US 4,070,767 AGranted

Apparatus and method for aerating, vibrating and aligning sheets of paper and the like

OwnerCyril H. T. Woodwardinventor

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Abstract

An apparatus and method for the stacking and restacking of printed paper, cardboard and the like are disclosed. Included in the apparatus is a turnover mechanism which receives stacks of sheets on a pallet or skid and, after clamping, turns this skid about ninety degrees so that the sheets are on edge and in a substantially vertical condition. There is provided a sheet edge support and in combination with this edge support are vibrating shoes which have air blast openings formed in their sheet engaging surfaces. These shoes are preferably flat and are vibrated so as to jog and move the sheets toward a stop which is preferably adjustable. The shoes may have an upwardly directed surface, if desired, and with this upward guidance the sheets are locally lifted when these vibrating shoes are moved underneath. The turnover mechanism has clamp means by which the stack is gripped and lifted. When the stack has turned about ninety degrees the turnover mechanism is stopped for the aligning operation. The shoes are carried by a side frame portion of the turnover mechanism. This side frame becomes the support and includes rib members between which the vibrating shoes are moved in a common plane. When the shoes are flat the upper shoe surface and the edge support for the sheets are in, and maintained in, a common plane. When the shoe surface is at least locally directed upwardly a small portion extends above the support plane to displace the sheets upwardly as the shoe passes underneath.

Claims25

Dependent claims

An aerating and vibrating apparatus for a stack of sheet material such as cardboard, paper and the like, which stack is transportable on a skid to said apparatus, said apparatus including:

(a) a lift frame including a pair of platform members and means for moving these platform members toward one another so as to engage a stack of sheets on its flat top and bottom surfaces and grasp said stack and when so grasped the stack is lifted and then is turned sufficiently to bring the stack to a substantially vertical edgewise condition and after turning to move the platforms apart sufficiently to permit aerating and vibrating of the loosened stack of sheets;
(b) a side support frame carried by the lift frame and movable to a position whereat one edge of the stack is supported and is aligned thereby;
(c) a vibrator support frame carried by the side frame and cycled by control means so as to move from one side of the support frame and back at a selected and determined speed;
(d) at least one movable shoe carried by a support structure, both the shoe and structure movable in a common plane and line which is substantially coincident with a plane normal to the bottom supported edge of the sheet as provided by the side support frame;
(e) means for vibrating the movable shoe in a controlled direction and amplitude and toward and away from the side frame, the vibrated shoe having a flat support surface at that portion which is brought into engagement with the supported edges of the stack of sheets when the stack is lifted and turned, the vibrated shoe agitating the sheets as the air is blown therebetween without a lifting of the sheets by the vibrated shoe above the support surface provided by the side support frame;
(f) a spring means disposed to carry the shoe during the vibrating of the shoe and during vibration to carry and move locally the sheets in association with the shoe to a stop surface provided on the side frame;
(g) a vibrator having a cycle and amplitude adjusting means, said vibrator carried by and on said shoe and the support structure so that the imposed vibrations are in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the sheets in the stack;
(h) an air conduit carried by and movable with the vibrator frame, this air conduit supplied with a large volume of low pressure air and disposed to feed this air to the vibrated shoe;
(i) air passageways provided at the carrying surface of the shoe, these air passageways connected to the conduit so that a large volume of low pressure air from the conduit is supplied to these passageways, and (j) a plurality of air jet outlets formed in the carrying surfaces of the shoe, each of the outlets so formed and positioned as to direct a stream of pressurized air upwardly and locally to and through the stack of sheet material as and after the platform members holding this material are loosened to allow vibrating and aerating of the stack of sheets.

6 more elements

An aerating and vibrating apparatus for a stack of sheet material such as cardboard, paper and the like, which stack is transportable on a skid to said apparatus, said apparatus including:

(a) a lift frame including a pair of platform members and means for moving these platform members toward one another so as to engage a stack of sheets on its flat top and bottom surfaces and grasp said stack and when so grasped the stack is lifted and then is turned sufficiently to bring the stack to a substantially vertical edgewise condition and after turning to move the platforms apart sufficiently to permit aerating and vibrating of the loosened stack of sheets;
(b) a side support frame carried by the lift frame and movable to a position whereat one edge of the stack is supported and is aligned thereby;
(c) a vibrator support frame carried by the side frame and cycled by control means so as to move from one side of the support frame and back at a selected and determined speed;
(d) at least one movable shoe carried by a support structure, both the shoe and structure movable in a common plane and line which is substantially coincident with a plane normal to the bottom supported edge of the sheet as provided by the side support frame;
(e) means for vibrating the movable shoe in a controlled direction and amplitude and toward and away from the side frame, the vibrated shoe agitating the sheets as the air is blown therebetween;
(f) a spring means disposed to carry the shoe during the vibrating of the shoe and during vibration to carry and move locally the sheets in association with the shoe to a stop surface provided on the side frame;
(g) a vibrator having a cycle and amplitude adjusting means, said vibrator carried by and on said shoe and the support structure so that the imposed vibrations are in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the sheets in the stack;
(h) an air conduit carried by and movable with the vibrator frame, this air conduit supplied with a large volume of low pressure air and disposed to feed this air to the vibrated shoe;
(i) air passageways provided at the carrying surface of the shoe, these air passageways connected to the conduit so that a large volume of low pressure air from the conduit is supplied to these passageways, and (j) a plurality of air jet outlets formed in the carrying surfaces of the shoe, each of the outlets so formed and positioned as to direct a stream of pressurized air upwardly and locally to and through the stack of sheet material as and after the platform members holding this material are loosened to allow vibrating and aerating of the stack of sheets, the pressurized air which is fed to a shoe is divided and the flow to said shoe is supplied through plural conductors with one of these conductors selectively closed by a blade member which is turned from its at rest position to substantially block the flow of air through that conductor to the vibrating shoe, said blade member being pivotally attached at one end to a rod and when the blade is moved at least partially transverse to the conductor in which it is mounted it closes the conductor to the flow of pressurized air.

6 more elements

An aerating and vibrating apparatus for a stack of sheet material such as cardboard, paper and the like, which stack is transportable on a skid to said apparatus, said apparatus including:

(a) a lift frame including a pair of platform members and means for moving these platform members toward one another so as to engage a stack of sheets on its flat top and bottom surfaces and grasp said stack and when so grasped the stack is lifted and then is turned sufficiently to bring the stack to a substantially vertical edgewise condition and after turning to move the platforms apart sufficiently to permit aerating and vibrating of the loosened stack of sheets;
(b) a side support frame carried by the lift frame and movable to a position whereat one edge of the stack is supported and is aligned thereby;
(c) a vibrator support frame carried by the side frame and cycled by control means so as to move from one side of the support frame and back at a selected and determined speed;
(d) at least one movable shoe carried by a support structure, both the shoe and structure movable in a common plane to the bottom supported edge of the sheet as provided by the side support frame;
(e) means for vibrating the movable shoe in a controlled direction and amplitude and toward and away from the side frame, the vibrated shoe agitating the sheets as the air is blown therebetween;
(f) a spring means disposed to carry the shoe during the vibrating of the shoe and during vibration to carry and move locally the sheets in association with the shoe to a stop surface provided on the side frame;
(g) a vibrator having a cycle and amplitude adjusting means, said vibrator carried by and on said shoe and the support structure so that the imposed vibrations are in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the sheets in the stack;
(h) an air conduit carried by and movable with the vibrator frame, this air conduit supplied with a large volume of low pressure air and disposed to feed this air to the vibrated shoe;
(i) air passageways provided at the carrying surface of the shoe, these air passageways connected to the conduit so that a large volume of low pressure air from the conduit is supplied to these passageways, and (j) a plurality of air jet outlets formed in the carrying surfaces of the shoe, each of the outlets so formed and positioned as to direct a stream of pressurized air upwardly and locally to and through the stack of sheet material as and after the platform members holding this material are loosened to allow vibrating and aerating of the stack of sheets, the air to the shoe flowing into a substantially closed chamber positioned immediately below the carrying surface of the shoe and forming a portion of the shoe and air from that chamber discharged from the plurality of jet outlets in the shoe, the outlets arranged in rows which are substantially parallel to the longitudinal edges of the shoe and a sliding block carried in the closed chamber portion of the shoe, this sliding block being selectively positioned so as to substantially shut off air flow from at least one-quarter of the area of the shoe.

6 more elements

A method of aerating and vibrating a stack of sheet material such as cardboard, paper and the like in which the stack is transportable on a skid to said apparatus, said method steps including:

(a) providing a lift frame including a pair of platform members and moving these platform members toward one another so as to engage a stack of sheets on its flat top and bottom surfaces and grasping said stack and when so grasped the stack is turned substantially to bring the stack to a vertical edgewise condition and after turning, moving the platforms apart sufficiently to permit aerating and vibrating of the loosened stack of sheets;
(b) providing a side support frame carried by the lift frame and moving the frame to a position whereat one edge of the stack is supported and is aligned;
(c) providing and cycling a vibrator support frame and carrying this support frame on the side frame and moving the frame back and forth at a selected and determined speed;
(d) positioning at least one vibrated shoe carried on a support structure and moving this shoe and structure in a common plane and line which is substantially coincident with a plane normal to the bottom supported edge of the sheet as provided by the side support frame;
(e) vibrating the movable shoe in a controlled direction and amplitude and toward and away from the side frame and forming the vibrated shoe with a flat support surface at that portion which is brought into engagement with the supported edges of the stack of sheets when the stack is lifted and turned and agitating the sheets as the air is blown therebetween without a lifting of the sheets from the vibrated shoe above the support surface provided by the side support frame;
(f) mounting a spring at such an angle that these springs are disposed to carry the shoe during the vibrating of this shoe and during vibration to carry and move locally the sheets in association with the shoe to a stop surface provided on the side frame;
(g) mounting on the shoe a vibrator having a cycle and amplitude adjusting means and carrying said vibrator on said shoe so that the imposed vibrations are in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the sheets in the stack;
(h) providing and carrying an air conduit so as to be movable with the vibrator frame, this air conduit supplied with a large volume of low pressure air and disposed to feed this air to the vibrated shoe;
(i) forming air passageways at and in the carrying surface of the shoe and connecting these air passageways to the conduit so that a large volume of low pressure air from the conduit is supplied to these passageways, and (j) forming a plurality of air outlets in the carrying surfaces of each shoe, each of the outlets so formed and positioned as to direct a stream of pressurized air upwardly and locally to and through the stack of sheet material as and after the platform members holding this material are loosened to allow vibrating and aerating of the sheets.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.