US2820630A

US2820630A - Strip-folding apparatus

Info

Publication number: US2820630A
Application number: US403495A
Authority: US
Inventors: Schwartz Alexander; Fogelson Emile
Original assignee: Leobarb Corp
Current assignee: Leobarb Corp
Priority date: 1954-01-12
Filing date: 1954-01-12
Publication date: 1958-01-21
Anticipated expiration: 1975-01-21

Description

Jan. 21, 1 5 A. scHwARTz ElAL STRIP-FOLDING APPARATUS 4 Shets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 12, 1954 wwww mw Jan. 21, 1958 A. SCHWARTZ ETAL 2,820,630

7 STRIP-FOLDING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 12, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 ii I 1/: '52 llgl INVENTORJ Elli/LE Raw/r ilQixa/ pfiafiywikrz.

United States Patent S-FOLDING APPARATUS Alexander Schwartz and Emile Fogelson, New York, N. Y., assignors to Leobarb Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 12, 1954, Serial No. 403,495

2 Claims. (Cl. 270-79) This invention relates to packaging machines, and has for its object the provision of an improved apparatus for folding elongated flexible material in the form of strips, ribbons, webs and the like in various shapes and sizes incident to packaging. More particularly, the invention provides an apparatus for feeding strips of material in a series of folds or close bends, in a sinuous configuration, into a receptacle or package.

The invention comprises means for supplying the strip material at a uniformly controlled rate to a fold-forming member which moves back and forth at a rate synchronized with the rate of feed to bend the strip repeatedly first in one direction and then in the opposite direction in closely spaced serpentine-like folds. The folded material may be deposited into any suitable receptacle such as a receiving form or directly into a package. The fold-forming member of the invention comprises a feedhead through which the strip is drawn and means for moving the feed-head back and forth as the strip of material is fed therethrough, thereby folding the material and depositing it in the receptacle or package.

In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus of the invention comprises means which reciprocates on a framestructure carrying with it a feed-head including two driven rollers which engage the strip and feed it out at a controlled rate while folding it. The apparatus comprises means for varying the tension which the rollers exert on the strip, and the distance of the reciprocable movement to vary the length of the folds. The strip-folding apparatus of the invention may advantageously include means for integrating the folding rate with the supply of strip material to the end that the material may be packaged continuously at the rate it is produced. A further important feature of the invention is the provision of means to regulate automatically the tension exerted on the strip as it is fed from the supply.

These and other objects of the invention will be better understood after considering the following discussion taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a packaging machine comprising a strip-supply means and a strip-folding apparatus of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a front View of the apparatus of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken at 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of Fig. 3;

Figs. 5, 6, 8 and 9 are sectional views at 5--5, 66, 8-8 and of Fig. 3, respectively;

Fig. 7 is an end view of Fig. 3;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged sectional view at 10-10 of the carriage portion shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 11 is an enlarged sectional view at 11-11 of the carriage portion shown in Fig. 5, and

Fig. 12 is a sectional view of a modification of feedhead roller.

The apparatus illustrated in the drawings may be used to fold various kinds of flat strip material but will be 2 described by way of example with reference to the packaging of strip insulation formed of overlying sheets of folded material which are tightly pressed together into a strip or ribbon.

The strip material may be supplied from a folding machine of the type used to effect the accordion pleating of multiple sheets of insulating material. Fig. l illustrates somewhat diagrammatically a packaging machine comprising

feed rollers

1 and 2 through which the strip material from any suitable source is fed to the stripfolding apparatus 3 of this invention.

The strip-folding apparatus of the invention comprises a stationary metal frame 4 which is more or less rectangular in cross section and which is mounted in a fixed position with respect to the

feed rollers

1 and 2. The carriage 5 has two pairs of

upper rollers

6 and 7 which travel in the longitudinal tracks or races 8 and 9, respectively, and a pair of lower rollers 10 which travel in the lower track or race 11. The carriage has a crank 15 pivotally mounted by the pin 16 to one side. The other end of the crank has a bearing 17 in which is mounted a pin 18 which serves as a standard coupling pin connection for the sprocket chain 19. By means of this pin, the crank is operatively connected to the chain which is mounted on the chain sprockets 22 and 23. Sprocket 23 rotates freely on the adjustable shaft 24, while sprocket 22 is keyed to the shaft 25 to which the chain sprocket 26 is also keyed.

The main drive shaft 3i) is mounted at one end in the bearing 31 and the opposite end in the bearing 32. and extends beyond the carriage frame and carries on its extended end the drive pulley 33 which is driven by the belt 34. The beveled gear 35 drives the beveled gear 36 which is keyed to the shaft 37 on which is mounted the chain sprocket 3d. The sprocket chain 39 mounted on

sprockets

26 and 33 drives the sprocket 22 which drives the chain 1%. Since chain 19 is connected by the link pin 13 to crank 15, the carriage is reciprocated back and forth in the lengthwise direction of the frame, as viewed in Figs. 3 and 4, the

rollers

6, 7 and 1h guiding the carn'age in its reciprocal motion in the races 8, 9 and 11, respectively.

The distance the carriage travels may be varied by changing the number of links in the sprocket chain 19. The shaft 24 on which the sprocket 23 is mounted is attached to an adjusting plate 40 slidable in

brackets

41 and 41. The plate :0 has a threaded projecting lug 42 into which the adjusting screw 43 is in threaded engagement. The screw 43 is provided with a knurled knob 44 on the outside of the frame to facilitate adjustment of the location of the sprocket 23 in moving the plate and the attached sprocket 23 backward and forward in the lengthwise direction of the frame incident to changing the length of the chain. The plate 40 is preferably provided with set screws, not shown, by means of which it can be clamped in a secured position after the adjustment has been made.

The drive shaft 30 has helical gears 45 and 46 slidably but non-rotatably mounted thereon which engage gears 47 and 48 which are mounted on the

drive shafts

49 and 50, respectively. Shaft 49 is mounted in a bronze bushing 51 in the upper part of the carriage 5 and in a bronze bushing 52 in the lower part of the carriage which is held in place by the collar 52'. Shaft 50 is mounted in the adjustable bearing frame 53 which, as best shown in Figs. 5, 6, 1t) and 11, is pivotally mounted in the carriage 5 on the pin 54. As shown in Figs. 5 and 11, the coil spring 55 is attached to a projection 56 of the frame 53 at one end and to the carriage at the opposite end by the screw 57. By means of this spring, the shaft 50 can be moved a short distance in the clearance opening 58 .in the frame in .a direction transverse to .its vertical axis and is normally pulled in the direction of the shaft 49.

The

shafts

49 and 50 extend above the frame 4 and have roller-s fittan'd 6:1, respectively, keyed thereto. These rollers :are :rotated in opposite directions :at the samespeed and the strip of ffiexible material vS from the feed :

rollers

1 and 2 is continuously pulled between these rollers. Rollers 6t and I61 comprise a feed-head which, by reason :of its mounting on the carriage :5, travels back and forth a distance determined by the length of the chain 19.

It will be noted with reference 'to Figs. 3 and 6 that anelongated slot 63 is formed in the top of the frame a -to provide for the travel of theshafts 49 and Stl during travel of the carriage. lnorderto prevent foreign matter from entering the mechanism inside the frame, and danger of someones having a hand caught in this slot, a flexible .belt 64, such :as one formed of rubber, canvas or metal,

having its ends attached @by means of the clamps 65 and 66 to the carriage .is mounted around the frame on the rollers R. As the carriage 'reciprocatcs hack and forth with the

shafts

49 and 50 traveling in the slot 63, the belt travels with the carriage and covers the slot at all times.

:Fig. 12 illustrates 'a modified form of roller for the feed-head. One or both of the drive shafts for the feed rollers, for example '50, .has a clutch plate 70 fixed to the shaft by means of a set screw 71. The clutch plate has a friction brake lining 72 which frictionally engages the friction brake lining 72' on the flat end face of the flange 73 which is attached to the roller 74. A bearing bushing 75 :is also keyed to the shaft 50. The flange 73 is rotatably mounted on a bearing bushing .76 mounted on the shaft 59. The flange bearing 77 attached to the roller 74 is rotatably mounted on the bushing '75. A coil spring 73 .is mounted over the shaft 59, one end of which bears against the bushing 75 and the other against the bearing 76. By means of this spring, the friction lining 72 of the roller 74 is pressed into frictional engagement with the brake lining 72 on the clutch plate and the roller has slip motion with respect to the clutch plate 7t). By appropriately selecting the spring 78, it is possible to provide rollers for the feed-head which can exert a controlled tension on the strip of material S fed therethrough. This adjustability makes it possible to maintain uniform tension on the strip even though variations may occur in the rate of feed from the rollers l and 2.

In operating the strip-folding apparatus of the invention, a strip of flat material S is supplied continuously by rollers 1 and '2 to the rollers '61] and 61 of the feedhead. The material is frictionally engaged between the rollers by reason of the pressure which roller 61 exerts thereon, and since these rollers are power driven at the same peripheral speed as the

rollers

1 and 2, the strip of material is fed continuously through the feed-head. As the reciprocable motion of the feed-head continues, the strip of material S fed between the rollers 60 and 61 is given a serpentine-like series of folds, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 2. In order that the material which has been folded may be 'efiectively accumulated, an inclined 4 receiving receptacle is attached to the front end ,of the frame and as the sinuously folded strip is pushed out from between the rollers 64 and 61, it slides down the incline, as shown in Fig. 1.

As a convenient means to package the strip material, we may place any suitable form of package, such as one having an open end 62 on the incline, and the folded material accumulates in the package. An operator may be stationed at this place to supervise the packaging and inspection 0f the material. When a suitable quantity of folded material has been placed in the package, the "strip is cut off and another package is placed on the incline for a repetition of theope'ration.

We claim:

1. Strip-folding apparatus comprising a casing, a carriage within said casing, parallel trackways within said casing and extending longitudinally thereof, means supporting said carriage for rectilinear reciprocating move- I tnent along said trackways, said casing having a slotbn one side thereof extending substantially parallel to said trackways, a pair of substantially parallel shafts mounted on said carriage and extending through said slot, rollers mounted on the portions of said shafts which extend beyond the casing and extending perpendicular to the direction of travel of said carriage and to the direction of folding of the material, said rollers having their advjacent surfaces lying close to one another, said rollers constituting a feeding head to receive between them a strip of material to be folded, means rotatably mounting at least one of said shafts on said carriage, means for rotating at least said rotatably-mounted shaft and the roller carried thereby, means for imparting relative movement to said. rollers in a -direction' to apply a yielding pressure onstrip material between said rollers, and means for moving said carriage rectilinearly along said trackways including a pair of sprocket wheels, anendlesschain passing around said sprocket wheels and a link connected at one end to the chain and at its other end to the "carriage, means to permit adjustment of the chain drive to vary the distance traveled by the carriage in its rectilinear movement, whereby said feeding head may be caused to move back and forth in a rectilinear path to apply to a strip of material fed between said rollers a folded serpentine-like form.

2. Strip-folding apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which the roller on the driven shaft is connected thereto by means of an adjustable friction clutch which enables the roller to apply a uniform tension on strip material fed between the rollers.

References (Iited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 966,760 vMutsch'ler Aug. 9, 1910 1,263,885 Guttridge .Apr. 23, 1918 1,843,964 Wolff Feb. 9, 1932 2,009,665 Kaufmann July 30, 1935 2,265,458 Stafford et a1 Dec. 8, 1941 2,291,627 Huck Aug. 4, .1942