US3563537A

US3563537A - Sheet stack feed device with shiftable throat restrictor

Info

Publication number: US3563537A
Application number: US767310A
Authority: US
Inventors: Paul John Thut
Original assignee: Burroughs Corp
Current assignee: Unisys Corp; Standard Register Co
Priority date: 1968-10-14
Filing date: 1968-10-14
Publication date: 1971-02-16
Anticipated expiration: 1988-02-16
Also published as: BE740165A; GB1225883A; FR2020623A1

Abstract

The disclosure embodies a V-shaped sheet stack hopper having a downwardly directed opening at its apex. At the apex of the hopper, and in part forming one of the walls thereof, is a shiftable or positionable restricting member which forms a card restricting outlet with a resilient tire of a card feed roller. Mounted on the hopper and supporting the positionable restricting member is a body on which there is an adjustment member operable to establish a set restriction with the tire, corresponding to a given card thickness. Also mounted on the body is a shifter member by means of which the positionable member may be readily shifted to change the restriction to one for accommodating cards of other thickness.

Description

United States Patent 72] Inventor Paul John Thut Penfield, N.Y. [21] Appl. No. 767,310 [22] Filed Oct. 14, 1968 [45] Patented Feb. 16, 1971 [73] Assignee Burrough Corporation Detroit, Mich.

[54] SHEET STACK FEED DEVICE WITH SHIFTABLE THROAT RESTRICTOR 2 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

[52] 11.8. CI 271/41 [51] B65h 1/06 [50] Field ofSeai-ch 271/43, 36, 29, 39, 44, 41, 61, 62;

[56] v References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,515,986 11/1924 Wright 271/41 2,755,910 7/1956 Crawford 2,726,862 12/1941 Anderson Primary ExaminerRichard E. Aegerter Attorneys- Kenneth L. Miller and Frank H. Cullen ABSTRACT: The disclosure embodies a V-shaped sheet stack hopper having a downwardly directed opening at its apex. At the apex of the hopper, and in part forming one of the walls thereof, is a shiftable or positionable restricting member which forms a card restricting outlet with a resilient tire of a card feed roller. Mounted on the hopper and supporting the positionable restricting member is a body on which there is an adjustment member operable to establish a set restriction with the the, corresponding to a given card thickness. Also mounted on the body is a shifter member by means of which the positionable member may be readily shifted to change the restriction to one for accommodating cards of other thick- IICSSCS.

PATENIEU FEB] em 3563531 Q sum 1 I]? 3 INVENTOR.

PA UL J. THUT.

SHEET STACK FEED DEVICE WITH SHIFTABLE THROAT RESTRICTOR SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention resides in the provision of an improved stack feeding device wherein the improvement is a shiftable sheet restriction member to readily change the restriction to one of a number of different size restrictions.

In the prior art it has been proposed that the feeding of one document at a time by a sheet feed device be assured by providing a restricting throat through which only one document of a specified thickness can pass. The aperture of such a throat is either fixed at the time of its construction or is provided with the type of adjustment having infinite positions of adjustment.

The first proposal has the disadvantage of limiting the feed device application to documents of only one thickness. The second proposal provides for the use of documents of different thicknesses in the feed device, but has the disadvantage of requiring a time-consuming adjustment involving a precise measurement of the throat aperture each time documents of a different thickness are to be fed. 7

Accordingly, it is an object of the'invention to provide a mechanism with which the aperture of the restricting throat of a sheet feed device is readily adjustable by a shiftable throat restricting member in predetermined increments corresponding to the differences in known thickness of the documents to be fed.

In The Drawings:

I FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side view, partly in section, of a sheet feed device embodying features of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary elevational view, taken in the direction of the arrows 2-2 of FIG. 1

FIG. 3 is a sectional view, taken along the line and in the direction of the arrows 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective and partiallyexploded view, and FIG. 6 is a side view. v

' With reference first to FIG. I, the sheet feed device includes a supporting means 12, a sheet hopper 14, a sheet feed roller 16, and a shiftable sheet restricting member s designated generally by the numeral 18. The hopper 14, the feed roller 16, and the restricting member 18 are mounted on a pair of upright plates 20, of which only one is shown, of the supporting means 12. The restricting member 18 is disposed adjacent the feed roller 16, and both are effectively positioned below the hopper 14, as shown in FIG. I.

A horizontal driven shaft 22 is journaled on the upright plates 20 and may be driven by any suitable electric motor. The shaft 22 has affixed thereon the feed roller 16 which is provided with a resilient tire 23. v

The hopper 14 includes a first inclined plate 24 which is mounted on the upright plates -20,'the lower edge of the plate 24 having a clearance opening 25 to receive the periphery of the feed roller 16. A second inclined plate 26 is mounted on the upright plates 20 to form, with the first inclined plate 24, the hopper 14 which, as shown in FIG. 1, is V-shaped having a downwardly directed apex.

A second driven shaft 27, below and parallel to the driven shaft 22, has affixed thereon a feed roller 28 which cooperates with a pressure roller 29 to transport sheets fed from the hopper. The pressure roller 29 is mounted on a lever 30 and a tension spring 31 urges the pressure roller against the feed roller 28.

A third inclined plate 32 is mounted on the upright plates 20 below the second inclined plate 26, its lower length extending below the feed roller 16 and adjacent to the bight of the drive roller 28 and the pressure roller 29.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, the restricting member If; is in the form of a bar having a beveled end 19 disposed toward and located adjacent the periphery of roller 16 to form a sheet restriction passage therebetween. Screw-threaded into the other end of the bar 18 is one end of a rod 38 which has a knob 40 for conveniently rotating the rod. Adjacent the knob 40, the rod 38 has an annular flange 41 at the upper end of the mount 33 and overlying the flange there is a retainer plate 43 which is secured to the mount by screws 44 for normally hold ing the rod against accidental rotation.

A stationary base or bracket 45 is mounted on the second inclined plate 26, and the mount 33 is supported and slidably guided therebetween. The restricting member 18 is normally secured to the mount 33 by a screw 34 for movement together, clearance being provided in the bracket 45 by an aperture 46. Screws 47 are screw-threaded into the bracket 42 and the heads of these screws overlap the mount 33 to retain the latter in the channel-shaped bracket, as shown in FIG. 5.

An adjustment or shifter member 48 is provided to shift the sheet restricting member 18 to a selected one of a number of positions representative of different sheet thicknesses and is rotatably mounted in a boss 49 provided on the underside of the bracket 45. The shifter member 48 has a cylindrical body 50 is rotatably received in a bore 51 in the boss 49 which bore extends at right angles to and beneath the restricting member 18. Directly beneath the restricting member 18, the cylindrical body 50 of the shifter member 48 is provided with a number of lands or

flat cam portions

52, 53 and 54. These flat portions are formed on and circumferentially positioned about the periphery of the cylindrical body 50. The chords of the

flat portions

52, 53 and 54 increase successively from the portion 52 having the shortest chord and the portion 54 having the longest chord, thus providing a series of steps. A depending stud 56 secured to the restricting member 18 extends laterally of and adjacent the

flat portions

52, 53 and 54 such that by rotating the shifter member 48 the restricting member 18 may be shifted to any one of a number of positions with respect to the sheet feed wheel 16. The

flat portions

52, 53 and 54 are representative respectively of different thicknesses of sheets which may be used in the stacker. A coil spring 57 urges the restricting member 18 leftward as viewed in FIGS. 3 and 4 and thus yieldably urges the stud 56 against a selected one of the

flat portions

52, 53 and 54. One end of the spring 57 abuts an extension 58 of a bracket which is secured to the mount 33 by screws 58'.

One end of the shifter member 48 is provided with a knob 59 for convenience of rotating the shifter member 48, and provided on the other end of the shifter member there is a form of detent to hold the shifter member 48 yieldably in its set position. The detent comprises a hexagon-shaped member 60 affixed to the shaft of the shifter member 48 and a pawl 61. As shown in FIG. 6, the pawl 61 is held against one of the flat hexagonal faces of the member 60 by a coil spring 62.

OPERATION With reference to FIG. 1, sheets or documents 64 are loaded into the V-shaped hopper 14 formed by the first inclined plate 24 and the second inclined plate 26, the documents 64 oriented to lie parallel to the first inclined plate 24. The lowermost document 66 will, by force of gravity, assume a position immediately adjacent to the first inclined plate 24 such that the lower edge of the document is adjacent to the periphery of the feed roller 28.

To begin feeding documents, the feed roller 16 is driven in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 1. The frictional force the feed roller tire 23 exerts on the documents 73 will drive it downward through the restriction 68 formed between the feed roller 16 and the restricting edge 19. The restricting member 18 is adjusted relative to the feed roller 16 such that only one document can pass therebetween. The document 66, still being driven by the feed roller 16, is deflected by the lower curved portion 70 of the second inclined plate 26 and the third inclined plate 32 toward the drive roller 28, which drives it from the feeder, The document 64 immediately adjacent to the previously fed document 66 will then, by force of gravity, assume the position, previously vacated by the document 66, adjacent to the first inclined plate 24, with the lower edge of the document adjacent'to the feed roller 16.

A single document 72 may be fed directly by inserting it along the the upper surface of the third inclined plate 32 as illustrated in FIG. 1. Thedocument 78 will travel downward, under the force of gravity, untilits lower edge reaches the drive roller 28, which will drive the document 72 from the feeder.

With reference to FIG. 3, the restricting member 18 and its mount 33 are depicted in their maximum extended position with respect to the bracket 45, which means that the shifter member flat portion 52 is against the stud 56. This will provide the smallest feeder throat clearance desired. As shown, the stud 56 secured to the mount As shown, the stud 56 secured to the mount 33 is yieldably biased against the periphery of the camshaft 48 by the action of the spring 57 acting in longitudinal opposition between the bracket 45 and a projection 58 secured to the mount 33.

To feed documents of the next greater thickness desired, the shifter member 48 is rotated clockwise until the next flat portion 53 is adjacent to the stud 56. Since the flat portion 53 is closer to the axis of rotation of the cylinder of shifter member 48 than is the periphery thereof, the mount 33 and the restricting member 18 secured'thereon will, by virtue of the force exerted by the spring 62 on the projection 58 fixedly attached to the mount 33, retract with respect to the bracket 45. This setting will provide the second-smallest feeder throat clearance desired. Any subsequently desired settings may be established by rotating the shifter member 48 progressively clockwise so that successive flat portions, each a selectively predetermined distance from the axis of rotation of the shifter member 48, will be positioned adjacent to the stud 56.

The maximum feeder throat clearance is obtained when the shifter member 48 is rotated until the cam surface presented to the stud 56 is the surface which is the minimum distance from the axis of rotation of the shifter member 48. This condition is depicted in FIG. 4.

As can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 6, each setting of the restricting member 18 is maintained by the pawl 61 yieldably biased against a flat surface of the member 60 by the spring 62.

With reference to FIG. 3, an initial setting of the feeder throat clearance is accomplished by rotating the shifter member 48 counterclockwise until its cylindrical periphery is presented to the stud 56. After the screws in retainer plate 44 securing one end 38 of the adjusting shaft 38, and the screw 34, securing the restricting member 18 to the mount 33, are loosened, the rod 38 is rotated, thus longitudinally shifting the restricting member 18 with respect to the mount 33 by virtue of the opposite end of the adjusting shaft 38 being threaded into the restricting member 18. Assuming a right-hand thread, a clockwise rotation of the rod 38 will retract the restricting member 18 with respect to the mount 33, thus increasing the feeder throat clearance. Conversely, a counterclockwise rotation of the rod 38 will produce the opposite result. The rod 38 is rotated until the feeder throat clearance corresponding to the thickness of the thinnest document to be fed, plus any necessary tolerance, is obtained. The screws for the retainer plate 44 and screw 34 are then tightened to preserve the setting.

lclaim:

l. A sheet feed device comprising a hopper having a downwardly directed opening, a sheet feed roller external of said hopper at the downwardly directed opening, a movably mounted sheet restricting member cooperable with the periphery of said roller to form a passage restricting the feeding of sheets singly therethrough, said restricting member being differentially positionable toward and away from the periphery of said roller, and a rotatable cam operatively connected to said sheet restricting member to shift the latter and having a number of lands spaced about the cam periphery at different radial distances from the axis of rotation of said cam correspondin to different thicknesses of sheets.

2. A sheet eed device as defined by claim 1 with the addi-

Claims

1. A sheet feed device comprising a hopper having a downwardly directed opening, a sheet feed roller external of said hopper at the downwardly directed opening, a movably mounted sheet restricting member cooperable with the periphery of said roller to form a passage restricting the feeding of sheets singly therethrough, said restricting member being differentially positionable toward and away from the periphery of said roller, and a rotatable cam operatively connected to said sheet restricting member to shift the latter and having a number of lands spaced about the cam periphery at different radial distances from the axis of rotation of said cam corresponding to different thicknesses of sheets.

2. A sheet feed device as defined by claim 1 with the addition of yieldable means holding said restricting member in engagement with a selected one of the lands of said cam.