as been previously pulled off. The said arms are herein shown as formed
ntegral with each other, being curved upward to form inclined surfaces for
ngagement with the pins a³, and thence downward and across the face of the
cylinder, the downward extension being sufficiently long to have the part which
The rear ends of said
extends across the cylinder clear the surface of the same.
arms above the slot d are connected together by means of a cross piece №30 to
which is directly connected the retaining device d.
To prevent the pressure from being lowered by leaving the inlets free to take
in air prior to the time when they reach the sheets, the carrier a may be provided
with a damper or shutter at which, as shown in Fig. 2, consists of a stationary
cover or shutter which lies along the inner wall of the chamber a, the said shutter
terminating at a point adjacent to the feeding device, so that the air is not free
to enter until an inlet reaches the pile of sheets, one of which sheets is then
immediately sucked up and caused to close the inlet as fast as it advances, in the
manner above described. The same shutter may be continued rearward along the
inner wall of the chamber to a point where it is desired to remove the sheet from
the carrier, so that it will then constitute a cut-off to immediately relieve
the external pressure and allow the sheet to be easily removed.
The inlets a are preferably arranged as shown so that the surface of the carrier
where the said inlets occur projects beyond the main surface thereof, it being
obvious that if desired the edge of the sheet may be allowed to project somewhat
beyond the raised surface, so that it can be easily removed by a pair of nippers
for example. The surface of the carrier at the inlets as herein shown is covered
with a piece of yielding material such as rubber having perforations corresponding
to those in the wall of the carrier itself, and the said pieces of rubber are held in
position by means of flanges a20 which are inclined as shown, so that the pieces
of rubber can be compressed into the space between said flanges where it will be
held by its own elasticity.
As shown in Fig. 4, there are two pulleys c, cords c³, weights 3, etc., one at
side of the box c, the operation of the box at each side being the same, so that in
the foregoing description these parts have been referred to in the singular instead
of the plural to render the description more clear. The box is preferably the
same in horizontal sectional shape and size as that of the sheets to be operated
upon, and may be provided with a cover c adapted to slide into place; and when
the device is in operation the said cover is preferably arranged as shown to overlie
the free edge of the sheets so as to keep the pile substantially flat.
It is not intended to limit the invention to the specific construction herein
shown and described, since modifications may obviously be made without departing
from the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:
1. An apparatus for feeding sheets of paper from a pile of such sheets, comprising
a sheet picker into contact with which the top sheet is adapted to be forced by

page_text: atmospheric pressure, and means for producing a change of position of said sheet
picker relative to the part of said top sheet which is acted upon by such pressure,
while such action is going on, to thereby progressively pick up said sheet and
separate it from the sheet below, substantially as described.
2. The combination with a sheet picker into contact with which a sheet is
adapted to be forced by atmospheric pressure; of a support for a pile of sheets;
a retaining device to hold a portion of the top sheet stationary with relation to the
support; means for producing a change of position of said sheet picker relative
to said support and to that part of the top sheet which is being acted upon by such
pressure whereby said sheet picker and said top sheet are caused to travel one past
the other to progressively subject the sheet to atmospheric pressure; and means
for subsequently releasing the portion acted upon by the said retaining device,
substantially as described.
chamber
3. In a sheet feeding device, the combination with an exhausted
having an inlet in a wall thereof, of a support for the sheets, means for producing a
relative movement of said chamber and said support whereby the sheets are brought
to a position to be acted upon by atmospheric pressure at the chamber inlet, a
retaining device for the sheets adapted to engage and hold one portion of the sheet
while another portion thereof is drawn into contact with the wall of the chamber,
means for pressing said support towards said retaining device, and means for
releasing the sheet from said retaining device after that portion of the sheet which
is not held by said device has been drawn into contact with the wall of the chamber,
and for simultaneously preventing the movement of the support towards the
retaining device, substantially as described.
4. In a sheet feeding device, the combination with an exhausted chamber having
an inlet in a wall thereof; of a support for a pile of sheets arranged to support
the pile so that the top sheet thereof is adjacent to but wholly out of contact with
the wall of said chamber where the wall of said inlet is situated; a retaining device
to hold a portion only of the top sheet stationary with relation to the said support,
the remainder of the sheet being free to move into contact with the wall of the
chamber at the inlet aforesaid; and means for producing a movement of one
of said parts past the other whereby the exhaust chamber and that part of the sheet
drawn into contact therewith have a movement one past the other, so that the sheet
is progressively acted upon by pressure at the inlet and that portion of the
sheet not held by the retaining device progressively picked up into contact with the
chamber over the inlet thereto, substantially as described.
5. In a sheet feeding device, the combination with a traveling carrier com-
prising a rotatable drum from which the air is partially exhausted, said drum
being provided with one or more inlets, of a sheet support adjacent to said drum,
means for rotating said drum to cause the inlets to travel past said support, means
for moving said support towards the wall of the drum, a retaining device for the
sheets on said support to retain a portion of the top sheet while another portion
thereof is being drawn into contact with the wall of the drum, a stop or projection
connected with said drum and adapted in the movement thereof to engage the said
retaining device and cause it to release the top sheet, and means whereby the
movement of said retaining device to release the top sheet prevents the movement
of the support towards the wall of the carrier, substantially as described.
6. In a sheet feeding device, the combination with the traveling carrier com-
prising a rotatable drum from which the air is exhausted, said drum being pro-
vided with one or more inlets, of a sheet support adjacent to said drum, a stationary
shutter for the inlet, said shutter terminating at a point adjacent to the sheet
support, a retaining device for holding a portion only of the sheet stationary with
relation to the said support, the remainder of the sheet being free to move into
contact with the drum at the inlet, means for rotating said drum to cause the
inlets to travel past the surface of the sheet which is drawn into contact therewith,
but prevented by said retaining device from being carried along thereby; and

page_text: means for subsequently operating the retaining device to release the sheet, sub-
tantially as described.
7. In a sheet feeding device, the combination with an exhausted chamber having
an inlet in the wall thereof, of a support for a pile of sheets arranged to support
the pile so that the top sheet thereof is adjacent to the wall of said chamber where
the said inlet is situated, a retaining device to hold a portion only of the top sheet
stationary with relation to said support, the remainder of said sheet being free
to move into contact with the wall of said chamber at the inlet, means for pro-
ducing a movement of one of said parts past the other whereby the exhaust
chamber and that part of the sheet which is drawn into contact therewith have a
movement one past the other so that the sheet is progressively picked up by atmos-
pheric pressure at the inlet; and means for closing the said inlet up to the time
the said inlet is in position to cause the pressure thereat to act upon the sheet,
substantially as described.
8. In a sheet feding device, the combination with an exhausted chamber pro-
vided with an inlet in the wall thereof, of a support for the sheets adapted to be
moved towards the wall of said chamber by means of a weight and pulley, a
presser-foot provided with a spring whereby it is normally pressed down upon the
surface of a sheet on the support, said presser-foot having a loose pivotal connected
with said support, an arm or projection from said presser-foot adjacent to said
pulley, means for producing a relative movement of the chamber and the sheet
support, and a tripping projection adapted to engage said arm and move the same
into engagement with the pulley, whereby said arm is rocked on the pulley as a
fulcrum, to lift the presser-foot and at the same time to prevent rotation of the
pulley and check the movement of the support which would otherwise result,
substantially as described.
9. In a sheet feeding device, the support b, weight and pulley c, and the
presser-foot d having an elongated slot adapted to engage projections or pins
to support said presser-foot, the spring ² whereby said presser-foot is normally
pressed towards said support, and the arm d³ overlying said pulley, substantially
as described.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.