US3698704A

US3698704A - Folded newspaper opening mechanism for multiple section inserting machine

Info

Publication number: US3698704A
Application number: US85534A
Authority: US
Inventors: Warren W Hannon; Charles N Hannon
Original assignee: W W HANNON; C N HANNON
Current assignee: W W HANNON; C N HANNON
Priority date: 1970-10-30
Filing date: 1970-10-30
Publication date: 1972-10-17
Anticipated expiration: 1989-10-17
Also published as: CA925117A

Abstract

A machine for assembling a multiple section newspaper successively feeds folded outer sections onto a continuously moving conveyor for advancement beneath mechanical opening mechanism with the fold line of the section disposed to one side and the hard edges thereof leading. As each outer section passes beneath the opening mechanism, a gripper thereof cycling in a generally upright plane moves down into frictional engagement with the outer leaf of the moving section and then obliquely across the path of travel of the section as the latter continues to move, whereby the leaf is pushed in its own plane toward the fold line of the section. This action draws the leading hard edge of the upper fold of the section away from the corresponding edge of the opposing fold to thereby open the section. With the advancing section thus opened, a stationary divider is received between the folds of the section, the gripper lifts from the section to complete its cycle in preparation for the next section, and one or more feeders alongside the path of travel of the advancing outer section deliver folded inner sections beneath the divider to the outer section.

Description

United States Patent Hannon et al.

[54] FOLDED NEWSPAPER OPENING MECHANISM FOR MULTIPLE SECTION INSERTING MACHINE Inventors: Warren W. Hannon; Charles N. Hannon, both of PO. Box 103, Olathe, Kans. 66061 [73] Assignee: W. W. Hannon by said C. N. Hannon Primary Examiner- Lawrence Charles Attorney-Schmidt, Johnson, l-lovey & Williams [451 Oct. 17, 1972 [57] ABSTRACT A machine for assembling a multiple section newspaper successively feeds folded outer sections onto a continuously moving conveyor for advancement beneath mechanical opening mechanism with the fold line of the section disposed to one side and the hard edges thereof leading. As each outer section passes beneath the opening mechanism, a gripper thereof cycling in a generally upright plane moves down into frictional engagement with the outer leaf of the moving section and then obliquely across the path of travel of the section as the latter continues to move, whereby the leaf is pushed in its own plane toward the fold line of the section. This action draws the leading hard edge of the upper fold of the section away from the corresponding edge of the opposing fold to thereby open the section. With the advancing section thus opened, a stationary divider is received between the folds of the section, the gripper lifts from the section to complete its cycle in preparation for the next section, and one or more feeders alongside the path of travel of the advancing outer section deliver folded inner sections beneath the divider to the outer section.

12 Claims, 16 Drawing Figures PATENTED T 17 I97? 3 6 98 .704

sum 1 or 5 1 NVEN TORS.

' I Warren W. Hannon 9.2. 30 BY Charles N. Honnon PATENTEDUBT 17 I972 SHEET 3 0F 5 INVENTORS. Warren W. Hcmnon 7 BY Charles N. Hannon PATENTEDum 7 1972 SHEET 0F 5 FOLDED NEWSPAPER OPENING MECHANISM FOR MULTIPLE SECTION INSER'IING MACHINE This invention relates to machines for assembling multiple section newspapers or the like and, more particularly, pertains to improved mechanism for opening continuously moving, folded outer sections of the newspaper in preparation for the insertion of other sections or articles thereinto.

Machines presently available for accomplishing the assembly or stuffing" of multiple sheet newspaper sections one within the other may be divided into two general categories. The first of these operates through means of a vacuum opening system wherein suction grippers are employed to pull one fold of a folded newspaper section away from the opposing fold thereof. However, such vacuum opening systems may be less than satisfactory for a number of reasons, particularly when each fold of the section to be opened contains a large number of leaves, all of which must be controlled during the opening process. In this instance, the vacuum gripper tends to grip only the outer leaf of the fold without controlling the remaining leaves therein, unless the system has been provided with expensive, complex vacuum apparatus that is powerful enough to assure complete gripping of all of the leaves. However, a system this powerful often tends to pick up leaves of the opposing fold of the section in addition to those intended, thereby causing frequent difficulties as well as greatly increasing the overall cost of the machine.

On the other hand, machines employing mechanical opening mechanisms such as the type disclosed in our copending application, Ser. No. 834,485, filed June 18, I969, now U. S. Pat. No. 3,595,560, issued July 27, 1971, have, for the most part, entirely eliminated the control and expense problems associated with the vacuum opening mechanisms. While the mechanical opening mechanism disclosed in said copending application has proven to be extremely successful and efficient, the operating speed of such mechanism is limited by the fact that the section is substantially stationary during opening thereof.

It is, therefore, an important object of our present invention to provide a reliable, high-speed inserting machine which is capable of opening multiple leaf articles such as newspaper sections while the sections move swiftly and continuously along a conveying line, all without damaging the sections and without the aid of the vacuum opening structure.

A further important object of the instant invention is the provision of opening mechanism in such a machine which frictionally grips the outer leaf only of the section to be opened and pushes such leaf substantially within its own plane in a direction to cause the leading hard edges of the section to separate.

Another important object of our invention is to provide in a machine as aforesaid, structure for positively controlling the section as it advances through the opening process in order to prevent undesired shifting of the section or lifting thereof by air currents.

Yet another important object of the invention is to provide a machine capable of carrying out all of the above objects, yet which may be quickly and easily adjusted so as to permit the handling of sections. of various thicknesses, all without adversely affecting the operating efficiency of the machine.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an inserting machine constructed in accordance with the principles of our present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, elevational view of the feed end of the machine of FIG. 1 with the outer protective casing thereof removed to reveal details of construction;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, top plan view of the receiving and inserting line of the machine;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, cross-sectional view of the receiving and inserting line taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, front elevational view of the machine as shown in FIGS. 2-4, illustrating in particular the drive and timing mechanism for the moving components of the machine;

FIGS. 6-13 are diagrammatic views illustrating the operational sequence of the machine;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged, fragmentary detail view of structure in the outer section feeder for crimping the leading margin of the section as it issues from the feeder;

FIG. 15 is a top plan view of a second embodiment of the machine capable of carrying out the principles of the invention wherein a number of superimposed inner sections may be inserted within the opened outer section at the same time; and

FIG. 16 is an enlarged, schematic, fragmentary, cross-sectional view taken along line 16-16 of FIG. 15.

Referring initially to FIG. 1, machine 20 as illustrated therein has a feeding station 22 at one end thereof which supplies folded, multiple-sheet newspaper sections or the like to a receiving and inserting line, broadly denoted by the numeral 24, which advances the folded section toward the opposite end of machine 20 and opens the section during such advancement for insertion thereinto of other newspaper sections or similar articles from

stations

26 and 28.

In FIGS. 2-5 it may be seen that machine 20 has an elongated framework 30 which supports

feeding stations

22, 26 and 28, as well as line 24, and includes a number of forwardly extending base members 32, rear uprights 34, cross members 36 bridging uprights 34 and base members 32, horizontal top members 38, and braces 40 between top members 38 and cross members 36. A plurality of longitudinal angle members 42 extend between the cross members 36 at opposite ends of machine 20, a pair of which support spaced-apart, generally

upright panels

44 and 46 which form structural supports for a number of the components of line 24 and dispose the latter in a slightly inclined or tilted condition as shown best in FIG. 2.

Line 24 may be divided into three general areas: a receiving and delivery area at the right end of the machine viewing FIG. 3; an opening area disposed generally centrally of the machine; and an insertion area located adjacent the opposite end of the machine. The receiving and delivery area has a pair of flat, split shelves 48 which are supported between front and

rear panels

44 and 46 by bracket structure 50 for receiving folded, outer newspaper sections from the feed rolls 52 of the feeding station 22. The feeder at each of the

stations

22, 26 and 28 are preferably of the bottom delivery type, such as disclosed in our copending application, Ser. No. l ,01 l, filed Aug. 7, 1968.

A pair of generally downwardly projecting, flexible fingers 54 and an opposed, arcuate flexible finger 56 above shelves 48 serve as guides and as hold-downs for the sections issuing from feeding station 22, and a delivery assembly 58 below shelves 48 has an endless conveyor chain 60 which carries a series of upstanding pushers 62 extending between the shelves 48 for movement longitudinally of line 24 toward the opposite end of the machine.

The opening area of the machine has an endless conveyor belt 64 disposed with its top surface thereof at the level of shelves 48, the opposed ends of belt 64 being supported by conveyor

rolls having shafts

66 and 68 journaled by suitable bearings on

panels

44 and 46. A longitudinal, flat plate 70

spans panels

44 and 46 beneath the upper stretch of conveyor belt 64 providing support therefor, and a generally arcuate, downturned exit plate 72 secured to panel 44 at the discharge end of belt 64 leads away from the upper stretch thereof.

A comparatively narrow, continuous presser belt 74 is disposed along one side of belt 64 adjacent panel 44 with its lower stretch resting upon the upper stretch of belt 64. The

opposed roll shafts

76 and 78 of presser belt 74 are carried by an elongated spreader bar 80 and extend through generally arcuate slots 82 (FIGS. 4 and in panel 44 to permit vertical movement of bar 80 and belt 74 against the action of a yieldable hold-down unit 84.

Also included within the opening area of the machine is opening mechanism broadly denoted by the numeral 86, the mechanism 86 being supported above and adjacent to the receiving end of conveyor belt 64 by means of a bracket 88 slidably received within blocks 90 on panel 44. An adjusting bolt 92 rigidly supported adjacent the upper edge of panel 44 has its lower portion thereof in threaded engagement with bracket 88 to permit incremental vertical sliding movement of the bracket 88 within blocks 90.

Mechanism 86 includes a frictional gripping pad 94 carried by a continuous, flexible chain 96 which is looped about supporting framework 98 carried by bracket 88. Framework 98 has a central upright plate 100 from which three elongated arms 102 extend, each arm 102 carrying a sprocket 104 at its outer end thereof for engaging chain 96 and supporting the latter for cycling in a generally upright plane and in a direction extending obliquely to the longitudinal axis of belt 64.

One of the arms 102 projects upwardly beyond the top edge of plate 100 and pivotally carries a rocker having another sprocket 108 at its outermost end which is yieldably biased into engagement with chain 96 by a coil spring 1 10. A pair of sprockets 1 12 along the lower edge of plate 100 have their axes of rotation disposed in a plane which extends in parallel relationship with the conveyor belt 64 such that during each cycle of chain 96, the pad 94 travels parallel to belt 64 for a short distance between sprockets 112. Driving power for the mechanism 86 is introduced thereto by means of a universal coupling 114 which is operably connected at one end to the input sprocket 104 on the upper arm 102 and at the other end with drive mechanism hereinafter described.

The inserting area of line 24 adjacent the discharge end of conveyor belt 64 includes a second pair of split shelves 116 which are supported by an upright panel 118 and the forward panel 44 and extend substantially across the width of line 24. A driven roller 120 (FIG. 4) directly and immediately below the leading end of presser belt 74 has its upper periphery disposed at the level of exit plate 72 in contact with the lower stretch of presser belt 74, and a take-away assembly 124 beneath shelves 116 is similar to delivery assembly 58, having a series of upstanding pushers 126 which project upwardly between shelves 116 and move longitudinally of line 24 away from conveyor belt 64 by means of an endless conveyor chain 128.

An elongated, rigid opening and separating rod 130 is supported by a base 132 on rear panel 46 and extends partially across conveyor belt 64 slightly above its upper surface. Rod 130 is angled toward the discharge end of conveyor belt 64 in approximate parallel relationship to the front edge of an elongated dividing plate 134 which is nearly coextensive with the shelf 116 and is mounted thereabove in spaced relationship thereto at a slightly greater transverse inclination. One longitudinal edge of divider 134 terminates at the gap between shelves 116, while the end of divider 134 adjacent conveyor belt 64 has its corners formed to present a pair of

upturned lips

136 and 138. Both the divider 134 and shelf 116 extend in front of the two

feeder stations

26 and 28, paper sections. delivered from these two stations being directed onto the shelf 116 beneath divider 134. An elongated deflector 140 is mounted on front panel 44 and extends longitudinally of the forward shelf 1 16 in spaced relationship thereabove.

The powermeans of machine 20 is disposed primarily within the basic framework 30 thereof, while the driving mechanism for the moving components of line 24 is operably coupled with the power means and is located within an open, box-like framework 142 on the outside of front panel 44. Framework 142 includes a pair of longitudinally extending top members 144, a series of stub members 146 spaced longitudinally of top members 144 and extending therebetween, and a number of generally upright posts which extend between the outer top member 144 and the corresponding angle member 42 therebelow.

The power means comprises a motor 150 (FIG. 2) having a variable pulley 152 which operably connects motor 150 with a gearbox 154, gearbox 154 in turn being connected through a sprocket and chain assembly 156 to a jackshaft 158 which extends longitudinally of the machine 20 and provides a common drive for the

feeder stations

22, 26 and 28. Gearbox 154 is drivingly coupled with a right angle drive 160 through a chain and sprocket assembly 162, the right angle drive 160, in turn, supplying power to the forward end (not shown) of take-away assembly 124 through a chain 164 (FIG. 5).

A chain and sprocket assembly 166 couples the shaft 168 of right angle drive 160 with shaft 68 of conveyor belt 64, spanning box framework 142 and journaled by one of the posts 148. Shaft 68 is then utilized as a central source of drive for delivery assembly 58, opening mechanism 86, driven roller 120, and presser belt 74.

Specifically, driving force for roller 120 is created through a chain and sprocket assembly 170 which couples shaft 68 with the shaft 172 of roller 120, while an endless chain 174 entrained about a sprocket 176 on shaft 68, a sprocket 178 on shaft 180 of delivery assembly 58, and

sprockets

182 and 184 transmits power to assembly 58. The shaft 76 from presser belt 74 spans the opposed branches 186 of a floating frame 188 having one end thereof swingable about an axis through shaft 68 and biased downwardly in a clockwise direction viewing FIG. 5 by a coil spring 190. A chain and sprocket assembly 192 couples shaft 68 with shaft 76 of presser belt 74, a reversing of direction being accomplished during such coupling by means of an idler sprocket 194 on one of the branches 186 which receives the chain of assembly 192 prior to its engagement with the sprocket 196 on shaft 76.

The shaft 198 of sprocket 182 driven by chain 174 provides a power takeoff for the opening mechanism 86, the shaft 198 carrying a second sprocket 200 which meshes with a generally upright continuous chain 202 that is also entrained about a sprocket 204 on the drive shaft 206 which leads from universal coupling 114. A timing assembly 208 interposed between

shafts

198 and 206 coordinates the cycling of chain 96 of opening mechanism 86 with the movement of the other components of the machine. Assembly 208 includes an elongated, upright spreader bar 210 spanning

shafts

198 and 206, a slide unit 212 mounted on bar 210 for longitudinal movement therealong, and a threaded timing bolt 214 projecting above the upper portion of framework 142 and having its lower extremities in engagement with slide unit 212. Assembly 208 further includes a pair of stationary sprockets 216 disposed centrally of bar 210 and

sprockets

218 and 220 movable with slide unit 212, all of the sprockets 216-220 meshing with chain 202 as shown most clearly in FIG. 5.

Referring now to FIGS. and 16, a second machine embodying the principles of our present invention is illustrated and is broadly designated by the numeral 300. The machine 300 is essentially identical to machine except for certain specific changes, and therefore, will be described in only limited detail. Machine 300 has a newspaper feeding station 302 disposed along one side of a receiving and inserting line 304 which includes opening mechanism 306 and divider structure 308. The specific change incorporated by machine 300 lies in the special construction of feeding station 310 located at the discharge end of line 304.

In particular, each of the

stations

26 and 28 of machine 30 has a feeder which is designed to successively deliver single, inner newspaper sections from a stack thereof to the line 24. Therefore, the number of inner sections which may be inserted within an outer section moving along line 24 is dependent upon the number of feeding stations, such as 26 and 28, which are provided.

On the other hand, station 310 of machine 300 contemplates delivering all of the inner sections to be inserted simultaneously instead of at spaced intervals. To this end, station 310 includes a series of

feeders

312, 314 and 316 which are arranged in a line extending transversely of receiving and inserting line 304, and supported above an endless conveyor 318. Suitable mechanism (not shown) coupled with the jackshaft 320 extending from the power means of machine 300 drives the conveyor 318 toward line 304 at a speed which causes the sections emanating from feeders 312-316 to be progressively stacked one upon the other as the discharge end of conveyor 318 is approached. There fore, after a section has issued from between the rollers 322 of feeder 312, a short stack of three superimposed sections is completed and ready for advancement between the superimposed

delivery belts

324 and 326 which ultimately discharge the short stack beneath the divider 308 and onto shelf 328 of line 304.

OPERATION Except for the special collecting and delivery action of station 310, machine 300 operates in a manner identical to that of machine 20. Therefore, only the operation of machine 20 will be described, with the understanding that the principles of such operation are also applicable to machine 300.

In order to obtain a full and clear understanding of the manner of operation of machine 20, it is suggested that particular reference be made to FIGS. 6-12 which diagrammatically illustrate the steps in the assembly of a complete newspaper edition. Actuation of motor initiates operation of the components of machine 20 with the delivery assembly 58, conveyor belt 64, the lower stretch of presser belt 74, and takeaway assembly 124 all moving at the same speed toward the left end of line 24, viewing FIG. 3. Additionally, opening mechanism 86 is activated with the gripper pad 94 cycling within its oblique, upright plane at a speed which is slightly greater than the speed of conveyor belt 64. However, while the overall peripheral speed of pad 94 is greater than that of conveyor belt 64, the velocity component of pad 94 parallel to the direction of movement of conveyor belt 64 is substantially identical to the speed of operation of conveyor belt 64. Vertical adjustment of the mechanism 86 to bring pad 94 closer to or farther away from conveyor belt 64 may be easily effected by rotating adjusting bolt 92 as necessary.

Viewing FIG. 6, feeding station 22 shows a stack A of folded, multiple leaf, outer newspaper sections which are successively fed onto the inclined split shelves 48 with sufficient momentum to carry each section across shelves 48 until the fold line 400 of the section abuts the panel 44. During issuance of the section from station 22, the section, if of a limited number of pages (14 or less) passes between rollers 52 (FIG. 14) and has its left margin (viewing FIG. 14) crimped downwardly by a rotary element 222 and an opposed roller 224 in order to facilitate handling of the relatively thin section during its advancement along line 24. Rotary element 222 is removed from the feeding mechanism when newspapers of more than about 14 pages are being handled. Panel 44 then serves as a side guide as the section is engaged at its rearmost edge by one of the pushers 62 of delivery assembly 58 and moved along the line 24 toward conveyor belt 64. During the time that the delivered out section is resting upon shelves 48 and moving toward conveyor belt 64, the opening mechanism 86 is in the condition illustrated in FIG. 7 wherein the gripper pad 94 is moving upwardly along the back stretch of its cycle away from the surface of conveyor belt 64.

As illustrated most clearly in FIG. 11, a typical newspaper section as shown therein has, in addition to the fold line 400 along one side thereof, a pair of opposed,

flat folds

402 and 404 which, in turn, present folded,

hard edges

406 and 408 respectively. Each of the

folds

402 and 404 comprises a number of superimposed, relatively thin leaves, such as the outer leaf 410 of fold 404. Therefore, as clearly shown in the drawings, the outer section advances along shelves 48 toward conveyor belt 64 with the

hard edges

406 and 408 leading.

As the outer section continues to advance along line 24, the

hard edges

406 and 408 thereof are gripped between presser belt 74 and conveyor belt 64 adjacent fold line 400 until substantially the entire surface area of the section is disposed upon conveyor belt 64 as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. During the reception of the outer section from delivery assembly 58, presser belt 74 is free to float within the slots 82 against the action of hold-down 84 and floating frame 188 (FIG. in order to compensate for the particular thickness of the section, while at the same time remaining in firm engagement with the latter to press it against conveyor belt 64 and effect positive control thereover. When the moving outer section reaches the position shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the gripper pad 94 completes its downward stroke toward conveyor belt 64 and is just beginning to frictionally engage the outer leaf 410 of fold 404 in preparation for opening the section. Then, as the section continues to be advanced by conveyor belt 64, the pad 94 levels out and moves parallel to the plane of the section between sprockets 112 (FIG. 4) 4) along its oblique course to thereby cause the outer leaf 410 to be pushed toward presser belt 74. In view of the fact that the pad 94, while moving obliquely, has a velocity component extending longitudinally of conveyor belt 64 which is substantially equal to the speed at which the outer section advances, there is no relative movement between pad 94 and outer leaf 410 for the distance between sprockets 112. Accordingly, leaf 410 is pushed only in a lateral direction within its own plane toward presser belt '74 (FIGS. 10 and 11) without any longitudinal displacement whatsoever and without any damage. Because presser belt 74 maintains firm, even downward pressure against the outer section, the leaf 410 thereof begins to crumple slightly between pad 94 and presser belt 74, causing the hard edge 408 to be drawn upwardly away from the opposite edge 406. This action causes separation of

folds

402 and 404, thereby effecting opening of the section.

As the opened outer section continues to advance along line 24 and pad 94 continues in its cycle, the rod 130 slips between the separated

forms

402 and 404 to hold the latter away from fold 402 as the

edges

406 and 408 approach the discharge end of conveyor belt 64. As soon as rod 130 enters between

folds

402 and 404, the pad 94 completes its movement between sprockets 112 and lifts upwardly away from the section out of engagement with leaf 410 to complete its cycle.

With the

folds

402 and 404 maintained in spaced relationship by rod 130, the

hard edges

406 and 408 receive the divider 134 therebetween as the section moves into the position shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. As the upper fold 404 becomes further separated from fold 402 because of the inclined surface of divider 134, the free side of fold 402 begins to slide along rear shelf 116, while the portion of the section adjacent fold line 400 leaves conveyor belt 64 and is controlled between exit plate 72, roller 120, and presser belt 74 (FIG. 4). Then, as the section leaves the control of presser belt 74 and roller 120, a pusher 126 of take-away assembly 124 engages the rearmost edge of the section to continue advancement of the latter. As the opened outer section continues travel along line 24 in the condition illustrated in FIG. 13, folded inner sections or other articles are successively fed to the section beneath divider 134 by

stations

26 and 28.

Manifestly, the timing and synchronism of the opening mechanism 86 with the remaining components of the machine is particularly important in view of the high operating speeds which may be obtained by virtue of the continuous, no-dwell characteristics of the machine. Therefore, the locus of contact between the pad 94 and the moving outer section may be easily regulated and adjusted by virtue of the special construction of, mechanism 86 and the timing assembly 208. To this end, the desired positioning of pad 94 may be roughly or approximately determined prior to actuation of the machine by swinging rocker 106 (FIG. 4) downwardly against the action of spring to move sprocket 108 out of engagement with chain 96. This releases the tension on chain 96 such that the latter may then be lifted from the upper input sprocket 104 and manually cycled until pad 94 is in the desired location. Replacement of chain 96 on input sprocket 104 and rocker sprocket 108 then returns mechanism 86 to its operable condition.

After such rough adjustment of mechanism 86, the locus of contact between pad 94 and the outer section may be finely adjusted while the machine is in operation through timing assembly 208. This is easily accomplished by rotating adjusting belt 214, causing slide unit 212 to shift vertically of bolt 214 which, in turn, displaces the

sprockets

218 and 220 relative to the stationary sprockets 216. This action varies the timed relationship between

chains

202 and 174, thereby changing the timed relationship between pad 94 and conveyor belt 64.

As long as the various feeding stations remain loaded, the operation described above is continuous. At the delivery end of line 24 the fully assembled newspapers may simply be collected in stacks as they are discharged from shelves 116 or, if desired, the apparatus may directly be a newspaper folding and wrapping machine of the type disclosed in US. Pat. Nos. 3,161,000 and 3,255,569.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus for inserting a sheet article between opposed portions of a folded, multiple leaf sheet section having a fold along one side thereof with each of said portions having a hard edge extending transversely of said fold, said apparatus comprising:

conveying means for receiving said section and advancing the latter along a predetermined path of travel with said hard edges of the portions leading; means engageable with said section for holding the section against movement laterally of said path;

mechanism engageable with one of said portions during advancement of the section for shifting said one portion in a direction generally toward said fold to separate said hard, leading edges of the por tions and thereby open the section while the latter is advancing,

said mechanism including a gripper and means for driving said gripper along a course of travel extending obliquely of said path of travel of the section when the gripper is in contact with said one portion during advancement of the section;

a divider disposed within said path of travel of the section and positioned to enter between said separated edges of the portions to thereby maintain the same in spaced relationship; and

a feeder along said path for delivering said sheet article to the opened section as the latter advances.

2. The invention of claim 1, wherein the speed of the gripper in a direction parallel to said path as the gripper travels along said course is substantially equal to the speed at which the section advances along said path.

3. The invention of claim 2, wherein is provided means movable along said path in opposition to and at substantially the same speed as said conveying means for pressing the section against said conveying means to maintain control over said section during advancement thereof.

4. The invention of claim 3, wherein said conveying means includes a first continuous belt supporting said section and wherein said pressing means comprises a second continuous belt narrower than said section and extending along said fold of the section, said gripper being frictionally engageable with the outer leaf of said one portion for pushing said outer leaf within its own plane against said second belt to thereby draw said hard edge of the one portion away from the hard edge of the other portion.

5. The invention of claim 2, wherein said mechanism further includes structure for bringing said gripper into and out of engagement with said one portion of the section at opposite ends respectively of said course while the section is advancing.

6. The invention of claim 5, wherein saidstructure includes a continuous, flexible element looped above said section and operably coupled with said drive means for cycling in a plane disposed transversely to the plane of said section, said element carrying said gripper and being arranged during each cycle thereof to move toward, then parallel to and thence away from said plane of the section to effect operation of the gripper.

7. The invention of claim 6, wherein is provided means for shifting said element toward and away from said path to accommodate sections of various thicknesses.

8. The invention of claim 5, wherein is provided timing means interconnecting said structure and said conveying means for determining the locus of contact of said gripper with said one portion.

9. The invention of claim 1, wherein is provided a second feeder along said path for delivering a second sheet article between said portions of the section as the latter continues to advance.

10. The invention of claim 1, wherein said feeder is operable to deliver at least a superimposed pair of said sheet articles to the section at one time.

1 1. An opener for continuously moving, folded sheet articles each having a fold along one side thereof and a pair of normally juxtaposed portions, each portion provided with a leading edge extending transversely to said fold, said opener comprising:

asupport; a gripper shiftably mounted on said support for movement along a course of travel extending obliquely to the path of travel of the moving articles; and

means for cycling said gripper along its course of 1

Claims

1. Apparatus for inserting a sheet article between opposed portions of a folded, multiple leaf sheet section having a fold along one side thereof with each of said portions having a hard edge extending transversely of said fold, said apparatus comprising: conveying means for receiving said section and advancing the latter along a predetermined path of travel with said hard edges of the pOrtions leading; means engageable with said section for holding the section against movement laterally of said path; mechanism engageable with one of said portions during advancement of the section for shifting said one portion in a direction generally toward said fold to separate said hard, leading edges of the portions and thereby open the section while the latter is advancing, said mechanism including a gripper and means for driving said gripper along a course of travel extending obliquely of said path of travel of the section when the gripper is in contact with said one portion during advancement of the section; a divider disposed within said path of travel of the section and positioned to enter between said separated edges of the portions to thereby maintain the same in spaced relationship; and a feeder along said path for delivering said sheet article to the opened section as the latter advances.

6. The invention of claim 5, wherein said structure includes a continuous, flexible element looped above said section and operably coupled with said drive means for cycling in a plane disposed transversely to the plane of said section, said element carrying said gripper and being arranged during each cycle thereof to move toward, then parallel to and thence away from said plane of the section to effect operation of the gripper.

11. An opener for continuously moving, folded sheet articles each having a fold along one side thereof and a pair of normally juxtaposed portions, each portion provided with a leading edge extending transversely to said fold, said opener comprising: a support; a gripper shiftably mounted on said support for movement along a course of travel extending obliquely to the path of travel of the moving articles; and means for cycling said gripper along its course of travel in contact with one of said portions of each successive article for shifting said one portion generally toward the fold of the corresponding article whereby to separate its leading edges.

12. An opener as claimed in claim 11, wherein said gripper has a velocity component extending parallel to said path of travel of the articles which is substantially equal in magnitude to the velocity of said articles.