US2716548A

US2716548A - Rotary printing press sheet feeding device

Info

Publication number: US2716548A
Application number: US269293A
Authority: US
Inventors: Oscar A Fors
Original assignee: STEELOGRAPH Inc
Current assignee: STEELOGRAPH Inc
Priority date: 1952-01-31
Filing date: 1952-01-31
Publication date: 1955-08-30
Anticipated expiration: 1972-08-30

Description

1955 o. A. FORS ROTARY PRINTING PRESS SHEET FEEDING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 31, 1952 FEE/:2

INVENTORI QSCAR A. FORS ATTORNEYS Aug. 30, 1955 o. A. FORS ROTARY PRINTING PRESS SHEET FEEDING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 31, 1952 INVENTOR: OSCAR A. FORS ATTORNEYS:

United States Patent ROTARY PRINTING PRESS SHEET FEEDIIN G DEVTCE Oscar A. Furs, Chicago, Ill., :issignor to Steelograph, Inc.. a corporation of Illinois Application January 31, 1952, Serial No. 269,293

Claims. (Cl. 271-53) This invention relates to a sheet feeder for a printing press and more particularly to an intermittent sheet feeder adapted to automatically feed paper sheets into a rotary press in proper timed relation.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a fully automatic intermittent sheet feeding device adapted to be driven in timed relation with a press to advance each sheet to the printing cylinders in proper alignment and position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fully automatic sheet feeding device which will correctly position and feed each sheet in timed relation with a press without manual operation.

Another object is the provision of a sheet feeding device provided with an adjustable mechanism for registering the leading edge of every sheet in similar relation to the printing cylinders.

A further object is the provision of gripping mechanism for advancing a sheet to the printing cylinders of the press in opposition to rearward rotation of the feed wheels to initial position.

The invention is illustrated in an exemplary embodiment in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figs. 1 and 2 are broken diagrammatic side elevational views of a rotary intaglio printing press with the sheet feeder of this invention therein and illustrating sheets in dilferent positions in their travel through the feeding mechanism and press.

The drawings illustrate a broken portion of the frame in which is supported a plate cylinder 11 having a pair of printing plates 12 secured to the surface of the cylinder. A pressure cylinder 13 is positioned to press the paper sheets between its surface and the printing plates 12, as is well known in intaglio printing processes. A suitable driving mechanism is provided and is not here shown as such drives are conventional with rotary type presses.

Paper sheets S are delivered to the press upon the surface of a belt conveyor 14 from a stack of sheets (not shown) from which they are individually fed by a suction feeder (not shown). These sheets S are engaged by the feed mechanism of this invention and properly aligned and advanced toward the plate cylinder 11 and pressure cylinder 13.

The feed mechanism includes a feed roll mounted upon a shaft 21 and having a spur gear 22 at one end of the shaft 21. Spur gear 22, shaft 21 and roll 20 are secured together to rotate in unison. An idler member, generally designated 23, is normally in contact with the feed roll 20. Herein the idler member has a small roll 24 mounted upon a bell crank arm 25 and is provided with a tension spring 26 biasing the roll 24 toward the feed roll 20.

In operation the feed roll 20 and idler roll 24 are stationary when a sheet S is fed from the conveyor 14 to the bite of these rolls. The driving mechanism for the feed roll is so constructed that the feed roll and idler are at rest so as to stop the forward movement of each sheet which comes in contact therewith and properly align the sheet.

The particular form of driving mechanism here shown includes a rack gear 28 have arcuately arranged rack teeth 29 in mesh with the spur gear 22. The rack gear is pivotecl on a pin 30 which is secured in the frame 10 of the press and is urged by spring 31 against a stop member 32. The stop member is threaded for adjustment toward and away from the rack bar to vary its throw. The rack gear is given oscillatory movement by means of a wheel 33 upon which is eccentrically mounted a member 34 positioned to engage the surface 35 of the bar 28 and move it against the action of tension spring 31 to rotate the feed wheel forwardly and rearwardly through the rack and spur gear. The cam member contacts the rack bar during only a portion of each revolution of the wheel 33 so the bar is at rest between oscillations. A chain drive 36 is provided for driving the wheel 33 from the pressure cylinder 13 in timed relation therewith.

Other oscillating drives may be employed, as will readily be understood. A pivoted bar or arm may have a chain drive to shaft 21 or a rack and cam arrangement could be employed.

In Fig. l a sheet S is shown with its leading edge stoppedv at the bite between the feed roll 20 and idler roll 24. The member 34 on the wheel 33 is about to be moved into contact with the rack gear since the movement is in the direction of the arrow'on the wheel 33. Upon movement of the rack gear to the right in Fig. l, the feed wheel 20 will advance the sheet S toward the position shown in Fig. 2.

In Fig. 2 the member 34 has been rotated to move the rack gear 28 substantially to its limiting position to the right. The pressure cylinder 13 has a cut out portion 15 which permits the sheet to be advanced past a gripping roll 41) which is mounted upon an arm 41 and urged by tension spring 42 upwardly through an opening 43 in a guide member 44. When the sheet S has been fed forwardly a sufiicient distance, the leading edge 16 of the cut out portion 15 in cylinder 13 comes into gripping contact with the sheet S with cooperation of the gripping roll 40. The tension of spring 42 is considerably greater than that of spring 26 on the idler roll so that the sheet will be gripped and fed forwardly between the pressure cylinder 13 and gripping roll while the feed roll is reversely rotated back to the position of Fig. 1. Roll 20 merely slides on the surface of the paper in returning to its initial position to receive a subsequent sheet. By adjusting the stop member 32, the distance a sheet is advanced by feed roll 20 may be varied, as will readily be understood.

The sheet S, printed between the plate and pressure cylinders, clings to the plate until a pickup mechanism 45 carries the sheet from the plate cylinder to a delivery conveyor 45.

The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, for some modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. An intermittent sheet feeder for a rotary printing press having a plate cylinder and a pressure cylinder, comprising: a feed wheel provided with a drive gear; a pivotally mounted segmental rack gear in mesh with said drive gear; driving mechanism for oscillating said rack gear in timed relation to the rotation of the pressure cylinder, said mechanism providing forward rotation of the feed wheel for advancing a sheet to the press and rearward rotation of the wheel to return it to initial position; an idler member constantly yieldingly urged, into contact with the feed wheel for aligning and then feeding sheets forwardly to the press; and a gripping roll yieldingly urged into contact with the pressure cylinder with a pressure exceeding the pressure between the feed wheel and idler member to receive and grip sheets fed thereto from said feed wheel.

2. An intermittent sheet feeder for a rotary printing press having a plate cylinder and a pressure cylinder, comprising: a feed roll provided with a driven gear; an idler member constantly yieldingly urged into contact with the feed roll with the contacting portions being positioned in the path of advancing sheets; a feed roll drive including a pivoted bar having a driving connection with said driven gear; driving mechanism for oscillating said bar in timed relation to the rotation of the pressure cylinder; and a gripping roll yieldingly urged into contact with the pressure cylinder with a pressure exceeding the pressure between the feed roll and idler member to grip and advance each each sheet to the printing cylinders in opposition to rearward rotation of the feed wheel.

3. An intermittent sheet feeder for a rotary printing press having a rotatable pressure cylinder, comprising: a feed wheel provided with a driven gear; a pivotally mounted bar having a driving connection with said driven gear; driving mechanism for oscillating said bar in timed relation with each rotation of the pressure cylinder, said driving mechanism including a rotatable member having a portion eccentric thereto for engaging said bar during a portion of each rotation of the member; an idler member constantly yieldingly urged into contact with the feed roll to catch sheets at the area of contact; and a gripping roll yieldingly urged into contact with the pressure cylinder to grip sheets fed from the feed wheel with a pressure exceeding the pressure between the feed roll and idler member.

4. An intermittent sheet feeder for a rotary printing press having a plate cylinder and a pressure cylinder, comprising: a feed wheel provided with a driven gear; an idler roll constantly yieldingly urged into contact with the feed wheel providing contacting surfaces in the path of advancing sheets to be printed, said rolls being at rest when contacted by each sheet to stop advance thereof and align the sheet; a pivotally mounted segmental rack gear meshed with the feed wheel driven gear and spring biased in one direction to an initial position; driving mechanism for oscillating said rack gear in timed relation to the rotation of the pressure cylinder, said driving mechanism moving the rack gear during only a part of each revolution of the pressure cylinder to provide sequentially forward and rearward rotation of the feed Wheel; and a gripping roll yieldingly urged against the pressure cylinder in the path of sheets advanced from the feed wheel with a pressure exceeding the pressure between the feed wheel and idler roll to advance sheets to the printing cylinders while the feed roll is rearwardly rotated by return of the rack gear to its initial position.

5. In combination, a rotary printing press having a plate cylinder and a pressure cylinder for printing sheets; a conveyor for advancing one sheet at a time forwardly toward the press; a feed wheel; an oscillating drive mechanism for rotating said feed wheel forwardly and rearwardly in timed relation to the forward rotation of the pressure cylinder; an idler roll constantly yieldingly urged into contact with the feed wheel with their bite in the path of advancing sheets, said oscillating drive mechanism rotating the feed wheel forwardly to advance a sheet to the printing cylinders after the sheet has been aligned against the bite of the feed wheel and idler roll; and a gripping roll yieldingly urged into contact with the pressure cylinder to grip and advance sheets to the bite of the plate cylinder and pressure cylinder in opposition to rearwardly rotation of the feed wheel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNiTED STATES PATENTS 1,307,969 iarris June 24, 1919 2,228,094 Schoenhardt Jan. 7, 1941 2,246,568 Davidson June 24, 1941 2,268,045 Marchev Dec. 30, 1941 2,275,455 Neal Mar. 10, 1942 2,285,224 Nigra June 2, 1942 v til