Rotary-type feeder machines and methods

In a feeder mechanism for use in a box-making machine or the like including a generally horizontal path of conveyance and a pair of nip rolls for conveying sheet-like articles along said path;

• the feeder mechanism including a vacuum box having an apertured upper surface along said path upstream of said nip rolls, a gate positioned above the vacuum box upstream of the nip rolls for containing the leading edges of articles to be fed under the gate to the nip rolls, and a grate mounted in the vacuum box for vertical movement above and below the path of conveyance;
• the improvement comprising in combination:
• a plurality of feed members mounted in the vacuum box for movement in a first direction and having surfaces to engage and feed an articles in a forward direction under said gate and to said nip rolls when the grate is in a lowered position below said surfaces of the feed members, said feed members being movable in a second direction opposite to said first direction for urging the article away from said gate, without bending the article, prior to movement of the article under the gate when the grate is in said lowered position, means for driving said feed members in both of said first and second directions, and means for moving the grate below said path during movement of said feed members in said second direction to urge the article away from said gate prior to movement under the gate.

In a feeder mechanism for use in a box-making machine or the like including a generally horizontal path of conveyance and a pair of nip rolls for conveying sheet-like articles along said path;

• the feeder mechanism including a vacuum box having an apertured upper surface along said path upstream of said nip rolls, a gate positioned above the vacuum box upstream of the nip rolls for containing the leading edges of articles to be fed under the gate to the nip rolls, and a grate mounted in the vacuum box for vertical movement above and below the path of conveyance between raised and lowered positions, a plurality of feed members mounted in the vacuum box for movement to engage and feed articles in a forward direction under said gate and to said nip rolls when the grate is in the lowered position below surfaces of the feed members, and means for driving said grate between said raised and lowered positions including a cam having on its periphery a high-dwell surface determining the raised position of the grate and a low dwell surface recessed inwardly from the high dwell surface and determining the lowered position of the grate, and a cam follower engaged on the periphery of the cam and operatively connected to the grate to drive the same between the raised and lowered positions thereof, the improvement comprising a latch means for holding the cam follower at the level of the high-dwell surface of the cam to maintain the grate in the raised position thereof, said latch means including a latch member engageable with said cam follower to hold the cam follower at the level of the high-dwell surface of the cam, said latch member being disengageable with the cam follower to permit the cam follower to move between the high and low dwell surfaces of the cam, and wherein said latch means includes a lever holding the cam follower and containing an aperture, and the latch member is a pin movable into the aperture to hold the cam follower at the level of the high-dwell surface of the cam and the latch pin is movable out of the aperture to release the cam follower for the movement between high and low dwell surfaces of the cam.

A method of feeding stacked, sheet-like articles one at a time from a relatively fixed horizontal position through a gate of a feeding apparatus while preventing jamming against the gate of the article being fed, the feeding apparatus including rotary feed members positioned under the stacked articles to engage same, comprising the steps of:

• (a) rotating the feed members in a first direction to feed the lowermost article from the stack through the gate;
• (b) vertically separating the stacked articles from contacting the feed members;
• (c) reversing the direction of rotation of the feed members to rotate in a second direction opposite to the first direction;
• (d) bringing the stacked articles back into contact with the feed members so that the lowermost article from the stack contacts the feed members rotating in the second direction and is thus moved away from the gate;
• and
• (e) repeating the foregoing steps (a)-(d).

Apparatus comprising means for feeding stacked, sheet-like articles one at a time from a relatively fixed horizontal position through a gate of a feeding apparatus while preventing jamming against the gate of the article being fed, the feeding apparatus including rotary feed members positioned under the stacked articles to engage same, comprising:

• (a) means for rotating the feed members in a first direction to feed the lowermost article from the stack through the gate;
• (b) means for reversing the direction of rotation of the feed members to rotate in a second direction opposite to the first direction;
• and
• (c) means for vertically separating the stacked articles from contacting the feed members prior to actuation of said reversing means and for bringing the stacked articles back into contact with the feed members so that the lowermost article from the stack contacts the feed members rotating in the second direction and is thus moved away from the gate prior to actuation of said means for rotating said feed members in said first direction and wherein said feed members remain in contact with the lowermost article until after actuation of said means for rotating said feed members in said first direction.