US1991989A

US1991989A - Sheet separating device

Info

Publication number: US1991989A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1935-02-19
Anticipated expiration: 1952-02-19

Description

Feb. 19, .1935. TRIOMPIER 1,991,989

SHEET SEPARATING DEVICE Filed March 8, 1954 LOUIS TROMPIER INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented F eb. 19, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHEET SEPARATING DEVICE Louis Trompier, Villeurbanne, France Application March 8, 1934, Serial No. 714,587 In Germany March 9, 1933 3 Claims. (Cl. 271-36) The present invention concerns an automatic which only occurs at the appropriate instant, in feed for sheets of paper, cards, envelopes or any a manner already known. other thin and flexible material occurring in This regulating device may consist of a known sheets, the principal characteristic consisting of system, either of a set of rocking fingers or cams a large output and extremely simple and certain which are applied at intervals to push against 5 functioning, the pile of sheets which is to be fed, or in the This system of automatic feed is essentially case of a rotary feeding system, of one or several characterized in that the sheets, cards, envelopes smooth par s, Which thus h no d g t on. etc., are arranged in a pile in front of a rotary Separating those of dh si e material. feed system which draws oil, in the direction of As a consequence, h v tion has in view, 10 its movement, the first sheet of thi pile and this by way of new industrial products, auto- Under the action of the driving force to which metic feeds comprising the whole or p r l nit is subjected, the first sheet slides over the folphcetion of Similar deviceslowing one and is introduced into a curved chan- It can be quite easily Understood w t aid nel for transmission to the delivery end without of the following Supplementary descri and 1., the following sheet or sheets being simultaneof the diagrammatic drawing tt c ed, wh ch ously carried along owing to their disposition description and drawing of u se, given relative to the directionof the curved delivery p e y y of indicationchannel and the section of its opening, which are Figures 1 and 2 Show the apparatus in d adjusted so as t permit only one h t t pass t elevation at the instant when one sheet is being 20 a time, fed and the preceding one is falling.

This system of automatic feed is based on Figure 3 is p v wdrawing off at considerable speed a h t f According to the invention the apparatus in paper i d i t a Curved passage of adhstaits essential elements consists of an inclined g5 ble cross section at the end of which is placed a Plane q Supporting table 1 on which is pressure spring which relieves the exit by assistranged the p 2 f p per, sheets, envelopes or m t f ll of the preceding sheet, card, the like, which are to be taken one at a time, in velope etc. 1 such a manner that they descend by gravity.

The curved shape of this channel necessitates If necessary their descent can be assisted by a system of feeding and delivering having an a known system for example P means f 3U adhesion suiiicient to permit the sheet to be Pressure plate 3 Shown defied w drawmg' carried into this channel in spite of the resistance P some, membfer havmg a sprmg other opposed to its forward movement by this curvadevlce pressing against the upper part of the pile. ture. In this manner it is ensured that several This P1 1e arrested at lts 'f by a l System sheets will not pass simultaneously, the adhesion conslstmg' m the c3159 shown m the drawmg' of a 35 being insufficient to carry along the following roller 4 whose periphery has f Smooth part 5 sheet. and another 6 of rubber, gelatine or other ma- In order to prevent the succeeding sheet from tenal causing f F agamst whlcfh it bearsbeing started inopportunely by the smooth part- It also bears Y Its upper part agamst of the driving system, and to annul the effect 9 which 15 movable or other of the of this, alight spring, which holds it, is arranged du'Fctwns of the arrow P Such way as to at a very short distance (a few millimetres) beg perfectly thepnentamon of the Sheet 11 low the entrance w the med Chalmeioii fiiih sii ii 85 eiifeitiiti the pile 2 This automatic feed may or may not be comr pleted by any appropriate device which enables g: ?g gfgz g l g ig 5 3 35 5 53 the feed of the sheet or envelope to be regulated, 10 can be moved towards or away from the in order that it shall be delivered 1n the intervals roller 4, in such a way as to reduce or increase accordmg to the rhythm of the machme of the space left free between the periphery of this t member which receives them; printing and the said movable support 9 in order to form 50 chines, counting, gumming, duplicating machines th r ed feed passage 12, or the like. When rotating in the direction of the arrow 8, Th feeding action y 80 be increased by the wheel 4 feeds by adherence the first sheet or arranging, in the adhering material, or by reenvelope 11 of the pile 2 into the said curved 55 placing it with, suction orifices, the action of passage. Thus drawn oil, it slides against the 55 succeeding sheet or envelope and is delivered by the passage 12 towards the machine where it is to be used.

In order to ensure perfect separation between the sheets the small spring 16 attached to the strut l4 closes the curved channel a few millimetres below its entrance. By thus preventing a sheet from starting inopportunely, it is ensured that the feed will only take place when the adherence is sufficient to overcome the resistance due to the passage in the curved channel'12 and that due to the small spring 16.

With the object of ensuring a perfect separation of the sheets, and a better fall of that discharged, there is also arranged at the exit from the passage 12 a spring 13 having a suitable play, fixed to a strut 14 above the roller 4. An orifice 15 provided in its median part enables it to bend without colliding with anything.

When the sheet or envelope 11 reaches the end of the passage 12 it slides underneath the spring 13 which is raised and which presses on it. When this sheet has completely left the passage 12, the pressure of the spring 13 causes it to fall as shown in Figure 1.

In order to facilitate the discharge, a cylinder 22 of a material causing adherence can be arranged at the end of the passage 12 and is driven by friction from the wheel 4, as the said cylinder and wheel are always wider than the sheet to be driven.

For manipulating certain qualities of paper it is possible that the driving effort produced by the material causing adhesion may be insuflicient. In this case it may be increased by using, in combination with the above system, vacuum suction such as is commonly employed in printing machines.

In the case of the apparatus shown in the drawing, along one or more of the surfaces of the adherent part of the wheel 4 several orifices are provided, of suitable shape (18) with channels 19 opening into a central channel 20 which is itself in communication, through a tube 21, with an air pump or some other apparatus for reducing the pressure, not shown in the drawing. By means of a rotating valve of some known system, the suction is produced from the instant the paper is seized until the instant it falls. These oridoes 18 are closed by some system in accordancewith the width of the sheet being fed.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of United States is:-

1. In a sheet separating and feeding device having a feeding and discharging roller adapted to engage against a pile of sheets standing edgewise in an inclined position, a. fixed supporting table disposed adjacent to said roller, and an ach'ustable guide block upon said table supporting said pile of sheets, having one end thereof concave in substantially concentric conformity with the arcuate surface of said roller and spaced an alterable distance therefrom sov that a uniform curved delivery channel results between said block and roller, which is adjustable by adjustment of said block upon said table to the thickness of a single sheet intended to pass through said channel.

2. In a sheet separating and feeding device according to claim 1, a doubled and bent guide member disposed in front of the pile of sheets upon the guide block, having one end serving as a resilient arm or spring penetrating into the curved delivery channel in order to prevent a second sheet from accidentally sliding into the channel and accompanying a sheet being delivered through said channel and the second end extending downward past the circumference outline of the roller so as to effect final separation and delivery of the single sheet'from said channel in a predetermined direction.

3. In a sheet separating and feeding device according to claim 1, the combination of the guide member located in front of the pile of sheets upon the guide block having the lower end thereof penetrating into the curved delivery channel in order to serve as a spring preventing a second sheet from accidentally sliding into the channel and accompanying a single sheet being delivered through said channel, and a second guide member also disposed in front of said pile having the lower end extending downward past the circumference outline of the roller and effecting final separation and delivery of the single sheet from said channel in a predetermined direction.

LOUIS TROMPIER.