US2160905A - Sheet feeding mechanism - Google Patents

Description

June 6, 1939- R. RElNARTz SHEET FEEDING MECHANISM Filed Dec. 2, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet l Figi.

June 6, 1939. R, REINARTZ SHEET FEEDING MECHANI SM Filed Deo. 2, 1956 l 2 sheets-smet 2 Patented June 6, 1939 SHEET FEEDING MECHANISM Robert Reinartz, Offenbach, near Frankfort-onthe-Main, Germany, assigner, by mesne assignments, to Faber & Schleicher, A. G., Offenbach-on-the-Main, Germany, a corporation of Germany Application December 2, 1936, Serial No. 113,801

' In Germany December 3, 1935 6 Claims.

In my U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,086,577 I have described and claimed a sheet feeding mechanism in which individual sheets are fed by means of two suction nozzles which then revert to 'their initial position on a path around the side edges of the sheet. In the arrangement described and illustrated in this prior patent, the sheets fed are transferred from the suction nozzles to a suction roller. This suction roller and a further roller constitute a pair of feed rollers whereby the further feed of the sheets can beeifected independently of the suction. By feeding consecutive sheets at suitable intervals a fanned-out sequence of sheets in overlapped condition can be produced.

The modification of the prior invention proposed in the present invention has for its object to eliminate the need for a suction roller to take over the sheet from the suction nozzles. According to the present invention the sheet feeding machine includes a feed roller, pressure rollers co-operating with the feed roller and suction nozzles adapted to seize a .sheet and to convey it to between the feed'roller and the eo-operating pressure rollers, the nozzles releasing the sheet when it is gripped between the rollers and reverting to their initial position around the side edges of the sheet. I

Such an arrangement is particularly suitable for forming a sequence of sheets in tanned-out overlapping relationship and feeding them to a sheet handling machine such as a printing machine and in this case the uppermost sheet of a pile of sheets is engaged at or adjacent the corners of its leading edge by the suction nozzles which convey the sheet towards a feed roller along a path beneath the sheets previously fed from the pile, whereupon the pressure rollers acting on the overlapping sequence of sheets from above urges the newly fed sheet against the feed roller so that the newly fed sheet, which is released by the suction nozzle, is conveyed by the feed roller, while the suction nozzles after releasing the sheet revert to their initial position along a path around the side edges of the sheet just handled.

The pressure rollers co-operating with the feed roller` are preferably moved towards and away from the feed roller in timed relationship to the movement of the suction nozzles so that the sheet engaged by the nozzles can be introduced readily while the pressure rollers are lifted.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, these and other features will be explained in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate' the invention somewhat diagrammatically 'by an example,

Fig. 1 is a side view,

Fig. 2 is a corresponding plan view,

Fig. 3 is a side view showing a different working position of the elements shown in Fig. l,

Fig. 4 is a sectionalong the line A-B of Fig. 3, and

Figs. 5 and 6 are a front and a side elevation respectively of conventional means whereby the suction nozzles may be actuated to separate a sheet from the pile and to thereafter move around the side edges of the separated sheet and beneath it to engage the next sheet.

The sheets are lifted individually from the pile I and are fed to the feed roller 2, the uppermost point of which is at a higher level than the top of the pile. The individual sheets 3 are fed by means of suction nozzles 4 engaging the two corners of the leading' edge of the sheet and the movements of which correspond to the movements of the suction nozzles as described in said prior patent. The-feed roller 2 co-operates with a set of pressure rollers. The pressure rollers 5 may be constantly urged by their own gravity against the feed roller to thereby continuously move the sheets 6, 1, which are in overlapping relationship and have previously been fed to the feed roller. The 'feed action which, if desired, may occur at a variable speed, serves to convey the sheets to the printing machine or other sheet handling machine. These pressure rollers 5 are disposed near to the highest point of thefeed roller 2.

Another set of rollers, namely pressure rollers 8 engage the feed roller 2 at the point at which the newly fed sheet 3 is transferred from the suction nozzles 4 to the feed roller. By means of any suitable mechanism, such as I have indicated by way of example in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the rollers 8 are raised from the feed roller 2, while the suction nozzles 4 approach the point at which the sheet 3 is transferred so that the leading edge of the sheet 3 Acan be readily introduced beneath the rollers 8. At an appropriate instant the pressure rollers 8 are lowered and suction is no longer applied to the nozzles 4. In this way the existing sequence of overlapping sheets 6, 1, is pressed on to the leading edge of the new sheet 3 so that it is moved together with the sequence of sheets at the peripheral speed of the feed roller 2. As soon as itv has been conveyed in this manner to beneath the pressure rollers the pressure rollers 8 can be lifted again.

While the first sheet ofthe sequence is being fed there is nothing to hold it against the feed roller 2 between the pressure rollers 8 and the pressure rollers 5; consequently, tojensure that the first sheetfed does not strike against the pressure rollers 5 instead of passing between sufficient for the new sheet to be introduced into 2 the angle formed between the sequence of sheets and the feed roller 2 while the pressure rollers 8 remain in operation. In order that the suction nozzles 4 should disturb the established sequence of sheets as little as possible it may be desirable to allow the leading edge 9 of the sheet 3 to extend considerably beyond the nozzles 4.

In the same way as in the arrangement according to said prior patent the following developments of the basic idea can be effected inter alia. To obtain a `reliable separation of the sheets, separating devices may be provided at the rear end of the sheet apart from the transfer nozzles 4. To make it possible for the nozzles 4 to pass with certainty from the sides into the space between the pile l and the sheet 3, the sequence of sheets 3, 6, l above the nozzles 4 may be raised at this moment either by tautening the sequence of sheets or by means of a separate lifting device provided in the vicinity of the nozzles 4, or by other means. In order that the leading edge of the sheet 3 should be stretched in a straight line at the moment of transfer, the nozzles 4 may be moved outwardly as will be described hereafter. When handling sheets ,of stiff cardboard, which on the one 'hand cannotreadily be bent and on theA other hand can `be advanced by means engaging such sheets at their `rear edge, it is possible to make the level of the top of the pile coincident with the upper level of the feed roller and to introduce the sheets directly beneath the pressure rollers 5 and the sequence of sheets travelling beneath them, pressure rollers 8 and transfer nozzles 4 being thrown out of operation. 'Ihis movement lcan be effected by auxiliary suction nozzles moving in the direction of motion of the Asheets `and disposed near the rear separating device; apart from this use when feeding stiff sheets these lauxiliary nozzles' may also be employed in the case of thin sheet'sto facilitate the'guidance of the sheets or for tautening the sheets.

The preferred means illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 for separating sheets from the pile l and for transferring the separated sheets to the forwarding means, namely feed roller 2 andcooperating sets of pressure rollers 5 and 8, functions as follows: i v v Y According" to thisk conventional device, of which Fig. 5 isa front elevation, partly in cross-section, andLFig. .6 a lcross-sectioned side elevation taken along line 6-6 of Fig. 5, a shaft 29 is mounted in hearings 38 and 3l provided in thesupporting brackets 32 carried by a shaft 33. A rock arm 34 is rigidly secured to said shaft 29 which arm in suitable manner.

turn supports within suitable bearings a rack bar 35 with its rack 36 as well as a shaft' 31 which latter is provided with an air duct through which suction is applied to the nozzle 4 in any Said rack and shaft are so arranged vthatthey reciprocate laterally in unison. Reciprocatory movement is imparted to the rack bar 35 by means of a gear segment 38 as -will be explained hereinafter.

To the inner free end of the shaft 31 is secured a separating nozzle 4, while an air hose 39 may be connected to the other end of said shaft. l

The parts involved for actuating the nozzle or nozzles 4, one of which may be arranged adjacent each front corner of a pile of sheets, derive theirv motion from the shaft 33 as follows. A flanged hub 40 is splined to said shaft by means of a groove and key connection 4|, 42. The flange 43 of said hub is bolted to a disk 44 which is integral with a sleeve 45 carried by the shaft 33. Preferably said fiange and disk may be adapted to be adjustable relative to each other for the purpose of adjusting the angular position of the nozzle 4. Said sleeve also carries a spur gear 46 which meshes with and drives another spur gear 41 suitably keyed to the shaft 48 which latter is supported to rotate Within bearings 49 and 50 provided in the brackets 32.

The rocking motion is imparted to the rock arm -34 by means of a cam 5I mounted on the shaft 48 and which caml actuates a bell crank lever, similar to 52 shown in Fig. 6, and which is connected to the rock arm 34. One arm of said lever carries a cam roller as 53 which is urged against the cam 5| in any conventional manner such as by means of a spring 54 mounted to exert pressure against the other arm of said bell crank lever.

In order to reciprocate the rackbar 35 laterally, and therewith the nozzle 4, a cam 55, see Fig. 5, of suitable contour is also mounted on the shaft 48. As will be seen from Fig. 5, the stud 56, on which the gear segment 38 is mounted, also carries a bevel gear 51 which meshes with a bevelgear 58. The latter is secured to a bell crank, lever 52, see Fig. 6, so that when it is rocked by the cam 55, 'as described herein in connection with the cam 5l and its associated parts, the segment 38 also will be rocked and will thereby produce a lateral reciprocating motion of the bar 35 and nozzle 4 through the intermediary of the rack 36. y

It will be understood therefore, that the com-' bined operation of the mechanism just described will produce such movement of the nozzle 4 that it will raise a sheet from the pile and after transferring the sheet to the forwarding means, such as roller 2, the nozzle willmove outward beyond the margin of the sheet and then downward and inward beneath said sheet in order to engage the next sheet.

It will be readily understood that without departing from the principle of my invention any other suitable mechanism may be utilized wherebygits objects may be accomplished.

I claim: 1. In a sheet feeder of the class adapted for feeding-sheets in lapped sequence, and including l means for moving the separating .members around the edge of a fed sheet, the combination 'of sheet separating and forwarding means, .in-

cluding separating members arranged to separate the top sheet from a pile of sheets, and sheet forwarding means adapted to receive sheets sepa- 1 rated by said members and comprising a driven feed roller and a pressure roller cooperating therewith and positively moved radially away from said feed roller in order to permit a newly separated sheet to be placed beneath a previously fed lapped sequence of sheets and thereupon urge it against said feed roller so that said sheet will be conveyed together with said sequence of sheets, said sheet separating members, after having transferred a sheet to said forwarding means,

reverting to their initial position around the lateral edges of said sheet. 7

2. In a sheet feeder of the class adapted for feeding sheets in lapped sequence and including means for moving the separating members around the edge of a fed sheet, the combination of sheet separating and forwarding means, including separating members arranged to separate the top sheet from a pile of sheets, and sheet forwarding means adapted to receive sheets separated by said members and comprising a driven feed roller and two or more sets of independently actuated pressure rollers cooperating with said feed roller, one set of said pressure rollers being positively moved radially away from said feed roller in order to permit a newly separated sheet to be placed beneath a previously fed lapped sequence of sheets and thereupon urge it against said feed roller so that said sheet will be conveyed together with said sequence of sheets, while the other one of said sets remains in constant lcooperative re-v lation with said feed-roller.

3. In a sheet feeder of the class adapted for feeding sheets in lapped sequence and including means for moving the separating members around the edge of a fed sheet, the combination of sheet separating and forwarding means, including separating members arranged to separate the top sheet from a pile of sheets, and sheet forwarding means adapted to receive sheets separated by said members and comprising a driven feed roller and two or more sets of independently operated pressure rollers cooperating with said feed roller, one set of said pressure rollers being positively moved radially away from said feed roller in order to permit a newly separated sheet to be placed beneath a previously fed lapped sequence of--sheets and thereupon urge it against said feed roller so that said sheet will be conveyed together with said sequence of sheets, said sheet separating members, after having transferred a sheet to said forwarding means, reverting to their initial position around the lateral edges of said sheet.

4. In a sheet feeder of the class adapted for feeding sheets in lapped sequence and including means for #moving the separating 1 members around the edge of a fed sheet, the combination of sheet separating and forwarding means, including separating members arranged to separate the top sheet from a pile of sheets, and sheet forwarding means adapted to receive sheets separated by said members and comprising a driven feed roller and two or more sets of independently operated pressure rollers cooperating with said feed roller, one set of said pressure rollers being positively moved radially away from said feed roller in order to permit a newly separatedsheet to be placed beneath a previously fed lapped sequence of sheets and thereuponurge it against said feed roller so that said sheet will be conveyed together with said sequence of sheets, while the other one of said sets remains in constant cooperative relation with said feed roller, said sheet separating members, after having transferred a sheet to said forwarding means, reverting to their initial position around the lateral edges of said sheet.

5. In a sheet feeder of the class adapted for vfeeding sheets in lapped sequence and including lfrom 'said feed roller in order to permit a newly separated sheet to be placed beneath a previously fed lapped sequence of sheets and thereupon urge it against said feed roller so that said sheet will be conveyed together with said sequence of sheets, said sheet separating members, after having separated a sheet, moving outwardly to thereby tauten the leading edge of said sheet, and after having transferred a sheet to said forwarding means, reverting to their initial position around the lateral edges of said sheet. n

6. In a sheet feeder of the class adapted for feeding sheets in lapped sequence and including means for moving the separating members around the edge of a fed sheet, the combination of sheet separating and forwarding means, including separating members arranged to engage the top sheet of a pile at its leading edge and separate it from said pile, and sheet forwarding means adapted to receive sheets separated by said members and comprising a driven feed roller-and .a pressure roller cooperating therewith and positively moved radially away from said feed roller in order to permit a newly separated sheet to be placed beneath a previously fedlapped sequence of sheets and thereupon urge it against said feed roller so that said sheet will be conveyed together with said sequence of sheets, said sheet separating members, after having separated a sheet, moving outwardly to vthereby tauten the leading edge of said sheet, and after having transferred a sheet to said forwarding means, reverting to their initial position around the lateral edges of said sheet.

ROBERT REINARTZ.

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