US1656289A

US1656289A - Envelope-transfer mechanism

Info

Publication number: US1656289A
Application number: US627332A
Authority: US
Inventors: Novick Abraham
Original assignee: FL Smithe Machine Co Inc
Current assignee: FL Smithe Machine Co Inc
Priority date: 1923-03-24
Filing date: 1923-03-24
Publication date: 1928-01-17
Anticipated expiration: 1945-01-17

Description

Jan. 17, 1928.

A. NOVICK ENvELoPE TRANSFER MEcHANIsM Fileklmaroh 24, 192:5

Jan. 17,1928.

1,656,289 A. NovlcK y ENVELOPE TRANSFER MEGHANISM Filed March 24. 1925 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Jan. 17, 1928.

UNITED sTATEs N l 1,656,289 PATENT OFFICE.

ABRAHAM NOVICK, BROOKLYN, N EW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO F. L. SMITHE MACHINE COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORA'LIION 0F NEW YORK.

ENVELOPE-TRANSEER MECHANISM.

Application filed March 24, 1923. Serial No. 627,332.

\\ This invention relates to envelope transfer mechanismand has for its object to provide means for transferring envelopes or the like from mechanism which advances the envelopes in spaced apart relation to mechanism which advances the envelopes in underlapped relation, and to provide means, eflieient at high speed, for thus underlapping said envelopes. f

To these ends and .others which will appear later herein my improvements comprise features illustrated in "their preferred embodiment in the drawings accompanyingr this specification wherein Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation on line 1, 1 of Fig. 2, of

my improved mechanism and Fig. 2 is a plan view corresponding therewith, those parts above line 2, 2 in Fig. 1, being omitted. Traveling conveyor 3 may comprise an 2o endless chain supported on opposite sprock# ets 4, 5. Sprocket 4 is mounted for free rotation onlshaft 6 having bearings in side frames 7, 8 and sprocket 5is fixed to shaft 9 having bearings in the side frames 10, 11. It 26 will be understood that side frames 7, 8, 10,

11 are supported from a common base of known character not shown, and are maintained in fixed relation by said base. Evenly spaced apart lengthwise said conveyor chain 3 are a plurality of grippers 12, 13 and said grippers are provided with seats as 14 to gripper 12, for gripping therebetween a sheet or envelope presented thereto. Said grippers are pivotally mounted on said chain and are spring closed. Each gripper, as 12, is provided with a toe 15 for engagement with hub 16 of sprocket 5 `at the receiving station and with hub 17 of sprocket 4 at the transfer station for lifting said grippers at predetermined times.

lVhere chain 3 passes off from sprocket 5 is the receiving station for the envelopes relatively to said conveyor chain and the envelopes are presented successively thereat by means of coacting rolls 18, 19. Said-roll 19 is fixed to shaft 2O, having bearings in side frames 10, 11. Rolls 18, 18 are fixed to the inreached ends of opposite short shafts 21, 22 and said shafts are mounted in the `free ends of arms as 23 to shaft 21. Said arm is pivotally mounted on stud 24 inreaching from frame 10 and spring 25 is efficient for urging one of rolls 18 to coaction with roll 19. As the envelopes are usually delivered to said rolls 'with the gum on the seal flaps in um-lried condition, a portion of the peripheries of rolls 18, 18 are cut away, so as to clear said liaps. For directing the envelopes from rolls 18, 19 onto seat 14 for gripping, guides 26 supported froml fixed shaft 27 are provided. Roll 19 is suitably grooved at 28, 28 to permit the passage of said guides thereacross;

Above rolls 18, 19 are shown creasing rolls 29, 30 adapted for forming the seal flap crease in the envelope and for delivering the envelope to rolls 18, 19. Inreaching from frames 7, 8 are side guides 31, 32 for supporting and guiding the overhanging ends of the envelopes as the envelopes are advanced by the conveyor chain 3.

Atthe transfer station, fixed'in spaced apart relation on shaft 6 are toothedretarding members 33, 34. These members are of ratchet-like--formation having a plurality of teeth as to member 33, said teeth being adapted and actuated for successive presentation in the path of the envelopes as those envelopes are advanced by chain.3 to the transfer station.

Subsequent to said transfer station is means for further advancing the envelopes in underlapped relation, comprising traveling belt 36 on pulleys 37, 38. -Said'pulleys are fixed to shafts 39, 40 respectively having bearings in side frames 7, 8. Between the receiving end-of said belt, on pulley 37 and retarding members 33, 34, there is preferably introduced rolls 41, 42 turning freely on shaft 43 adjustably supported from cross rod 44, on arms 45, 46, for assisting the envelopes from members 33, 34 onto belt 36. For retaining the envelopes in sequential relation on belt 36, opposite narrow belts ork cords 47, 48 may be employed. Said cords travel at the same speedas belt 36 and are arranged thereabove on suitable pulleys as 49, 5 0, above retarding members 33, 34, turning freely on shaft 51 adjustably supported from cross rod 44, on arms 52, 53. Said cords pass over pulleys 54, respectively, turning freely on rod 44 and thence about pulley 56 above pulley 38. Sald pulley 1s fixed to shaft 58 having bearings in sideV frames 7, 8.

The gearing for transmitting motron to the several shafts and for suitably timlng those shafts is as follows: Assumin that shaft 60 of roll'3() is the driving shal t, sald Shaft has gear 62 fixed thereto for meshing with equal gear 61 fixed to shaft 59. From sprocket 63 fixed to shaft 60, chain 4 drives sprocket 65 fixed to shaft 66 and sprocket 67 fixed to shaft 6G through chain 68 drives sprocket 69 fixed to shaft 6. The relative diameters of sprockets 63, 65, 67 and 69 are such as to cause retarding members 33, 34 to rotate one tooth space for each rotation of shaft 6() and roll 30 fixed thereto.

Gear 62 fixed to shaft 60, through intermediate gear 70, drives gear 71 fixedto shaft 20 and gear 71 meshes with equal gear 72 fixed to shaft 21. Gear 81 fixed to shaft 20 through intermediate gear 73 drives gear 74 fixed to shaft 9, see Fig. 2. The relative diameters of gears 62 and 71 gives equal surface speed to rolls 30 and 19 and the relative diameters of

gears

62 and 74 causes chain` 3 to advance a distance equal to the distance between consecutive grippers 12, 13 for each rotation of roll 30.

Sprocket 7 5 fixed to shaft 6 drives, through chain 76, sprocket 77 fixed to shaft 40 and gear 78 fixed to said shaft 40 meshes with equal gear 79 fixed to shaft 58 whereby belt 36 and cords 47 are driven at a linear speed equal to the peripheral speed of retarding members 33, 34.

The operation of my improved transfer mechanism is as follows: Envelopes being fed by some known means not shown, to rolls, 29, 30, in proper time, one envelope for each rotation of said rolls, and, preferably creased in transit, said envelopes are delivered consecutively to rolls 18, 19 and thence over guides 26 onto chain seats, as 14, where gripper 12, as its toe 15 passes over hub 16, descends and grips the leading bottom edge of the envelope to seat 1,4. Said gripper then advances to the transfer station where it is lifted by hub 17 just as the leading end of the envelope engages the upstanding teeth of retarding members 33, 34 whereby said envelope is slowed down to the speed of belt 36 and is delivered thereonto over roll 42, cords 47, 48 being efficient for holding the envelope down against said belt. As thevnext envelope is advanced by the next gripper on chain 3, said envelope is carried under the envelope just in advance thereof and positioned by the next' Succeeding teeth of retarding members 33.'

34 and thence delivered to belt 36. Cords 47, 48 engage, more or less, the gummed faces ofthe envelope flaps but those cords are of such small dia-meter that such engagement is negligible.

`I claim:

1. In an envelope transfer mechanism the combination of means for advancing a plurality of envelopes serially in spaced apart` relation, means for thereafter advancing said envelopes serially in underlapped relation, and means interposed between said two advancing means for retarding the envelopes one at a time and arranging each envelope in underlapping relation to the envelope which precedes it.

2. In an envelope transfer mechanism the combination of means for advancing a plutwo sets of advancing means, the Iteeth of which wheel are adapted and arranged for engaging and retarding the envelopes respectively delivered thereto by said first advancing means and for releasing said envelopes in underlaid relation to said second advancing means.

3. In an envelope transfer mechanism the combination of a traveling belt adaptedi for receiving a succession of envelopes in underlapped relation, a rotating toothed wheel adjacent the receiving end of said belt arranged to operate on the envelopes from below the path thereof, and means for successively advancing `a plurality of envelopes against successive teeth, the advancement being slower than the envelope advancement thereto, whereby said envelopes are successively underlapped.

4. In an envelope transfer mechanism the combination of a traveling conveyor, means carried by said conveyor for gripping an envelope, a receiving station for-the envelopes, means for presenting envelopes successively at said receiving station, means at said receiving station for causing said gripping means to grip a presented envelope, a transfer station for said envelopes, means at said transfer station for causing said gripping means to release a gripped envelope, a. retreating stop at said transfer station adapted for receiving thereagainst an envelope released by said gripping means, means subsequent to said transfer station for further advancing the envelopes, and means for causing said stop to retreat for conveying the envelope to said further advancing means.

5. In an envelope transfer mechanism the combination of a traveling conveyor, means carried by said conveyor for gripping an envelope, a receiving station for the envelopes, means for presenting envelopes suecessively at said receiving station, means at said receiving station forl causing said gripping means to grip a presented envelope, a transfer station for said envelopes, means at said transfer station for causing said gripping means to release a gripped envelope, a rotating toothed retarding member adapted and actuated for presenting a tooth in the path of an envelope released at the transfer station, and means subsequent to said transfer station for further advancing the envelopes.

6. In an envelope transfer mechanism the lim lll)

]acent the receiving end of said belt, said wheel being arranged to have its teeth rise successively into envelope intercepting position, and a traveling conveyor adapted for delivering successive envelopes against successive teeth respectively of said wheel.

7. AIn an envelope transfer mechanism, means for positively conveying gummed envelopes at high speed to a transfer station, means traveling at lower speed than said first means for positively retarding the envelopes and positioning them in closer space relation so that they lap one another, without permitting the gumined portions to contact other envelopes, and means for further advancing the so-positionedenvelopes.

8. In an envelope transfer mechanism the combination of means for serially advancing` a plurality of envelopes at high speed in spaced relation, a second slower moving means coaxial with one end of said first means for positively retarding the said envelopes and advancing them in closer space relation, and a third means adjacent the said second means for further advancing the said envelopes.

9. In an envelope transfer mechanism the combination of means for advancing a plurality of envelopes serially in spaced relation, a second means forI retarding one of said envelopes while the next subsequent envelope is pulled underneath the said first envelope by the said first means, and a third means for further advancing so-underlapped envelopes.

10. In an envelope transfer mechanism, the combination of means operating at high speed for feeding a plurality of envelope blanks one at a time, a second means for advancing said envelopes in lapped relation at a slow speed, and means for positively i'etarding the envelopes and for transferring them from said high speed means to said slow speed means.

11. In an envelope transfer mechanism, the combination of means for conveying envelopes at a slow speed, means for serially conveying envelopes at a high speed, and means for underlapping the envelopes and transferring them in underlapped relation to the slow speed means, said means comprising positive stop means travellingr at slow speed for retarding the envelope rom high to low speed and for holding a preceding envelope in position While the subsequent envelope is being pulled under the said preceding one, and positive feed mechanism for advancing the envelopes at the high speed into the said underlapping position.

12. In an envelope transfer mechanism,

the combinationpof a slow speed dryer conveyor, a high speed conveyor, and a positive arresting and aligning means travelling at the speed of said` slow lspeed conveyor for retarding the envelopes from the speed of -the high speed conveyor to that of the slow speed conveyor and causing them to be delivered to the slow speed conveyoi' in predetermined, lapped relation:

13.I In an envelope transfer mechanism, the combination of means for advancing a plurality of'envelopes lone after the other in` spaced relation, a rotating toothed wheel for retarding the envelopes one at a time while the subsequent envelope is inserted beneath the preceding one, and means for thereafter advancing the envelopes in underlapped relation, said second advancing means comprising va work engaging member extending in proximity to the rotating ioothed wheel, the teeth of said wheel being shaped so that each tooth will lift the envelope retarded by the preceding tooth in order to provide space enabling the next succeedingl envelope to be drawn into underlapplng posi;`

tion, said lifted envelope being pressed by said tooth into feeding engagement with said work engaging member so as to cause the envelope to be advanced thereby without disarraiigement from its aligned position.

14. In an envelope machine, thevcombina tion of means for advancing a plurality of envelopes, each having gum alongy one margin thereof, in spaced relation, means for thereafter advancing said envelopes in lapping relation, and means interposed between said advancing means for retarding the envelopes one at a time and arranging them in lapping relation without causing said gummed margins to contact other envelopes, said retarding means being operable from the ungummed side of the envelopes and arranged to engage and retard the advancing envelopes by engagement with an edge remote from the gummed margin.

15. In an envelope transferring mechanism, the combination of a high speed conveyor, a low speed conveyor, and an interposed envelope underlapping and transferring means comprising a toothed wheel rotatable about an axis below the active stretch of the high speed conveyor and operating in intersecting relation to the plane of the envelopes on said high speed conveyor so that each tooth rises in turn into envelope intercepting position, and in so rising engages tlie lower face of the envelope preceding the one which it is to intercept and lifts such preceding envelope away from the high speed conveyor.

In witness whereof, I hereby affix my signature this 23rd day of March, 1923.

ABRAHAM NOVICK.