Feeder tray for continuous forms bursting

• US 4,473,218 A
• Filed: 08/19/1982
• Issued: 09/25/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Norbert J. Dudek
• Original Assignee: Norbert J. Dudek
• Inventors: Dudek, Norbert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eickholt, E. H.
• Application Number:
  US06/409,640
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• Field of Search: 270/52, 270/52.5, 225/3, 225/93, 225/100, 225/106, 226/5, 226/170-172, 226/174, 226/178, 226/181-183, 226/188
• US Class Current: 270/52.12
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 35/10 from or with devices for breaking partially-cut or perforated webs, e.g. bursters
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 225/35 Work-parting pullers [bursters]

Abstract

A feeder tray for feeding a continuous form into a friction feed folding machine. A continuous form, which is typically a printout generated by a computer'"'"'s printer, is pulled through a pair of tensioning rollers mounted on the feeder tray. The continuous form exits the tensioning rollers and is fed between a friction wheel and idler wheel. Upon exiting the friction wheel the form is engaged by a pair of stripper wheels which are rotating at a much higher rate than the friction wheel or tension rollers. The sudden increase in lineal speed imparted to the continuous form by the stripper wheels causes the form to burst at a perforation. The bursting operation is repeated at each perforation to reduce the continuous form to a plurality of singular sheets.

Claims

1. An apparatus for feeding a continuous form into a friction feed folding machine and subsequently bursting the form along periodic perforations, the folding machine having a frame with a main drive shaft mounted on the frame, a frictional feed wheel mounted on the main drive shaft, a pair of stripper wheels mounted on individual shafts, a means to rotate the stripper wheels including a drive roller, the stripper wheels rotating at some predetermined linear tangential speed which is faster than the linear tangential speed of the frictional feed wheel in order to burst the continuous form at its perforations, the improvement comprising, in combination:

a feeder tray;

means for mounting the feeder tray on one end of the folding machine;

means for aligning the continuous form when it engages the feeder tray;

a pair of tension rollers mounted on the feeder tray with the continuous form interwoven between the rollers;

a slot extending a distance along the longitudinal axis of the feeder tray;

an idler pulley adjustably mounted on the frame and protruding into the slot so it contacts one tension roller to transmit rotational movement to the roller;

means to transmit rotational movement to the idler pulley;

an idler wheel mounted in close relationship with the frictional feed wheel so that as the tension rollers pull the continuous form along the feeder tray surface from a source the continuous form is fed from the tension rollers and in between the frictional driving wheel and the idler wheel and is maintained in a tensioned condition until it reaches the stripper wheels whereupon the difference in linear tangential speed between the stripper wheels and the frictional drive wheel causes the form to burst along a perforation, the resulting single forms being transported along the folding machine for further processing.

3. The combination as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the means for aligning the continuous form as it engages the feeder tray includes a pair of guide bars adjustably mounted in paralled spaced relation to each other on the surface of the feeder tray.

4. The combination as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 further comprising a means for adjusting the height of the feeder tray relative to the folding machine.

5. The combination as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising a sheet retainer mounted on the feeder tray for guiding the continuous form as it exits the tension rollers and before the sheet engages the friction feed wheel.

6. The combination as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the idler pulley is adjustably mounted for longitudinal movement by mounting the pulley on a shaft which travels along slotted brackets so that as the shaft is moved in the slot, the distance between the idler pulley and the stripper wheels is varied to correspond to the distance between the perforations of the forms being run through the folding machine.

7. The combination as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the means to transmit rotational movement to the idler pulley includes a plurality of pulleys mounted on a common shaft on the folding machine and being driven by the main drive shaft.

8. The combination as claimed in claim 7 further comprising a means to tighten the belts running from the pulleys including a tensioning rod for adjusting the tension in the belts by varying the distance between the pulleys.

2. An apparatus for feeding a continuous form into a friction feed folding machine and subsequently bursting the form along periodic perforations, the folding machine having a frame with a main drive shaft mounted on the frame, a frictional feed wheel mounted on the main drive shaft, a pair of stripper wheels mounted on individual shafts, a means to rotate the stripper wheels including a drive roller, the stripper wheels rotating at some predetermined linear tangential speed which is faster than that of the frictional feed wheel in order to burst the continuous form at its perforations, the improvement comprising, in combination:

a feeder tray;

means for mounting the feeder tray on one end of the folding machine;

means for aligning the continuous form when it first engages the feeder tray;

a first tension roller slidably mounted on the feeder tray and at right angles to the direction of flow;

a second tension roller slidably mounted on the feeder tray and in an off-set and cooperating relationship with the first tension roller, the continuous form being interwoven between the first and second tension rollers;

a slot extending a distance along the longitudinal axis of the feeder tray;

an idler puller adjustably mounted on the frame and protruding into the slot so its contacts one tension roller to transmit rotational movement to the roller;

means to transmit rotational movement to the idler pulley;

an idler wheel mounted on close relationship with the frictional feed wheel so that as the tension rollers pull the continuous form along the feeder tray surface from a source the continuous form is fed from the tension rollers and in between the frictional driving wheel and the idler wheel and is maintained in a tensioned condition until it reaches the stripper wheels whereupon the difference in linear tangential speed between the stripper wheels and the frictional drive wheel causes the form to burst along a perforation, the resulting single forms being transported along the folding machine for further processing.