EP0160739A1

EP0160739A1 - Newspaper stream conveyor

Info

Publication number: EP0160739A1
Application number: EP84113423A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Robert D. Eckerson; David C. Schwankert
Original assignee: Rockwell International Corp
Current assignee: Boeing North American Inc
Priority date: 1984-04-30
Filing date: 1984-11-07
Publication date: 1985-11-13
Also published as: JPS60236963A; BR8406311A; AU3546184A

Abstract

An improved conveyor apparatus for changing the direction of flow of a stream of imbricated newspaper: signatures which utilizies continuous belts (16,17) that are in opposing contact through a part of their paths of travel, which belts are entrained about upper and lower guide rollers whose rotational axes angularly differ by some preselected angle to impart twist into the belts. Also, guide means (90,91) are provided for holding the edges of the signature in position during reorientation of the signatures from one direction to another.

Description

Background of the Invention

It is well known that newspaper signatures are commonly taken from a press at a high rate of speed and transported appreciable distances in the form of an imbricated stream. Transport is usually effected by means a plurality of opposed coiled endless wire conveyor ribbons or opposed pairs of strips that are located at spaced positions across the width of the signatures.
As mentioned earlier, signatures are usually moved considerable distances from the press, usually for counting, stacking and bundling in order that they can be shipped out. In the past it has been found that imbricated signatures must be moved vertically and also change directions in order to put them at the proper location and in the proper orientation for reception by a stacker, for example. While such wire conveyors have been effective, particularly on straight horizontal and vertical runs, they present problems in construction and operation when signatures must be physically reoriented for subsequent operations. However, the wire conveyors mark the product due to the localized pressure of the wires.

Sunmmary of the Invention

It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide a new apparatus for use in a newspaper conveyor system that can effectively transport signature copies vertically while simultaneously affecting reorientation thereof.
Another object of this invention is to provide a signature conveying apparatus having a pair of opposed belts positioned to between them grip the center area of the signature stream and convey the strea:n upwardly while simultaneously effecting reorientation thereof.
An additional object is to provide a belt transfer and reorienting systems which reduces the localized pressure on the signatures and thereby minimizes the local damage caused by wire conveyor systems.
A further object of this invention is to provide an improved signature conveying apparatus which utilized opposed endless belts to grip the signatures and which includes means to guide the lateral edges of the signatures as they are physically reoriented.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will be in part obvious and in part explained.by reference to the accompanying specification and drawings, in which:

Brief Description of the Drawings

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus of this invention with part of the lower-supporting structure removed for clarity;
Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the apparatus of Fig. 1, with the lower most imput feeder removed and part of the upper supporting structure removed for clarity;
Fig. 3 is a schematic showing the manner in which the conveyor belts twist; and
Fig. 4 is partly sectioned schematic illustrating the manner in which the belts grip.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment
Generally, the apparatus of this invention is for use in a conveyor system that is used for transporting newspaper signatures from the press to some other location where operations such as stacking are performed. The apparatus comprises basically a lower support frame means 10, and an upper support frame means 11. Each of the support frame means 10 and 11 is comprised of a pair of vertically extending side rails 12, and a plurality of horizontally extending intermediate rails 13, which function to join the side rails 12 together. It will be noted that the upper support frame means 11 is mounted on the upper end of the lower support frame means 10 and that it is turned at an angle of 90° with respect to the lower portion. For purposes of explanation only, while the present description is done using an angle of 90 between the two sections, it should be understood that any other angle of orientation could be selected if desired. Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, it can be seen that the lower support frame means is mounted on top of an infeed device 15 which receives the newspaper signatures from a horizontal conveyor, not shown, and directs them upwardly toward the lower support frame means 10 by means of a pair of opposed endless belts 16 and 17.
Within infeed device 15, belt 16'is entrained about a plurality of rollers 18 which are journaled for rotation between the sides 19, only one of which is shown. In similar fashion, a plurality of rollers 20 are journaled in siaes 19 to provide guiding means for the belt 17. The rollers 18 and 20 which are shown in Figure 1 as being furthest toward the right are placed a distance apart so that belts 16 and 17 converge toward the centermost roll 18 to define a throat 21 into which signatures are fed. With belt 16 moving in the clockwise direction indicated by arrow 22 and belt 17 in the anti-clockwise direction indicated by arrow 23, signatures fed into throat 21 will be carried from the horizontal to the vertical direction toward the lower support frane means 10. Alos journaled between sides 19 of infeed device 15 is a rotating member that has a rollet 24 with a canning surface 25 that slopes outwardly with respect to the axis of rotation of roller 24-This roller 24 and camming surface 25 provide a belt biasing means that functions to retain the belts generally midway between side rails 12.
Lower frame means 10 contains a plurality of horizontally extending belt guide rollers 31 and 32 which are journaled for rotation between side rails 12. Uppermost roller 32 is journaled in socket members 33, see Figure 2, that are carried on a threaded rod 34 so that by turning handle 35 roller 32 can be moved toward or away from opposed belts 16 and 17. Provision of this adjustable movement is important to successful operation of the present conveyor system because it enables the endless belts 16 and 17 to retain the signatures in the center of the support frame means 10 and 11 regardless of the thickness of the signatures that are being conveyed. Guide roller 30 is identical in construction to roller 24 and it provides a camming surface 36. By referring to Figure 2 it can be seen that camming surface 25 and camming surface 36 are oriented facing each other so that they cooperate with each other in centering belts 16 and 17.
As mentioned earlier, upper support frame means 11 is mounted on top of lower frame means at some preselected angle, here illustrated as being at 90°. Thus, in this illustration the lowermost guide roll 40 journaled between side rails 12 of upper frame support means 11 has its axis of rotation turned at a 90 angle with respect to the axes of rotation of the various rolls journaled in frame means 10 and infeed section 15. Also carried by the upper frame means 11 are a pluralicy of guide, tensioning and drive rollers which coact with either one of the belts 16 and and 17 or both.
Specifically coacting with belt 17 is guide roll 41 that is journaled on arm 42 fastened to an upper side rail 12. Tensioning rolls 45 and 46 are journaled on arm 47 that is pivotally attached to side tail 12. Arm 47 has its outer end (left end as viewed in Figure 2) biased upwardly by tensioning spring 50 that is connected to arm 47 at one end and to side rail 12 through mounting rod and bracket 51. The drive roll for belt 17 is indicated by the numeral 55. Roll 55 is driven by motor 56 through the gear box 57.
Belt 16 is guided, tensioned and driven in the same manner as belt 17. Specifically it passes by a guide roller 60 journaled in side rails 12 over drive roll 61 driven by motor 62 through gear box 63 and over tensioning rollers 64, 65 mounted on arm 66 that is pivotally carried on side rail 12. This arm is biased like arm 47 by a tensioning spring 67 that is connected between its outer end (right as viewed in Figure 2) and mounting rod and bracket 68, the bracket being joined to side rail 12. Finally, belt 16 passes around guide roller 75 that is journaled on arm 76 mounted on side rail 12. One final guide roller is identified by nuneral 80 and this roll serves as a guide for both belts 16 and 17 before they begin to separate for their respective return runs.
Since the support frame means 10 and 11 side rails 12 and the various guide, arive, biasing and tensioning rollers are disposed or oriented as above described, it is apparent that the belts 16 and 17 will be twisted through whatever preselected angle is created between the axes of the rolls supported by upper and lower frame means 10 and 11. The twist that is created is illustrated in Figure 3 where the return run of belt 16 is shown as it exists between the upper guide roller 75 ana lower guide roller 31.
Turning to the general functioning or operation of the belts 16 and 17, belt 17 moves downwardly from drive roll 55, around tensioning rollers 45, 46, guide rollers 41, 40, 32, camming guide roller 25, and finally around the lowermost guide rollers 20, prior to starting a return run upwardly.
Belt 16 is guided in like fashion. Starting with drive roll 61 it moves downwardly around rollers 64, 65, 75, 31, 30 and finally around rollers 18 before starting its return run upwardly. Both belt 16 and belt 17 on the downward runs are twisted 90 in the manner shown in Figure 3 which illustrates the twist in belt 16.
After belts 16 and 17 have converged at throat 21 they come together so that signatures, such as that identified by numeral 85 will be trapped and held between them. As the belts travel upwardly together carrying the signatures, they are guided by the guide rolls 31 and 32 so that the signature assumes the position identified by numeral 86. As signatures continue on upwardly they are twisted with the belts so that they move from the orientation of station 86 to an intermediate position such as that shown at station 87. Continuing on, the signatures twist further until they have achieved the total preselected orientation and are positioned as shown at station 88.
During reorientation of the signatures from position 86 to the final position 88 it is essential that the lateral edges of the signatures be retained in the same relative positions with repect to each other throughout. This is effectively accomplished by means of a pair of guide means 90 and 91. Each guide means comprises an elongated plate like element having terminal edges 105, 106 which are parallel to the axes of rotation of the adjacent guide rolls 40 and 32 respectively. Thus edch guide element 90, 91 is formed with a twist that corresponds to the preselected angle that exists between the axes of rotation of the guide rollers in the lower and upper support frame means 10 and 11. When a signature travels upwardly from point 86 beyond roller 32 its lateral edges come into contact with guide elements 90 and 91. Continued travel combined with the imparted twist causes the edge portions of the signatures to be urged against elemencs 90 and 91, thereby insuring that they are held in fixed relationship with respect to each other. By means of this apparatus it thereby becomes possible to effectively transport newspaper signatures vertically while simultaneously effecting a change in the direction of travel.
Although the present invention has been disolved in connection with the preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as those skilled in the art will readily understand. Such modifications and variations are considered to be within the purvieur and scope of the invention and the appendid claims.

Claims

1. In a conveyor system for transporting newspaper signatures, an apparatus for turning the signatures through a preselected angle of twisc, said apparatus comprising:

(a) lower support frame means having vertically extending side rails and horizontally extending intermediate rails joining said side rails;

(b) upper support frame means having vertically extending side rails and horizontally extending intermediate rails joining said side rails, said upper support frame means being mounted on said lower support frame means in a position such that said intermediate rails of said lower and upper support frame means are disposed at a preselected angle with respect to each other;

(c) a plurality of rollers journaled on axes extending between said rails of said upper and lower support frame means;

(d) a pair of endless belts entrained about said rollers to provide a length where said belts are in opposing contact to hold the signatures between them and to twist the signatures throagh the preselected angle of turn; and

(e) guiae ne.ins secured to said upper and lower support frame menns and ectending therebetween to retain the lateiol edges of the signatures in the same relative relationship during the turn as they have during the remainder of transport through the conveyor system.

2. A conveyor system as defined in claim 1 wherein means is mounted on one of said frames in operative contact with each of said endless belts to continuously bias said belts toward the center of at least one of said entraining rollers.

3. A conveyor system as defined in claim 2 wherein said belt biasing means comprises a rotating member having a roller with a camming surface that slopes outwardly with respect to the axis of rotation of said rotating member.

4. A conveyor system as defined in claim 1 wherein said guide means comprises a pair of elongated plate-like elements of greater length than breadth, each said plate-like element having a lateral edge parallel to the axes of rotation of said rollers in said upper and lower support frame means.

5. A conveyor system as defined in claim wherein there is a guide roll adjacent to the upper side of sain guide means and a guide roll adjacent to lower end of saic guide means, the rotational axes of said rolls being disposed at a preselectea angle with respect to each other.

6. A conveyor system as defined in claim 5 wherein the lower of said rolls is mounted for adjustable movement toward and away from said opposed endless belts.