US3764133A - Sheet feeding apparatus - Google Patents

Sheet feeding apparatus Download PDF

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Publication number
US3764133A
US3764133A US00150657A US3764133DA US3764133A US 3764133 A US3764133 A US 3764133A US 00150657 A US00150657 A US 00150657A US 3764133D A US3764133D A US 3764133DA US 3764133 A US3764133 A US 3764133A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
chamber
station
sheet
aperture
section
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US00150657A
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English (en)
Inventor
C Gray
A Burge
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Crosfield Business Machines Ltd
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Crosfield Business Machines Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
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Publication of US3764133A publication Critical patent/US3764133A/en
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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H5/00—Feeding articles separated from piles; Feeding articles to machines
    • B65H5/22—Feeding articles separated from piles; Feeding articles to machines by air-blast or suction device
    • B65H5/222—Feeding articles separated from piles; Feeding articles to machines by air-blast or suction device by suction devices
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H3/00—Separating articles from piles
    • B65H3/08—Separating articles from piles using pneumatic force
    • B65H3/0808—Suction grippers
    • B65H3/0883—Construction of suction grippers or their holding devices
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
    • G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
    • G06K13/00—Conveying record carriers from one station to another, e.g. from stack to punching mechanism
    • G06K13/02—Conveying record carriers from one station to another, e.g. from stack to punching mechanism the record carrier having longitudinal dimension comparable with transverse dimension, e.g. punched card
    • G06K13/08—Feeding or discharging cards
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
    • G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
    • G06K13/00—Conveying record carriers from one station to another, e.g. from stack to punching mechanism
    • G06K13/02—Conveying record carriers from one station to another, e.g. from stack to punching mechanism the record carrier having longitudinal dimension comparable with transverse dimension, e.g. punched card
    • G06K13/16—Handling flexible sheets, e.g. cheques

Definitions

  • a vacuum feeder includes an extensible chamber 1 which can be moved from an extended position to a [21] Appl 5 contracted position in response to a reduction of pressure within the'chamber.
  • the movable section of the [30] Foreign Application Priority Data chamber includes an aperture which is positioned adme 9 1970 Great Britain 27,902 70 J'acem Sheet at first swim that wilhdrawal of air from the chamber sucks the sheet over the aper- 52 us. 01. 271/27, 271/29 Further Withdrawal air therefore Produces a 51 1111. C1 B65h 3/08 Vacuum 0r Partial vacuum Within the chamber retain- [58] Field of Search 271/26 27 74 ing the Sheet Over the apermfe While Simultaneously causing the chamber to contract from its extended po [56] References Cited sition. The contraction results in a transferal of the re- UNITED STATES PATENTS tained sheet from the first station to a second station.
  • Wtlorney SHEET FEEDING APPARATUS mally incorporate an independent power drive to move the transporting surface, and some form of valving for applying and releasing suction at fixed intervals so that the sheets are picked up from the first station and released at the second station.
  • the transporting surface may comprise a suction cup at the end of a swinging arm, or, more recently, the peripheral surface of a rotary drum.
  • sheet feeding apparatus includes an extensible chamber having a section movable from an extended position to a contracted position in response to a reduction of pressure within the chamber, and the said section includes an aperture positioned such that, with the chamber extended and the aperture placed adjacent a sheet at the first station, withdrawal of air from the chamber draws the sheet over the aperture and further withdrawal of air produces a vacuum or partial vacuum within the chamber retaining the sheet over the aperture while simultaneously causing the chamber to contract from its extended position, the contraction resulting in a transferal of the retained sheet from the first station to a second station.
  • the chamber is automatically vented in response to the movement of the chamber into its contracted position such that, in operation, the sheet is released from the movable section as the section movesinto the second station.
  • the apparatus also preferably includes means for urging the movable section toward its extended position such that the section is automatically returned to the first station after the chamber has been vented.
  • FIG. I is a side elevational view of a telescopic sheet feeding apparatus
  • FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a reciprocating rotary sheet feeding apparatus
  • FIG. 3 is a development of the sector surface of the chamber segment shown in FIG. 2,
  • FIG. 4 is a right-hand end view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of a continuous rotary sheet feeding apparatus.
  • a telescopic chamber includes a fixed inner tube 1 and an extensible sleeve 3.
  • the chamber is pivotally mounted on a pivotal bearing 2 such that it can swing from the position shown in FIG. 1 to a substantially vertical position.
  • the pivoted end of the chamber is also connected to a vacuum source (not shown) and an adjustable valve 15 controls the withdrawal of air from the chamber to the vacuum source.
  • the chamber is held in the position shown in the drawing with the sleeve extended by a linking arm 8 and clock spring 16.
  • the forwardmost sheet in the stack of sheets 17 at a first station is sucked over the aperture at the end of the sleeve 3, and the resulting drop in internal pressure causes the sleeve to slide up the inner tube.
  • the linking arm 8 is pivotally connected to a lug 10 of the sleeve 3, this upward movement of the sleeve rotates the linking arm 8 clock-' wise to wind the spring 16 and simultaneously pulls the chamber into the vertical position such that the sheet over the end of the tube 3 is transferred to a second station.
  • the port 6 in the sleeve and the port 5 in the inner tube 1 are out of alignment with one another, but as the sleeve is contracted over the tube the ports move into alignment so that the chamber is vented to the atmosphere. This occurs when the chamber is substantially vertical so that as the retained sheet over the end of the sleeve 3 strikes the stop plate 19 it will be released and fall onto the stack of sheets 18.
  • a stripper plate 20 assists the peeling of the sheet from the end of the sleeve.
  • the sheet may be fed into pinch rolls 21 (shown dotted) and, in this case, only a limited lateral movement of the chamber is required because the pinch rolls can continue pulling the sheet clear of the stack 17.
  • pinch rolls 21 shown dotted
  • the device is also particularly useful where it is required to feed sheets from the bottom of a stack supported by rails. Since each sheet is withdrawn from the bottom of the stack substantially at right-angles to the plane of the sheets, friction between the sheet being removed and the next sheet is much less than in an arrangement where each sheet is slid out from the stack.
  • a handle 22 enables the sleeve 3 to be lifted in order to load the sheets 17.
  • the chamber for transporting the documents is now formed as a moving sector or segment 30 of a cylinder.
  • the circumferential surface 31 of the sector is shown in detail in FIG. 3.
  • the moving sector can pivot about a central bearing 32 and air can be withdrawn from the sector along the air passage 33 which is connected to a vacuum source (not shown) at the end of a duct 34.
  • the moving sector includes an end plate 35 and two side walls 36 (FIG. 4).
  • a fixed vane 37 attached to the casing 38 forms a loose fit at the other end of the chamber so that when the vacuum source is connected to the air passage 33 air is withdrawn from the chamber and a sheet from the stack 39 is sucked over the apertures 40 in the circumferential surface, the resulting reduction in pressure in the movable sector causing the end plate 35 and side walls 36 to rotate about the bearing 32 past the fixed vane 37.
  • This movement continues until a depression 41 provided in at least one of the side walls 36 reaches the vane 37 when an air release path will be formed around the vane thus venting the chamber. This will occur as the retained sheet on the circumferential surface reaches the stack 42 at the second station.
  • the peeling of the sheet from the circumferential surface is assisted by the stripper 43.
  • the apertures 40 in fact comprise vacuum grooves 40a which hold the document against the circumferential surface of the mov able sector.
  • the vacuum force from the four grooves is greater than the retaining force which is present at a port 44 in the casing 38, the latter force holding the bottom edge of the forwardmost sheet in the stack 39 until the top of the sheet is gripped by the vacuum grooves. This helps to smooth the sheet around the circumferential surface.
  • a clock spring 45 (FIG. 4) will rotate the movable sector back to its original position shown in FIG. 2.
  • air is trapped in a cushioning chamber 46 formed between the endplate 35, a right-angled portion of casing 38 and an extension 47 of the movable sector.
  • FIG. illustrates a full rotary system in which two extensible chambers are formed in the annulus between a hollow-walled cylinder 50 and an eccentric, inner fixed circular cam 51.
  • the hollow cylinder rotates about a drum cantilever bearing 52, and a vacuum source is connected to a port 53 in the inner cam.
  • connection of the vacuum source withdraws air from the chamber 54 so that a sheet from the stack 55 is sucked over the aperture 56.
  • the resulting reduction in pressure causes the end wall formed by a sliding vane 59a to be drawn toward the vacuum and the cylinder is therefore rotated anticlockwise to transfer the retained sheet to the stack 57.
  • the sliding vanes is to pivotally mount the vanes on the cylinder wall.
  • the vanes would then preferably have a radius of curvature less than the radius of curvature of the cam and would be resiliently biased into contract with the cam.
  • the tip of the vane remains in contact with the cam.
  • Sheet feeding apparatus including;
  • an extensible chamber having a section for engaging a sheet to be transferred from a first station to a second station, said section movable from a first position to a second position in response to a reduction of pressure within said chamber,
  • d. means responsive to the resulting contraction of the chamber for imparting a translational motion to the sheet such that the sheet is advanced along a fixed path from said first station to said second station.
  • Apparatus according to claim 1 including means responsive to the movement of said section into its second position for venting said chamber whereby, in operation the sheet is released from the said section as the sheet moves into said second station.
  • Apparatus according to claim 2 further including means for urging said section toward its first position such that said section is automatically returned to the first station after the chamber has been vented.
  • said moving section comprises an extensible sleeve fitted over a fixed inner tube, the apparatus further comprising a fixed bearing about which said tube is rotatable, and said aperture being formed in the protruding end of the sleeve.
  • Apparatus according to claim 4 in which the sleeve and the tube each include a venting port, the two ports being aligned with one another only when the sleeve is in its contracted position.
  • Apparatus according to claim 4 further including a link having one end pivotally connected to the sleeve such that, with the other end pivotally connected to a fixed point, rotation of said link about the fixed point in response to a contraction of the sleeve produces a lateral movement of the sleeve toward the second station.
  • said chamber includes a curved peripheral top surface, side walls and a pair of end walls, the peripheral top surface, the side walls and a first of the end walls being pivotally mounted for rotation about a fixed bearing, the second end wall of the chamber being fixed such that the volume of the chamber may be contracted by rotating the first end wall toward the second end wall.
  • Apparatus according to claim 7 in which the aperture is formed in the said peripheral surface and is positioned such that the leading portion of a sheet at the first station is drawn across the aperture when air is withdrawn from the chamber, the apparatus further including means for holding the trailing portion of the said sheet against the peripheral surface with a force substantially less than the vacuum force retaining the said leading portion over the aperture.
  • Apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a rotatably mounted cylinder and an eccentric fixed cam within the cylinder, the extensible chamber comprising a portion of the annulus between the outer cylinder and the inner fixed cam.
  • Apparatus according to claim 11 including a second aperture through the wall of the cylinder diametrically opposed to the first aperture such that the said vanes divide the annulus into two symmetrical extensible chambers and, with the port opening into the first chamber, rotation of the cylinder to transfer a sheet retained over the first aperture from the first station to a second station simultaneously moves the second aperture into the first station as the trailing end wall of the first chamber moves across the said port to permit withdrawal of air from the second chamber.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Sheets, Magazines, And Separation Thereof (AREA)
US00150657A 1970-06-09 1971-06-07 Sheet feeding apparatus Expired - Lifetime US3764133A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB2790270 1970-06-09

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3764133A true US3764133A (en) 1973-10-09

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ID=10267133

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Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US00150657A Expired - Lifetime US3764133A (en) 1970-06-09 1971-06-07 Sheet feeding apparatus

Country Status (4)

Country Link
US (1) US3764133A (enExample)
DE (1) DE2128490A1 (enExample)
FR (1) FR2096070A5 (enExample)
GB (1) GB1345709A (enExample)

Cited By (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3964740A (en) * 1975-01-13 1976-06-22 Lamb Reginald T Sheet-feeding apparatus
US4236707A (en) * 1977-06-30 1980-12-02 Ricoh Company, Ltd. Pneumatic sheet feeder
US4380331A (en) * 1980-02-06 1983-04-19 M.A.N.-Roland Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft Sheet feeding and aligning apparatus for rotary printing machine
US4486013A (en) * 1982-08-18 1984-12-04 Bell & Howell Company Adaptive vacuum cup mechanism
US4591140A (en) * 1983-03-12 1986-05-27 Agfa-Gevaert Aktiengesellschaft Arrangement for separating and transporting uppermost sheets of a stack of sheets or sheet-like objects
US4728093A (en) * 1982-06-22 1988-03-01 General Battery Corporation Automatic battery stacker
US4759537A (en) * 1985-03-12 1988-07-26 Fraumhofer-Gesellschaft zur Forderung der angewandten Forschung e.v. Apparatus for separating and conveying the uppermost sheet of a stack of sheets or sheet-like articles
US5833228A (en) * 1995-05-08 1998-11-10 Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Vacuum sheet feeding apparatus including cylinder and upstanding nozzles
US20030107170A1 (en) * 2001-12-10 2003-06-12 Willi Becker Device for feeding suction air or blowing air in a sheet-processing machine
US20070253537A1 (en) * 2006-04-28 2007-11-01 Michael Tenbrock Film handling system

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS5748543A (en) * 1980-09-04 1982-03-19 Laurel Bank Mach Co Ltd Attraction and drawing-out apparatus of paper sheet processing machine

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2215458A (en) * 1936-05-28 1940-09-24 Backhouse Headley Townsend Sheet separating and lifting means
US3039767A (en) * 1961-03-07 1962-06-19 Harris Intertype Corp Sheet lifting device

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2215458A (en) * 1936-05-28 1940-09-24 Backhouse Headley Townsend Sheet separating and lifting means
US3039767A (en) * 1961-03-07 1962-06-19 Harris Intertype Corp Sheet lifting device

Cited By (13)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3964740A (en) * 1975-01-13 1976-06-22 Lamb Reginald T Sheet-feeding apparatus
US4236707A (en) * 1977-06-30 1980-12-02 Ricoh Company, Ltd. Pneumatic sheet feeder
US4380331A (en) * 1980-02-06 1983-04-19 M.A.N.-Roland Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft Sheet feeding and aligning apparatus for rotary printing machine
US4728093A (en) * 1982-06-22 1988-03-01 General Battery Corporation Automatic battery stacker
US4486013A (en) * 1982-08-18 1984-12-04 Bell & Howell Company Adaptive vacuum cup mechanism
US4591140A (en) * 1983-03-12 1986-05-27 Agfa-Gevaert Aktiengesellschaft Arrangement for separating and transporting uppermost sheets of a stack of sheets or sheet-like objects
US4759537A (en) * 1985-03-12 1988-07-26 Fraumhofer-Gesellschaft zur Forderung der angewandten Forschung e.v. Apparatus for separating and conveying the uppermost sheet of a stack of sheets or sheet-like articles
US5833228A (en) * 1995-05-08 1998-11-10 Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Vacuum sheet feeding apparatus including cylinder and upstanding nozzles
US20030107170A1 (en) * 2001-12-10 2003-06-12 Willi Becker Device for feeding suction air or blowing air in a sheet-processing machine
US20050236766A1 (en) * 2001-12-10 2005-10-27 Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Ag Device for feeding suction air or blowing air in a sheet-processing machine
US7175176B2 (en) 2001-12-10 2007-02-13 Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Ag Device for feeding suction air or blowing air in a sheet-processing machine
US20070253537A1 (en) * 2006-04-28 2007-11-01 Michael Tenbrock Film handling system
US7661672B2 (en) 2006-04-28 2010-02-16 Michael Tenbrock Film handling system

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Publication number Publication date
DE2128490A1 (de) 1971-12-16
GB1345709A (en) 1974-02-06
FR2096070A5 (enExample) 1972-02-11

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