EP0237701A1 - Method and apparatus for the insertion of at least one insert into, preferably, folded printed products - Google Patents

Abstract

The printed products to be provided with inserts or supplements are infed in respective pairs by an infeed conveyor to a processing drum or cell wheel. The cell wheel comprises substantially radially extending compartments which are open at the periphery of the cell wheel. Product feed devices, for example, clamps or grippers are arranged in the compartments for forwardly advancing the printed products located in the compartments. Each compartment is divided into two feed channels by a removable divider or partition wall. These divider or partition walls terminate at a predeterminate spacing from the product feed devices. Each of the two printed products which are conjointly conveyed as a pair are infed into a respective feed channel. The printed products in the feed channels of each compartment are then conjointly advanced and approximately simultaneously opened and are furnished with an insert or supplement. This is possible, in spite of their mutual advancement, since the printed products are separated from one another by a divider or partition wall and thus do not completely repose upon one another.

Description

The present invention relates to a method and a device for introducing at least one insert into preferably folded printed products according to the preamble of claim 1 and claim 6.

A method or a device of this type is known from CH-PS 649 267 or the corresponding US-PS 4,416,448. In this known solution, two printed products are simultaneously introduced into the radial compartments of a processing drum which is driven to rotate about its horizontal longitudinal axis. The printed product pairs are advanced together in the longitudinal direction of these compartments and opened during the advancement. The two printed products lie on one another over their entire surface with one of their side surfaces during their entire feed path. First, one of the two printed products is opened while the other printed product remains closed. An insert is then introduced into the open printed product, while the other printed product is now opened and then provided with an insert. Both the opening of the two jointly fed printed products and the insertion of the inserts into the respectively opened printed product thus take place one after the other. This requires a correspondingly long processing route, i.e. after a suitably long processing drum.

The present invention is based on the object of creating a method and a device of the type mentioned at the outset, in which or in which the processing of the printed products takes place along the shortest possible processing time way can be done without having to accept a reduction in processing capacity.

This object is achieved by the features of the characterizing part of claim 1 and claim 6.

Due to the fact that the two jointly fed printed products remain at least partially lifted from one another during their advance along the processing path, it is possible to open the printed products essentially simultaneously and also to insert deposits into the opened printed products at about the same time. This insertion of the inserts can thus take place over a shorter distance than when the processes of opening the printed products and then inserting the inserts for the two printed products take place successively, as is the case in the prior art.

The printed products and also the inserts are preferably transported in pairs to the processing path, the printed products of each pair being introduced simultaneously into one of two feed channels lying next to one another. The feed channels are separated from one another over at least part of their height by a separating element.

Further preferred refinements of the subject matter of the invention are described in the dependent claims.

• Fig. l In Stirnansicht, und
• Fig. 2 In Seitenansicht, teilweise im Schnitt und mit weggebrochenen Teilen, eine Verarbeitungs­ vorrichtung mit horizontalachsiger Verarbei­tungstrommel;
• Fig. 3 In gegenüber der Fig. l vergrössertem Mass­stab und ebenfalls in Stirnansicht einen Teil der Verarbeitungsvorrichtung;
• Fig. 4 - 6 In vergrössertem Massstab ein Abteil der Ver­arbeitungstrommel im Schnitt an in Achsrich­tung der Verarbeitungstrommel versetzten Stel­len, und
• Fig. 7 In einer der Fig. 3 entsprechenden Darstellung eine Variante einer Verarbeitungsvorrichtung.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing. It shows purely schematically:

• Fig. L in front view, and
• Fig. 2 In side view, partly in section and with parts broken away, a processing device with horizontal-axis processing drum;
• 3 on a larger scale than in FIG. 1 and also in front view of part of the processing device;
• Fig. 4 - 6 on an enlarged scale a section of the processing drum in section at points offset in the axial direction of the processing drum, and
• FIG. 7 shows a variant of a processing device in a representation corresponding to FIG. 3.

The processing device for printed products shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in front view and side view has a processing drum 2 mounted in a frame 1 with a longitudinal axis 2a extending in the horizontal direction. The basic structure of this processing drum 2 corresponds to that of the processing drum, which corresponds to the processing drum explained in detail in DE-OS 24 47 336 and 26 O4 lOl and the corresponding US Pat. Nos. 3,95l, 399 and 4, O58,2O2. For this reason, reference is made to these disclosures and patents with regard to the structure and functioning of the processing drum 2. The processing drum 2 is rotatably supported in two bearings 3, 4 which are attached to the frame 1. The frame 1 also carries a drive 5 consisting of a motor and a transmission, which drives the drum 2 in the direction of arrow A via a drive chain 6, which is only shown schematically in FIG. 1 and runs over a sprocket 7 connected to the drum 2 .

The drum 2 has a number of compartments 8 which extend in the direction of the longitudinal axis 2a of the drum and which are open on the drum circumference 9. Adjacent compartments 8 are separated from one another by walls 10. The latter are attached to C-shaped profile rails 11, which in turn are connected to a drum base body l2, as can be seen in particular from FIGS. 4 to 6. In these profiled rails 11, slides (not shown in FIGS. 4 to 6) are displaceably guided in the longitudinal axis 2a of the drum, to which the compartments 8 bottom floor elements l3 are attached.

For each compartment 8, a feed mechanism, generally designated 14, is also provided, the structure and mode of operation of which are explained in more detail in the already mentioned DE-OS 26 04 0 10 or the content of the corresponding US Pat. For this reason, here is one detailed description omitted and reference to the latter publications. This feed mechanism l4 includes a control drum l5 which is arranged coaxially with the drum longitudinal axis 2a and which does not rotate. The outside of this control drum l5 is provided with a control curve l6, which is only shown schematically in FIG. 2, into which follow links l7a of slides l7 engage, each of which is assigned to a compartment 8. Sets of grippers 18, 19 and 20 are connected to the slide 17 of each compartment 8 and sit on a common shaft 21. While the processing drum 2 is rotating, the carriages l7 in the associated compartments 8 together with the grippers l8, l9.2O are advanced in the direction of the longitudinal axis 2a of the drum, ie in the direction of the arrow B, and then moved back again, as in the aforementioned DE-OS 26 O4 lOl or US-PS 4, O58.2O2 is explained. In addition, the shaft 2l and the grippers l8, l9.2O connected to it are pivoted.

Three feed conveyors 23, 24 and 25 are arranged above the processing drum 2, which run parallel to one another and at a mutual distance, at least in the region of the drum 2. These feed conveyors 23, 24, 25 are shown only schematically in FIG. 2 and correspond in their construction to the conveyor described in DE-OS 3l O2 242 or the corresponding US Pat. No. 4,38l, O56. Each of these feed conveyors 23, 24, 25 has individually releasable grippers 27 which are fastened to a chain 28 which is driven in the direction of arrow C and which is guided in a channel 29, as shown purely schematically in FIG. 1 with the aid of feed conveyor 23 is. The chain 28 is guided over a deflection wheel 23a. The feed conveyors 23, 24, 25 are driven by the drive 5 via drive connections 26 which are only indicated schematically. The grippers 27 have a movable jaw 3O, which interacts with a fixed jaw 3l.

Each of these feed conveyors 23, 24, 25 defines a feed section 32, 33 and 34, respectively. Main products 35 are fed by the feed conveyor 23 in a manner to be described in more detail and are fed into the individual compartments 8 in the feed section 32. The two other feed conveyors 24 and 25 supply inserts, that is to say also printed products 36 and 37, which are introduced into the compartments 8 and into the previously opened printed products 35 in the feed sections 33 and 34.

A removal section 38 connects to the feed section 34, in the area of which there is a removal conveyor 39 which is constructed in the same way as the feed conveyors 23, 24 and 25 and has the same gripper 27 with a movable and a fixed clamping jaw 3O and 3l. These grippers 27 are fastened to a chain 28 which is guided via a deflection wheel 39a and is guided in a channel 29 and is driven in a rotating manner in the direction of arrow D. The conveyor 39 is, as indicated by the schematically illustrated drive connection 26 ', also driven by the drive 5.

A partition 40 extends into each compartment 8 and is detachably and removably fastened to the processing drum 2 by means of a holder 41 ((FIGS. 4 to 6). Each partition 8 is divided into two feed channels 42 and 43 through these partition walls 40. The partition walls 40O only extend over part of the length of the processing drum 2 and end before the start of the removal section 38. In other words, the partition walls 40 only run through the feed sections 32, 33 and 34. The partition walls 40 do not extend to the bottom of the compartments 8, but end at a distance from the floor elements l3, as can be seen in particular from Figures 4 to 6. This means that the partition walls 40 do not protrude into the effective area of the grippers 18, l9, 20 The partitions 40 in their outer part separated feed channels 42, 43 thus merge into one another at their inner end in the area of the grippers 18, 19, 20.

The mode of operation of the processing device described above will now be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.

As indicated in FIG. 3, the distance a between successive grippers 27 of the feeders 23, 24, 25 is matched to the division b of the compartments 8 in such a way that one compartment 8 is aligned with a gripper 27 while the drum 2 is rotating. As this figure 3 further shows, each gripper 27 of the feed conveyor 23 brings two main products 35 and 35 'to. These main products 35, 35 'are held in the region of their open side edge, designated 35 a, which runs transversely to the conveying direction C of the feed conveyor 23. The two main products 35, 35 'held by the same gripper 27 are offset from one another by the dimension c in a direction running transversely to the mentioned side edge 35a, so that on the opposite side edge 35b (folded edge) one product 35 over the other printed product 35 'Protrudes. Seen in the conveying direction C of the feed conveyor 23, the processing drum 2 is connected upstream of a conveyor belt 44 driven in the direction of arrow E, on which the hanging printed products 35, 35 'come to rest with their lower side edge 35b. The printed products 35,35 'are stabilized in their position. After leaving the conveyor belt 44, the two main products 35, 35 'held in the same gripper 27 meet with a compartment wall 10, which enters between the two printed products 35, 35', as shown in FIG. 3. This retraction of the compartment walls lO and thus separating the two main products 35,35 'is facilitated by the fact that as mentioned Printed product 35 on the lower side edge 35b (folded edge) over which other printed products 35 'protrudes. The two now separate printing products 35, 35 'now reach the Vcrschubkanäle 43 and 42 of adjacent compartments, as shown in Figure 4. Proper insertion of the main products 35, 35 'into the feed channels 42, 43 is still ensured by the fact that the compartments 8 do not extend in the exact radial direction R (FIG. 1), but are inclined in front of this radial direction in the direction of rotation A of the drum 2 are. The central plane 8a of the compartments 8 forms an angle α with the radial direction R, as can be seen from FIG.

As soon as the main products 35 and 35 'fed together by the same gripper 27 are in the feed channels 42, 43, the associated gripper 27 is opened in a manner not shown, but in a known manner, which results in the main products 35, 35' being released, which now drop down into the compartments until their lower side edge 35b strikes the base element 13, as shown in FIG. However, the two printed products 35 and 35 'located in the compartment 8 are separated by the partition 40, as shown in FIG.

In the course of the further rotation of the drum 2, the grippers l8 are now moved into the clamping position shown in broken lines in FIG. 4, in which they clamp the two products 35 and 35 '. The printed products 35, 35 'which are gripped in the region of their lower side edge 35b by the grippers l8 are now advanced together with these grippers l8 in the direction of arrow B against the feed section 33. They reach the effective range of opening elements 22 projecting into the two feed channels 42 and 43, of which an opening element is shown schematically in FIG. While the printed products 35 located in the same compartment 8 are moving past together, 35 'past the associated opening element 22, these printed products 35, 35' are opened simultaneously. Seen in the direction of feed B, behind the opening elements 22, guide plates 45 and 46 protrude into each feed channel 42, which are fastened to the compartment wall 10 or to the partition 40 and extend at a distance therefrom, as can be seen from FIG. 5. These baffles 45.46 engage between the two halves 47.48 of the opened products 35.35 '.

Are the opened main products 35, 35 ′ in the second input section 33, i.e. in the feed area of the feed conveyor 24, the grippers 18 are pivoted back into the rest position shown in broken lines in FIG. 5, these grippers being moved back to the first feed section 32 against the feed direction B. Backstops, not shown, prevent a return movement of the main products 35, 35 ', as is explained in more detail in the already mentioned DE-OS 26 O4 lOl and the corresponding US Pat. No. 4, O58,2O2. In the feed section 33, a first insert 36 is now introduced into each opened main product 35 and 35 '. These inserts 36 are fed in pairs like the main products 35, 35 'by the feed conveyor 24 and, as described with reference to FIG. 3, are input separately into the feed channels 42, 43.

The main products 35, 35 'provided with these inserts 36 are now held by the grippers l9 and pushed together again in the direction of arrow B to the third feed section 34, the main products 35, 35' remaining open. At this third feed section 34, the grippers 19 are pivoted back into the rest position and moved back to the second feed section 33. At the third feed point 34, a second insert 37 is now introduced into the open main products 35, 35 ' same as the supplements 36 are supplied in pairs by the feed conveyor 25 and individually introduced into the feed channels 42, 43.

The main products 35, 35 'now provided with the two inserts 36, 37' are now gripped by the grippers 2O and conveyed together in the direction of arrow B into the removal section 38. In this removal section 38 there are no baffles 45, 46 and also no partition walls 40, as can be seen from FIG. The main products 35, 35 'with the inserts 36.37 close and come to rest on each other. The end products consisting of a main product 35 and 35 'with inserts 36, 37 are shown in FIG. 6 and are designated 49 and 49'. As described above, the grippers 2O pivoted back into their rest position move back to the feed point 34. The two end products 49 and 49 'are now gripped in the region of their outer side edge 49a by a gripper 27 of the conveyor 39 and transported away in the direction of arrow D, as can be seen in FIG. Each gripper 27 of the conveyor 29 thus detects two end products 49,49 '.

The processing procedure previously described with reference to a compartment 8 takes place in the same way with a time offset in all other compartments 8.

Since, as already mentioned, there is only one feed mechanism l4 per compartment 8, which is common to the two products 35, 35 'arranged in the feed channels 42, 43', and the partition walls 4O do not extend into the effective range of the grippers l8, l9.2O it is easily possible to remove the partition walls 40 without the operability of the processing drum 2 being impaired. This makes it possible to easily halve the processing capacity of the drum 2 without reducing the speed of the drum 2 and the conveying speed of the feed conveyors 23, 24, 25 must be changed.

In FIG. 7, another representation of the processing device is shown in a representation corresponding to FIG. 3, which differs from the embodiment according to FIG. 3 by a somewhat different design of the feed conveyors 23, 24, 25.

In the variant according to Figure 7, the grippers 27 'of the feed conveyor 23', 24 ', 25' are arranged at a mutual distance a ', which is only about half as large as the distance a between adjacent grippers 27 of those shown in Figure 3 Contraption. The division b of the compartments 8 remains unchanged. Each gripper 27 'now brings only one main product 35 or only one insert 36, 37, which is introduced into a feed channel 42 or 43. However, in this embodiment as well, the two printed products 35 introduced shortly one after the other into the feed channels 42, 43 of a compartment 8 are pushed together, opened approximately at the same time and provided with inserts, as has been described in detail above.

In the embodiments shown, the printed products are advanced together, but the printed products can be processed separately from one another, since they do not lie on one another over the entire surface, but are separated from one another by the partition walls 40. This makes it possible to subject the printed products 35, 35 'essentially simultaneously to the same processing steps as opening and inserting the inserts 36, 37. This means that the processing route required to insert the inserts can be correspondingly short.

Instead of, as shown in FIG. 3, the two printed products 35, 35 ′ fed together by the feed conveyor 23 ′ to introduce into feed channels 42, 43 of adjacent compartments 8, it is also possible to introduce the printed products 35, 35 'in each case into the feed channels 42, 43 of the same compartment 8. In such a case, instead of the compartment wall 10, the corresponding partition 40 would move in between the two printed products 35, 35 'held by the same gripper 27'.

It goes without saying that, instead of the processing drum 2, other devices can also be used in which the printed products 35, 35 'run through a straight-line or another type of two-dimensional processing path.

Claims (18)

1. A method for introducing at least one insert into preferably folded printed products, in which two printed products are pushed together along a processing path and thereby opened and then one or more inserts are inserted between the parts of the opened printed products that are separated from one another, characterized in that the two Printed products (35, 35 ') are kept at least partially lifted from one another during their common feed and are opened essentially simultaneously and provided with inserts (36, 37). 2. The method according to claim l, characterized in that the folded printed products (35,35 ') are kept lifted from each other during their common feed at least in the region of the side edge (35a) opposite the folded edge (35b), the printed products (35,35 ') Are preferably advanced in the direction of their folded edge (35b). 3. The method according to claim l or 2, characterized in that the printed products (35,35 ') in the region of a side edge (35b), preferably the folded edge, through both printed products (35,35') common feed means (l8, l9,2O ) are recorded and advanced. 4. The method according to any one of claims l to 3, characterized in that the printed products (35,35 ') in the feed direction (B) side by side and at least partially separated feed channels (42,43) are advanced. 5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that the printed products (35,35 ') are introduced approximately simultaneously into the feed channels (42,43). 6.Device for introducing at least one insert into preferably folded printed products, with feed means for jointly advancing two printed products each along a processing path, an opening device for opening the printed products during their feed and at least one feeder for inserting an insert between the separate parts of the Open printed products, characterized in that the two printed products (35, 35 ′) are at least partially lifted from one another during their common feed by a separating element (40) extending in the feed direction (B), and the opening device (22) and the feed (24, 25) are designed for essentially simultaneous opening of the printed products (35, 35 ') or introduction of the inserts (36, 37). 7. The device according to claim 6, characterized by at least one insert (24, 25) for the two printed products (35, 35 ') to be simultaneously brought in and into the printed products (35, 35'). 8. The device according to claim 6 or 7, characterized by the two printed products (35,35 ') common feed means (l8, l9,2O) in the region of a preferably in the feed direction (B) extending side edge (35b), preferably the folded edge , attack the printed products (35,35 ′). 9. Device according to one of claims 6 to 8, characterized by a feed device (23) for the simultaneous feeding of two printed products (35,35 ') to the processing path. lO. Apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that the feed device (23) is provided with individually releasable grippers (27), each of which grips two printed products (35, 35 ′) on a side edge (35a) which runs preferably transversely to the conveying direction (C) and hold in a position offset with respect to one another transversely to this side edge (35a). 11. The device according to claim 10, characterized in that the feed device (23) transports the printed products (35, 35 ') in a hanging position, the leading printed product (35) of each pair of printed products (35, 35') in each case below via the other printed product ( 35 ′) protrudes. 12. The device according to one of claims 6 to 11, characterized by a processing drum (2) which can be driven around its horizontal longitudinal axis (2a) and which extends in the direction of its longitudinal axis (2a) and has open compartments (8) on the drum circumference (9) Inclusion of the printed product pairs (35, 35 ') and in each compartment (8) in the longitudinal direction effective feed means (l8, l9, 20) for the joint advancement of two printed products (35, 35') in the direction of the drum axis (2a), wherein each compartment (8) is divided by a separating element (40) into two feed channels (42, 43) for each of the two printed products (35, 35 '). 13. The apparatus according to claim l2, characterized in that the separating elements protruding into the compartments (8) elements (40) are outside the effective range of the feed means (18, 19, 20) in the assigned compartment (8). 14. The device according to claim l3, characterized in that the partitions (40) project from the region of the drum circumference (9) into the compartments (8) and end at a distance from the bottom (l3) of the compartments (8), the feed means ( l8, l9,2O) in the area of the compartment floor (l3) act on the printed products (35,35 ′). 15. Device according to one of claims l2 to l4, characterized in that the compartments (8) in relation to the radial direction (R) in the direction of rotation (A) of the processing drum (2) are inclined forward. 16. Device according to one of claims l2 to l5, characterized in that the separating elements (40) are removably attached to the processing drum (2). 17. Device according to claims 11 and 12, characterized in that the feed device (23) is arranged above the processing drum (2) with a conveying direction (C) running transversely to its longitudinal axis (2a) and the respectively transported printed products (35, 35 ') Each in a feed channel (42, 43). 18. The apparatus according to claim l7, characterized by a in the conveying direction (C) of the feed device (23) seen the processing drum (2) upstream and below the feed device (23) arranged belt conveyor (44) on which the grippers (27) held Printed products (35,35 ′) with their lower side edge (35b) come to rest.

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