CA2496641A1 - Paper separator - Google Patents

Abstract

A manually-operated device for removing a stack of paper from a larger pile has a vertically-slidable frame mounted on a vertical column. The frame has a stack selector bar and a pile control bar which are mounted for a displacement across the pile. The selector bar has a blade, or prong, for inserting into the pile to define a selected stack. The pile control bar is mounted for engaging the pile at the same spot as the selector bar. Separating means are provided for pushing the control bar downwards to the pile when both the bars penetrate the stack. The selector bar is displaced to a point of destination of the stack while the displacement of the pile control bar across the pile, in a lateral direction, is arrested.
This arrangement enables removal of the stack from the pile while holding a remainder of the pile in place to prevent streaming of sheets. Means are provided for a rapid action of the separating means to reduce the possibility of streaming of the sheets.

Description

PAPER SEPARATOR
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a device, preferably manually operated, for separating sheet material such as paper from a pile of the material and transferring a predefined stack of the material to a further handling place or position.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Large piles of paper or other sheet material often require separation into smaller stacks, preferably of a predetermined number of sheets, for further processing such as punching and/or binding. For further reference, the description will refer to paper only with the understanding that other types of sheet material can be substituted.
In the case of paper in large piles, it is well recognized that the removal of a stack of, say, several hundred sheets from the pile is fraught with a risk of marring the leading edge or edges of some sheets with the stack separating tool, and once the stack is removed, whether horizontally i.e. in the general direction of the plane of the paper or upwards, the sheets lying on top of the remaining pile have a tendency to "stream" behind the stack being removed. This streaming is undesirable as it may lead to paper misfeed on the next cycle.
Several devices for the handling, separating and transfer of stacks of paper or other sheet materials are known in the art. They are either manual devices, exemplified by US Patents Nos. 2,854,150 and 3,176,859 or Canadian Patent 888,563, or automatic apparatus such as described in US Patents Nos. 3,146,897 and 3,206,042, or US Patent Application 2003/0155701.
Several of the poor art proposals recognize and address the problems listed above.
It is noted that some solutions involve the injection of compressed air between the stack to be removed and the remaining pile. This is sometimes of essence since most of the prior art identified thus far deals with large volumes of sheet material and thus a relatively heavy weight of the stack and relatively high speed of operation.
The object of the present invention is to provide a relatively simple, manually operable device for separating a stack of paper (or the like sheet material) from a larger pile of the sheets, and conveying the stack to another position for further use, with a reasonably low occurrence of paper marring or damage. The operation may be cyclical wherein the device is adjustable such that each stack has essentially the same number of sheets.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a device for removing a stack of sheets from a pile of the sheets, the pile defining a lateral direction parallel to the planes of the sheets and a transverse axis perpendicular to the planes, the device comprising: a vertically slidable frame mounted for movement along the transverse axis of the pile, a stack pushing means mounted on the frame for displacement across the pile in the lateral direction, a stack selecting means associated with the stack pushing means and mounted for a displacement in the lateral direction for penetration into the pile at a predetermined height of the pile to select a stack of the sheets, a pile control means mounted for a partial lateral displacement along with the stack pushing means to a position in which both the stack selecting means and the pile control means penetrate the pile to select the stack of sheets, separating means for pushing the pile control means downward toward the pile and away from the stack selecting means thereby effecting a partial separation between the stack and the pile, a handle connected to the stack selecting means and pile control means for effecting a displacement thereof across the pile, the handle operable to activate the separating means when the stack selecting means and the pile control means penetrate the pile, and displacement control means for allowing a lateral displacement of the stack pushing means and stack selecting means across the pile to transfer a selected stack to a destination position while arresting the partial lateral displacement of the pile control means when the stack selecting means and the pile control means are inserted in the pile.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a device for transferring a stack of non-rigid sheets from a pile of the sheets to a utilization location, the sheets defining at least one x-y plane, the device comprising:
a) a frame displaceable relative to the pile along a fixed substantially vertical axis, b) a sheet selector bar mounted on the frame for a lateral displacement relative to the frame and substantially parallel to the at least plane of the sheets, the selector bar having a leading edge at a leading end thereof for inserting into the pile while the selector bar is displaced towards the pile, c) a sheet control bar having a tapered edge at one end and mounted on the frame for a lateral displacement along with the selector bar and for a transverse movement relative to a longitudinal axis of the selector bar in a "y" direction essentially perpendicular to an x-y plane of the sheets in the pile, d) holding means for holding the sheet control bar in a first position wherein the tapered edge and the leading edge form a joint edge, e) a handle attached to said selector bar for moving the selector bar and the control bar towards the pile or away from the pile, and f) separating means for effecting the transverse movement of c) and thereby separating the tapered edge and the leading edge away from each other in a second position of the device when the joint edge penetrates the pile, the separating means operable by the displacement of the handle.
The holding means may be a spring means mounted to the control bar and to the selector bar, or to the frame and the control bar.
In an embodiment of the invention, the separating means is a linkage mounted to the frame and to the control bar. Separate means may be provided for activating the separating means when the joint edge is inserted in the pile. For example, the handle may have a dog or driver mounted thereon and disposed for engaging the linkage during a forward motion of the handle (toward the pile).
Alternatively, a lever or another known operating element associated with the separating means may be employed to effect the separating action of the separating means.
The vertical position of the frame relative to the pile is preferably controlled by a stack thickness control mechanism such that the common edge of the device may be inserted into the pile at a same distance from the top, thus separating the same number of sheets at each cycle. The cycle is understood to be the sum of a full forward and backward (away from the pile) displacement of the handle. The stack control mechanism may include a wheel or a set of wheels, preferably made from a low-friction material, mounted to the frame and disposed for resting atop the pile when the device is in a first position, ready for operation. The vertical position of the wheel or wheels relative to the frame is vertically adjustable so that the resting position of the wheels) on top the pile may correspond to a variable vertical position of the frame, and thus the joint edge, relative to the top of the pile.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be explained in more detail by way of the following description in conjunction with the drawings in which:
Fig. 1 is a front view of the device in a first position, Fig. 2 is a side view, from a direction A of Fig. 1, of the stack control mechanism of the device, Fig. 3 is a partial side view of the stack-separating elements of Fig. 1 in a pile-engaging position before the separating mechanism is activated, and Fig. 4 is a partial side view of the stack-separating elements of Fig. 1 after the separating mechanism is activated.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
Turning now to Fig. 1, the device has a frame 10 mounted slidably on a vertical stand 12 for upward and downward displacement. Exemplary means for releasably securing the frame 10 on the stand 12 are shown as brackets 14. The stand is mounted to a permanent surface, e.g. a floor, or to a temporary surface e.g. a table top 16. In order to place the frame at a standby elevated position e.g. for inspection, a shoring device, e.g. a rod 18 is provided with one end pivotally mounted to the frame at the point 17 such that either the rod is not engaged, with the distal end of the rod loose in the "ready to use" first position of the device, as illustrated in Fig.1, or the rod 18 is positioned vertically and the distal ends is supported on the surface 16 to prevent downward sliding of the frame by gravity.
A sheet selector bar or rail 20 is mounted to the frame 10 by a dovetail slidable connection, not shown in the drawing in detail, and consisting of a dovetail groove in the frame and a dovetail-shaped tongue at the back of the bar 20. The connection enables the selector bar 20 to slide left and right relatively to the frame 10. The bar 20 at its leftmost end has a prong-like element 22 with an upward extending pusher 24. The prong 22 with the pusher are fixedly mounted on the bar 20 for engaging a pile of paper 26 indicated in phantom lines to the left of the device of the invention, and more specifically, for selecting a stack of paper from the remaining pile and for pushing the stack to a predetermined position when the bar 20 is operated.
It will be readily appreciated that the dovetail slidable connection used in the embodiment herein is but one possibility of a transverse displacement of the rails/bars 20, 31 relative to the frame. A number of alternative known mechanisms, for example using guides and bearings, can be explored to the same effect.
The pile 26 defines a number of horizontal planes corresponding to the individual sheets and stacks, and the device is designed to remove the stacks along a horizontal plane i.e. across the pile. The pile also defines a vertical axis perpendicular to the planes of the sheets. It is however conceivable, with simple additional provisions, to use the concept of the invention with the device and the pile rotated by 90 degrees so that the planes of the sheets are vertical and the frame is slidable horizontally. For simplicity, however, the description will address only the basic arrangement with the sheets positioned horizontally.
A handle 28 with a shank is connected securely to the selector bar 20 by way of a cross-piece 30 which may be bolted or riveted to the bar 20 and to which the shank of the handle is connected e.g. through a threaded connection. The shank of the handle 28 may also be mounted slidably to the frame 10 at its left-hand part to restrict the motion of the handle to a lateral displacement, in a manner known to those familiar with mechanics and not shown in the drawing.
A control bar 31 is connected through a pivotal linkage 32 with a connecting bar 34 which is mounted for slidable displacement in the same dovetail groove as the selector bar 20. A permanent magnet 36 is fixed to the right-hand end of the bar and normally engages the adjacent end of the connecting bar 34 by magnetic force. Of course, this assumes that at least the bar 34 is made of a ferromagnetic material or an equivalent. In a first position, "ready to use", of the device, illustrated 20 in Fig. 1, the control bar is biased upwards towards the selector bar by means of a helical spring 38 which is attached to the control bar at one end and to the frame 10 at a pin 40 at the other end of the spring.
Slidable leftward displacement of the connecting bar 34 is limited by the provision of a stop 40 which is mounted on the frame 10 such as to engage an abutment 42 fixed to the bar 34 when the bar 34 is moved to the left by a predetermined distance.
The crosspiece 30 with the handle and the bar 20 connected together are normally biased towards the right (in the drawing) by means of a helical spring 44 which is connected to the crosspiece at one end and to a pin 46, mounted in the frame 10, at the other end.

The left-most end 33 of the control bar 31 is wedge-shaped and, in a position shown in Fig, 1, aligned horizontally with the prong 22 of the selector bar 20 so that, when the bars 20 and 31 are displaced towards the pile 26, both the prong 22 and the wedge of the bar 31 enter into the pile at the same place ("joint edge").
The device has a linkage 50, 52 which serves as a joint-edge separating means in a manner described below. The purpose of the separating means is to separate a stack of sheets, selected according to the position of the joint edge relative to the pile of sheets, from the remaining pile. The insertion of the joint edge into the pile and a subsequent lateral (leftward in the Fig. 1 ) displacement of the joint edge would typically result in some streaming of the top sheets of the remaining pile due to friction between adjacent sheets. To counteract this phenomenon, the separating means is designed to separate the joint edge in a "y" direction, perpendicular to x-y planes of the sheets in the pile. In the embodiment illustrated, this is accomplished by moving the control bar pivotally downwards so that the wedge of the bar 31 presses onto the remaining pile while the prong 22 with the pusher 24 continues to move the stack leftward in an x-y plane.
The linkage consists of two rigid elongated strips 50, 52 of which one strip 50 is pivotally mounted to the frame 10 at a pivot point 54 and the other strip 52 is pivotally attached to the control bar 31 at one end 55 and to the first strip 50 at a pivot point 56. The points 54, 55 and 56 form a triangle in a first position of the device illustrated in Fig. 1.
The linkage is operated by a user through a displacement of the handle 28. Two bars, a lower bar 60 and an upper bar 62, are mounted to the frame adjacent and parallel to each other in a manner enabling their lateral displacement in a leftward or rightward direction as shown in Fig. 1. This can be accomplished, as in the embodiment illustrated herein, by way of a slidable dovetail connection of each bar 60, 62 to the frame independently. A magnet 64 is secured to the right-hand end of the upper bar 62 so that it faces a ferromagnetic plate 66 which is in turn fastened to the right-hand end of the lower bar 60. The upper bar 62 is provided _g_ with a stop 68 which engages the crosspiece 30 when the latter is moved leftward by means of the handle 28. This engagement results in the crosspiece pushing the upper bar leftward as will be described in detail below. The upper bar 62 also has a dog 70 fixed to the bar 62 so as to engage the linkage 50, 52 when the upper bar moves to the right.
A dog 72 is provided to protrude on the lower bar 60 so that it coincides and engages the linkage 50, 52 when the lower bar 60 is moved to the left. This leftward motion of the lower bar 60 has the effect of "straightening" the linkage to a substantially straight-linear shape as indicated by phantom lines between the points 54 and 55. Further displacement of the linkage is prohibited due to the presence of a protruding boss 74 mounted on the frame 10. In the "straightened"
position, the linkage, or one of its elements, abuts the boss 74.
The upper bar 62 is normally (in the first position illustrated in Fig. 1 ) biased towards the right-hand side of the frame by means of a spring 76 mounted to the frame at one end and to the upper bar 62 via a mount 78. Apart from the biasing effect, the mount and the spring are dimensioned and disposed not to obstruct a lateral displacement of the upper and lower bar.
The "straightening" of the normally-bent linkage 50, 52 has the effect of elongating the distance between the pivot points 54, 55. As a result, the bar 31 becomes displaced angularly downwards relative to the bar 20 to a position indicated in phantom lines 80 in Fig. 1 and in more detail in Fig. 4.
The stack control mechanism is illustrated in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. It consists of a cantilever bracket 82 fixed to the frame 10 and extending leftward thereof as shown in Fig. 1. A horizontal carriage bar 84 is mounted on the bracket through a bolt 86 which fixed to the carriage bar 84 and extends through a bore in the bracket 82. A
threaded nut 88 is provided on the top end of the bolt 86 to control a vertical position of the bolt in the bracket 82. The details of such vertical adjustment are well known to those familiar with mechanics. Fig. 2 also shows the edge 22 with the pusher 24, the handle 28 and, in phantom lines, a part of the frame 10, but other elements of the device are omitted for clarity.
Mounted at two ends of the horizontal carriage 84 are two wheels 90 made of a low-friction material e.g. polypropylene. The position of the carriage relative to the frame is controlled vial the bolt 86 such that when the wheels 90 rest on top of a pile of paper 26, the joint edge 22 (Fig. 2) faces the pile at a level below the top of the pile, i.e. at a point where a stack of paper is to be separated.
The operation of the device will be described below in conjunction with Fig.
1, Fig.
3 and Fig. 4.
The frame 10 with the associated elements is lifted to a suitable height so that a pile 26 of paper can be placed on the table 16 in the vicinity of the edge 22. When the frame is then lowered, the wheels rest on top of the pile and the edge 22 is spaced from the pile by a few millimeters. The shoring rod 18 is moved away to a position shown in Fig. 1.
The stack control mechanism is now adjusted via the nut 88 and bolt 86 until the edge is at a height corresponding to a desired stack thickness. This position is illustrated in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 as a "ready-to-use", or first position.
To separate the selected stack, a user pulls the handle 28 in a lateral direction opposite to the arrow A, i.e. leftward, or across the pile. This action causes the crosspiece 30 with the bar 20 to move to the left. Because of the magnetic force exerted by the magnet 36 onto the connecting bar 34, the bar 34 along with the control bar 31 move also to the left until the abutment 42 hits the stop 40.
At this point, the edge 22 and the edge 33 (which are shown in Fig. 1 as horizontally shifted from each other for clarity only) penetrate the pile 26 (see Fig. 3). Further left-ward force exerted on the handle against the magnetic force and the resilience of the spring 44, causes the magnetic force to be overcome and the bar 20 becomes rapidly detached from the connecting bar 34 and the control bar 31. The reason for the rapid-release or "snap-release" action will be explained below. As the magnet releases, the edge 22 moves leftward with the bar 20 while the 33 does not progress leftward.
Simultaneously, the action of the handle causes the crosspiece 30 to drive the upper bar 62 leftward by engaging the stop 68. As the magnet 64 is initially engaged with the plate 66, {shown separated from each other for clarity in Fig. 1 ), the lower bar 60 moves leftward with bar 62. The displacement of bar 60 causes the dog 72 on the bar 60 to engage the linkage 50, 52 and move it leftward toward the stop 74 at which point the linkage assumes a position illustrated in phantom lines between points 54 and 55.
This "extension" of the linkage causes a downward pressure on the control bar against the force of the spring 38. The bar 31 moves downward to press on the sheets remaining below the stack defined by the entry of the edge 22. As a result of the "snap-action" due to the break of the magnetic force on the magnet 36, the pressure on the bar 31 occurs rapidly and the remaining pile is secured from streaming before a significant displacement of the stack has taken place.
When the linkage 50, 52 abuts the stop 74, a continuing force on the handle causes, via the cross-piece 30, to overcome the magnetic force of the magnet 64.
White the leftward displacement of the lower bar 60 is arrested, the upper bar and the bar 20 keep moving, allowing the pusher 24 to move the selected stack to a destination position leftward of the initial position (Fig. 4). At the same time, the bar 31 pushes on the remaining stack 26. The movement of the selected sheets continues until cross-piece 30 abuts the dog 72.
The force exerted on the handle should also overcome the friction and pressure exerted by the wheels 90 on the stack. The stack is thus pushed from under the wheels (showed only schematically in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4), displaced and can now be handled by a user or by a separate conveying device. As the stack is removed, the wheels 90, the frame 10 and the edges 22, 33 drop by a distance equal to the thickness of the removed stack so that the cycle can be repeated.
The handle is now released or pushed back in the direction of the arrow A.
This allows the springs 44 and 76 to pull the crosspiece 30 and the bar 62 towards the initial position. The dog 70 on the bar 62 pushes the linkage from its linear position back to the initial position. The spring 38 causes the bar 31 to move upward to its initial position. The magnet 64 engages the plate 66 and the magnet 36 engages the bar 34. In this position, a new cycle can be started to separate another stack of sheets.
The elements described herein can be manufactured from a variety of conventional materials such as metals (ferromagnetic metals where necessary), e.g. aluminum or steel, or suitable plastics. Helical springs can be replaced with other equivalent elements. Instead of magnets, other "snap-release" elements may be used.
It should be understood that the embodiment described herein is presented merely by way of example. Numerous other embodiments and modifications will present themself to those skilled in the art and such modifications and embodiments are to be understood as being within the scope of the invention as defined by way of the accompanying claims.

Claims (7)

1. A device for removing a stack of sheets from a pile of the sheets, the pile defining a lateral direction parallel to the planes of the sheets and a transverse axis perpendicular to the planes, the device comprising:
a vertically slidable frame mounted for movement along the transverse axis of the pile, a stack pushing means mounted on the frame for displacement across the pile in the lateral direction, a stack selecting means associated with the stack pushing means and mounted for penetration of the pile at a predetermined height of the pile to select a stack of the sheets, a pile control means mounted for a partial displacement along with the stack pushing means to a position in which both the stack selecting means and the pile control means penetrate the pile to select the stack of sheets, separating means for pushing the pile control means downward toward the pile and away from the stack selecting means thereby effecting a partial separation between the stack and the pile, a handle connected to said stack selecting means and pile control means for effecting a displacement thereof across the pile, the handle operable to activate the separating means when the stack selecting means and the pile control means penetrate the pile, and displacement control means for allowing a lateral displacement of the stack pushing means and stack selecting means across the pile to transfer a selected stack to a destination position while arresting the lateral displacement of the pile control means when the stack selecting means and the pile control means penetrate the pile.

2. A device for transferring a stack of non-rigid sheets from a pile of the sheets to a utilization location, the sheets defining at least one x-y plane, the device comprising:

a) a frame displaceable relative to the pile along a fixed substantially vertical axis, b) a sheet selector bar mounted on the frame for a lateral displacement relative to the frame and substantially parallel to the at least plane of the sheets, the selector bar having a leading edge at a leading end thereof for inserting into the pile while the selector bar is displaced towards the pile, c) a sheet control bar having a tapered edge at one end and mounted on the frame for a lateral displacement along with the selector bar and for a downward movement in a "y" direction essentially perpendicular to an x-y plane of the sheets in the pile, d) holding means for holding the sheet control bar in a first position wherein the tapered edge and the leading edge form a joint edge, e) a handle attached to said selector bar for moving the selector bar and the control bar towards the pile or away from the pile, and f) separating means for moving the control bar downwardly and transversely to the x-y plane and thereby separating the tapered edge and the leading edge away from each other when the joint edge is inserted into the pile, the separating means operable by the displacement of the handle.

3. The device according to claim 1 wherein the separating means is a two-piece linkage operable between an angular position and an straightened position.

4. The device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a vertically-adjustable stack control mechanism mounted to the frame and disposed to rest atop the pile such that a vertical adjustment of the control mechanism changes a vertical position of the frame relative to the pile.

5. The device according to claim 1 wherein the displacement control means comprises a rapid-release means for accelerating the action of the separating means when pushing the pile control means downward.

6. The device according to claim 5 wherein the rapid-release means comprises a magnetic means.

7. The device according to claim 4 wherein the stack control mechanism comprises at least one wheel mounted to rest atop the pile.