US2760571A

US2760571A - Paper trimmer having automatic table slot closer

Info

Publication number: US2760571A
Application number: US226988A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles S Dayton
Original assignee: West Virginia Pulp and Paper Co
Current assignee: West Virginia Pulp and Paper Co
Priority date: 1951-05-18
Filing date: 1951-05-18
Publication date: 1956-08-28
Anticipated expiration: 1973-08-28

Description

7 Aug. 28, 1956 -c. s. DAYTON 2,750,571

PAPER TRIMMER HAVING AUTOMATIC TABLE SLOT CLOSER Filed May 18, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 I i l I I L J w T w 1 l N l\ I l V l j e I LL INVENTOR.

Char/es 5. (Myron Aug. 28, 1956 c. s. DAYTON PAPER TRIMMER HAVING AUTOMATIC TABLE SLOT CLOSER Filed May 18, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet INVEN TOR. Char/es S. Day/0n 7%, Qvkawafwy ATTORNEYS Aug. 28, 1956 c. s. DAYTON 2,760,571

PAPER TRIMMER HAVING AUTOMATIC TABLE SLOT CLOSER Fil'gd May 18, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. Char/es J. Day/0r? A T TOANEYS Aug. 28, 1956 c. s. DAYTON 2,760,571

PAPER TRIMMER HAVING AUTOMATIC TABLE SLOT CLOSER Fileq May 18, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 l l K? I E INVENTOR. Char/es .iflayfan ATTORNEYS 2,7eas71 R HAVING AUTOMATI TABLE SE81 CLOER Claims. (Cl. 164S9) This invention relates to paper trimmers or cutters of the kind commonly employed in paper mills, paper factories, printing plants and like establishments. in machines of this kind a lift of paper, generally consisting of one ream or two reams, according to the weight of the paper, is placed on a cutting table beneath the raised cutting knife, adjusted in position, trimmed and removed.

In accordance with prior practice it has been necessary to introduce the paper from the front of the machine, the paper being slid beneath the raised knife and thrust manually rearward into engagement with a backboard. The backboard extends above the table top, at right angles to the table top, and parallel with the plane of knife travel, and is operable along the table toward and from the knife, being provided with a guiding and operating extension which projects downward into and through a slot formed in the table.

When the paper has been put in place, the backboard is moved toward the knife by a screw which is under the control of the machine operator, to true up the paper and locate the paper in the desired cutting position. The power operated knife is then tripped, being caused to execute a cutting operation and then to come to rest in its initial raised position. The trimmed lift is then withdrawn at the front of the machine. Under paper mill conditions, where the machine is in continual use, it is not unusual to employ a team of five men in connection with a machine of this kind, two to put each lift in place initially, one to operate the backboard and knife and turn and readjust the lift after the initial cut, and two to remove the lift from the machine.

The foregoing procedure has the drawback that the men and their trucks are crowded together at the front of the machine, so that the efliciency of the machine and the men is reduced.

It is a primary object of the present invention to avoid the necessity of feeding the machine from the front. By providing a side table behind the knife at the level of the cutting table, a convenient means may be provided for sliding lifts onto the cutting table from the side of the latter. The sliding of a lift into operative position from the side, however, involves a difficulty because the leading margins of the bottom sheets do not bridge the slot smoothly but tend to drop down into the slot and to become folded under, crumpled and torn.

It is a salient object of the present invention to provide means sufiiciently filling the slot in front of the backboard to enable a lift introduced from the side to he slid across the slot without damage, yet shiftable out of the way to leave the slot clear from a point just in advance of the backboard guide so that the guide can travel freely toward and from the knife.

It is a feature of the invention that the slot filler, though withdrawable, is not required to travel along the slot, nor to have rubbing contact with the table or with any of the other parts. The filler does not, therefore, tend to wear away the table nor to be itself worn tes atent Federated Aug. 28, 1956 away. It, therefore, has no tendency to drop below the level of the table top because of wear.

For the purpose of achieving the foregoing ends the filler may advantageously be made to consist of a chain having cleats supported marginally by the table. The chain is anchored at its forward end in the slot and at its rear end at a level substantially above the slot. Between its ends the chain is turned upward around a pulley carried by the backboard behind the backboard face and in front of the backboard guide, and is turned rearward around an upper pulley which is carried by the backboard at the level of the rear end of the chain. In this way, as the backboard moves forward, the chain is progressively lifted out of the slot just in advance of the backboard guide, leaving the slot clear where it is required to be clear for the passage of the backboard guide, but keeping the slot continuously filled in front of the backboard.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawing forming part of this specification,

Figure l is a diagrammatic plan view of the table, backboard, slot and knife arrangement;

Figures 2 and 3, when placed end to end, constitute a longitudinal, vertical, sectional View taken substantially along a side boundary of the slot;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary, sectional view, taken upon the line 4-4 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary, sectional view, taken upon the line 5-5 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary, sectional view, taken upon the line 66 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

The relationship of the principal parts of the illustrative machine is shown in plan in Figure 1. Here a cutting table it is equipped toward the forward end thereof with a wooden inset bar 2 that stands flush with the top of the table. A vertically reciprocating knife 3, controlled by a one revolution clutch (not shown) normally stands idle at the upper limit of its movement, but may be tripped when a lift 4 of paper has been properly located in cutting position. When the knife is set into operation it descends barely into contact with the wooden bar 2 and returns to initial position where it comes to rest.

According to prior practice the lift 4 would have to be inserted from the front beneath the raised knife 3. A backboard 5 under the control of the operator would then he slid forward to square the lift and to advance it to proper cutting position relative to the knife. The backboard includes a guide 6 which travels in a slot 7 formed in the cutting table 1. The slot terminates some distance in back of the cutting bar 2. The slot 7 introduces no difliculty in the matter of inserting the lifts from the front of the machine.

The practice, however, of feeding the lifts in from the front, controlling the knife and backboard from the front and withdrawing the trimmed lifts from the'front is a tedious and inefficient procedure and one which causes the men and trucks used for feeding and unloading the machine to interfere with one another and with the operator.

The machine comprises a frame that includes supporting standards 9 (one shown). A knife operating shaft 10 is carried in partial bearings 11 of the standards 9, being held in place by complementary bearing members 12. A gear flywheel 13 on the shaft it) has associated therewith a crank pin 16 which is passed through a block 17 secured upon a rod 20. Rod 20 has secured to the upper end thereof a yoke 22 which embraces a block 23 through which a pin 24 is passed. A pivot pin 25 at right angles to pin 24 is passed through the block 23 and is also passed through a stem 26 of a knife carrier 27. The stem 26 has secured upon it a channeled guide block 21 which is guided for vertical movement in a slot 21a formed in the frame member 9. Channels formed in opposite faces of the block 21 embrace marginal portions of the frame members 9 which border the slot. The knife carrier includes a block 28 which extends across between the frame members 9 and which carries the knife 3. The knife 3 is normally stationary but is adapted to be connected to the constantly running flywheel 13 through a one revolution clutch (not shown).

The backboard comprises a vertical gage member 30 which constitutes the board proper. The member 30 is constructed of metal. It includes an upstanding forward wall whose forward face extends parallel to the path of knife travel, rearwardly extending vertical webs at opposite sides of the slot, and a rearwardly extending horizontal wall which rests upon the top of the table 1 and which is connected to the backboard guide 6 by screws 31. The horizontal wall has an opening formed in it which lies behind the board member 30, in front of the guide 6, and directly over the slot.

The guide 6 extends down through the slot 7 and includes a feed nut 32. which is held against rotation by a flat face 33. A feed screw 34 is revolubly mounted in forward and rear brackets or

frame members

35 and 36. The screw 34 is threaded through the nut 32 and is secured against axial movement relative to the machine frame. A hand wheel 37, secured to the screw 34 by a set screw 38 at the forward end of the screw, bears against the forward face of the frame member 35 to prevent axial displacement of the screw in a rearward direction. A sprocket wheel 39, secured upon the rear end of the screw 34 by a set screw 4%, bears against the rear face of the frame member 36 to prevent axial movement of the screw in a forward direction. The screw 34 is driven forward or backward under the control of the operator through operating mechanism which comprises a chain 41 and the sprocket 39.

The details of the knife, the cutting table, the mechanism for operating the knife and the mechanism for operating the backboard thus far described are conventional, and form no part of the present invention.

It is a primary object of the present invention, however, to make provision for introducing the lifts onto the cutting table 1 from the side thereof at a point in back of the knife 3 and in front of the retracted backboard 5, in order to eliminate awkwardness and congestion in feeding, operating and unloading the machine.

For this purpose a side feed table 8 is provided whose 7 top stands flush with the top of the cutting table 1.

When a lift 4- is thrust in sidewise from the table 8, the leading edges of the lower sheets tend to dip down into the slot 7 and become folded, rumpled and torn. In accordance with the invention, provision is made for filling the slot in advance of the backboard while keeping the slot free Where necessary for accommodating the travel of the backboard guide 6.

In order to bridge the slot in front of the backboard 5 so that a lift may be fed across the slot from the side of the cutting table a filler is provided in the form of a flexible chain 43. The chain comprises alternate wide and narrow links 44 and .5. The foremost narrow link 45 is connected to a yoke 46 having stem 47, which stem is anchored in the top of the table 1 a short distance to the rear of knife path. Each wide link has fixed upon it, as by welding, a cleat which is considerably wider than the link itself. Each cleat is considerably wider than the normal slot 7. The slot 7 is widened by the formation of rabbets 49 at its upper end, and the cleats 48 are made wide enough and thick enough just to fill the width and depth of the widened portions of the slot. With this arrangement the margins of the links are sustained by the top of the table 1, and

4 in turn serve to carry the weight of that portion of the chain which is located in the slot.

From the anchorage at its forward end the chain extends rearward beneath the front wall of the backboard member 30. The member 39 carries angle brackets 50 in which the axle 51 of a flanged roller or pulley 52 is rotatively mounted. The flanges 53 of the roller 52. are spaced apart just widely enough to engage and guide the opposite side edges of the cleats 48, while the main body of the roller 52 stands tangent to the plane of the top surface of the table 1. The chain is turned upward around the bottom and rear of the roller 52, being led through a vertical stretch onto a further roller 54. The roller 54 is rotatively supported on a shaft 55 which is mounted in relatively tall angle brackets 56 secured upon the backboard member 39. The roller 54 comprises end collars 57 of comparatively large diameter and an intervening collar 58 of smaller diameter.. The width of the collar 58 is the same as that of the wider links 44 of the chain 43 so that the links 44 can be received within the circumferential groove bounded by the

collars

57 and 58. The cleats 48 bear against the pass around the larger collars 57.

From the roller 54 the chain extends substantially horizontally rearward, having its end secured to a screw 59 by which it is anchored to the upper end of a post 60 fixed on the rear extremity of the table 1. The screw 59 is passed freely through the upper end of the post 60, but has nuts 61 and 63 threaded on it in engagement with the front and rear faces of the post 60. The nuts may be adjusted to change the tension of the chain.

With the arrangement shown the chain cleats 48 constantly bridge that portion of the slot 7 which lies in front of the backboard but constantly leave the slot free for the passage of the backboard guide 6. As the backboard moves forward the chain is progressively lifted out of the slot just ahead of the backboard guide 6, and as the backboard moves rearward the chain is progressively returned to the slot.

Attention is particularly called to the fact that although the chain moves into and out of the slot is does not slide along the table, nor have sliding engagement with any other operating parts, so that little wearresults from its use.

With the novel mechanism here disclosed the paper lifts may be fed into the machine sidewise from the table 8. When a lift 4 has been thus placed on the table 1 in the position illustrated in full lines in Figure 1 it may be straightened and pushed forward by forward move ment of the backboard to the dotted line position designated 4a in Figure l. The knife is then tripped, being caused to execute one complete cutting cycle.

At the conclusion of the first cut the backboard may be retracted and any desired further cuts may be made in the usual way. When the last out is finished the backboard may be directly operated to its fully retracted position or it may first be advanced a short distance to carry the forward margin of the trimmed lift clear of the knife path so that the lift can be seized more conveniently and without the workmen having to reach under the knife. When the backboard has been returned to its fully retracted position the machine is ready for a repetition of the described operations upon a fresh lift. There is obviously no conflict between the workmen who feed the lifts into the machine and those who remove them from the machine.

I have described what I believe to be the best embodiments of my invention. I do not wish, however, to be confined to the embodiments shown, but what I desire to cover by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A guillotine paper cutter adapted to have paper lifts inserted from the side and removed from the front comprising, in combination, a slotted cutting table, a

knife for cutting paper lifts supported on the table, a backboard retractable from the knife to permit a paper lift to be placed in front of it, and advanceable toward the knife to square the paper lift and slide it forward into cutting position, said backboard having a guide which travels in the table slot, a series of articulated rigid elements forming a chain adapted to be positioned in the slot, at least a portion of said elements having upper platform means adapted to bridge the slot, means associated with the slot cooperating with said elements for positioning and supporting said elements in the slot with said upper platform means fiush with the cutting table surface to enable lifts fed onto the table from the side to travel smoothly across the slot in front of the backboard and in back of the knife, means anchoring the forward end of the chain in the slot, means anchoring the rear end of the chain in fixed position at a level above the slot, and lower and upper traveling chain guides carried by the backboard, the former in position to turn the chain upward away from the slot just behind the backboard face and in front of the backboard guide, and the latter disposed to turn the chain rearward at substantially the level of the rear end of the chain.

2. A paper cutter as set forth in claim 1 in which the slot is made comparatively wide at the top and comparatively narrow at the bottom, and in which the chain comprises links narrow enough to fit in the narrow part of the slot, and said upper platform means are cleats secured to certain of the links said cleats being of a size to bridge the top portion of the slot, said cleats serving to support the chain in the slot.

3. A paper cutter as set forth in claim 1 in which the slot is made comparatively wide at the top and comparatively narrow at the bottom, and in which the chain comprises links narrow enough to fit in the narrow part of the slot, and said upper platform means are cleats secured to certain of the links said cleats being of a size to bridge the top portion of the slot, said cleats serving to support the chain in the slot, the lower chain guide being in the form of a broad roller engageable with the cleats, and the upper chain guide being also in the form of a broad roller engageable with the cleats but grooved to pass the chain links.

4. In a guillotine paper cutter, in combination, a slotted cutting table, a knife for cutting paper lifts supported on the table, a backboard retractable from the knife to permit a paper lift to be placed in front of it and advanceable toward the knife to square the paper lift and slide it into cutting position, the backboard having a guide which travels in the table slot, a side table adjoining a side of the cutting table to the rear of the knife having its top flush with the top of the cutting table, and providing a loading station from which a lift may he slid onto the cutting table from the side, and a filler operable into and out of slot bridging position to enable a lift slid in from the side to pass smoothly across the slot, but to leave the slot clear for movement of the backboard guide when and where required, said filler comprising an articulated link chain having slot spanning rigid supporting cleats secured across the upper part of a portion, at least, of the links.

5. A guillotine paper cutter adapted to have paper lifts inserted from the side and removed from the front comprising, in combination, a slotted cutting table, a knife for cutting paper lifts supported on the table, a backboard retractable from the knife to permit a paper lift to be placed in front of it, and advanceable toward the knife to square the paper lift and slide it forward into cutting position, said backboard having a guide which travels in the table slot, a series of articulated rigid ele ments forming a chain adapted to be positioned in the slot, at least a portion of said elements having upper platform means adapted to bridge the slot, means associated With the slot cooperating with said elements for positioning and supporting said elements in the slot with said upper platform means flush with the cutting table surface to enable lifts fed onto the table from the side to travel smoothly across the slot in front of the backboard and in back of the knife, a traveling chain guide carried by the backboard in position to turn the chain upward away from the slot behind the backboard face and in front of the backboard guide, and means anchoring the rear end of the chain for retaining the chain in a substantially taut condition and clear of the backboard guide.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 296,191 Lawlor Apr. 1, 1884 582,878 Robinson et al. May 18, 1897 971,146 Repp Sept. 27, 1910 995,972 Larsen June 20, 1911 1,427,642 Rickard Aug. 29, 1922 2,274,825 Eichenberger Mar. 3, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS 601,494 Great Britain May 6, 1948