US2766044A

US2766044A - Sheet separating device

Info

Publication number: US2766044A
Application number: US377089A
Authority: US
Inventors: John J Schulze
Original assignee: Bruning Charles Co Inc
Current assignee: Bruning Charles Co Inc
Priority date: 1953-08-28
Filing date: 1953-08-28
Publication date: 1956-10-09
Anticipated expiration: 1973-10-09

Description

J. .1. SCHULZE SHEET SEPARATING DEVICE Filed Aug. 28, 1953 i i I I I 3/ 3! INVENTOR.

JOHN J. SHULZE AT TORNE Y United States Patent OfiFice latented Oct. 9, 1956 2,766,044 SHEET SEPARATIN G DEVICE John J. :Schulze, Prospect Heights, 11]., vassignor to Charles Bruning Company, Inc., Teterboro, N. J., a comma tion of New York Application August 28, 1956, Serial No. 377,089 Claims. ,(Cl. 271-48) in face-to-face relation through machines such for example as printing or duplicating machines.

In photoprinting machines and the like, such as machines for developing and printing papers having lightsensitive emulsions on one surface, the subject to be printed, usually a tracing, islplaced on the emulsion side One object of the present invention therefore, is to provide improved apparatus for separating superimposed sheets.

straddle the feed belt and which carry sheet-engaging discs, preferably formed of a relatively high friction material such as rubber. The discs of one of the rotor assemblies are arranged to project through the spaces their peripheries.

imposed sheets S1 and S2,

discs which will the its movement through the printing roller endless feed belt 15 which is pref- 15 (Figure 2) between each which may comprise the tracing paper and printing paper respectively, are placed. A suitable guide 23 including

rollers

24 and and 28 disposed respectively above and belt 15 to define a sheet-receiving channel.

may conveniently be incorporated with the feed roller 18, includes a series of annular sheet-engaging members which may take the form of discs which turn with the roller 18 and which are The

shafts

18 and 30 are each driven in a clockwise so that the discs 29 and direction as viewed in Figure l 31 at their overlapping peripheries will be moving in' opposite directions, the peripheries of the lowermost discs 31 moving counter to the direction of movement of the feed belt and the peripheries of the upper discs 2 moving in the same direction as the belt. The roller 18 may either be driven by the belt or itself driven to drive the belt.

The advancing superimposed sheets, assuming they have not been separated when they reach channel defined by the

rotor assemblies

27 and 28, will first be disengaged from the under surface of the feed belt by means of the discs 29 and forced against the discs 31. Thus the discs 29 will engage the upper surface of the upper sheet S to apply frictional forces in the direction of feeding movement whereas the discs 31 will engage the lower surface of the lower sheet S1 to apply frictional forces in the opposite direction. In this fashion the tracing will be rubbed free of the printing paper and will be rejected by the rotor will be passed through the rotor assemblies due to the pushing force of the feed belt rearwardly of the point of separation and the feeding force of the discs 29. The frictional opposition of the lower discs 31 will be insufficient to overcome these forces.

The rejected sheet Si will assume the successive positions shown by dotted lines in Figure l, and will ultimately drop into a receiving tray 32 from which it may be removed by the operator. The sheet S2, as best seen in Figure 2, will be corrugated or ribbed by means of the

intermeshing discs

29 and 31 so that its leading edge is cantilevered outwardly. A certain rigidity will be imparted thereto which will enable it to hold its substantially horizontal position until such time as the air currents which hold it against the feed belt 15 at an earlier stage, are again able to press it against a stationary plate 33 at the infeed end of a second feed belt 34 which will serve to draw the trailing end of the sheet S2 through the rotor assemblies and carry the sheet to a developing stage (not shown). The sheet may if desired be discharged from the machine at the output side of the rotor assemblies.

A preliminary or first sheet separating stage may be provided to separate the sheets, when possible, before the

sheet separating rotors

27 and 28 come into play. This primary arrangement may take the form of an air jet 35 (Figure l) issuing from nozzle means 36 and directed at the advancing edges of the superimposed sheets as they emerge from the top of the printing cylinder 12. This jet may be formed generally in accordance with the disclosure of the pending U. S. application Serial No. 287,- 465, filed May 13, 1952. In accordance with the present invention this jet nozzle means 36 may be located behind the

rotor assemblies

27 and 28 in the direction of movement of the feed belt so that the air jets may pass between the

shafts

18 and 30, and between the spaced

discs

29 and 30 before meeting the advancing sheets. Thus the nozzle means 36 will be out of the way in the event the rotor assemblies 27 and 28 come into play, i. e., it will not interfere with the sheet S1 dropping into the receiving tray 32. Furthermore, it will blow against the underside of the sheet S1 as it bellies downwardly as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1, thereby to assist the discs 31 to separate the sheets.

While the invention has been described above with specific reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood that the invention may take other forms and be applied to other environments. The invention should not, therefore, be regarded as limited except as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A sheet separating device for separating a pair of superimposed sheets advancing edgewise, a first series of laterally spaced annular sheet-engaging members mounted to engage one surface of the advancing superimposed sheets, a second series of sheet-engaging members assemblies while the printing paper mounted to engage the other surface of the superimposed sheets, and means to rotate at least one series of sheetengaging members with components of motion, at their points of engagement with the sheet, which are in alignment with the direction of advancing movement of the sheets, the first and second series of sheet-engaging members overlapping and the members of the first series being those of the second series.

2. A sheet separating device for separating a pair of superimposed sheets advancing edgewise, a first series of laterally spaced annular sheet-engaging members mounted to engage one surface of the advancing superimposed sheets, a second series of sheet-engaging members mounted to engage the other surface of the superimposed sheets, means to rotate at least one series of sheet-engaging members with components of motion, at their points of engagement with the sheet, which are in alignment with the direction of advancing movement of the sheets, roller means carrying the first series of sheet-engaging members and having an axis of rotation parallel to the advancing sheet, and moving belt means to advance the sheets edgewise into the sheet-separating members, said belt means comprising a series of relatively narrow belt portions passing over the roller between the sheet-engaging members carried thereby.

3. A sheet separating device for separating a pair of superimposed sheets advancing edgewise, a first series of laterally spaced annular sheet-engaging members mounted to engage one surface of the advancing superimposed sheets, a second series of sheet-engaging members mounted to engage the other surface of the superimposed sheets, means to rotate at least one series of sheet-engaging members with components of motion, at their points of engagement with the sheet, which are in alignment with the direction of advancing movement of the sheets, and air jet means disposed behind the sheet-engaging members in the direction of sheet "advancement to direct air jets backwardly through the sheet-engaging members at the advancing edge of the superimposed sheets.

4. A sheet separating device for separating a pair of superimposed sheets advancing edgewise, a first series of laterally spaced annular sheet-engaging members mounted to engage one surface of the advancing superimposed sheets, a second series of sheet-engaging members mounted to engage the other surface of the superimposed sheets, and means to rotate at least one series of sheet-engaging members with components of motion, at their points of engagement with the sheet, which are in alignment with the direction of advancing movement of the sheets, said first and second series of sheet engaging members comprising parallel, laterally ofiset discs having peripheral portions formed of high-friction material.

5. A sheet separating device according to claim 1 including means to rotate the sheet engaging members of the first and second series in the same angular direction, the second series of members being disposed in pairs each pair being spaced apart laterally to receive the peripheral portion of one sheet engaging member of the first series.

6. In a printing machine, sheet feeding means to carry a sheet of sensitized paper and a sheet to be copied through the machine in superimposed, face to face relationship, said feeding means including belt means made up of a plurality of relatively narrow belt portions disposed side by side with a space between each pair, a roller over which the belt means move, means to establish an air pressure differential across the belt means to hold the sheets against the belt means, a first series of annular sheetengaging members carried by the roller and extending radially outwardly therefrom to pass through the said spaces between belt portions, and a second series of sheet engaging members disposed next to the roller and movable relatively thereto to counter the motion of the adjacent belt means and first series of annular sheet-engaging members to define, in conjunction with the sheet engaging sheet-receiving channel, whereby second series of sheet-engaging members engage the outermost surfaces respectively of the superimposed sheets to cause one sheet to be forced through the sheet receivchannel and to cause the ing lapping first and second series of members causing the to impart stiffness thereto.

8. A printing machine in cluding means to establish across the belt means adjacent to hold the sheets thereagainst.

9. A printing m'achi air jets between the sheetadvancing edge of the supe accordance with claim 7 inan air pressure differential the sheet-receiving channel ne in accordance with claim 7 insheet movement to direct engaging members toward the rimposed sheets.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Lotz Wermes Payne Van den Broek Dec. 2, 1924 May 10, 1927 Oct. 7, 1941 Apr. 27, 1943