Apparatus for the high speed stacking of paper sheets

• US 5,673,837 A
• Filed: 09/14/1993
• Issued: 10/07/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Industria Grafica Meschi SRL
• Original Assignee: Industria Grafica Meschi SRL
• Inventors: Meschi, Luciano
• Primary Examiner(s): Rada, Rinaldi I.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WOODS, RAYMOND
• Application Number:
  US08/090,017
• Time in Patent Office: 1,484 Days
• Field of Search: 225/100, 225/101, 225/104, 225/105
• US Class Current: 225/100
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 35/10 from or with devices for breaking partially-cut or perforated webs, e.g. bursters
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 45/1015 Folding webs provided with predefined fold lines; Refolding prefolded webs, e.g. fanfolded continuous forms
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 45/20 Zig-zag folders B65H45/228 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 225/35 Work-parting pullers [bursters]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 225/386 Clamping supports

Abstract

Apparatus for high speed stacking and cutting of resilient materials to form individual sheets wherein the resilient material is moved through the apparatus towards a stacking plane and is guided past a tear separator actuatable to effect a tear separation along a transverse prepunched line. The tear separator comprises two pairs of respectively upper and lower rollers for friction contact with the sheets. One roller of the upper rollers is provided with a planar beveled portion and the lower rollers are essentially cylindrical, and at least one of the lower rollers is driven into rotation with a speed higher than that of the upper rollers. The lower rollers are spaced from each other in a rest condition when the beveled portion is parallely positioned in front of a plane of the connected sheets in the rest condition of the upper rollers. The lower rollers are brought into frictional contact with the sheets in an operating condition of the lower rollers, and the upper rollers are driven into rotation and brought into friction contact with one of the sheets when one of the transverse prepunched lines is between the upper and lower rollers. A presser is positionable in a rest position spaced from the sheets when the upper and lower rollers are in the rest conditions and the presser is brought to an operating position when the upper and lower rollers are brought into engagement with the sheets during the tearing phase.

Claims

1. Apparatus for high speed cutting and stacking of resilient materials formed from a plurality of definitive sheets, adjacent sheets being separated by a transverse prepunched cross line, comprising:

frame means and stacking plane means proximate to said frame means;

dragging means coupled with said frame means at an inlet end of said frame means for moving said resilient materials in a direction through said apparatus from said inlet end towards said stacking plane means;

guide means associated with said dragging means for guiding said resilient materials towards said stacking plane means;

tear separation means actuatable to effect a tear separation of each of said definitive sheets of said resilient materials along the transverse prepunched line between adjacent definitive sheets extending from one edge of each of the definitive sheets to another edge of the definitive sheets;

said tear separation means comprising one pair of upper and one pair of lower rollers adapted to get into friction contact with the definitive sheets, one roller of said pair of upper rollers being provided with at least a planar bevelled portion and each said lower rollers being essentially cylindrical, at least one of said lower rollers being permanently driven into rotation with a peripheral speed higher than that of said upper rollers;

said upper rollers having an upper rollers rest condition and an upper rollers operating condition, and said lower rollers having a lower rollers rest condition and a lower rollers operating condition;

said lower rollers being spaced from each other in said lower rollers rest condition when said planer bevelled portion of said one upper roller is parallely positioned in front of a plane of the connected sheets in said upper rollers rest condition, and aid lower rollers being brought into a friction contact condition with the definitive sheets in said lower rollers operating condition, when said upper rollers are driven into rotation and brought into friction contact with the definitive sheets in said upper rollers operating condition with one of the transverse prepunched cross lines, between said upper and said lower rollers;

pressing means positionable in a pressing means rest position spaced from the definitive sheets when said upper rollers are in said upper rollers rest condition and said lower rollers are in the lower rollers rest condition, said pressing means being positionable in pressing means operating position in contact with said definitive sheets in which said upper rollers are brought into engagement with said definitive sheets and said lower rollers are brought into engagement with the definitive sheets during a tearing phase of the definitive sheets when said upper rollers are in said rollers operating condition and said lower rollers are in said lower rollers operating condition;

said pressing means comprising at least a small roller mounted in a freely rotatable manner on a supporting shaft provided on supporting means connected to said frame means so as to permit a displacement thereof from the pressing means rest position to the pressing means operating position and vice versa;

control means for displacement of said supporting shaft associated with said supporting means, and said supporting shaft being supported by supporting arms pivotally connected to said frame means;

sensing means associated with said stacking plane means for detecting the presence of the definitive sheets and a sheet package formed from the definitive sheets on said stacking plane means; and

ejecting means associated with said sheet stacking plane means for ejecting the definitive sheets forming the sheet package.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said small roller has at least a convex portion adapted to be engaged with the definitive sheets in the pressing means operating position.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said convex portion is brought into engagement with said transverse prepunched cross line.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one lower roller of said pair of lower rollers is supported in a freely rotatable manner by said supporting means connected to said frame means so as to permit the displacement thereof from the lower rollers rest condition to the lower rollers operating condition and vice versa.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said frame means includes a fixed framework, and the other lower roller of said pair of lower rollers is supported by an arm pivotally connected to said fixed framework.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said supporting arms are connected with one of said lower rollers for supporting one of said pair of lower rollers.

7. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said control means is a clutch means.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said definitive sheets are formed in an accordion-like folded material of a continuous band;

and including diverting means cooperating with air pressure means for emitting an air blow directed to a plane of the sheets forming said continuous band exiting from said guide means.

9. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said ejecting means comprises at least one pair of motor driven belts encompassing said stacking plane means and positioned according to a direction substantially orthogonal to a direction according to which said definitive sheets are laid down onto said stacking plane means.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said motor driven belts are toothed.

11. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said stacking plane means is a stacking plane and said sensing means for the definitive sheets is located at an edge of the stacking plane means from which said sheet package is ejected.

12. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said sensing means comprises at least a photocell positioned on a surface of said stacking plane means onto which the sheet package is formed from said definitive sheets, said sensing means being capable of revealing the presence of a portion of the sheet package thereabove.

13. Apparatus for high speed stacking of individual paper sheets forming part of a continuous paper band of connected sheets by superimposing said individual paper sheets one onto another to form a sheet package, comprising:

dragging means associated with frame means for dragging the continuous band of connected paper sheets to at least one of a first and a second stopping stations and to diverting means for guiding two separate sheets after passing a separation station in a direction to a sheet stacking plane proximate to said frame means;

band guide means positioned between a band inlet area to the apparatus and said diverting means, said band guide means being means associated with tearing separation means of a tearing separation station actuatable for carrying out a tearing separation of the individual paper sheets of the continuous paper band of connected sheets along a prepunched cross line thereof, comprising one pair of upper rollers and one pair of lower rollers adapted to get into friction contact with the connected paper sheets, said diverting means comprising nozzle means connected to an air pressure source, said nozzle means being suitable for emitting an air blow essentially orthogonally directed with respect to a plane of a paper sheet of the continuous band of connected sheets exiting from said band guide means and spaced from said tearing separation station;

one roller of said pair of upper rollers being provided with at least a planar bevelled portion and both rollers of said pair of lower rollers being essentially cylindrical, at least one roller of said pair of lower rollers being permanently driven into rotation with a peripheral speed higher than that of said pair of upper rollers;

each roller of said pair lower rollers being spaced from each other to form a pair of lower rollers rest condition when said bevelled portion of said one upper roller is parallely positioned in front of a plane of a facing surface of the continuous band of connected forming a pair of upper rollers rest condition and said pair of lower rollers being brought into a lower rollers operating condition with the continuous band of connected sheets being in frictional engagement with said pair of lower rollers, and said pair of upper rollers being driven into rotation and brought into an upper rollers operating condition with friction contact with the continuous paper band of connected sheets, said band positioned between said pair of upper rollers and said pair of lower rollers,

pressing means operably associated with said lower rollers positionable in a pressing means rest position spaced from the continuous paper band of connected sheets when said upper rollers and said lower rollers are in the pair of upper rollers rest condition and the pair of lower rollers rest condition, respectively, and brought to a pressing means operating position in contact with said band and in synchronism with said upper and said lower rollers being brought into engagement with the continuous paper band of individual connected sheets therebetween during a tearing phase when said lower rollers are in the said lower rollers operating condition and said upper rollers are in said upper rollers operating condition;

sensing means associated with said sheet stacking plane for detecting the presence of a sheet package formed by individual sheets superimposed one onto the other on said sheet stacking plane; and

ejecting means associated with said sheet stacking plane for ejecting the sheet package.

14. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein one lower roller of said pair of lower rollers is supported in a freely rotatable manner by supporting means connected to said frame means so as to permit a displacement thereof from the pair of lower rollers rest condition to the pair of lower rollers operating condition and vice versa, and control means for displacement of said pair of lower rollers from the continuous paper band associated with said supporting means.

15. Apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said frame means includes a fixed framework and said other lower roller of said pair of lower rollers being supported at opposite ends by arms pivotally connected to said fixed framework for coordinating the other lower roller with said pressing means.

16. Apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said control means include a clutch means.

17. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the ejecting means for ejecting the sheet package from the sheet stacking plane comprises at least one pair of motor driven belts encompassing said sheet stacking plane and positioned according to a direction substantially orthogonal to a direction according to which said sheets are laid down onto said sheet stacking plane.

18. Apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said motor driven belts are toothed.

19. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said sensing means is located at an edge of said sheet stacking plane from which the sheet package is ejected, and said sensing means comprises at least a photocell positioned on a surface of sheet stacking plane onto which the sheet package is formed, said sensing means being capable of revealing the presence of a portion of the sheet package thereabove.