Registers – Package operated – Package operated switch
Patent
1992-02-12
1993-11-16
Gellner, Michael L.
Registers
Package operated
Package operated switch
271108, B61L 116, B65H 308
Patent
active
052626202
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to a sheet counting apparatus for counting sheets in a stack of sheets.
A number of machines have been devised for counting stacked sheets of papers, card, film, bank notes and the like and examples of such machines are described and illustrated in our UK Patent Nos. 1455110, 1455109, 2106871, 2128784, 2128001, 2128002 and 2127930. All of these machines utilise a generally flat hollow blade having a vacuum port and which is mounted in a cantilever fashion to pivot about an axis parallel to one edge of the blade, there being a pin orbiting in an elliptical or other complex path about the blade, so that when the blade is engaged in a stack of sheets and is pivoted between generally horizontal and downwardly inclined positions in synchronism with the orbiting pin, the corner of the sheet for the time being held by applied vacuum in contact with one side of the blade is separated from the stack and is then transferred by the pin to the other side of the blade. A counting device is triggered each time the mechanism transfers a sheet from one side of the blade to the other. Such arrangements have been highly developed as described and illustrated in the UK Patent Specifications referred to above, but the operation of the hollow blade in the stack coupled with the action of the pin in transferring a sheet from one side of the blade to the other can damage the corners of the sheets. There is also a practical limit on the maximum count rate for such machines, due to dynamic considerations.
It is an object of this invention to devise a sheet counting apparatus in which damage to the corner of a sheet being counted is minimised, and which also may operate at relatively high speeds.
This invention provides a sheet counting apparatus for counting sheets in a stack thereof, comprising transfer means arranged to act on a corner of the stack to separate the sheet corners from the stack on one side of the transfer means and to transfer the separated corners one at a time to the other side of the transfer means, and means to count the sheet corners as they are transferred, said transfer means comprising an elongate static member having, in cross-section, a curved surface in which is formed a vacuum port and which member is arranged to engage in the stack whereby suction applied to the vacuum port may draw on to the curved surface an adjacent sheet corner, a transfer pin extending substantially parallel to said elongate member, means to move the pin in an orbit around the elongate member to transfer a sheet corner drawn on to the curved surface to the other side of the elongate member, and control means to control the supply of suction to the vacuum port to terminate the suction prior to the transfer of the corner by the orbiting pin from one side of the elongate member to the other side thereof and to re-establish the suction to draw the corner of the next sheet in the stack on to the curved surface ready for transfer.
It will be appreciated that in the sheet counting apparatus of this invention, an elongate static member is engaged in the corner region of a stack of sheets. The apparatus is thus simplified in that no mechanism need be provided to drive the member, and as the transfer pin moves continuously in an orbit, the counting rate may be increased as there are no reciprocating parts. Also, the curved surface of the elongate member minimises the angle through which a sheet corner is deformed during the counting process.
Most preferably, the static element comprises a generally cylindrical hollow bar having an outer cylindrical surface and also defining said curved surface, the outer cylindrical surface having a smaller radius of curvature than said curved surface, and the vacuum port in the curved surface communicating with the interior of the bar, whereby suction may be applied to the port through the interior of the bar. The curved surface should blend smoothly with the outer cylindrical surface of the bar.
Advantageously, the control means comprises a valve member mounted for rotation within
REFERENCES:
patent: 3297316 (1967-01-01), Haines
patent: 3801777 (1974-04-01), Onoe et al.
patent: 3838255 (1974-09-01), Dutton
patent: 3962564 (1976-06-01), Dutton
Sutcliffe Anne
Webber Simon
Gellner Michael L.
Lee Eddie C.
Portals Engineering Limited
LandOfFree
Sheet counting apparatus does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Sheet counting apparatus, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Sheet counting apparatus will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-23912