And Plural Drives For Plural Platforms Patents (Class 271/159)
  • Patent number: 10138080
    Abstract: An apparatus for the continuous singling of stacks of loose sheet goods comprises a singler for singling stacks of loose sheet goods and a feeding device having two feeding elements, moving stacks of loose sheet goods to be singled into a position where sheet goods are grasped by the singler and transferred to a transport system, and an area for receiving sheet goods to be singled with first and second subareas. The first and second subareas border each other, and the second subarea forms an input area for the sheet goods. The first feeding element moves within the total area, between the first and third positions, and forms an end position, at least, however, in the first subarea, between a second one and the third position. A monitoring device is provided for the first subarea for ascertaining bank notes in the first subarea underneath the first feeding element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: GIESECKE+DEVRIENT CURRENCY TECHNOLOGY GMBH
    Inventors: Stefan Schneider, Roland Kopp
  • Patent number: 8864126
    Abstract: A document storage assembly for storing documents such as banknotes in a stacked configuration includes a support plate assembly for biasing the stack of documents toward an opening in the housing of the document storage assembly. The housing can include an assist mechanism to facilitate displacement of the stack of documents during the stacking of a newly received document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: MEI, Inc.
    Inventors: John D. Snider, Karen Marvin, Chris Carmine, Kenneth B. Wood, Alfred F. Bergeron, Robert Clauser
  • Patent number: 8172221
    Abstract: Apparatus for continuous singling of stacks of loose sheet material, in particular bank notes, vouchers, checks, separation cards, etc., includes a singler for singling stacks of loose sheet material and a feeding device which moves stacks of loose sheet material to be singled into a position where sheet material is grasped by the singler and transferred to a transport system, wherein the feeding device has a first, substantially single-axis moved feeding element and a second, substantially multi-axis moved feeding element. An area for receiving sheet material to be singled and which is divided into a first subarea and a second subarea is provided, wherein the first and second subareas adjoin each other and the second subarea forms an input area for inputting sheet material to be singled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Giesecke & Devrient GmbH
    Inventors: Mario Mönch, Erwin Demmeler
  • Patent number: 7748702
    Abstract: A method and a device combine auxiliary and main stacks in a delivery or feeder of a machine for processing printing materials. The device includes a rake that can be moved in and out between the main and auxiliary stacks by a motor drive. A control computer controls the motor drive of the rake. Different speed profiles are stored in the control computer for the drive of the rake as a function of the printing materials in the stacks. A sheet-fed offset printing press having the device is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Klaus Auer, Michael Bantlin, Uwe Peters, Rolf Spilger
  • Patent number: 7712735
    Abstract: An unstacker device for unstacking flat objects comprises a motor-driven feed magazine controlled so as to move flat objects in a stack and on edge facing an unstacking head provided with a motor-driven drive having a perforated belt and a suction chamber, which motor driven drive is actuated so as to separate a current first object from the stack and so as to eject it in a direction that is transverse to the direction in which the stack of flat objects is moved, in which device the motor-driven drive is actuated and stopped each time a current object is unstacked, and the stack of flat objects is straightened up in the magazine in response to detection of signals delivered by a plurality of sensors disposed in the unstacking head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2010
    Assignee: Solystic
    Inventors: Pierre Chorier-Pichon, Stephane Ambroise, Stephane Samain
  • Patent number: 7547011
    Abstract: A burden on a user when changing sheets such as with an ink jet printer and the like is reduced, and the necessary stack space is secured without considering the step difference up to the mounting surface of an ejected paper tray worth of the amount of curls for sheets that easily curls such as post cards and the like. Thus, enlargement of the apparatus and increase in the manufacturing cost are suppressed, and is easily adopted for low cost type for mass consumption.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tetsuji Kurata, Kosuke Yamamoto, Junichi Yoshikawa, Yasuyuki Hirai, Yoshitaka Okamura
  • Patent number: 6676364
    Abstract: On stack changing, in a sheet feeder, a remaining-stack carrying device (3) is used, of which the remaining-stack bars (7A, 7B) can be pulled in a staggered manner. For better access, a U-shaped mounting (6) is provided, in which the pull drives (11) of the remaining-stack bars (7) are displaceably mounted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2004
    Assignee: MAN Roland Druckmaschinen
    Inventors: Peter Hummel, Robert Ortner
  • Patent number: 6547513
    Abstract: In a stack changing device, on a sheet feeder the remaining stack bars (7A, 7B) are pulled from the stack area, out-of-line in relation to each other. For improved stack joining, the inner remaining stack bars (7A, 7B) are each pulled more slowly than the outer remaining stack bars (7A, 7B).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Assignee: Man Roland Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Peter Hummel, Robert Ortner, Jens Gebel, Marc Hinz, Bernd Ullrich, Uwe Basel, Harald Wolski
  • Patent number: 6547512
    Abstract: A remaining-stack carrying device (3) in a sheet feeder (2) is used in non-stop stack changing. The remaining-stack carrying device (3) is integrated into the stack feeder (2) to simplify retrofitting. A remaining-stack lifting gear (5) uses the lifting elements present in each sheet feeder (2) for lifting and lowering during stack exchange.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Assignee: Man Roland Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Peter Hummel, Robert Ortner, Bernd Ullrich, Harald Wolski
  • Patent number: 6361039
    Abstract: A sheet deposition device for the deposition of printed sheets on superimposed supports, where each support is provided with its own drive means for moving said support up and down between a deposition position, in which sheets can be deposited on that support, and a parking position, in which sheet deposition is not possible. Each support is also provided with detection means for detecting an obstacle in the space directly therebeneath, for example, sheets on a support directly therebeneath, said detection means delivering a first detection signal when the distance between the support provided with said detection means and an obstacle directly therebeneath is greater than a predetermined amount and said detection means delivering a second detection signal when said distance is equal to said predetermined amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2002
    Assignee: Océ-Technologies B.V.
    Inventors: Ronald Peter Hubertus in 't Zandt, Lodewijk Tarcisius Holtman, Johan Eric Ernestus Smit, René François Albert Collard
  • Patent number: 6286826
    Abstract: In a non-stop stack changing device, remaining-stack bars are pulled from the stack area one by one and out-of-line in relation to each other. To this end, a pull/push drive is provided, which makes it possible to push the remaining-stack bars simultaneously into the grooves of a pallet carrying a sheet stack. Furthermore, the pull/push drive makes it possible to pull the remaining-stack bars in pairs from inside outwards out of the stack area. In addition, the remaining-stack bars can be pulled in a first and second sequence in accordance with this model. An individual motor drive is provided for this purpose, which operates interlockingly on each individual remaining-stack bar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2001
    Assignee: MAN Roland Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Peter Hummel, Robert Ortner, Jens Gebel, Marc Hinz, Bernd Ullrich, Uwe Basel, Harald Wolski
  • Patent number: 6142463
    Abstract: A lifting device for an automatic pile changing device of a sheet-processing machine, in particular for a sheet-fed offset printing machine with a non-stop feeder, having a main pile-carrying assembly and an auxiliary pile-carrying assembly which can be raised and lowered by means of a motor and an upstream drive unit. The invention allows simple and cost effective synchronization of the main pile-carrying assembly and of the auxiliary pile-carrying assembly within given tolerances. According to the invention, this is achieved by switching signals of equal duration determined by a common control unit coordinating two drive units. At least one of the drive units is assigned parameters that enable this synchronization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2000
    Assignee: MAN Roland Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Harmut Leichnitz, Michael Dotzert
  • Patent number: 5829742
    Abstract: An in-feed magazine apparatus for loading documents includes a magazine feed ramp having one or more document conveyor belts disposed along a bottom surface, the belts being arranged to engage the bottom boundary of the documents. The conveyer belts are configured to effect forward movement of the stack of documents toward a document shingler mechanism along a linear axis defined by forward movement of the conveyer belts. Also included is a backing plate having a lower portion disposed proximal to the conveyor belt, an upper portion disposed vertically upward from the lower portion, and a generally planar face parallel to the plane defined by the face of the documents. An upper and lower sensor sense contact with the front end of the stack of documents while a controller operatively coupled to the upper and the lower sensors determines when the front end of the stack of documents lies in a plane substantially parallel to the face of the backing plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1998
    Assignee: Bell & Howell Postal Systems Inc.
    Inventors: K. George Rabindran, Michael Wisniewski, Thomas Faber, David Fillcicchia, Kenneth Guenther, Joseph Kalika, Mel Kerstein, John S. O'Callaghan
  • Patent number: 5803446
    Abstract: A method for singling loose sheet material, in particular bank notes, wherein the sheet material is supplied in an input pocket in the form of a stack in a defined position for vertical feed of the sheet material to a singler. The sheet material is moved within the input pocket vertically from the feed position to a singling position. While the preceding stack is still being singled in the singler, the next stack to be singled is already supplied in the input pocket of the singler in the defined feed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 8, 1998
    Assignee: Giesecke & Devrient GmbH
    Inventors: Karl Leuthold, Karl Benker, Wolfgang Konig, Erwin Demmeler, Josef Geier
  • Patent number: 5626335
    Abstract: A system for continuously delivering sheets which are provided in successive discrete stacks includes a stack infeed conveyor which includes a cushioned upper holddown belt synchronized to operate with a lower supporting infeed conveyor and to provide stability to stacks of relatively short sheets. A continuous lift apparatus receives successive stacks from the infeed system and utilizes a dual lift apparatus to provide the continuous delivery of stacked sheets which are individually fed from the top of the continuously ascending stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 6, 1997
    Assignee: Marquip, Inc.
    Inventors: Raymond E. Radwanski, John J. Kondratuk, Carl R. Marschke, James A. Volrath
  • Patent number: 5538238
    Abstract: A sheet feed for printing presses, in particular for offset presses, has a pile table located between feed side walls. The pile table receives a pile of sheets thereon and it is vertically movable with a main pile lifter. An auxiliary pile lift is provided for uninterrupted sheet delivery when a new pile of sheets is inserted. The auxiliary pile lift has non-stop rails for inserting non-stop rods supporting a residual sheet pile. One vertically movable lift component of the auxiliary pile lift, which is separate from the main pile lift, is disposed on each of the outsides of the two feed side walls. The non-stop rails--optionally together with the lift components--form a frame, which surrounds the feed side walls --or at least portions thereof--on the outside.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 23, 1996
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventor: Karl-Heinz Filsinger
  • Patent number: 5405130
    Abstract: Safety device in a sheet feeder of a sheet-fed processing machine includes a freely revolving pile-lifting chain for lifting and lowering a feed pile, a first drive for entraining pile-lifting chain with a driving connection so as to lift the feed pile, a second drive for entraining the pile-lifting chain with a driving connection so as to lower the feed pile, and a device for disconnecting at least one of the driving connections of the first and the second drives with the pile-lifting chain for lowering the feed pile when a limit value for a force exerted by the feed pile upon the pile-lifting chain is exceeded; and a safety method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 1993
    Date of Patent: April 11, 1995
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventor: Burkhard Maass
  • Patent number: 5374046
    Abstract: A feeding apparatus has a large turntable mounted rotatably on a tray and two paper cassettes installed on the turntable. The paper cassette are movable in a radial direction of rotation of the turntable. Carriage driving mechanisms for moving the paper cassettes are controlled to move the respective paper cassettes to positions closest to the axis of rotation of the turntable when rotating the turntable so that the space occupied by the paper cassettes is minimized. A 180-degree rotation mechanism for rotating the turntable is controlled to rotate the turntable after the respective paper cassettes are moved to the positions closest to the axis of rotation of the turntable, for interchanging the paper cassette on a feeding side and the paper cassette on a non-feeding side. This enables a reduction in the size of the apparatus, irrespective of the sizes and positions of the paper cassettes on the feeding side and non-feeding side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 20, 1994
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hirotaka Toki, Osamu Wakuda, Hiranaga Yamamoto, Hiroyuki Nagao
  • Patent number: 5333849
    Abstract: A carriage driving mechanism moves a paper cassette forward and backward along a feeding direction. A cassette rotating mechanism rotates the paper cassette. A single carriage driving mechanism and a single cassette rotating mechanism are provided for each paper cassette and installed on a level between a cassette circular plate and a large turntable. The carriage driving mechanism includes a driving system constituted by a pulse motor, a series of gears, a pulley, a carriage, a wire wound around the pulley, and guide bars. The cassette rotating mechanism includes a pulse motor and a series of gears. The driving system of the carriage driving mechanism and the cassette rotating mechanism are mounted on the bottom surface of the carriage so as to be level, and move along with the carriage. This configuration enables a reduction in the height and size of a rotatable cassette-type feeding apparatus and an increase in copying functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 2, 1994
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hirotaka Toki, Hiranaga Yamamoto, Osamu Wakuda, Hiroyuki Nagao
  • Patent number: 5295681
    Abstract: An auxiliary-pile carrier in a pile lift of a sheet-processing machine is disclosed. The pile lift has a main-pile lifting unit and an auxiliary-pile lifting unit. The auxiliary pile is supported on a pile board having grooves formed in an upper surface thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 22, 1994
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventor: Peter T. Blaser
  • Patent number: 5294108
    Abstract: A sheet feeder includes a first laterally adjustable guide for guiding a vertically displaceable pile table, a second laterally adjustable guide for guiding a vertically displaceable non-stop device, and a device for adjusting the first guide and the second guide in common and for adjusting the first and the second guides relative to one another in a given direction of movement for effecting a lateral alignment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 1992
    Date of Patent: March 15, 1994
    Assignee: Druckmaschinen AG Heidelberger
    Inventors: Gerhard Pollich, Ernst Czotscher
  • Patent number: 5076562
    Abstract: A sheet feeder for feeding sheets into a copying or printing machine includes a movable base movably mounted on a fixed base for movement across a sheet inlet of the copying or printing machine in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the sheets are fed into the copying or printing machines. Two sheet tables for carrying respective stacks of sheets thereon are juxtaposed along the direction in which the movable base is movable, and is mounted on the movable base, so that a selected one of the sheet tables can be positioned at the sheet inlet in response to movement of the movable base. The selected sheet table is lifted by a lifter mechanism associated therewith to elevate the supported sheets until the uppermost one of the sheets reaches a sheet feeding position. The sheets are then successively fed from the selected sheet table into the sheet inlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 31, 1991
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshinobu Sai, Toshiaki Sannohe, Keiichi Chiba
  • Patent number: 5011126
    Abstract: An automatic sheet stack loading mechanism of a paper sheet feeding apparatus has a main lift for supporting a stack of sheets to be fed thereon. The main lift is incrementally moved upwardly to place the uppermost sheet of the stack at a predetermined height position with respect to a sheet separator disposed over the stack and operating to separate the sheets one by one from the stack. When the stack of sheets is consumed considerably, parallel horizontal spits are inserted under the stack from both transverse sides of the stack thereby to support the load of the stack and to enable the main lift to be lowered to receive a new stack of the sheets. The insertion of the spits in the transverse direction of the stack is advantageous in that the central portion of the sheets of the stack along the direction of feed of the sheets is maintained at constant height irrespective of downward deflection of the spits so that adjustment in position of the sheet separator is not required.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 1989
    Date of Patent: April 30, 1991
    Assignee: Dai Nippon Insatsu Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Daiji Suzuki, Yasuhiro Sudo
  • Patent number: 4986528
    Abstract: A skew of a print medium sheet generally occurs when the sheet is fed to an image-forming area in an image-forming apparatus, for example, an electronics image-forming printer, from a pile of such sheets. An apparatus according to the present invention is provided with a plurality of pairs of feed rollers between the pile and the image-forming area, and a skew of a sheet is corrected every time the sheet comes in contact with each pair of rollers which are not rotating for a predetermined time, so that even a large skew can be corrected by the time the sheet reaches the image-forming area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1989
    Date of Patent: January 22, 1991
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Shinichi Watarai, Yoji Houki, Tomohiro Nonomura
  • Patent number: 4838748
    Abstract: An apparatus for continuously feeding the individual elements from tiered loads has a hoist including both vertical and horizontal support members which can both be pivoted back to come in contact with an accumulator arm assembly by the motion of a rotatable support base thereby allowing the load to be raised upwards along an angular load path. The accumulator arm assembly includes a carriage assembly which can slide part of the way down the load path and independently extendible accumulator arms for extending beneath the bottom of the tiered load once approximately one-half of the load has been unloaded down the load-discharging members to the fixed and predeterminable load discharging point where it can be processed on a conventional feed table. After the accumulator arms have been extended and have begun to raise the remainder of the load along the last portion of the load path, the hoise is free to return to its initial position and accept a second load of material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 1988
    Date of Patent: June 13, 1989
    Inventor: Alan T. Johnson
  • Patent number: 4768913
    Abstract: A destacker in which each one of a multiplicity of blank sheet materials piled one on another as a stack on a pallet disposed at a predetermined position inside the destacker is lifted by means of an attraction and transported by means of a conveyor to a machining apparatus includes a body frame, a stack receiving section and an empty pallet take-off section mounted respectively on both sides of the body frame and in close proximity to the latter, a stack resting pallet supporting frame section mounted below the inside of the body frame in such a manner as to be moved up and down freely, a stack supporting fork section mounted inside the body frame so as to be slidably moved freely in the horizontal direction and movable up and down freely in the substantially vertically intermediate part of the body frame, a sheet material attraction unit mounted in the upper part of the body frame so as to be moved up and down freely, and a conveyor section with an attraction nature disposed at an upper portion of the body
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 1987
    Date of Patent: September 6, 1988
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Komatsu Seisakusho
    Inventor: Kiyokazu Baba
  • Patent number: 4703924
    Abstract: In order to achieve a mechanical retraction of piles in a sheet feeding apparatus with a lifting table, the lifting table can be lowered to the level of the floor and serves to take up, one at a time, a pile supporting surface loaded with a pile of sheets. Each of the pile supporting surfaces is in the form of a mobile carriage and there is a carriage retracting mechanism with a tugging device which is located on the floor. The tugging device has a reversible driving device, bridges a distance of at least one length of a carriage, is situated outside the surface area of the lifting table, and has at least one dog able to engage and disengage by the lifting or respectively lowering motion of the lifting table, with a coupling element. The coupling element has edges of contact parallel to the lifting or respectively lowering direction of the lifting table, is fixed to the carriage, and projects over the surface area of the lifting table when the carriage is on the lifting table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1985
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1987
    Assignee: George Spiess GmbH
    Inventor: Josef Marass
  • Patent number: 4491312
    Abstract: A sheet item reloader-feeder wherein a pivoted item receiving tray is arcuately-angularly movable from a load position in which the tray is empty to a feed position in which the tray is full. A coiled spring biases the item tray vertically to bring the top most sheet item into the nip of a feeding device. A cable connected to the tray is interconnected to an over-center spring biased cam and an external tray handle whereby movement of the handle causes the tray to automatically move against the tension of the biasing spring from the empty position to the loaded position bring the top most sheet item into the nip of the feeding device for automatic feeding. Two such reloader-feeder devices are stacked in vertical offset relation to one another permitting operator reloading during feeding without stopping the operation of the apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1982
    Date of Patent: January 1, 1985
    Assignee: Burroughs Corporation
    Inventor: William F. Voecks, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4386769
    Abstract: An automatic paper feeding arrangement for use in a copying machine and the like having a plurality of stages of paper feeding sections for feeding the paper at a selected one of the paper feeding sections. The automatic paper feeding arrangement includes a circuitry for detecting the presence of the paper at each of the paper feeding sections, and a control circuit for cancelling the designation of the paper feeding section previously effected, based on the signal from the detecting circuit when the paper becomes absent in each of the paper feeding sections, and also for designating the paper feeding section in which the paper is initially loaded, based on the signal from the detecting circuit when the paper is loaded in any of the paper feeding sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 1981
    Date of Patent: June 7, 1983
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masazumi Ito, Kenji Shibazaki, Tsuneo Kitagawa
  • Patent number: 4349187
    Abstract: In order to design a sheet feeder with a nonstop-device with stringers suspended at lifting chains and cross bars carried by the stringers for supporting bars that serve as base for a remaining pile, in such a way that the remaining pile, which is on the bars of the nonstop-device, is laterally adjustable, the stringers are seated in longitudinal guideways, extending in direction of lifting, and the cross bars are supported slidable on the stringers transversely to the direction of transport of the sheets and are traversed by means of a motor that is supported transversely to the direction of transport of the sheets, which motor can be actuated in the one or the other direction according to the situation of the side edge of the pile by means of a sensing device that senses at least one upper side edge of the pile. The sensing device may preferably at the same time be co-ordinated to a second motor for straightening the main pile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 1980
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1982
    Assignee: Georg Spiess
    Inventor: Klaus Weyrich
  • Patent number: 4221375
    Abstract: In a copier, copy sheet handling apparatus is provided which includes a pair of feed rollers spaced apart from each other, and a copy sheet tray which extends substantially transversely through a plane which, in turn, extends midway between the feed rollers. Further, the copy sheet handling apparatus includes structure for swivelably supporting the tray in the aforesaid plane; and instrumentalities cooperative with the supporting structure for applying a resilient force to the tray substantially in the aforesaid plane to move the tray toward the feed rollers for disposition of a copy sheet into engagement with the feed rollers, whereby the force is substantially equally distributed between the feed rollers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 1978
    Date of Patent: September 9, 1980
    Assignee: Pitney Bowes Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas I. Morrison, William Gergely, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4183516
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided for individually feeding blanks from a source of blanks to a point of use. The apparatus includes a feeding apparatus which has a portion thereof engageable with a side wall blank contained in the stack and feed same onto a conveyor and then to a second transfer mechanism which conveys the side wall blank to a point of use. The feeding apparatus is comprised of a mechanism which basically is comprised of a four-link arm arrangement wherein a throat-forming member is maintained in a substantially vertical plane throughout pivoting movement of the arm arrangement thereby maintaining a side wall blank in a feed position. An elevator means is also provided which has a storage magazine and is positioned below the feeding apparatus. The elevator means includes a pair of elevators which work jointly so the elevator means can be reloaded while the feeding apparatus is still running without requiring a shutdown of the equipment to fill the magazine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1977
    Date of Patent: January 15, 1980
    Assignee: Phillips Petroleum Company
    Inventor: Jerry W. Young
  • Patent number: 4174831
    Abstract: The rear cross rod that supports the carrier rods insertable in grooves in a stacking table for continuing the lifting of a residual stack while the table is lowered for loading a fresh stack without interrupting operations from the top of the residual stack, supports the cross rods from hanging collar brackets on its underside so that the rear cross rod has its body above the carrier rod and is adjustable along the length of the carrier rod and can function as an effective rear stack stop to stabilize the stack position. In one embodiment the rear cross rod is fixed in its position for a particular stack size by clamping sliding brackets on lateral rods that run from the respective ends of the front cross rods back to an extremity at which the rear chains of the hoist are connected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 1977
    Date of Patent: November 20, 1979
    Assignee: Georg Spiess GmbH
    Inventors: Josef Marass, Rudolf Liepert
  • Patent number: 4063989
    Abstract: A magazine-type label feed mechanism for a two-table labeling machine is disclosed. Labels to be affixed to containers are loaded on and fed by primary and secondary feed mechanisms in such a manner that an operator can continuously replenish the supply of labels while the labeling machine is operating. Fluid drive means control the position of the label-feed tables and provide a relatively-constant feed pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1976
    Date of Patent: December 20, 1977
    Assignee: Campbell Soup Company
    Inventors: Donald E. Murphy, Steven J. Roby
  • Patent number: 4052051
    Abstract: A top-of-stack sheet feeder includes a stack lifting apparatus which provides uniform stack pressure at the feeder as well as stack replenishment without interruption of feeder operation. The stack lifting apparatus includes a comblike feeding platform which incrementally elevates a feed stack to a feed roller which removes successive top sheets. Platform elevation control is responsive to requirement signals generated by a top sheet height sensor. When the stack is depleted to a predetermined reserve, a pair of opposed comblike feeding decks interfit between spaces in the feeding platform and assume the stack elevation function after which the platform descends to a loading station to receive a new stack and lift same to the decks. Upon introduction of the new stack, the decks disengage the reserve and index to a lower dwell station ready to again resume stack lifting when the combined stack reaches the reserve level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 1976
    Date of Patent: October 4, 1977
    Assignee: Pitney-Bowes, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert E. Mersereau, Harold Silverman
  • Patent number: 4021710
    Abstract: The stack of sheets is moved towards the distributor at a control velocity corresponding to the distributor operation. If the stack in the operative vicinity of the distributor becomes too low, indicating too slow a stack advance, a mechanical sensor sensing the position of the top of the stack rotates to a position interrupting the signal furnished by the first and second inductive input signal generator. The interruption of the signal results in the furnishing of a second sensor output signal which, at a time determined by a synchronizing signal sets a monostable multivibrator whose output then energizes a relay which in turn applies voltage to a winding of a servomotor moving the arm of a potentiometer in a direction for increasing the speed of advance of the stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1975
    Date of Patent: May 3, 1977
    Assignee: VEB Polygraph Leipzig Kombinat fur Polygraphische Maschinen und Ausrustungen
    Inventors: Frank Fichte, Wolfgang Paul
  • Patent number: 3998448
    Abstract: Two vertically aligned elevators, each being adapted to support a stack of blanks, elevate the blanks to a magnetic blank separator and conveyor. A releasable stack support on the upper of the elevators is operative to release the stack held thereby when the stack on the lower elevator is elevated subjacent the stack of the upper elevator, with the lower elevator then supporting the merged stack of both elevators. The stack support on the upper elevator engages beneath the merged stack at a predetermined height of the lower of said elevators to permit the latter to return for another stack. A stack height sensing device automatically alternately controls the vertical movement of the elevators when supporting the merged stack for continuous upward movement of the same for separation and lift-off. A double thickness detector is provided in combination with an ejector to ensure the conveying of only one blank at a time from the top of the stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 1974
    Date of Patent: December 21, 1976
    Assignee: C. I. Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Archibald C. Gray, Douglas I. Van Aernum