Sheet feeding or delivering – Feeding – By means to convey sheet
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-11
2001-01-23
Ellis, Christopher P. (Department: 3651)
Sheet feeding or delivering
Feeding
By means to convey sheet
C271S204000, C198S470100, C198S803700
Reexamination Certificate
active
06176484
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device for transporting sheets or folded products which are to be fed to a printing machine or which are to be led away from a printing machine or which are to be printed, on a transport path thereof, by an ink jet printing unit.
From the published German Patent Document DE 41 14 095 C1, it has become known heretofore to use as a transporter or conveyor a flexible steel belt having gripper tongues spaced apart from one another in the transport direction. The gripper tongues, together with the transport belt, form a gripper opening which is directed, respectively, in and counter to the transport direction and which receives therein an end of a sheet or folded product in order to grip and transport the latter and to wind it up.
An opening and closing movement of the gripper formed by the gripper tongue and transport belt is controlled by the curvature of a deflection roller for the transport belt.
In the case of the hereinaforementioned device disclosed by the published German Patent Document DE 41 14 095 C1, the opening and closing times of the tongue gripper are disadvantageously defined by the curvature and position of the deflection rollers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a transport device for sheets or folded products, that has at least one flexible transport belt and grippers fastened thereto, the grippers having freely selectable opening and closing times.
With the foregoing and other objects in view, there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a device for transporting a sheet or a folded product by a transport belt, comprising at least one holder for holding the sheet or the folded product, the holder being operatable by an effect selected from the group consisting of magnetic and thermal effects.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the at least one holder is operatable via a magnetic source.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the at least one holder is operatable via a heat source.
In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the at least one holder is a gripper tongue directly cooperatable under prestressing force with the transport belt.
In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, the transporting device includes another transport belt arranged parallel to the first-mentioned transport belt, and the at least one holder is a gripper tongue cooperatable under prestressing force with a gripper bar extending from the first-mentioned transport belt to the other transport belt.
In accordance with yet another feature of the invention, the at least one holder is openable for releasing the sheet or the folded product, and an opening device is included for generating a magnetic field for opening the at least one holder.
In accordance with yet a further feature of the invention, the opening device is a permanent magnet.
In accordance with an alternative feature of the invention, the opening device is an activatable electromagnet.
In accordance with yet an added feature of the invention, the at least one holder is openable for releasing the sheet or the folded product, and an opening device is included for generating radiant heat for opening the at least one holder.
In accordance with yet an additional feature of the invention, the opening device is a laser.
In accordance with still another feature of the invention, the at least one holder is formed of magnetizable resilient steel.
In accordance with an alternative feature of the invention, the at least one holder is formed of a resilient bimetal.
In accordance with still a further feature of the invention, the at least one holder is a gripper tongue, and a spot-weld connection is provided for fastening the gripper tongue to the transport belt.
In accordance with an alternative feature of the invention, the at least one holder is a gripper tongue, and a spot-weld connection is included for fastening the gripper tongue to the gripper bar.
In accordance with still an additional feature of the invention, the transporting device includes an ink jet printing unit arranged at a slight distance from the transport belt.
In accordance with a concomitant feature of the invention, the transporting device includes an ink jet printing unit arranged at a slight distance from the gripper bar.
A significant advantage of the invention is the free selection of the opening and closing times for the gripper tongues, arranged on the transport belt, by means of an opening device which can be arranged freely. By this means, the transport device can be arranged independently of the installation position of the deflection roll.
The sheets or folded products transported by means of the device according to the invention can thus be accepted from a processing station or a reservoir, for example a sheet stack, at any point—corresponding to the arrangement of the opening or closing device of the transport belt—and transferred to another processing station or another reservoir, for example a sheet deposit point.
In an advantageous refinement, the transport device according to the invention comprises at least one magnetizable gripper tongue which is fastened to the flexible, nonmagnetic transport belt. In the case of an austenitic steel belt, the fastening is preferably made by spot welding. The gripper produced in this way is very flat and can for example, transport a gripped sheet through a printing gap of an ink jet printing unit.
In a second exemplary embodiment for the transport means, provision is made for a gripper strip which bears a number of gripper tongues arranged alongside one another to be arranged between two transport belts.
In the preferred exemplary embodiment for the opening device, the opening means is a permanent magnet or an electromagnet which can be activated. In a further exemplary embodiment for the opening device, the opening or closing means is a laser which, by means of heating, opens a gripper tongue designed as a bimetallic strip.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a device for transporting sheets or folded products, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
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Greive Martin
Rensch Clemens
Ellis Christopher P.
Greenberg Laurence A.
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft
Lerner Herbert L.
Ridley Richard
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