US3160291A - Book discharging mechanism - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 8, 1964 J. H. THORP 3,160,291

BOOK DISCHARGING MECHANISM Filed July 9, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 lil INVENTOR. JAMES H. THORP ATTORNEYS J. H. THORP 3,160,291

BOOK DISCHARGING MECHANISM 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IL- I ii l1, 171 lillll -l A J Filed July 9, 1965 8, 1964 J. H. THORP BOOK DISCHARGING MECHANISM 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 9, 1965 1964 J. H. THORP 3,160,291

BOOK DISCHARGING MECHANISM Filed July 9, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 wk w u m r/l4 V St United States Patent 3,160,291 $06K DEQHARGING MEQHAWKSM James H. Tharp, West Hartford, Coma, assignor to The Smyth Manufacturing Company, Bioomfieid, (loan, a corporation of (Ionncctieut Filed July 9, 1963, Ser. No. 293,648 8 Ciaims. (Ci. 214-4) This invention relates to book making machinery generally and, more particularly, to a book discharging mechanism particularly adapted for use with a book casing-in machine or the like wherein a vertically movable book carrier delivers books intermittently for discharge in a back-up attitude and at an upper position within the machine.

It is the general object of the present invention to provide a book discharging mechanism of the type mentioned and which is desirably simple and dependable in operation and which yet handles books in rapid succession and in a gentle manner.

The drawings show a preferred embodiment of the invention and such embodiment will be described, but it will be understood that various changes may be made from the construction disclosed, and that the drawings and description are not to be construed as defining or limiting the scope of the invention, the claims forming a part of this specification being relied upon for that pur pose.

Of the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a somewhat schematic view of a book casingin machine in side elevation, the book discharging mechanism of the present invention being illustrated at an upper central portion thereof.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view somewhat enlarged and better illustrating the book discharging mechanism.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged top view of the book discharging mechanism.

FIG. 4 is a vertical transverse section taken generally as indicated at 4-4 of FIG. 3 with background parts omitted.

The book casing-in machine of FIG. 1 is of a known type and is shown for purposes of an illustrative example only, detailed description being deemed unnecessary. The machine is of the intermittently operable type and automatically feeds book fillers in succession for as sembly with similarly advanced book cases. A right hand portion of the machine indicated generally at comprises a filler feeding mechanism and includes various adhesive applying devices as is well known in the art. Fillers are fed therefrom leftwardly toward an assembly station 12 and are there mounted one at a time astride a lowered vertically reciprocable carrier or saddle plate 14. Cases are fed in succession rightwardly from a case feeding mechanism 16 to the assembly station 12. At the assembly station, a filler such as 18 mounted astride the saddle plate 14 at the lower position of the plate, is thence moved upwardly for the application of additional adhesive by means not shown. The adhesive is applied from the sides of the filler and the filler, in continuing upward movement of the saddle plate 14, is assembled with a lease held open thereabove by conventional mechanism not shown. Finally, press rolls engage the sides of the assembled book and the saddle plate reaches an upper position with the completed book there astride as illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. In this position of the saddle plate or carrier, it is desirable to remove the books for discharge from the machine in rapid succession and in keeping with the vertical reciprocation of the saddle plate.

The book discharging mechanism of the present invention, indicated generally at 29, comprises a carriage means 22 which is movable longitudinally in a horizontal plane between first and second or left and right-hand positions. In its first or left-hand position, the carriage means is disposed above or about the carrier or saddle plate 14 and in its second or right-hand position the said means is spaced rightwardly from the carrier or plate and above a discharge chute 24. Thus, a book such as 18 may be loaded into or picked up by the discharging mechanism in the first position and the book may be thereafter discharged from the machine in the second position of the carriage means.

Means for gripping and releasing books comprise transversely opposed book gripping jaws 26, 26 best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The jaws 26, 26 are or may be identical in construction and each of said jaws is supported by and movable longitudinally with the cam riage means 22. Further, each of the jaws 26, 26 has longitudinally extending book gripping edges or surfaces 28, 28 adapted to engage a book supported by the carrier or saddle plate 14 in its opposite creases. As Will be apparent, a book astride the saddle plate resides in a back-up attitude. The creases are thus disposed near the top of the book and the saddle plate so as to be readily engageable by the surfaces 28, 28 as best shown in FIG. 4.

Means supporting the jaws 26, 26 and to be described hereinbelow provide for the simultaneous transverse inward and outward movement thereof relative to the carriage means 22. Inward movement of the jaws 26, 26 in unison results in a gripping operation on a book such as -18 and outward movement of the said jaws releases the book for discharge when the carriage means 22 is in its second position. Further, the means supporting the jaws 26, 26 provide for rotation of the said jaws about horizontal axes substantially at their center portions whereby a book gripped by the jaws can be swung upwardly and around to a back-down attitude. As will be seen, such swinging movement of the book occurs during movement of the carriage 22 from its left to its righthand postion.

Considering the carriage means 22 now in greater detail, it will be observed that identical front and rear portions or sections 30, 30 thereof are provided. The said portions or sections are independent but movable longitudinally in unison but it should be understood that they might as well be rigidly connected together. Each carriage portion or section 30, 30 includes left and right-hand inwardly extending similar arms 32 and 34 and similar front and rear shafts 36, 36 are journaled in said arms for relative rotation. The shafts 36, 36 nevertheless support the carriage portions for left and right-hand longitudinal movement. Additionally, front and rear racks 38, 38 extend longitudinally and serve as guide and support rails for the longitudinal movement of the carriage portions or sections. and right-hand end frame members 40, 42 support the shafts 36, 36 and racks 38, 38 at opposite ends. Longitudinally extending front and rear side frame members 4 3, 44 connect with the transverse end frame members and the frame assembly comprising the members 40, 42 and 44 may be rigidly mounted atop a machine as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Included in operating means for the carriage means 22 are front and rear longitudinally extending racks 46, 46 mounted respectively on the front and rear carriage portions or sections 30, 3t Drivingly associated respectively with the front and rear racks 46, 46 are front and rear pinions 48, 48 rotatable in clockwise and counterclockwise directions respectively to move the carriage means 22 rightwardly to its second position. Opposite rotation of the pinions 48, 48 of course results in-move- Transverse left I .38 also form part of theoperating means for the book discharging mechanism and, as shown they have respectively associated therewith .pinions 50, '50. Each of the pinions 50, 50 forms a part of a pinion and gear mechanism for rotating the jaws 26, 26. Asshown, each of said pinions has a second pinion 52 associated therewith and the pinions 52, 52 are operatively associated with gear segments 54, 54. Each gear segment 54 has a shaft 56 connected therewith and which extends inwardly therefrom for connection with the corresponding jaw 26, best illustrated in FIG. 4. Thus, rightward movement of the carriage 22 results in counterclockwise rotation of the pinions 50, 50 and 52, 52 and in clockwise rotation of the segments '54, 54. Corresponding clockwise rotation of the shafts 56, 56 causes the jaws 26, 26 to be rotated approximately about their center portions whereby to swing a book upwardly from the saddle plate 14 and to bring the book to a back-down attitude in the right-hand or second position of the carriage means for release and discharge to the chute 24.

Referring again to the shafts 56, .56.it will'be observed that the outer ends thereof are splined so as to provide for axial movement relative to their segments 54, 54. The shafts are thus adapted to rotate the jaws 26, 26 during and at either extreme of transverse movement of the jaws. Transverse movement of the jaws is efiected by means of small racks .58, 58 fixedly connected to the shafts 56, 56. The racks 58, 58 are slidably supported by the carriage means 22 and are driven respectively by pinions 60, 60 mounted on the aforesaid longitudinally extending shafts 36, 36. As best illustrated in FIG. 3, right-hand portions of the shafts 36, 36 are splined so as to rotatably drive the pinions 60, 60 and to thereby cause transverse sliding movement of the racks 58, 58, the shafts 56, 56, and the jaws 26,26.

Still referring to FIG. 3, it will be observed that bevel gears 62, 62 mounted on the shafts 36, 36 at their lefthand end portions respectively engage front and rear pinions 64, 64 on a drive shaft 66 which extends transversely in the book discharging mechanism. The shaft 66 is journaled at 68, 68 and a forward end portion thereof has a small crank arm '70 attached thereto. The crank arm '70 is connected with a vertically reciprocable rod 72 best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 so as to be swung upwardly and downwardly to a right-hand end portion and thereby to rotate the drive shaft 66 and the shafts 36, 36 in unison. Rotation of the shafts 36, 36 as mentioned, effects inward and outward movement of the jaws 26, 26 respectively to grip and release a book such as 18.

Reverting now to the pinions 48, 48 in the operating means for the discharging mechanism, it will be observed that each of said pinions has a short vertical shaft 74 associated therewith. The shafts 74, 74 carry pinions 76, 76 at lower end portions, one shown, and the pinions in turn mesh with and are driven by longitudinally extending racks '78, 78, one shown. The racks 78, 78 are in turn driven by pinions 80, 80 connected with smaller pinions 82, 82, one shown, and by vertical racks 84, 84, one shown. Connected with the rack 84 shown is a vertically reciprocable link 86. A similar link may be employed to drive the opposite rack 84 but if the carriage sections are interconnected as mentioned above, operating means for the carriage may obviously comprise a single drive means on one side of the book discharging mechanism only.

As shown the rod 72 and the link 86 extend downwardly in the machine for connection with cam means not illustrated, but it will be apparent that other means such as air cylinders may be employed to provide the necessary timed vertical movements of the said rod and link. It will suifice to point out that the rod 72 and the link 86 are moved vertically as required in time relation first to cause the jaws 26, 26 to move inwardly and to engage a book such as 18 on-the saddle plate 14. Thereaften-the carriage means 22 is moved rightwardly to its second position and the book is simultaneously swung upwardly and .removed from the plate 14 finally reaching a back-down attitude over the discharge chute 24. The jaws 26, 26 then move outwardly to release the book whereupon it falls onto the chute for discharge. Return movement of the carriage and reverse rotation of the jaws 26, 26 then ensues whereupon the book discharging mechanism completes a cycle of operation and assumes a ready condition as shown in the drawings. 7

Various adjustments are included in the bookdischarging mechanism 'for ease in handling books of different sizes as, for example, height adjustments at '88, 88 on the jaws 26, 26. An adjustment comprising a segment'90 and "pinion 82 on the crank arm 70, which-is formed intwo 'parts, provides for horizontal setting of the jaws '26, 26. From the foregoing it will be apparent that the book discharging mechanism of the present invention accom- -modates books in rapid succession and yet gently han'dles the same. The books are swung through a minimum are so as to minimize inertia problems as with heavy books and they are discharged lightly onto their receiving chute with a minimum free fall. Accidental or unintended dis- :placement of cases and fillers is thus minimized if not completely eliminated.

The invention claimed is:

1. In a hook casing-in machine or the like having a vertically movable book carrier adapted to intermittently deliver books in back-up attitude for discharge at-an'upper position; a book discharge mechanism comprising a carriage means movable longitudinally in a horizontal plane between a first positionabove said carrier and-a second position spaced from the carrier, transversely opposed book gripping jaws supported by and movable with said carriage means and having longitudinally extending book gripping surfaces adapted to engage a book supported by saidcarrier in its opposite creases, means supporting-said jaws for transverse inward and outward movement relative'to said carriage means respectively to grip and release a book supported by the carrier, said means serving also to accommodate rotation of said jaws so that a book gripped thereby can be lifted from said carrier and swung at least approximately to a back-down attitude, and oper- :ating means for said carriage means and jaws serving initially to cause said jaws to grip a book on said carrier at said first position of said carriage means and serving thereafter simultaneously to move said carriage means to its said second position and to cause said jaws to rotate and to lift and swing the book as aforesaid, said means serving also to'cause said jaws to release the book inits back-down attitude.

. whereby to move said carriage means between its said first and second positions.

3. The combination in a book casing-in machine as set forth in claim2 wherein said operating means also comprises at least one additional rack supported in fixed position adjacent said carriage means and a pinion and gear mechanism associated therewith, said pinion and gear mechanism being supported on the carriage means and connected with the aforesaid jaws whereby to rotate the same as aforesaid during movement of the carriage means between said first and second positions.

4. The combination in a book casing-in machine as set forth in claim 3 wherein there are provided first and second additional racks and corresponding first and second pinion and gear mechanisms, said pinion and gear mechanisms being operatively connected respectively with said opposing jaws.

5. The combination in a book casing-in machine as set forth in claim 4 wherein each of said pinion and gear mechanisms comprises connected first and second pinions and a gear segment attached to a central portion of a corresponding jaw, said first pinion of each mechanism being driven by the associated rack and the second pinion of each mechanism being in driving engagement with the segment whereby to rotate the same and its attached jaw.

6. The combination in a book casing-in machine as set forth in claim 5 wherein the attachment of each of said segments with its jaw comprises a transversely movable shaft, and wherein there is provided a small rack and pinion device for each of said shafts, said devices serving to effect the aforesaid inward and outward jaw movement.

7. The combination in a book casing-in machine as set forth in claim 6 wherein each of said rack and pinion devices has associated therewith a longitudinally extending splined shaft, said shafts being interconnected for rotation in unison and serving to operate said rack and pinion devices for jaw movement as aforesaid.

8. The combination in a book casing-in machine as set forth in claim 7 wherein said splined shafts are connected with and serve also as guide and support means for said carriage means during movement of the latter between its 10 said first and second positions.

No references cited.

Claims (1)

1. IN A BOOK CASING-IN MACHINE OR THE LIKE HAVING A VERTICALLY MOVABLE BOOK CARRIER ADAPTED TO INTERMITTENTLY DELIVER BOOKS IN BACK-UP ATTITUDE FOR DISCHARGE AT AN UPPER POSITION; A BOOK DISCHARGE MECHANISM COMPRISING A CARRIAGE MEANS MOVABLE LONGITUDINALLY IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE BETWEEN A FIRST POSITION ABOVE SAID CARRIER AND A SECOND POSITION SPACED FROM THE CARRIER, TRANSVERSELY OPPOSED BOOK GRIPPING JAWS SUPPORTED BY AND MOVABLE WITH SAID CARRIAGE MEANS AND HAVING LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING BOOK GRIPPING SURFACES ADAPTED TO ENGAGE A BOOK SUPPORTED BY SAID CARRIER IN ITS OPPOSITE CREASES, MEANS SUPPORTING SAID JAWS FOR TRANSVERSE INWARD AND OUTWARD MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID CARRIAGE MEANS RESPECTIVELY TO GRIP AND RELEASE A BOOK SUPPORTED BY THE CARRIER, SAID MEANS SERVING ALSO TO ACCOMODATE ROTATION OF SAID JAWS SO THAT A BOOK GRIPPED THEREBY CAN BE LIFTED FROM SAID CARRIER AND SWUNG AT LEAST APPROXIMATELY TO A BACK-DOWN ATTITUDE, AND OPERATING MEANS FOR SAID CARRIAGE MEANS AND JAWS SERVING INITIALLY TO CAUSE SAID JAWS TO GRIP A BOOK ON SAID CARRIER AT SAID FIRST POSITION OF SAID CARRIAGE MEANS AND SERVING THEREAFTER SIMULTANEOUSLY TO MOVE SAID CARRIAGE MEANS TO ITS SAID SECOND POSITION AND TO CAUSE SAID JAWS TO ROTATE AND TO LIFT AND SWING THE BOOK AS AFORESAID, SAID MEANS SERVING ALSO TO CAUSE SAID JAWS TO RELEASE THE BOOK IN ITS BACK-DOWN ATTITUDE.

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