US2526013A - Sealing mechanism - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 17, 1950 F, FELDMElER 2,526,013

SEALING MECHANISM Filed May 2a, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 17, 1950 F. FELDMEIER SEALING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 28, 1947 U ZWZM Oct. 17, 1950" F. FELDMEIER 2,526,013

SEALING MECHANISM Filed May 28, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 it 3" Q [NWT 2. 77%?! hf E A/vK ELDME'IEB L? LE Oct. 17, 1950 F. FELDMEIER SEALING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May 28, 1947 [FIVEHTUF li'em/x FZ-LpME/ae in f.

QZ/ y Oct. 17, 1950' F. FELDMEIER SEALING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 28, 1947 dd 3 in Patented Oct. 17, 1950 SEALING MECHANISM Frank Feldmeier, Pittsburgh, .Pa., assignor to Blaw-Knox Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of New Jersey Application May 28, 1947, Serial No. 751,151

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in drum type drying apparatus for printed sheet material, and more particularly to improvements in the gripping mechanism for gripping individual sheets of printed material that are held on the drum and carried partially around therewith during the drying operation.

In the particular type of apparatus with which this invention is concerned, a rotary drum for conveying sheet material is mounted in the machine and is partially surrounded with drying chambers which contain gases Which are employed to dr and harden the ink compositions on the sheet material, partially through chemical reaction with the ink compositions. A particular use Of the invention resides in the drying of decalcomania sheets through the use of sulfur dichloride vapor. While it has been found that this vapor is exceptionally effective in bringing about a rapid drying and hardening of the compositions presently used for the manufacture of variously colored decalcomanias, yet it is also found that this vapor harmfully affects the paper backing on which the decalcomanias are deposited. Consequently great care must be exercised in the use of the process and apparatus for such vapor treating of decalcomanias to keep the sulfur dichloride vapor out of contact with the paper. The present invention is concerned more especially with a sheet gripping mechanism employed on the drum for holding the individual decalcoinania sheets.

In the sheet gripping mechanism which is preferabl used, the individual grippers are mounted in recesses in the drum surface, these recesses being preferably chambers having side, bottom and end walls, but open to the periphery of the drum. In such a chamber two or more grippers may be mounted, and in order to grip sheets of different width at appropriate intervals it is desirable to have the individual gripping members adjustable longitudinally of this chamber.

However, if grippers of the type herein disclosed are employed and mounted for retraction within the drum and projection outside of the periphery of the drum to grip the sheets, the clearance allowed for their rotative movement and longitudinal adjustment leaves a large opening into the chamber through which the treating vapor could fiowduring the rotation of the drum underneath the vapor chambers. Thus vapor entering into this portion of the apparatus might find its way into contact. with the paper backings of the decalcomanias and also would be discharged into the surrounding atmosphere after the gripping chambers have moved from under the vapor feeding chambers.

Accordingly this invention provides a gripping mechanism provided with means not only for gripping the individual sheets of paper, but also for simultaneously sealing the gripping chambers during their passage underneath the vapor treating chambers.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sheet gripping mechanism retractible through an aperture into drum, together with means for sealing the aperture when the gripping mechanism has been projected into operative position, and without interfering with the gripping function.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will bementioned hereinafter or will become apparent from a perusal of the specification and drawings.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is an end elevation of a drum type drying apparatus in which the present invention is incorporated.

Figure 2 is a partial sectional view showing a portion of the gripping .and sealing mechanism as applied to the drum.

Figure 3 is a partial sectional view showing the gripping and sealing mechanism in retracted position, but on the verge of being cammed into projected position.

Figure 4 is a partial sectional view showing the gripping and sealing mechanism justafter it has been moved intofully projected position.

Figure 5 is a detail View showing the sealing mechanism moved into sealing position just prior to the movement of the gripping mechanism into full clamping position. i

Figure 6 is a plan view of a portion of the, apparatus showing the releasing means for releasing the gripper and sealing mechanism.

Figure '7 is a view partially in section showing two successive positions of the drum and the gripping and sealing mechanism in the process of being rotated out of projected position and after full retraction.

While the present invention is adaptable to other machines and apparatus, it is especially well adapted for use on a drum drier for drying printed sheets with the aid of vapors which accelerate the drying and hardening of the printed compositions on such sheets. As an example of such an apparatus the drawings show a machine especially designed for the drying of decalcomanias, wherein the sheets of papen bearing the deoalcomania transfers, just freshly printed, are

fed to the drum, the individual sheets being individually gripped and carried by the drum underneath the treating chambers which contain a suitable vapor, for example, sulfur dichloride.

Accordingly, in order to convey a full appreciation of the invention it will be herein described as applied to a decalcomania drying machine which includes a drum Ill and vapor chambers in the form of boxes A, B, C and D, which extend both arcuately and longitudinally of the drum, as shown in Figure 1. While means is provided for supplying the sulfur dichloride vapor to these treatment chambers A, B, C and D, such apparatus is not a part of the present invention and will not be described in detail.

In a machine of this character a feed table II will be employed in the feeding of the sheets to the drum, and suitable automatic mechanism, not shown or described herein, will at proper intervals feed the sheets successively to the drum. It will be assumed that the sheets are fed in such a manner that as the drum rotates a sheet such as I2 (see Fig. 3) will be brought to the drum at just the right time to be gripped by the gripping mechanism, as the latter is passing the feeding position.

It is obvious that the number of grippers installed on a drum may vary in accordance with factors such as the diameter of the drum and the length and width of the sheets which are carried around the drum. In the apparatus shown in Figure 1, three sets of grippers are shown. It is preferred that these sets of gripping devices be mounted for retraction into chambers which extend longitudinally of the drum surface, and accordingly such a chamber is shown partially in Figure 2 comprising an inside wall i3, side walls I4 and I5, and it will be understood that the ends of each chamber are defined by the ends of the drum, one such end [6 being shown in Figure 2. As the gripping mechanisms do not need to extend the full length of the drum, although nearly so, there will remain a portion [1 of the drum surface at each end of each chamber which will constitute a part of the confines of the chamber.

Extending longitudinally through each gripper chamber is a shaft 18, carried in a suitable hub 19 or bearing which will be positioned in the end wall of the drum. Another similar bearing,

not shown, will, of course, support the other end of the rock shaft 3 at the other end of the drum. Adjustably mounted on the rock shaft [8 by means of the clamps 26 are a plurality of gripping devices each of which has a hook shaped finger 2| which, upon suitable rotation of the rock shaft, will occupy the retracted position shown in Figure 3 or the projected position as shown in Figure 4. In the projected position the clamping finger will grip the leading edge of sheet l2 and clamp it against the drum surface 22.

An arm 23 is keyed or otherwise suitably fixed to the rock shaft 18 and is pivotally connected to a toggle link 24, which ha a cylindrical portion 25 slidably extending through an apertured guide post 26 mounted on the end wall of the drum. A roller 21 is pivotally mounted on the side of the link 24 for cooperation with both the gripping and release cams, hereinafter described. Likewise, the link 24 carries a projection 28 which functions in the releasing of the gripping mechanism. A spring 29 held under compression between the fixed collar or shoulder 3i! and the slidable collar 3! serves to yieldably urge the link 24 toward the periphery of the drum.

Mounted at one end of the drum upon a fixed collar 32 is a bracket 33 carrying at its extremity a cam 34 which is located adjoining the position where it is desired to actuate the gripping mechanism from retracted to projected position. Accordingly, as the drum rotates and causes the roller 21 to contact the cam 34, as indicated successively in Figures 3 and 4, the link 24 will first be retracted toward the center of the drum sufficiently so that its inner end 25 will pass alongside of a post 35 which projects toward the drum end wall 16 from bracket 33. As indicated in Figures 3 and 4, this portion 25 of the link will lie below the post 35 at the time the roller reaches the end of the cam 34 and is about to drop off the end of the cam, Accordingly, when the roller does move off the cam the toggle mechanism consisting of the link 24 and arm 23 is able to move in only one direction, that is, in a direction to rotate and project the grippers into clamping position. From this point, as the drum further rotates, the gripping mechanism will clamp the leading edge of the sheet to the drum to hold it until the release position for the particular gripper has been reached.

Attention will now be called to the sealing mechanism supplied for sealing the elongated chamber in which the gripping mechanism is mounted. Part of the clamping mechanism for retaining the gripper on the rock shaft I 8 is a bolt 36 which is additionally employed to clamp a resilient curved strip 31, which may be made of thin sheet metal or other suitable material, shaped as shown to embrace the gripper 2| and itself make edge contact with the sheet of paper. This resilient strip 31 extends the entire length of the chamber which houses the gripping mechanism, and, together with another resilient sheet 38 similarly clamped by the bolt 36 constitutes a sealing means for the peripheral drum opening into the chamber.

It will be noted upon viewing Figure 3 that the sealing mechanism retracts wholly into the chamber just as does the gripping mechanism, and upon being projected the sheets 37 and 38 lie snugly and resiliently against opposite longitudinal marginal portions of the chamber to make a tight seal therewith.

A comparison of Figures 5 and 4 will reveal that the final portion of the projecting movement of the gripping mechanism is employed not only to clamp the gripping element upon the sheet of paper, but to press the sealing plates resiliently into contact with the surfaces with which they cooperate. It may be noted that the edge of the sheet 31 contacts the paper sheet i2 3, little prior to the conclusion of the projecting movement. Further movement into the final gripping position shown in Figure 4 increases the pressure on the resilient plates 37 and 38. As the spring 29 is relatively strong, the plates 31 and 38 afford little opposition to the firm gripping of the sheet I2, but are themselves dominated by spring 29.

Referring now to the releasing mechanism, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, when the individual sheets are carried around the drum past the last gas treating chamber D for delivery onto the discharge belt 39, as shown in Figure l, the roller 21 on the link 24 will encounter a cam 40 carried upon a stationary bracket 4!, supported on stationary collar 32, and as the roller 21 moves off the end of the cam 49 the projection 28 on the link 24 will be at the same radial distance from the center of the drum as is a stop member 42 which is likewise fixedly carried by the bracket 4!. the drum will cause the projection 28 to strike against the stop member 42, which will break the o le joint and kick the outer end of the link 24 rearwardly, that is, opposite to the direction of travel of the drum, this movement causin the gripping mechanism and sealing mechanism to be retracted into the drum. This same movement of the link 24 causes it to be further projected outwardly from supporting post 26 and the projection 28 will thus be free to pass outside the stop member 42 as the drum continues its rotation. The sheet of paper, being thus released from the gripping mechanism, is free to be dis charged from the drum.

From the foregoing explanation it will be apparent that a sheet gripping mechanism of excellent characteristics is provided and arranged to rotate into a chamber inside of the periphery of the drum, but this chamber, whenever passing under the gas treating chambers, is sealed by the plates 37 and 38 which extend the entire length of the chamber.

It must be understood that the specification and drawings disclose a preferred embodiment of the gripping and sealing mechanism, but that the invention is susceptible of considerable change and modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention defined in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination with a rotatable drum having a longitudinal aperture in its peripheral wall and a sheet gripping mechanism having a plurality of spaced apart rigid gripping members retractable through said aperture into the drum interior and projectable through said aperture into sheet gripping position, sealing means for said aperture comprising resilient sheet means carried by said gripping members having a con- Consequently, a little further movement of tinuous portion projectable through said aperture along with the gripping members and embracing a plurality of the latter to bear resiliently upon a sheet gripped by the gripping members and having another continuous portion carried by the gripping members resiliently engageable with the inner marginal portion of the aperture to constitute with said first portion a seal for the aperture when the gripping members are in pro jected position.

2. In combination with a rotatable drum having a longitudinal aperture in its peripheral wall and a plurality of sheet gripping members rotatably projectable outwardly through said aperture and retractable into said aperture, flexible sheet-like sealing means mounted on said gripping members having one continuous portion embracing the gripping members to contact a sheet upon said drum adjoining one margin of the aperture and outside of the gripping members and having another continuous portion engageable with the opposite inner marginal portion of said aperture when the gripping members are projected, said sealing means being wholly retractable alon with the gripping members Within the aperture, the marginal portions of the sheet sealing means being contractable with the marginal portions of said aperture and with the sheet prior to the final rotative movement of the sheet gripping members into its gripping position.

FRANK FELDMEIER.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 25,874 Babcock Oct. 25, 1859 316,351 Floyd Apr. 21, 1885 1,177,933 Dausman Apr. 4, 1916

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