Opening guard mechanism for printed product stacking device
AssigneeTotal Mailroom Support, Inc.
InventorsRobert Satorius, Mark Thompson, Michael McGeady
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Newspapers and other printed matter fed from a printing press or inserting machine are generally folded or delivered in a continuous stream with the papers oriented in an overlapped or imbricated relationship. The stream of papers are received and stacked by the stacking apparatus or stacker which must operate at high speeds. The stacker orients the papers in the stacks and ejects the bundles of papers. The present invention relates to devices intended to reduce the prospects for inadvertent interference with the stacking mechanism or to reduce the potential for injury.
Claims10
A stacking apparatus for assembling a stream of printed products, said stacking apparatus comprising:
- a frame having at least one opening through which a bundle is selectively ejected;
- a table assembly;
- a bundle ejection mechanism that selectively ejects a bundle of printed products from said table assembly;
- and,
- at least one guard assembly operatively associated with the at least one frame opening, wherein said at least one guard assembly is comprised of at least one non-contact sensor assembly operatively associated with the at least one frame opening and wherein the at least one sensor assembly is operatively associated with a stacking apparatus controller which terminates operation of the table assembly in response to detecting foreign object ingress through the at least one frame opening.
A stacking apparatus for assembling a stream of printed products, said stacking apparatus comprising:
- a frame having at least one opening through which a bundle is selectively ejected;
- a table assembly;
- a bundle ejection mechanism that selectively ejects a bundle of printed products from said table assembly;
- and,
- at least one guard assembly operatively associated with the at least one frame opening, wherein said at least one guard assembly is comprised of at least one non-contact sensor assembly operatively associated with the at least one frame opening and wherein the at least one sensor assembly is operatively associated with a stacking apparatus controller which, unless a bundle discharge ejection is in process, terminates operation of the table assembly in response to detecting foreign object ingress through the at least one frame opening.
A stacking apparatus for assembling a stream of printed products, said stacking apparatus comprising:
- a frame having at least one opening through which a bundle is selectively ejected;
- a table assembly;
- a bundle ejection mechanism that selectively ejects a bundle of printed products from said table assembly;
- and,
- at least one guard assembly operatively associated with the at least one frame opening, wherein said at least one guard assembly is comprised of at least one non-contact sensor assembly operatively associated with the at least one frame opening and wherein the at least one sensor assembly is operatively associated with a stacking apparatus controller which alters operation of the stacking apparatus in response to detecting foreign object ingress through the at least one frame opening.
A stacking apparatus for assembling a stream of printed products into bundles comprising:
- a frame having a discharge opening dimensioned to allow a bundle to pass therethrough;
- a turntable assembly;
- a drive assembly reciprocating and rotating said turntable assembly, and selectively ejecting a bundle from the turntable assembly;
- and
- a guard assembly operatively associated with the discharge opening, wherein said guard assembly is comprised of a non-contact sensor assembly, the sensor assembly establishes a sensor field over the discharge opening by a transmitter column and a receiver column, and wherein the sensor field is an array of signals, formed by the transmitter column and the receiver column, said and the receiver column, said column distributing the signal across the discharge opening and preventing foreign object ingress thereto.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.