JPH0672603A - Signature transfer device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate effect of gravity of laminated signatures and put signatures in the condition where they stand on a pocket in the condition where they are arranged horizontally, although pulling-out action is affected by gravity of laminated signatures because signatures to be sent to a binding machine are laminated horizontally in the pocket and they are pulled out sequentially starting from the lowest one in the conventional technique. CONSTITUTION:Signature which is horizontally inserted and laminated in a first pocket is held by holding device 15 on both sides, turned by about 90 degrees by a pivoting device 16, and transferred on a second pocket 14 almost vertically. Signatures on the second pocket are pulled out sequentially. For that purpose, a stopper 12 which contacts signature to be inserted in the first pocket and can move up and down is provided in the first pocket, and a pressing device 17 which presses the signatures which stand on the second pocket so that they do not fall down and presses the back of the last one of these signatures.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a signature transfer device used in connection with a device for supplying a signature to a pocket for a collator.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various devices have been known as a device for supplying a signature to a pocket for a collator, and an example thereof is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 62-14449. As a typical example thereof, there is one shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, and the device is a pair of belts 2 and 3 in which a large number of signatures standing on the conveyor 1 are arranged vertically.
It is lifted up in sequence between the two and inserted into the pocket 4 in a horizontal state. In the process, the signatures are unraveled and stacked horizontally in the pocket, and the signatures in the pocket are at the bottom. It is constructed so that it can be sequentially withdrawn from the objects.

If the lowermost signature to be pulled out in the pocket is subjected to a certain amount of gravity or more, it becomes difficult to pull it out, and if the number of signatures in the pocket is too small, the pulling-out cannot be performed properly. Due to the drawback, the signature between the upper limit amount a and the lower limit amount b is always stored, so when the number of signatures in the pocket reaches the amount a, the apparatus is stopped and the supply of the signature to the pocket is stopped. When the lower limit amount b is decreased, the device is activated to supply a signature to the pocket.

[0004]

As described above, in the conventional signature feeding device, the signatures are stacked horizontally in the pocket, so that there is an advantage that the signatures can be aligned sideways, but it is most likely to be pulled out from there. The pressure (gravitational force) exerted on the lower signature depends on the amount of signatures in the pocket, so there is a limit to the speed with which the signatures can be sequentially withdrawn.

In order to improve it, it is possible to insert a signature in a vertical state in a pocket. In that case, the device for horizontally inserting a signature as described above is a conveyor. Since the arrangement is different, it is difficult to insert vertically in the improvement of the conventional horizontal insertion type device. Also, even if it is possible to insert the signatures vertically in sequence in the pocket, it will be inserted relatively little by little,
Therefore, there are problems that the operation and the stop of the device are repeated in small increments, and it is difficult to align the signatures inserted in the pockets horizontally.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, thus allowing the use of a conventional horizontal insertion type signature feeder and properly horizontally aligned. It is an object of the present invention to provide a signature transfer device that can be inserted in a state where the signature is set up in the pocket.

[0007]

The signature transfer device according to the present invention is characterized in that the signature horizontally inserted into the first pocket is transferred to the second pocket while standing upright in the second pocket. That is, a holding device arranged on both sides of a first pocket formed of a base plate for horizontally receiving the signature, and a vertically movable stopper for receiving a contact of a front end of the signature inserted in the first pocket. -, A pivoting device for inserting the gripping device about 90 ° about its common axis for insertion in a state in which the signature is set in the second pocket, and the back of the signature set in the second pocket. And a pressing device having a driving device that moves the pressing member toward the first pocket and along a guide that slopes upward toward the first pocket. The gripping devices on both sides are Tsu is retractable relative bets signature is and sealed pivotally on a common horizontal axis.

[0008]

When the predetermined amount of signatures is supplied to the first pocket, the gripping devices on both sides move forward to grip the signatures and to stop the stoppers.
Rises and pivots the gripper by the pivoting device. At that time, the pressing member rises and is located at a position close to the first pocket, and the gripping device rotates about 90 degrees to transfer the signature in the second pocket in an upright state. The pushing member then descends and pushes against the back of the signature on the second pocket, preferably by gravity due to the inclination of the guide. Next, the gripper returns to its original position, and the stopper is lowered to prepare for the next transfer. The signatures for the binding machine are pulled out sequentially from the second pocket.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show generally the structure in which the signature transfer device 10 according to the present invention is used in combination with the conventional signature supply device, and the first pocket 11 is shown.
Is different from the conventional pocket 4 in that it is composed of a simple base plate, but the structure in which the signature is horizontally inserted into this first pocket is the same as the conventional one. That is, the signature A placed upright on the conveyor 1 is sequentially held between the belts 2 and 3 and lifted up, so that the first pocket 1
1 is inserted horizontally. Reference numeral 6 is a pinch roller, and 7 is a drive motor for the belt 2. In order to stop the signature inserted in the pocket 11, a stopper 12 movable up and down by an air cylinder 12a is preferably provided,
The front end of the inserted signature contacts the stopper. There are horizontal alignment plates 13 on both sides of the pocket 11.

This device serves to transfer a signature horizontally fed to the first pocket 11 to a second pocket 14 provided obliquely below it in a standing state. In addition to the stopper-12, a holding device 15 arranged on both sides of the first pocket 11, a device 16 for pivoting the holding device, and a pressing force for pushing the back surface of the signature set in the second pocket 14. Includes device 17.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, each gripping device 15 has a pair of movable gripping members 15a, 15 which are vertically spaced from each other in order to sandwich an appropriate amount of signatures therebetween.
b, and is configured to move toward and away from each other in order to move horizontally in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the signature,
Therefore, in this embodiment, there are provided a screw rod 18 for mutually opposite screw engagement at each female thread portion, and a device for rotating the screw rod, for example, a motor 19.

The structure of the gripping device 15 itself, which is composed of a pair of gripping members that are movable at intervals, is well known and is commercially available as a unit. Therefore, the description of the structure itself is omitted. Furthermore, the lower end of each gripping device 15 is slidably pivoted to a common horizontal shaft 20. Therefore, the common shaft 20 is preferably configured as a spline shaft, the receiving part of which in each gripping device is fitted to the spline.

Pivoting device 16 for rotating each of the gripping devices about the common shaft 20 toward the second pocket 14 by about 90 degrees.
Is constituted by an air cylinder connected to the shaft 20, and preferably connected to the center of the shaft 20 via a link 21.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the pushing device 17 pushes the back surface of the signature on the second pocket by gravity, and preferably comprises a pair of rods 17a, each rod being an air cylinder. It is configured to be movable up and down by 22 and slidably supported by a guide 23 slightly inclined with respect to the horizontal. The pressing device 17 has a rod 17a.
And a drive device 24 for moving the air cylinder 22 along the guide 23 in the direction of the first pocket 11,
The drive is also preferably constructed by an air cylinder. As shown in FIG. 4, the rod 17a and its air cylinder 22 are guided by the guide 2 through a built-in roller or the like.
The guide 23 is supported by 3 and is inclined upward toward the first pocket 11. Therefore, the rod 17a of the pressing device descends toward the second pocket 14 due to gravity.

Stopper 12 and rod 1 of the pressing device
Since 7a is movable up and down, when the gripping device 15 is rotated to the second pocket 14 by the air cylinder 16 as shown in FIG. 5, the stopper 12 and the rod 17a are raised to lift the gripping device 15 It allows the signatures held in the position to be moved into the second pocket 14 without being disturbed.

Next, the operation will be described. FIG. 5 shows the state before transfer, in which the folded signatures on the second pocket 14 are sequentially pulled out from the frontmost one by, for example, a friction wheel, and the folding is performed. The rear surface of the last part of the Ding is pushed by the gravity due to the inclination of the guide 23 by the rod 17a of the pushing device. The signature inserted in the first pocket 11 hits the stopper 12 and is horizontally stacked on the pocket. In this state, the gripping device 15 is shown in FIG.
It is in the retracted position as shown in.

When the number of signatures in the second pocket 14 is sequentially withdrawn and the number of signatures is reduced, a predetermined amount of signatures are stacked in the first pocket 11. When a predetermined amount of signatures are stacked in the first pocket, the signature supply device 5
Operation is temporarily stopped, the gripping devices 15 on both sides are advanced toward each other as shown in phantom in FIG. 3, and the signatures on the pocket 11 are held by the gripping members 15a and 15b as shown in FIG. Hold the stack of. Also, at that time, the stopper 12 and the rod 17a of the pressing device ascend. Then, by operating the air cylinder 16, the gripping device 15 is rotated about 90 degrees about the common shaft 20 as shown by an imaginary line in FIG. 5, and the signature held by the gripping device 15 is moved to the second pocket 14.
It is reprinted in the state of standing on top. At this time, the pushing rod 17a is in a state of being lifted and is relatively distant from the second pocket 14 by the driving device 24.

When the signature is transferred to the second pocket 14 as described above, the pressing rod 17a descends as shown in FIG. 7 and gravity is applied to the back of the signature on the pocket 14 along the guide 23. Upon movement, each gripper member opens to release the signature and retracts, and pivots in the opposite direction by the air cylinder 16 back to its original standby position. Further, the stopper-12 is also lowered, and the first pocket 11 is activated by the operation of the signature feeder 5.
The signatures are supplied to and the original state is restored.

[0019]

Therefore, according to the present invention, by adding this transfer device to the conventional signature supply device, it is possible to transfer the signature on the second pocket in an upright state. The signature feeder can be used as is with very little modification. Moreover, since the signature stack that is horizontally aligned on the first pocket provided in the conventional signature supply device can be transferred as it is, it is necessary to place it in a vertically aligned state on the pocket. You can

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a signature transfer device according to an example of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an end view of the device shown in FIG.

3 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG.

4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a main part of the signature transfer device.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing one operation stage of this device.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing another stage of operation of the device.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing a conventional signature supply device.

9 is a plan view of the signature feeding device shown in FIG. 8. FIG.

[Description of Reference Signs] 11 First Pocket 12 Stopper 14 Second Pocket 15 Grip Device 16 Pivoting Device 17 Pushing Device 20 Common Shaft 23 Guide 24 Driving Device

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] May 18, 1993

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] Brief description of the drawing

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a signature transfer device according to an example of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an end view of the device shown in FIG.

3 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG.

4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a main part of the signature transfer device.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing one operation stage of this device.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing another stage of operation of the device.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing a conventional signature supply device.

9 is a plan view of the signature feeding device shown in FIG. 8. FIG.

[Description of Reference Signs] 11 First Pocket 12 Stopper 14 Second Pocket 15 Grip Device 16 Pivoting Device 17 Pushing Device 20 Common Shaft 23 Guide 24 Driving Device

[Procedure Amendment 2]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Correction target item name] All drawings

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Figure 1]

[Fig. 2]

[Figure 3]

[Figure 4]

[Figure 5]

[Figure 6]

[Figure 7]

[Figure 8]

[Figure 9]

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A gripping device disposed on either side of a first pocket comprising a bed plate for horizontally receiving a fed signature, the gripping device advancing relative to the signature on the cradle and described below. It is retractable with respect to the signatures on the second pocket and is pivotable on a common horizontal axis, and its front end abuts against the signatures fed into said pockets to stop them in place. A stopper that can be moved up and down
And when the gripper grips a signature on the pocket, moves the gripper about 90 degrees about the common horizontal axis.
The pivoting device that pivots once, the pressing member that is substantially vertical and movable up and down and the pressing member that presses the back surface of the signature set up in the second pocket by the pivoting device. A signature transfer device including a pressing device having a drive device that moves toward a pocket and along a guide inclined upward in the direction of the first pocket.