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US 6,786,484 B2Granted
Sheet inverter
AssigneeSebring Container Corp.
InventorRichard W. Smith
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Stacks of flexible sheets, such as printed slotted and scored corrugated paperboard box blanks, are inverted during travel along a sheet stacker. A plurality of sheet inverter fingers, each with a friction enhancing surface on a free end, are interdigitated between the belts of the sheet stacker. These fingers engage the leading ends of the stacks and invert the stacks during continued forward travel of the stacks.
Claims26
A sheet inverter comprising:
- a sheet conveyor having spaced belts adapted to support at least one flexible sheet of material;
- means for moving said spaced belts in a sheet transport direction;
- a finger shaft supported for rotation above, and transverse to said spaced belts;
- a plurality of sheet inverter fingers each having a first end portion secured to said finger shaft, and a second ends portion interdigitating with said spaced belts, said plurality of sheet inverter fingers being spaced along said finger shaft;
- an upper face, a distal end and an undersurface on each of said sheet inverter finger second end portions;
- a friction increasing surfaces on said at least upper face of said second end of said sheet inverter finger, said friction increasing surface being adapted to increase a frictional force between said upper face and a lower face of said at least one flexible sheet of material in said sheet transport direction;
- and
- means for rotating said finger shaft to elevate and declinate said second end portion of each of said sheet inverter fingers, said friction increasing surface engaging said lower face of said at least one flexible sheet of material during said elevation of said second end portion of each of said sheet inverter fingers in response to said rotation of said finger shaft.
5 more elements
A method for inverting flexible sheets including:
- providing a sheet conveyor including spaced conveying belts;
- supporting said conveying belts for movement in a sheet conveying direction
- positioning a finger shaft for rotation above and transverse to said spaced conveyor belts;
- providing a plurality of sheet inverter fingers with each of said sheet inverter fingers having a first end portion and a second ends portion;
- securing said first ends portion of each of said sheet inverter fingers to said finger shaft;
- locating said second ends portion of each of said sheet inverter fingers interdigitating with said spaced conveyor belts;
- providing an upper face, a distal end and an undersurface on said second end portion of each of said sheet inverter fingers;
- providing a friction increasing surfaces on at least said upper face of said second ends portion of each of said sheet inverter fingers;
- selecting said friction increasing surface for increasing a frictional force between said upper face and a lower surface of said sheets to be inverted in said sheet conveying direction;
- supporting said sheets to be inverted on said spaced conveyor belts;
- moving leading ends said sheets to be inverted into contact with said friction increasing upper face of each said sheet inverter fingers;
- and
- rotating said finger shaft to elevate said second ends portions of said plurality of said sheet inverter fingers to elevate leading ends of said flexible sheets while maintaining contact between said friction increasing surface and said lower surface of said sheets to be inverted.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.