US3359874A

US3359874A - Variable batching device for conveyer-borne folded paper products

Info

Publication number: US3359874A
Application number: US491746A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jerry A Stegenga; Richard L Tesch; Jr Edward Bleckner; James G Quakenbush
Original assignee: Milgo Electronic Corp
Current assignee: Milgo Electronic Corp
Priority date: 1965-09-30
Filing date: 1965-09-30
Publication date: 1967-12-26
Anticipated expiration: 1984-12-26

Description

Dec. 26, 1967 STEGENGA ET AL 3,359,874

VARIABLE BA ING DEVICE FOR CONVEYER-BORNE Filed Sept. 30, 1965 FOLDED PAPER PRODUCTS ZSheets-Sheet 1 F AUTOMATlC 1 PRE- PROGRAMED \25 l I BATCH SELECT v J i MANUAL BATCH SELECT .x24 23 CONTROLS 015mm SELECT CONTROLS \.33

INVENTORS JERRY A. STEGENGA RICHARD L.TESCH EDWARD BLECKNEFQJR. JAMES G. QUAKENBUSH BY M, M A

ATTORNEYS Dec. 26, 1967 J. A. STEGENGA ET AL 3,359,874 VARIABLE BATCHING DEVICE R CONVEYEH-BORNE FOLDED PAPER P UCTS Filed Sept. 50,1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 RD L. TESCH EDW BLECK ,JR. JAME OUA SH lY l I:

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,359,874 VARIABLE BATCHING DEVICE FOR CONVEYER- BORNE FOLDED PAPER PRODUCTS Jerry A. Stegenga, Coral Gables, Richard L. Tesch, Hollywood, Edward Bleckner, Jr., Fort Lauderdale, and James G. Quakenbush, Hollywood, Fla., assignors to Milgo Electronic Corporation, Miami, Fla., a corporation of Florida Filed Sept. 30, 1965, Ser. No. 491,746 21 Claims. (Cl. 93-93) This invention relates to counting, controlling, batching and identifying articles moving in a stream on a conveyer and more particularly to improved accurate means for marking particular items therein according to variably set counting means.

It has previously been known to deliver folded paper products, such as newspapers, to a conveyer in overlapping relation and to separate these products into bundles or batches of fixed size or according to a count made either when deposited on the conveyer or when stacked. In one example a fan delivery deposits papers in overlapping relationship upon a moving conveyer to provide a moving product stream, means being provided for separating the articles into batches according to a selection mechanism operative as they are deposited on the conveyer. Other prior art devices stack the products as they are delivered by the conveyer, with various devices for governing the size of the stack. But there has not been available a convenient means of accurately batching these products according to a count made along the moving stream and for suitably marking or displacing one particular counted item to indicate batch termination. This feature is of particular value in a high speed operation, for which previous batching methods have not been capable of the required performance or the desired versatility in batch size adjustment under control of an operator nor by preprogrammed sequence. Most prior art devices have involved some form of device actuated to interrupt the stream flow as a function of the conveyer travel or the fan delivery, being thus keyed to the depositing of objects on the conveyer rather than exact stream progress. In a high speed operation it becomes important to keep the stream moving at full rate and for a large printing operation, as for a metropolitan newspaper, product travel distances are too great for efficient operation of a counter and batching device associated with the depositing of the items upon the conveyer. Provision for rapid and automatic change of batch size has not been satisfactory in prior devices.

It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide an improved counting and identifying arrangement which can be used at any desired location in the stream.

Another object is to provide means of identifying a particular article in a stream of folded paper products without adversely aflecting its alignment within the stream.

Another object is to provide means for tagging or marking batch determining items in a stream including displacement thereof from the aligned stream only in one direction of motion.

A further object is to provide improved means for measuring distance between a point of counting of items in a stream and the point of displacing or tagging particular items therein.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a manual control for use by an operator to vary the number of items automatically separated into batches in a continuously moving stream.

Another object is to provide controls for identifying and separating product batches variably determined in size according to paper tape, magnetic tape, punched card, or other programming control means.

These and other objects of the invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an overall diagrammatic sketch of a batcher according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic sketch of an optical sensing device for measuring conveyer travel for use in the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the batcher of FIG. 1 showing the blade actuated;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 in which the next arriving article is displaced on the blade; and

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing the blade retracted as in FIG. 1.

The objects of this invention are achieved primarily by provision adjacent a conveyer belt or the like supporting a stream of folded paper products, a sensing head which counts the products and operates a batch selector mechanism in accordance with a pneprogramming batch size reader in conjunction with time-displacement correlating means for delayed operation of a displacing blade which serves, when operated, to modify the motion of one selected product delimiting a batch during translation by displacement in one degree of motion such that it remains displaced as the stream is gathered beyond the batching apparatus. Because the present invention is intended to provide for automatic batching of folded paper products where the count of products in each successive batch is variably programmed according to storage in formation in a computer-type control mechanism, it is essential that the counting operation and the batching operation shall be so correlated and positioned so that a count, when completed in the counting mechanism, initiates actuation of the batching mechanism at a measured distance and rate of article delivery such that the batching blade operates at the same point in the stream as that point in which the counting apparatus reaches the count prescribed for the particular batch.

, Referring now to FIG. 1, there is generally illustrated at 10 a conveyer for conducting a stream of overlapped printed products to the apparatus of this invention. In the case of newspapers being delivered from a press, these papers arrive with the folded edge forward and in a relationship in which each paper overlaps portions of preceding papers. Illustratively, conveyor apparatus 10 includes a horizontal portion and a vertical portion 11 which conducts the products to a sloped portion 12 where they are prepared for the batching apparatus later to be described. Each conveyor portion may consist of a lower table or channel having a conveyer belt thereon, often being a number of parallel-operating helical spring tension members 15, 15' partially contained in grooves with a cooperating set of similar members designed to keep the paper products pressed against the supporting conveyers. One side of the stream may be supported as in FIG. 1 by conveyer portions 10, 11 and 12, while the other side is held down or laterally supported by cooperating belt members as at 10, 11 and 12. Pulleys or feed rolls 13, 13' drive the moving members of 10, 10', 11, 11', 12, 12' and are aligned with the respective planes of the moving stream. Conveyor 12 is disposed at an angle to conveyer 11 and has a lower terminal roller serving as a backup roller for floating roller 17 which terminates corresponding upper member 12'. Thus the paper stream is compressed between

rollers

16 and 17 by the weight of roller 17 to feed papers continuously in a pressed-together condition to the batching device. Under some conditions conveyer 10 may lead directly to conveyer 12 by rearrangement of the counting and measuring devices. Counter 19 engages successive papers to provide an exact count prior to the time the papers are delivered to the batcher. When batched papers are delivered onto table 14 they are carried along by belt 18 to a receiving station. Papers compressed between

rollers

16 and 17 are held in relatively positioned sequence in the stream sufficiently to effect the curling back of the paper curled at blade 26, later to be described.

According to this invention, products in the stream 20 move past rolls 10, 11, 12 and 16 and as more clearly shown in FIGS. 35 are then bunched or batched according to either a manual setting or preprogrammed automatic selector mechanism so as to separate the products into groups of which the final paper is shown at 21 and 21' and the first paper of a succeeding group is shown at 22 prior to displacement from its alignment with the stream 20. Upon displacement, it may take the position as at 22' or 22" and continues along table 14 in the displaced position so as to permit ready separation into appropriate sized batches, as the batch size may be changed from moment to moment according to a delivery schedule. Products are thus tagged and/or marked by displacement of the first member of the batch as it emerges from the conveyor 12.

Actual count is made by counting device 19 arranged to contact the products passing a particular point in the stream as close to the batcher as possible. The count registered by device 19 may be a total count for the run, or may be a resettable batch counter where the count commences anew at the end of each batch, or both. A suitable mechanical counter is shown in Patent No. 3,197,- 136. A normally open switch is closed each time a count is made, thereby to provide an electrical signal pulse to a sensor count accumulator 23 through which the batch size selection is effected.

Such a count accumulator may be a group of flip-flop circuits interconnected to provide a count of the desired amount, or may be a counter of other type as convenient, but is provided with means for electrical resetting upon accumulation to the predetermined number. This predetermined number may be set into the accumulator by a manual selector control 24 when it is desired to keep the batch size under control of an operator. Alternatively, a preprogrammed batch select device 25 may be employed and connected to the count accumulator 23 in lieu of the control 24, or may be arranged to receive control through a switch 23' so that the same batcher can be used in either way, or with a manual control overriding. Conventional automatic preprogramming devices may be employed, including, for example, a card reader mechanism such that in a daily run of newspapers there may be for each distributor a card bearing the number of papers to be included in each batch for delivery to that distributor. Upon running each of the cards through the programmer in succession, the papers are automatically bunched into batches in strict accordance with the preprogrammed batch selection scheme employed. Similarly, punched tape or magnetic tape storage may provide preprogrammed control. Tagging or marking is accomplished in the following manner. When the count accumulator registers the whole count for the batch then being separated, a signal is initiated to operate solenoid 27 and actuate batcher blade 26 to engage the next following product in the stream 20. Blade 26 is shaped to engage the following paper at the leading edge after it has passed backup roller 16 and before it is deposited on table 14. Blade actuator solenoid 27 is supported, for example, by a cross bar mounted on the framework supporting roll 17 or the conveyers. When blade 26- is lowered by operation of solenoid 27, one paper 22 is lifted from its position sufficiently to strike rider straps 28 at shoulders 29 thereof which causes paper 22 to be folded back over the next following paper in the stream and to remain so folded under straps 28 as at 22' until it has passed beyond the end rider at which time it will be permitted to resume its normal shape as shown at 22".

Straps 28 constitute arresting or restraining means which stop the onrushing papers and determine the upper limits of the gathered stream. Members 28 are curved upwardly at the forward portions thereof and pass over

rollers

16, 17 providing a throat into which papers feed without hindrance, except papers 22' which are thereby folded back over following papers by members 28 as papers 22' pass thereunder. Thus it is seen that the last paper of a batch, as at 21, passes freely under 28 and the next succeeding paper is lifted into contact with shoulders 29 of members 28, and held by friction with the following papers so as to be pulled out of position in the stream by the folding action of the thrust of following papers from

rollers

16, 17.

Since the present invention provides for an exact count of products to go in each bundle or batch and is adapted for use on a moving stream where the products are overlapping, it will be appreciated that the counter 19 is not conveniently placed exactly at the point at which blade 26 is to operate to lift the succeeding paper 22 out of its normal position in the stream. It is therefore convenient to provide a distance measuring mechanism which either measures the distance from counter 19 to blade 26 or a rate of travel of the stream 20 accompanied by a delayed interval in the application of the impulse to solenoid 27. Since a precise count is desired, a device for precisely measuring the time interval and adjusting the time delay is provided in the following manner.

A mechanical impulse generator 30 is coupled to one of the pulleys 13 which is in direct contact with the moving stream as in FIG. 1. For this purpose, belt 31 may be either a precisely coupled belt to produce one impulse in the device 30 for each selected bit of travel of the stream, or like device.

A suitable distance measuring device 30 is shown in detail in FIG. 2. It may consist of a disc 34 containing a series of equally spaced holes 34, 2 photo diode cells 36, 36', light sources 35, 35', and a lens system. A positive drive by cleated belt 31, or the like, is used between the distance measuring device 30 and the conveyer system, which insures that the rotation of the disc is in direct relationship to the movement of the conveyer system. The photo diodes 36, 36' are so positioned that when one is in line with a hole 34 in disc 34 the other is positioned half way between adjacent holes. As the disc rotates, the photo diodes alternately send pulses to the distance count accumulator 32. The electronics are so arranged in the accumulator 32 that after a pulse is accepted from one photo diode, additional pulses from that photo diode will not be accepted until accumulator 32 receives a pulse from the other photo diode. This arrangement avoids chatter, so that when disc 34 is stationary but vibrating slightly, false pulses will not be accumulated in the distance count accumulator. It will be apparent that the converse is true, that after a pulse is generated by one photo diode it can no longer affect the distance count accumulator until the other photo diode provides an output pulse. It should now become apparent that each pulse applied to the distance count accumulator is a direct and accurate indication of a distance traveled by the conveyer system.

The total number of pulses allowed to accumulate in the distance count accumulator before it actuates the displacement mechanism 27 is determined by the setting of the distance select control 33. When the correct number of pulses have been received by the distance count accumulator it resets to zero and at the same time provides an electrical closure which actuates the solenoid 27 on the displacement device.

To further understand the operation of this device, assume a situation where the total number of newspapers required in a particular lot or batch is 50. The manual batch select control 24 would be set to number 50. In our hypothetical situation assume the exact distance from the sensor 19 to the blade 26 of the displacing device is 43.6 inches. Distance measuring device provides a pulse for every 0.2 inch of conveyer travel. Distance select control 33 would then be set to 218 (43.6+O.2=218). The

first newspaper 22 passing under the sensor will start the sensor count accumulator 23. The pulse generated by the sensor as the 50th newspaper is counted will cause the sensor count accumulator to send a starting pulse to the distance count accumulator. When the total number of pulses received by the distance count accumulator from the distatnce measuring device equal 218, an output is provided to actuate the solenoid 27 and lower the displacing arm 26 of the displacement device, thus catching and displacing the paper 22 immediately following the 50th newspaper in our hypothetical case. As explained before, the sensor count accumulator will have been reset after the last pulse from the sensor in the preceding batch and is now in the process of accumulating 50 more pulses. The complete cycle of operation will be repeated. It should be noted that the manual batch select control 24 can be reset at any time during operation to change the batch count. Also, if the automatic preprogrammed batch select controls 25 were being used, it could automatically change the batch count from batch to batch to the desired number. By use of switch 23 a run may be temporarily under control of an operator via control 24 and thereafter placed under automatic control according to the immediate program.

In the hypothetical case just discussed it is apparent that the displacement device is controlled as a function of conveyer travel after the total batch number has been accumulated by the sensor count accumulator. A change in speed of the conveyer system or a complete stoppage of the conveyer will in no way affect the accuracy or dependability of the system.

When a variable speed is employed, as between two printing runs, it will be obvious that some compensation may be necessary, due to a wide variance of speed in the conveyer, as to the exact time the displacing device is actuated, since the stream travels some distance during an actuation. There is provided in the distance count accumulator a device which senses the speed of the conveyer system based on the repetition rate of the pulses received from the distance measuring device described above. This automatically provides a proportional signal to eifect a Vernier compensation for speed as required.

While the invention has been described in connection with a particular embodiment, it will be understood that it may be otherwise practiced without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Batching apparatus for paper products progressing in overlapping relation in a stream, comprising driven conveyer means delivering said stream to a batching location,

ramp means receiving said stream from said conveyor means,

receiving table means adjacent said ramp means for storing successive batches of products,

load means above said ramp and table means for arresting said products in compacted relation at the end of said stream, and having a downwardly curved leading shoulder,

displacement means actuatable from a retracted to an active position wherein a leading edge of the next arriving product is upwardly curved to a position above the stream, being disposed forward of said shoulder when in said active position,

means retracting said displacement means to a position beyond said shoulder thereby to release said curved leading edge against said shoulder,

counting means indicating the number of products passing a point along said stream since the final product of a prior batch, effective to provide a signal at the end of a selected batch, and

means responsive to said signal for actuating said displacement means for a period approximating the time spacing between successive said products in the stream.

2. Batching apparatus according to claim 1 including programming means for selecting variable numbers of products in successive batches according to a programming sequence for varying the count at the time of successive said signals.

3. Batching apparatus according to claim 1 including tape reader apparatus eifective for determining the sizes of successive batches according to a stored program and providing said signal upon accumulation of a programmed count for each successive batch.

4. Batching apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said counting means responds to products at one point in the stream and said displacement means operates at a different point therein, including digital distance measuring means preset to delay the operation of said displacement means after completion of a prescribed count thereat until the final product so counted has reached said different point.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 including manual means for setting the count at which said signal is provided and a new count commences.

6. A newspaper stream batching device, comprising linear feed conveyors terminating at a delivery point above a receiving table,

curved ramp means conveying trailing edges of newspapers in a stream to said table,

load means substantially equidistant from the termination of a conveyor, said ramp and said table for aligning the leading edges of said newspapers,

curved lifting means disposable in the path of leading edges of said papers with an upwardly increasing slope for upwardly curling a newspaper when disposed in said path,

actuation means for causing said lifting means to descend into said path for an interval substantially equal to the passage time for one newspaper and to thereupon be upwardly retracted for laying said paper against said load means,

counting means for determining the number of papers passing said point after commencement of a batch, and

means responsive to a selected count in said counting means for operation of said actuation means.

7. A batching device according to claim 6, last said means including means responsive to stream travel for causing said operation to occur when the stream has advanced from said counting means to said lifting means.

8. In a newspaper printing and batching device,

conveyor means for a stream of overlapping papers,

counting means disposed adjacent said conveyor means, count registering means providing an output signal when a preset total is reached,

resetting means for said registering means actuated upon registry of said tot-a1,

receiving means for said stream including means gathering said papers into a compacted stream,

a displacing device disposed adjacent said receiving means and having a blade normally above the stream, means responsive to said signal for elevating the leading edge of a next succeeding paper in the stream, restraining means defining the upper extent of said compacted stream, means releasing said leading edge against said restraining means prior to the arrival at said displacing device of a following paper, and

powered means urging said following paper beneath said restraining means and against the adjacent portion of said succeeding paper before said papers are gathered.

9. In a device according to claim 8, said restraining means comprising a stationary lead member formed to correspond to the upper edge of said stream and upwardly curved therebefore to receive and bend back a paper elevated above the stream as it passes thereunder.

10. A batching mechanism for a stream of overlapped paper products, comprising conveyer means delivering said stream to a delivery table, including a downwardly sloped portion terminating above said table,

curved ramp means providing downwardly sloped smooth transition from said conveyor to said table,

a load roller above said stream and a back-up roller terminating said conveyor means in relative position to provide forced ejection of papers of said stream onto said ramp means,

a curved stationary load member disposed in fixed distance relation to said table and said ramp means for arresting motion of said papers ejected from the nip of said rollers in a predetermined gathered relationship for stacking, said member having an upwardly curved portion toward said load roller for folding back any paper striking said upwardly curved portion, and

means operative upon passage of a preset number of papers for lifting the leading edge of the next succeeding product into contact with said upwardly curved portion.

11. A mechanism according to claim 10 including counting means disposed adjacent said conveyor means for determining the passage of said preset number of products.

12. A mechanism according to claim 11, including electrical storage means for detecting counts according to variably set successive limits,

means for initiating action of said lifting means after a said succeeding product passes said rollers, and releasing the same against said upwardly curved portion of said member.

13. A mechanism according to claim 10, including means determining the time of arrival of a first product of each batch at said lifting means and for operating said lifting means during the progress of said first product a distance corresponding to the spacing between products.

14. A mechanism according to claim 10, including electrical count accumulator means under control of a manual setting device for operating said lifting means.

15. A mechanism according to claim 10, including automatic preprogrammed batch size selection means in control of said preset number for the successive operations of said lifting means to delimit successive batches according to a preprogrammed schedule.

16. In a batching apparatus for separating a stream of paper products into groups of variable size,

counting means disposed adjacent said stream for registering the passage of successive said products,

electrical means for accumulating counts from said counting means,

means providing an output signal and resetting said electrical means when the accumulated count therein reaches a set value,

means varying said set value in response to a control for setting the batch size, and

means responsive to said signal for displacing the next succeeding product from said stream to mark the separation of successive batches in the stream.

17. In an apparatus according to claim 16,

digital means measuring the travel of said stream as a function of the distance between the counting means and the displacing means, and

means delaying operation of the displacing means until a point in said stream has traversed said distance after said count value is reached.

18. In an apparatus according to claim 16,

means measuring the progress of said stream between the counting means and the displacing means and applying said signal to operate said displacing means when the product completing said accumulated count has passed said displacing means.

19. In an apparatus according to claim 16,

said means providing an output signal including a digital accumulator and means responsive to travel of said stream for operating said displacing means in delayed time according to the distance of movement of the stream being proportioned to the distance between the counting means and the displacmg means.

20. In an apparatus according to claim 16,

photoelectric detector means responsive to increments of movement of said stream for providing a digital distance count proportioned to said movement.

21. In an apparatus according to claim 20,

said photoelectric signal means including an apertured light shield moving in proportion to stream movement and a pair of light receptors disposed for alternate operation as said shield moves thercpast, providing counting pulses in alternate order to accumulate said distance count.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,249,060 12/ 1917 Fullerton 93-93 2,617,593 11/1952 Audier et al. 9393 3,117,500 1/1964 Donahue et al. 9393 50 BERNARD STICKNEY, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. BATCHING APPARATUS FOR PAPER PRODUCTS PROGRESSING IN OVERLAPPING RELATION IN A STREAM, COMPRISING DRIVEN CONVEYOR MEANS DELIVERING SAID STREAM TO A BATCHING LOCATION, RAMP MEANS RECEIVING SAID STREAM FROM SAID CONVEYOR MEANS, RECEIVING TABLE MEANS ADJACENT SAID RAMP MEANS FOR STORING SUCCESSIVE BATCHES OF PRODUCTS, LOAD MEANS ABOVE SAID RAMP AND TABLE MEANS FOR ARRESTING SAID PRODUCTS IN COMPACT RELATION AT THE END OF SAID STREAM, AND HAVING A DOWNWARDLY CURVED LEADING SHOULDER, DISPLACEMENT MEANS ACTUATABLE FROM A RETRACTED TO AN ACTIVE POSITION WHEREIN A LEADING EDGE OF THE NEXT ARRIVING PRODUCT IS UPWARDLY CURVED TO A POSITION ABOVE THE STREAM, BEING DISPOSED FORWARD OF SAID SHOULDER WHEN IN SAID ACTIVE POSITION, MEANS RETRACTING SAID DISPLACEMENT MEANS TO A POSITION BEYOND SAID SHOULDER THEREBY TO RELEASE SAID CURVED LEADING EDGE AGAINST SAID SHOULDER, COUNTING MEANS INDICATING THE NUMBER OF PRODUCTS PASSING A POINT ALONG SAID STREAM SINCE THE FINAL PRODUCT OF A PRIOR BATCH, EFFECTIVE TO PROVIDE A SIGNAL AT THE END OF A SELECTED BATCH, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID SIGNAL FOR ACTUATING SAID DISPLACEMENT MEANS FOR A PERIOD APPROXIMATING THE TIME SPACING BETWEEN SUCCESSIVE SAID PRODUCTS IN THE STREAM.