Apparatus for slowing down and guiding a signature and method for doing the same
First Claim
1. A signature slow down mechanism for receiving regularly spaced apart signatures provided along a travel path at a relatively high speed and for reducing the speed of the signatures, comprising:
- a main roller assembly including a shaft adapted for rotation and a cam member fixedly attached to said shaft, said cam member including an outwardly protruding cam shaped lobe; and
a snubber cam assembly including a shaft adapted for rotation and a cam member fixedly attached to said shaft, said cam member including an outwardly protruding cam shaped lobe, such that as a signature travels between said main roller assembly and said snubber cam assembly, said main roller assembly protruding cam lobe lies in general face-to-face relation with said snubber cam assembly protruding cam lobe along the travel path in order to effectively grab a tail end of the signature so as to slow down the speed of the signature.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for decelerating signatures moving in tandem fashion through sheet processing equipment is provided. A pair of counter-rotating cams lying in general face-to-face relation along a travel path of the signatures reach into the travel path of the signatures to effectively grab the trailing end of each signature so as to decrease the speed of each signature as the signature continues or to further processing equipment in the sheet handling system.
Also provided is a guide assembly which increases control over the signatures during the decelerating process and during transport of the signatures to further downstream processing equipment.
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Citations
40 Claims
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1. A signature slow down mechanism for receiving regularly spaced apart signatures provided along a travel path at a relatively high speed and for reducing the speed of the signatures, comprising:
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a main roller assembly including a shaft adapted for rotation and a cam member fixedly attached to said shaft, said cam member including an outwardly protruding cam shaped lobe; and
a snubber cam assembly including a shaft adapted for rotation and a cam member fixedly attached to said shaft, said cam member including an outwardly protruding cam shaped lobe, such that as a signature travels between said main roller assembly and said snubber cam assembly, said main roller assembly protruding cam lobe lies in general face-to-face relation with said snubber cam assembly protruding cam lobe along the travel path in order to effectively grab a tail end of the signature so as to slow down the speed of the signature. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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23. A signature delivery system comprising:
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a signature slow down mechanism for decelerating signatures delivered thereto in tandem at an original speed along a travel path;
a first group and a second group of belts circulating in separate endless loops through said signature slow down mechanism, said groups of belts lying in general face-to-face relation along a travel path of the signatures and confining the signatures therebetween;
a signature eject roller positioned downstream of said slow down mechanism, said eject roller having a plurality of spaced apart grooves with raised surfaces located respectively therebetween, wherein said first group of said belts engages said eject roller such that each belt in said first group of belts travels in respective grooves of said plurality of grooves in said eject roller, wherein as the signatures travel down the path, said raised surfaces in said eject roller are capable of contacting the signatures so as to send the signatures on to a next processing step in order to prevent the signatures from following said first group of belts in said endless loop to prevent jams in said delivery system.
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25. A signature delivery system comprising:
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a signature slow down mechanism for decelerating signatures delivered at an original speed along a travel path; and
an air blowing system positioned downstream of said signature slow down mechanism, said air blowing system expelling air so as to assist in guiding the signatures into further downstream equipment and so as to prevent the signatures from opening if the signatures are folded signatures so as to reduce the likelihood of damage occurring to the signatures.
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30. A signature delivery system for transporting regularly spaced apart signatures delivered along a travel path at an original speed which comprises:
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a diverter mechanism for alternately diverting successive signatures to one of two collation paths;
a main roller assembly including a shaft adapted for rotation and a cam member fixedly attached to said shaft, said cam member including an outwardly protruding cam shaped lobe;
a snubber cam assembly including a shaft adapted for rotation and a cam member fixedly attached to said shaft, said cam member including an outwardly protruding cam shaped lobe;
a first group and a second group of opposed belts circulating in separate endless loops at a given rotational speed through said main roller assembly and said snubber cam assembly and confining the signatures therebetween, wherein said groups of belts diverge from a point upstream of said main roller assembly and said snubber cam assembly such that said groups of belts effectively release the signature therebetween before the signature reaches said main roller assembly and said snubber cam assembly whereby said main roller assembly protruding cam lobe lies in general face-to-face relation with said snubber roller assembly protruding cam lobe along the travel path in order to effectively grab a tail end of the signatures traveling therethrough so as to slow down the speed of the signature;
a belt roller mounted about said main roller assembly shaft and which is independently rotatable about said shaft irrespective of the rotation of said shaft, wherein one of said group of opposed belts is in operative engagement with said belt roller, said belt roller driven by said one of said group of opposed belts, said cam members of said main roller assembly and said snubber cam assembly driven at a speed such that said respective cam lobes have a linear speed that is slower than the speed of said groups of belts;
a first signature eject roller positioned downstream of said main roller assembly and said snubber cam assembly, said first eject roller having a plurality of spaced apart grooves with raised surfaces located respectively therebetween, wherein said first group of said belts engages said first eject roller such that each belt in said first group of belts travels in respective grooves of said plurality of grooves in said first eject roller, wherein, as the signatures travel down the path, said raised surfaces in said eject roller are capable of contacting the signatures so as to send the signatures on to a next processing step in order to prevent the signatures from following said first group of belts in said endless loop to prevent jams;
a second signature eject roller positioned downstream of said main roller assembly and said snubber cam assembly, said second eject roller having a plurality of spaced apart grooves with raised surfaces located respectively therebetween, wherein said second group of said belts engages said second eject roller such that each belt in said second group of belts travels in respective grooves of said plurality of grooves in said second eject roller wherein, as the signatures travel down the path, said raised surfaces in said second eject roller are capable of contacting the signatures so as to send the signatures on to the next processing step in order to prevent the signatures from following said second group of belts in said endless loop to prevent jams; and
an air blowing system positioned downstream of said main roller assembly and said snubber cam assembly, said air blowing system expelling air so as to assist in guiding the signatures into further processing equipment and so as to prevent the signatures from opening if the signatures are folded signatures so as to reduce the likelihood of damage occurring to the signatures. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32)
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33. A method for transporting regularly spaced apart signatures traveling at an original speed along a travel path through a sheet processing system, which comprises:
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delivering the signatures to a diverter mechanism;
diverting the signatures to one of a plurality of collation paths;
guiding the signatures in tandem to a slow down mechanism;
advancing the signatures one by one along the slow down mechanism;
decelerating the speed of the signatures as each signature travels along the slow down mechanism by grabbing a tail end of each signature with said slow down mechanism; and
feeding the signatures in tandem to further processing equipment. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. A method for transporting sheets delivered from a high speed printing press at an original speed to a folder wherein the sheets are transformed into a plurality of individual signatures which travel down a path through the folder, which comprises:
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delivering the signatures in tandem order to a slow down mechanism;
sensing location of a leading edge of each signature prior to the leading edge reaching said slow down mechanism;
phasing said slow down mechanism with respect to each signature based on said sensed location of the leading edge of each signature such that said slow down mechanism grabs a trailing end of each signature in order to decrease the speed of each signature; and
feeding the signatures in tandem into a fan delivery device which is phased to be in proper position based on said sensed location of the leading edge of each signature.
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Specification