US2482357A - Device for assembling letter sheets and the like - Google Patents

Description

DEVICE FOR ASSEMBLING LETTER SHEETS AND THE LIKE Filed May 6, 1947 C. A. MCKUNE sept. zo, 1949.

4 Sheets-Sheet l I l l JNVENTOA 5, A MD KUNE BY Q T' TUR NE:

C. A. MCKUNE Sept. zo, 1949.

DEVICE FOR ASSEMBLING LETTER SHEETS AND THE LIKE Filed May 6, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 INVENTOR. C, A. MDKUNE ATT-'URN Sept. 20, 1949. c. A. MCKUNE 2,482,357

DEVICE FOR ASSEMBLING LETTER SHEETS AND THE LIKE Filed May e, 1947 4 sheets-sheet 3 INVENToR. ./3, Ma KUNE:

A TTURAI Sept. 20, 1949. c'. A. MoKuNr-z 2,482,357

DEVICE FOR AssEMBLTNG LETTER SHEETS AND THE LIKE Filed May ,6, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Y IN VEN TOR.

AT TURN Patented Sept. 20, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT oFEicE DEVICE FOR ASSEMBLING LETTER SHEETS AND THE LIKE Clifford A. MeKune, San Francisco, Calif.

Application May 6, 1947, Serial No. 746,260

v 1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to an improved machine for assembling form letters and the like and has for the primary object to provide an especially constructed device for automatically sorting and dispensing a plurality of typed, multigraphed. mimeographed or otherwise printed sheets of material having diiferent wording and to dispense the said sheets in succession, whereby a complete set of different worded forms are sorted and dispensed in each operation of the machine.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a series of separate compartments for individually retaining each set of forms and to provide means for simultaneously dispensing one form from each compartment into a common receiver each time a lever or the like is manipulated to operate the machine.

A further object of the present invention is to construct the device in the shape of an open boxlike structure having a series of separate form containing compartments and to provide a sliding frame over the top of the said structure, which frame carries a series of hingedly secured cross arms having friction grippers positioned thereon in such a manner relative to the partitions forming the compartments that the first positioned form in each compartment is contacted by the grippers and simultaneously dispensed into a common receiver at the bottom of the structure each time longitudinal forward movement is imparted to the said frame.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of a hingedly secured guide and sheet holding member in each compartment which members are operated in conjunction with the said gripper arms for controlling the individual dispensing of the forms.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a typed sheet dispensing and assembling device of the character described that is durable, simple in construction, positive in operation, economical to manufacture, and highly efficient and serviceable in use.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent y during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein for the purpose of illustration like numerals are employed, for designating like parts throughout the same,

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the device, showing the levers and operating mechanisms in their normal positions.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view similar to Fig. l, with the exception of illustrating the various levers and mechanisms in their operated positions,

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional fragmentary view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. l, looking in direction of the arrows and particularly illustrates the levers at the front portion of the structure, for the purpose of clarity, the levers in the rear not being shown,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical end sectional View of one of the friction grippers employed in the invention,

Fig. 5 is an end elevational View illustrating a means for preventing the grippers from having frictional contact against partitions of certain compartments when the same are not being used,

Fig. 6 is a sectional plan view taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 1, looking in direction of the arrows.

Fig. 7 is a front elevational view of the upper portion one of the partitions dividing the structure into a series of compartments,

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 8-8 of Fig. l, looking in direction of the arrows,

Fig. 9 is a side elevational View of the device, showing the opposite side from that shown in Fig. 1, and

Fig. l0 is an elevational View of the front end of the device.

Referring in detail to the drawings and to the numerals thereof, the numeral l2 designates, as a whole, the supporting structure, preferably in the form of a housing having a bottom i3, opposite side walls I4 and I5 and a front and back wall I6 and I1, respectively. The said side walls of the housing preferably extend upwardly at an angle as illustrated at I8 in Figs. l, 2 and 9 and the upper extremities thereof are grooved as shown at I9 and 20 in Fig. 10 providing an upwardly slanting track for accommodating a sliding frame 2| that is mounted thereon. Suitable elongated metal strips 22 and 23 are secured to the side walls I4 and l5, at the upper portions thereof for reinforcing the said sides, and also, to properly guide the said sliding frame 2l. The housing is provided with a plurality of spaced partitions 24, which partitions transversely eX- tend across the inside of the housing and are secured to the side walls I4 and l5 thereof and vertically slant upwardly through the sliding frame 2| as shown to advantage in Figs. l, 2 and 6. Each of the said partitions are provided with a shelf 25 as shown in Fig. 8 for carrying a suitable quantity of typed sheets of material. Thus .a plurality of upper compartments, A, B, C, D, E and F are provided and arranged in series for retaining sheets having different wording.

From the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing it will be obvious that a complete set of typed sheets can be assembled in the different upper compartments, the compartment A carrying the rst series sheets, B the second series of sheets, C the third series of sheets, etc. Each of the said partitions 24 are bent at an angle below the shelf 25 forming guides 26 which extend downwardly to the front end portion of the housing, whereby a series of narrow receiving compartments G, I-LI, J, K and L are provided in the lower front pori-f` tion of the housing and into which the'sheets are individually dispensed.

The means provided for individually dispensing the said sheets is shown as comprising a plurality of transversely extending arms 21, which alleges? be free during the upward movement thereof and automatioaly close as shown in Fig. 2 when the sheets have reached their dispensing positions, to positively guide the sheets tothe receiving compartments. Each baiile'member 3l) is preferably formed angular having a'flat bottom portion 48 which is hingedly secured at the front end thereof to its respective partition shelf 25 as at 49Yin Fig. 8 andis fixed to a suitable smallshaft I as shown to advantage in Fig. 7. plurality of vsmall openings 5| are provided in the side wall |4 of the housi. ing for accommodating the said shafts 50 that arms are provided with friction grippers 28 and are arranged in series and pivotably secured to Ythe sliding frame 2| as at 29, shown to advan? tage in Figs. 1, 2 and 6. It will be particularly observed that an arm 21 extends through each compartment, whereby the grippers on each arm contact-the sheets of material in each compartment. In addition to the provision of the gripper -arms for dispensing the sheets, each shelf 25, carrying the sheets, is provided with an upwardly extending hingedly secured baille member 30 for controlling the movement of the sheets.

vThe said arms and hinged baille members :are operated through the medium of a plurality of levers imparting longitudinal movement to the said sliding frame 2| and oscillating movement to the said baies 35. The numeral 3i designates a lever pivotally secured to the sliding frame 2| as at 32 and also pivotally secured to the upper crank arm 3-3 as at 34, shown to advantage in Fig. l, the said crank arm 33' being keyed to a shaft 35 that extends across the housing and's journaled in the `side walls I4 and `I5 as illus,-

trated in Fig. 6. A second lever 36 similar to the lever 3| is pivotally secured to the sliding frame 2| and a second upper crank arm 31 similar to the crank arm 33 is secured to the said shaft35 as shown to advantage in Fig. 9. The lower crank arm 38 is integralwith the said upper crank arm 33 and is pivotally connected to the down-` `wardly extending leveri39, as at 40, which lever 39 is pivotally connected to the master lever 4|, as at 42, the said master lever 4| `being vpivot-` ally connected at the outer extremity thereof to the side wall i4 of the housing, as at 43, Vand is Y provided with a suitable handle 44 von the Vinner end portion thereof as disclosed to advantage in Fig. 1. A suitable coil spring 45 is secured to the bottom |3 of the housing and also to an `angular arm 46 that is fixed to the said shaft 35, whereby the said master lever 4| isY resiliently retained in its upper normal position. VIt will thus be Aseen that when the said master lever 4| is moved from its upper normal position to its lower lposi- 'tion the sliding frame 2| will be caused to move forwardly to the positions illustrated in Fig. 2, which forward movement will cause the friction grippers 28, carried on the pivoted lever arms 21, to automatically push the rst sheet upwardly, of each .set of sheets positioned in the various com-v partments, whereby the said first sheets'in the various compartments are moved to their' posi'- tions to be dispensed in the lower receiving compartments.

Y The said sheets are designated by the numeral 41 'and illustrated in dot and dash lines. The hinged baffle members 311, one of whichis kpositioned on keach shelf 25 Vof the various partitions,` are open as shown in Figjl to permit the sheets to 4.9 members are in their open positions and free from secured to the housing wall |4 as at 53 and the lower ends pivotally secured to a common bar 54 as at 55, the Said levers 52 being positioned adjacent the outer surface of the housing wall |4 and in proximity Vthe said shafts 50 as shownV to advantage in Fig. 1. The front end lever 56 is fixed to the first lever 52 yand is pivotally .secured to the verticallever 51 as et 58. The vertical Alever 51 vis pivotally vsecured to .a second vertical `lever 5941s at 60, which second shaft is bent outwardlyforminga shoulder 6| that is adapted to be contacted by the master lever 4| Ywhen the said master lever is pulledupwardly.V The lower portion of the said lever 55 is ilared outwardly forming a shoulder 62 that is adapted to be contacted by the pin 63 pro- Avided in the said master lever. Thenumeral 64 Y horizontally extending' pins fixed into the Said plate and thenumerals 61 and 68 designate suitable slots for4 receiving the said pins whereby Vthe lower verticallever 59 is properly guided.

In Fig. 1 there is disclosed to advantage the normalpositions of the levers, frictional-sheetjgrip persv and the hinged baillemembers,y which Vbaille thersheets inthe variouscompartments due to levers 52 retaining the baille shafts 50 in their upperpositions. j When Ithe master lever 4|, is moved downwardly to .move the first sheet in each compartment upwardly as hereinbefore explained. the pin 63 will Vabutthe shoulder 62 on V'lower vertical lever 59, vat time when the said first sheets are in apositi'on to be dispensed, and the downward movement of the saidpin 3 against the shoulder ,62 of the lower vertical lever '59 willlpull the bar 54 and levers 52 to their downward vpositions .as shown yin Fig. 2 which will cause the said baille shafts 50 Vto move to their lower positions and close the .said baffle members as illustrated in Fig. 2 .and shown vin dottedlines in Fig. 8, whereby the .sheets to be dispensed are prevented from-going back in their original compartments Pand are positively guided to the receiving compartments inthe lower front'portion ofthe 'housing and to the opening 59 .completely Sorted and assembled. The assembled sets can thus be quickly obtained by pressing the master 'lever down vwithone hand and withdrawing the'sets with the other.

VThe numeral 10 designates a guide for the mas- Y ter lever and the numeral '1| a stop pin Yfor the levers 52. The top of the partitions 1| 1 are preferablybentlover as indicated at 12. vA clip13 maybe soft rough rubber or leatherand are mounted in Y Suitable retainersv 14 which retainers "aregwelded orY otherwisesubstantiallyisecured to the'arm's'21"y g The said arms are formed with oppositely disposed parallel lever like end portions 15, whereby an os cillating movement is obtained. The front portion of the partitions at the housing opening 69 are cut out as shown in dotted lines at 16 in Fig. 10 to provide a hand hold for receiving the dispensed sheets.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes relative to the shape, size, material and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

A device of the character described for assembling letter sheets and the like comprising a top open ended housing, a series of upwardly extending partitions spaced in parallelism across the upper portion of the housing and rigidly secured to the side walls thereof, a plurality of shelves, one of which is xed to each of the said partitions and capable of supporting a plurality of letter sheets upwardly between each of the partitions, an upwardly extending hinged member on each shelf for retaining the letter sheets thereon, an open frame slidably supported on the top of the housing, a lever control mechanism for operating the frame, means on the frame capable of raising and individually dispensing the sheets from the shelves when forward movement is imparted to the frame, said means on the frame for dispensing the sheets from the shelves, including a series of cross arms hingedly secured to the frame and provided with friction members capable of contacting the sheets each of the said hinged members on the shelves being adapted to extend at an angle against the sheets during the dispensing thereof to guide the sheets off of the shelves, and means for separately guiding the dispensed sheets to the lower front portion of the housing.

CLIFFORD A. MCKUNE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,167,214 Petersen Jan. 4, 1916 1,443,698 Avery Jan. 30, 1923 2,278,915 Critcheld Apr. 7, 1942 2,308,804 Dager Jan. 19, 1943 2,314,243 Potter Mar. 16, 1943 2,399,584 Thomas Apr. 30, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 62,865 Switzerland Jan. 21, 1913

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