Sheet feeding or delivering – Delivering – Rotary conveyor
Reexamination Certificate
1995-04-26
2001-08-21
Werner, Frank E. (Department: 3652)
Sheet feeding or delivering
Delivering
Rotary conveyor
C271S187000, C198S473100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06276681
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a product delivery apparatus, such as a fan wheel or the like of a printing press, having replaceable elements.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
U.S. Pat. No. 4,357,008 discloses a creel assembly for use in a business forms delivery apparatus wherein individual business forms are received between adjacent spirally formed fingers of a plurality of aligned creel assemblies. Business forms are inverted from a “face-up” to “face-down” position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,179 discloses a delivery fan with undulated fan pockets. The fan includes two sets of blades. The blades of one set are equally spaced apart axially and define one side of each pocket. The blades of the other set are equally spaced axially define the other side of each pocket. The blades of the two sets have surfaces for engaging opposite sides of a signature and for deforming the signature into undulations extending in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of the signature. Due to frictional contact between the signature and the surfaces of the pocket, the signature is slowed down to minimize buckling or bouncing of the signature in the respective pocket.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,083,768 discloses a device for reducing the velocity of impact of printed products in the base of a delivery paddle wheel of printing presses. A shaft having cam plates with cams mounted thereon is assigned to a delivery paddle wheel. The cams catch the printed products arriving in the delivery paddle wheel at their trailing end and decelerate them. The shaft supporting said cams can be set according to different lengths of the printed products.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,160 shows a delivery device in a folding apparatus of a rotary printing press. The delivery device includes a fan wheel or several fan wheels disposed next to one another. The fan wheels are formed of individual fan blades between which fan wheel pockets are provided. Leading edges of the fan blades have a first profile and trailing edges of the blades have a second profile.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,112,033 discloses a folder apparatus for a web-fed printing press. There are two fan arrangements, each having a plurality of fan blades disposed parallel to the common axis of each other. The fan blades of each fan arrangement have tips located at a circumference of the respective fan arrangement in a common plane, with circumferences of the fan arrangements intersecting one another. A device is provided on the fan arrangements for preventing a collision of the respective fan blade tips.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Given the state-of-the-art, it is an object of the present invention to provide for replacing fan tips.
Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to allow for an adjustment of the fan blade tip properties with regard to signature delivery requirements.
According to the present invention, exemplary embodiments of a product delivery apparatus having replaceable elements include:
at least one fan wheel which is rotatably mounted,
a plurality of fan blades included on said at least one fan wheel, and
attaching devices included on each of said fan blades for mounting replaceable fan blade tips to said fan blades.
Thus, an easy exchange of parts of the fan wheels is feasible without dismounting the fan wheel arrangement in its entirety. The solution allows for retrofitting of fan tips with fan blade tips having a different curvature or being of different material. Damaged fan tips due to wear can easily be exchanged. Furthermore, by mounting fan blade tips of different material a rebalancing of fan wheel arrangements can easily be achieved.
According to the invention not only attaching devices are provided but also abutting surfaces for aligning (for example, centering) fan blade tips relative to the respective fan blade ends. The attaching devices include snap-on devices of apertures and clips, or fastening screws, or cams of a certain shape engaging corresponding recesses of fan blade ends or blade tips or vice versa.
The replaceable fan blade tips can be made of any material, including, but not limited to, plastic (for example, plastic formed using any known processing technique including, but not limited to, injection molded plastic or structural foamed plastic), steel, aluminum or composites. These materials, can also be coated or plated with other materials, if they fulfill determining factors in tip material selection such as strength, friction characteristics, manufacturing method and tip configuration.
There are not only attaching devices provided on said replaceably mounted fan blade tips but also aligning means, such as centering pins or abutting surfaces. The shape and the orientation of said abutting surfaces prevent the fan blade tips from being mounted in a wrong orientation with regard to the sense of rotation of said fan wheel.
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Burns Doane , Swecker, Mathis LLP
Heidelberg Harris Inc.
Werner Frank E.
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