Sheet feeding or delivering – Feeding – Separators
Reexamination Certificate
1998-06-15
2001-02-13
Ellis, Christopher P. (Department: 3651)
Sheet feeding or delivering
Feeding
Separators
C271S034000, C271S004050, C271S010060
Reexamination Certificate
active
06186493
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of box-making machines and methods. Specifically, the present invention provides an apparatus and method for supplying a plurality of box sheets or box sheet blanks along belts at predetermined intervals.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional device, which is part of a box-making machine, for supplying a box sheet is operative so as to take one box sheet from multiple box sheets stacked in a pile and feed the box sheet into a process for making a box. A typical device for supplying a box sheet comprises plural supply belts and a shutter placed above the supply belts, wherein the shutter has a gap which allows only one box sheet to be sent at a time, and wherein the box sheets are stacked up against the shutter in a pile which is no taller than a top portion of the shutter. The box sheets are sent past the gap one at a time due to a contact resistance or coefficient of friction between the supply belt and the piled box sheets. An interval between each of the sent box sheets (between an end of a previous box sheet and the tip of a following box sheet) is adjusted by placing sending belts next to the lower reaches of the supply belts, wherein the sending belts operate faster than the supply belts.
However, because the sending belts, placed at the lower reaches of the supply belts, operate faster than the supply belts in the conventional device, if only one side of a box sheet is caught by the sending belts, this one side of the box sheet is pulled into the sending belts at a higher speed than the other side of the box sheet. As a result, the box sheet is supplied to the sending belts at an improper angle.
Therefore, in order to prevent the one side of the box sheet from being pulled at a high speed by the sending belt prior to the other side of the box sheet from being pulled, a box sheet supplying device has been developed which operates the sending belts at the same speed as the supply belts and which adjusts an interval between each of the sent box sheets by lifting up the piled box sheets so as to not contact the supply belts.
However, due to the fact that the box-making machines operate at very high speeds, it is difficult to harmonize the lifting up/putting down movement of the piled box sheets with the speed of the supply belts, thereby making it difficult to adjust the interval between each of the sent box sheets, thus resulting in variances from the prescribed intervals of each of the sent box sheets.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to overcome the above-described problems and to provide an apparatus and method for supplying a plurality of box sheets in which it is easy to adjust an interval between each of the sent box sheets and in which it is easy to fine-tune the interval, thereby providing an apparatus and method which achieves accurate and adjustable intervals between each of the supplied box sheets.
In the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for supplying a plurality of box sheets comprising at least one first belt which is movable in a predetermined direction, and at least one second belt which is movable in the predetermined direction of the at least one first belt, wherein a first coefficient of friction between the plurality of box sheets and the at least one second belt is greater than a second coefficient of friction between the plurality of box sheets and the at least one first belt.
The apparatus further comprises a shutter located above at least one of the at least one first belt or the at least one second belt, wherein the shutter is positioned so as to allow only one of the plurality of box sheets to be supplied beneath the shutter at a time, and a control system for controlling an operation of the at least one second belt. The shutter further comprises a detection means for detecting an edge of the plurality of box sheets.
According to the present invention, as the first coefficient of friction between the plurality of box sheets and the at least one second belt is greater than the second coefficient of friction between the plurality of box sheets and the at least one first belt, the box sheet is not carried and sent away from the shutter when the at least one second belt is not moving, and the box sheets are carried and sent away from the shutter one sheet at a time when the at least one second belt is moving.
Further according to the present invention, it is preferable to provide plural first belts and plural second belts so that the first coefficient of friction between the plurality of box sheets and the second belts is clearly greater than the second coefficient of friction between the plurality of box sheets and the first belts.
The apparatus of the present invention further comprises a first shaft for driving the at least one first belt, rotating means for rotating the first shaft, a second shaft for driving the at least one second belt, and a clutch-brake unit operatively connected to the first and second shafts, wherein the second shaft is rotated with the first shaft when the clutch-brake unit is engaged, wherein the second shaft is not rotated with the first shaft when the clutch-brake unit is released, and wherein the control system controls an operation of the at least one second belt by controlling the clutch-brake unit.
The control system of the present invention further comprises an encoder for detecting the rotation of the first shaft, a counter for counting a number of revolutions of the first shaft based upon the detection of the rotation of the first shaft by the encoder, and a microcomputer for controlling the engaging and releasing of the clutch based upon the number of revolutions counted by the counter.
The apparatus of the present invention further comprises at least one third belt having an end located adjacent to an end of the at least one first belt, wherein the at least one third belt receives the plurality of box sheets after being supplied beneath the shutter, and wherein the at least one third belt moves at a same speed as the at least one first belt.
The present invention further provides a method for supplying a plurality of box sheets comprising the driving of at least one first belt by rotating the first shaft, engaging the clutch-brake unit so as to rotate the second shaft with the first shaft and drive the at least one second belt, and thereby allowing one of the plurality of box sheets to be supplied beneath the shutter. The method further comprises detecting when the one of the plurality of box sheets has completely passed beneath the shutter, releasing the clutch-brake unit, upon the detection that one of the plurality of box sheets has completely passed beneath the shutter, thereby disabling the rotation of the second shaft with the first shaft and disabling the driving of the at least one second belt, thereby preventing any of the plurality of box sheets from being supplied beneath the shutter, and repeating the afore-mentioned steps for a subsequent box sheet.
The detecting step of the method of the present invention further comprises detecting the rotation of the first shaft upon engaging the clutch, and counting a number of revolutions of the first shaft based upon detecting the rotation of the first shaft, wherein the one of the plurality of box sheets is detected to have completely passed beneath the shutter when the number of revolutions counted in the counting step corresponds to a length of the one of the plurality of box sheets.
The method of the present invention further comprises detecting the rotation of the first shaft upon releasing the clutch, and counting a number of revolutions of the first shaft based upon detecting the rotation of the first shaft, wherein the step of engaging the clutch for a subsequent box sheet is performed when the number of revolutions counted in the counting step corresponds to a prescribed interval length desired between the plurality of box sheets to be supplied beneath the shutter.
REFERENCES:
patent: Re. 34894 (1
Ellis Christopher P.
Ridley Richard
Tanabe Machinery Co., Ltd
Wenderoth , Lind & Ponack, L.L.P.
LandOfFree
Apparatus and method for supplying a plurality of box sheets... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Apparatus and method for supplying a plurality of box sheets..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Apparatus and method for supplying a plurality of box sheets... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2613568