US2378306A

US2378306A - Sheet feeding mechanism

Info

Publication number: US2378306A
Application number: US482721A
Authority: US
Inventors: William F Leonhart
Original assignee: Continental Can Co Inc
Current assignee: Continental Can Co Inc
Priority date: 1943-04-12
Filing date: 1943-04-12
Publication date: 1945-06-12
Anticipated expiration: 1962-06-12

Description

June 12, 1945'- w. F. LEONHART 7 2,378,306

SHEET FEEDING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 12. 1943 a5 swam ton IVi'lZ mm rzeonhai-c,

June 1945. w E LEONHART 2,378,306

SHEET FEEDING MECHANISM Filed April 12, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 p 74- fiz/t 16 7 5.5

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Patented June 12, 1945 SHEET FEEDING MECHANISM E William F. Leonhart, Mount Lebanon, Pa., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Continental Can Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application April 12, 1943, Serial No. 482,721

7' Claims.

My invention relates to mechanism for withdrawing sheets singly and in rapid succession from a stack of the sheetsv and particularly to mechanism by which the sheets are reieasably held at their edges while individual sheets are separated from the stack. An object of the invention is to provide an improvedapparatus by i ing and withdrawing the can body sheets singly and in succession from the bottom of a stack, and feeding them to the grain breaking mechanism. The b fesent invention, as illustrated herein, is adapted for use with such a machine and embodies certain improvements on the mechanism shown in said patent, particularly the separators which engage the edges of the lowermost sheets in the stack.

' Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter. v

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of an apparatus embodying my invention. I

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the feeding hopper. a Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional elevation showing particularly a separator holder and fin-. gers.

Fig. 4 is a view of a separator as indicated by the line 4-4 on Fig. 8.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the separator center finger. I

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the separator double finger.

Referring to the drawings, a stack in of flat sheets I I, as for example, metal sheets adapted for making can bodies, is supported in a feeding hopper or framework, including horizontal side members I! (Fig. 2), cross bars l3 and I3, and vertical corner guides 44. The weight of the stack is supported by separator devices I! mounted on the hopper frame.

The sheets II are withdrawn one by one from the bottom of the stack by means including suction cups ii. A suction line extending to the cups includes a pipe II which opens into a bearing sleeve II in which reciprocates a vertical tubular shaft II. A crosshead on the upper end of the shaft l9 carries the vacuum cups i6. The'shaft i9 is periodically reciprocated by means including a bell crank lev'er 2| connected through a link'22 to a head 23 attached to the'lower end of the shaft Iii. When the shaft is lowered, carrying with it the vacuum cups I 6, a sheet His withdrawn from the stack and disposed on supporting bars 24. The suction line is cut off and the vacuum released just before the sheet is placed on the plates 24. The sheet is immediately fed forward to the grain breaker mechanism 25 by means of a kicker arm 26 in the form of a bell crank fulcrumed on a pivot 2'! and connected through a link 29 to the head 23.

Reference may be had to the above mentioned Patent 2,235,377, for a more detailed disclosure of the construction and operation of the parts v abov described.

The sheet separators l5, embodying features of novelty comprisedin the present invention will now be described:.

The separators Iii which are mounted on the side bars I2 of the hopper, each comprises a holder adjustable along the bar l2 and held in position by a face plate 35 and clamping screws 31. The bars l2 and holders 35 thereon, are ad- I justed to provide a narrow space between the holder and the edges of the stack. A recess 38 is formed in the face of the holder to receive the separator fingers. These include a separator center finger39 and a double separator finger 40. These fingers are pivotally mounted on a hinge rod 4| secured in the holder. The double finger 40 is in the form of a yoke comprising parallel-spaced arms connected by an integral web 42, the finger 39 being mounted between said arms.

The fingers are adjustably held in position to engage the sheets H adjacent the lower ends of the stack, by means of upper and lower adjusting screws 43 and 44 (Fig. 3), which respectively engage the center finger 39 and the web 42 of the double finger. The finger 39 has a smooth front face 45 which is downwardly and inwardly inclined, so that the lower portion of said face engages the edges of the lower sheets ll of the stack.-

The lower portions of the front faces of the double fingers 40 are formed each with a series of minute teeth or ribs extending thereacross and providing holding surfaces 46 to grip the lowermost sheets of the stack after said sheets have passed below or'out of contact with the surfaces 45 of the middle fingers. The double fingers 40 are adjusted to bring said holding surfaces 46 in- 2 asvasoe wardly a slight distance beyond the surfaces ll of the center fingers. The double fingers are formed with their front faces if more or less concave or in the formfof a re-entrant angle to permit the holding surfaces 4| of the center move along said surfaces, said separator devices fingers to hold the sheets above the corrugated surface 40.- As the sheets move downward, the

suction cups l8 reach up periodically and withdraw the lowermost sheet and pull it downward off the separator fingers. 'lhe operation of the suction cups gives a slight motion to several of the lowermost sheets of the pack. The toothed forwardly and inwardly inclined relative to the direction in which the sheets are withdrawn, and spaced to cause the sheets to be bowed as they including corrugated holding surfaces positioned beyond said inclined surfaces in the direction of movement of the sheets and in position to engage surfaces 48 operate by a scraping action to slight- I 1y separate the edges of the lowermost sheets and prevent more than one from being withdrawn from the stack at one time. when more than one sheet is initially pulledloose by the suction cups, the extra sheets remain supported at some point on the toothed surfaces until subsequent downward strokes of the suction cups withdraw them singly from thestack. It, will be seen that the toothed fingers function chiefiy to separate the sheets and to assure their being withdrawn and fed singly. while the weight of the stack or center fingers. As shown in Fig. 1, the'end frame members it and Il are provided with recesses body-of sheets is carried mainly by the smooth the edges of the sheets and hold them separated,

and means for adjusting said corrugated surfaces relative to said holding surfaces in directions toward and from the sheets at 'saidend of the stack 3. Sheet feeding mechanism comprising a separator for separating the edges of the sheets in a stack and holding said edges while the sheets are withdrawn from the stack, vsaid separator comprising a holder, a finger pivoted in said holder and having a sheet engaging surface, and

a second finger pivoted in said holder and having a fine-toothed surface positioned adiacent to and extending beyond said first mentioned surface.

I 4. Sheet feeding mechanism comprising a seD- arator for separating the edges'of the sheets in a stack and holding said edges while the sheets are withdrawn from the stack. said separator ,comprising a holder, a center finger mounted in' said holder and having a surface for engaging the edges of the sheets, and a double separator finger mounted in said holder and havingytcothed surfaces at opposite sides of said center finger, said toothed surfaces being positioned beyond said first mentioned surface in the direction of movement of thesheets.

5. A separator comprising a'kholder, a center finger, and a double finger, said fingers being 30 in which separator fingers are mounted in po--" sitlon to engage the end edges of the sheets and operate in the same manner as the fingers rnouicitlid in the holderslin spirit andscopeofmyinventicn.

I claim: 1. The combination 'of means for holding a stack of flat sheets, means for withdrawing said sheets singly and in succession from one end of the stack in a direction perpendicular to the sheets. a holding device having a holding surface positioned and arranged to engage the edges of the sheets adjacent said end, of the stack, said surface being inwardly inclined to project into the path of" the sheets and cause-them "to be bowed as they approach the position'to be withdrawn from the stack; a separator finger sever. rate from said holding device and having a toothed surface positioned to engage, said edges of the sheets as they move beyondsaid inclined surface and hold s'aid edges separated ,to prevent more than one sheet at a'time'being withdrawn from the stack, and means for separately adjusting said holding device and said separator finger each toward and from the path of the sheets.

2.- Sheet feeding mechanism comprising means for holding a stack of fiat sheets, means for withdrawing said sheets singly and in succession from one end of the stack in a direction normal to said sheets, and separator devices positioned at opposite sides of the stack adjacent said end thereof, said devices comprising holding surfaces pivoted in'sa'id holder to swing about the same axis, said double finger comprising a pair of arms between which said center finger is pivoted, said I double finger having toothed surfaces. M 4o 6-. In an apparatus for withdrawing sheets Modifications may be resorted to within the singly and in succession from the bottom of a stack of said sheets, a separator comprising a holder formed with a recess in one face thereof, a pivot rod mounted in the said recess, and separator fingers positioned within said recess and pivoted on said rod and depending therefrom, said fingers including a finger having a surface positioned and arranged to engage the edges of the lower sheets in said stack and forming a support-for said sheets, and a second finger having a toothed surface extending below said support- .ing surface of the first'finger.

'7. In an apparatus for withdrawing sheets singly and ,in succession from the bottom of a stack ofsaid sheets,a separator comprising a holder formed with a recess in one face thereof,

a pivot rod mounted in the said recess,'and separator fingers positioned within. said recess and pivoted on said rod and depending therefrom, said separatorfingers. including a center finger and a double finger, the latter having spaced arms between which the center finger is mounted, said center finger having an inclined surface to engage the edges of the sheets in said stack and said double finger having toothed sheet-engaging surfaces on opposite side of and below said inclined surface.

WILLIAM F. LEONHART.