Apparatus and method for inverting, staging and diverting sheet articles

• US 5,927,713 A
• Filed: 09/18/1997
• Issued: 07/27/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bell & Howell LLC (Böwe Systec AG)
• Original Assignee: Bell & Howell Mail Processing Systems
• Inventors: Skvoretz, David M., Moser, James R., Driscoll, James N., Dudash, Donald
• Primary Examiner(s): Terrell, William E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Crawford, Gene O.
• Application Number:
  US08/932,659
• Time in Patent Office: 677 Days
• Field of Search: 271/185, 271/186, 271/187, 271/298, 271/302, 271/303
• US Class Current: 271/298
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 15/016 employing rotary or reciprocating elements supporting transport means
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/33214 about an axis perpendicular to the direction of displacement and parallel to the surface of material
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2404/1421 rotating, pivoting or oscillating around an axis, e.g. parallel to the roller axis
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/1916 Envelopes and articles of mail
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 29/58 Article switches or diverters

Abstract

A sheet processing apparatus and method for selectively inverting, staging and selectively advancing or diverting sheet material along a predetermined conveying path. The apparatus has a pair of support plates with space between the plates for passage of sheet material and a nip roller mechanism operatively connected to the support plates for advancing the sheet material. A rotation mechanism selectively simultaneously rotates the support plates as sheet material is positioned between the plates. The rotation mechanism selectively inverts the sheet material and positions the sheet material for advancement by the nip rollers from between the support plates along the predetermined conveying path.

Claims

1. A sheet processing apparatus for selectively inverting, staging and selectively advancing or diverting sheet material along a selected one of a plurality of predetermined conveying paths, said sheet processing apparatus comprising:

(a) a pair of support plates defining a space therebetween adapted for advancement of sheet material therethrough;

(b) a nip roller mechanism in operative cooperation with said support plates for selectively staging in and advancing sheet material from the space between said support plates, said advance mechanism comprising at least a pair of cooperating nip rollers for engaging sheet material in said space between said support plates, said nip rollers being operatively positioned on shafts which are connected to said support plates such that rotation of said support plates simultaneously rotates said nip rollers and said shafts; and

(c) a rotation mechanism for selectively simultaneously rotating said support plates and said nip roller mechanism at least partially about an arc of a circle for selectively inverting sheet material therebetween and positioning sheet material therebetween for advancement along a selected one of a plurality of predetermined conveying paths;

(d) whereby said sheet processing apparatus is selectively operative for;

(i) sheet material between said support plates to be selectively inverted by rotation of said support plates by said rotation mechanism;

(ii) sheet material between said support plates to be selectively positioned for advancement along a selected one of a plurality of predetermined conveying paths by rotation of said support plates by said mechanism; and

(iii) sheet material between said support plates to be selectively staged and selectively advanced by said advance mechanism from between said support plates along a selected one of a plurality of predetermined conveying paths.

2. The sheet processing apparatus of claim 1 wherein said pair of nip rollers comprises an upper nip roller and a lower nip roller with said upper nip roller and a lower nip roller with said upper and lower nip rollers each extending through different openings defined in said support plates.

3. The sheet processing apparatus of claim 1 wherein said rotation mechanism comprises a motor operatively connected to and for driving a shaft to which at least one of said support plates is attached.

4. The sheet processing apparatus of claim 1 wherein said support plates are adjustably attached such that the space therebetween can be selectively adjusted to accommodate stacks of sheet material of different sizes.

5. The sheet processing apparatus of claim 1 further comprising inlet rollers and exit rollers positioned upstream and downstream, respectively, from said support plates for advancing sheet material between and from between, respectively, said support plates.

6. A sheet processing apparatus for selectively inverting, staging and selectively advancing sheet material along a selected predetermined conveying path, said sheet processing apparatus comprising:

(a) a pair of support plates defining a space therebetween for advancement of sheet material therethrough;

(b) at least one pair of cooperating nip rollers for operatively engaging sheet material in said space between said support plates, said nip rollers being positioned on first and second inner shafts which extend between opposing base members and at least one of said nip rollers being fixedly attached to said first inner shaft;

(c) a pinion extending from one of said base members and being connected to at least said first inner shaft such that rotation of said pinion simultaneously rotates said first inner shaft;

(d) opposing first and second outer shafts each operatively connected to a different one of said base members such that rotation of said first and second outer shafts simultaneously rotates said base members and said first and second inner shafts;

(e) a first gear member operatively attached on at least said first outer shaft and engaging said pinion such that rotation of said first gear member against said pinion to simultaneously rotate said pinion simultaneously rotate said nip roller on said first inner shaft; and

(f) a rotation mechanism for selectively rotating said first and second outer shafts and said first gear member.

7. The sheet processing apparatus of claim 6 wherein said rotation mechanism comprises a rotatable transmission shaft which is operatively connected to said first and second outer shafts such that rotation of said transmission shaft simultaneously rotates said first and second outer shafts, said transmission shaft also being operatively connected to said first gear member by a selectively engageable clutch pulley such that rotation of said transmission shaft can selectively simultaneously rotate said first gear member.

8. The sheet processing apparatus of claim 7 further comprising a selectively engageable brake operatively attached to said transmission shaft.

9. The sheet processing apparatus of claim 7 wherein said rotation mechanism further comprises a motor operatively connected to and for driving said transmission shaft wherein said motor is operatively connected to said clutch pulley on said transmission shaft.

10. A method of selectively inverting, staging and/or selectively advancing sheet material along a predetermined path, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) advancing sheet material between a pair of support plates between at least a pair of nip rollers attached to separate nip roller shafts, said nip rollers and said nip roller shafts together defining a nip roller mechanism;

(b) selectively staging said sheet material between said support plates and said pair of nip rollers;

(c) selectively simultaneously rotating said support plates and said nip roller mechanism at least partially about an arc of a circle with said sheet material between said support plates to selectively position said sheet material for subsequent advancement along a predetermined conveying path; and

(d) selectively advancing with rotation of at least one of said nip rollers said sheet material from between said support plates along a predetermined conveying path.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said sheet material is also inverted by the step of paragraph (c).

12. The method of claim 10 wherein said sheet material is advanced from between said support plates along a predetermined conveying path which diverts said sheet material from an original conveying path along which said sheet material is advanced upstream from said support plates.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein said sheet material is advanced between said support plates by inlet rollers upstream from said support plates.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said sheet material is advanced between and pulled by exit rollers positioned downstream from said support plates after said sheet material is advanced from between said support plates.

15. A method of selectively inverting, staging and/or selectively advancing sheet material along a predetermined path, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) advancing sheet material between a pair of support plates where said sheet material is maintained in position by at least one nip roller on a shaft with a central axis maintained at a vertical position;

(b) selectively simultaneously rotating said support plates with said sheet material therebetween at least partially about an arc of a circle while simultaneously rotating the vertical position of said shaft holding said nip roller to selectively position said sheet material for subsequent advancement along a predetermined conveying path; and

(c) selectively actuating said at least one nip roller to advance said sheet material from between said support plates.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said sheet material is inverted by the step of paragraph (b).

17. A sheet processing apparatus for selectively inverting, staging and selectively advancing sheet material along a selected predetermined conveying path, said sheet processing apparatus comprising:

(a) a pair of support plates defining a space therebetween for advancement of sheet material therethrough;

(b) at least one pair of cooperating nip rollers for operatively engaging sheet material in said space between said support plates, said nip rollers being positioned on first and second inner shafts which extend between opposing base members and at least one of said nip rollers being fixedly attached to said first inner shaft;

(c) a pinion extending from one of said base members and being connected to at least said first inner shaft such that rotation of said pinion simultaneously rotates said first inner shaft;

(d) at least one outer shaft operatively connected to one of said base members such that rotation of said outer shaft simultaneously rotates both base members and said first and second inner shafts;

(e) a first gear member operatively attached to said outer shaft and engaging said pinion such that rotation of said first gear member against said pinion to simultaneously rotate said pinion simultaneously rotates said nip roller on said first inner shaft; and

(f) a rotation mechanism for operatively connecting with and for selectively rotating said outer shaft and said first gear member.

18. A method of selectively advancing sheet material along a selected predetermined conveying path, said method comprising the steps of:

(b) providing a sheet processing apparatus comprising;

(i) a pair of support plates defining a space therebetween for advancement of sheet material therethrough;

(ii) at least one pair of cooperating nip rollers for operatively engaging sheet material in said space between said support plates, said nip rollers being positioned on first and second inner shafts which extend between opposing base members and at least one of said nip rollers being fixedly attached to said first inner shaft;

(iii) a pinion extending from one of said base members and being connected to at least said first inner shaft such that rotation of said pinion simultaneously rotates said first inner shaft;

(iv) at least one outer shaft operatively connected to one of said base members such that rotation of said outer shaft simultaneously rotates both base members and said first and second inner shafts;

(v) a first gear member operatively attached to said outer shaft and engaging said pinion such that rotation of said first gear member against said pinion to simultaneously rotate said pinion simultaneously rotates said nip roller on said first inner shaft; and

(vi) a rotation mechanism for selectively operatively connecting with and for selectively rotating said outer shaft and said first gear member;

(b) advancing sheet material between said support plates and said nip rollers wherein said nip rollers engage said sheet material;

(c) selectively simultaneously rotating said support plates a predetermined extent with said sheet material therebetween; and

(d) actuating at least one of said nip rollers to selectively advance said sheet material from between said support plates along a predetermined conveying path.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein selectively simultaneously rotating said support plates with said sheet material therebetween a predetermined extent is accomplished by rotation of said rotation member and said outer shaft.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein actuating at least one of said nip rollers to selectively advance said sheet material from between said support plates along a predetermined conveying path is accomplished by rotation of said first gear and said pinion.