US2133261A - Machine for separating, counting, delivering, wrapping, and addressing sheet material - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 11, 1938. o. E. WOLFF 2,133,261

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING, COUNTING, DELIVERING,

WRAPPING, AND ADDRESSING SHEET MATERIAL Filed Aug. 16, 1937 13 Sheets-Sheet 1 F/GJ.

INVENTOR ATTORN EY Oct. 11, 1938. o. E WOLFF 2,133,261

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING,

COUNTING, DELIVERING, WRAPPING, AND ADDRES G SHEET MATERIAL Filed Aug. 1957 l3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ?7 gZ./Z. 2Z6

gf 244 267 e66 zzr/za I sz 7 n? 76 75 Illa W\ INVENTOR ATTORNEY Oct. 11, 1938. o. E. WOLFF MACHINE FOR SEPARATING, COUNTING, DELIVERING. WRAPPING, AND ADDRESSING SHEET MATERIAL Filed Aug. 16, 1937 15 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Oct. 11, 1938. o. E. WOLFF 33, 61

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING', COUNTING, DELIVERING, WRAPPING, AND ADDRESSING SHEET MATERIAL Filed Aug. 16, 1957 13 Sheets-Sheet 4 f INYENTOR'" ATTORNEY Oct. 11, 1938. o. E. WOLFF MACHINE FOR SEPARATING, COUNTING, DELIVERING,

WRAPPING, AND ADDRESSING SHEET MATERIAL Filed Aug. 16, 1957 13 Sheets-Sheet 5 q mi 353 ATTORN EY Oct. 11, 1938.

O. Ev WOLFF MACHINE FOR SEPARATING, COUNTING, DELIVERING.

WRAPPING, AND ADDRESSING SHEET MATERIAL Filed Aug. 16, 1937 13 Sheets-Sheet 6 Fla. /7

INVENTOR O. E. WOLFF' MACHINE FOR SEPARATING, COUNTING. DELIVERING,

Oct. 11, 1938.

WRAPPING, AND ADDRESSING SHEET. MATERIAL 13 Sheets-Sheet 7 INYENTOR Filed Aug. 16, 1937 ATTORNEY vOct. 11, 1938. O E, WQLFF 2,133,261

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING, COUNTING, DELIVERING, WRAPPING, AND ADDRESSING SHEET MATERIAL Filed Aug. 16, 1937 15 Sheets-Sheet 8 INVENTQ ATTORNEY Oct. 11,, 1938.

O. E WOLFF MACHINE FOR SEPARATING, COUNTING, DELIVERING,

WRAPPING, AND ADDRESSING SHEET MATERIAL Filed Aug. 16, 1937 l3 Sheets-Sheet 9 INVENTOR ATTORNEY INVENTOR ATTORNEY o. E. WOLFF MACHINE FOR SEPARATING, COUNTING, DELIVERING, WRAPPING, AND ADDRESSING SHEET MATERIAL Filed Aug. 16, 1957 Oct. 11, 1938.

Oct. 11, 1938.

O. E. WOLFF MACHINE FOR SEPARATING, COUNTING, WRAPPING. AND ADDRESSING SHEET Filed Aug. 16, 1957 2,133,261 DELIVERING, MATERIAL l3 Sheets-Sheet 11 ATTO R N EY .Oct. 11, 1938. o. E. WOLFF MACHINE FOR SEPARATING, COUNTING, DELIVERING,

WRAPPING, AND ADDRESSING SHEET MATERIAL l3 Sheets-Sheet 12 Filed Aug. 16, 1937 BDDDDI nnnzunun N NKM ATTORNEY Oct. 11, O. E. WOLFF' MACHINE FOR SEPARATING, COUNTING, DELIVERING WRAPPING, AND ADDRESSING SHEET MATERIAL Filed Aug. 16, 1957 13 Sheets-Sheet 13 INVENTOR ATTO RN EY Patented Oct. 11, 1938 UNITED STATES MACHINE FOB SEPABATING, COUNTING,

G, WRAPPING, AND ADDRESS- TRIAL DEIJVERIN ING SHEET MA Otto Edward Wolil, Arlington, Masa, a-ignor to Paul 8. Bauer, Belmont, Lhasa trustee oi. the

B. 8. Bauer Trust Application August 1c, 1937, sci-m No. 159,332

The present invention relates to means for handling sheet material, and more particularly to such sheet material as newspapers and periodicals.

As newspapers, for example, are delivered from the press, they are collected into bundles containing the proper number to be forwarded to the various newsdealers, and the bundles are then usually wrapped in pre-addressed wrappers.

These operations have heretofore been performed or stacking of a predetermined number of the :5 objects to be shipped.

- A further object is to vary the said predetermined number.

A further object is to provide a novel addressing-and-selecting device arranged to place autoso matically on the wrapper or container the name,

address and such other insignia as may be desired, such as the number of objects contained in that wrapper.

Still another object is to provide a coimter in 35 conjunction with the selecting device, so as to register the total number of objects passing through the machine.

Anotherobject is to provide a novel mechanism for accumulating a stack of sheets from below 40 the stack.

Other and further objects will be explained hereinafter, and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention will now be explained in con- 45 nection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of a machine embodying the present invention in its preferred form; Fig. 2 is a similar vertical section, taken upon the line 2-2 of Fig. 3, looking so in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 3 is a plan of the left-hand side of the machine shown in Fig.

2; Fig. 4'is an enlarged section taken upon the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 5 is a section taken upon the .55 line 55 of Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 5a is a corresponding end view. looking toward the left in Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a vertical section, taken upon the line 66 of Fig. 1 or Fig. 8, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 7 is a vertical section, taken upon the line ii 1-! oi Fig. 6, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 8 is a vertical section, taken upon the line 8-8 of Fig. 6, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 9 is a vertical section, taken upon the line 3-9 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 10 is a vertical section, taken upon the line Ill-ill of Fig. 11, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 11 is a horizontal section, underneath the mechanism, taken upon the line li--ll of Fig. 13, looking upward in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 12 is a section, taken upon the line I2l2 of Fig. 10, looking toward the left; Fig. 13 is a similar section, looking toward the right; Fig. 14 is a digrammatic view corresponding to Fig. 13, but upon a small scale; Figs. 15 to 21, inclusive, are similar views, showing the parts in difierent positions; Fig. 22 is a fragmentary elevation of the upper right-hand, or the discharge, portion of the machine shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 23 is a similar view, showing the stack of sheets as it is being released; Fig. 24 is a vertical section taken upon the line "-24 of Fig. 22, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 25 is a wiring diagram with the parts of the machine positioned in their approximate locations on the machine: Fig. 26 is an exploded perspective, upon a larger scale, of parts of the mechanism shown at the right of Fig. 6; Fig. 2'7 is a section similar to Fig. 1 of a modification in which the sheets are stacked from above instead of from below; Fig. 28 is an end view of the selector-and-address mechanism embodied in the modification of Fig. 27; Fig. 29 is a vertical section similar to Fig. 2, but on a larger scale, the section being taken upon the line 29-29 of Fig. 28. looking in the direction of thearrows; Fig. 30 is a vertical section of a modified selector mechanism, taken upon the line 30-30 of Fig. 31, looking to the left, in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 31 is a vertical section taken upon the line 3l--3l of Fig. 30, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 32 is a corresponding end view, looking from the right of Fig. 31; Fig. 33 is a plan of a modified address plate; Fig. 34 is a vertical section taken upon the line 34-44 oi Fig. 29, but upon a larger scale, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 35 is a vertical section taken upon the line 35-35 of Fig. 34, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 36 is a detail view 91- the mechanism shown in Fig. 35, but upon a u larger scale; Fig. 3'7 is a horizontal section taken upon the line 31-81 of Fig. 29, but upon a larger scale, looking downward in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 38 is a circuit diagram of the modified selector; and Fig. 39 is a section taken upon the line 39-39 of Fig. 31, looking to the right, in the direction of the arrows.

A plurality of newspapers 2 are shown in Fig. lin lapped relation, upon inclined conveyor belts 4 by which they are delivered into a hopper 6, where they become temporarily stacked. The right-hand ends (as shown in Fig. 1) of the inclined conveyor belts 4 may be disposed adjacent to a newspaper press (not shown), or a stack of newspapers (not shown), another conveyor (not shown), or any other source of supply of newspapers. Though the machine is shown in connection with newspapers, preferably fed with one of the folded edges 1 forward, it will be understood that other sheet material, such as magaarms and other periodicals, may also be treated in this machine, or parts thereof; and the terms newspaper, sheet and the like will, therefore, to avoid circumlocution of language, be often employed in the specification and the claims, in this generic sense, except where the context or the state of the art requires otherwise.

Referring, first, to the modification shown in Figs. 1 to 26, the left-hand end of the conveyor belts 4 are shown in Fig. 1 disposed at the righthand end of the bottom of the hopper 6. As the first newspaper 2 is delivered by the conveyor belts 4 into the hopper 6, therefore, it is carried by horizontally disposed, continuously traveling belts 8, at the bottom of the hopper 6, forward, or toward the left, as viewed in Figs. 1, 2 and 8. The second newspaper 2 is similarly carried forward, to the left, on top of the first newspaper 2. The third newspaper 2 is similarly carried forward, to the left, on top of the second newspaper, and so on.

The forward, or left-hand (as viewed in the said Figs. 1, 2 and 8) ends of those newspapers 2 that are disposed above the lowermost newspaper or newspapers soon engage a vertically disposed, shield wall Ill that prevents their further progress. The newspapers 2 thus become accumulated in the hopper 6, each on top of its next-lower neighbor, in the form of a stack, the weight of which serves to press the lowermost newspaper 2 against the said horizontally disposed belts 8, at the bottom of the hopper 6.

It is desirable that the pressure of the newspapers against the conveyor belts 8 caused by their own weight be not too great; particularly as it is desired to lift this stack from time to time, as will be explained more fully hereinafter. To relieve the pressure, therefore, only part of the newspapers in the hopper 6, above a predetermined height, are permitted to exert their full weight upon the newspapers beneath. This result may be effected in any desired way. According to the illustrated embodiment, the left-hand end l2 (as viewed in Figs. 1 and 8) of a wall I4 is disposed near the upper end, of the vertically disposed, shield wall ll), at a point a little higher than the lowest point of the inclined conveyor belts 4. The wall I4 is shown inclining toward the right, substantially parallel, and oppositely disposed, to the said inclined conveyor belts 4. Above the point l2, therefore, the newspapers will become collected in the hopper 6 in an inclined stack between the wall M of the hopper 6 and the inclined belts 4.

The lower terminal portion of the vertically disposed, shield wall I!) terminates in a finger I6, disposed very close to the horizontally disposed conveyor belts 8, but raised slightly thereabove, so as to provide a space through which the conveyor belts 8 may feed the lowermost newspaper 2 out of the hopper 6, into the space outside, to the left of the hopper, as shown in Fig. 1. The finger l6 may be constituted of an integral portion of the vertically disposed shield wall Ill, extending continuously downward, and bent or inclined smoothly forward in the direction of travel of the conveyor belts 8. The shield wall It] is vertically adjustable to regulate the said space between the finger l6 and the belt 8. It is usually preferred to have only one newspaper at a time pass under the extremity l8 of the finger ii. To effect this result, the space near the belt conveyor 8, under-the extremity I8 of the finger l6, should beadjusted so as to be less than the thickness of two newspapers, so that the second newspaper from the bottom shall be caught by the sloping, inner wall of the inclined finger l6,.as illustrated'more particularly in Fig. 1. If desired, of course, the position of the finger l6 may be adjusted high enough so as to permit morethan one paper to pass its extremity l8, particularly where it is desired to feed the papers overlapped. The belts 8 and the projecting finger I6 of the shield ID, or either of them, are sufficiently flexible to accommodate themselves to the papers 2 as these papers are carried between them.

The adjustability of the finger Hi to control the separate feeding of the papers passing thereunder, or their number so passing, may be effected in any desired manner. As illustrated more particularly in Figs. 1 and 8, the preferred mechanism for adjusting the position of the finger l6 comprises two eccentrics 20 disposed between two pairs of lugs 22 and 24 that extend horizontally out from the vertically. disposed, shield wall II), at the extreme ends thereof, though they may extend throughout the length of the shield. The eccentrics 20 are pivoted about a shaft 25 to which is fastened an adjusting handle 26 that is positioned outside the side frame I85 of the machine. By turning the handle 26, therefore, about the axis of the shaft 25, the eccentrics 20 will be caused to turn, engaging the lugs 22 and 24, and thus raising and lowering the vertically disposed shield wall I!) and the finger l6 at its lower end. The shield wall I!) will be guided in such vertical movement by ways 29 in the side frames I65 and I6! of the machine. The eccentric 28 may be maintained in adjusted position by means of a spring-pressed pin 28 on the handle 26. that may be caused to enter any of a plurality of index openings 30 (Fig. 8) disposed for different settings of the shield l0, along a circular are about the axis of the shaft 25. The shield ill need not, of course, be a continuous wall; it may be replaced by suitably arranged fingers or guides.

The newspaper or newspapers are passed out of the hopper 6, under the finger l6, by the same conveyor belts 8 before described; and to this end, they extend forward, to the left of the vertically disposed shield wall ill, a considerable distance beyond the confines of the hopper 6. Because of the higher coefficient of friction between newspaper stock and the material of which the belts 8 are constituted, than between the newspapers 2 34, the former adjacent to the lower end of the inclined conveyor belts 4, at the right-hand end of the hopper 6, and the latter far to the left of the hopper 6. They pass also over an idler roll 33, shown just to the right of the shield 48. The number of belts 8 passing over the pulleys 32 and 34 maybe four, with spaces between them through which are visible the hereinafter-mentioned table supports I46. The right-hand pulley 32 is provided with a plurality of projections 35 for agitating the rear ends of the papers 2 in the hopper 6, as it revolves, thus eliminating the tendency of the papers 2 sticking together in the hopper 6, and also tending to drive the lowest paper 2 to the left, toward the shield Ill. The agitator 35 need not, however, be attached to one of the conveyor pulleys, since it may be separately driven.

If more than one paper (or the desired other number of papers) should tend to feed past the shield ill, they will become separated by a separating roll 38 under which the belts 8 pass at an intermediate point, a little to the left of the finger l6. This is effected by flexibly pressing the separating roll 38 against the belts 8 and an idler roll 36 under the belts 8. The advancing, forward end of each newspaper, just after the paper travels out of the hopper 6, is thus pressed between the spring-pressed roll 38 and the roll 36 and the belts 8, and the newspaper continues to be so engaged as it continues its forward travel, to the left. The sheets thus travel between the conveyor 8 and the roll 36 below and the roll 38 above, as they leave the hopper. By operating the separating roll 38 in the same direction as the direction of travel of the belts 8, but at a surface speed lower than the speed of travel of the feed belts 8, and by suitably adjusting the pressure of its spring 46, the papers will become slowed down and dragged back, effecting their separation, and ensuring that the front edge of any particular paper 2 shall be behind the front edge of the next preceding paper 2 a sufl'icient distance to permit separate counting of the papers by a counting finger 44 or counting fingers 44 and 46, as hereinafter explained. They may be entirely separated from each other, with a space 42 between each two newspapers 2, as illustrated in Fig. l, or they may become overlapped, depending upon the adjustment and the drive.

If the papers 2 were all of equal thickness, and if there were no irregularities or other sources of like error, and particularly if the papers 2 were not overlapped, one counting finger 44 would ordinarily suflice. In the illustrated machine, the counting fingers 44 and 46 are not laterally separated, in a direction at right angles to the line of feed, but are substantially exactly alined with each other in the line of feed, between two adjacent belts 8.

If the shield l itself operates effectively to separate the papers 2, the roll 38 may either run idly, or it may be driven at the same speed as the feed belts 8. In that event, as the sheets at the bottom of the hopper 6 are separated from the stack and carried by the conveyor belts 8 through the space under the inclined finger l6 of the shield ill, the roll 38 will merely hold the paper 2 under it against the belts 8 and the roll 36 to insure its-being drawn out. A deflector or guide plate (not shown) may be used to prevent the upper sheets, if overlapped, from becoming lifted by the roll 38.

When the newspapers 2 have an extraordinary tendency to stick together, as when under the influence of static electricity, theymay be separated by the use of horizontally disposed belts or a series of rolls (not shown), as explained in a copending application, Serial No. 43,928,, filed October 7, 1935, of which the present application is a continuation-in-part.

After the papers have thus been caused to travel from the conveyor belts 4 into the hopper 6, and from the hopper 6 between the rolls 36 and 33, they are next counted. To this end, the counting finger 44 is illustrated in Fig. 1, above the lefthand portion of the belts 8, and to the left of the roll 38. As the newspaper 2 advances from between the rolls 36 and 38in Fig. 1, its forward, folded edge I engages this counting finger 44. As soon as the paper has traveled beyond the position occupied by the counting finger 44, it falls into the space 42 between the successive papers 2. Each raising and lowering of the counting finger 44 will result in registering a count, as will be hereinafter explained, to indi- 'cate that another newspaper 2 has been conveyed by the conveyor belts 8 from the hopper 6 to outside the hopper. A similar operation takes place when the'sheets traveling under the counting finger 44 are overlapped, as before described; though there is no space 42 into which the counting finger 44 may drop, there is a difference in height between different parts of the overlapped papers that produces the same raising and lowering of the counting finger 44. The additional counting finger 46, spaced from the counting finger 44 in the line of 'feed, may, however, be employed, particularly with overlapped newspapers, the operation of one counting finger following upon the operation of the other. When the additional counting finger 46 is employed, it operates, like the counting finger 44, to engage the sheets that travel under it; but the count is registered in response to the differential, up-and-down movement of both counting fingers 44 and 46 together, and not in response to the movement of one counting finger only, as is explained in the said application, thus effecting a more accurate control of the counter mechanism.

The belt conveyor 8, the shield wall III, the separating member 38, and the counting fingers 44 and 46, are disposed at the bottom of the machine,

the newspapers 2 traveling therethrough from right to left, as viewed in Fig. 1. The papers 2 are then transferred to the upper portion of the machine by means of vertically disposed, continuously traveling, lift, conveyor belts 60 and 62. The conveyors 8 and 68 may, of course, be in the form of a single conveyor. After the papers 2 have been thus raised by the belts 68 and 62, they are again carried through the machine, but from left to right. This enables lapped papers to be in the correct position to be stacked from beneath. The forward edges 1 of the newspapers are practically parallel at all times, the papers 2 being fed quite regularly in this machine.

The conveyor belts 68 pass over two large pulleys 64 and 66 and a smaller pulley 68. The pulley 66 is disposed vertically above the pulley 64. The conveyor belts 62 pass over three pulleys I6, 12 and 14. The lower surface of the pulley 64 is disposed substantially on the same level as the upper reach of the conveyor belts 8, and the pulley I6 is disposed below and to one side of the pulley 64. The newspapers 2 thus travel horizontally into the bite between the conveyor belts 68 and 62, and are' turned upward, around the large pulley 64, toward the pulleys 66 and 12. The pulleys 68 and 14, however, are situated to the right of, and above, the pulleys 66 and 12, the pulley I4 being disposed a little to the left of the pulley 88. The

upper portions of the belt conveyors 88 and 82,

therefore, are disposed below, and at an upward incline to, the bottom of a magazine 18, so as to convey the newspapers successively to the right, after they leave the pulley 88, at an upward incline, toward the pulleys 88 and 14.

Horizontally disposed, continuously traveling, conveyor stackerbelts 88 at the bottom of the magazine 18 pass over horizontally alined pulleys 82 and 84 at the bottom of the magazine I8. The pulley 82 is disposed on the same shaft as, so as to be coaxial with, the pulley 88, under the magazine 18. It is not essential that the belts 8 or 88 be horizontal,--they may be inclined under the hopper 8 or the magazine 18 at an angle.

The papers are thus carried toward apredetermined point of the bottom of the magazine 18, just above the pulley 82, and under the bent portions 92 at the left'of a hold-down weight or weights 18, or under the rearward projecting ends of the newspapers 2 in the magazine 18, as illustrated in Fig. 1.

The function of the weight 18 is to press the lowest paper 2 against the conveyor belts 88. This function is not needed in the hopper 8, because of the weight of the papers 2 that are fed in from above the stack. In the magazine 18, however, the papers are fed in by the conveyors 88 and 62 from below.

As the first paper 2 is delivered by the conveyor belts 88' and 82, between the pulleys l4 and 82, it travels at the said upward incline, above the said pulleys 88 and 82, the pulley 82 thus serving as a guide roll.

The front edge I of the first newspaper 2 is first gripped between the body portion of the hold-down weight 18, at the point where it joins the bent portion 92, and the portions of the belts 88 immediately beneath. The said front edge 1 is then dragged in by the conveyor belts 88, under the said bent end 92 of the hold-down weight 18. The pulley 84 is disposed beyond the magazine 18, to the right thereof, as viewed in Fig. 1, so that the belt conveyor 88 would carry the papers in the magazine 18 beyond, and to the right of, the magazine 18, on to a table I48, were it not for stops 88 that project upward between the stacker belts 88 to engage the forward end of the lower paper or papers 2 in the magazine 18 and limit its or their further progress. The stops 88 need not project very high, since it is quite sufficient to restrain the travel of only the bottom paper 2 in the magazine 18.

As the newspapers 2 continue to be successively advanced by the belt conveyors 88 and 82, the forward end I of each next-following newspaper, as it leaves between the pulleys 14 and 82, enters into the magazine 18 at a point between the pulley 82 and under the rear end of the newspaper already at the bottom of this magazine 18, overhanging, or projecting rearwardly over, the pulley 82, providing a small space for the entering paper 2 to pass between the bottom of the stack of papers and the upper reach of the belts 88.

- After the first newspaper 2 has been fed into the magazine I8, it will itself serve as such guide for the next-following newspaper, provided that the distance of the stop 88 from the uppermost point of the pulley 82, at the receiving end of the conveyor I8, is less than the length of the newspapers. It need not, however, be a great deal less. The remaining papers in the magazine, above'the bottom paper 2, will remain in the magazine, because they are protected from the feeding action of the belts 88 by the lowermost paper in the stack, which is alone in contact with the belts 88, and they are held in the magazine 18 by the hold-down weight 18.

The newspapers 2 are thus fed into the magazine I8 by the combined movements of the lift belts 88 and 82 and the stacker belts 88. The bends in the newspapers during such feeding are influenced by both these sets of belts. It is possible to control the bends, therefore, by different arrangements of the belts, and also to have the newspapers leave the belt conveyors 88 and 82 at a downward incline, as explained in the said application.

The belt conveyors 88 and 82 may be modified by raising the central belts of one of them, and correspondingly lowering the central belts of the other, with respect to the side belts. The papers 2 will then be fed into the magazine 18 concaved or convexed and, therefore, stiffer than when fed into the magazine fiat. Such stiffness will prevent the possibility of the unrestrained sections of the papers buckling in the space between the guide roll 82 and the bent portions 92 of the holddown weight 14 or the rearwardly projecting, tail ends of the sheets in the magazine. The convexity or the concavity need extend only part way under the stack at this point.

It is desirable to have the .horizontally disposed conveyor beits 8 travel at a higher speed than the inclined conveyor belts 4, but at a slower speed than that of the lift belts 88 and 82 which, in turn, should travel more slowly than the stack belts 88. The papers 2 will then separate out more rapidly in the hopper 8, and congestion and buckling of the papers 2, that might be caused by slippage between the belts and the papers 2, is avoided. Such slippage is particularly possible in the magazine 18, caused by the drag of the upper papers 2 therein on the lowermost paper 2 as it is fed into the magazine 18. The desired relative speeds may be produced in any de-- sired manner, as explained in the said application, from a motor 85 that is supported in a cradle 59. As shown in Fig. 1, the pulleys 32, 88, l2, l4 and 84 are idler pulleys. The desired speeds of the various conveyors may be attained by suitably proportioning the driven pulleys.

The newspapers 2 thus become stacked on the conveyor 88, and the stack in the magazine 18 thus rises higher and higher as the newspapers 2 are thus successively conveyed to the bottom of the magazine and successively fed thereinto, until the desired number of newspapers, as determined by the count of the counting finger 44 or the counting fingers 44 and 48, has been collected in the magazine 18. The weight 18 rises higher and higher during this accumulation of the papers in the magazine 18, so as always to press down upon the top newspaper in the magazine, thus to press the bottom newspaper in the magazine against the conveyor belts 88 during its feeding into the magazine.

To permit such raising of the weight 18, it is shown, in Figs. 1 and 22, as constituted of one or more fiat bars, having the integral, angularly bent portion 92 at the left, pivoted at 94 to the lower end of a link 98, the upper end of which is pivoted to the frame of the machine at 98, above and to the left of the newspaper stack in the magazine 18. In the lowermost position of the weight 18, the link 98 engages a stop I88 to limit the degree of movement of the link 98 and, therefore, the weight 18, to the left. The weight 18 is thus prevented from swinging to the left, out

aiaaaei of. the magazine 18, when it drops to the bottom of the magazine after the stack of newspapers therein has been delivered on to the delivery table 0. In this position,- the bent portion 92 5 serves as a guide for guiding the first newspaper 2, as it is received from the conveyors 6 and 52, in under the holddown weight 16 and above the conveyor 80. Asthe stack of papers 2 in the magazine rises, the weight I6 also rises and, at 10 the same time, moves to the right, as illustrated in Figs. 22 and 23, actuating the link 35 also to the right, away from the stop I00. The' link joint enables. the holddown weight I to lie flat on the top paper 2 of thestack no matter what the 15 height of the stack.

It may be desirable to stack the newspapers 2 so that each group of twenty-five or fifty, or any other desired number of papers, shall have the folded edges reversed; that is, so that the top 20 twenty five papers, for example, in a stack shall have their end and side folded edges facing north and east, respectively, and the next twenty five papers shall have those edges facing south and west, the next twenty five, north and east 5 again, etc. Alternating the papers in this manner is desirable for some purposes; forexample, to facilitate their being counted by the persons receiving them, and also to make a more stable stack. This may be effected, according to the 30 present invention, as described and illustrated in the said application. It is preferred, however, to employ the mechanism illustrated in Fig. 2'7.

The papers 2 are delivered, before counting, from the left, as viewed in Fig. 27, to a belt con- 5 veyor 3. If no papers are in a hopper 339, they are conveyed by the conveyor 3 under a shield wall 5' disposed in the path of travel of the sheets from the conveyor 3, and on to a belt conveyor 3, which travels at a higher speed than the belt 3. Rolls 40 I08 serve a function similar to that of the rolls 33. The conveyor 9 eontinuesto receive the papers 2, as they are fed by the conveyor 3, in superposed relation, until the level of the stack of papers in the hopper 339 is high enough to touch the shield 5 5, as shown. As soon as the superposed sheets accumulate to the number predetermined by the position of the lower end of the shield 5, no more sheets will be fed past the shield 5 until a sheet or sheets has been fed under the shield II by the 50 conveyor 3. Further accumulation of the sheets in the hopper 333 beyond the said predetermined number is thus prevented at any one time.

So long as there is a supply of papers on the belt 3, therefore, the level in the hopper 333 will 55 be practically constant, and so long as this level.

- above the conveyor 9. A slight separation will suflice to pass the sheets singly, so that the lower wall of the shield wall ll of the hopper 339 may be disposed very close to the conveyor 9. A table l2, constituted of a plurality of supports disposed 70 between the plurality of belts of the conveyor 3, is pivoted at |25, so that it may be raised from its normally ineffective position, by a half revolution of a cam I05, to the effective position, to close the said opening, or block the said space,

75 and to lift the sheets 2 off the belts 9, thus to pre will hereinafter appear, the circuit vent the further feed of the papers under the shield II by the-conveyor 9. The cam I05, which thus controls the feed of the papers below the shield II, is controlled by an electromagnetic coil 2 2| (shown diagrammatically in Fig. 38) that may be operated in the same manner as the other electromagnetic coils illustrated herein, the operation of which is described at considerable length herein and in the said appli ion. As the coil 22| is controlled in accordance with a modified counting-and-selector mechanism, illustrated in Figs. 28 to 39, so as to effect the upward pivotal movement of the table |2, thereby to stop the posed belts H and 2|, over a roll 21 disposed at a level above the topmost sheet 2 of the stack, over a guide 39, and on top of a stack 89 on a table 9|, under a downwardly inclined guide 55,

until it strikes an integral bent portion 58 at the end of the downwardly inclined guide 55. The discharge pulleys or rolls 21 and a roll 3| are attached to the ends of arm members 31.

The guide 55 may be constituted of two guide arms or members, one on each side of the center of the sheets stacked on the table 3 separated by a yoke 49, pivoted at 35 to an arm 4|, so as to equalize the pressure exerted by them on the uppermost sheet of the stack engaged by the two guide members of the guide 55, and each provided with the bent end 53. The bent ends 53 constitute a stop, positioned to the right (as viewed in Fig. 27 and above the predetermined position occupied by the stack of papers on the table 3| The papers 2 are fed on to the table 9| from above the table 3|, at a downward incline, toward and against the stops 58, which stop their further movement, and thus cause them to become stacked on the table 3|, in engagement with the stops. The sheets are guided, during their feeding movement, on to the stack on the table 3|, by the guide arms of the guide 55. The impact of the papers, passing under the guide arms of the guide 55, automatically raises them vertically, in accordance with the height of the stack, and, with them, through the yoke l3 and the arm 4|, that connects them to the guide 55, the rolls 2'! and 3| and the arm members by which they are carried. The upper portions of the conveyors l1 and 2| are thus automatically raised vertically, in accordance with the height of the stack, to raise the point of delivery of the sheets 2 to the stack of sheets on the table 3|. The lower pulleys 51 and 53 of the belts l1 and 2|, however, do not change positions during the vertical movement of the rolls 21 and 3|. The belt 23 extends also over fixed pulleys l5 and 41.

The arm members 31 are provided with wheels (not shown) adapted to roll on a vertical track of a supporting column 42L thus to guide their vertical movement and the vertical movement of the freely movable rolls 21 and 3| by and against the force of gravity. To maintain tension in the belts 2|, an idler pulley 23 is free to move in a vertically disposed are at the end of arms pivoted to the frame of the machine at I03. The guide members are maintained on the top-most sheet of the stack by gravity, and to reduce the upward force which the papers must exert in order to lift the guides 55, a counterweight I44 is connected by a cord 422, running over pulleys I8I and I29 and attached to the member 31. The lowermost positions of the pulleys 21 and 3I and the arm I8I with the pulley 23 are indicated by dotted lines.

If the papers are fed forward with a folded end leading, they naturally arrive on the table 9| in the same way. When the correct number of papers, twenty-five as an illustration, have been so fed and stacked on the table 9|, the table I2 is raised to stop the feed of additional papers, the guide 55 is likewise raised, and the table and the stack thereon turned a half revolution, in order to alternate the folded edges, by means of a shaft 95 on which the table 9| is supported. The guides 55 are then dropped, so as to become restored in effective position, the table I12 is lowered and the feed of the papers is resumed, resulting in a.

reversed position of the newspapers on the stack.

To effect the raising of the guide 55, a lug I58 on one arm of a bell crank I55 is moved up against the cord 422 upon the downward movement of the connecting rod I58 that is connected to the other arm of the bell crank. The lug I58 is provided with frictional material that binds frictionally against the cord 422 as the lug I58 is moved upward, thus pulling the cord 422 upward and to the left, thereby causing the raising of the guides 55 and the parts attached thereto.

It is now in order to describe the wrapperfeeding, addressing and severing mechanism.

Referring, first, more particularly to Figs. 1 to 26, the wrapping paper is fed intermittently from a roll or reel of wrapping paper I I8 that is mounted to turn upon a spindle or rod I28, disposed'at the left-hand side of the machine, and a little below the magazine 18. From the roll I I8, the wrapping-paper web I22 rises substantially vertically to a guide roll I24, over which it passes to the right, over a platen I26 and under a backing plate I28 of the addressing mechanism. As will beexplained hereinaften'the platen I26 is intermittently moved upward to force the interposed wrapping-paper web I22 against a type-backed ribbon I38 between the web I22 and an address plate 228. Different address plates 228 will thus produce different addresses and other insignia upon the web I22.

At a suitable moment, the portion of the web I22 thus addressed is fed forward, to the right, between feed rolls I32 and I34, the former of which is larger than the latter, and may be constituted of rubber, while the latter may be constituted of metal. One revolution of the feed roll I32 about its shaft I33 results in feeding the required length of wrapper from the reel II8. Such revolution of the feed roll I32 will be produced after a predetermined degree of rotation of the shaft 385, as will be explained later. The web I22 is fed between a cutter bed I36 and a cutter roll I38, and, through guides I35 and I3! (Figs. 1 and 2), over to the stacker belts 88, which grips the web under the hold-down weight 16 and carrying it forward to the right, stretching it taut. The cutter roll I38 is mounted upon a shaft 233. At the completion of the revolution of the feed roll I32, the cutter roll I38 is actuated, in synchronism with the other movements of the machine parts, to make one revolution, thereby severing the addressed portion of the web I22 from the remainder of the web. The severed portion of the web constitutes a wrapper; in the industry, it is often called a snipe".

' ered by the printed wrapper.

Referring, now, to Figs. '21 to 29, the wrapping paper is fed intermittently from a roll or reel of wrapping paper 261 that is mounted to turn upon a spindle or rod I28, disposed at the left-hand side of the machine, and a little below the hopper 339. From the roll 281, the wrapping-paper web I22'rises substantially vertically to a guide roll 211, over which it passes to the right, over a platen I26 and under a backing plate 3I3 of the addressing mechanism. As will be explained hereinafter, the platen I26 is intermittently moved upward to force the interposed wrappingpaper web I22 against a type-backed ribbon 3 between the web I22 and an address plate 285. Different address plates 285 will thus produce different addresses and OthL. insignia upon the web I22. 1

At a suitable moment, the portion of the web I22 thus addressed is fed forward, to the right, between feed rolls 28I and 288, the former of which is larger than the latter, and may be constituted of rubber, while the latter may be constituted of metal. One revolution of the feed roll 28I about its shaft 32I results in feeding the required length of wrapper from the reel 261. Such revolution of the feed roll 28I will be produced after a predetermined degree of rotation of the shaft 386, as will be explained later. The web I22 is fed between a cutter bed 289 and a cutter roll 298; and, over a guide 299 (Fig. 29), to the belts 3. The cutter roll I38 is mounted upon a shaft 233. At the completion of the revolution of the feed roll 28I, the cutter roll 298 is actuated, in synchronism with the other movements of the machine parts, to make one revolution, thereby severing the addressed wrapper or snipef from the remainder of the web I22.

In the modification of 'Figs. 1 to 26, the wrapper, thus severed, is thereupon pulled into the magazine 18 by the belts 88, into engagement with the stops 86, and remains there until the first newspaper 2 enters the magazine 18 under the wrapper. The next-following newspapers are then fed in under this first newspaper, as before described, the wrapper remaining always at the top of the stack, under the hold-down weight 16. -The name, address and other information relating to the dealer for whom the stack of newspapers 2 in the magazine 18 is about to be collected have previously been printed, as before described, on the upper side of the wrapper.

If desired, a secondary wrapper, perhaps of old newspaper, may be placed on the table I48 before the stack is released from the magazine, in order to cover the portions of the stack not cov- The stack, with the printed wrapper thereon, would then be delivered on to the secondary wrapper onthe table I48, in the manner presently to be described. The secondary wrapper may be deposited on the table I48 by some other mechanism than the belts 88, and this may be effected from a point in front or back-of the table I48, instead of from the left thereof, as viewed in Fig. 1. Such modifled arrangement may have preferences in cases where the sizes of the stacks intended for differ ent dealers vary so greatly that different-length wrappers are desirable, in order that the wrappers may go completely around the sides and the top of the stack of newspapers. The illustrated embodiment of the invention provides but a single-size wrapper, but it may be desirable to have an intercoordination between the size of the stack and the length of wrapper feed desired. The table I48 is provided with a vertically disposed, stop wall I42 for limiting the forward movement of the newspapers.

After a predetermined number of newspapers 2 have been accumulated in the magazine 18, as

determined by the counting finger 44, or the counting fingers 44 and 46, further feeding of the newspapers into the magazine I8 will automatically be stopped, as hereinafter described. The stops 86 will thereupon be freed, whereupon the conveyor 80 will carry the stack of newspapers accumulated in. the magazine I8, as a unit, out of the magazine I8 and on to the table I40, or the said secondary or other,wrapper resting thereon. The hold-down weight I6, of course, then falls by gravity once more to the bottom of the magazine I8.

The mechanism for freeing the stops 86 is illustrated more particularly in Figs. 22 to 25. These stops are rigidly attached to a rock shaft I89 upon which is mounted a catch I that is normally retained in a recess I43 of an armature I45 of an electromagnet I41, by a spring I39 that normally maintains the armature I45 raised, but it may be released in opposition to the action of the spring I39, by thus energizing the electromagnet I". The catch I normally, therefore, maintains the rock shaft in such position that the stops 86 occupy their effective positions, illustrated by full lines in Fig. 22; but the catch I4I becomes released when the armature I45 is attracted downward by the electromagnet I". The belts 80 are then free to move the stacked papers 2 in the magazine I8 on to the receiving table I40, and the thrust of the stack of newspapers 2 on the moving belts 80 will then actuate the stops 86 from the position of Fig. 22 to the position of Fig. 23, in opposition to the force exerted by a counterweight I5I. The counterweight I5'I later returns the stops 86 to their normal positions, illustrated in Fig. 22. In order to absorb the shocks of the moving papers that strike the stops 86, as they are fed into the magazine I8, at high speed, the mounting of the catch I on the rock shaft I09 is rendered yielding or resilient, through the medium of a resilient insert I53, interposed between the shaft I89 and a collar I5I that surrounds the shaft I89. The electromagnet is energized by the closing of a brush contact member (not shown) and a contact member 368 of a multiple-switch master controller I49, as hereinafter explained.

During the travel of the wrapper through the magazine 18, of course, there should be no further delivery of newspapers to the conveyor belts 00.

So long as the conveyor belts 8 continue to engage the lowermost newspaper in the hopper 6, the belts 60 and 62 will continue to deliver newspapers to' the magazine I8. Provision is, therefore, made for lifting the stack of newspapers in the hopper 6 up, out of contact with the belts 8, in synchronism with the movements of the other parts of the machine, when it is desired to stop the further feed of the newspapers 2.

To this end, a plurality of bar supports I46, rigidly connected together upon a common frame, are normally disposed below, and between, the belts 8, as shown more particularly in Fig. 1. In such normal disposition of the supports I46, they are ineifective, and do not interfere with the feeding of the newspapers 2 out of the hopper 6 by the belts 8. The supports I46 may, however, become raised, as a unit, up between the belts 8, into an effective position, as shown in Figs. 6 and 8, thus performing a double function:

ing of the desired, predetermined number of papers 2 out of the hopper 6, by means of long, parallelly disposed, side rods I06. The separating roll 38 is raised simultaneously with the raising .of the table I46, as is also illustrated in Fig. 8,

to reduce-the friction upon any newspaper 2 that may happento become clamped, part way out of the hopper 6, between the table I46 and the finger l6 at the bottom of the shield I0, thus to prevent damaging the clamped newspapers.

The cycle of operations is controlled by the counting finger or fingers. As a newspaper 2 travels from right to left, its forward, folded end I first engages the counting finger 44, thus pivotally actuating it about a pivot I 56 toward the left and raising it above a plate I52, upon which it and the finger 46 normally rests. As the newspaper 2 continues its travel toward the left, as viewed in Fig. 1, its forward, folded end I engages, the next moment, the counting finger 46, raising it pivotally about a pivot I54. Though two pivots I54 and I56 are illustrated, the counting fingers 44 and 46 may be pivoted about a common axis (not shown) by which the counting fingers may be carried. When the rear end of the paper 2 rides further forward, away from the contact finger 44, the latter again drops off the rear edge of the paper 2, into the space 42 between successive papers 2; and when the paper 2 travels still further forward, away from under the counting finger 46, the latter then also falls into the said space 42. The same result takes place when the newspapers travel overlapped. This operation results in counting the papers, as described in the said application, by means of contact members I64 and I65, shown in Fig. 25.

One function of the plate I52 is'to prevent sagging of the belts 8 that travel over the plate I52 and under the counting fingers 4 4 and 46. It serves also as a stop for the counting fingers.

The movement of the contact fingers 44 and 46 serves to close an electric circuit for actuating a counter. Each time that the circuit is closed, the counter is actuated to register a count. The counting fingers 44 and 46 are thus pivotally moved, in succession, by the newspapers 2, to control the actuation of the counter.

The contact members I64 and I 66 are connected to the outside circuit through metal springs I94 and I96, respectively, which also serve to hold the counting fingers 46 and 44, respectively, in their lowest positions. The spring I94 is fastened at one end to the contact arm I64 and one end of the spring I96 is similarly fastened to the contact arm I66. V r

The circuit connections will be understood from the circuit diagram of Fig. taken in conjunction with the apparatus illustrated more particularly in Figs. 10 and 12. The contact member I64 is connected by way of the spring I94 and a conductor 200 to one side of the coil of the counter magnet 202, and the contact member I66 is similarly connected by way of the spring I96 and a conductor 204, by way of other connections that will be described hereinafter,- to the other

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