US1709857A - Sheet feeder - Google Patents

Description

April '23, 1929.

Pf E. KLEINEBERG SHEET FEEDER Filed not. v., 1926 4 Sheets-Slieet 2.

` AD v Kiln q 'Il l I K Arm/mfr April 23, 192,9.

P. E. KLEINEBEG SHEET FEEDER Filed not. v, 192e 4 Sheets-Sheet 4' l INVENTOI? i Patented Apr. A23, 1929.

" UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.'

PAUL E. KLEINEBERG, OF BREWSTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR-TO AMERICAN ASSEM- BLING MACHINE COMPANY, F NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE SHEET FEEDER.

Application filed October- 7, 1926. Serial No. 140,123.

My invent-ion relates generally to mechanism for successively separating and feeding sheets of paper or other material, and relates more particularly to sheet-feeders t'or separating and feeding cover sheets from a pile to a book covering machine.

The objects of my invention are, among other things, to provide a sheet-feeder of this type whereby the individual sheets may be separated and fed from a pile rapidly and with great precision so as to avoid any break or intermission in the flow of successive sheets, and also in such a way that the pile l may be easily replenished without interfering with the operation of the feeder. A further object is to provide a sheet-feeder of this general character of simple and elicient construction andoperation with parts compactly arranged and that are not apt to get outof order.

My improved feeder also presents other features of novelty and usefulness whereby the mechanism is built to give satisfactory and reliable results, all of which will be hereinafter described and claimed.

vThe accompanying drawings show a preferred embodiment of my invention designed for use with a book covering machine in feeding cover sheets simultaneously to opposite sides of-a book, yet my improved feeder is not confined to use with this type of machine, since it is capable of being used with any kind of machine which in operation requires successive separations and feedings of sheets of paper or other material before being acted upon by such machine.

Fig. l is a side elevation, partly in section, of a sheet-feeder embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a` planl view of t-he feeder shown in Fig. 4 isa detail View of the pneumatic sucker and its operating mechanism;

Fig. 5 is a, detail view of one of the feedwheels and its gripper roller and operating mechanisrrf;

Fig. 6 is a detail View of the pile-supporting hook and its operating mechanism; and

Fig. 7 is a verticalv sectional View of the pumpiconnected with suckers for separating the sheets. l

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several figures.

between the standards 8 and 9 (Fig. 2). r=l`he Referring to Figs. 1-3, the base 7 supports the upright standards 8 and 9 which carry the cross bars 11 and 12 upon which the hoppers 13 for the two piles of cover sheets 14 are mounted. These hoppers 13 are alike in construction and a description of one will suliice for both. Such hoppers 13 comprise the inclined front stop 15 mounted on the bracket'l sleeved on the horizontal tie-shaft 17 extending bet-Ween the standards 8 and 9 y to which shaft 17 the bracket 16 is secured by the set-screw'f18; also the base plate 19 (Fig. 1) supported on the cross-bars 11 and 12 in any suitable manner; also the side-guides 20 mounted on the plates 2()a slidably mounted on'the cross-bar 11 (Figs. 2 and for sheets lof diiferent widths; and the 'back-stop 21' with upright lingers 22 slidably secured on the base-plate 19 by al screw-bolt 23 and screw- -nut 24 (Fig), whereby the back-stop 2l may be advanced or retracted-relatively to the front stop 15 to accommodate for sheets of different sizes. T he base-plate 19 extends forwardly a short distance beyond the crossbar 11 to form the transverse opening 25 beneath the pile 14 (Figs. 4 and 6).

In the Figures 1, 2 and 3 I have shown two sheet-feeding units' oppositely disposed to each other between whichextends the horizontal conveyor 2Gv having the laterally projecting fingers 27 to carry the successive books 85 along the book support 28 carried by the cross-lnacket 29 as shown in F ig. 1. The back guide plates 3() extendvertically upward from the book support 28 and are fastened to the side-brackets 31 secured to the 90 standards 8 and 9 1 and 2). The front guide-plates 32 are parallel with the plates 30 (Fig. 1) and extend upwardly from-.the book support 28 to the cross-rod extending cover sheets from the piles 14 are designed to be fed downwardly and simultaneously between the plates 30 and 32 in parallelism with the end signatures of the book carried between the front plates 32 along the book support 28 by the fingers 27 of the conveyor 26 in the usual way by which such cover sheets may be applied to the books by any suitable mechanism.

The mechanism for feeding the separated sheets from the pile 14 comprises a series of spaced apart feed-wheels 34 (four being shown in Figs. 2 and 3) mounted on the constantlyrotating cam-shaft 35 and the transversely extending gripper roller 36 which is adapted to coact with, and oscillate circum# ferentially along, the feed-wheels 34 to grip and't-lien feed the cover sheets between the guide plates and 32 in alinement with the sidesof the book. The shaft is driven by the gear 37 which meshes with the pinion 38 fastened on the stub-shaft 39 (Figs. 2 and 3) journalled in the standard 8. r1`he shaft 39 carries the sprocket 40 which is driven in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 1 by the chain 41 passing around the drive sprocket v42 fastened to the power-shaft 42a actuated from a suitable source of power. The idler sprocket 43 ournalled on the arm 44 adjustably secured on the stud 45 afixed to the standard 8 is used to take up any slack in the chain 41.

The two gear-S37 of the two feeding units are driven in unison by a pair of inter-meshing pinions 46 journalled on a pair of tieshafts 47 ext-ending between the standards 8 and 9 as shown in Figs. 13.

To draw down the front margin of the bottom sheet 48 of the pile 14 in the hopper 13 through the opening 25 I have provided the following mechanism: The cross-shaft 49 at the front edge of the base-plate 19 (Figs. 1 and 4) rotatably carries a' pair of sucker levers 50 having the rubber flexible sucker lips 51 extending through the opening 25 (Fig. 1) in contact with the bottom sheet thereafter` to be drawn down in alinement with the periphery of the feed-Wheels 34 (Fig. 4) by the tension of the coil spring 52 extending from the hook on the lever 50 to the cross-shaft 54 extending between the standards 8 and 9 (Figs. 1 and 3). The suckers51 on the levers 50 are positively raised into sheet-seizing position against the force of the springs 52 by the cam 55 and cam-rollers 56 )ivoted to the levers 50. Suction is applied to the suckers l 51 through flexible hose 57 connected to the suction pump 58 mounted on the bracket 59 secured to the standard 8, the piston 60 being pivotally connected to the link-rod 62 journalled on the'crank-arm 63 adj ust-ably secured to the camshaft 35. The cam 55 and crank arm 63 are so set on the shaft 35 that suction is applied to the suckers 51 when they are raised to engage the bottom sheet 48 (Fig. 1) which suction or exhaust pressure is maintained by the pump 58 until the leading edge of the sheet 48 has been brought by the suc ers 51 down into the bite of the gripper roller 36 and the feed-wheels 34 when the gripper roller-36 has been advanced upwardly or os cillated counter-clockwise (Fig. 1) over the oppositely rotating surfaces of the wheels 34. Four idler rollers 63 are loosely journalled on the cross-shaft 49 (Figs. 2 and 3) to aid the suckers 51 in pulling the bottom sheets from the pile 14.

Means are provided for oscillating the gripper roller 36 circuinferentially along the peripheries of the feed-wheels 34 to grip and then advance the successive sheets, the front margins 0f which have been pulled down by the suckers51 through the opening 25 to restv on the peripheries of the feed n wheels 34. Such means may be widely varied in construction and operation: In the present embodiment the ends of the gripper-roller 36 are journalled vin the upper ends of the two rock-levers 64 arranged on either side of the feeder each having a cut-out portion 65 slidably carrying the slide-block 66 journalled on the camshaft 35 which forms the fulcrum of the levers 64. Aiixed to the lower end of the levers 64 (Fig. 5) are the spring-studs 67 extending through the cut-out portions 65 and having the compression springs 68 coiled about the upper end of the studs 67, one end of the springs 68 bearing against the block 66 and the other end of the spring 68 resting against the adjusting nuts 69 threaded to the studs 67. The force of the springs 68 determines the pressure of the gripper-roller' 36 on the peripheries of the feed-wheels 34 whieh may be varied by adjusting the screw nuts 69 to accommodate for dili'erent grades and thicknesses of paper in the pile 14. The tie rod 70 (Figs. 1 and 2) connects the two rocklevers 64 so that theymay be actuated in unison by the gripper-roller cam 71 secured to the shaft 35 (Figs. 1 and 5). The cam 71 engages the cam-roller 72 pinned to the lever 73 journalled on the shaft 74 atlixed to the standard 8. ,The lower arm 75 of the lever 73 has pinned thereto the link 76 pivotallyconnected to the tie-rod 70, and the spring 77 con# nected to the end of the arm 75 and the -pin 78 in the standard 8 causes the cam-roller 72 to follow the cam 71 to oscillate the rocklevers 64 thereby causing the gripper-roller 36 to ride back and forth circumferentially on the peri pheries of the feedwheels 34,

Fig..5 showing the roller 36 in full lines at thebeginning of its feeding stroke, while Fig. 1 shows the roller 36 at the end of its stroke with the suckers 51 raised to seize the next bottom sheet from the pile 14.

To advance or feedvdownwardly the separated sheets from the gripper roller 36, I have provided for each feeding unit two positively driven tension rollers 79 arranged to coact with the two middle feed-Wheels 34 as shown inl Figs. 2 and 3. These vtension rollers 79 are pinned to the rollershafts 8O journalled in standard 8 and roller brackets 81 journalled on the tie-shafts 47 (Figs. 1 and-2) and are driven by the pinions 82 mounted on the shafts 80 which gears 37 (Fig. 1). The compression spring 83 arranged between and bearing forciblyV pinions 82 engage with the v on the brackets 81 (Fig. 3) causes the tension rollers 79 to bear yieldingly on the mid-- peripheral speed, the separated cover sheets l vfed along the feed-wheels 34 by the gripperroller 56 .1re advanced downwardly between the guide-plates and 32 in parallelism with the opposite faces of the therebetween book resting on edge on the book support 28.

Means are provided to support the front Vmargins of each pile 14 after each sucker 51 has drawn down the bottom sheet which are best shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 6. A description of one of such devices will sutlice for both feeding units: Journa-lled in the standards 8 and in theirretracted and inoperative position.

(F ig. l). The'shaft 84 is rocked in timed relation with the rocking movement of the I suckers 51 by the cam 89 secured to the shaft 35 and engaging the cam-roller 90 pinned to the fork 91 of the rod 92 pivot-ally connected to the rock-arm 98 fastened to the bracket 94 adjustably secured to the end of the rockshaft 84 (Fig. 1). The spring 95 secured to the pin 9G on the fork 91 and to the pin 97 fastened to the standard 9 (Figs. 1 and 2) holds the cam-roller 90 in engagement with the cam 89. Fig. 1 shows the hooks 87 lowered and away from the pile 14 with the roller 90 riding on the lower part of the cam 89, while Figs. 4 and 0 show the`hooks 87 raised and advanced beneath the front margin of the pile 14 and the roller 90 riding along the high part ofthe cam 89 while the suckers 51 are'lowered with the bottom sheet 48 bent down into contact with the feed-wheels 34.

The construction and operation of the suction pump 58 which intermittently applies exhaust pressure through the hose connection 57 to the suckers 51 may be widely varied: In the present embodiment shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 7, the lower end of the piston rod 61 slides in the sleeve 98; the pist-on has a series of circumferential ports 99 formed in its periphery and carries the upwardly flanged washer 100 which makes a tight fit with the side-walls of the pump 58. The flap valve 101 secured by the screw 102 to the pump 58 automatically closes the port 103 in the bottom of the pump, all as shown in Fig. 7. In operation the upward stroke of the pistontO creates an exhaust pressure in the pump 58 and thence through the hose 57 to the suckers 51 until the piston reaches its Fig. 7 position when suction is broken through the ports 99 rising above thetop rim of the pump 58; on the down stroke of the piston 60 the flap valve 101 is forced outwardly by the air expelled through the port 103 until the piston G0 reaches the limit of its lowering movement. This reciprocating movement of the piston 60 is suitably timed with the raising and lowering ot' the suckers 51 by adjusting the cam 55 on the cam-shaft 85, as will be understood by those skilled in this sheet-feeding art.

In operation thesuckers 51 are timed to draw down the front margin of the bottom sheet 48 as the hooks 87 are thrown forwardly under the balance of the pile 14. lVhile the suckers 51 are being lowered the gripperroller 36 is oscillated counter-clockwise along the peripehries of the feed-wheels 34 until the leading edge of the sheet 48 bent down by the stickers is seized in the bite of the feedwheels 34 (rotating as shown in the arrows in Figs. 1 and 4) and the gripper' roller 36 when the suction is cut olf from the suckers 51 with a release of the sheet 48 as has been hereinbefore described. Then the rock-levers 64 are moved in the same direction as the feed wheels 34 rotate by which the gripper-roller 86 is swung downwardly on the peripheries of the feed-wheels 34 carrying the sheet 48 from its Fig. 4 to the Fig. 5 position. Thereafter the suckers 51 are raised by the cam 55 and the hooks 87 are swung outwardly to their Fig. 1 position while the feed-wheels 34 and gripper roller 36 bring the leading edge of the sheet 48 into the bite of the feed wheels 34 and tension rollers 79 which carry the sheet 48 between them until its lower leading edge contacts with the book support 28 between the guide plates 80 and 32. Then the suckers 51 are raised inl the next cycle as the hooks 87 are withdrawn as shown in Fig. 1 and the operation is repeated. The respective cams 5 5, 71 and 89 are all set and timed respectively to act in unison so that the cover sheetsfrom the two piles 14 shall be simultaneously separated and fed downwardly between the guide plates 30 and 32. i

The foregoing constructions embody the essential principles of my invention as embodied in a sheet-feeder that separates the successive bottom sheets from a superposed pile, but various changes may bemade inthe lstructural details without departing from the scope of my inmrovements. However the foregoing is sufficient to disclose the underlying principles and advantages of my invention as particularlyY applied to a feeder for separating and advancing cover sheets to a book-covering machine.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a sheet-feeder7 a rotary feed-wheel, a coacting gripper-roller oscillatable over said feed-wheel for advancing a sheet therebetween. and a driven roller also coactingl with said feed-wheel for thereafter forwarding the advanced sheet.

2. In a sheet-feeder, a rotary feed-wheel, a

coactin'g gripper-roller oscillatable over. said feed-wheel for advancing a sheet therebetween, and a spring-tensioned roller also coacting with said feed-Wheel for thereafter forwarding the advanced sheet. A

3.' In a sheet-feeder, arotary feed-wheel, a coacting gripper-roller oscillatable overl said feed-wheel for advancing a sheet therebetween, and a roller positivelyl driven at the same peripheral speed and Vcoacting with said feed-wheel for thereafter forwarding the advanced sheet. y

4. In a sheet-feeder, a rotary feed-wheel, a coacting gripper-roller oscillatable over said feed-wheel for advancing a sheet therebetween, anda spring-tensioned roller positively driven at the same peripheral speed and coacting with said feed-wheel for thereafter forwarding -thefa'dvanced sheet.

5. In asheet-feeder, a rotary feed-wheel, a coacting gripper-roller yieldingly' held against and oscillatable over and `frictionally driven by, lsaid feed-wheel for advancing a 'sheet therebetween, and a driven roller also coacting with said 'feed-wheel for thereafter forwarding the advanced sheet. n

6. In a sheet-feeder, a rotary feed-Wheel, a coacting gripper-'roller yieldingly held against and oscillatable over, and frictionally driven by, said feed-wheel for advancing a sheet therebetween, and a spring-tensioned roller positively driven at the same peripheral speed and coacting with said feed-wheel for thereafter forwarding the advanced sheet.

7. In a sheet-feeder, a pile of superposed sheets, a rotary feed-wheel, a sucker oscillatable beneath said pile to separate and carry the bottom sheet from the pile to said feedwheel, a coacting gripper-roller oscillatable over, and frictionally driven by, said feedwheel for advancing said sheet therebetween and rotary' means also coacting with said feed-wheel for thereafter forwarding the advanced sheet.v

y 8. In a sheet-feeder, a pile of superposed sheets, a rotary feed-wheel, a sucker oscillatable beneath said pile to separate and carry the bottom sheet from the pile to said feedwheel, a coacting gripper-roller yieldingly held against and oscllatable over, and frictionally driven by, said feed-wheel for advancing said sheettherebetween, and rotary V-moans? 9. In combination, a conveyormeehanism for advancing successive books, a pair of oppositely faced; sheet-feeding units arranged above and on either side of said conveyor,

each unit comprising a rotary feed-wheel and a therewith coacting gripper-roller oscillatable over, and frictionally driven by, said feed-wheel for advancing a sheet therebetween to the opposite sides of books on said conveyor.

l0. In a sheet-feeder, a rotary feed-wheel, a coacting gripper-roller oscillatable over and frictionally driven by said feed-wheel 4for advancing a sheet therebetween, and rotary means also coacting with said feed-wheel and driven thereby for thereafter forwarding the advanced sheet.

l1. In a sheet-feeder, a rotary feed-wheel, a coacting gripper-roller oscillatable over and frictionally driven by said feed-wheel for advancing a sheet therebetween, and

spring-pressed rotary means also coacting with said feed-wheel and driven thereby for thereafter forwarding the advanced sheet.

12. In combination, a conveyor mechanism fo advancing successive books, a pair of oppositely faced sheet-feeding units arranged above and on either side of.said conveyor, each unit comprising a rotary feed-wheel, a coacting g1i1'iper-roller oscillatable over and frictionally driven by said feed-Wheel for advancing a` sheet therebetween, and rotary means also coacting with said feed-Wheel and driven thereby for thereafter forwarding the advanced sheet to the opposite sides of books on said conveyor.

13. In combination, a conveyor mechanism for advancing successive books, a pair of oppositely faced sheet-feeding units arranged above and on either side of said conveyor, each unit comprising a rotary feed-wheel, a coacting gripper-roller oscillatable over and frictionally driven b v said feed-wheel for adbooks on said conveyor.

PAUL E. KLEINEBERG.

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