US3122040A

US3122040A - Machine for perforating, scoring and slicing with feed means

Info

Publication number: US3122040A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lewis H Bishop
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1959-12-07
Filing date: 1959-12-07
Publication date: 1964-02-25
Anticipated expiration: 1981-02-25

Description

Feb. 25, 1964 L. H. BISHOP MACHINE RoR PERFORMING, SCORING AND SLICING wIII-I FEED MEANS 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Deo. '7, 1959 TIE. l

INVENTOR Ew/s /SHOP nummml I NNN NNN ,QTTENEVS Feb. 25, 1964 1 H. BISHOP MACHINE FOR FEEFORATING, scoEmG AND SLICING WITH FEED MEANS Filed Dec. 7, v1959 '7 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Lew/s H. BISHOP HTTORNEVS Feb. 25, 1964 L. H. BISHOP 3,122,040

MACHINE FOR PERFORATING, SCORING AND SLICING WITH FEED MEANS Filed Dec. 7, 1959 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 TIE. 1E!

INVENToR. Ew/s /snoe um 3M 24%@ HTTORNE V5 Feb. 25, 1964 H. BISHOP MACHINE FOR PERF'ORATING, SCORING AND SLICING WITH FEED MEANS '7 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. '7, 1959 INVENTOR Lew/s H. /sHoP M Mag@ NON Feb. 25, 1964 1 H. BISHOP 3,122,040

MACHINE FOR PERFORATING, SCORING AND SLICING WITH FEED MEANS Filed Deo. '7, 1959 '7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Bgld if HTTO/.ZNEVS Feb. 25, 1964 L. H. BISHOP 3,122,040

MACHINE: RoR PERFORMING, SCORING AND sLIcING WITH NEED MEANS Filed Dec. 7, 1959 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 5 INVENTOR. Ew/s /s/op '3l/gw IMK@ FTTORNEVS '7 Sheets-Sheet 7 .MMI

SCORING AND L. H. BISHOP MACHINE FOR PERFORATING,

SLICING WITH FEED MEANS Feb. 25, 1964 Filed Dec.

INVENTOR. 5w/s H, /S//OP @Trag/V595 United States Patent O M 3,ll22,tlitl MAEHINE FUR FERFURATING, SCGRENG AND SLIUNG 'lllll'llH FEED lt/EANS Lewis Bishop, 964 Ringwood Ave., Menlo Faris, Salif. Filed Een. '7, i959, Ser. No. 357,993 l Claims. (El. SLi-94) This invention relates generally to machines for per* forating, scoring and slicing and more particularly to automatic machines of this type.

This application is a continuation-impart of my application Serial No. 554,891, tiled December 22, 1955, now abandoned.

Heretofore, perforating machines have been hand fed. Attempts have been made to adapt such manual machines to automatic operation, but generally they have been unsuccessful. The use of hand fed machines is objectionable because the output of such machines is generally very limited and also because the operation of such machines is very tedious and boring because the sheets must be fed one by one into the machine.

In general, it is an object of the present invention to provide a machine for perforating, scoring and slicing which is completely automatic and which overcomes the aforementioned objections.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a machine of the above character in which particularly novel means are provided for feeding sheets one by one into the cutting wheels.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of the above character in which the sheets are fed one by one `rota the bottom of a pile of sheets.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of the above character in which the means for feeding the sheets one by one need not be adjusted for different thickness of paper.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a machine of the above character in which the sheets are guided on both sides.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of the above character in which the guides are adjustable laterally of the feed table.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of the above character in which pull rollers are provided for receiving the sheets from the feed rollers, and in which pull rollers are driven faster than the feed rollers so that each sheet will properly clear the next sheet as the sheets are stacked.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a machine of the above character in which the pull rollers grip both sides of the paper to prevent the sheets from being twisted sideways as they pass through the cutting knives.

Another' object of the invention is to provide a machine of the above character in which the cutting knivesmay be readily interchanged and adjusted laterally of the feed table.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of the above character with improved means for mounting the cutting knives.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of the above character which will accommodate thicker or coarser grained paper merely by tilting the entire machine on its framework.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of the above character in which the output rate of the machine may be adjusted.

Additional objects and features of the invention will appear from the following description in which the preferred embodiment has been set forth in detail in the accompanying drawing.

lti@ Patented Fehr. 25, i964 ICC Referring to the drawing:

FIGURE l is a side elevational view of the machine incorporating the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged plan View of the machine shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged side elevational view of the machine opposite the side shown in FIGURE l.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line d-rl of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 5 5 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectional View taken along the line 6*-6 of FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged view of the cutting wheels looking along the line 7 7 of FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 8 is a cross-sectional View taken along the line -S of FlG-URE 7.

FIGURE 9 is an enlarged detail view of one of the guide assemblies.

FIGURE l() is an enlarged detail View of one of the cutting knives and one of the drive rollers.

FIGURE 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line ill-1i of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 12 is a detail view looking along the line lill2 of FIGURE 11.

FIGURE 13 is an enlarged detail view of the feed table.

FIGURE 14 is a cross-sectional View taken along the line NM1-fi of FIGURE 13.

FIGURE l5 is a cross-sectional View taken along the line LiL-I5 of FIGURE 13.

FIGURE I6 is an enlarged detail view of the motor base and the means for moving the motorl base.

FIGURE 17 is an enlarged detail view of the means for tilting the machine.

FIGURE 18 is an enlarged detail view of one of the strippers.

FIGURE 19 is a detail view looking along the line )L9-I9 of FIGURE 10.

The machine shown in the drawing consists of a framework ll, a feed table 12, a feeding, pulling and cutting assembly 13, and a lay boy or delivery table 14.

The framework il consists of H-shaped members I7 and I8 which are fastened together by a pair of tie rods I9 and 2i. A pair of inverted V-

shaped members

22 and 23 are mounted upon the upper portions of the H-sbaped members l? and 1S by suitable means such as bolts 2d and provide a support for a pivot rod 26 which has its ends xed in the apexes of the

members

22 and 23.

The feeding, pulling and cutting assembly i3 consists of a pair of side plates 2S and 2g which have their lower ends pivotally mounted upon the rod 26. The side plates 2% and 29 are held in a predetermined spaced relation ship by

tie rods

3l, 32, 33 and 3d.

A feed roller assembly 38 is disposed. between the

plates

23 and 29 and consists of a bottom feed roller 39 which is Xed to a shaft lll which has its ends journalled in the

side plates

23 and 29. One end of the shaft is provided with a knurled portion l2 so that the shaft can be turned by hand if desired, and the other end provided with a sprocket wheel d3 which is adapted to be driven in a manner hereinafter described. The sprocket wheel 43 is rotatably mounted on a clutch member i4 which is keyed to the shaft lll. The clutch member i4 is provided with a plurality of recesses which loosely contain rollers 47.` The rollers are spring urged against a drum 43a which is an integral part of the sprocket wheel d3. As is well known to those skilled in the art this construction forms a one-way clutch and permits shaft 41 to overrun the speed of sprocket wheel d3 for a purpose hereinafter described. The bottoni fee roller 39 is comprised of a hub 43 which is fixed to .3 the shaft 41 by suitable means such as a set screw 49. A ring of resilient material 51, such as soft rubber, is mounted in an annular groove 52 in the periphery of the hub 43.

The feed roller assembly 38 is adapted to cooperate with a hold-back roller assembly d which is comprised of a mounting member 56 slidably mounted on shaft 33 and fixed thereto by suitable means such as a screw 57. A pair of pins 5S are slidably mounted in the mounting member 56 and have their opposite ends iXed in the

side portions

59a and 59b of a U-shaped block 59 (FIGURES 4 and ll). A pair of

plates

61 and 62 are xed to the U-shaped block 59 by suitable means such as screws 63. The U-shaped block 59 is provided with two depending

portions

64 and 66 between which a roller 67 of resilient material such as rubber is mounted. The roller 67 is mounted upon a hub 68 which is held in position by a screw 69 whose head 76 engages depending portion 64 and whose other end is threaded into depending portion 66. An opening 71 is provided in plate 61 so that the screw may be turned to vary the spacing between depending

portions

64 and 66 to clamp the roller 67 to prevent its rotation.

It will be noted from FIGURE l2 that the

plates

61 and 62 have lower pointed portions 72 which extend slightly beyond the vertical center-line of the roller 67 in the direction of rotation of the bottom feed roller 39 and which also extend a slight distance below the lowest portion of the periphery of the roller 67. The

plates

61 and 62 are also provided with inclined portions 73 which are inclined downwardly toward the pointed portions 72. The portions 72 have guide surfaces below and forward of the line of contact between the bottom feed roller 39 and the hold-back roller 67 to urge the sheet of material through the feed means into tirm engagement with the rotating bottom feed roller after the sheet of material has been gripped by the bottom feed roller.

It has been found desirable that the ring 51 of roller 39 be of relatively soft rubber and that the roller 67 be of a. substantially harder rubber. However, the rubber ring 51 should be resilient enough so that it will grasp paper, but it should not be so soft that it will grasp the paper too rmly.

The screw 69 is normally tightened so that the roller 67 cannot be rotated by the frictional engagement of the bottom feed roller 39. The degree of frictional contact between the roller 39 and the roller 67 is adapted to be varied by a screw 74 which is threaded through the mounting member 56 and engages the portion 59b of the U-shaped block 59. A spring 76 is mounted on the screw 74 and within a hole 77 in the mounting member 56. One end of the spring engages the mounting member 56 and the other end of the spring engages the portion 59a of the U-shaped block 59 to urge apart member 56 and the block 59. Thus, by turning the screw '74 counterclockwise, as viewed in FIGURE ll, the roller 67 will be lifted away from the roller 39 by the spring 76. Clockwise rotation of the screw 74 will move the roller 67 into closer engagement with the roller 39. The screw 74 can also be adjusted to take care of any wear in roller 67. l

A pulling or advancing and cutting assembly 81 is also disposed between the

side plates

28 and 29 and consists of a lower shaft 82 and an upper shaft 83. The ends of the shafts are journalled in bushings S4 which are slidably mounted in rectangular slots 86 in the

side plates

28 and 29. As can be seen from FIG- URE 6, each of the bushings is provided with a pair of at surfaces 87 which are adapted to be accommodated within the rectangular slots 86. The ends of the lower and upper shafts S2 and 83 are continuously urged apart by springs 88 mounted within the rectangular slots 86 and having their ends engaging holes 89 in the bushings 84.

The shafts S2 and S3 are adapted to be adjusted vertically with respect to each other by a pair of adjustment devices 91, each consisting of a bar 92 mounted over the upper end of the rectangular slot 86 and fastened to the respective side plate by screws 93. A screw 94 is threaded into the bar 92 and its lower end is adapted to engage a bushing S4 on shaft 83. It is apparent that by turning the screw 94 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURE 6, the upper shaft 83 is urged downwardly toward the lower shaft 82 for a purpose hereinafter described. Nuts 96 are mounted on the screw 94 above the bar 92 and serve to lock the screw in position after the desired position of the upper shaft 83 is obtained relative to the lower shaft d2.

A pair of pull wheels 97 are mounted on the upper shaft 33 and are adapted to engage a pair of pull rollers 9d mounted on the lower shaft S2. Pull wheels 97 and pull rollers 98 form advancing means and are adapted to be positioned longitudinally of the

shafts

32 and 83. They are adapted to be iixed thereto by suitable means such as screws 99 threaded into the wheels and engaging the associated shaft. The pull wheels 97 are provided with 0 rings 101 mounted in groove 102 in the peripheries of the wheels. The O rings 101 are formed of a suitable resilient material such as rubber and are adapted to engage the pull rollers 93 which are formed of a suitable material such as metal.

A plurality of die wheels 104 are mounted on the lower shaft 82 and each consist of a hub 106 which is adapted to be positioned longitudinally of the shaft 82 and fixed thereto by suitable means such as a screw 107. The hub is formed with a two step flanged portion 108 providing

annular surfaces

199 and 110. A resilient O ring 111 is mounted adjacent surface 199 and an annular die member 112 is mounted adjacent surface 116 and rests on O ring 111. A snap ring 113 mounted in a groove 114 of the hub 106 serves to maintain the die member 112 in position against the first step and against the resilient O ring 111. The O ring 1G19 provides a precision cushion which maintains the die member 112 in a true perpendicular position relative to the shaft 32. However, as is Well known to those skilled in the art, die members of this type are ground so that the die surface 115 is 2 off vertical.

A plurality of knife wheels 116 are mounted on the shaft 83 and are adapted to cooperate with the die wheels 104. The knife wheels 116 are formed in a manner very similar to that of the die wheels 104. However, the knife member 117 is provided with a tapered outer margin 118 and the cutting surface 119, which is adapted to engage the die member 112, is also ground 2 oif vertical. By grinding the die and knife members slightly off vertical, the members tend to continuously sharpen themselves.

If it is desired to use the knife wheels 116 for perforating, the outer periphery of the knife member 117 is provided with notches 121, as shown in the drawing. However, if it is desired to slice, and not perforate, knife wheels are provided in which the knife members are not notched. To score, it is merely necessary to provide die and knife wheels provided with the proper members, as is well known to those skilled in the art.

By assembling the pulling cutting assembly 31 in the hereinbefore described manner, the pull wheels 97 and the pull rollers 98 together with the die wheels 194 and the knife wheels 116 may be easily shifted, nterchanged, or replaced. By removing the adjustment means 91, one or both ends of the shaft S3 may be lifted out of the rectangular slots 86, as shown in Fl'GURE 5. rfhe lower shaft 82 may be lifted out by the sameV manner. The bushings S4 are readily removable facilitating easy replacement or addition of die wheels V101i and knife wheels 116.

Suitable means is provided for driving shafts d2 and 83. Thus, one end of shaft S3 is provided with a sprocket Wheel 123 and one end of shaft 32 is provided with a pair of sprocket wheels 124tand 126. A chain belt 1217 is mounted on sprocket Wheels 113 and 124.VL and has its exterior surface engaging sprocket wheel 123. The chain belt 12:7 is maintained in a relatively taut condition by a sprocket wheel 123 which is rotatably mounted on one end of crank 129 pivotally mounted on side plate 251 at 131. The other end of crank 129 is fixed to one end of a spring 132, the other end of which is fastened to the side plate 29 at A handle 134 is mounted on the crank 12h to lower the idler sprocket wheel 123 and loose the chain belt 177 so that shaft 41 can be rotated by hand.

Sprocket wheel 116 is adapted to be driven by chain belt from a sprocket wheel 136. Sprocket wheel 136 is mounted on a jack shaft 137 which is journalled on an interior framework 144. A pulley 138 is mounted on the jack shaft between the side plates Ztl and 29 and is adapted to be driven by a belt 139. The belt 139 is driven by a pulley 141 mounted on the output shaft 142 of a motor 143 which is adjustably carried by framework 1st-d. lulley 1031 is a Reeves pulley in which the side plates forming the pulley are adapted to be spread apart by the belt 1.19 to vary the speed of rotation of pulley 133.

Framework 1194 consists of a pair of spaced longitudinal angle members 14o which are fastened together by transverse angle members 147 and 1st-8. The longitudinal members 11d are both mounted on tie rod 3d and one of the longitudinal members ldd is fixed to side plate 29 by suitable means such as an anchor bolt 149 to hx framework to framework 11. A pair of rods 151 are mounted on transverse members 147 and and slidably carry right angle brac. ets 152 for movement longitudinaily of the rods The motor 143 is mounted upon the brackets 152 by suitable means such as bolts 1533. A worm 11d, rotated by a hand wheel 156, is journalled in member 147 and is threaded into one of the right angle members 152.. 1t is apparent that by rotating the hand wheel in one direction or the other, the motor 143 is moved longitudinally of the framework 145. As described previousi, the side plates of the pulley M1 may be urged apart. Thus, by moving the motor longltudinally of the framework ldd away from pulley 1338, the tension on the V belt 139 is increased to cause the side plates of the pulley lid-1 to move apart and the belt to move in towards the center of the pulley 141 to decrease the speed of rotation or" shaft 137, and thus varying the speed of rotation of the sprocket wheels 123 and 121tfor a purpose hereinafter described. When the motor is moved toward pulley 138, the speed of pulley 13d is increased. A switch 157 is provided to control the operation of the motor 143.

A plurality of strippers 15? are mounted on tie rod 32 adjacent the knife wheels 116 and consist of a clamp 161 which is provided with a screw 162 for fastening the clamp to the tie rod 32. A pair of fingers are mounted on the bottom portion of the clamp and extend parallel to each other and are adaptde to straddle a ltnife wheel 11s-9 to prevent the sheets of paper from following the knife wheel.

A guard 154 is mounted above the knife wheels 11o and consists of a pair of hinge members 16o rotatably mounted on shaft 33 and which are connected to a suitable pane 167 of transparent material such as plastic by bolts 168. The guard permits observation of the cutting wheels and still ai'iords protection. lt may be rotated to an out-of-the-way position, as shown in FIGURE 3.

A pair of whiskers 169 are also mounted on tie rod 32 and guide the sheets of paper towards the delivery table 1d, and consist of a collar 171 which is slidably mounted on the rod 32 and adapted to be fixed thereto by screw 1723. A thin strip 173 of a flexible material is fastened to the collar 171 and extends down into the delivery table 1d.

Suitable means is provided for tilting the feeding, pulling and cutting assembly 13 relative to the framework 11. Thus, as shown particularly in FIGURE 17, a U-sliaped clamp 177 is rotatably mounted on tie rod 3d and is adapted to receive a rod 173 which has one end fixed to member 179 rotatably mounted on tie rod 19. 011e end of the clamp 177 is provided with a screw 1511 which is rotatably mounted in portion 177:1 of the clamp and threaded into portion 1771) of the clamp. A handle 182 is provided for rotating the screw. A collar 133 is mounted on the free end of the rod 178 and serves as a stop. lt is apparent that since the side plates 28 and Z9 are pivoted on the siaft 26, the angular position of the feeding, pulling and cutting assembly 13 relative to the framework 11 can be shifted merely by moving the clamp 177 longitudinally of the rod 178. The assembly 13 can be maintained in a desired position merely by tightening screw 131.

rThe feed table 12 is fixed to the

side plates

28 and 29 and consists of a pair of elongate bars 111 which are fixed to the side plates 2li and 'Z9 by bolts 192. A flat plate 193 is mounted upon the bars 191 by suitable means such as screws A plurality of reinforcing bars 196 and two aligned right angle members 197 are fixed to plate 193 and extend laterally across the bottom surlface thereof. An elongate slot 199 extends longitudinally of toe plate 193 and equidistant from the sides thereof. A bolt 2411 is mounted in the slot and has a head 2h12 which ons es the slot, The bolt extend-s through angle member 3 and is threaded into a cylindrical post 2M. The angle member Llull is fixed to a backvstop plate 23%. It is apparent that merely by tightening or loosening the pos-t the bach-stop plate may be moved longitudinally of the feed table plate 1213.

A plurality of support rods 2tlg are mounted beneath the feed table plate 193 and are spaced Ilaterally across the width of th table. The support rods 2tlg' are provided with pointed ends 211 and a bent portion 212. The rods are slidably mounted in rubber grommets 213 mounted inthe angle member and extend through openings 21d in bars 1%. rubber grommets frictionally engage the support rods and hold the rods in position after they `have `been moved to a predetermined position for a purpose hereinafter described.

A pair of guide members 217 are mounted above the table plate '123 and consist of a substantially L shaped luide clamp 2113 which has one end slidably mounted von a shaft 219 which has its end rotatably mounted in side plates and A substantially 5...-shaped guide shoe is adapted to engage shaft opposite the point the shaft is engaged by guide clamp 7.113 and `is pivotaly connected Ato guide clamp 21S at point A spring 223 is mounted between the other ends of the guide clamp and thA guide shoe and normally urges the guide shoe 221 into agement with the `shaft 219 to prevent sliding Inovement of the guide clamp 218 longitudinally of the shaft 219. A guide plate 22d is mounted on guide clamp 213.

1t is apparent that when the guide shoe 22.1 is grasped and the spring 21.59 compressed, that the guide shoe 211 will release the shaft to allow the entire guide member 217 to be moved longitudinally of the shaft 219. After the guide member 217 has been placed in the proper position, the guide shoe is released and the spring urges the guide shoe 12.1 into engagement with the shaft 21@ to fix the position of the guide member.

@ne end of the shaft 219 is threaded into side plate 23 and is provided with a knob 21255 by which the shaft 219 can be rotated. Rotation of shaft 2119 moves the guide mem-bers laterally of the feed table plate `193 and maintains their spaced relationship.

The lay boy or delivery table 1d is pivotally connected to the other end of the

side plates

28 and 29 opposite the feed table 12. The delivery table 14 is formed in a manner very 'similar to the feed plate 12 and is fixed to a rod 7127 by connectors The rod 227 is rotatably mounted in side plates 2d and 29. The guide plates 239, fixed t0 the guide me .ibers E19, are substantially larger than guide plates and the stop yplate 21H11 is also substantially larger than stop plate 2115. An adjustment bar 247 is Tf pivotally connected to the delivery table 14 at and iS provided with a plurality of notches 243 on its free end which are adapted to engage rod 31 to hold the delivery table 14- in a predetermined position. As shown in EEG- URE l, the delivery table 14 can be moved from a horizontal position to a downwardly inclined position.

Operation of our machine may now be described as follows: Let it be assumed that it is desired to perforate a plurality of sheets of paper 251 along

lines

152 and 153 as shown in FIGURE 2. First the desired number of die wheels 104 and knife wheels 116 are mounted upon shafts S2 and 33, the number of die wheels and the number of knife wheels being equal to the number of rows of perforations it is desired to make in the sheets of paper. A pair of pull wheels 97 and a pair of pull rollers 98 are also mounted upon the same shafts. The die wheels 164, the knife wheels 116, the pull wheels 97 and the pull rollers 98 are positioned longitudinally of the

shafts

82 and 83, as shown in FIGURE 2.

The adjustment devices 91 are then set so that the knife wheels 116 overlap the die wheels 1M by a predetermined amount. It has been found that .0115 of an inch overlap is very satisfactory. Overlapping of the knife wheels and die wheels causes the periphery of the O-rings 161 in contact with the pull rollers 9S to be slightly flattened as 4shown in FIGURES 10 and 19 for a purpose hereinafter described.

The sheets 251 are centered over the bottom feed roller 39. Roller 67 is adjusted by the screw /iso that it engages feed roller 39. Normally, the adjustment is such that the bottom feed roller 39 will grasp a sheet 251 but not too firmly. The guide members 217 are adjusted longitudinally of the shaft 219 so that they are adjacent the opposite side edges of the sheets of paper 251. The back stop 296 is brought into engagement with the rear edges of the sheets of paper and is positioned in such a manner that the front edges of the sheets of paper are pushed into engagement with the hold back roller 67 and the rear edges o-f all of the sheets of paper, except the bottom sheet, are lifted up above the feed table plate 193, as shown in FIGURE 4.

The guide rods 2il9 are moved forward so that the pointed ends 211 underlie the knife wheels 1'16.

Switch 157' is operated to energize the motor 143. The

shafts

41, 82 and 83 are driven in the direction shown in FIGURE 4 and the following sequence of operations takes place. The lowest sheet in the stack of sheets is engaged by the bottom feed roller 39 which draws the sheet from the stack of sheets and feeds it between the feed roller 39 and the hold back roller 67. rEhe sheet is progressively moved to the left as viewed in FiGURE 4 and the free end of the sheet is carried by the support rods 2tl9. The sheet is fed into or presented to the pulling or advancing and cutting assembly 81. As shown in FIGURE 19, the O-rings 101 are slightly ilattened and protrude rearwardly or to the night as viewed in FIGURE 4 so that they engage the front edge of the sheet being fed before the sheet is engaged by the knife wheels 11d or the die wheels 1&4. The pull wheels 97 and the pull rollers 93 are normally positioned so that they are adiacent the side edges of the sheet. Thus, both sides of the sheet are grasped firmly by the G-rings 161 and serve to pull or advance the sheet into the knife wheels 1:16 which perforate the sheet. The pull wheels and rollers prevent the sheet from being twisted sideways. Thus, more perforations may be cut in one side of the paper if desired.

The pull wheels 97 and the pull rollers 9S are driven Aat a speed such that the sheet of paper is withdrawn more rapidly from the bottom feed roller 39 than it is being advanced by the bottom feed roller 39. The free-wheeling clutch 44 permits the sheet to be withdrawn from the roller 39 by allowing the roller to be rotated more rapidly than it is being driven by the motor 143.

By withdrawing the sheets from the bottom feed roller more rapidly than they are being advanced by the bottom feed roller, the spacing between the sheets is increased, as shown in FlGURE 4, to permit stacking of the sheets one on top of the other on the delivery table 14 and also to permit faster operation of the machine.

The strippers 159 prevent the sheets of paper from following the knife wheels 116. The whiskers i@ urge the sheets downwardly upon the delivery table 1d.

The speed of operation of the machine can be adjusted by movement of the hand wheel 156 as hereinbefore described.

lontinued operation of the machine causes the sheets to be fed automatically one by one from the bottom of the stack of sheets by the feed roller into the pull wheels and rollers 97 and 9S and into the knife wheels 11d until all of the sheets are perforated.

Various grades and thicknesses of paper can be accommodated by the machines without adjustment of the hold back roller assembly 54. This is possible because the back stop 2% takes a substantial portion of the weight oif of the bottom sheet and at the sarne time urges the sheet into engagement with the roller 67. The front edge of the bottom sheet rests upon the bottoni feed roller 39. The sheets are normally held slightly above the rods Ztl@ and feed table plate 193 so that gravity will aid feeding.

However, with sheets of thicker or coarser material, it may be desirable to tilt the entire device by operating the handle 182 so that gravity will give greater assistance in feeding sheets onto the bottom feed roller 39. Thus, as shown in EiGURE l, the entire assembly would be pivoted about rod 26 in a counterclockwise direction. it is not necessary to alter the relative positions of the feed table 12 and the delivery table 14 with respect to the feeding, pulling and cutting assembly 13.

The hold back roller o7 serves to prevent more than one sheet from being fed into the knife wheel 116 by the bottom feed roller 39. When the roller 67 has become slightly worn, it may be rotated slightly to present a new surface by loosening screw 69. The friction between the bottom sheet and the bottom feed roller 39 is greater than the friction between the bottom sheet and the next adjacent sheet and hence also serves to prevent more than one sheet at a time from being fed into the knife wheels 116. Once the sheet has been graped by the bottom feed roller 39, it is not freed until it has been released by the pull wheels and

rollers

97 and 98.

It has been found that the machine is particularly easy to operate and easy to service and maintain. Set up time is considerably reduced and production may be increased as much as to 100% over that of a conventional hand fed machine. For example, it is possible to feed 16,000 lineal feet of paper through my machine per hour, which is considerably above that of a conventional manual machine.

My machine is also provided with many other additional labor saving features. As described previously, the guide members 217 are adjustable longitudinally of the shaft 219. After they have once been set, they may be moved laterally of the feed table top 193i by knob 228. The back stops are also readily movabie merely by a loosening post Zilli.

lt is apparent from the foregoing that 1 have provided a machine with which sheets of paper can be perforated with a minimum of effort. The sheets are rapidly and automatically fed through the machine in perfect alignment.

l claim:

l. in apparatus of the character described, a feed table adapted to carry a pile of sheets of paper, a continuously driven feed roller having a uniform annular resilient surface, said feed roller underlying said sheets and being adapted to engage the under sides of said sheets of paper to present said sheets one by one from the bottom of the pile, means including a one-way clutch for driving said feed roller, a stationary hold-back roller generally overlying said feed roller and engaging the front edges of all of the sheets in the bottom portion of said pile except the bottom sheet to prevent removal of more than one sheet at a time by the feed roller, means engaging the hold-back roller for preventing rotation of said hold-back roller, adjustable generally vertical backstop means urging the front edges of the sheets of paper into engagement with the hold-back roller, said generally vertical backstop means being positioned so that the rear edges of substantially all of the sheets except the bottom sheet or sheets are raised above the bottom of the pile to thereby remove a substantial portion of the Weight of the pile from the bottom sheet to facilitate feeding of the bottom sheet by the feed roller sheet advancing means for engaging and advancing the sheet as the same are presented by the feed means but at a greater speed, means for cutting or scoring said sheets while they are being advanced by said advancing means, said oneway clutch permitting said advancing means to advance the sheets at a speed more rapidly than the speed at which the sheets are presented by the feed roller to thereby increase the spacing between the sheets to facilitate stacking of the sheets.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the feed roller is in the form of a relatively soft material and the holdback roller is in the form of a substantially harder material to facilitate feeding of the sheets of paper.

3. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said advancing means and said means for cutting and scoring are mount ed on the same shafts.

4. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said advancing means engages the sheets before they are engaged by the cutting or scoring means.

5. In a machine for perforating, slicing and scoring sheets of paper, a framework, a feed table mounted on said framework and adapted to carry a pile of sheets of paper, a pair of guide members mounted on said table and adapted to guide the side edges of the sheets of paper, feed means adjacent said feed table and adapted to automatically remove the sheets of paper one by one from the bottom of the pile of sheets, a pair of shafts removably journalled in said framework, said shafts being mounted one above the other, a plurality of pull rollers and wheels mounted in opposed relation on said shafts, a plurality of die Wheels mounted on one of said shafts, a plurality of knife wheels mounted on the other of said shafts and adapted to engage said die wheels, a delivery table mounted on said framework, and means for rotating said shafts and operating said feed means so that the pull rollers and wheels on the shafts advance the sheets more rapidly than said feed means to increase the spacing between the sheets to facilitate stacking of the sheets upon the delivery table, said feed means including a rotating bottom feed roller of resilient material having a uniform annular surface adapted to engage the bottom sides of the sheets of paper, a stationary holdback roller of resilient material overlying said bottom feed roller and adapted to engage said bottom feed roller, said hold-back roller having a hardness substantially greater than the hardness of the bottom feed roller, said holdback roller engaging all of said sheets of paper except the bottom sheet to prevent more than one sheet of paper from being fed into the pull rollers and Wheels by said bottom feed roller, and a pair of guide members mounted on opposite sides of the hold-back roller, said last named guide members having lower guide surfaces below and forward of the line of contact between the bottom feed roller and the hold-back roller to urge the sheet of material passing through the feed means into firm en- 10 gagement with the rotating bottom feed roller, after the sheet of material has been gripped by the bottom feed roller.

6. A machine as in claim 5 wherein said feed means also includes a driving member, one-way clutch means connecting said driving member to said bottom feed roller so that the bottom feed roller can overrun said driving member.

7. A machine as in claim 5 together with a shaft mounted in said framework adjacent said feed table wherein said guide member is slidably mounted on said last named shaft for movement longitudinally of said last named shaft, said first named guide members comprising a guide clamp having one end engaging said last named shaft, a guide shoe pivotally connected to said guide clamp and engaging said last named. shaft opposite said clamp and means for yieldably urging said guide shoe into engagement with said clamp to the position of said first named guide member on said last named shaft.

8. in a machine for perforating, slicing and scoring s .eets of paper, a framework, a pair of side frame members pivotally mounted on said framework, a feed table mounted on said side frame members, plates mounted on said feed table guiding the side edges of the sheets of paper, feed means mounted between said side frame members and adjacent said feed table and adapted to automatically remove the sieets of paper one by one from the bottom of the pile of sheets, a pair of shafts removably journaled in said side frame members, said shafts being mounted one above the other, a plurality of pull rollers and wheels mounted in opposed relation on said shafts, a plurality of die Wheels mounted on one of said shafts, a plurality of knife wheels mounted on the other of said shafts and adapted to engage said die wheels, a delivery table mounted on said side frame members, means for rotating said shafts and operating said feed means to advance the sheets between the die and the knife wheels, and means mounted on the framework for adjusting the angular position of the side frame members to thereby adjust the angular position of the feed table when the sheets of paper are carried thereon to change the angle of the sheets of paper as they are picked up by the feed means; the feed means, the pull rollers and wheels, the die wheels and knife wheels, being arranged so that the sheets of paper travel in a substantially straight course during passage through the same for delivery to the delivery table.

9. A machine as in claim 8, together with means for adjusting the angular position of the delivery table relative to the side frame members.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 323,295 Burton July 28, 1885 459,920 Wright Sept. 22, 1891 643,895 Gohlke Feb. 2P, 1900 751,284 Harris Feb. 2, 1904 801,916 Rudolphi Oct. 17, 1905 852,375 Carlton Apr. 30, 1907 1,457,158 Gammeter May 29, 1923 1,548,107 Street Aug. 4, 1925 1,596,056 Mader Aug. 17, 1926 1,646,107 Pitney et al. Slet. 18, 1927 2,181,197 Moritz Nov. 28, 1939 2,220,264 Morrison Nov. 5, 1940 2,304,499 Hayes Dec. 8, 1942 2,468,842 Sporleder May 3, 1949 2,531,841 Cashin Nov. 28, 1950 2,940,754 Stootholf lune 14, 1960

Claims

1. IN APPARATUS OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED, A FEED TABLE ADAPTED TO CARRY A PILE OF SHEETS OF PAPER, A CONTINUOUSLY DRIVEN FEED ROLLER HAVING A UNIFORM ANNULAR RESILIENT SURFACE, SAID FEED ROLLER UNDERLYING SAID SHEETS AND BEING ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE UNDER SIDES OF SAID SHEETS OF PAPER TO PRESENT SAID SHEETS ONE BY ONE FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE PILE, MEANS INCLUDING A ONE-WAY CLUTCH FOR DRIVING SAID FEED ROLLER, A STATIONARY HOLD-BACK ROLLER GENERALLY OVERLYING SAID FEED ROLLER AND ENGAGING THE FRONT EDGES OF ALL OF THE SHEETS IN THE BOTTOM PORTION OF SAID PILE EXCEPT THE BOTTOM SHEET TO PREVENT REMOVAL OF MORE THAN ONE SHEET AT A TIME BY THE FEED ROLLER, MEANS ENGAGING THE HOLD-BACK ROLLER FOR PREVENTING ROTATION OF SAID HOLD-BACK ROLLER, ADJUSTABLE GENERALLY VERTICAL BACKSTOP MEANS URGING THE FRONT EDGES OF THE SHEETS OF PAPER INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE HOLD-BACK ROLLER, SAID GENERALLY VERTICAL BACKSTOP MEANS BEING POSITIONED SO THAT THE REAR EDGES OF SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE SHEETS EXCEPT THE BOTTOM SHEET OR SHEETS ARE RAISED ABOVE THE BOTTOM OF THE PILE TO THEREBY REMOVE A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE WEIGHT OF THE PILE FROM THE BOTTOM SHEET TO FACILITATE FEEDING OF THE BOTTOM SHEET BY THE FEED ROLLER SHEET AD-