Sheet-material associating – Associating or disassociating – Signature associating
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-07
2001-08-07
Ellis, Christopher P. (Department: 3651)
Sheet-material associating
Associating or disassociating
Signature associating
C270S014000, C198S644000, C271S175000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06270068
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a transport device particularly to a transport device for transporting signatures moving on a saddle chain of a saddle binding machine away from the moving chain .
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
For the production of bound printed products, such as books, periodicals, magazines, etc. transport and gathering devices are well known. After collating single sheets or signatures the collated bundles have to be fed by a transport device to further processing stations such as a trimming or stitching station.
A known transport device for feeding the collated signatures from a saddle chain to a further working station uses a shuttle assembly to move the signatures to a stitching station. The shuttle assembly grips the collated signature bundle and moves it to the stitching station where it is released. Then, the shuttle mechanism returns to grip the next succeeding bundle of signatures. When the shuttle mechanism engages the next bundle of signatures, it also engages the previously moved bundle of signatures located at the stitching station and moves the bundle of signatures, which in the meantime has been stitched, to the delivery station, while the next bundle of signatures is moved to the stitching station. A transfer device and a stitching machine of this general construction is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,317,026.
The existing systems used on many saddle stitchers use a so called reciprocating gripper system. This comprises a row of grippers which, when closed, press against the outside of the book. These grippers are connected to a “backup” bar on the inside of the book, so that one half of the book is trapped between the grippers and this “backup” bar. The grippers open, in order to release the book at the stitching station and move back in their open condition. The grippers close on moving books when they start to move forward again. In this way, they accelerate the books away from the conveyer chain and stop them at the stitching position. The whole gripper and backup assembly is supported on a linear slide and driven backward and forward by a crank mechanism.
This system, however, comprises a relatively large reciprocating mass which requires heavy support frames and a lubricated slide system. When the assembly is driven from a crank, velocities cannot easily be optimized due to the fact that a crank is only capable of simple harmonic motions. Finally, as the gripper and backup bar assembly can only contact the inner half of the book, the higher speed outside of the book is uncontrolled and this tends to cause the spine of the book to move off the saddle apex during quick deceleration resulting in off-center stitching.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method of transporting and a transport device, especially for the transport of gathered signatures, from a moving chain to a work station.
The present invention is especially directed to a transport device for transporting a group or bundle of moving signatures from a saddle chain to a working station. A number of gathered signatures hanging upon one another on a saddle chain and reaching the point at which they shall be transferred to a working station enter the transport device for transporting this group of moving signatures from the saddle chain to the working station. The transport device comprises a first pair of first and second transport means arranged at a distance from each other and opposed to each other. While the signatures hang on the saddle chain, one side of the signatures enters the gap between the first and second transport means and the signature is thereby gripped by the transport mechanism. Being gripped between the first and second transport means, the signatures are accelerated away from the saddle chain by accelerating the first pair of transport means and transported to the working station. The transport means are driven by a driving mechanism which is controlled by a control mechanism coupled to the driving mechanism. Upon a signal of the control mechanism, the drive mechanism decelerates the pair of transport means and stops them when the group of signatures has reached the correct position at the working station. At this point, the transport means may open and release the signatures, preferably onto a wire clincher for the further working process. After this working process has been finished, the transport means may, if necessary, close again and accelerate the group of signatures away from the working station to a further working station or a transfer position, where the signatures are transferred to another conveying means for final working steps. At the transfer station the transport means release the signatures and the signatures are transferred to a final working station, for example, a trimmer infeed.
Preferably, each single transport means of the pair of transport means comprises belt means for transporting signatures. At the time the signatures enter the gap between the belt means, the belt means close and grip the signatures. As the belt means,comprising a pair of belts is able to move faster than the saddle chain, a first bundle of signatures reaching the transport belt means is accelerated away from the chain and stopped at the working position where the belts may open, while a following second bundle of signatures still moves continuously slow on the chain. When the first working process at the first working station is finished, the pair of belts close again and clamp the first group of gathered signatures at the first working station, as well as the following second bundle of gathered signatures which meanwhile has reached the position at which it enters the gap between the belt means. The first group of signatures is transported to a transfer position, while the second group of signatures is transported to the first working station.
In a first embodiment signatures are gathered on a moving chain hanging on the saddle chain, with a first side of the signature being on one side of the chain and a second side of the signature being on the opposite side of the chain. Upon a signal of the control means, the drive mechanism starts the pair of belts to run. As soon as the belts have reached the speed of the moving chain, the signatures enter the gap between belts and preferably there is no difference in speed between the belts and the signatures at this time. The belts then close and accelerate the signatures away from the chain. Thus, the timing of accelerating the belts and the movement of the signatures have to be synchronized. This means that the signal of the control mechanism has to start acceleration of the belts in due time, depending on the velocity of the moving chain and the acceleration of the belts. Then, the signatures are accelerated away from the saddle chain. Upon a further signal of the control means, the driving means decelerates the belts and the group of signatures is decelerated accordingly and stopped at a predetermined stop position where the working process, e. g. stitching, is to be carried out. When the belts have stopped moving forward, the belts preferably open, in order to allow the signatures to settle exactly on the clincher apex before being stitched. After stitching is complete, the belts close on stitched signatures which now can be regarded as a book and accelerate the book away from the stitching position. At the time when the belts have closed on the stitched book and when they have accelerated up to chain speed, they grip the next bundle of moving signatures from the continuously moving saddle chain as described above, accelerate it away from the chain, and feed it to the stitching station.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1618591 (1927-02-01), Jacobsen
patent: 1973041 (1934-09-01), Birkmeyer
patent: 1985850 (1934-12-01), Beardsley
patent: 2006294 (1935-06-01), Beardsley
patent: 2028231 (1936-01-01), Mann
patent: 2028236 (1936-01-01), Needham
patent: 3239214 (1966-03-01), Rauschenberger
patent: 4262897 (1981-04-01), Kopacz
patent: 4493482 (1985-01-01
Ellis Christopher P.
Greenberg Laurence A.
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
Lerner Herbert L.
Shapiro Jeffrey A.
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