Agitator and sheet transport device including the agitator
AssigneeA.G. Stacker Inc.
InventorDalton Hege
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An agitator for agitating sheets of material passing through a sheet transport device that has upper and lower guide sections defining a sheet transport path therebetween. The agitator includes first and second sets of rollers each having a roller axis of rotation and a width, and the rollers are mounted to at least one holder such that the axes of rotation of the rollers are radially spaced from a line and such that rotating the at least one holder around the line causes the rollers to orbit around the line. At least one support supports the holder for rotation around the line, and the set of first rollers is spaced from the set of second rollers in the direction of the line by a distance greater than the width of the rollers. Also a sheet transport device including the agitator.
Claims20
An agitator for agitating sheets of material passing through a sheet transport device in a sheet transport direction from an input end to an output end, the sheet transport device having an upper guide section comprising a first plurality of wheels or belts and a lower guide section comprising a second plurality of wheels or belts, the upper and lower guide sections defining a sheet transport path therebetween, the agitator comprising:
- a set of first rollers each having a roller axis of rotation and a first width, the first rollers being mounted to at least one first holder such that the axes of rotation of the first rollers are radially spaced from a line and such that rotating the at least one first holder around the line causes the set of first rollers to orbit around the line,
- a set of second rollers each having a roller axis of rotation and a second width, the second rollers being mounted to at least one second holder such that the axes of rotation of the second rollers are radially spaced from the line and such that rotating the at least one second holder around the line causes the set of second rollers to orbit around the line, and
- at least one support supporting the at least one first holder and the at least one second holder for rotation around the line,
- wherein the line extends in a direction,
- wherein the set of first rollers is spaced from the set of second rollers in the direction of the line by a distance greater than the first width,
- wherein the first holder comprises a first plate and a second plate connected to the at least one support,
- wherein the set of first rollers are rotatably supported between the first and second plates,
- wherein the first holder includes a plurality of curved recesses extending radially into the first holder from a periphery of the first holder, and
- wherein the set of first rollers are mounted in the recesses.
A sheet transport device for carrying sheets in a sheet transport direction from an input end to an output end, the sheet transport device comprising:
- an upper guide section comprising a plurality of upper wheels or upper belts and a lower guide section comprising a plurality of lower wheels, the tops of the lower wheels being bounded by a first imaginary plane, the lower surfaces of the upper wheels or belts and the first imaginary plane defining a sheet transport path therebetween,
- an agitator configured to agitate the sheets in the sheet transport path, the agitator comprising:
- a set of first rollers each having a roller axis of rotation and a first width, the first rollers being mounted to at least one first holder such that the axes of rotation of the first rollers are radially spaced from a line and such that rotating the at least one first holder around the line causes the set of first rollers to orbit around the line,
- a set of second rollers each having a roller axis of rotation and a second width, the second rollers being mounted to at least one second holder such that the axes of rotation of the second rollers are radially spaced from the line and such that rotating the at least one second holder around the line causes the set of second rollers to orbit around the line, and
- at least one support supporting the at least one first holder and the at least one second holder for rotation around the line,
- wherein the line extends in a direction,
- wherein the at least one support is located at a lower side of the sheet transport path,
- wherein the first set of rollers and the second set of rollers and the at least one support are arranged and configured such that the rollers of the first and second sets of rollers pass through the first imaginary plane and into the sheet transport path when the first holder and the second holder rotate around the line,
- wherein the rollers of the first set of rollers are circumscribed by an imaginary circle, and
- wherein the circle overlaps at least two of the lower wheels when viewed in the direction.
A sheet transport device for carrying sheets in a sheet transport direction from an input end to an output end, the sheet transport device comprising:
- an upper guide section comprising a plurality of upper wheels or upper belts and a lower guide section comprising a plurality of lower wheels, the tops of the lower wheels being bounded by a first imaginary plane, the lower surfaces of the upper wheels or belts and the first imaginary plane defining a sheet transport path therebetween,
- an agitator configured to agitate the sheets in the sheet transport path, the agitator comprising:
- a set of first rollers each having a roller axis of rotation and a first width, the first rollers being mounted to at least one first holder such that the axes of rotation of the first rollers are radially spaced from a line and such that rotating the at least one first holder around the line causes the set of first rollers to orbit around the line,
- a set of second rollers each having a roller axis of rotation and a second width, the second rollers being mounted to at least one second holder such that the axes of rotation of the second rollers are radially spaced from the line and such that rotating the at least one second holder around the line causes the set of second rollers to orbit around the line, and
- at least one support supporting the at least one first holder and the at least one second holder for rotation around the line,
- wherein the line extends in a direction,
- wherein the at least one support is located at a lower side of the sheet transport path, and
- wherein the first set of rollers and the second set of rollers and the at least one support are arranged and configured such that the rollers of the first and second sets of rollers pass through the first imaginary plane and into the sheet transport path when the first holder and the second holder rotate around the line,
- wherein the line lies in a second imaginary plane parallel to the sheet transport path,
- wherein the wheels of the lower guide section are mounted on a plurality of wheel support shafts, and
- wherein the second imaginary plane intersects at least two of the plurality of wheels.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.