US462524A - ballard - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet; 1.

J. H. BALLARD. AUTOMATIC FEEDER FOR PRINTING PRESSES. No. 462,524. Patented Nov. 3, 1891.

JQWW ATTORNEYS (No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. H. BALLAED. AUTOMATIC FEEDER FOR PRINTING PRESSES.

Patented Nov. 3, 1891.

W/T/VESSES.

ATTORNEYS m: mums warms co.. rua'm-ufnm, vnsmnnron, n. c.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

v J. H. BALLARD.

AUTOMATIC FEEDER FOR PRINTING PRESSES.

BY 6g (9 AITOH/VEYS Patented 10v.3,1891.

WIT/VESSE Uivirno States Patent @ri icE,

JOSEPH ll. BALLARD, OF NEV YORK, i. Y.

AUTOMATBC FEEDER FOR PRlNTlNG-PRESSES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 462,524, dated November 3, 1891.

Application filed September 19, 1890. Serial No. 365,457. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH ll. BALLARD, of the city, county, and State of New Yorlchave invented a new and Improved Automatic Feeder for lrintingPresses, of which the following is a full, clear, and. exact description.

My invention relates to mechanisms adapted more particularly for feeding sheets of paperor other material to printing-presses; and the invention has for its object to provide simple and comparatively inexpensive devices of this character, which will operate antomatically and efficiently and may be read ily adjusted for action and are not liable to get out of order.

The invention consists in certain novel fea tures of construction and combinations of parts of the automatic sheet-feeding mechanisms, all ashereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters and figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved automatic feederas applied to a printing-press which is shown but in part and partly in sec tion. Figs 2 and 23 are detail end and partial face views of theadhesive paper ca rryii'igfeedroller device. Fig. 45 is a longitudinal vertim cal sectional view of the feeder and press, taken on the line 10 10 in Fig. 8, but with the parts in different relative positions to those shown in Figs. 1 and 8. Figs. 5, ti, and 7 are detail views of the gripper device which takes t he sheets from the feed roller and carries them to the press-platen to receive the impression. Fig.8isa plan view with the parts in the relative positions shown in Fig. 1, the

paper sheets being removed; and Figs. 9 to.

15, inclusive, are detail views of parts of the apparatus to be more particularly referred to in the following description.

My improved feeder is not limited in use to application to printing-presses, as it may readily be adapted in many of its features to paper-ruling or other machines. I show it applied to an ordinary j ob-printin g press having a feed-board 1, sustained by a standard 2, which is or may be a part of the press The press-platen I is connected to a frame.

swinging or reciprocating frame 4, which is operated by a pitman 5, actuated by the press mechanism, said frame i being hinged to the press-fran1e below the impression-bed 6, which 5 5 holds the type-form in the usual manner. Upon the press feed board 1 is laid or fastened abed-plate A, which sustains important parts of the automatic feeding device. I describe this device as follows: Upon the bed plate'A there are fastened two opposite side frames A A, to which is fixed a transverse table 13, made with a downward and rearward extension, forming a recess or chamber G, in which are placed the sheets of paper orother material which are to be printed. The paper sheets I) rest upon a vertically-movable bed E, which has a stem 6 extending downward and surrounded by a spring e, which normally presses the bed upward to carry the sheets D to a stop or stops (Z, which are fixed to the tops of a series of fingers F. These fingers are held to a movable transverse bar or support f, which may be fastened by suitable screws f or otherwise to the bottom of the recess 0, which, together with the movable bed E, is slotted lengthwise at c to allow longitudinal adjustment of the fingers and their fastenings to accommodate the size one way of the sheets 1) to be printed. The outer end or part of the bed E, as also the bottom of the recess 0, is slotted transversely at c to allow a pair of laterally-adjustable fingers F to be moved nearer together or far-v ther apart to accommodate the size of the sheets D the other way, thus allowing adjustment of the paper-holder to any required size of sheets to present them properly to an adhesive carrier, which delivers them to a gripper device, as hereinafter explained. Clamps f hold the fingers F in position on the bed E.

To the rear partof the table Bis hinged or fulcrumed one edge of a plate or frame G, and preferably by means of atransverse shaft g, journaled t0 the table and provided at opposite ends with gear-wheels or racks g g, which, when turned in reverse directions by racks t1 i on a pair of reciprocating slide-bars I I, moving on the bed-plate A, willswing the carrier G forward onto the tableB and backward again to the pile of paper sheetsheld at the rear recess of the table. "This swinging carrier G is provided with a piece of adhesive material of a nature allowing it to pick up the top sheet D at the paper-holder as the carrier is swung forward, and whereby the sheet will be lifted and swung forward with the carrier and delivered to the gripper to be carried by it to the press-platen. This adhesive material which lifts and swings forward the sheets D may have any suitable form and 0 may be made of any approved substance or materials which will be sufficiently glutinous or adhesive to lift the sheets D singly from the holder and allow the gripper to take them from it easily or without tearing them, and the composition of the adhesive material should be of such'nature that it will not leave a mark or stain upon the paper or other sheets it conveys to the gripper.

I find that the composition ordinarily used to make printers inking-rollers, and consisting chiefly of glue and molasses or gelatinous and saccharine matter, has all the abovenamed requisite qualities to make a good lifter and conveyer of the paper sheets. Hence I employ this substance or compound, and while I may use-a strip or block of it made in any preferred shape and set into or otherwise fixed to the free end or edge of the swinging'carrier plate or frame G, I much prefer to.use this adhesive composition in the form of a roller H, made very much like a printers inking-roller and journaled suitably in a slot of the plate G, so as to project at its periphery slightly beyond the face of the plate to allow it to touch the sheets-it is to convey. This adhesive roller H is provided with a shield or stripper-plate K, which is preferably made of thin sheet metal or other non-adhesive material and extends but part way around the roller, and is held to it preferably by inwardly-bent flanges 70, one at each e d of the plate, and engaging or clamping the adhesive ends of the roller, the body portion or periphery of which also adheres or clings to the plate, which thus is held securely to the roller, so as to maintain any peripheral' position thereon to which it may be adjusted. The adhesive composition of the roller is preferably applied to a tubular axle or hub which is fitted quite snugly upon the roller-shaft h and will not turn thereon, except when forcibly turned by hand to present 'a freshly-adhesive surface to act on the uppermost sheetD it is to lift and convey to the gripper. to strip the paper sheet from the roller as the sheet is pulled away by the gripper. Fig. 2 of the drawings most clearly shows that the shaft h of the roller is provided with a pin h, to which is attached one end of a spring 71 which normally turns the roller to the position shown in said figure or with its stripperplate K around below the surface or plane of the plate G. It is obvious that as the paper sheet D is pulled from the carrier-plate and roller G H in direction of its arrow in Fig. 2 the paper, by adhering to the roller, will turn The special oflice of the plate K is v itforward in direction of its arrow until the plate K strikes the sheet and quickly and fully liberates it from the adhesive feedroller, and as the paper passes by and upward from the roller the spring 72,2 will instantly draw the roller back again to normal position ready to fall upon the next sheet when the carrier is next swung rearward over the pile of sheets D at the back end of the table.

The two slide-barsI I above mentioned are fitted in suitable Ways or guides at opposite side edges of the bed-plate A, and besides the racks 11 aforesaid these slide-bars each carry an anti-friction roller t', preferably journaled on a standard and adapted to operate against the upper forward edge of alever L, which is fulcrumed at Z to the bedplate or a bracket thereon and at its lower end carriesa counter-weight Z. The two opposite levers L L are each provided at their longer upper parts with a lengthwise slot m, and the two slots m of the two levers L receive opposite ends of a transverse rod M or anti-friction rollers m thereon. (Shown in Fig. 12 of the drawings.) The rod M is connected by longitudinal pitmen-N N with the gripper device 0, which slides in suitable ways or guide-tracks P P, provided for it-on the printing-press platen As the slidebars I I are coupled to the press-platen 3 by rods or link-bars R B, it is obvious that as the bars I are moved rearward by the platen their rollers i will swing the levers L L rearward, and the levers will through the rods N r N draw the gripper to the rear ends of the platen-tracks P P, which overlie the upturned forward edge b of the table B, within or behind which the free edge of the paper-carrier plate or frame G lies when thrown forward with the paper sheet D. The gripper reaches this position (shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings) after the carrier G is thrown forward with the paper sheet, which the gripper advances rearward to take hold of and about as the platen 3 reaches its extreme rearward position. As the platen swings upward toward the type-bed it carries the slide-bars I I forward, and consequently the rollers '5 of these bars will be moved forward to allow springs L, which are fixed to the bed-plate and bear against the levers L, to swing the levers forward also, and thereby carry the gripper 0 down the face of the platen. The lever co u nter-weights Z materially relieve the rollers i in drawing the gripper upward and rearward along the platen, and the resistance of the springs L promotes steady movements of the parts during theback-stroke of the gripper device. The connecting-rods N are held adjustably to the cross-rod M by nuts or on their threaded ends, which are screwed into the bar, and the other ends 11 of the rods N are preferably bent outward and enter holes or sockets .0, made for them at opposite end parts of the gripper. (See Figs. 9, 11, and 12 of the drawingal Gross rods or strips N N, held at opposite ends to the connect- IIO ing-rods N N, serve as strippers to remove the printed sheet from the type-form as the platen swings away from the press-bed.

I will now particularly describe the gripper device with more special reference to Figs. 5, G, '7, 9, and of the drawin s. The gripper has a base-plate 0', which extends clear across between the two platen-tracks P P, to which it is fitted by a V or tongue-andgroove or other interlocking slip-joint holding the gripper t0 the tracks whatever relative positions the platen and gripper may as some. A preferred form of slip-joint is shown in Figs. 9 and 10 of the drawings, Fig. 10 being a section on the line 11 11 in Fig. 9. At intervals along its central part the gripper base-plate 0 has upwardly-projecting lugs, which are matched by downwardlyextending lugs on the under sides of a series of upper nipper-jaws 0 preferably four of them, which are pivoted to the base-plate by pins passed through the opposing lugs, and on the pins are placed suitable springs 0 (shown in Figs. (3 and 7 of the drawings) and which normally close the rear ends of the npperjaws o to the base-place 0, which thus constitutes a fixed jaw for each movable jaw o of the series. Each gripper-jaw 0 has a hole 0*, which receives a pin 0 fixed to the base-plate o as the gripper closes, these pins 0 serving as stops to the edge of the paper sheet which the gripper takes from the carrier. A red S, which ranges across the gripperbase-plate, is provided with end cross-heads s s, which slide in bearings s on the baseplate 0' of the gripper device. (See Figs. 8 and 9 of the drawings.) This rod S passes between the base-plate 0 and the movable grippenjaws 0 which latter preferably have upward concavities 0", allowing quick closing of the gripper-jaws onto the paper sheet by the springs 0 as shown in Fig. '7 of the drawings, when the rod S is forced rearward by contact of its end heads .9 with projections 19, formed upon the rear ends of the platen-tracks P. When the rod S is moved in the other direction by contact of its heads .9 with stop-plates T at the other ends of the tracks or is shifted out of the jaw-concavities o, it will open the gripper device atproper time to release the paper sheet and will hold them open to allow delivery of the sheet when printed and as hei'einafter explained.

Figs. 1, 13, 'l t,and of the drawings most clearly show the manner of connecting the tracksPto the press-platen 3, so as not. to interfere with making ready the press. At the forward or lower end of the platen are fixed by screws or otherwise two eye-plates U, one for each track P. To each -of these plates U is pivoted by a pin to a yoke V, which receives between its upper eye or loop V the end of a track P and the stop-plate T, which lies on the track and has a head t, which the crosshead 3 of the gripper-rod Sstrikcs to openthe gripper-jaws. To the outer or rear ends of the tracks P P is fixed a transverse plate or apron V, which forms practically a rearward extension of the platen and is bent down at the rear edge to to allow easy safe delivery of the printed sheets upon a series of endless tapes or traveling conveyer 7, which convey them along and oif from the bed-plate to any suitable piling device not necessary to show or describe. A beltS from anysuitable motor wheel or pulley actuates the endless tape-carrier. I prefer to bend downward the front edge of the sheet-delivery apron \V next the edge of the platen, as shown at w in Fig. 13 of the drawings, and to fix to this flange to one or more angnlarly-formed spring-metal latches X, which are provided with a stud or pin Q7, adapted to snap or spring into a cavity in the under side of the platen. Any other suitable latch device may, however, be employed to hold the apron W and tracks P to the platen. It is obvious that when the latchesX are disengaged from the platen the apron \V and tracks P P may together he swung over forward on the pivot-pins it as a center of motion, and, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings, to allow necessary overlaying at the platen, and preferably when the tracks and apron are latched to the platen the screws may be loosen ed to allow the stopplates T to be adjusted along the tracks P in proper relation to the cross-heads s of the gripper for opening the gripper-jaws at the right time.

The continuous operation of my invention is as follows: e will suppose the impression is being taken and that the automatic feeder and press mechanisms have the relative positions shown in full lines in Fig. 4E of the drawings. The papencarrier G H is now rearward over the pile of sheets I) to be printed, with the adhesive roller in contact with the uppermost sheet. The gripperO is in contactby its rodheads 5- with the stop-plates T and has been opened, as in Fig. (5, and the stripper-rods N N overlie the sheet between the platen 3 and bed 6, and the slide-bar racks t" are forward of the carrier gear wheels or segments g. As the platen swings back from the press-bed the connecting-rods R R will push the slides I I rearward and the slide-racks i will turn the gears g and swing the carrier G forward, with a sheet D adhering to its roller II, and the slide-rollers 1' i will, by contact with the levers L L, swing them rearward, and thereby carry the gripper rearward on the downwardly-moving platen, the gripper-jaws then being open, and the lately-printed sheet which had been stripped from the type by the rods N N is carried rearward by the pins 0 of the gripper until the sheet slips upon and over the apron \V and onto the tapes '7,which carry the printed sheet rearward to a piling device or receptacle. Before the gripper 0 reaches the limit of its rearward stroke on the downwardly-moving platen the carrier G stops on the forward part of the feeder'table,

as shown in full lines in Fig. 1 and in dotted lines in Fig. 4 of the drawings, with the end IIO of the sheet D held by the roller H in proper position to be seized by the gripper and about as the platen reaches the limit of its backward stroke, the gripper-jaws straddle the paper sheet on the roller H, and the gripperrod-heads s strike the projections 19 p on the tracks P P and shift the rod S to allow the springs 0 to close the gripper-jaws upon the paper, the gripper then having the adjustment shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings. At this time the levers L have their rearward positions (shown in full lines in Fig. 1 and in dotted lines in Fig. 4c of the drawings) and all is ready for the reverse or forward movements of the parts next described. As the platen 3 begins its forward movement, the slides Iwill move forward, and as their rollerst' also move forward and away from the levers L the lever-springs L now swing the levers forward, and thereby through the rods N slide the gripper 0, now carrying the sheet with it which it has last closed upon, down the platen 3, and the racks t" of the slides I again engage the gears g and swing the carrier G backward again until the adhesive roller H strikes the uppermost sheet D in the holder. The cross-heads s of the gripper-rod S strike the stopplates T and open the gripper about at the time the stripper-rods N close on the sheet and theimpression is then taken, whereupon the platen again commences its rearward or opening movement to cause the backward motion of the grippers, the slide-bars I, and levers L, and assure delivery of the printed sheet and the swinging forward of the next sheet by the carrier GH into position to be seized by the gripper and carried over the platen to be printed, and as will readily be understood from the aforesaid description. The operation of the adhesive roller stripper plate or shield K as the gripper takes the sheet D from the roller has been hereinbefore explained and needs no further description. It is obvious that with this feeding device sheets D, of paper or other material, may be fed automatically and reliably to the platen of a printing-press. Furthermore, with slight modifications of mech anism readily made by the experienced meehanic, the sheet-holder, carriers, slides, levers, and the gripper, with its tracks and their stops for opening and closing the gripjaws, may be advantageously employed for feeding sheets of paper or other material to cylinder printing-presses or under pens or threads for ruling them or for other purposes, as will readily be understood.

- Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The combination, with a printing-press, of a feeder comprising a sheet-holder, an adj acent plate carrying adhesive material adapted to lift and convey the sheets, and slides geared to the plate and connected with the press-platen so as to move in unison therewith, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a printing-press, of a feeder comprising an adjustable sheetholder, a swinging plate carrying adhesive material adapted to lift and convey the sheets, and means for actuating the plate by the movement of the press-platen, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a printing-press, of a sheet-holder, an adjacent swinging plate carrying adhesive material -to lift and convey the sheets,,a gripper to take the sheets from the plate, and a gear mechanism for actuating the plate and gripper by the movement of the press-platen, substantially as described.

4. The combination, in a sheet-feeding device, of a sheet-holder, an adjacent swinging plate or frame carrying adhesive material adapted to lift and convey the sheets, tracks or guides having opposing stops, a reciprocating gripper on the tracks taking the sheets from the conveyer and adapted to be opened and closed by contact with the track-stops, and mechanism actuating the sheet-conveyer plate and the gripper.

5. The combination, in a sheet-feeding device, of a sheet-holder, an adjacent plate or frame carrying adhesive material adapted to lift'and convey thesheets, tracks or guides having opposing stops, a reciprocating gripper on the tracks taking the sheets from the carrier and adapted to be opened and closed by contact with the track-stops, a traveling conveyer receiving the sheets from the gripper, and mechanism actuating the sheet-carrier, the gripper, and the traveling conveyer.

(3. The combination, with the platen of a printing-press, of a sheet-holder, a swinging plate or frame hinged near the holder and having adhesive material adapted to lift and convey the sheets, slides gearing with said swinging sheet-carrier, and connections between the slides and the platen, substantially as described, whereby as the platen is actuated the swinging carrier will be operated to feed the paper sheets forward.

7. The combination, with the platen of a printing-press, of a sheet-holder, an adjacent carrier adapted to convey the sheets forward from the holder, tracks or guides on the platen, a gripper device reciprocating on the platen-tracks and taking the sheets from the carrier, and rod connections to the gripper moving it along'the face of the platen.

8. The combination, with the platen of a printing-press, of a sheet-holder, an adjacent carrier adapted to convey the sheets forward from the holder, tracks or guides on the platen, a gripper device reciprocating on the platen-tracks and taking the sheets from the carrier, and rod connections to the gripper moving it along the face of the platen, said gripper-rod connections having stripper devices taking the printed sheets from the typeform.

9. The combination, with the platen of a printing-press, of a sheet-holder, a swinging plate or frame hinged near the holder and ICC having adhesive material adapted to lift and convey the sheets, slides gearing with said swinging sheet-carrier to operate it, connections between the platen and slides, tracks or guides on the platen, a gripper device reciprocating on the platen-tracks and taking the sheets from the carrier, and rod connections to the gripper moving it along the face of the platen. 4

10. The combination, with the platen of a printing-press, of a sheet-holder, a swinging plate or frame hinged near the holder and having adhesive material adapted to lift and convey the sheets, slides gearing with said swinging sheet-carrier to operate it, connections between the platen and slides, tracks or guides on the platen, a gripper device reciprocating on the platen-tracks and taking the sheets from the carrier, and rod connections to the gripper moving it along the face of the platen, said gripper-rod connections having stripper devices taking the printed sheets from the type-form.

11. In a sheet-feeding device, the paper holder comprising a pocket or recess, a movable bed E therein,both slotted at 6' e fingers I movable loi'igitudinally at the slots c and fingers I movable laterally at the slots c" a spring normally carrying the bed outward, and stops detaining the sheets at a predetermined level, substantially as described.

12. In a sheet-feeding device, the combina tion, with a sheet-holder and a table or support, of a swinging plate or frame hinged to the table and provided with an adhesive roller adapted as the frame is swung one way to touch the top sheet in the holder and to carry the sheet forward when the frame is swung the other way, substantially as described.

13. In a sheet-feedii'ig device, the sheet-carrier made with an adhesive roller provided with a non-adhesive partial face shield or stripper, substantially as described.

14. In a sheet-fcedingdevice, the sheet'carrier made with an adhesive roller provided with a non-adhesive face shield or stripper K, an arm 7L, and a spring 7L2, substantially as described.

15. In a sheet-feeding device, the sheetcarrier comprising a swinging plate or frame G, an adhesive roller journaled thereto and provided with a face shield or stripper K, ,an arm 7t, and a spring 723, substantially as described.

16. In a slieetfeeding device, the combina tion, with a support and slides I thereon pro vided with racks i and an upper table and sheet-holder, of a swinging plate or frame G, hinged to the table and provided with adhesive material and having gears g adapted for engagement by the slider-acks, substantially as described.

17. In a sl'ieet-feeding device for printing presses, the combination, with a support and slides thereon having projections or anti-friction rollers i, tracks or guides on the pressplaten, and a reciprocating sheet-gripper on the tracks, of levers fulcrumed to the support and provided with slots m, a rod l\[ in said slots, and connecting-rods N between the rod M and the gripper, substantially as described.

18. In a sheet-feeding device for printingpresses, the combination, with a support and slides thereon having projections or anti-friction rollers 1', tracks or guides on the pressplaten, and a reciprocating sheet-gripper on the tracks, of levers fulcrumed to the support and provided with slots m, a, rod M in said slots, and connecting-rods N between the rod M and the gripper, said rods N carrying strippers N, removing the printed sheets from the type-form, substantially as described.

19. In a sheet-feeding device for printingpresscs, the combination, with a support and slides thereon having projections or anti-friction rollers 1', traclgs or guides on the pressplaten, and a reciprocating sheet-gripper on the tracks, of levers fulci'u med to the support and provided with slots m, a rod M in said slots, connecting-rods N between the rod M and the gripper, and springs actuating the levers to carry the gripper down the face of the platen, substantially as described.

20. In a sheet-feeding device for printing: presses, the combination, with a support and slides thereon having projections or anti-friction rollers 1', tracks or guides on the press platen having opposing stops, and a reciprocating gripper O 011 the tracks and provided with a movable cross-r0d S, having heads 8 adapted to the track-stops, of levers f ulcru med to the support and-provided with slots m, a rod M in said slots, and connecting-rods N between the rod M and the gripper, substantially as described.

21. In a sheet-feeding device for printingpresses, the combination, with the pressplaten, of yokes hinged thereto or to bearings thereon, tracks held to said yokes and extending across the platen, a reciprocating gripper on the tracks, and latches holding the free ends of the tracks to theplaten, substantially as described.

22. In a sheet-feeding device for printingpresses, the combination, with the pressplaten, of tracks or guides thereon, a transverse apron at the tracks, a reciprocating gripper on the tracks, and an endless tape or web conveyer receiving the sheets from the gripper over the apron, substantially as described.

3. In a sheet-feeding device for printing presses, the combination, with the pressplaten, of yokes hinged thereto or to bearings thereon, tracks or guides held to said yokes, an apron held to the free ends of the tracks, and a reciprocating gripper on the tracks delivering the printed sheets over the apron, substantially as described.

H. In a sheet-feeding device for printing presses, the combination, with the pressplaten, of yokes V, hinged thereto or to bearings thereon, tracks I, and stop-plates T, held to said yokes, said tracks having opposite sisting of a base-plate 0 and jaws 0 hinged end stops p,areciprocatinggripperO,'having I thereto, springs normally closing the jaws, across-rodSadapted tothestops Tp, an apron and a crossrod S between the jaws and W, held to the tracks P, and latches holding" adapted for operation by stops on the tracks 5 the apron and tracks to the platen, snbsta-nto open and close the gripper, substantially I 5 tially as described. as described.

25. In a sheet-feeding device for printing- JOSEPH H. BALLARD. presses, the combination, with tracks or Vitnesses: guides on the press-platen, of a gripper de- HENRY L. GOODWIN,

IO vice reciprocating on said tracks and con- EDGAR TATE.

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