GB774879A - Improvements in or relating to sheet separating machines - Google Patents

Abstract

774,879. Feeding sheets. BACKHOUSE, H. T. March 23, 1955 [March 24, 1954], No. 8515/55. Divided out of 774,874. Class 100(1) In apparatus for separating sheets from the top of a pile and forwarding them over the pile by grippers, the forwarding grippers have imparted thereto a sideways movement while they are gripping a sheet, whereby the rear portion of the sheet is given a bodily sideways movement. The forwarding grippers may also separate, or assist the separation of, the rear portion of the sheet from the pile. As shown, forwarding grippers 2 are carried by arms 3 secured to a shaft 4 which is oscillated to feed forward the top sheet 5 which has previously been separated from a pile 1 by separating mechanism comprising two lifting suckers and a nozzle which directs an air blast under the raised sheet. As the shaft 4 oscillates, it is also axially reciprocated, since an arm 6 thereon has a ball at its lower end engaging in a guideway 9 in a block 10 which can be rotated to incline the guideway. The block 10 has a shank 11, pivoted in a frame 12, to which is secured an arm 13 pivoted to a link 14 which is adjustable by means of a screw 16. A pointer 19 is also adapted to be moved over a scale by the screw 16. The grippers 2 present the leading edges of the sheet to a tape conveyer moving at about twice the speed as the grippers, which conveys the sheets in overlapping relationship to a layboard. Thus the tail of the previous sheet grasped by the conveyer pulls forward the sheet held by the grippers 2, and this facilitates the sideways movement of the sheet held by the grippers. A suction gripper as described in Specification 774,875 may take hold of the front portion of each sheet released by the grippers 2 and feed it towards a conveyer, and this gripper may also be given a sideways movement. Specifications 427,041, 741,226 also are referred to.