US3002751A

US3002751A - Card feeding machine

Info

Publication number: US3002751A
Application number: US783921A
Authority: US
Inventors: Wendell J Wheeler; Herman J Klotz
Original assignee: International Business Machines Corp
Current assignee: International Business Machines Corp
Priority date: 1958-12-30
Filing date: 1958-12-30
Publication date: 1961-10-03
Anticipated expiration: 1978-10-03
Also published as: CH379175A

Description

Oct. 3, 1961 w. J. WHEELER ETAL 3,

CARD FEEDING MACHINE File. Dec. 50, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 w R E CLLZ T w mw A 0 1 A a wuN m M M A p R MM III/4.41. w v.

(1 mm 6 WW G ma 66 w. J. WHEELER ETAL 3,002,751

CARD FEEDING MACHINE Oct. 3, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 30, 1958 FIG. 3

Oct. 3, 1961 w. J. WHEELER ErAL 3,

CARD FEEDING MACHINE Filed Dec. 30, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 VACUUM (101) 1961 w. J. WHEELER ETAL 3,

CARD FEEDING MACHINE Filed Dec. 50, 1958 United States Patent G r 3,002,751 CARD FEEDING MACHINE Wendell J. Wheeler, Endwell, and Herman J. Klotz,

Endicott, N.Y., assignors to International Business Machines Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Dec. 30, 1958, Ser. No. 783,921 Claims. (Cl. 271-60) This invention relates to high speed card feeding systems for business machines, and, in particular, to a mechanism for feeding flat cards, warped cards and cards containing various degrees of damage due to repeated usage at high or low speeds in sorting, collating, punching, or other like business machines.

In prior card feeding machines, the general operation is to stack the cards in a container known as a hopper and singly remove the cards from the hopper by a drum or oscillating picker arm. The cards then singly pass through a throating device into a set of feed rolls in the card transport section. Additional feed rolls then transport the card throughout the machine where various operations are performed. These operations may be in the nature of sorting, collating, or punching, etc.

In attempting to operate present machines at higher rates of speed, the edge of the cards become mutilated so as to jam the machine. Also, present machines fail to properly locate the critical areas of the card in relation to the throating device and picking surface of the oscillating picker arms. Jamming occurs since very small clearances are provided in the throat for the cards in order to separate them and control their movement. Therefore, when the edge of a card becomes mutilated, it becomes greater than the allowable clearance and cannot pass through. Also, the mutilation may cause the cards to fail to settle into proper picking position at the instant motion is imparted to the card by the oscillating knife arm.

This invention is particularly concerned with increasing the speed with which cards are removed from the hopper by improving the manner in which the cards are positioned in the hopper, and the alignment which the cards have at the picker knife and throat. For purposes of this invention, the term card positioning or alignment is intended to cover accurate alignment of the marginal edges of the card with respect to the picker knife and throat just prior to and during the period of being picked from the hopper. Also, for purposes of this invention, a picker knife is intended to cover the mechanism for picking the card, which includes the picker knife block upon which the surface of the card rests; and the picking knife surface, which is a raised portion on the block which engages the marginal or trailing edge of the card.

It was previously thought that the major limitation on the speed of delivering cards was the acceleration forces necessary to move the picked card from zero speed up to card transport speed. Although acceleration forces are a limiting factor, the limit was thought to be much lower than actually possible. Tests have shown that the limit of acceleration forces that a card can withstand is considerably higher, if other factors were and could be improved. One of these other factors has been found to be alignment of the card with the picking knife surface and at the gap at the throating device.

The prior arrangements for feeding cards do not pro vide adequate means for permitting the card to settle in the hopper at the critical picking and throat position. Without such adequate means, the cards are adversely influenced by the pressure applied to the card, the resiliency of the mass of the card, the friction on the edges of the card by the hopper, card thickening due to handling and repeated hammering of the picker knife, and the shape or warp of the card. These and other such conditions are determining factors as to whether the card is in proper condition and proper picking position. Although card positioning and card condition become more important at high speeds, they exist at low speeds as well. If the card. is not in proper condition or the card is not in proper picking or throat position, improper alignment will result. in unacceptable card damage. When the leading edge of the card becomes mutilated, it becomes greater than the allowable clearance and cannot pass through the throat. Also, if the trailing edge becomes mutilated due to repeated hammering of the picker knife, the tendency of the card to remain in engagement with the picker knife is reduced.

"In the prior card feed arrangements, some of the warp was eliminated by the weight of the cards themselves. Also, weights were added to thetop of the stack to exert pressure on the cards to take out some of the Warp. By increasingt he pressure on. the cards, less card damage was found to take place at those speeds at which they were operating. Although this decreased card damage, it was found that the pressure could not.

be controlled so that it could be exerted at the critical picker knife and throat areas.

In prior arrangements, the card drifted in the hopper so that the picker knife required a relatively large travel at low velocity before engaging the card in order to insure that the velocity at card engagement would not cause card damage. After the picker knife and card engagement, large accelerations were necessary in order to get the card up to speed in the time allotted. No means were provided for accurately positioning the card at the same instant in the card cycle so that the picker knife would not have to pass through substantial displacement to insure engagement of the card at low velocity.

in other prior arrangements, a vacuum assist feeding arrangement is used to pull the card down on the bed plate. fIn those arrangements, the vacuum ports are positioned away from the critical picking and throat areas instead of being positioned at the critical areas.

-It has been found that, although the vacuum ports are positioned near the critical areas, it is unsatisfactory for high speeds and may not be satisfactory at low speeds. This is due to the tension created on the card at the vacuum ports which tends to raise the marginal edges of the cards. Since the picking knife surface itself is about .005 to .006 of an inch and the thickness of the card is about .007 of an inch, the edge of the card need not be raised very much to result in poor card to picker knife engagement. This condition results in high card damage at high speeds as well as low speeds. In addition, no means is provided in the prior arrangement for aligning the card to the picker knife just prior to the picking operation.

We have discussed only a few prior arrangements. However, each of the other prior arrangements also fail to provide a means for obtaining good card conditioning and card positioning at high speeds with the critical throating device and picking knife surface just prior to and during the picking operation. Therefore, it is an object of this invention to increase the speed of feeding cards while maintaining minimal card damage by providing accurate card positioning means irrespective of generally unfavorable card condition such as warp, mutilation or thickening.

It is another object of this invention to create attractive forces between the card and picker knife block and throat in such a manner that the trailing and leading edges of the card are pulled down against the surface of.

' of picker knifetq card engagement.

3 the picker knife block and at the gap at the throating device prior to and during the picking operation.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a card feeding mechanism which. has sufficient attractive force created between the card and picker knife to not only pull the next card down onto the surface of the picker knife block, but to carry thev card rearward against the hopper posts so as to accurately align the card with the picking knife surface just prior tothe picking operation.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a cardfeeding mechanism which is capable of providing a braking or retarding action to the card being delivered so that it seats against the picking surface of a picker knife as the picker knife moves forward.

It is another further object of this invention to reduce the distance the picking knife surface of the picking knife must travel before engaging the trailing edge of a cardto provide minimum velocity at engagement of the picking knife surface and the card.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a card feed system in which a vacuum is applied substantially contiguous to and across the base of the picking knife surface of a picker knife so as to act on that por tion of the card adjacent the trailing edge of the card that is engaged by the picking knife surface, to thereby insure the seating of the trailing edge of a mutilated, warped or flat card on the picker knife block all along the picking knife surface.

Briefly stated, and, in accordance with one aspect of this invention, we provi de a hopper and picker knife arrangement for feeding cards in which vacuum is utilized as the at-t ractive force applied at the throating device and across the base of the picking knife surface so as to attract the leading edge of the card to the surface of the throat block at the opening between the throating block and throating knife and the trailing edge of the card to the surface of the picker knife block. On thereturn stroke, the picker knife vacuum orifices are exposed to the cards so as to carry the next card backwardagainst abutment means to accurately align, the card with the picking. surface of the picker, knife, so thatthevacuum pulls the card down onto the surface of the picker knife block, and the card is, accurately aligned with the pickingknife surface of the picker knife just prior to the picking operation. The lateral position ofthe card and picking surface of the; picker knifeare carefully maintained insuring completeinstant control over the velocity Therefore, as the card is movedout ofthehopper, thevacuum exerted at the picking, surface and throat is effective torinsure that thesurface ofthe card-is seated tothe base of the pick: ing knife. surface. and that line contact between thecard and picking knife surface is maintained ratherthanpoint. contact.

While thespecification concludes with claims particu; larly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which We regard as ourinvention, it is believed the invention will be better understoodfor the following description taken in connection'with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of a sorter to, which our invention could be applied.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional View showing the picker knife, throat and vacuum system.

FIG, 3 is a perspective view ofthe arrangement of the picker knife and throat-in the hopper.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the invention;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the throating device.

FIG. 6. is an enlarged View of the pickerknife.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a schematic View of a. sorter is shown in which the numeral, generally designates a card sorting machine. Although the invention will be described in connection with a card sorting machine, the invention is intended to be used; with other types, of machines such as collators, and those machines where delivery of. cards is required at. highspeeds, or in. those cases where a high level of reliability of the card feeding devices is required. The card sorting machine generally includes a hopper 12 which contains a deck of cards 14 adapted to be removed singly by a pickerknife 16, the picker knife being, oscillatable about the pivot 17. The picker knife 16- engages the bottommost card of the deck and'passes it through a card separation means-which includes a throat shown at =18. The picker knife 16 moves the card sufficiently to be passed into the first feed rolls 20 whose peripheral velocity approximately matches the lineal velocity of the card, imparted to it by the picker knives, at the instant the card is engaged by the feed rolls. The peripheral velocity of the feed rolls alsomatches the lineal velocity of the card throughout the remainder of the transport portion of the feed.- Thefeedrolls 20 deliver the cards to the card transport feed rolls- 21 which are all operated :at a constant speed. After passing through the feed rolls 20 the cards are'sensed at 22 so as to operate magnets 24 in the well-known manner. The operation of the appropriate magnet actuates one of several chute blades 26 to deflect the card into that pocket 28 coinciding with the information sensedon the card.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the hopper 12 is, in general, constructed in the same manner as prior hoppers and. contains a hopper front wall 34, hopper side walls 36 (only one shown), and hopper posts 38 (only one of which is shown in position in FIG. 3). These define the hopper and are slightly larger than the cards so that they canbe joggled to avoid card jams. Cutout portions 46) are provided in the hopper front wall to provide clearance for card guide rolls 41 and for the first feed rolls 20. A throat knife blade =42 is shown fixed to the front wall and terminates into a knife edge 43 to form a throat with the throat block 52. Referring to FIG. 2, the front wall is bent so as to form the upper portion 44 of a throat chute 45 which provides card guidance into the card transport section.

In order to help support the deck of. cards, a bed plate 46 is provided. The bed plate contains U-shaped cutout portions 48, the purpose of which will be hereinafter more fully explained. Another cutout portion 50 is provided in which the throat block 52 (FIG. 2) is mounted.

In order to pull the cards down and to locate the leading edge of the card in the gap at the throating device, the throat block 52 contains a cavity 54 for applying a vacuum to the cards. A throat plate 56 covers the cavity and is secured to thethroat block 52 by bonding. The throat block is secured to a tie bar or support member 53 by screws or the like as shown at 57. Slots 58 are provided in the throat plate 56 and are positioned opposite to the knife edge 43 of the throat knife 42 so as to exert a suction on the surface of the leading edge of the card. The knife edge 43 and that portion of the plate 56. which contains the slots 58. define the throating device for, separating the cards. These are spaced to let one card through at a time. The vacuum applied opposite the throat knife43 insures that the leading edgeof a mutilated or warped card will not spring up to jam in the. throat.

In order to provide a vacuum to the slots 58, We pro-. vide a conduit 60 which is connected to. the cavity 54 and to a source of .vacuum as shown at 62. The vacuum can be created by a pump, or the like (not shown), and the details of which forms no part of this invention.

In order to readily place cards in the hopper, a. depression 64 is provided. This enables the operator to insert his hand underneath the card deck and slide the deck in place, The bed plate 46. contains extensions 66 which combine with the upper portion 44- to form the card guide 45.

Thegpi ker knife 16. (FIG. 1) is oscillated toand fro in thecutoutportions 48; (FIG, 3) to removethebottommost card from the deck of cards in the hopper by a drive mechanism (not shown). The drive mechanism operates a shaft and drive gear 70 (FIG. 4) so as to operate idler gears 72. One of the idler gears 72 drives a cam shaft gear 74, while the other drives a feed roll gear 75 for driving the feed rolls 20. The cam shaft gear 74 is mounted on a cam shaft 76 which has mounted thereon cams 78. The earns 78 are designed to give the picker knife the proper timing for picking the cards in relation to the other operations to be performed by the.

machine. Followers 80 are provided to ride on the cam surfaces and are mounted on lever arms 82, which lever arms are connected to a hollow picker knife drive shaft 84. This arrangement oscillates the picker knife when driven by the drive mechanism. The lever arms are connected to the hollow picker knife drive shaft 84 by clamping members 86. Clamped to the hollow picker knife drive shaft are a pair of picker knife arms 88 (FIG. 2) each containing a passageway 90. The passageway 90 extends into a picker knife block 92, which picker knife block contains a cavity 94. A picker knife plate 96 containing slots 98, is bonded over the cavity 94 to the block 92. A picking knife surface 100 is shown as a raised portion on the picker knife block 92 extending above the plate 96 and is contiguous to the slots so that any vacuum will pass directly over the knife surface 100. The slots 98 and picking knife surface are contiguous to insure that the trailing edge of the card will respond to the Vacuum so as to seat at the base of the picking surface. A source of vacuum is provided as shown at 101 which is capable of applying vacuum at the slots 98 through the hollow picker knife drive shaft opening 91, passageway 90 and cavity 94.

In order to provide a means for obtaining line contact rather than point contact between the card and picking knife surfaces 100, we provide a hopper post bar 102 (FIG. 3) having recessed portions 103 surrounding each of the picker knife arms 88 and which support the hopper posts 38. Each of the hopper posts 38 are provided with a recess 164 (FIG. 2) for receiving the picker knife block 92.

In order to maintain the acceleration or impact forces on the card at a minimum, the excursion of the picker knife, with the aid of appropriate cam design, is kept to a minimum by the abutment or front edge 106 of the hopper posts 38 being positioned just ahead of the picking knife surface 100 when the picker knife is in its rearward-most position as best seen in FIG. 4. The abutment provides a means for making the excursion very small that the picking knife surface must travel prior to engaging the card. Since engagement will now come at a known exact position and at the beginning of the acceleration curve or period, the velocity of the picker knife to card engagement can be kept to a minimum.

Operation picker knife block to drag the second card back against the hopper post 38 at the abutment 106 so as to accurately alignit to the picking knife surface 160. The action of the picker knife on the card during the return stroke is best exemplified by FIG. 6. Referring now to FIG. 2, the bottom-most card is still shown masking the vacuum to the second card and the second card'deposited against the base of the abutment 106 to be ready for the next card cycle. This will occur when the first card has cleared the throat.

The timing is such that when the bottom-most card has cleared the throating device at 43, the leading edge of the second card becomes exposed tothe vacuum at the throat and the picker knife can start delivering the second card to the first feed rolls. Although the vacuum at the throat does not influence the aligning of the second card against the hopper posts, since it is blocked off, the vacuum at the throat produces a friction drag on the second card about to be moved through the throat when the vacuum is not blocked off. However, this friction drag has practically no effect on the forward motion of the card except to retard the card until it is engaged by the picking knife surface 100. Since in its rearward position the picking knife surface 100 is spaced a small distance from the trailing edge of the card just prior to picking, the card is retarded from forward movement until the picking knife surface engages the trailing edge of the card. This is accomplished by the vacuum acting on the leading surface of the card at the throat and relying on slippage between the picker knife block surface and card during acceleration. The

cams 78 oscillates the picker knife 16. The bottom-most card is started out of the hopper by the picking knife surface 100 engaging the rear edge of the card and moving the leading edge through the throat into the feed rolls. As the bottom-most card is passed into the first feed rolls 20, it masks the vacuum exerted through slots 58 at the throat knife edge 43 so that the vacuum at the throat does not act on the second card. While the first card masks the second card, the picker knife begins to return to its original position. While doing so, it pulls the second card down onto the picker knife block 92 or plate 96 by the vacuum at slots 98. This enables the vacuum forces at the throat are suflicient to retain the card at the hopper .posts until engaged by the picking knife surface. This action insures accurate alignment of the trailing edge of the card against the picking knife surface which has previously accomplished during the return stroke of the picker knife. The vacuum exerted on the surface adjacent the trailing edge of the card insures positive seating on the picker knife block contiguous to the picking knife surface at the point of engagement. The timing of the masking and unmasking of the throat vacuum ports with respect to the forward and rearward operation of the picker knife is an important consideration to insure that the braking action occurs during the forward stroke and not during the return stroke.

Therefore, if a particular card is warped, and some of its edges would normally tend to be above the picking knife surface 100, the vacuum will act on the surface of the card adjacent the trailing edge to pull it down on the picker knife block and to register the marginal edge of the card with the picking knife surface. With the aid of the retarding effect that the vacuum at the thrpat has on the card, the card will naturally slide back against the abutment 106 on the hopper posts. The fact that the picker knives pull the card back against the hopper post at the abutment 106 is assurance that there will be line contact rather than point contact of the picking knife surface 100 with the marginal edges of the card. This accurate alignment results in less card damage and permits higher acceleration of the card. This, therefore, results in a greater number of card operation by the picker knife without excessive card damage, thereby extending the life of the cards.

The use of means for attracting the cards to the critical throating and picking areas eliminates the need of using card weights on the deck of. cards in the hopper.

Although a vacuum system has been shown and described, for purposes of this invention, it is recognized that any means for pulling the card down against the picker knife block 92 or plate 96 can be provided so that the next card can be pulled against the hopper posts or any other aligning means, and any means for retarding the card near the throat would also respond to this invention. For example, electrostatic means can be provided between the cards and the picker knives and the- Although the vacuum slots. in the picker knife block have been described as being contiguous to the picking knife surface, it is intendedthat the term contiguous also cover slots that may be a small distance from the picking. knife surface but suffici'ently close to effectively pull the trailing edge of, the card down to the base of the picking knife surface to insure good registration and alignment.

While there havev been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferred embodiment, it is intended to cover all modifications and changes in the form and details of the device, illustrated'and in its op. eration that may be made by those skilled in the art, which. do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention, and that the invention should'not be limited in any sense except as indicated'by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A card feeding mechainsm comprising a hopper for supporting cards, picker means for picking the cards from the hopper, and hopper posts for defining a rear portion of the hopper, and meansfor depositing the card against the hopper posts before engagement by the picker means whereby the card is initially positionedfor accurate alignment at the same point of time for each card cycle.

2.. A card feeding mechanism comprising a hopper for supporting the cards, picker means for picking the cards from the hopper, and hopper posts for defining a rear portion of the hopper, the forward portion of the hopper containing a throat, vacuum means acting on the throat to hold the card down in alignment with the throat, and means for depositing the card against the hopper post before engagement by the picker means, whereby the card is initially positioned for accurate alignment at the same point of time for each card cycle.

3. A card feeding mechanism comprising a hopper for supporting cards, picker means for picking a card from the hopper, and hopper posts for defining a rear portionof the hopper aligned with the picker means, vacuum means for co-operating with the picker means to deposit the card against the hopper post before engagement by the picker means, whereby the card and .picker means will have line contact when the picker means engagesthe card;

4. A card feeding mechanism comprising a hopper for supporting cards, picker means for picking the. cards from the hopper, and hopper posts for defining the rear portion of the hopper, a throat block, the front portion of the hopper defining. a throat with the throat block, vacuum means acting at the throat for holding the card down in proper alignment with the throat, and vacuum means at the picker knife for acting on the. bottom-most card during the return stroke so as to carry that, card against the hopper posts to obtain accurate alignmentof the picker knives with the card edge. 5. In combination, a hopper containing cards, hopper posts defining the rear portion of the hopper, a throat block, the front portion of the hopper and throat block defining a throat, vacuum means exerted at the throat, a picker knife, a picker knife block, a picking knife surface onthe block, an arm for supporting the picker knife the picker knife block for pulling the next bottom-most card in the hopper during the return stroke of the picker arm to a position against the hopper posts for alignment with the picker knife and to pull the card down against the. picker knife block.

6. A form feeding mechanism comprising, in combination, a. hopper containingsuperposed forms; stationary means located at one end of the hopper; picker means for pickingsuccessive forms from the hopper during successive feeding strokes and advancing thempast the opposite end of the, hopper; and holding means associated with said picker means and effective during the return stroke of the picker means to move, into aligning contact with said stationary means, the form next to the one which has just been advanced, whereby such next form is in prealigned contact with said stationary means prior to the succeeding feeding stroke of the picker means.

7. A form feeding mechanism comprising,,in combination, a hopper containing superposed forms; stationary means located at one end of the hopper; other means cooperatingwith the opposite end of the hopper to define a throat; picker means for successively picking forms from the hopper during successive feeding, strokes and advancing them past the throat; means at the throat to hold a form in contact with said other means as such form passes through the throat; and holding means asssociated with said picker means and effective during the returnstroke of. the picker means to move, into aligning contact'with said stationary means, the form next to the one which has just been advanced, whereby. such next form is in prealigned contact With said stationary means priorto the succeeding feeding stroke of the picker means.

8. A form feeding mechanism comprising, in combination, a receptacle containing superposed forms, picker means for picking successive forms from the receptacle during successive feeding strokes and advancing them out of the receptacle,v and means operative during each return stroke of the picker means to align a form within the receptacle just prior to such form being advanced by the picker means during its next following feeding stroke.

9.- A receptacle containing superposed forms, picker means for picking successive forms from the receptacle during successive feeding strokes and advancing them out of the receptacle, and means providing at least one aligning surface, and means controlled by said picker means and responsive to return movement of the picker means to effect relative movement of a form into positive aligning contact with each aligning surface before such form is picked and advanced by said picker means.

10. A form feeding. mechanism comprising, in combination, a hopper containing superposed forms; means providing at least one aligning surface at one end of the hopper; picker means having at least one picking surface for engaging the trailing edges of successive forms and advancing them past the opposite end of the hopper during successive feeding strokes; and holding means associated With said picker means and effective during the return stroke of the picker means to move, into aligning contact with each aligning surface, the form next to the one which has just been advanced, each picking surface being moved only a slight distance past each aligning surface at the terminal part of each return stroke such that References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Staude Dec. 15, 1908 Powers Apr. 10, 1928