Sheet feeding or delivering – Delivering – Endless conveyors to other conveyors
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-14
2001-03-06
Skaggs, H. Grant (Department: 3651)
Sheet feeding or delivering
Delivering
Endless conveyors to other conveyors
C271S081000, C271S184000, C271S314000, C271S272000, C198S470100, C198S803300
Reexamination Certificate
active
06196538
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus for processing flexible, sheet-like products having a feed conveyor for delivering the products to a receiving region of an intermediate conveyor which has a number of conveying elements arranged, one behind the other. The conveying elements moved in the direction of circulation along a circulatory path running through the receiving region and through a transfer region. This conveying process changes the position of the products fed to successive conveying elements in the receiving region such that the sequence of the products remains the same however, the mutually facing sides of the products are changed.
An apparatus of this type is disclosed in the earlier Switzerland Patent Application No. 1998 0476/98. By means of the conveying elements, which are designed as grippers, the products retained by the latter are drawn round the respectively following gripper from one side of said gripper to the other, which, in the case of a high processing capacity, requires high gripper retaining forces and subjects the products to considerable stressing.
Furthermore, EP-A-0 332 828 discloses an apparatus for separating stacked paper sheets. The separating apparatus has a rotary feeder which is assigned a stationary feeder magazine for receiving a stack of the paper sheets that are to be separated. The rotary feeder has hollow shafts which are arranged in a cage-like manner on equiaxially mounted disc plates and are driven counter to the direction of rotation of the disc plates. Three drum disc plates with a segment-like recess are positioned in a rotationally fixed manner on each hollow shaft. Provided on both sides of the drum disc plates are suction members which project radially away from the hollow shaft and of which the suction heads are aligned with the recesses of the drum disc plates. In the case of each hollow shaft, an endless guide belt wraps around the central drum disc plate over approximately half a circumference and, between the respectively adjacent hollow shafts, is guided around a deflecting roller mounted on the disc plates. The drum disc plates and guide rollers arranged between the latter in the circumferential direction of the rotary feeder serve as a rest for the stack arranged in the magazine. When the rotary feeder rotates, the suction members running in beneath the stack are subjected to a vacuum, with the result that they grip the lowermost printed sheet at the fold. During further rotary movement, the drum disc plates roll on the gripped printed sheet and the suction members retain the fold until the latter has been clamped in between the central drum disc plate and the guide belt. The sheet is then retained by the guide belt in abutment with the drum disc plates, carried away from the stack by a stripping-off action and then, at a transfer location, along with the action of the deflecting rollers, beyond the circumferential circle of the rotary feeder, introduced into a gripper of a removal conveyor with the fold in front.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus of the type mentioned in the background which, when used in a high processing capacity, ensures careful handling of the products and avoids damage to the products. It should be appreciated that a damaged product could cause the apparatus to jam and require it to be shut down for servicing.
This object is achieved by an apparatus for processing flexible, sheet-like products, having a feed conveyor for delivering the products to a receiving region of an intermediate conveyor. The intermediate conveyor has a number of conveying elements that are arranged one behind the other. The conveying elements move along a circulatory path that passes through the receiving region and then through a transfer region. This conveying process changes the position of the products relative to each other. The mutually facing sides of products that in the receiving region are no longer mutually facing when they arrive at the transfer region. However, during the conveying process the sequence of the products remains the same. The conveying elements including roller segment that rotate about their axis which extends at right angles to the circulatory path of the conveying elements. The conveying elements interacts with a mating element during movement through the receiving region. A rear section of the roller segment and the mating element form an introduction gap for the fed product. In a section of the circulatory path, following the receiving region, a circumferentially running lateral-surface section of the roller segment, that follows the rear section, and the mating element form a conveying gap for said product.
The intermediate coonveyor includes a control device that functions to keep the conveying elements in substantial mutual parallel position to one another. A removal conveyor blends with the intermediate conveyor in the discharge region and receives the products from the conveying elements.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4813662 (1989-03-01), Merwarth et al.
patent: 4895360 (1990-01-01), Reist
patent: 4896874 (1990-01-01), Muller
patent: 5031893 (1991-07-01), Yoneda et al.
patent: 5395151 (1995-03-01), Eberle
patent: 5452886 (1995-09-01), Cote et al.
patent: 5556086 (1996-09-01), Munneke et al.
patent: 5794929 (1998-08-01), Curley et al.
patent: 5857829 (1999-01-01), Achelpohl
patent: 0 332 828 B1 (1989-02-01), None
patent: 0 332 828 B1 (1989-09-01), None
patent: 0 499 691 A1 (1992-08-01), None
patent: 2555938 (1985-06-01), None
Swiss International Search Report.
Keller Alex
Stauber Hans-Ulrich
Brink Hofer Gilson & Lione
Ferag AG
Skaggs H. Grant
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