Improvements in and relating to Means for Guiding Box-blanks and the like in a Feeder for Printing Presses.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Oct., 1899-Accepted, 9th Dec., 1899
Improvements in and relating to Means for Guiding Box-blanks and
the like in a Feeder for Printing Presses.
I, CHARLES GRANT HARRIS, residing at No. 4, Park Avenue, Niles, in the
County of Trumbull, State of Ohio, United States of America, Inventor, do
hereby declare the nature of my invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement:-
In that class of printing presses in which the feeding is effected mechanically
from the top or bottom of a pile of the stock, difficulty has heretofore been
experienced in feeding blanks having lateral projections, such as box-blanks.
This is occasioned by some of the projecting portions of a blank contacting when
being fed forward, with other projecting portions of the remaining blanks,
resulting in the former being torn off. This seriously interferes with the feed-
ing operation and also occasions considerable loss, since a blank thus damaged
is rendered useless.
The object of this invention is to provide means for so guiding blanks as they
are fed to a printing press that the lateral projecting portions of such blanks
will be prevented from catching against any of the forwardly-located lateral
projections of the remaining blanks of the pile. This I accomplish by means
of a guide arm set at an angle, at one side of the pile of stock, and-so arranged
that, as a blank is fed forward, the arm will be between the opposite faces of
the forwardly-located lateral projections of the remaining stock and the pre-
viously rearwardly located lateral projections of the blank that is being fed. In
this way the lateral projections at the rear or outer end of a blank are prevented
from engaging with the forward lateral projections of the stock across which
the blank is caused to travel as it is being fed to a press. Two guide arms are
usually employed, one on each side of the pile.
The invention will be hereinafter fully set forth and particularly pointed out
in the claims.
In the accompanying drawing:
Figure 1 is a view in perspective showing a portion of a printing press feed
table. Figure 2 is a plan view. Figure 3 is an enlarged view of one of the
guides detached.
Referring to the drawing, A designates the feed table of a printing press;
a the stock hopper; and a¹ a pile of box-blanks positioned in said hopper.
The hopper a is shown as composed of upright guides, although any suitable
construction may be employed.
B, B, designate the guide arms which are set at an angle and are mounted
on a cross-rod of the feed-table. Each arm has a socket piece which is
held on cross-rod by a set screw. The arm, proper, may be made from a
rod or wire, or any suitable medium. From its socket it extends downward
and forward parallel with the side of the pile and is then carried inward and
upward as at b³, and is then carried downward, as at 7, again paralleling the
side of the pile, and is then bent slightly downward and carried forward as at b5,
terminating in an approximately horizontal portion. The horizontal portion,
or forward end, of each arm is then extended beneath the forward lateral pro-
jections 2 of the blanks. In Figure 1 I have shown the lowermost blank of

page_text: the pile partly fed forward. It will be noticed that the rear lateral projections 3
of this blank, as it is approaching the projections 2 of the remaining blanks is
caused to engage with the bent portion of the guide-arm, and as the blank is
moved farther forward to and beneath the projections 2, the projection is held
out of engagement with the latter and passes beneath the forward end of the
guide arm.
In this way each blank is capable of being fed to a press without being
damaged or torn by catching against any of the projections of the remaining
blanks of the pile."
In the drawings I have shown the guide as applied to a pile the feeding from
which is effected from the underside. But it is obvious that the guides can
be employed with the same results when the feeding is from the top of the
pile. When so used the arms are positioned so that the outer ends thereof
will bear against the upper faces of the projections 2. Hence as a blank is
fed forward the lateral projections 3 will travel over the ends of the guide-
arms and be prevented from engaging the projections 2.
These guide-arms are of decided advantage when blanks of any kind having a
plurality of lateral projections are to be fed mechanically from the top or bottom
of a pile of such blanks.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
:
1. The combination with a feed-table, of a guide located thereon designed
to engage the lateral projections of the forward part of, stock piled on such
feed-table, and having an inclined portion near its outer end which intersects
the line of travel of the lateral projections of the rearward part of such stock,
as and for the purpose set forth.
The combination with a feed-table, of a guide consisting of an arm fixedly
mounted on said feed-table and having a straight end and an inclined portion
adjacent thereto, said inclined portion intersecting the line of feed, as set forth.
3. The combination with a feed-table and a hopper, of a guide consisting of a
fixed arm having an inclined portion intersecting and paralleling the line of
feed, substantially as set forth.
4. The combination with a feed-table and a hopper, of a guide consisting of a
fixed inclined arm having an inwardly extended portion and an inclined portion
intersecting the line of feed, substantially as set forth.
5. The combination with a feed-table having a cross-rod and a hopper, of
guide arms mounted on said cross-rod and extended at an angle thereto, said
arms being extended inwardly toward said hopper and having inclined portions
and straight ends, as and for the purpose set forth.
6. The combination with a feed-table having a stock hopper, of angularly dis-
posed guide arms mounted on said feed-table on opposite sides of said hopper
and having inclined portions extended across and paralleling the line of travel
of the stock, as and for the purpose set forth.
7. The combination with a feed-table having a stock hopper, of a fixed guide
extended in the line of travel and having an inclined portion intersecting the
feed line and terminating on a line approximately parallel with such feed line,
substantially as set forth.
1000
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.