US2464173A - Conveyer and guide - Google Patents

Description

March 8, 1949. A BROADMEYER 2,464,173

CONVEYER AND GUIDE Filed NOV. 2, 1945 &

flbertBroadnu ger z Patented Mar. 8, 1 949 UNITED STATES RATENT OFFICE.

13 Claims.

This invention relates toconveying mechanisms for paper or like sheets,. and is concerned particularly with improvements in means for positioning sheets relative to a conveyor by urging them laterally against a guide rail as they are advanced by the conveyor.

In accordance with. known practice, the present means for the purpose stated comprises, generally speaking, one or more rollers mountedfor peripheral contact withthe advancing sheets and having its axis or their axes of rotation inclined tothe direction of advance of the sheets, whereby the sheets are urged laterally-against a guide rail as they are advanced. Heretofore, such rollers usually have been disposed to have the sheets pass thereover and weight elements usually have been provided to rest upon the sheets to hold them engaged with the rollers. Moreover, the rollers usually have been driven by means other than the sheets themselves to' accomplish their purpose.

Generally speaking, the object of the present invention is to provide inclined roller means for the purpose stated which are considerably simplilied and more efficient than prior inclined roller means for the same purpose.

More particularly, special and important objects of the present invention are: to provide inclined roller means for the purpose stated which are readily adaptable to operate equally aswell upon paper or other sheets of different weights and textures and which are not required to be driven by means other than the advancing sheets themselves to urge the sheets against a guide rail.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will become more fully apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in inclined roller means for the purpose stated embodying the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and defined in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein. like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the different views:

Fig. 1 is a top planview of a sheet conveying mechanism embodying sheet positioning means constructed and arranged in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an. enlarged top plan view of one of the sheet positioning. inclined roller devices;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevation: of one of the sheet positioning inclined roller devices; and

Fig... 5' is a. transverse section.

Referring. to the drawings. in detail, A designates. generally. aportion of a sheet conveyor of a known type comprising a plurality of endless tapes lfi trained over a pair of rollers I l and i2, and B designates, generally, a. guide for the sheets located atone side of the conveyor A.

The tapes lzil andthelrollersz. H and lit are Underlying and supporting theupper. or active; reach of the said outermost. tape Ill is a bar l6 which. is substantially .coextensive with the guide B and which may bemounted, for. exampleyuponthe vertical flange M of saidguide- The sheets s of paper or the like;toz be ads van-cedby the conveyor A may befed tothe upper or active reaches of the tapes Ill-in any suitable manner,. and the purposeof the present inventionis to provide improved means forurgingthe sheetslaterally outward: as they are adv-ancedto.

cause their outer edges-to engage the guide rail constituted by the vertical flange |4i 0fthe-guide B,.whereby they will be properly positioned when.

they. reach the discharge end of the conveyor to be fed. to a printing or other mechanism which operates upon them.

The means for urging thesheetss'laterally as.

they are advanced may comprise only a. single device Clocated at any suitable pointalong the: length. of the. conveyor; A, or a plurality of. devices C located at suitably spaced points along the. length of said conveyor.

Preferably the said means comprisesa plurality:

of the devices C and preferably said devices are;

duplicates of one another. tion of onewillsuffice for all.

Thus, any, given device C comprises: asblock l1 resting upon the. top flange: H of the? guide 3 and. pivoted intermediate its ends; to 'said top flange, asindicated at! ill; for; rotaryadjustment in a substantially horizontal. plane.

Therefore a:- descrip- At its end nearer the discharge end of the conveyor A the block i! has suitably pivoted thereto, as indicated at l9, one end of an arm 20, whereby said arm is swingable is a vertical plane relative to said block and also is swingably adjustable in a horizontal plane in harmony with rotative adjustments of said block.

At its free end the arm 23 carries a suitable roller 2|, while in the flange lb of the guide B is an opening 22 through which said roller extends for peripheral contact at its bottom with the upper face of the marginal portion of a sheet s resting upon the conveyor tapes it]. The bar i6 supports the outermost tape ill and the outer marginal portion of the sheet s against downward movement and the roller 2! overlies said bar and the said marginal portion of the sheet with which it is maintained engaged by its own weight and the weight of said arm. Thus, as the upper or active reaches of the conveyor tapes I are advanced in the direction of the arrow a and advance the sheet s resting thereon, the frictional contact between the sheet and the roller results in rotation of the roller in the direction of the arrow 1) in Fig. 4. The roller 2| has its axis of rotation disposed at an inward and forward inclination relative to the conveyor A. In other words, the roller itself is disposed in a vertical plane inclined forwardly and outwardly relative to the conveyor A. Consequently, as said roller is rotated by advance of the sheet 3 it tends constantly to urge the sheet laterally outward. It results, therefore, that as the sheet is advanced it is urged outwardly to bring its outer edge into engagement with the inner face of the vertical flange M of the guide B and to maintain such engagement, whereby, when it reaches the discharge end of the conveyor, it will be properly positioned to be fed to a printing or other mechanism for operating upon the same.

While any suitable means may be provided for rotatably adjusting the block H to secure a desired angular adjustment of the roller 2i relative to the conveyor A, one suitable and practical means for this purpose may consist, as shown, of a screw member 23 threaded through a post 24, swiveled to said block ll and extending loosely through a bracket 25 fastened to the guide B. The screw member may have a shoulder 23' engaging the outer face of the bracket 25 and an expansion helical spring 26 may surround said screw member between said bracket to tend constantly to swing the rear end of the block ll inwardly. Obviously, therefore, by rotatably adjusting said screw member, fine angular adjustments of the roller 2i may be obtained and will be maintained. In this connection it is a desirable and advantageous feature of the invention that the screw member 23 is exposed for ready and convenient adjustment at any time, which is of importance in securing just the required angular adjustment of the roller 2i to urge the sheet s against the guide rail 14 without imposing undesirable drag upon the sheet. To facilitate adjustment of the screw member 23, the same may be provided with a knurled head 21.

Although dependence may be placed solely in the weight of the arm 20 and the roller 2! to maintain pressure of said roller against the sheet s, adjustable means preferably is provided whereby the pressure of said roller against said sheet may be varied. This means may be of any suitable form and is illustrated in the drawings as comprising a rod 28 carried by the arm 20 and extending in overlying relationship thereto and having a weight 29 slidably adjustable therealong. A set screw 30 may be carried by said weight for cooperation with said rod to maintain any desired adjustment of said weight. Obviously, by adjusting said weight along the rod 28 the pressure of the roller 24 against the sheet 3 may be varied, which is of importance in adapting the mechanism to operate most effectively upon sheets of different weights and textures. The rods 28 and the weights 29 are not shown in Fig. 1 in order to avoid confusion.

If a plurality of the devices C are provided at spaced intervals along the length of the conveyor, said devices obviously will act successively upon sheets advanced by the conveyor. The roller 2! preferably is supported by an antifriction bearing whereby it is freely rotatable and its peripheral portion preferably is composed of rubber or other suitable friction material for firm engagement with the sheets 8.

From the foregoing description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings it is believed that the construction and operation of the present mechanism will be clearly understood and its advantages appreciated. It is desired to point out, however, that while only a single specific structural embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, the same is readily capable of specifically different structural embodiments within its spirit and scope as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a sheet conveying mechanism, a sheet supporting and conveying member, a guide rail for supporting said member and to be engaged by an edge of a sheet supported by and being conveyed by said member, a roller mounted above T the guide rail to rest upon and to be rotated by the sheet as the latter is advanced by the conveying member over the guide rail, and means mounting said roller for free downward movement into engagement with the sheet and for adjustment to different inclinations relative to the conveying member to cause it to urge the sheet laterally against said guide rail as it is rotated.

2. In a sheet conveying mechanism, a sheet supporting and conveying member, means to support said member against downward movement, a guide rail to be engaged by a side edge of a sheet supported by and being advanced by said conveying member, and a roller mounted to gravitate into engagement with a sheet supported by said conveying member and to be rotated by the sheet as the latter is advanced, the downward movement of the roller being limited by the supporting means for the conveying element, and 'said roller being disposed at an inclination to the conveying member such that its rotation by the advancing sheet urges the sheet laterally into engagement with said guide rail.

3. In a sheet conveying mechanism, a sheet supporting and conveying member, a guide rail to be engaged by an edge of a sheet supported by and being conveyed by said member, a block pivoted for rotative adjustments in a horizontal plane, an arm pivoted at one end to said block for vertical swinging movement relative thereto and for rotative adjustment in a horizontal plane therewith, a roller carried by the other end of said arm to gravitate into engagement with a sheet supported by said conveying memberand to be rotated by the sheet as the latter is adasee, 17s" vanced, and means for rotatively adjusting said block to and holding it me. position to dispose said roller at. an inclination to the conveyin member to cause it to urge the sheet laterally i to engagement With said guide rail as it is rotated by advance of the sheet.

4. A sheet conveying mechanism set forth in claim 3 in which the block adjustin means comprises a fixed bracket. a screw men oer exte loosely through. said bracket and having a sh der engageable with the outer side thereof, a post swiveled to the block and having said screw member threaded therein, and an expansion spring interposed between said bracket and said post.

5. A sheet conveying mechanism as set forth in claim 3 in which a rod is carried by and overlies the arm, and in which a weight element is adjustable along said rod to vary the pressure of the roller upon the sheet.

6. In a sheet conveying: mechanism, an endless sheet supporting and conveying tape including a lower reach and an upper or active reach, an angle member extending contiguously to said up per reach, said angle member including a horizontal flange overlying said upper reach a vertical flange disposed at the outer side thereof, supporting bar for said upper reach underlying the same and carried by said vertical flange, a block pivoted to horizontal flange for rotative adjustments in a horizontal plane, an arm pivoted at one end to said block for vertical swinging movement relative thereto and for rotative adjustments therewith, a roller carried by the other end of said arm to gravitate into peripheral engagement with a sheet supported by said upper reach, and to be rotated by the sheet as the latter is advanced, said upper flange having an opening through which said roller may gravitate into engagement with the sheet, and means for rotatively adjusting said block to adjust said roller to an inclination relative to said upper reach to cause said roller to urge the sheet laterally outward against said vertical flange as it is rotated by advance of the sheet.

7. A sheet conveying mechanism as set forth in claim 6 including adjustable Weight means carried by the arm to vary the pressure of the roller against the sheet.

8. A sheet conveying mechanism as set forth in claim 6 in which the means for rotatively adjusting the block comprises a screw member having a head exposed at the outer side of and above the angle member for free access at all times to eiiect the adjustments.

9. In a sheet conveying mechanism, a sheet supporting and conveying member composed of a plurality of spaced endless tapes disposed in parallel relation to each other, a guide rail for supporting one of the outermost of said tapes to prevent downward movement thereof and to be engaged by an edge of a sheet supported by and being conveyed by said conveying member, means mounted above the guide rail and the said one of the outermost tapes of the conveying element to rest upon and to be rotated by the sheet as the latter is advanced, and means mounting said first-named means for free downward movement into engagement With that portion of the sheet overlying the said tape supported by the guide rail and for adjustment to different inclinations relative to the efiective path of movement of the conveying member to cause the same to urge the sheet laterally against said guide rail as it is rotated.

10. In a sheet conveying mechanism, a sheet 6 supporting and conveying member, a guide rail" for supporting one of the outer edge portions of said member to prevent downward movement thereof and to be engaged by an edge of a sheet supported by and being conveyed by said member, a tifriction means mounted above the guide rail and the said outer edge portion of the member to be supported thereby so as to rest upon and be actuated by the sheet as the latter is.

advanced, and means mounting said anti-friction means for free downward movement. into engagement with that portion of the sheet overlying the portion of the member supported by the guide rail and for adjustment to different inclinations relative to the effective path of movement of the conveying member to cause said anti-friction means to urge the sheet laterally against said guide rail as said anti-friction means is actuated.

11. In a sheet conveying mechanism, a sheet supporting and conveying member, a guide rail to be engaged by an edge of a sheet supported by and being conveyed by said member, an element mounted for rotative adjustments in a horizontal plane, an arm movably connected to said element for vertical movement relative thereto and for rotative adjustment in a horizontal plane therewith, rotatable means carried by the other end of said arm to gravitate into engagement with a sheet supported by said conveying member and to be rotated by the sheet as the latter is advanced, and means for rotatively adjusting said element to and for holding the latter in a position. to dispose said rotatable means at an inclination to the conveying member to cause the same to urge the sheet laterally into engagement with said guide rail as it is rotated by advance of the sheet.

12. In a sheet conveying mechanism, a sheet supporting and conveying member, a guide rail for supporting one of the outer edge portions of said member to prevent downward movement thereof and to be engaged by an edge of a sheet supported by and being conveyed by said member, an element mounted for rotative adjustments in a horizontal plane, an arm movably connected to said element for vertical movement relative thereto and for rotative adjustment in a horizontal plane therewith, rotatable means carried by the other end of said arm to gravitate into engagement with a sheet supported by said conveying member at a point above said outer edge portion of the conveying m mber which is supported by the guide rail and to be rotated by the sheet as the latter is advanced, and means for rotatively adjusting said element to and for holding the latter in a position to dispose said rotatable means at an inclination to the conveying member to cause the same to urge the sheet laterally into engagement with said guide rail as it is rotated by advance of the sheet.

13. In a sheet conveying mechanism, a sheet supporting and conveying member, a guide rail to be engaged by an edge of a sheet supported by and being conveyed by said member, means carried by the guide rail for supporting the adjacent portion of the active part of the conveying member, an element mounted for rotative adjustments in a horizontal plane, an arm movably connected to said element for vertical movement relative thereto and for rotative adjustment in a horizontal plane therewith, rotatable means carried by the other end of said arm above that portion of the conveying member supported by the supporting means carried by the guide rail so as to gravitate into engagement REFERENCES CITED with a she t supported by id [conveying m m- The following references are of record in the her, and to be rotated by the sheet as the latter file of this p t nt: is advanced, and means for rotatively adjusting 5 i said element to and for holding the latter in a UNITED STATES PATENTS position to dispose said rotatable means at an Number Name Date inclination to the conveying member to cause the 252,477 Kneeland J 1332 same to urge the sheet laterally into engagement 2,300,625 Martin NOV. 3, 942 with said guide rail as it is rotated by advance l0 FOREIGN PATENTS of the sheet.

Number Country Date ALBERT BROADMEYERL 520,923 Germany Mar. 16, 1931

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