US2088345A - Automatic feeding device for feeding sheets of paper - Google Patents

Description

W. RITZERFELD AUTOMATIC FEEDING DEVICE FOR. FEEDING SHEETS OF PAPER July 27,- 1937.

Filed Sept. 6, 1935 f 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. W/LHELM R T'ZERFELD G" LATTORNEY.

July 27, 1937. 2,088,345

AUTOMATIC FEEDING DEVICE FOR FEEDING SHEETS OF PAPER w. RITZERF'ELD Filed Sept. 6, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

W/L l/EL M R/ TZE/F F'E'L 0 7 ATTORNEY.

Patented July 27, 1937 UNITED STATES AUTOMATIC FEEDING DEVICE FOR FEED- ING SHEETS OF PAPER Wilhelm Ritzerfeld, Berlin, Germany Application September 6, 1935, Serial No. 39,379 In Germany September 7,- 1934 Claims. The present invention relates to an automatic feeding device feeding individual paper sheets or cards or the like into machines, and more particularly, to a device for automatically feeding paper 5 sheets or cards into duplicating apparatus which moisten them with a rapidly volatilizing solventv cards adhered to each other, were dragged along during the procedure of feeding and seriously interfered with the correct operation of the duplicating apparatus. Numerous proposals have already been made to eliminate this diificulty but as far as I am aware of, none of these proposals, 0 offered a complete solution to --the problem confronting the art.

I have discovered that the aforesaid shortcomings of prior feeding devices can be eliminated in a very simple manner. a

' It is an object of the present invention toprovide an improved feeding device for duplicating apparatus and the like for automatically feeding only one sheet or card to be printed upon into the apparatus from a stack.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an automatic feeding device especially adaptable to duplicating apparatus working, on

the copyable mirror-script principle which is simple and practically fool-proof and which elimi-, nates the possibility of several sheets or cards being dragged along during the process of feeding or printing a selected sheet or card.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide-a simple and automatic feeding device 40 for duplicating apparatus which can be added easily and without the necessity of major changes to duplicating apparatus now in use.

Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. l is a side elevational view, somewhat fragmentary, of a feeding device embodying the pres? ent invention; A

Fig. 2 depicts a plan view of the device shown in Fig. 1, and j Fig. 3 illustrates a front elevational view of the device.

According to the principles of my invention, I provide a movable'guide bar or'the like which is to be positioned on the feed table and in front of the sheets or cards which are to be fed into the duplicating apparatus. A mechanical connection between the feeding roller moving back and forth on the uppermost sheet and the movable guide bar is providedso that the latter will be turned away during the forward movement of the feeding roller. I prefer such mechanical arrangement or connection between these two cooperating members that the guide bar will not be turned away immediately after the feed roller started its forwardmovement but only after this has been moving forward already for some time. The guide bar is preferably arranged so that it may be turned at a certain angle. A spring is 5 provided for holding the guide bar in its initial or feeding position. The-guide bar is turned by means of jointed lever rods carrying a catch or the like capable of being engaged by a corresponding stop provided on the feeding roller.

During the forward movement of the feeding 2O roller this stop will engage the catch on the jointed lever controlling the guide bar whereby the guide bar will be turned away for a moment, will permit the uppermost sheet to pass, but will be quickly'returned into its initial position by the spring. It is advantageous to makeeither the stop or the catch or both adjustable so that the guide bar can be made to start its angular displacement in a definite, predetermined position 30 of the feeding roller. I

, Since the guide bar 'doesnot move simul: taneously with the forward movement of the feeding roller but starts only during the further progress thereof, the uppermost sheet or card 35 will be pushed against the guide bar by the feeding roller and will bulge at its front end. When the guidebar is turned away this sheet will be propelled forward. I found it to be important to adjust the cooperation of the catch and stop' in such manner that they only engage one. another for a moment and that the guide bar will bequickly returned by the spring to'its initial position after catch .and stop became disengaged. Sheets or cards having a tendency to adhere'to each other and to be dragged along will be pushed back into their former position by. the returning guide bar. As an additional precaution, I also provide the upper edge of the guide bar with a bend directed against the forward movement of 50 the feed roller.

Referring now to the drawings, a feed table 4 of the automatic feeding device is arranged in front of conveying'rollers l and 2 and above a feed .table proper 3 which is used when the sheets to be printed are fed by hand into the duplicating apparatus. Above feed ,table 4 rests roller 5 in a sledge-like frame 6 which is slidably arranged along the side edges of feed table 4 and is adapted to be moved back and forth by means of lever rods I and 8. Feed table 4 is also provided with feeding guides S and I0 one on each side. I prefer to cover both guides with a suitable resilient material, for example rubber, in order to slightly increase the friction between said guides and the edges of the paper sheets and thereby obtain better control of the movement of same. The sheets or cards ll between these feed guides have their front edge in contact with guide bar l2 which can swing around a pivot at the front part of the feed table 4 and which is held in its initial position by spring l3. The movement of the guide bar is controlled by the jointed lever rods l4, one end of which co-operates with the guide bar and the other end of which is arranged to swing around pivot IS. 'A catch I1 is attached to bushing l6 arranged at the latter end of the jointed lever, said catch being adapted to be engaged by a stop l8 secured to the sledge frame 6. The position of catch l1 and of bushmouth of the rollers to moisten the sheets with a rapidly volatilizing solvent according to the principles'of mirror-script duplicating process.

As an additional precaution against dragging along sheets or cards which have a tendency to adhere to each other, I provide the upper edge of guide bar II with a bend directed against the direction ofthe forward movement of the sheets. In view of the fact that catch I1 is adjustable it is possible to adjust the time relationship of the movement of sledge frame 6 and roller 5 and of the swinging movement of the guide bar I! to each other. In this manner, it is possible to adjust accurately the bulging of the topmost sheet to the amount the most advantageous for the correct operation of the feeding apparatus.

Although I have described a-preferred embodiment of my invention which is especially adapted ing IS with respect to' pivot l5 may be adjusted by means of loosening set screw l'|l and tightening said screw againin the desired position of the catch. A pin l8-l mounted on sledge frame 6 permits stop l8 to rock clockwise when it moves to the right in passing catch ll.

' From the preceding description, the operation of my improved feeding device will be readily understood by those skilled in the art. In the initial position of the device guide bar I! is held in its upright position by spring l3 and thereby blocks the way of the paper sheets. When sledge frame 6 and feeding roller 5 .are moved forward by means of levers l and 8, the topmost sheet will be pressed against the guide bar and consequently its front end will become slightly bulged. In a little while, however, stop l8 will engage catch I! on bushing l6, and thereby cause same to swing in the direction of the arrow. This swinging displacement will be transmitted to lever rods l4 which will swing guide bar I! out of its initial position, opening the path of the uppermost sheet. Stop II will engage catch II for a moment only and these co-operating parts will be soon disengaged during further progress of the sledge frame 6. For this reason guide bar I! will be brought back to its initial position by the spring. The topmost sheet or card which became slightly bulged during the first part of the forward movement of the sledge frame, to wit: previous to catch I! being engaged by stop I8, will'be propelled forward when the guide bar It is turned away toward the horizontal direction and will not be seized by the guide'bar on its immediate return. Now the topmost sheet will be. above the upper edges of the guide bar and will be pushed forward due to the further forward movement of the sledge 6 and of the feed roller 5 and will arrive in between the conveying rollers I and 2.

Sheets or cards having a tendency to adhere to to be used as an auxiliary attachment to duplicating apparatus now in use and operating on the principle of the mirror-script duplicating process, it is readily understood that I do not wish to limit myself to this particular embodiment. Modifications or variations will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and the principles of my present invention can be adapted to the different types of duplicating or printing apparatus. These variations or modifications are to be considered within the true spirit and scope of my present invention as disclosed in the present specification and as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination comprising a feed table adapted to hold a plurality of. superimposed paper sheets, a slide member adapted to be moved back and forth along the side edges of said table, a feeding roller associated with said slide member and engaging V the uppermost of said sheets, a guide bar pivotally mounted on said table in front of said paper sheets capable of being turned away to permit passage of said uppermost paper sheet, and means the topmost sheet or card are separated therefrom during the bulging and will be retained by the quickly returning guide bar so that they will be kept in their initial placeready to be fed into the duplicating apparatus during further operation of the feeding device. A moistening device l9 may be arranged between the conveying rollers l and 2 and the feeding device and preferably may extend towards and into the plvotally mounted mounted on said table and slide member for turning away said guide-bar during the forward movement of said feeding roller.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination comprising'a feed table adapted to hold a plurality of superimposed paper sheets, a slide member adapted to be moved back and forth along the side edges of said table, a feeding roller jointedly connected to said slide member and en'- gaging the uppermost of said sheets, a guide bar at one end of said table in front of said paper sheets capable of being turned away to permit passage of said uppennost paper sheet, a pair of jointed lever rods extending along said table for actuating said guide bar, and means associated with said slide member adapted to engage a catch on a pivot of said levers and to momentarily turn away said bar during the forward movement of said feeding roller.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination comprising a feed table adapted to hold a plurality of superimposed paper sheets, a slidemember adapted to be moved back and forth along the side edges of said feed table, a feedin roller jointedly connected to said slide member and engaging the uppermost of said sheets, a guide bar pivotally mounted at one end of said table in front of said paper sheets capable of limited rotary displacement, a return spring for said guide bar, jointed lever rods co-operating with said guide bar at one of their ends and extending along said table for turning away said 'guide bar.

and means associated with said slide member adapted to engage a catch on a pivot at the other end of said lever rods and to'turn away said guide bar during the forward movement of said feeding roller.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination comprising a feed table adapted to hold a plurality of superimposed paper sheets, a slide member adapted to be moved back and forth along the side edges of said table, a feeding roller jointediy connected to said slide member and engaging the uppermost of saidsheets, a guide bar pivotally mounted at one end of said table in front of said paper sheets capable of limited rotary displacement, a return spring for said guide bar, jointed lever rods co-operating with said guide bar at one of their ends and extending along said feed table, an adjustable catch at the other end of said lever rods, and a stop mounted on said slide member capable of engaging said catch and of momentarily displacing said guide bar after a partial forward displacement of said feeding roller whereby the front end of said uppermost paper sheet will be bulged and separated from the other sheets during this partial displacement of said feeding roller and said uppermost sheet will be propelled beyond said guide bar when same is displaced during the further progress of said feeding roller.

5. In a device of the character described, the

combination comprising a feed table adapted to hold a plurality of superimposed paper sheets, a slide member adapted to be reciprocated along the side edges of said feed table, a feeding roller jointedly connected to said slide member and engaging the uppermost of said sheets, a guide bar having a bend on its upper edges directed against the forward movement of said feeding roller pivotally mounted at one end of said table in front of said paper sheets, a return spring for said guide bar, jointed lever rods co-operating with said guide bar at one of their ends and extending along said feed table, an adjustable catch at the other end of said lever-rods, and a stop pivoted for free movement in one direction mounted on said slide member 'capable of engaging said catch and of momentarily turning away said guide bar after a partial forward displace ment of said feeding roller depending on the adjustment' of said catch whereby said guide bar will be momentarily turned away by said jointed lever rods and the uppermost sheet will be pro-v pelled forward by said feeding roller when said catch is engaged by said stop and said guide bar will be returned to'its position of rest by said return spring and will retain the sheets adhering to said uppermost sheet after said catch and said stop become disengaged.

WHIHELMRI'IZERFELD.

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