US2505925A - Collator - Google Patents

Description

y 1950 A. v. VON HAASE 2,505,925

COLLATOR Filed Feb. 17, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

y 1950 A. v. VON HAASE 2,505,925

COLLATOR Filed Feb. 17, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

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COLLATOR Filed Feb. 17, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 56 INVENTOR.

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COLLATOR Filed Feb. 17, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. fl/Yre/a/W ll Vow/mass Patented May 2, 1950 UNITED STA'lEfi FATENT OFFICE COLLATOR Anthony V. von Haase, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor, by mesne assignments, to American Type Founders, incorporated, Elizabeth, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application February 17, 1945, Serial No. 578,419

9 Claims.

This invention relates to collating apparatus of the kind used in collecting or assembling individual sheets in a desired order or sequence by feeding the sheets substantially simultaneously from a plurality of groups or bundles, and aims to provide improved and simplified apparatus of this character which will function in a positive and reliable manner and will be capable of highly satisfactory performance even when operated at a relatively rapid rate.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved construction for a collating apparatus of this character, in which novel ejectors are employed for feeding the sheets from the bundles.

Still another object of this invention is to provide improved collating apparatus of the character mentioned, in which novel actuating means involving the use of flexible strands is employed for actuating the ejectors.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide improved collating apparatus of this type, in which the flexible strands are tapes which extend in superposed relation around an oscillatable driving member.

A further object of this invention is to provide improved collating apparatus of this kind, having novel sheet guiding means for bringing the sheets into a relatively compact group and for facilitating the operation of grasping and removing such group of sheets from the apparatus.

This invention can be further briefly summarized as consisting in certain novel combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and particularly set out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying sheets of drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a collator embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a partial front elevation further illustrating the paper guide or hood;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the apparatus with portions or the housing broken away;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional View taken through the apparatus substantially on line i4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a partial side elevation on a larger scale, showing the guideway and portions of the actuating tape for one of the ejectors;

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail View taken transversely of one of the guideways as indicated by line 6-45 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation showing one of the ejectors on a larger scale, the view being taken substantially as indicated by line l-l of Fi Fig. 8 is a sectional detail view taken through an ejector on line 8-8 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a partial plan view of one of the ejectors;

Fig. 10 is a partial plan view of a modified construction for the ejectors; and

Fig. 11 is a partial side elevation thereof.

The embodiment of the invention which is illustrated in the drawings will now be described in greater detail but, before proceeding with the detailed description thereof, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular apparatus here illustrated but may be embodied in various other specific forms of collating apparatus.

The apparatus here shown includes a housing ill having a base I! provided with wheels or casters i2, and laterally spaced upright side and intermediate walls is and l l extending above such base. The housing it also includes a curved or sloping bottom It which is located at varying distances above the base H, and a plurality of spaced transverse partition walls ll extending at substantially right angles to the curved or sloping bottom. The bottom l 6 and the partition walls I! cooperate with the side and intermediate walls l3 and M in defining two substantially parallel rows of bins or pockets [8 which are adapted to receive bundles IQ of the sheets which are to be fed and collated. 'The intermediate wall Hi can be omitted, if desired, in which case the housing contains only a single row of the bins l8.

As shown in Fig. 3 the partition walls ll of the housing extend outwardly from the sloping bottom H6 in radiating or converging relation and the bins l8 are open at their outer ends for the insertion of the bundles l9 and the feeding of the individual sheets therefrom. The bins it! are provided adjacent their inner or lower ends with suitable bundle supports or backing plates in the form of brackets 2! which are mounted on the partition walls I I so as to be adjustable therealong to suit the size of the sheets and the positions in which the bundles are to be supported in the bins.

The open outer ends of the bins l8 cooperate with a section of the housing it! which may be referred to as a hood or paper guide 22 and which will be described in greater detail hereinafter. For the present it is suficient to point out that the hood 22 has a transversely extending slot or opening 23 through which the collated sheets are delivered in the form of a relatively compact group or bundle 24.

The feeding of the sheets from the bundles l3 bin of the row and has its ends connected with the yoke corresponding with this bin. It will be seen that the succeeding tapes in the group or series serve the successive bins with the topmost tape 54g serving the uppermost bin of the row. The tapes 54 are maintained under predetermined tension by means of tension springs 51 located adjacent the yokes 55, so that when oscillating motion is imparted to the pulley 52 the tapes will be driven or shifted to cause reciprocating feeding and retracting strokes of the ejector shafts 28 and the ejectors 26 carried thereby.

To provide for a free movement of the tapes 54 and to prevent binding of the guide members 48 in the guideways 4?, each guideway is provided with a pair of upper and lower idler pulleys 58 and 59. These idler pulleys are mounted on the side walls It adjacent the ends of the guideways ll and each pair of pulleys serves to guide one of the tapes in a substantially straight line along its guideway. The lowermost bin of the group is preferably provided only with the upper idler pulley 58 although a lower idler pulley 59 can also be provided for this bin if desired. When the lower idler pulley 59 is omitted the oscillata ble main pulley 52 is constructed in the form of a pulley sector so as to permit one end of the tape Sta to pass directly to the tension spring 51 and the yoke 55. lower idlers 59 are disposed in an arcuately extending row corresponding with the bottom it of the housing and serve to support and guide the group of superposed tapes.

Oscillating movement can be imparted to the main pulleys 52 by any suitable driving mechanism. In this instance the driving in chanism provided for this purpose is mounted on the base i! beneath the curved or sloping bottom wall I6 of the housing Ill and comprises an electric motor 6i which is connected with a reduction gear (52 by means of the belt 53. Cranks lit carried by a rotating crankshaft 65 have crankpins 55 which are connected with crankpins t! of the main pulleys 52 by means of the links 58. Rotation of the crankshaft 65 causes pushing and pulling forces to be transmitted through the links 62- for producing a substantially 90 oscillating movement of the main pulleys 52. The operation of the motor M is controlled by means of a suitable switch 63 which is adapted to be actuated by a pedal ll! located at a convenient point adjacent the front of the housing IE. When the pedal ii! is depressed the switch 69 is closed to thereby energize the motor and cause a feeding stroke of the ejectors 25. When the pedal is released a tension spring ll returns the same to its initial position thereby opening the switch 69 and deenergizing the motor 61.

Reverting now to the paper guide or hood 22, it will be seen from the drawings that this member is a funnel-like structure having a plurality of outwardly converging partitions or guide plates 72 therein. The guide plates 72 form extensions of the partition walls I! and define outwardly converging guide passages 13 which register with the open ends of the bins l8 and connect such open ends of the bins with the delivery opening or slot 23.

During the operation of this improved collating apparatus, the feeding of the sheets from the bins l8 by the outward strokes of the ejectors 26 in the manner above described, causes the sheets to be pushed outwardly through the guide passages 13 of the hood 22. Because of the con- As shown in Fig. 3, the

verging relation of these guide passages the sheets are brought into a relatively compact group or bundle 24 as they emerge from the hood through the delivery opening 23. The bundle 2b can be conveniently grasped by the operator at the proper time and withdrawn from the hood 22.

To enable the operator to obtain a firm grasp on the bundle 24, the outer shell and the partition walls 72 of the hood 22 are arcuately notched or recessed as indicated at 15 which will permit the operators hand, or a portion thereof, to be extended partway into the hood. The hood 22 is also provided with a hinge or pivotal connection lb which will permit the same to be swung:

from the closed position shown in Fig. 3 to an open position affording access to the bins l8 and the ejectors 26.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the housing Ill may be provided with outer side walls or covers l! which are located adjacent the side walls l3 and are suitably attached to the housing. The covers 'ii conceal and protect the actuating mechanism for the ejectors 26 so as to prevent damage to this apparatus or personal injury from accidental contact therewith. These covers also improve the appearance of the apparatus.

Figs. 10 and 11 show a modified construction for the ejectors which feed the sheets from the bins. In this modified construction the ejector 89 carries a friction roller 8! which is similar to the rollers 3 of Fig. 4 and is shiftable in slots 82 in a. similar manner. A yoke 83 carried by the ejector has a substantially U-shaped brake element 83a adapted to be engaged by the roller for holding the latter against rotation during the feeding stroke of the ejector. The yoke 83 is mounted on the ejector 80 by means of the lugs 83?; and 830 which engage in the slots 84 and 85 of the ejector. This yoke has an effective position in which it is shown in Figs. 10 and 11 but when it is desirable to have the roller 8! turn freely for both feeding and return strokes of the ejector, as for example, when the bin is empty, the yoke is shifted to engage the lugs 83b in the slots 86 at which time the brake element 83a will not be engaged by the roller 8|.

From the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings it will now be readily under stood that the present invention provides an improved and simplified collating apparatus by which individual sheets can be simultaneously fed at a relatively rapid rate from a plurality of bundles and collected in a desired order or sequence. It will be seen also that the novel construction for the ejectors and the ejector actuating mechanism insures a smooth and positive actuation so that sheets will be properly fed from all of the bundles without skipping or missing. It will be seen also that the novel paper guide or hood above described facilitates the work of the operator in removing the bundle or group of collected sheets from the apparatus.

Although the improved collating apparatus has been illustrated and described in considerable detail, it will be understood, of course, that the invention is not intended to be correspondingly limited in scope but should be regarded as including all changes and modifications coming within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A collator comprising a housing saving a plu rality of bins adapted to contain bundles of sheets, ejectors movable in aid bins for delivering individual sheets therefrom including members ex-

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