US1197973A

US1197973A - Paper-feeding machine.

Info

Publication number: US1197973A
Application number: US3967915A
Authority: US
Inventors: Burt F Upham
Original assignee: UNITED PRINTING MACHINERY Co
Current assignee: UNITED PRINTING MACHINERY Co
Priority date: 1915-07-13
Filing date: 1915-07-13
Publication date: 1916-09-12
Anticipated expiration: 1933-09-12

Description

B. F. UPHAIVI.

PAPER FEEDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 13'. m5.

Patented Sept. 12, 1916.

BURT 1F. UPHAM, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 UNITED PRINTING MACHINERY COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

PAPER-FEEDING MACHINE.

1's! WWIW wIw-wwm "Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. T2, 1191M...

Application filed July M, 1915. Serial No. 39,679.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BURT I UPHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Paper-Feeding Machines; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

This invention relates to so called automatic feeders" for automatically feeding sheets of paper to the impression cylinders of printing presses, or to other mechanisms for operating upon such sheets. Customarily such feeders are wholly or partly mounted upon the ordinary feed board or table of such press or mechanism, and in case the feeder becomes disarranged or broken, or it may .be necessary or desired to feed sheets of paper to the press by hand, it is necessary to move the automatic feeding mechanism out of the way, so that the sheets can be fed by hand from the feed table to the machine.

The object of the present invention is to provide simple novel means which will enable sheets to be fed by hand off of the ordinary feed table when desired withoutthe operator having to first remove or withdraw the automatic sheet feeding devices; but instead the automatic feed can be stopped and by simply shifting a light conveyer the feed table is cleared and sheets can be' placed thereon and fed from the table by hand; or the feed board of the press can be raised and the press or cylinder made ready for printing.

I will explain the invention in connection with one type of automatic sheet feeder conventionally illustrate-d in the accompanying drawings which will enable those skilled in the art to adopt and use the invention with other automatic feeders; I do not herein claim any particular construction of automatic feeding mechanism per see, as that may be varied to suit the will of the constructor, the present invention having more particular reference to an adjustable sheet conveyer by which sheets can be carried from the automatic feeder over the feed table to the press cylinder or other receiver, and which conveyer can be moved over the feed board and under the feeder 1nto and out of operative position, and can thus be readily adjusted to either transfer sheets from the automatic feeder to the press, or out of the way to permit the feed table to be used in the ordinary manner and sheets fed by hand therefrom.

Referring to said drawings: Figure 1 is a d agrammatic side elevation of an automatic sheet feeding mechanism applied to a printlng press and showing the feeder and the adjustable sheet conveyer in posit on for delivering sheets to the press cylinder. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the sheet conveyer retracted so that the sheets can be fed from the table by hand in the ordinary manner; it also indicates in dotted lines the conveyer partially retracted and the feed board raised to permit making ready the press. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of the forward end of the conveyer.

In said drawings C indicates the impres sion cylinder; G the drop guides, and T the feed table of a printing press, of ordinary construction; said feed table having a feed board If hinged to its forward end, at If, as usual, and sheets of paper can be fed from the table T over the board If up against the drop guides G by which the front edge of each sheet is arrested in position to be caught bythe gripping fingers (not shown) on the cylinder C in the usual manner.

An automatic sheet feeding mechanism of any desired construction has its head 1 mounted upon the outer end of the feed table T. To this head 1 is connected the front end of the sheet support 2 the rear end of which is mounted upon uprights 3. The head 1 carries the operative parts of an automatic sheet feeding mechanism, of any suitable construction, adapted to feed sheets of paper S from the support 2 onto a conveyer, preferably formed of endless tapes 4, by which such sheets are carried over the table T to the drop guides G in the usual manner.

As indicated in the drawings the automatic feeding mechanism comprises a comber a adapted to successively advance sheets of paper S lying upon support 2 to a feed roll 6' and its co-acting drop roll I), by which the sheet is advanced to and over the slow down roll 0 which directs the sheet onto conveyer 4, and also in connection with its coacting drop roller 0 slows down the sheet at the proper time.

The comber a and rolls 5, 0, may be driven as usual by any suitable means, not shown, to cause them to successively feed forward the sheets from support 2 in the proper time and manner when the automatic feeder is in use. The roll 4* may be driven from said sheet feeding means by any suitable devices (not shown) so that the conveyer tapes will be moved at the proper speed'to carry the sheets forward over the table T to the drop guides at the proper time. The conveyer tapes 4 run from a driven roll P mounted in head 1, to and over a roller 4? journaled in the forward ends of an adjustable conveyer frame having side bars 5, thence back over an idler 5 journaled in the said conveyer frame, and thence back to roll 4. Theforward end of the conveyer frame may be supported by rollers 5 attached to the side bars 5 of the frame (see Fig. 3) rollers 5 running upon the top of the board t and table T. The bars 5 are provided with rack teeth 5 on their upper edges which teeth engage pinions 6 on a shaft 6 journaled in the head 1. Shaft 6 can be operated by a crank 6 on one end thereof so as to project or retract the conveyer frame.

When the conveyer frame is projected forwardly over the feed table T, as in Fig. l, the conveyer will receive and carry the sheets fed from table 2 toward the drop guides. The forward end'of the conveyer frame may be provided with guide fingers 7 pivotally attached to a shaft or rod 5 on the conveyor frame which guides direct the sheets brought forward by the endless tapes to and against the drop guides G.

The conveyer frame may be of any suit able construction which will permit it to be projected forwardly beyond the head 1 as indicated in Fig. 1 so as to carry sheets over the feed table T to the drop guides G; or permit it to be retracted rearwardly beneath the head 1 and support 2 as indicated in full lines in Fig. 2 to permit sheets to be fed by hand from table T. Then the conveyer frame is retracted, as indicated in Fig. 2, its rear end may be supported by any suitable means, as by rollers 9 suspended below the table 2.

Operation: By properly turning crank 6 the conveyer frame can be projected from beneath the head 1 and over table 2 as indicated in Fig. 1 so that it will properly forward the sheets from the automatic feedready the press; and after the press is made ready the feed board t can be lowered and the conveyer 41: returned to normal operative position as indicated in Fig. 1. If it should be desired for any reason to feed sheets by hand from table T, the crank 6 can be turned so as to retract the conveyer beneath the automatic feeder into the position indicated in full lines in Fig. 2 and a pile of sheets S can then be placed on said feed table as indicated in Fig. 2, and fed therefrom by hand in the usual manner.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with mechanism for operating upon sheets, and a feed table adapted to support sheets to be fed to such mechanism by hand; of automatic sheet feeding means supported upon the rear end of said table, and a slidable sheet conveyer adapted to be projected from beneath the automatic sheet feeding means over the feed table to carry sheets from the automatic feeding means over the feed table to the mechanism for operating upon sheets, or to be retracted off the feed table and beneath the automatic sheet feeding means to per mit sheets to be fed by hand from said feed table to the mechanism for operating upon sheets.

2. In combination a mechanism for operating upon sheets having a feed table, and automatic sheet feeding means mounted upon the said table; with an adjustable sheet conveyer mounted to slide beneath the automatic sheet feeding means and over the said feed table, and means whereby said conveyer can be projected from beneath the automatic sheet feeding means over the table to carry sheets from the said sheet feeding means to the said mechanism, or said conveyer can be retracted off the table and beneath the automatic sheet feeding means to permit sheets to be placed on said feed table and fed manually therefrom to said mechanism.

8. In combination mechanism for operating upon sheets having a feed table, and an automatic sheet feeding means mounted upon the rear end of said table; with a sheet conveyer mounted to slide beneath the automatic sheet feeding means and over the said feed table, and manually operable means whereby said conveyer can be projected from beneath the automatic sheet feeding means over the table into position to carry sheets from the said automatic feeding means to the said mechanism, or can be retracted oli the table toward and beneath the said feeding means to permit a pile of sheets to be placed on the feed table and fed manually therefrom.

4. In combination with the feed table of a printing press and an automatic sheet feeding means mounted upon the rear end of said table; of an adjustable slidable sheet conveyer mounted upon the table and adaptmay em lam ed to slide beneath the said automatic sheet feeding means and over the said feed table, and means whereby said conveyer can be projected from beneath the automatic sheet feeding means over the table to carry sheets from the said sheet feedin means to the press, or said conveyer can Iue retracted ofi the table and beneath the said automatic sheet feedin means to permit sheets to be placed on said feed table and fed manually therefrom.

5. In combination with a printing press having a feed table; of an automatic sheet feeder mounted upon the rear end of said table, a sheet conveyer mounted to slide beneath the said automatic feeder and over the said feed table having toothed side bars and manually operable gears engaging said toothed bars whereby said conveyer can be projected from beneath the automatic feeder over the table into position to carry sheets from the said automatic feeder to the press cylinder, or can be retracted off the table and beneath the said automatic feeder to permit a pile of sheets. to be placed on the eed table and fed manually therefrom.

6. In combination, mechanism for operating upon sheets, a feed table adapted to support sheets to be fed to such mechanism by hand, and automatic sheet feeding -means adjacent the rear end of said table; with an adjustable sheet transfer means adapted to be projected from beneath the feed mechanism over the table in position to direct sheets from the feeding devices to the operating means or to be retracted off the table and beneath the feeding means out of the way.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' BURT F. UPHAM.

Witnesses:

JOHN CALDER, JOHN J. CQAKLEY.