US2289501A

US2289501A - Friction stream feeder

Info

Publication number: US2289501A
Application number: US411086A
Authority: US
Inventors: Kauffeld Theodore John
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1941-09-16
Filing date: 1941-09-16
Publication date: 1942-07-14
Anticipated expiration: 1959-07-14

Description

July 14' 1942.# r. J. KAUFFELD 2,289,501

ERIcTIoN STREAM FEEDER Filed sept. 1s, 1941` 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented July 14, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRICTION STREAM FEEDER Theodore John Kauifcld, New York, N. Y.

Application September 16, 1941, Serial No. 411,086

16 Claims.

This invention relates to devices for the successive feeding of fiat sheets of paper or other material from a pile or bank in which they are stacked, to a point of delivery, at which point certain operations may be performed on the sheets. Such feeding devices are applicable to the feeding of paper sheets to printing presses,

folding, cutting or slitting machines, and many devices.

More particularly the invention relates to sheet feeders of the type commonly known as stream feeders, which are adapted to forward successive sheets of material in overlapping arrangement, means being provided for initiating the separating and feeding of a succeeding sheet from the pile well before the rear edge of the next preceding one has moved beyond the front edge of the pile.y

This mode of advancing sheets has found favor, especially in the printing industry, on account of the extreme rapidity of feeding attained and the consequent saving of time; and much ingenuity has been exercised and numerous proposals have been made for accomplishing these results. Many of these prior devices have employed suction cup members for seizing and separating the sheets and for moving them forwardly off of the pile. Others have used vertically reciprocating suction gripping members for seizing the top sheet and lifting its rear portion off of the pile, and a mechanical element such as a reciprocating hook for catching the rear edge ofV the sheet and pushing it forwardly. However, difficulties have been encountered in the successful and practical adaptation of these latter devices in the matter of damaged sheets, the feeding of doubles, and the inability to accurately and effectively feed sheets of thin, light-weight material.

It is the general object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved sheet feeder of the stream feeding type, which is of simple and compact construction, easy and economical to manufacture, operate and maintain, and which will efficiently handle sheets of widely differing widths, thicknesses, and textures. A more particular object is to provide a stream feeder in which a frictional sheet contacting member is employed, i. e., a feeding member which is automatically actuated to periodically rub against the successive top sheets of the pile in a forward direction to move them relatively to the sheets next below in order to separate them from the pile and present them to the forwarding conveyor usually provided in advance of the front side of the pile.

In its preferred embodiment, the invention contemplates the provision of a rotary feeding element made of rubber, leather, or some other frictional material which is adapted to loe-brought into contact with the top of the pile of sheets and to buckle theV top sheet forwardly of the pile, the forward portions of the sheet being stopped temporarily by means which is released when the buckle is formed to allow the front edge to snap forwardly to be received by the conveyor. During the buckling operation, the rear margin of the top sheet is withdrawn from beneath a holddownv member or pressure finger, and as the stop for the forward part of the sheet is removed, an air blast is directed downwardly upon the buckled portion of the sheet, the jets of air acting as a brush to cause the sheet to straighten out and the front edge to project forwardly into the bite of the conveyor.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple and effective cushioned or resilient mounting for the feeding mechanism and certain of its driving transmission devices, this mounting being adjustable to regulate thepressure with which the feeding devices bear upon the pile.

Other objects and features of novelty, including the provision of synchronized actuating means for the feeding, buckling, and releasing elements, will be apparent when the following specification is read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which one embodiment ofthe invention is illustrated by way of example.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a sheet feeder embodying the features of the invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken on line 2 2 of Figure 1 g' Figure 3 is a vertical'transverse sectional View taken on line 3 3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view in vertical transverse section, taken on line 4 4 of Figure 2, showing the sheet contacting elements of the feeder on a somewhat larger scale;

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional View, taken on line 5 5 of Figure 1, showing the front stop and its actuating mechanism to better advantage; and

Figure 6 is a somewhat diagrammatic view illustrating one of numerous means which may be employed to synchronize the air blast with the mechanical portions of the sheet feeder.

As clearly shown in Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings, the pile of sheets, designated P, is suitably supported with relation to the feeding means and within the confines of the side frame members I0, which are the only portions of the main supporting frame of the feeder which need be shown for the purposes of illustration of the present invention. Sheet feeders of this type may be selfcontained and provided with their own individual supporting frames, or they may be incorporated in the various operative devices for treating or otherwise handling the sheets, in which case a common main frame may be provided for the feeder and the sheet treating instrumentality, whether a printing press, a folding machine, or a collating mechanism.

Extending across the machine from one of the upwardly projecting side frames II! to the other, and in front of the pile P, is a rotatable shaft I2; this shaft being driven by any suitable mechanism (not shown) which may be synchronized with the drive for the device to which the sheets are to be fed. Upon this shaft I2 are xed pulleys I4 about which are trained the conveyor tapes I5, the conveyor thus provided being adapted to forward the sheets, as they are fed from the pile, to the desired point of delivery.

Suitable top rollers may be provided which cooperate with the conveyor tapes I5 and pulleys I4, these rollers being indicated at I6 in Figure 3. The use of such top rollers is conventional and they are omitted from the other* figures of the drawings in the interest of clarity.

Also extending between the side frames II! is a rotatable shaft IB which is the main supporting and driving shaft for the sheet separating and feeding device. this shaft I8, a rearwardly extending elongated supporting member, comprising essentially the rod or bar 25, is pivoted by means of bifurcated element or bracket 2|, the two arms 22 of which are provided with openings to receive the shaft I8. The arms 22 of the bracket 2I are provided with upward extensions 23 which comprise in effect lever arms against which a resilient force is applied in order to counter-balance the weight of the supporting member and the feeding mechanism carried thereby. To effect this resilient balancing, a compression device, designated generally at 25, is disposed between the upper ends of the arms 23 and a fixed cross bar 28 which extends between the side frames I0. The device 25 comprises the block 21 which has trunnions received within the notches 29 f-ormed in the arms 23, and the pin 38 which is threaded into the block 21 as at 3l. A spring seating flange 32 is provided on the rod or pin L3l) and the i coil spring 34 surrounds the pin 30 and is compressed between the flange 32 and the front face of the bar 25. The pin 3i) passes freely through the cross bar 25 and is provided with a squared outer end 35 whereby it may be rotated in order to `adjust its relative position within the block 21 and regulate the bearing pressure of the feeding device upon the pile.

Adjustable to various operative positions along the supporting bar 20 is the carriage or bracket 40, this member being provided with an opening to receive the bar or shaft 20 and a set screw 4I for securing the carriage rigidly to the bar 20 in its adjusted position. A pair of separating and feeding rolls are rotatably supported from the carriage 4l) by the stub axle 46, and upon the rearwardly extending bracket 41 on the carriage 4U, there is provided an adjustable pressure finger or hold-down device 48, the adjustment of the ringer being accomplished by means of the At an intermediate point on thumb screw indicated at 45. A pair of forwardly extending lugs 58 serve to support the air blast tube 5I which is connected at one end with a suitable source of air pressure by means of the iiexible hose 52. The opposite end of the tube 5I is closed and the lower side of the tube is provided with a series of openings 54 through which jets of air 55 may be directed downwardly (and preferably slightly forwardly) upon the successive top sheets of the pile.

The feeding wheels 45 are surfaced with rubber or leather which may be roughened or provided with protuberances in any desired or conventional manner so that the friction between the surface of the wheels 45 and the top sheets is definitely greater than the friction between the successive sheets of the pile. The separating and feeding wheels 45 are continuously rotated in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 2, and this rotation is effected by means cf the following transmission mechanism. The axle 46, upon which the rollers 45 are secured is provided at an intermediate point with a bevel gear 58 which meshes with another bevel gear 59 splined upon the longitudinally extending drive shaft, and positioned thereon between the main part cf the bracket or carriage 48 and the perforated upward extension 8|. The shaft 65 passes through an opening in the carriage 4] and is rotatably supported at its rear end in the depending bracket 62 secured as at 53 upon the end of the supporting rod or bar 23. The forward end of the drive shaft 68 is rotatably mounted in the depending portion 65 of the bracket 2l and upon the forward end of the shaft 60 there is secured a bevel gear 61, which meshes with a bevel gear 68 fixed upon the transverse drive shaft I8 between the arms 22 of the bracket 2|.

Upon one end of the conveyor drive shaft I2 there is fixed a gear 1E] which meshes with a larger gear 1I rotatably supported from one of the side frame members I8 upon the stub shaft 12. This gear 1I meshes with the gear 14 fixed upon the end of the shaft I8. It will thus be r seen that the conveyor shaft I2 serves to drive the feeding rolls 45 in a definite relation to the rate of speed of the forwarding conveyor.

At the front edge of the pile there are disposed the pivoted front stops 88 which are xed to the i transverse shaft 82 which extends between the side frames I0. Adjacent one end of the shaft 82 there is fixed a cam lever 84, upon the end of which is carried the cam follower roller 85 which is adapted to be contacted by the cam 86 which is fixed to, or formed integrally with, the large gear 1I. At the opposite end of the transverse shaft 82 there is secured a lever arm 88 which is connected to any suitable fixed point on the supporting frame by means of spring 89, this spring serving to urge the front stops against the forward face of the pile and the cam follower lever 84 against the cam 85 at all times. The operation of the front stop device is most effectively shown in Figure 5 of the drawings.

The details of the mechanism having been described, the operation of the device will be readily apparent. The pile of paper P is of course carried by a conventional vertical movable pile board, and it is raised until the top sheet of the pile contacts with the separating and feeding rollers 45 and the pressure linger 48.

The feeder drive is started and the shaft I2 drives the conveyor tapes I5 and thus the gearing and transmission elements already described rotate the rollers 45. These rollers, due to the fric- .to the front stops 89, as clearly shown in Figure 2 of the drawings. By the time the rear edge of the top sheet has reached the point of tangency of the sheet with` the rollers 45, the front stops 80 will be moved forwardly to the dotted line position shown in Figure 5, by means of the cam 86 and cam follower lever 84. At the same time the blast of air 55 from the orices 54 in the tube 5| will assist in the straightening out of the sheet and the forward edge will be projected onto the tapes l5 and within the bite of the conveyor rollers I4 and I6. The blast 55 from the tube 5I is preferably intermittent; this operation being effected by suitable conventional synchronized valves in the air line 52. However, if desired, the blast may be continuous and the tube 5| stationary, or the blast may be continuous and the tube 5| rotated to attain an intermittent effect upon the successive sheets S, S1, S2

It will be apparent to one skilled in the art how the blast .from the tube 5| may be made intermittent and synchronized with the operation of the front stop member 80. However, one suggested arrangement for effecting this purpose, although not necessarily the preferred one, is shown in Figure 6 of the drawings. In this figure the conduit 52 is connected with a pipe line 99 which is connected with any suitable source of air under pressure. A valve 9| is disposed in this pipe line and is adapted to be' opened and closed by the swinging of the handle or lever 92. 'Ihe valve may be biased toward closed position by means of the spring 93, one end of which may be secured to any stationary member of the supporting frame of the feeder as at 94. The valve actuating lever 92 may be provided with a cam following roller 95 which is adapted to be maintained in contact with the cam 96 suitably shaped to open the valve for the period required to effect the intermittent blast. The cam 96 may be driven by any continually rotating member of the mechanical feed devices. In the arrangement suggested in Figure 6 the cam is carried by a shaft or axle 91 which carries a gear 98 which is driven by the pinion 99 fixed to the drive shaft I2.

The various operative devices are so synchronized that the front stops 80 revert to their original positions before the tail edge of the sheet passes beyond the sep-arating rolls, and when the stops have thus been restored, the next underlying sheet is buckled and forwarded in the same way.' Thus the sheets are forwarded in an overlapping manner to accomplish the desired stream feeding, the distance between the front edges of the sheets being the same as the distance from the rear edge of the pile to the point of tangency of the pile with the rolls 45. The stream of sheets being fed is clearly shown in Figure 2 of the drawings where sheet S is being buckled, and the preceding sheets S1, S2, are being advanced by the conveyor I5.

It will thus be seen that by means of the present invention there has been provided a simple and effective frictional stream feed which has a minimum of parts and which is adapted to operate eiiiciently upon sheets of a wide variety of widths and thicknesses. It is understood that various changes and alterations can be made in the device as disclosed herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A sheet feeder o-f the stream feeding type which comprises means for supporting aV pile or bank of superposed sheets and means for effecting the feeding of successive top sheets from the pile in overlapping relation, said latter means comprising stop means for forward portions of a top sheet, means for forming a buckle in said sheet in a fore and aft direction, means for releasing said stop means, and means for substantially simultaneously directing a blast of air downwardly upon the buckled portion of the sheet to cause it to straighten out and the front edge to project forwardly of the pile, and means for timing the actuation of the buckling means to operate upon the next succeeding sheet before the preceding sheet has cleared the pile.

2. A sheet feeder which comprises means for supporting a pile or bank of superposed sheets and means for effecting the feeding of successive top sheets from the pile, said latter means comprising stop means for forward portions of a top sheet, means for forming a buckle in said sheet in a fore and aft direction, means for releasing said stop means, and means for substantially simultaneously directing a blast of air downwardly upon the buckled portion of the sheet to cause it to straighten out and the front edge thereof to project forwardly of the pile.

3. A sheet feeder of the class described, which comprises in combination, means for supporting a pile or bank of superposed sheets, means fo-r effecting the feeding of successive top sheets from the pile, said latter means including intermittently actuated stop means for preventing the forward and upward movement of a relatively forward portion of the top sheet, means for buckling the top sheet in a forward direction toward said stop means, and means for projecting an air blast upon the buckled portion of the sheet to straighten the sheet and cause its forward edge to project beyond the front edge of the pile, at times between the successive actuations of said stop means.

4. A sheet feeder of the class described, which comprises in combination, means for supporting a pile or bank of superposed sheets, means for effecting the feeding of successive top sheets from the pile, said latter means including intermittently actuated stop means for preventing the forward and upward movement of a relatively forward portion of the top sheet, continuously operating rotary frictional means, means for buckling the top sheet in a forward direction toward said stop means, means for intermittently projecting an Vair blast upon the buckled portion of the sheet to straighten the sheet and cause its forward edge to project beyond the front edge of the pile, and means for synchronizing the actuation of the air blast and the stop means for successively releasing the sheets and straightening them out to cause the forward edges to project beyond the front edge of the pile.

5. A sheet feeder of the class described, which comprises in combination, means for supporting a pile or bank of `superposed sheets, means for effecting the feeding of sucssive top sheets from the pile, said latter means including intermittently actuated stop means forpreventing the forward and upward movement of a relatively forward portion of the top sheet, hold-down means resting upon the rear margin of the pile to retard the movement of underlying sheets, continuously operating rotary frictional means for buckling the top sheet in a forward direction toward said stop means, means `for intermittently projecting an air blast upon the buckled portion of the sheet to straighten the sheet and cause its forward edge to project beyond the front edge of the pile, and means for synchronizing the actuation of the air blast and the stop means for successively releasing the sheets and straightening them out to cause the forward edges to project beyond the front edge of the pile.

6. A sheet feeder of the stream feeding type, which comprises in combination, means for supporting a pile or bank of superposed sheets, a sheet forwarding means arranged in advance of the front end of the pile, means for effecting the feeding of successive top sheets from the pile in overlapping relation, said last named means including intermittently actuated stop means for preventing the forward and upward movement of a relatively forward portion of the top sheet, means for buckling the top sheet in a forward direction toward said stop means, means for projeoting an air blast upon the buckled portion of the sheet to straighten the sheet and cause its forward edge to project beyond the front edge of the pile, means for synchronizing the actuation of the air blast and the stop means for successively releasing the sheets and straightening them out to cause the forward edges to project beyond the front edge of the pile, and means for timing the operating of the feeding means with the forwarding conveyor to cause the sheets to be delivered in overlapping relation.

'7. A sheet feeder of the class described which comprises in combination, a supporting frame, means for supporting a pile or bank of superposed sheets to be fed, sheet feeding mechanism carried by said frame and comprising an elongated member disposed above the'pile and pivotally mounted at its forward end upon a portion of the frame adjacent the front edge of the pile for swinging movement in a vertical plane, a frictional feeding element carried by said member and adapted to rest upon the top of the pile, operating mechanism for said feeding element also carried by said elongated member, and transmission means concentric with the pivot point of said member whereby the transmission of power to said friction element is not disturbed by the swinging movement of said member.

8. A sheet feeder of the class described which comprises in combination, a supporting frame, means for supporting a pile or bank of superposed sheets to be fed, sheet feeding mechanism carried by said frame and comprising an elongated membei' disposed above the pile and pivotally mounted at its forward end upon a portion of the frame adjacent the front edge of the pile for swinging movement in a vertical plane, a rotary frictional feeding element carried by said member and adapted to rest upon the top of the pile, operating mechanism for said feeding element also carried by said elongated member, transmission means concentric with the pivot point of said member whereby the transmission of power to said friction element is not disturbed by the swinging movement of said member, and means for resiliently counterbalancing part of the weight of the elongated member and the devices carried thereby.

9. A sheet feeder of the class described comprising means for supporting a pile of sheets, a rotary friction wheel adapted to rest upon the top of the pile and maintain continuous rolling Contact with the successive top sheets of the pile to move the contacted portion thereof forwardly, a sheet stop element arranged forwardly of said wheel, and means for alternately bringing said stop element into and out of position to prevent the movement of the relatively forward portion of the top sheet, whereby successive top sheets are buckled in a fore and aft direction and then allowed to project forwardly of the pile when the buckle straightens out upon a release of the stop element, and whereby the sheets are fed in overlapping stream formation, the spacing of corresponding portions of said sheets being equal to the distance from the point of contact of said wheel with the pile to the rear edge of the pile.

10. A sheet feeder of the class described comprising means for supporting a pile of sheets, a rotary friction wheel adapted to rest upon the top of the pile and maintain continuous rolling Contact with the successive top sheets of the pile to move the contacted portions thereof forwardly, a sheet stop element arranged forwardly of said wheel, means for directing a blast of air in a downward and slightly forward direction upon the top of the pile, and means for alternately bringing said stop element into and out of position to prevent the movement of the relatively forward portion of the top sheet, whereby successive top sheets are buckled in a fore and aft direction and then allowed to project forwardly of the pile when the buckle straightens out under the influence of air blast upon a release of the stop element, and whereby the sheets are fed in overlapping stream formation, the spacing of corresponding portions of said sheets being equal to the distance from the point of contact of said wheel with the pile to the rear edge of the pile.

1l. A sheet feeder of the class described comprising means for supporting a pile of sheets, a hold-down element adapted to rest with relatively light pressure on the rear margin of the top of the pile, a rotary friction wheel adapted to rest upon the top of the pile and maintain continuous rolling contact with the successive top sheets of the pile to move the contacted portions thereof forwardly of said wheel, a sheet stop element arranged forwardly of said wheel, means for intermittently directing a blast of air in a downward and slightly forward direction upon the top of the pile, and means for alternately bringing said stop element into and out of position to prevent the movement of the relatively forward portion of the top sheet, whereby successive top sheets are buckled in a fore and aft direction and then allowed to project forwardly of the pile when the buckle straightens out upon a, release of the stop element, the next adjacent underlying sheets being held by said hold-down, and whereby the sheets are fed in overlapping stream formation, the spacing of corresponding portions of said sheets being equal to the distance from the point of Contact of said wheel with the pile to the rear edge of the pile.

l2. In a sheet feeder of the class described, which comprises a supporting frame and a pile board adapted to support a pile or bank of sheets in superposed relation; sheet feeding means comprising, in combination, an elongated support having one end pivotally connected to a part of the frame and extending rearwardly above the pile, a feeder carriage carried by said support and adjustable therealong, and a friction roller on said carriage adapted to bear upon the tcp of the pile during the feeding operation.

.13. In a sheet feeder of the class described, which comprises a supporting frame and a pile board adapted to support a pile or bank of sheets in superposed relation; sheet feeding means comprising, in combination, an elongated support having one end pivotally connected to a part of the frame and extending rearwardly above the pile, a feeder carriage carried by said support and adjustable therealong, a friction roller on said carriage and adapted to bear upon the top of the pile during the feeding operation, means also carried by said carriage and spaced from said roller for directing a blast of air upon the top of the pile.

14. In a sheet feeder of the class described, which comprises a supporting frame and a pile board adapted to support a pile or bank of sheets in superposed relation; sheet feeding means comprising, in combination, an elongated support having one end pivotally connected to apart of the frame adjacent the forward end of the pile and extending rearwardly above the pile, a feeder carriage carried by said support and adjustable therealong, a friction roller and a rear hold-down element on said carriage and both adapted to bear upon the top of the pile during the feeding operation, means also carried by said carriage and spaced from said roller for directing a blast of air upon the top of the pile, gearing carried by said carriage and said support for rotating said roller, and a flexible hose connecting said blast means with a source of compressed air.

15. In a sheet feeder of the class described which comprises a supporting frame and a pile board adapted to support a pile or bank of sheets in superposed relation, sheet feeding means comprising in spaced relation, a fixed tie bar extending across the frame from one side to the other adjacent the forward edge of the pile and above the top thereof, a rotatable cross shaft disposed substantially parallel with and in the vicinity of said bar and having bearings in said frame, an elongated support having one end pivotally connected to said shaft at an intermediate point, and extending rearwardly above the pile, a feeder carriage carried by said support and adjustable therealong, a friction roller and a rear hold-down element on said carriage and both adapted to bear upon the top of the pile during the feeding operation, a bevel gear arranged to rotate with said carriage, a bevel gear upon said shaft adjacent the point of pivotal connection of said support, a longitudinal shaft rotatably supported from said supporting member and disposed parallel therewith, a bevel gear fixed to the forward end of said longitudinal shaft and meshing with said second named bevel gear, a bevel gear splined on said longitudinal shaft, constrained to move longitudinally with said carriage, and meshing with said first named bevel gear, means for driving said first named cross shaft, an arm on said supporting member and a spring extending between said arm and said fixed bar to exert a resilient force on said supporting member to regulate the pressure with which it bears upon the pile.

16. A sheet feeder of the stream feeding type which comprises means for supporting a pile or bank of superposed sheets and means for effecting the feeding of successive top sheets from the pile in overlapping relation, said means comprising stop means for forward portions of a top sheet, pressure means adapted to maintain continuous contact with the rearmost portion of the top sheet, means adapted to withdraw said rearmost portion of the top sheet from under the pressure means and to buckle said top sheet in a fore and aft direction against said stop means, means for releasing said stop means to allow the buckled portion of the sheet to straighten and the front edge to project forwardly of the pile, and means for timing the actuation of the buckling means to operate upon the succeeding Ysheet before the preceding sheet has cleared the pile.

THEODORE JOHN KAUFFELD.