US3472505A

US3472505A - Segmented blank feeding rolls for envelope forming machine

Info

Publication number: US3472505A
Application number: US669236A
Authority: US
Inventors: William Stutz
Original assignee: United States Envelope Co
Current assignee: United States Envelope Co
Priority date: 1967-09-20
Filing date: 1967-09-20
Publication date: 1969-10-14
Anticipated expiration: 1986-10-14

Description

I W. STUTZ Oct. 14, 1969 SEGMENTED BLANK FEEDING ROLLS FOR ENVELOPE FORMING MACHINE Filed Sept. 20, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. WILLIAM STUTZ mir ATTORNEYS Oct. 14, 1969 N w. STUTZ 3,472,505

SEGMENTED BLANK FEEDING ROLLS FOR ENVELOPE FORMING MACHINE Filed Sept. 20, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,472,505 SEGMENTED BLANK FEEDING ROLLS FOR ENVELOPE FORMING MACHINE William Stutz, Springfield, Mass, assignor to United States Envelope Company, Springfield, Mass, a corporation of Maine Filed Sept. 20, 1967, Ser. No. 669,236 Int. Cl. B65h 5/06 U.S. Cl. 271-2 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Two sets of segmented rolls are mounted in longitudinally spaced relation to feed envelope blanks to an adhesive applying device. The first set is of larger diameter than the second set, and includes three rolls having blank engaging segments for successively engaging the envelope blank. The second set of segmented rolls turns at the same angular speed, and the blank engaging segments thereof engage the blank to decelerate it prior to contact with the adhesive applying device.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION This invention relates to mechanisms for feeding flat blanks to a machine station where the speed of the blanks must be reduced, and deals more particularly with a mechanism for decelerating envelope blanks prior to feeding said blanks past a rotary adhesive applying device.

An object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism capable of moving accurately indexed blanks at a relatively high speed, and also of decelerating said blanks for movement past a rotary adhesive applying device having a maximum speed which is limited by the tendency of the adhesive to be thrown off as a result of centrifugal force or the like.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism of the foregoing character wherein segmented rolls are employed for advancing and decelerating blanks of various size, the size falling within upper and lower limits of size determined by the various physical dimensions of parts of the machine, such as the spacing between rolls, diameters of the rolls, etc., the spacing between the rolls being not less than the longitudinal dimension between the top and bottom scores of the smallest blanks which are to be processed by the mechanism.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism of the foregoing character wherein the segmented rolls are so constructed that blanks of various lateral dimension can be accommodated in a machine embodying the present invention.

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 purpose.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective View of the portion of an envelope forming machine in which a mechanism of the present invention resides, and includes a rotary adhesive applying device of a presently preferred type.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the segmented rolls shown in FIG. 1, together with the rotary adhesive applying device.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the segmented tolls and rotary adhesive applying device at a slightly later instant of time.

3,472,505 Patented Oct. 14, 1969 DETAllED DESCRIPTION Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, FIG. 1 shows a portion of a machine for forming envelopes of various size. Envelope blanks B, B are fed longitudinally in the direction of the arrow 10 along a generally flat conveyor which may comprise a plurality of cylindrical rolls 12, 12 rotatably supported in the fixed frame of the machine (not shown). The rolls 12, 12 are preferably driven at a peripheral speed corresponding to that of the segments of split feed rolls 14, 14 and 16, 16 to be discussed in greater detail hereinbelow, and to the peripheral speed of an associated adhesive applying device 15. The rotary adhesive applying device 15 is preferably provided among the downstream set of segmented rolls 16, 16 and this device may take any of a variety of forms, but preferably is constructed in accordance with the disclosure of a copending US. patent application, entitled Rotary Adhesive Applying Device for Envelope Forming Machine filed June 30, 1967, under Ser. No. 650,332. Basically, the rotary adhesive applying device comprises a pair of circular end discs carried on a pair of stub shafts 28, 28 respectively. A sheet member of resilient material is wrapped around the circumferences of the end discs and releasably secured thereto by suitable means, and said sheet carries two sets of applicator pads 34, 34 for applying a coating of adhesive to selective portions of the blanks conveyed therepast.

The blanks are indexed with respect to one another prior to being fed between the upstream set of rolls 14, 14 and their respective backup rolls 12, 12. Each of the split segmented feed rolls 14, 14 is carried on a stub shaft 18 so that all of these rolls are movable toward and away from one another as a result of movement of the housings 20 (shown at the far side of the mechanism only), in a direction perpendicular to the path of movement 10 of the envelope blanks. While any suitable means might be adapted for slidably supporting the housings 20 a fixed way 22 preferably extends transversely across the path of movement .of the blanks for slidably receiving a T-shaped support 24 connected at its lower end to the housing and adapted to be slidably received on the way 22. A lead screw 26 is rotated by crank means (not shown) so that the segmented and split feed rolls 14, 14 can be prepositioned laterally for producing envelopes of any convenient lateral dimension. The lead screw 26 preferably includes a left-hand threaded end portion and a right-hand threaded end portion for moving two such housings 20, 20 toward and away from one another, and in unison with one another. The housing at the near side of the machine, as viewed in FIG. 1, has been omitted for clarity. Finally, an input drive shaft 27 located alongside the lead screw 26 is preferably connected through suitable gearing (not shown) in the housings 20, 20, to split feed rolls 14, 14. The split segmented feed rolls 16, 16 are similarly driven by means identical to that just described. It is an important feature of the present invention that both sets of segmented split rolls 14, 14 and 16, 16 are driven at the same constant angular speed so as always to remain in the same relative angular positions with respect to one another as that depicted in FIG. 1.

Turning now to a detailed description of the two sets of segmented feed rolls 14 and 16, it will be apparent from FIG. 1 that all of said feed rolls are rotatably supported about axes located in longitudinally spaced relation along the path of movement of the envelope blanks, indicated by the arrow 10. More particularly, the first or upstream set of rolls includes at least one roll (14a in FIG.

2) located furthest downstream in said first set which has a blank engaging segment less than 180, and in fact less than 90 in circumferential extent. The circumferential extent of the blank engaging segment on segmented rolls 14a, 1; and c and 16a, b, c, d and e must be not less than the distance A between axes of rotation of adjacent rolls. From a comparison of the longitudinal dimension of the envelope blank B, and the longitudinal distance between this downstream roll 14a and the furthest upstream roll in the second or downstream set of rolls (16a in FIG. 2) it will be apparent that these adjacent segmented rolls 14a and 16a have their respective axes of rotation spaced longitudinally from one another by a distance A significantly less than the longitudinal dimension of the blank B. That is, the smallest blank it is possible to process being that in which the longitudinal dimension from top score to bottom score is equal to dis tance A.

In further accordance with the present invention, at least two of the upstream rolls in said first set have blank engaging segments less than 90 in circumferential extent so that the circumferential extent of the rolls in said first set is substantially equal to that of the'roll 14a. Preferably these blank engaging segments are so disposed angularly with respect to one another that each in turn engages a blank to feed it therepast as best shown in a comparison of the right-hand portions of FIGS. 2 and 3. It is noted that the said two rolls 14a and 14b in said first or upstream set are out of engagement with the blank B when the furthest upstream segmented roll 16a in the second or downstream set is in engagement there with, as indicated in FIG. 5.

In further accordance with the present invention at least two of the segmented rolls in the downstream set have blank engaging segments less than 120 in circumferential extent so that these rolls have a circumferential extent no less than the distance A between the axes of rotation of adjacent rolls in said downstream set. More particularly, the two segmented rolls furthest upstream in said second set 16a and 16b have their respective blank engaging portions so disposed angularly with respect to one another that each in turn engages a blank to feed it therepast. These two rolls 16a and 16b can be seen from FIGS. 2 through 5 to be out of engagement with a blank when the two segmented rolls furthest downstream in the first set are in engagement with such blank. As will be apparent from the description to follow, this is an important feature of the present invention since all of the rolls 14, 14 and 16, 16 rotate at the same angular speed, but are of such relative diameters that the peripheral speed of the upstream set 14, 14 is greater than the speed of the downstream set 16, 16 in direct proportion to the difference in their diameters.

Thus it is an important feature of the present invention that the upstream set of segmented rolls 14, 14 advance the envelope blanks thereunder in accurately indexed relation and at relatively high speed, and that the downstream set of segmented rolls 16, 16 act on the blanks being successively advanced thereto so as to decelerate the blanks to a lower speed for gluing by the rotary adhesive applying device 15. As mentioned hereinabove, the backup rolls 12, 12 associated with the seg mented rolls 14, 14 and 16, 16 are continuously driven at an appropriate speed for cooperating with their associated rolls to accomplish the above deceleration. In FIG. 2, the third segmented roll 140 in the first or upstream set of such rolls has the leading edge of its segment in contact with the bottom score line on an envelope blank B, and the next succeeding segmented roll 1412 has its segment so arranged with respect to that of the roll 140 so that the leading edge of its segment engages the same score line as the roll 14c loses contact with the blank B as shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 4 the blank B is then engaged by the furthest downstream roll 14a in the second or upstream set of segmented rolls,

and it is noted that the leading edge of the segment of the roll 14a also engages the bottom score line of the envelope blank B at this time. It is an important feature of the present invention that these rolls 140, 1411, and 14a engage in turn the bottom score line of the envelope blanks B, B. It will be apparent that this result obtains in spite of variations in the size of the blanks, and depends only on the indexing of the blanks.

FIG. 5 shows the segmented roll 14a as it loses contact with the blank B, and it is a feature of the present invention that the furthest upstream roll 16a in the downstream or second set of segmented rolls contacts the envelope blank B at precisely the same time that the larger segmented roll 14a loses contact therewith. Thus, the blanks are decelerated without destroying the above described indexed relationship therebetween. That is, the bottom score lines of the respective blanks are moved closer to one another in a ratio determined by the diameters of the rolls 14, 14 and 16, 16.

Considering now FIG. 2, the second segmented roll 16b, of the smaller set of rolls located downstream of the larger rolls 14a, [2 and c, now contacts the blank B so as to feed the blank past the adhesive applying device 15. It is noted that at this point in time the blanks B, B beneath the device 15 are slightly overlapped with respect to one another, but that the adhesive applying pads 34, 34 do not contact the blank B until this overlapped region has passed beneath the adhesive applying device 15, as can be seen from a comparison of FIGS. 2 and 3. The adhesive applying pad 34 coats a predetermined portion of the blank B with adhesive but an auxiliary roll 15a actually advances the blank past the device 15. Two such rolls 15a, 15a are provided one at either end of the device 15 in the same vertical plane with the axes associated with the device 15 and the backup roll 12 therebelow. These rolls 15a, 15a adjust laterally with their associated housings 20, 20. FIG. 5 shows that as the pad 34 'moves out of engagement with the blank B a segmented roll 160 contacts the bottom score line of the blank for feeding the blank away from the adhesive applying device 15. Segmented rolls 16d, and 16a downstream of the adhesive applying device 15 serve to feed the blanks B, B to the next succeeding station in the envelope forming machine and it will be apparent that another set of rolls, such as those described hereinabove with respect to 14a, 14b, and 140, might be used to speed up the blanks B, B to some higher speed if the next succeeding machine station will permit such a speed increase.

I claim:

1. Mechanism for handling flat blanks and for decelerating said blanks as they are fed longitudinally in their own plane, said mechanism comprising first and second sets of blank feeding rolls all of which are rotatably supported about roll axes located in longitudinally spaced relation along the path of movement of said blanks, said first set of rolls being disposed upstream of said second set, said first set of rolls having at least two downstream rolls which have blank engaging segments less than in circumferential extent, and at least two rolls in said second set having blank engaging segments less than 120 in circumferential extent, said segmented rolls in said first and second sets having their respective blank engaging segments so disposed angularly with respect to one another that a blank being fed from one set of rolls to the other contacts only one of said segmented rolls at any one time, said segmented rolls in said first set having their respective axes spaced longitudinally from one another by a distance no greater than the longitudinal dimension of the minimum size blank, said blank engaging segments having a lineal measure at least equal to said distance between said respective axes, and all of said rolls having the same constant angular speed, said first set being of larger diameter than said second set so that the blanks are decelerated upon engagement with said rolls in said second set.

2. Mechanism according to claim 1 including continuously driven backup rolls for all of said segmented rolls in both sets, each of said backup rolls being rotated at a speed corresponding to that of its associated segmented roll.

3. Mechanism according to claim 2 wherein three segmented rolls are provided in said first set, each of said blank engaging segments having a circumferential extent of less than 90", said segmented rolls in said second set having a circumferential extent of less than 120.

4. Mechanism according to claim 3 wherein each of said segmented rolls in both sets are provided with axially spaced end portions which define said blank engaging segments, said segments thereby engaging only the marginal side edges of said blanks.

5. Mechanism according to claim 4 wherein said axially spaced end portions of said segmented rolls are movable toward and away from one another to accommodate blanks of various widths, and an adhesive applying rotary device downstream of said two segmented rolls in said second set for coating predetermined portions of said decelerated blanks.

6. Mechanism according to claim 5 wherein said second set of segmented rolls includes at least two rolls downstream of said rotary adhesive applying device, said last-mentioned rolls having blank engaging segments less than 120 in circumferential extent, and said segments being so disposed angularly with respect to one another that each in turn engages a coated blank to feed it therei in phase with the two segmented rolls upstream of said device whereby blanks are fed to said device at the same speed that they are conveyed away from said device.

7. Mechanism according to claim 6 wherein each segmented roll end portion is mounted on a stub shaft extending laterally outwardly therefrom, and means for driving all of said stub shafts at said constant angular speed.

8. Mechanism according to claim 1 wherein each of said segmented rolls in both sets are provided with axially spaced end portions which define said blank engaging segments, said segments thereby engaging only the marginal sides edges of said blanks.

9. Mechanism according to claim 8 wherein said axially spaced end portions of said segmented. rolls are movable toward and away from one another to accommodate blanks of various widths, and an adhesive applying rotary device downstream of said two segmented rolls in said second set for coating predetermined portions of said decelerated blanks.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,951,408 9/1960 Novick 198-167 RICHARD E. AEGERTER, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 2715l