US 4,625,957 AGranted

Apparatus for stacking and delivering paper napkins, paper towels, and the like

AssigneePaper Converting Machine Company

InventorAllen J. DuFresne

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Abstract

A stacking and delivery apparatus for stacks of products such as paper napkins and paper towels includes a magazine into which the products are delivered to form stacks and which supports the stack along a path of product movement. A plurality of fingers are mounted on a conveyor adjacent the magazine, and the conveyor moves a finger into the path of stack movement when a stack is completed and separates the completed stack from the next stack. A drive system for the conveyor moves the conveyor at different speeds during each cycle in which a stack is formed--a first, fast speed at which a finger is quickly moved into the path after a stack is completed, a second, relatively slow speed at which the finger moves the completed stack along the path as the next stack is built up behind the finger, a third, relatively fast speed at which the finger moves the completed stack rapidly along the path, and a fourth speed, which can be zero, during which a completed stack is removed from the conveyor.

Claims18

Dependent claims

An apparatus for stacking and delivering a stack consisting of a plurality of products comprising:

(a) a frame,
(b) a magazine on the frame for supporting a plurality of said products along a path of product movement,
(c) a conveyor on the frame adjacent the magazine, the conveyor having a run which extends in the direction of said path,
(d) a plurality of fingers mounted on the conveyor and engageable with stacks on the magazine for moving the stacks along said path,
(e) drive means for moving the conveyor at:
(i) a relatively slow velocity during an initial build-up period for a new stack whereby the new stack is built up behind one of said fingers during said initial build-up period;
(ii) a relatively fast velocity after the initial build-up period for the new stack whereby said one finger moves away from the new stack and moves a previously completed stack along said path at a faster speed than the speed at which the new stack is built up;
and
(f) means for supporting the new stack on the magazine when said one finger moves away from the new stack after said initial build-up period whereby said new stack can be built up after said initial build-up period without being engaged by any of said fingers and while said one finger moves said previously completed stack away from the new stack.

6 more elements

An apparatus for stacking and delivering a stack consisting of a plurality of products comprising:

(a) a frame,
(b) a magazine on the frame for supporting a plurality of said products along a path of product movement,
(c) a conveyor on the frame adjacent the magazine, the conveyor having a run which extends in the direction of said path,
(d) a plurality of fingers mounted on the conveyor and engageable with stacks on the magazine for moving the stacks along said path, and
(e) drive means for moving the conveyor at varying velocities during build-up and transport of a stack on the magazine, said drive means including a first sprocket drivingly connected to the conveyor for advancing the conveyor in the direction of said path, a drive sprocket mounted on the frame, power means for rotating the drive sprocket, a pair of movable sprockets movably mounted on the frame for movement toward and away from each other, a chain extending around said sprockets, and means for moving said movable sprockets toward and away from each other to change the speed at which the chain travels over the first sprocket relative to the speed at which the chain travels over the drive sprocket.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.