Sheet-material associating – Associating or disassociating – Signature associating
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-22
2001-10-09
Ellis, Christopher P. (Department: 3651)
Sheet-material associating
Associating or disassociating
Signature associating
C270S052230
Reexamination Certificate
active
06299154
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device designed to open at least one page of a publication in order to introduce printed inserts, in particular in an insert feeding and/or packaging machine.
2. Discussion of the Background
Machines called “inserting machines” that feed printed inserts such as a sheet of paper into a publication are known. “Publication” shall be deemed to mean any product, such as a magazine, a two-sided folding leaflet and the like, subsequently called the “main product”.
Machines designed to package such products are also known, namely machines in which the main products such as magazines, folding two-sided leaflets and the like are packaged in plastic shrink wrapping material and the like, which contain devices designed to add one or more inserts or secondary products such as a sheet of paper, another leaflet, etc.
These devices, called feeders or inserters, automatically combine the inserts with the main product being packaged.
In order to do so, further devices and/or systems are fitted adjacent to the feeders of the inserting machines and packaging machines which completely raise the first page or other underlying pages of the main product, keeping them all open and raised well above the conveyor and the pushers to allow the insertion of the secondary product.
The devices and/or systems of this kind used at present are particularly bulky, and can cause jamming or stoppage of the packaging machine, which operates at high speed. For example, as they are made in the form of large deflectors which extend above the pusher conveyor, they raise the first page and/or the other pages excessively, causing it to jam in the insert feed elements.
In addition, precisely because of their size, the deflectors currently used are firmly fixed to the structure of the machine, which causes problems if they have to be removed to eliminate jammed paper.
Another drawback is that when the first page or other pages beneath it is fully opened, the inserts fed in may not be correctly aligned and positioned, but may be skewed and misaligned. They may even “leapfrog” the conveyer pusher, or adhere to the upper separation surface as a result of static discharges, which are always present in sheets of paper.
Another drawback is associated with the presence of electrostatic discharges, which are normally present in paper products and cause the pages to stick together so that it is difficult to separate them in order to introduce additional inserts.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The aim of this invention is therefore to offer a device that opens at least one page and is particularly functional and simple to construct, in order to solve the problems set out above.
Another aim is to offer an opening device which can easily be at least partly removed from the support structure of the insertion and/or packaging machine so as to minimise stoppages in the event of jamming.
In accordance with the present invention, these aims are achieved by a device in an insert feeding and/or packaging machine that opens at least one page of a publication to introduce printed inserts, and includes a feed table for publications associated with a product feeding conveyor, at least one sheet feeder being fitted alongside the feed table to feed secondary products, said device being characterised in that it includes a suction and lifting element which raises a lateral portion of said at least one page of a main product, a deflector designed to deflect the lateral portion of said at least one lifted page being fitted downstream of said suction and lifting element, which has a reduced width and is fitted alongside in correspondence of the deflector, where said at least one sheet feeder is located.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3627302 (1971-12-01), Dutro
patent: 3661379 (1972-05-01), Dolfini
patent: 4401300 (1983-08-01), Morin
patent: 4403770 (1983-09-01), Ferguson et al.
patent: 4420146 (1983-12-01), Reist
patent: 4463941 (1984-08-01), Schlough
patent: 4478399 (1984-10-01), Morin et al.
patent: 5253857 (1993-10-01), Ballestrazzi et al.
patent: 5443250 (1995-08-01), Gosslinghoff
patent: 5613670 (1997-03-01), Ballestrazzi et al.
patent: 6017027 (2000-01-01), Jaeger
Ballestrazzi Aris
Tassi Lamberto
Ellis Christopher P.
Mackey Patrick
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Sitma S.p.A.
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