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US 4,616,773 AGranted
Forms feeding apparatus
AssigneePrecision Handling Devices, Inc.
InventorLeo J. Kerivan
Life of this patent
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AssigneePrecision Handling Devices, Inc.
InventorLeo J. Kerivan
Estimating the term…
An overhead unit used with a printer having a platen for feeding continuous, fan-folded, edge perforated forms. Tractors engage the feed perforations on the forms. The unit automatically bursts the side perforations by the use of flexural members which extract energy from the forms feed and oscillate to burst the side perforations. Bursting of the cross perforations is carried out by a pivotally mounted, lever actuated bar which engages the platen and forms a toggle therewith to engage the successive forms against the platen just below the cross perforations; the toggle being arranged to tighten and increase the clamping force, as the form is pulled away from the platen when bursting the cross perforations. A roller assembly including rollers engaging the outside of the loop on the infeed or upstream side of the platen removes any platen wave due to differential displacement of the forms as they travel with linear motion through the tractors and with rotational motion around the platen. These rollers also steer the form to counteract lateral meandering thereof on the platen. Other rollers on the infeed side of the tractors wrap the forms to at least a 90.degree. arc to eliminate positive tents at the cross perforations. Backlash is removed by a diagonally split collet and tapered sleeve which controls the clearance between the tractor drive shaft and the sprockets of the tractors. Additional rollers on the drive shaft and the support shaft for the tractors, which can be used together with fingers extending from the support shaft, stiffen the forms between the tractors.
Continuous forms feeding apparatus for use with a platen which comprises tractors engagable with feed perforations along margins of the forms which are partially severed by side perforations, successive ones of the forms being defined by cross perforations which also partially sever the forms and enable them to be stacked in fan folded configuration, means connecting said tractors and platen in conjointly driven relationship for feeding said forms around said platen and through said tractors, means for bursting said side perforations, said bursting means being defined by flexural members and portions of said tractors, said flexural members being disposed in the path of said forms to oscillate in response to energy derived from said forms and repetitively burst said side perforations, means for enabling the bursting of said cross perforations operative for clamping said forms against said platen upstream of said cross perforations between said platen and said tractors and including a bar having a longitudinal edge engageable with said platen and pivotally mounted to define a toggle with said platen to increase the clamping force of said bar edge against said platen when said bar engages said form against said platen and when said form is pulled in said downstream direction to burst said cross perforations, means disposed upstream of said platen between said platen and said tractors yieldably biasing the surface of said forms opposite to the surface which bears against said platen into an arc sufficient to compensate the relative displacement of said forms linearly fed by said tractors and rotationally fed by said platen, flexurally supported means disposed upstream of said tractors on the opposite side of said tractors from said compensating means for inverting tents at the cross perforations in said forms, and means for bowing said forms to increase the stiffness thereof in the region thereof driven by said tractors and burst by said means for bursting said side perforations.
Continuous forms feeding apparatus which comprises tractors engagable with feed perforations along margins of the forms which are partially severed by side perforations, means for feeding said forms through said tractors, and bursting means for bursting said side perforations, said bursting means being defined by flexural members and portions of said tractors, said flexural members being disposed in the path of said forms to oscillate in response to energy derived from said forms and repetitively shear said side perforations.
Continuous forms feeding apparatus for use with a platen which comprises tractors engageable with feed perforations along margins of the forms, successive ones of the forms being defined by cross perforation which also partially sever the forms and enable them to be stacked and fan folded configuration, means for feeding said forms around said platen and through said tractors, means for enabling the bursting of said cross perforation operative for clamping said forms against said platen upstream of said cross perforation between said platen and said tractors and including a bar having a longitudinal edge engageable with said platen and pivotally mounted to define a toggle with said platen which causes the clamping force of said bar edge against said platen to increase when said bar engages said form against said platen and when said form is pulled in the downstream direction to burst said said cross perforation.
Continuous forms feeding apparatus for use with a platen which comprises tractors engageable with feed perforations along margins of the forms, means connecting said tractors and platen in conjointly driven relationship for feeding said forms around said platen and through said tractors, one surface of said forms bearing against said platen and forming a first arc around said platen, and means disposed upstream of said platen between said platen and said tractors yieldably biasing the surface of said forms opposite to the surface which bears against said platen into a second arc in an opposite sense to said first arc and sufficient to compensate the relative displacement of said forms linearly fed by said tractors and rotationally fed by said platen.
Continuous forms feeding apparatus which comprises tractors engageable with feed perforations along margins of the forms which are partially severed by side perforations, means connected to said tractors for feeding said forms through said tractors, flexurally supported means disposed upstream of said tractors for inverting tents at the cross perforations in said forms and relieving the starting load of said forms on said tractors, said tractors having lids and belts, said belts having pins extending from said belts into said feed perforations, said means for inverting said tents being disposed in engagement with the side of said forms which faces said lids for inverting tents extending from said last name side of said forms, and said inverting means comprising at least one roller and spring means for biasing said roller against said last named side of said forms, said spring means and roller being disposed to contain a section of said forms which occupies an arc of at least 90.degree. around said roller.
Continuous forms feeding apparatus which comprises tractors engageable with feed perforations along margins of the forms, means connected to said tractors for feeding sad forms through said tractors, means disposed between said tractors for bowing said forms to increase the stiffness thereof and the region thereof driven by said tractors, said forms being engageable with a platen having a rotational axis, and further comprising drive and support shafts extending laterally of said platen parallel to the rotational axis thereof, said drive and support shaft each having an axis, said tractors being mounted and in driven relationship with said drive shaft and on said support shaft, said tractors having belts on which one surface of said forms are disposed and from pins extend into said feed perforations, a frame and at least one sprocket through which said drive shaft extends, said frame and sprocket defining the radial distance from said drive shaft axis to said one surface of said forms and the radial distance from the axis of said support shaft to said one surface of said forms, said bowing means comprising at least one roller mounted on and rotatable with said drive shaft, said roller being disposed between said tractors and having a radius sufficiently greater than said radial distance to bow and stiffen said forms.
Continuous forms feeding apparatus which comprises tractors engageable with feed perforations along margins of the forms, said tractors having sprockets and belts with pins extending therefrom into said feed perforations of said forms, said drive means having a drive shaft, said sprockets having a journal, a hole which extends through said journal for receiving said shaft in driving relationship with said sprockets, a pair of longitudinal slits in said journal intersecting diagonally opposite locations on the surface of said hole, and a tapered sleeve on said journal for controlling the cross sectional area of said hole in said journal and the clearance between said drive shaft and said hole.
Continuous forms feeding apparatus which comprises tractors engageable with feed perforations along margins of the forms, means connected to said tractors for feeding said forms through said tractors, and means disposed between said tractors for bowing said forms to increase the stiffness thereof in the region thereof driven by said tractors, said forms also being engageable with a platen, and further comprising at least one flexure finger extending between said tractors and said platen and engageable with the surface of said forms which engages said platen to maintain the bowing of said forms.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.