Sheet feeding or delivering – Delivering – With transfer means between conveyor and receiver
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-11
2001-06-12
Ellis, Christopher P. (Department: 3651)
Sheet feeding or delivering
Delivering
With transfer means between conveyor and receiver
C271S186000, C271S207000, C271S220000, C271S902000, C270S058010, C270S059000, C414S789000, C414S789900, C414S790300
Reexamination Certificate
active
06244590
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a collating device, for example for use in mailing machines which collate sheet material for mailing, fold the collated material and insert it into envelopes.
A known collating device is shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
. The device
20
comprises conveyor rollers
21
on a shaft
22
, the rollers engaging further conveyor rollers
24
on a shaft
25
. As shown in
FIG. 2
, sheets extracted from a feeding station are fed into the collator device between the rollers
21
&
24
by a rotary drive applied to the shaft
22
. The sheets emerge from between the rollers
21
&
24
to enter between a base or lower support plate
27
and an upper or guide plate
29
. The path followed by each sheet is curved, as indicated by arrow
30
, but once the sheet has fully entered between the plates
27
&
29
, it will lie flat so that the next sheet fed in will overlie it.
The shaft
25
mounts not only the rollers
24
but also rollers
31
engaged with rollers
32
on a third shaft
34
. The shaft
25
is stationary, and the rollers
24
and
31
are free-running thereon. Thus, rotation of the shaft
34
may effect discharge of a set of sheets accumulated in the collator device.
The discharge of an accumulated stack of sheets from the collator device can be assisted by the inclination of the base plate
27
as shown. Additionally or instead, the sheets can be fed in against a stop member
36
at the inner end of the device, the stop member being biased by a spring
37
. Alternatively, the discharge can be assisted by a solenoid operated pusher located at the position of the stop member
36
, the pusher being actuated at the beginning of each discharge operation.
This type of collating device requires the various rollers to be driven selectively in order alternately to feed sheets into the device, and to discharge the collated sheets. The present invention aims to provide a more simple device which is easier to operate.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, there is provided a collating device for sheet material comprising a collating station having a pair of guide members for receiving sheets to be collated through an opening therebetween, first conveyor means for conveying sheets consecutively into the collating station and second conveyor means for conveying a collated stack of sheets out of the collating station, support means biased towards a position for supporting sheets in the collating station away from the second conveyor means, and an actuator member movable to urge a collated stack of sheets towards the second conveyor means against the bias of the support means.
Preferably, the support means is a flexible member mounted adjacent the opening between the guide members, and the actuator member is mounted across the guide members to form a closed end of the collating station.
The first conveyor means may be a nip between a first and a second roller or set of rollers, and the second conveyor means may be a nip between the second and a third roller or set of rollers. Thus, the flexible member may be arranged to support sheets in the collating station in a position between the first and second nips resting against the second roller(s). The actuator member may then be movable towards the opening between the guide members so as to urge the sheets against the second roller(s). The sheets may thus frictionally engage the second roller(s) and be conveyed into the second nip.
Thus, in accordance with this invention, the rollers may be continuously operated during the collating and discharge processes.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4078789 (1978-03-01), Kittredge et al.
patent: 4159824 (1979-07-01), Stange et al.
patent: 4673176 (1987-06-01), Schenk
patent: 4802665 (1989-02-01), Allio et al.
patent: 5514066 (1996-05-01), Monaco
patent: 5720478 (1998-02-01), Carter et al.
patent: 5906367 (1999-05-01), Takagaki
patent: 255684 (1988-02-01), None
patent: 842423 (1939-01-01), None
patent: 52-097744 (1977-08-01), None
patent: WO 95/22462 (1995-08-01), None
Ellis Christopher P.
Fitch Even Tabin & Flannery
Mackey Patrick
Printed Products Equipment, Ltd.
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