GB487277A - Improvements in apparatus for elevating a progressively decreasing stack of sheets or the like - Google Patents

Abstract

487,277. Feeding sheets. NEW JERSEY MACHINE CORPORATION. May 1, 1937, No. 12488. Convention date, May 11, 1936. [Class 100 (i)] In apparatus for automatically elevating a decreasing stack of sheets or the like of the type having a vertically movable support for the stack, elevating mechanism and releasable means for disabling the elevating mechanism, and means controlled by a feeler moving into and out of contact with the top of the stack for releasing the elevating mechanism, the releasing member is pivoted on a common axis with an oscillatable member having a radial arm connected with a feeler intermittently movable into and out of contact with the top of the stack, so that the arc of movement of the member progressively increases as the stack decreases in height, the member having also a radial abutment engageable with the releasing member to swing it about the common axis to release the elevating mechanism when the height of the stack falls below a certain level. The stack of labels 5 is held in a hopper 6, whose walls extend above the normal height of the stack, and is supported by a table 7, periodically raised by rack and pinion 9, 10, operated by pawl 13 and ratchet 12. The pawl carrying lever 16 is oscillated against the action of a spring 22 by a cam 18, but is normally restrained by a pendant 28, which places a shoulder 32 under a plate 21 on the lever 16. A detent pawl 24 for the ratchet 12 is carried by a pivoted hand lever 25. The lever carries a pin 26 adapted to engage a projection 27 on the pawl 13, so that it can be operated to put both pawls out of action and to permit manual adjustment of the table. A gravity-operated feeler 45 is raised from the stack 5 by a link 41, bell-crank lever 38 fast to a shaft 34 and roller 39 and cam 48. The axle of the cam 48 carries also an arm 49 which reciprocates a sliding carrier 54 for a suction head 56. The head 56 is vertically reciprocated in the carrier 54, so as to lift a label from the stack, carry it across one adhesive applying roller 60 and stick it to an article c. The feeler 46 is moved in synchronism with the suction head so that only one makes contact with the stack at once. As the oscillations of the feeler and consequently of the axle 34 increase with diminishing height of the stack, a yoke 36 pinned to the axle 34 finally makes contact with and swings a member 33 loose on the axles. The member 33 carries a screw contact 35 which engages and swings pendant 28, thus releasing the elevating mechanism. When the top of the stack reaches its normal height, the yoke 36 ceases to engage the member 33 and the shoulder 32 swings back to restrain the lever 16.