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US 4,129,239 AGranted
Clamping devices for document tractors
AssigneePrecision Handling Devices, Inc.
InventorLeo J. Hubbard
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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AssigneePrecision Handling Devices, Inc.
InventorLeo J. Hubbard
Estimating the term…
In order to clamp a document metering tractor to a support shaft which together with a drive shaft provide a mounting for the tractor and without causing interference, such as binding, with the drive imparted by the drive shaft, a device is provided for clamping the tractor to the support shaft. This device consists of two parts one of which contains a split ring through which the support shaft extends and the other is a member for closing the ring and retaining it in closed condition. The split ring part may be a collet located internally of the tractor or a sleeve extending externally of the tractor and having the split ring as a portion thereof. In either case, a floating connection is provided between the split ring part and the tractor such as may be afforded by an enlarged opening in the tractor which contains the split ring part. The closing part is a member rotatable with respect to the split ring and may be provided by another ring having flats which engage the outer walls of the collet when relative rotation occurs. The rotatable part may be a screw which closes jaws extending from the split ring part which is disposed outside of the confines of the tractor. In either case the tractor may be movable axially of the drive and support shafts so as to locate the driving pins thereof with respect to the perforations in the document. When the proper alignment is obtained the clamp engages the tractor with the support shaft and locates it without giving rise to any torques or other forces which might otherwise interfere with the driving of the document.
In a web feeding device having a frame and endless belt carrying drive elements engageable with perforations in the web, said belt being mounted on the frame, a sprocket also mounted in the frame driving in engagement with said belt and around which the belt is driven, said sprocket having an axle for receiving a drive shaft and said frame having an opening for receiving a support shaft which is parallel to said drive shaft, said frame being movable axially of said shafts to adjust the position of said belt to bring said drive elements into registry with the web perforation, a mechanism which enables said frame to be adjustably positioned on said shafts and which clamps said frame in position, said mechanism comprising only a pair of operational parts, a first of said parts having a split ring portion which encompasses said support shaft, means in said frame encompassing the opening which receives said support shaft for receiving said first part and providing a floating connection between said first part and said frame, and a second of said parts being mounted on said first part rotatable within said split ring portion for closing said split ring and bringing said split ring into clamping engagement with said support shaft.
In a document tractor having a frame which is supported on a pair of shafts, one of which is a drive shaft and the other of which is a support shaft and is movable laterally across the feed path of the document along said shafts to position said tractor in driving relationship with the document, a mechanism for clamping said frame to said support shaft which comprises an opening in said frame through which said support shaft extends, a keyway into one side of said frame, said keyway being disposed around said opening and defining a slot within said frame entrance to which is through said keyway, a sleeve having a split ring portion on one end thereof and a foot portion on the opposite end thereof, said split ring portion having a pair of jaws on opposite sides of the split therein which extend outwardly, said split ring portion being resilient and biased against closure of said split, the internal diameter of said sleeve including said foot and split ring portions being larger than the diameter of said shaft when said split ring is open, said sleeve being disposed around said shaft with said foot within said slot so as to be mounted in floating relationship in said frame, and means engageable with said jaws for closing said jaws to clamp said frame to said support shaft.
In a document tractor having a frame which is supported on a pair of shafts, one of which is a drive shaft and the other of which is a support shaft, and is movable laterally across the feed path of the document along said shafts to position said tractor in driving relationship with the document, a mechanism for clamping said frame to said support shaft which comprises, a sleeve having an inside diameter normally larger than said support shaft and an outside diameter smaller than the inside diameter of the opening in said frame which receives said support shaft, said sleeve having a slit therein in a portion thereof extending from one end thereof to a section at the opposite end thereof, said slit portion being disposed in said support shaft receiving opening in said frame and extending outwardly through one side of said frame, a ring disposed on the opposite side of said frame around said slit portion, said ring having a wall along its inner periphery with a part of said wall having a diameter less than the diameter of said slit portion, and means for rotating one of said sleeves and said ring for closing said slit portion to clamp said frame to said support shaft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.