US580942A

US580942A - Elevator for feeding sheets of paper

Info

Publication number: US580942A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1897-04-20
Anticipated expiration: 1914-04-20

Description

N6 Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. C. H. HEYWOOD.

ELEVATOR FOR FEEDING SHEETS OF PAPER.

Patented Apr. 20, 1897.

(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheeL 2.

C. H. HEYWOOD. ELEVATOR EOE FEEDING SHEETS OF PAPER.

No. 580,942. Patented Apr. 20, 1897.

1 91 was 00:) v01/ a5) NITE STATES CHARLES HENRY HEYVVOOD, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

ELEVATOR FOR FEEDING SHEETS OF PAPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 580,942, dated April 20, 1897.

Application filed August 13, 1895. $erial'No. 559,188. (No model.)

To all whom it nuty concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES HENRY HEY- WOOD, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and usefullmprovements in Elevators for Feeding Sheets of Paper or other Material, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to a class of elevators in which the paper is fed to the machine continuously. As the paper is fed to the machine from off the top of the stack the stack is add ed to by more paper placed beneath and raised up into contact with the stack above. In this way paper is fed from the top of stack without being interrupted when a new supply is being added to the stack.

Mechanisms have heretofore been devised for supplying paper to the under side of the stack, in which two platens or duplicate plates are usually combined, each designed to be 0perated independently of the other, butnone to my knowledge have been devised in which are combined a main platen with an arrangement of blades to be used only to support the remaining sheets of the stack during the time the fresh supply is being placed upon the platen. In other words, my device has practically one platen upon which the paper is at all times placed and materially differs from other feeding mechanisms.

In the accompanying drawings, in which like letters and figures of reference indicate like parts, Figure 1 is a section on line a b,

Fig. 2, showing part of the table of the machine and the platen and retaining-blades in position. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the elevator in operation, showing some paper in position to be fed to the machine, while the platen of the elevator is shown in dotted lines lowered in position to receive a new supply of paper. Fig. 3 is a detached view showing the manner-in which the blades are retained in position when supporting the stack. Fig. 4 is a side elevation taken from the right of Fig. 1, illustrating the manner in which the upward motion may be given to the elevatorplaten byacam and lever. Fig. 5 is a section view of one of the elevator hand-wheels and shows it in position on its shaft with the pawl resting upon the ratchet; and Fig. 6 is a side elevation of Fig. 5, with the hand wheels complete and all the parts thereon.

In'detail, A indicates the table; B and (J, sleeves; D and E, stands; F and G, brackets; H, I, J, and K, gages, and L driving-shaft.

The construction is as follows: To the table A are attached the sleeves B and O to provide guides for the

rods

1 and 2.

D and E are stands fastened upon the table A and supporting the shaft 20.

F is a bracket in which a driving-shaft rotates.

G indicates a bracket'supporting lever 27.

H I J K are corner-gages, the two former fastened upon the table at the front, while the two latter are supported at their lower ends upon any convenient portion of the machine.

In Fig. 1, 4 is the main platen from which the upper paper is fed to the machine. This platen is fastened upon rack-rod 2 by a pin 5. (Shown in Fig. 2.) The construction of this platen is as follows: Extending from the hub fastened to the rounded lower end of the rackbar 2 by a pin 5 is an arm reaching up and supporting the platen at. platen is form ed with three concentric grooves or channels 6 7 8, of such depth as to allow the passage of the coinciding curved blades 17 18 19, which project horizontally from and have one end secured to the arm let. WVhen these blades are in position, as shown in Fig. 1, the surfaces of the platen and blades are flush, forming a continuous surface for the support of the paper. The rack-rod 2, on which the platen is fastened, extends upward through the sleeve 0, past the gear 36, and carries a laterally-projecting arm 3, pinned upon the top. Parallel with the rack-rod 2 is a similar rack 1. This rack-rod 1 extends down throughsleeve B and has arm 9 fastened thereto by pin 10, and then through the arm 14, and has a nut 15 on the end, which holds the arm 14: in position. The top of the rod 1 passes through the free end of the arm 3. This gives support to the rod 2 in such way that said rod-carrying platen 4 may be raised or lowered and maintain its position beneath the paper without other than vertical motion.

The arm 14:, carrying the blades 17 18 19, is arranged to swing outward upon the rod 1,

The face of this and when swung out the blades 17 18 19 travel through the channels before referred to in platen -1. These channels are shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. The arm 9, fastened on the rod 1, extends across with the hub 11, circling the rod 2, and its end supports the end of blade 18 and contains a pin 13, (see Fig. 3,) that retains the blade and arm 1-1 in position. The arm 9 is so made that when the sleeve 11 rests on the hub of the platen 4- the blades 17 18 18 are flush with the platen 1. By this arrangement the blades of frame 11 can never get below the surface of the platen, but the platen may be lowered below the blades to any depth required, according to the length of the rack-rod 2. This will readily be understood upon reference to Fig. 2.

By rotating the wheels 38 38, that carry the gears 3U 36, the rack-rods are raised and lowered, thus elevating or depressing the platen or the supporting-blades. As arm 9 is firmly fastened to the rod 1, it is always held in position and restrained from other than a vertical movement by the sleeve 11 upon the rod 2.

Supported by standards D and E is the shaft 20, carrying ratchets 32 32 21. These three ratchets are pinned to the shaft and rotate therewith. Ratchet 21 is prevented from rotating-backward by a pawl 22 on the screw 2.3 and is held in position by aspring 2 This pawl prevents the backward movement of the shaft 20. The means for raising the paper upward as it is fed off the stack in the machine may be of any convenient form of construction. I have illustrated one way it may be done, consisting of the lever 27, fulcrumed on stand G and carrying the camroll 28, rolling in contact with the cam 29 upon the shaft L. This lever carries a pawl 21, which is termed a feeding-pawl, while the lever itself terminates in the bent portion 31 and extends downward and over the paper. By the action of this lever through the cam 2.), after the paper is raised to the proper height, if the top sheets of the stack be removed, the portion 31 of the lever will be allowed to move to a lower position than it would if the paper were there to prevent f urther downward movement of the lever. If the paper be removed and the lever move lower, the pawl 21 will descend and take a tooth in the ratchet 21, and when forced up ward by the cam 25) will elevate the platen and paper. A constant feed with a train of spur-gears might be provided for feeding the platen upwardly.

The manner of raising the stack to keep the top alwaysin the same plane as sheets are fed off has nothing to do with my invention. I make no claim on this part. The stack may be kept at proper height by the operator or by any suitable mechanism in common use, one of which is illustrated herein.

In Fig. 6 the hand-wheel 38 is shown carryin g the connecting mechanism. The hand-wheels 38 38 turn freely upon the shaft 20 in one direction at all times. The hubs of the wheels are provided with the gears 36, which engage

racks

1 and 2, the wheels being arranged on a shaft 20, so that the racks are elevated by rotating the wheel in the proper direction. As this is done the pawl 10 on the screw 42 will travel around the ratchet 32, the point actuated by spring 16 always dropping in a teeth of the ratchet to maintain the platen in any desired position. Inside the wheels 38 38 are fastened rings 3 33. These rings are let into the wheel and retained in position by screws 3S). On the inner surface of these rings is a cam portion in which is cut a notch t3, the object of which notch is to retain the pawl 10 out of contact with the ratchet 32. \Vhen the ring 33 shall have been rotated sufficiently for the notch to engage the tail 11 of pawl 41), a step 4 5 upon the ring 33 will abut against the arm of the wheel 38 and arrest the motion of the ring. site side of the wheel-arm is another stop 11-, which acts as the ring is moved in the opposite direction, as shown in the drawings. Projecting from the side of the ring 33 are pins 37. These pins are designed to be used as handles for the turning oft-he ring 33. The two hand-wheels are exaetl y alike in all particulars, rotating freely by hand upon the shaft 20 in a direction to raise the platen and prevented from rotating backward by the pawls 40, as described. As the ratchet 21 never moves backward, but is fed forward as fast as it is necessary, the wheels 38 are carried by the ratehets I32 32 just as fast as the ratchet 2t is advanced. W hen it is necessary to lower the platen, the ring is shifted to throw the pawl 40 out of engagement with the ratchet and the platen will descend. As the sleeve 11 of arm 9 rests upon the hub of the platen 1, and as that platen is raised and lowered, all mechanism for carrying the arm 11 with the blades 17 18 19 will be raised and lowered with the platen, providing the pawl 10 is not in contact with the ratchet 32 for supporting the rod 1. The right-hand wheel 38 rotates freely on the shaft 20 between ratchet 32 and stand D. Thelcfthand wheel 38 is supported on one side by ratchet 32 and a screw and washer 34: on the end of the shaft.

The elevator is supplied with paper as follows: The parts being in their respective positions, as shown in Fig. 2, and it being new desirable to add more paper to the stack shown in this figure the pawl -10 for rod 1 is dropped into engagement with the ratchet, thereby holding arm 11 and blades from downward movement, and the pawl 4E0, holding the rack-rod 2 on the platen 1, is thrown out, thus allowing the platen & to descend to position corresponding to that shown in Fig. 2 in dotted lines, the arm 1% with the blades 17 18 19 now supporting the stack of paper, and as there are buta few sheets thereon the strength of the blades is sufficient. The supply of paperis now placed upon the platen t while in On the oppoits lowered position. The pawl 40 is then thrown into contact with the ratchet and the hand-wheel 38 revolved until the top of the stack is brought into contact with the under side of

blades

17, 18, and 19. Arm 14 is then swung outward, drawing the blades out from beneath the stack resting upon them, thus allowing the upper stack to drop to the lower stack, and the rod 1 is then lowered until the sleeve 11 on the arm 9 rests upon the hub of the platen 4. The blades are then swung into the channels 6 7 8 until blade 18 snaps over the pin 13, where it is retained in position.

Having, therefore, described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an elevator for feeding sheets of paper, a platen formed with channels means for raising and lowering the platen through guides by rack-gear and wheels or their equivalents, combined with one or more blades fitting the channels in the platen and fastened to an arm or slide and arranged to swing in and out the platen-channels, and means for raising and lowering them through guides by rack-gear and wheels or their equivalent, all arranged substantially as shown and for the purpose specified.

2. I11 an elevator for feeding sheets of paper, a platen combined with one or more blades fastened on an arm substantially as shown and arranged to support a stack of paper while the platen is lowered to receive a new supply, substantially as shown.

3. In an elevator for feeding sheets of paper, a platen operated by a rack in combination with an arm, carrying one or more blades operated by duplicate racks, substantially as shown and described.

4. In an elevator for feeding sheets of paper,

the combination of a channeled platen combined with blades fitting the channels and fastened on an arm, arm and platen being fastened to vertical racks, hand-wheel and gears, rotating on a shaft to raise and lower the platen and blades, all in combination with a ratchet and pawl on the shaft whereby the platen or blades may be retained-at any height, substantially as shown.

5. In an elevator for feeding sheets of paper, a vertically-movable platen to which the paper is supplied, an upright shaft movable vertically and rotatable on its axis, a lateral supported arm on said shaft and one or more blades horizontally projected from the arm, in combination with vertically-movable rackbars, gears to engage the rack-bars whereby the platen and blades may be lowered and raised independently of each other, pawls 32,

32, and ratchets 40, 40, to hold the platen and blades in any desired position.

6. In an elevator for feeding sheets of paper, a compound platen comprising a platen havin g concentric channels across its face and an arm provided with blades to engage in the channels, a shaft having ratchets fastened thereon, held from rotating in one direction by a pawl, one or more hand-wheels provided with gears and rotating freelyon said shaft and provided with pawls fastened thereon and rotating on the ratchets so that the wheels may turn in one direction only 7. In an elevator for feeding sheets of paper, a feed-wheel rotating freely beside a ratchet carried on a shaft, a pawl fastened on said wheel and a shifting device contained on said wheel and arranged to lift and hold the pawl out of contact with the ratchet so that the wheel may be turned in either direction to raise or lower racks attached to a compound platen, substantially as shown.

8. In an elevator for feeding sheets of paper, the combination of a shaft provided with one or more ratchets and a retaining-pawl and ratchet whereby the shaft may be rotated in one direction only by being combined with suitable means for advancing the retainingratchet tooth by tooth, with one or more hand-wheels carrying pawls and throwing-out means, substantially as shown, located thereon beside the ratchets and havinglgears meshing into racks for the purpose of raising a platen and supporting-blades, whereby the platen and supporting-blades are moved upward every time the retaining-pawl is advanced a tooth, substantially as shown.

9. In an elevator for feeding sheets of paper, a platen formed with concentrically-curved channels across its face, a horizontally-swinging arm provided with curved blades to fit in the channels of the platen and means to raise and lower the platen and arm with blades independently of each other.

10. In an elevator for feeding sheets of paper, a vertically-reciprocating platen formed with concentric channels across its face, means to raise and to lower the platen, an arm adapted to be swung in a horizontal plane parallel with the plane of the platen and provided with curved blades to fit the channels of the platen, means to raise and lower the arm with blades independently of the platen, and means to raise and lower the platen and blades in unison.

CHARLES HENRY I-IEYIVOOD.

Witnesses:

EDWARD BARBER, EDWARD B. BARBER.