US 5,671,916 AGranted

Automatic sheet loader

AssigneeTetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A.

InventorYutaka Kaneko

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

An automatic sheet loader for automatically transferring sheets to a cardboard packer. The sheet loader includes at least a pair of chains disposed between upper sprockets and lower sprockets so that the pair of chains face each other to form a sheet transfer path therebetween, brackets mounted on the chains at predetermined intervals and projecting toward the sheet transfer path for supporting a group of sheets from both sides thereof, and a drive motor for driving the chains so as to move the brackets along the sheet transfer path for transferring the group of sheets. When the dimension of each packaging container, the number of packaging containers in each group, or the manner of packaging is changed, a different type of sheet is set. Since each group of sheets is moved and transferred from the upper side to the lower side by the chains, it is easy to distinguish the new group of sheets from the previous group of sheets during the exchange operation.

Claims5

Dependent claims

An automatic sheet loader for loading a group of sheets into a magazine comprising:

(a) a frame;
(b) sheet transfer means, mounted on said frame and defining a vertical sheet transfer path within said frame, for receiving the group of sheets at an uppermost end of the sheet transfer path and for transferring the group of sheets to a lowermost end of the sheet transfer path;
(c) a magazine section adjacent said lowermost end and containing the magazine;
(d) swing means, pivotally mounted to said frame at the lowermost end of the sheet transfer path, for receiving the group of sheets, in horizontal orientation, from said sheet transfer means, for pivoting the group of sheets into a position oblique to the horizontal and facing the magazine to cause the sheets to drop into the magazine, said swing means including a stopper for temporarily retaining the group of sheets on the swing means, in the oblique position;
and
(e) a suction device located beneath said magazine for removing the bottom sheet from said group of sheets.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.