US2267340A - Feed table for printing presses and the like - Google Patents

Description

De.23,1941.` W, C, RuppV 2,267,340v

FEEDITABLE FOR PRINTING PRESSES lAND THE LIKE y Filed May 20, 19404 4 Sheets-Sheet l ununcml l l l LF- l I ununnu I Y ll li i I Il I /26 I JI I .gf-*TJ i I /25 I I EIE. l l

E a I l l l /i/ I I I I I f 1 l 'i 2 l l l I l I I l h I 15:' Y ISE I 1| 5 E 5 LTI v T E I7 1L; l E 5 6 III HI 5 IO E ,Ljrnll I f V 6 wim",

I E"- 4 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS.

Dec. 23, 1941. w. c. RUPP 2,267,340.y

FEED TABLE FOR PRINTNG PRESSES AND 'I'H LIKE `Filed May 2o, 1940 4 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR. WILLIAM c.RUPP

ATTORNEYS.

W. C; RUPP,

Dec. z3, 1941.

FEED TABLE FOR PRINTING PRESSES AND THE LIKE Filed May 2o, 1940 4 sheets-sheet 5 Ell Bil.

ATTORNEYS.

w. c. RUPP Dec; 23, 1941.

FEED TABLE FOR PRINTING PRESSES AND THE LIKE Filed May 20, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

WILLIAM CRUPP BY l ma, Mi/QM ATTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 23, 1941 FEED TABLE FOR, BRINTING PRESSES AND William C. Rupp, Parma, Ojlit assig'itoi" to' The Chandler & Price Go corporation of' Oli-ioapplication May 20,1940, serial-No. m6311534 (creci-6e This` invention relates as indicated to feedtables for printing presses and the like and more particularly to,v a novel type of stack elevating device which is responsive tothe removalof evenvery thin sheets of paper.

In conjunction with the Well-known platen or Gordon type presses, for exampleit has been' found desirable to employ feed tables which may beintermittently elevated as sheets are removedfrom the stack in order to maintain the top of the. stack at aI substantially predetermined levelI andso facilitate the operation-ofthe sheet feed.- ing mechanism. Various rack and gea-r means as, for` example, that illustrated and described in Root Patent No. 2,081,958, have been utilized in' the past to provide for the elevation `ofthe feed table, such means being responsivethroughrather complicated pawl and ratchet mechanism, to the movement of feeler ngers periodicallyr resting upon the upper surface of the stack. I-n- `addition to being mechanically complex, such means is only effective to periodically elevate the stack When a sufficient number of sheetshavebeen-removed therefrom to cause quite a notice' able lowering of the upper surface of the stack. The top of the stack is then abruptly' elevated to-V its vformer-level. Any attempt to render the mechanism more sensitive and responsive totheA removal of thin sheets obviously requires a mul-tiplication of gear and rack teeth, more accu-rate machining and a general tendency toward more delicate parts.

Itis therefore an object of this invention toprovide a feed table elevating mechanism which*-y willl be smoothly and immediately responsive to an even very slight decrease in thev height of thev stack as by the removal of very thinsheets ofV paper but Which-may also be effectively employed when a stack of thicker sheets, such as card board, is being handled.

Otherobjects of this invention will appearv asf the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention, then, consists ofthe meansY hereinafter fully described and particu'-u larly pointed out in the claims.

The annexed drawings and the following' description set forth in detail certain mechanism' embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting, however, but one of variousV mechanical forms in which the principle ofthe invention may be used.

I-n said annexed drawings:-

Fig.- 1 is a.- foront elevational View ofthefeed 55 i tablef andr feedtab invention;r o s Fig. 2-isaside View in section along line 2-a-2- on Fig.- 1-; I

Y Fig. 3'isaAV detail sectional view of the stack;

feelerlinger mechanism illustrated in Fig-2;-

Fijg. 4- is afragmentary view of the feedtable.-

back; i i

Fig. 5- isa top- View along line 5-5 on` Fig; ll of the stack elevatingy mechanism ;-l

Fig. 6- is a f-ront View (enlarged)- of the master cam ir-lecl-ianism taken` alongline 6--6 on Fig-5;`

Fig.- '7- isa-Vdetail v-iew of `such cam taken one line 'l1-1- on--Figsfand 6:

Fig-8` is a fragmentaryside View sho-wing thefeeleroscillating.- rod and plunger release means taken oni line 8-'-8 on-Fi`g-.- 5;

9- isa verticalsectionv ofthe hydrauliccylinder taken along line 9-9-onA Fig. 8;y

Fig.- lof is a vertical section ofsaid cylinder taken along line Ill- I0l o n Fig-9;

Fig-, 11 is afragmentary view of the samesection-showing theplunger advanced;

` Fig.` 12 is a-fragmentary top View taken along` lineMl-Z-l-Z on Fig. 8; l I

h Fig. 13- isa detail View of the foot ofthe feeler finger operating-rod andreciprocating cam lever;l and Figi-4 is a diagrammatic top plan View ofr the hydraulic system-.-

Y Referring no-w more particularly to the drawingsfand especially Figs-1- and- 2, the-new dev-ice of vmyinventioncomprises a stack sup-porting-l table.A I- carriedby a-Vcolu-mn 2- fitting in-ar hydrauliccylinder il.v Such` cylinder is held` Withina bloss-A4 of frame member 5-Which is sleevedf ona horizontallydisposed- Vtrackway composed of bars 6 and 1 respectively supported in brackets threaded'where itpasses through--frame-piecenl D so that byturning handle l-I- frame member 5 and thusA the table vmay lie-caused to wardly or rearwardly asdesired.-- Jour-nailedin aia-right` angles to saidf drive shaft-12aV A-rocker arm- I@ is fixed against rotation-on shaft l'l` and' carries at its end a cam roller Hladapted-to-ride'l onthe periphery of-sad'mast'er cam.V I4; Asthe' ,e elevatingmeans off this move for# distance from the center of shaft I2 to a point on the periphery of said cam varies, it is obvious that upon rotation of shaft I2 shaft I1 will be continuously rocked back and forth by action of said lever arm I8. Cam roller |9 is held in close engagement with cam |4 by means of tension spring 20 extending between said lever arm and bracket 8. ,Also mounted on shaft I1 and rock-V ing therewith are lever arm 2| and cam 22 (see Figs. 8, 9 and 13).

Also carried by frame member is a back member 23 which, together with said table` I, serves to support the stack of sheets 24. Side gauges 25 and 26, adjustably mounted on rod 21, serve to laterally position the sheets. Journalled in bracket 28 attached to said back member 23 and bracket 29 supported by frame member 5 is a rod 3|) to which a yoke 3| istightly attached (see Figs. 2, 3 and 4). l said yoke is a horizontally disposed rod 32,011. which is pivotally mounted a frame 33 with feeler fingers 34 and 35 operative to protrude through slots in the top of said back 23 and rest on the upper surface of the stack.. A torsion 'spring 36 bearing on said yoke and frame piece acts to keep said ngers in advanced position except when rod 38 is elevated,at which time lug 31 on such yoke will engage adjustable stop 38 carried by bracket 28 and cause frame-piece l33 to be tilted rearwardly, thus retracting the fingers. The lower end of rod 30 carries a vertically adjustable foot 39 adapted to rest upon the extremity of lever arm 2 I. Itis thus apparent that, as the shaft I1 and such lever'arm rock, rod 30 will be reciprocated and the feeler fingers 34 and 35 alternately brought forward to rest on the stack and raised Aand 1retracted. Also carried by the lower end of rod 30 is a nger 40, the purpose of which will be explained'below.

Carried by an extension of boss 4 vis a hydraulic cylinder 4| (see. Figs. 8 and 11) in which a plunger 42 is adapted to move. Oppositely disposed cup washers 43 and 44 serve to vprovide a tight seal while compressionspring 45 tends to force said plunger upward. vAs best shown in Fig. 9, as cam 22 is rocked it bears onthe outer end of the plunger andy together withcompres-V sion spring 45 is operative to reciprocate theA same in the cylinder. Cylinder VIl communicates with a hydraulic fluid reservoir 43 by way of a one-way valve 41 and through a similar valve 48 to a T fitting 49, one arm of which communicates through tube 50 with cylinder 3 while the other arm leads back to the reservoir 46 through shutoff valve 5|. Ity will thus be seen that as plunger 42 is reciprocated by action of the cam 22 and spring 45 it acts as a pump, liquid flowing from the reservoir into cylinder 4| and then as cam 22 moves counterclockwise, as viewed in Fig. 9, into tube 50 and cylinder 3 forcing'column 2 upward together with table I carried thereby. Valve 5| is of course closed at such time.

To render such pumping means responsive to depletion of the stack of sheets, a shaftV 52 is provided journalled in an extension 53 of the wall of cylinder 4|. shaft 52 is a lever arm 54 which is urged toward contact with the end of finger 48 by means of a torsion spring 55 bearing on a lug 56 on said A sleeve 59 andinut 60 serve to properly position lever arm 54 on the shaft and since the lower J ournalled in` Tightly mounted on said side of lug 58 slopes to provide an inclined cam surface a nal delicate adjustment of the contact between lever arm 54 and nger 40, and thus the level of the stack top, may be made, the stack top being set higher for thick paper or cardboard than for thin paper, for example.

Having thus described the component parts of the assembly comprising the stack elevating device of this invention, I shall now describe the operation of the same in detail. As the sucker tips of the sheet feeding mechanism (not shown) approach the top of the stack, lever arm 2| is rocked upward causing the feeler ngers 34 and 35 to be raised and retracted and thus permitting the withdrawal of a sheet. If no sheet is removed, as lever arm 2| rocks downward fingers 34 and 35 will rest on the upper surface of the stackV and as the end of said lever arm continues to descend, foot 39 and finger 4|] will remain suspended at a predetermined elevation. Such elevation will have been chosen so that finger 40, while touching lever arm 54, fails to depress the latter so as to move eccentric cam roller 51 and permit plunger 42 to rise (see Fig. 10). However, if a sheet has been removed, foot 39 and nger 40 will descend below such predetermined level and finger 40 depressing lever 54 will move cam roller 51 and permit plunger 42 to rise proportionately to such movement (see Fig. ll). 'Ihen as shaft I1 rocks again cam 22 will force the plunger down and an amount of fluid proportionate to tlie degree of previous upward movement of said plunger will be forced into cylinder 3. The column bearing table and stack is thus forced up a distance proportionate to the drop of rod 39 below a predetermined level, or, in other words, proportionate to the thickness of the sheet removed. When all of the sheets have been removed, the table may be lowered by action of its own weight upon opening valve 5| which permits return of the hydraulic fluid to the reservoir. A center rest 6| is provided in the bottom of cylinder 3 to support the end of column 2 so that the rubber cup washer 62 may not be 4 5" damaged.

' tance such fingers may descend. As the feeler' fingers oscillate and rest intermittently on the upper surface of the stack of sheets the hydraulic means described immediately responds to the degree of movement of the fingers to ele` vate the column, and thus the stack, proportionately whenever such movement exceeds a predetermined amount.

It will be understood, of course, that the feed table of this invention may be employed in con,

junction with any machine handling sheets of paper and the like automatically, such as envelope machines, and is not limited to printing presses in its application, although particularly useful therewith.' Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being madeV as regards the mechanism herein disclosed; provided the means stated by any ofthe following claims or lthe equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I, therefore, particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. In a feed table for printing presses and theA like, the combination of a table, a column supporting said table, feeler fingers operative to rest intermittently on the upper surface of a stack of sheets carried by said table, a rod mounted so as to be supported by said lingers when the latter rest upon such stack, and hydraulic means responsive to the downward movement of said rod beyond a predetermined point to elevate said column proportionately to the degree of such downward movement.

2. In a .feed table for printing presses and the like, the combination of a table, a cylinder, a column supporting said table and fitting in said cylinder, feeler fingers operative to rest intermittently on the upper surface of a stack of sheets carried by said table, a rod mounted so as to be supported by said fingers when the latter rest upon such stack, a hydraulic cylinder and plunger, means for reciprocating said plunger, means operative to lock said plunger against reciprocation, and cam means responsive to the downward movement of said rod beyond a predetermined point operative to release said locking means and permit a degree of reciprocation of said plunger proportionate to the extent of such downward movement, forcing fluid into said iirst-named cylinder and thus elevating said column.

3. In a feed table for printing presses and the like, the combination of a table, a column supporting said table, hydraulic means operative to elevate said column, and means responsive to the depletion of a stack o-f sheets carried by said table effective to actuate said hydraulic means comprising a rockably mounted shaft, a lever arm fixed thereto, a rotatable shaft, a cam thereon effective to engage said lever arm and rock said rst named shaft when said last named shaft is rotated, a slidably mounted rod, fingers carried thereby operative to rest on the upper surface of such stack, a second lever arm fixed to said first named shaft effective to reciprocate said rod and thus said lingers as said shaft is rocked, means for locking said hydraulic means, and means for releasing said hydraulic means and thus elevating said table operative by said rod Whenever the lower end of the latter drops below a predetermined level, as when a sheet is removed permitting said fingers to reach a lower level in their reciprocation.

4. In a feed ta'ble for printing presses and the like, the combination of a table, a cylinder, a co1- um-n fitting in said cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder communicating with said rst named cylinder, a plunger therein, means operative to reciprocate sai-d plunger and thus pump iiuid to said iirst named cylinder to elevate said column, and means making said last named means responsive to the depletion of a stack of sheets carried by said table comprising an outer extension of said plunger bearing an inclined cam face, eccentric means operative to engage such cam face and thus prevent reciprocation of said plunger, and means operative to intermittently depend from the upper surface of such stack and eifect the retraction of said eccentric means when such surface is lowered, thus permitting a proportionate reciprocation of said plunger and elevation of said column and table.

5. In a feed table for printing presses and the like, the -combination of a table, a cylinder, a column Iitting in said cylinder and supporting said table, feeler means operative to rest intermittently on the upper surface of a stack of sheets carried by said table, and hydraulic means responsive to the downward movement of said feeler means below a predetermined level operative to pump fluid to said cylinder and elevate said column proportionately to the degree of such downward movement.

6. In a feed table for printing presses and the like, the combination of a table, a column supporting said table, feeler fingers operative to rest intermittently on the upper surface of a stack of sheets carried by said table, a rod mounted so as to be supported by said fingers when the latter rest upon such stack, hydraulic means responsive to the downward movement of said rod beyond a predetermined point to elevate said column proportionately to the degree of such downward movement, and means for varying the point beyond which movement of said rod will actuate said hydraulic means.

7. In a feed table for printing presses and the like, the combination of a table, a column Supporting said table, feeler means operative to rest intermittently on the upper surface of a stack of sheets carried b-y said table, a rod mounted so as to be supported by said feeler means when said feeler means rest upon the surface of such stack, and hydraulic means responsive to downward movement of said rod beyond a predetermined point to elevate said column proportionately to the degree of such downward movement.

8. In a feed table for printing presses and the like, the combination of a table, a column supporting said table, feeler means operative to rest intermittently on the upper surface of a stack of sheets carried by said table, control means adapted to be supported by said feeler means when said feeler means rests upon the surface of such stack, and hydraulic means responsive to downward movement of said control means below a predetermined point operative to elevate said table a proportionate amount.

9. In a feed table for printing presses and the like, the combination of a table, a feeler finger operative to oscillate intermittently from a position laterally adjacent said table to a position of rest on the upper surface of a stack of sheets carried by said table, control means adapted to be raised when said feeler finger is in such laterally removed position and lowered when said feeler finger is in such position of rest on the upper surface of such stack, the amount such control means is lowered depending on the level of the upper surface of such stack, and hydraulic means responsive to downward movement of said control means to elevate said table whenever such downward movement exceeds a predetermined amount.

10. In a feed table for printing presses and the like having sheet feeding means, the combination of a table, feeler means operative to rest intermittently on the upper surface of a stack of sheets carried by said table during only that portion of the cycle of operation when the sheet feeding means is at a distance from such stack, control means supported by said feeler means when said feeler means rests upon the surface of such stack, and hydraulic means responsive to downward movement of said control means beyond a predetermined point to elevate said table proportionately to the degree of such downward movement.

WILLIAM C. RUPP.

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