US2743650A

US2743650A - Apparatus for folding sheet material over an edge of a blank

Info

Publication number: US2743650A
Application number: US341195A
Authority: US
Inventors: Maurice M Balsam
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1953-03-09
Filing date: 1953-03-09
Publication date: 1956-05-01
Anticipated expiration: 1973-05-01

Description

M. M. BALSAM 2,743,650 APPARATUS FOR FOLDING SHEET MATERIAL OVER AN EDGE OF A BLANK May L 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 9, 1953 i Q a 2.

L H F a V W Qfi W a W UU 1 X 4 x 0m 4 \a 5 1 W 1, 1956 M. M. BALSAM 2,743,650

APPARATUS FOR FOLDING SHEET MATERIAL OVER AN EDGE OF A BLANK Filed March 9, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. /AM.-'M AP EMW United States Patent APPARATUS FOR FOLDING SHEET MATERIAL OVER AN EDGE OF A BLANK Maurice M. Balsam, New York, N. Y.

Application March 9, 1953, Serial No. 341,195

Claims. (Cl. 93---36.6)

- The present invention relates to machines for folding sheet material, and more particularly to machines of the type which are adapted to fold sheet material over an outer edge of a blank of predetermined shape, such as, for example, a machine of the type shown in United States Patent Number 1,946,999.

As may be seen from this latter patent, known machines of this type are fairly involved since they require several very accurately machined parts to be yieldably mounted for movement with respect to each other in order to bring about the desired results.

One of the objects of the present invention is to greatly simplify machines of this type.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a means for very rapidly folding the sheet material over the edges of the blank or backwardly on itself.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a machine wherein a plurality of process blanks may be removed simultaneously, rather than individually as with known machines of the above.

.Still another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus which may be very easily adapted to accommodate blanks of different shapes.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a machine capable of accomplishing all of the above objects while at the same time being made of ruggedly constructed parts which will give long reliable service.

With the above objectives in view, the present invention mainly consists of an apparatus for folding sheet material about an edge of a blank, this apparatus including a support means formed with an opening passing therethrough and a one-way guide means having a shape corresponding to that of the blank and being arranged on the support means about the opening thereof to guide a blank only toward said opening, this guide means having an inner yieldable portion located opposite the opening and shaped so as to yieldably expand only when the blank engages this yieldable portion during movement toward the opening of the support means. A plate is movably mounted in the opening of the support means for free movement toward and away from the yieldable portion of the guide means, and a pressure means is oper atively connected to the plate for urging the same toward the yieldable portion of the guide means so that sheet material portions extending beyond the blank will be folded over the outer edge thereof during movement past the yieldable portion of the guide means and so that the plate under the influence of the pressure means urges the blanks, successively moved past the yieldable portion of the guide means, against each other and toward the yieldable portion of the guide means.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a partly sectional, fragmentary, elevational view of an apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a partly diagrammatic, partly sectional side view of a machine of the type shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, partly sectional, elevational view of a different embodiment of a machine constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the guide means of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of one possible guide means adapted for use with the machine of Figs. 1 and 2; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view of another possible guide means adapted for use with the machine of Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring now to the drawings, Fig. 1 shows a sup port means 10 mounted on any suitable frame (not shown) and being formed with an opening 11. A plurality of blocks 12 are removably fixed to the top of support means 10 about the opening 11 through the medium of screw members 13. A continuous plate 14 is fixed to the inner surface of the blocks 12 and extends about the opening 11, this plate 14 being made of a springy metal or the like and extending upwardly from the blocks 12.

The plate 14 shown in Fig. 1 is illustrated in greater detail in Fig. 5 and has an inner yieldable portion 15 located over the opening 1. This yieldable portion 15 of plate 14 is formed by a plurality of slits 16 eXtending inwardly from the top edge of plate 14 and forming a plurality of springy tongues 17. As is apparent from Figs. 1 and 5 these springy tongues form a guide means of gradually decreasing size up to the plane 18 as they approach the opening 11 and of a suddenly increasing size at the plane 18 where the tongues are bent inwardly from the material 14 at an angle of approximately each tongue having a springy free end portion which is bent outwardly in a direction extending from plane 18 away from the opening 11.

As is apparent from Fig. l, a locating means in the form of a substantially continuous strip 19 supported by blocks 20, carried by blocks 12, is located about the guide means 14 to properly locate a blank 21 having the sheet material 22 extending beyond the outer edge thereof.

A pusher means in the form of a vertically reciproeating rod 23 having a slightly resilient member 24 at the bottom free end thereof is located over the blank 21 to engage the same to push the blank 21 downwardly from the locating

means

19, 20 into the guide means 14 slightly beyond the inner yieldable portion 15 thereof, this free end 24 of the pusher means being slightly smaller than the interior of guide means 14. The fingered member 24 may be omitted where a stiff blank 21 is used. However, where no blank 21 is used and material 22 is to be folded back on itself at its edges, the resiliency of the fingers of member 24 enables this latter folding to be produced.

A plate 25 is located in the opening 11 for free movement toward and away from yieldable portion 15 of guide means 12, 14, and at least two pulleys 26 are turnably connected to the support means 10 to guide a pair of cords 27 fixed to the plate 25 and to weights 28, respectively.

As is shown in Fig. 2, the rod 23 may extend through a suitable bore in an arm 29 of the support. means 10, and this rod 23 may form an armature of a solenoid 30 mounted on the arm 29 and connected to any suitable source of current 31 in a circuit which includes the switch 32, as is diagrammatically shown in Fig. 2. A collar 33 is fixed to the rod 23 and is urged into engagement with a shoulder 34 of arm 29 by a spring 35 located about the rod 23 between the solenoid 30 and collar 33.

' The above described apparatus operates as follows:

The operator places a blank 21 having sheet material 22 fixed thereto within the locating

means

19, 20 as shown in Fig. 1. Then the switch 32 is closed so as to energize the solenoid 39 to cause the pusher means 23, 24 to move the blank 21 and sheet material 22 therewith into the guide means 12, 14beyond the yieldable portion 15 thereof. Switch 32 is opened to return rod 23 to its rest position. As is apparent from Fig. 1, this yieldable portion 15 is smaller than the blank 21 at the plane 18 so that the portion 15 is yieldably expanded by the blank 21 and then snaps thercover to fold the sheet material 22 about the outer edge of the blank 21, the plate 25 urging the blank upwardly against yieldable portion 15 under the influence of weights 28 which thus form a pressure means urging the blank toward the yieldable portion 15, and the latter being shaped as shown in Figs. 1 and to allow the blank to move only toward the opening 11 but not beyond portion away from the opening 11.

In this way successive blanks 21'are placed in the locating means 19, and the pusher means 23, 24 is successively operated to push the successive blanks past the yieldable portion 15 so that the blanks are located next to each other and compressed by the plate 25 urging the blanks toward portion 15 of the guide means 12, 14, as is shown in Fig. it. After a number of blanks have been processed in this way and the plate 25 becomes located almost at the lower end of opening 11, the plate 25 may be manually pulled against the action of weights 28 downwardly from opening 11 so as to release the blanks which may then all be removed from the guide means 12, 14.

A different type of plate which may be used with the apparatus of Figs. 1 and 2 is shown in Fig. 6. The plate shown in Fig. 6 may be connected to the blocks 12 in the same way as the plate 14 and may have a configuration conforming to that of the blank 21. The plate 40 is also formed with a plurality of slits 41 extending inwardly from the top edge thereof to form a plurality of springy tongues 42, this plate 40 being made of a springy sheet material in the same way as plate 14.

The springy tongues 42-, instead of extending upwardly similarly to the tongues 17, are bent backwardly upon themselves and extend inwardly to form an area of smaller size at the top portion of plate 40, the tongues 41 being resiliently bent backwardly while the blank 21 passes downwardly through the plate 40 toward the opening 11. The tongues 41 terminate at a plane 18 located at the same level as plane 18 so that the ends of the tongues snap over the blanks in the same way as portions 15 of tongues 17 .to prevent movement of the blanks upwardly through I the plate 4%. Thus, the plate 40 of Fig. 6 is capable of accomplishing the same results as the plate 14 of Fig. 5. A further embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. According to this embodiment of the invention a plurality of blocks 45 are located next to each other about the opening 11 of the support means 10. These blocks 45 simply rest on the support means 10 and are trapezoidal in shape so as to fit next to each other about the opening 11 in the manner shown in Fig. 4. An endless coil spring 46 is located about the assembled blocks 45 to resiliently maintain them in the position shown, for example, in Fig. 4 where they form a space having a configuration corresponding to that of the blank 21'. A locating means 19' is located on the blocks 45, as shown in Fig. 3, to properly locate the blank 21 and the sheet material 22' fixed thereto over the opening defined by the assembled blocks 45. Each of the blocks 45 is provided with an inner face having a top surface portion 47 extending inwardly up to the portion 48 where each block 45 is undercut in the manner shown most clearly in Fig. 3. A plate 25' is located in the opening 11 and the opening formed by the blocks 45 so as to maintain these blocks in line with the opening 11, and in the embodiment of Fig. 3, the plate 25' is mounted on a plate 50 which is connected to a plurality of cords 51 guided over pulleys 52, respectively, these pulleys 52 being turnably mounted on the support means 10 and the cords 51 having weights connected thereto in the same way as cords 27 of Fig. 1 so that the plate 25 is yieldably urged upwardly toward the undercut portion 48 of the blocks 45.

The above described apparatus of Figs. 3 and 4 may be mounted in the same way as the apparatus of Figs. 1 and 2 to cooperate with the pusher means 23, 24 which pushes the blanks 21 downwardly beyond the undercut portion 48 of the blocks 45. The blocks 45 move outwardly from each other against the action of spring 46 as the blanks move by the portions 48 of the blocks 45, and when the blanks move beyond these portions 48 of blocks 45, the latter spring inwardly under the influence of spring 46 to locate the undercut portion of portions 48 of blocks 45 over the bent over edge portions of the sheet material on blanks 21'.

In this way successive blanks may be moved through the guide means 44 toward the opening 11 in the same way as was described above in connection with Fig. 1 and the operator may remove the processed blanks after a certain number of them have accumulated in the guide means 45 and opening 11, this operation being identical with the removal of the blanks from the opening '11 and guide means 12, 14 described above in connection with Fig. 1.

It should be noted that plates 14 and 40 are flexible and may therefore be bent to accommodate blanks of diiferent shapes, while blocks 45 may be assembled in a variety of ways to accommodate blanks of different shapes.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of apparatus for folding sheet material over an edge of a blank differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in an apparatus for successively folding sheet material over the edges of a plurality of blanks, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus for folding sheet material about an edge of a blank, comprising, in combination, support means formed with an opening passing therethrough; one-way guide means having a shape corresponding to that of the blank and being arranged on said support means about said opening thereof to guide a blank only toward said opening, said guide means having an inner yieldable portion located opposite said opening and shaped so as to yieldably expand only when the blank engages said yieldable portion during movement toward said opening, said yieldable portion of said guide means extending about the latter and being substantially continuous, and said yieldable portion of said guide means gradually decreasing in size up to a predetermined plane as it approaches said opening and suddenly increasing in size substantially at said predetermined level, said yieldable portion of said guide means being in the form of a sheet of springy material formed with a plurality of slits extending inwardly from an edge of said sheet distant from said opening to form a plurality of springy tongues, said tongues being bent inwardly at an angle of approximately at said plane and having springy free end portions diverging from each other in a direction extending from said plane away from said opening of said support means; a plate movably mounted in said opening of said support means for free movement toward and away from said yieldable portion of said guide means; and pressure means operatively connected to said plate for urging the same toward said yieldable portion of said guide means, whereby sheet material portions extending beyond the blank will be folded over the outer edge thereof during movement past said yieldable portion of said guide means and whereby said plate under the influence of said pressure means urges blanks successively moved past said yieldable portion of said guide means against each other and toward said yieldable portion.

2. Apparatus for folding sheet material about an edge of a blank, comprising, in combination, support means formed with an opening passing therethrough; one-way guide means having a shape corresponding to that of the blank and being arranged on said support means about said opening thereof to guide a blank only toward said opening, said guide means having an inner yieldable portion located opposite said opening and shaped so as to yieldably expand only when the blank engages said yieldable portion during movement toward said opening, said yieldable portion of said guide means extending about the latter and being substantially continuous, and said yieldable portion of said guide means gradually decreasing in size up to a predetermined plane as it approaches said opening and suddenly increasing in size substantially at said predetermined level, said yieldable portion of said guide means being in the form of a sheet of springy material formed with a plurality of slits extending inwardly from an edge of said sheet distant from said opening to form a plurality of springy tongues, said tongues being bent backwardly upon themselves and converging toward each other as they approach said plane and said tongues terminating substantially at said plane; a plate movably mounted in said opening of said support means for free movement toward and away from said yieldable portion of said guide means; and pressure means operatively connected to said plate for urging the same toward said yieldable portion of said guide means, whereby sheet material portions extending beyond the blank will be folded over the outer edge thereof during movement past said yieldable portion of said guide means and whereby said plate under the influence of said pressure means urges blanks successively moved past said yieldable portion of said guide means against each other and toward said yieldable portion.

3. Apparatus for folding sheet material about an edge of a blank, comprising, in combination, support means formed with an opening passing therethrough; oneway guide means having a shape corresponding to that of the blank and being arranged on said support means about said opening thereof to guide a blank only toward said opening, said guide means having an inner yieldable portion located opposite said opening and shaped so as to yieldably expand only when the blank engages said yieldable portion during movement toward said opening, said yieldable portion of said guide means extending about the latter and being substantially continuous, and said yieldable portion of said guide means gradually decreasing in size up to a predetermined plane as it approaches said opening and suddenly increasing in size substantially at said predetermined level, said yieldable portion of said guide means being in the form of a sheet of springy material formed with a plurality of slits extending inwardly from an edge of said sheet distant from said opening to form a plurality of springy tongues, said tongues being bent inwardly at an angle of approximately 90 at said plane and having springy free end portions diverging from each other in a direction extending from said plane away from said opening of said support means; a plate movably mounted in said opening of said support means for free movement toward and away from said yieldable portion of said guide means; and pressure means operatively connected to said plate for urging the same toward said yieldable portion of said guide means, whereby sheet material portions extending beyond the blank will be folded over the outer edge thereof during movement past said yieldable portion of said guide means and whereby said plate under the influence of said pressure means urges blanks successively moved past said yieldable portion of said guide means against each other and toward said yieldable portion, said pressure means being in the form of a plurality of pulleys mounted on said support means, a plurality of cords extending over said pulleys and being connected to said plate, and a plurality of weights respectively fixed to said cords.

4. Apparatus for folding sheet material about an edge of a blank, comprising, in combination, support means formed with an opening passing therethrough; one-way guide means having a shape corresponding to that of the blank and being arranged on said support means about said opening thereof to guide a blank only toward said opening, said guide means having an inner yieldable portion located opposite said opening and shaped so as to yieldably expand only when the blank engages said yieldable portion during movement toward said opening, said yieldable portion of said guide means extending about the latter and being substantially continuous, and said yieldable portion of said guide means gradually decreasing in size up to a predetermined plane as it approaches said opening and suddenly increasing in size substantially at said predetermined level, said yieldable portion of said guide means being in the form of a sheet of springy material formed with a plurality of slits extending inwardly from an edge of said sheet distant from said opening to form a plurality of springy tongues, said tongues being bent backwardly upon themselves and converging toward each other as they approach said plane and said tongues terminating substantially at said plane; a plate movably mounted in said opening of said support means for free movement toward and away from said yieldable portion of said guide means; and pressure means operatively connected to said plate for urging the same toward said yieldable portion of said guide means, whereby sheet material portions extending beyond the blank will be folded over the outer edge thereof during movement past said yieldable portion of said guide means and whereby said plate undcr the influence of said pressure means urges blanks successively moved past said yieldable portion of said guide means against each other and toward said yieldable portion, said pressure means being inthe form of a plurality of pulleys mounted on said support means, a plurality of cords extending over said pulleys and being connected to said plate, and a plurality of weights respectively fixed to said cords.

5. Apparatus for folding the edge of a piece of sheet material backwardly upon itself, comprising, in combination, support means formed with an opening passing therethrough; one-way guide means having a shape corresponding to that of the sheet material and being arranged on said support means about said opening thereof to guide the sheet material only toward said opening, said guide means having an inner yieldable portion located opposite said opening and shaped so as to yieldably expand only when the sheet material engages said yieldable portion during movement toward said opening, said yieldable portion of said guide means extending about the latter and being substantially continuous, and said yieldable portion of said guide means gradually decreasing in size up to a predetermined plane as it approaches said opening and suddenly increasing in size substantially at said predetermined plane; a plate removably mounted in said opening of said support means for free movement toward and away from said yieldable portion of said guide means; pressure means operatively connected to said plate for urging the same toward said yieldable portion of said guide means, whereby sheet material edge portions will be ,folded backwardly upon themselves during movement past said yieldable portion of said guide means and whereby said plate under the influence of said pressure means urges sheet material pieces successively moved past said yieldable portion of said guide means against each other and toward said yielda'ble portion; locating means ar ranged about said guide means for properly locating a piece of sheet material with respect to said guide means; and pusher means mounted on said support means for pushing a piece of sheet'material from said locating means through said yieldable portion of said guide means toward said opening of said support means, said pusher means including a number of resilient fingers which en'- gage the sheet material in the region of said guide means and which are less resilientthan said yieldable portion of said guide means to cause said yieldable'portion to ex-. pand during movement of said sheet material through said guide means toward said opening.

Refen-nces Cited in thefile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS