3,743,154
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PAPER GUIDE Referring to the drawings, there is illustrated in FIG.
This invention relates to a guide member in a web or la web or sheet handling mechanism having a first web
sheet transport apparatus and more specifically to a transporting member including a driven capstan 5
guide member disposed between two feeding members which is driven at a velocity by a motor 6 to feed a web
which move the web at different speeds. 5 8 at a first speed, and a pressure roller 7 which urges
the web 8 into contact with the capstan 5. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The first feed member feeds th/web across a guide
In numerous sheet transport devices a length of sheet 9 and an anvil 10 beneath a cutting knife 11. The web material will be fed from a supply. This length of sheet 8 is then guided against the web guide, generally desigmaterial is moved at a constant speed from the supply 10 nated by the reference numeral 15. The web guide 15 and is fed around a bend, usually 180°, to a second directs the free end of the web into the nip of a second feeding member which may be a transport associated feeding member which, as illustrated, includes a large with a processor of one type or another. The processing driven drum 16 which may be a heated drum for treattransport generally moves the sheet at a slower speed ing the web and a smaller pressure roller 17 urging the than the first feeding member. As the length of the 15 web into driving contact against the drum 16. The sheet exceeds the spacing between the sheet feeding drum 16 is driven by a motor 18 at a velocity to feed members the sheet is caused to buckle or become wrin- the web at a second speed slower than the peripheral kled. Previous guides for avoiding a wrinkling of the velocity of the drive roller 5 such that the web does not sheet utilized a guide member which was pivoted and move as fast through the rollers 16 and 17 as between worked against a counterweight such that as the length 20 the rollers 5 and 7- Alternative to roller 17, the roller of the sheet exceeded the spacing between the feeding 16 may have a fixed shoe placed thereabout to contact members defined by the guide the guide could pivot out the web and hold k against the drum 16 to afford develof its guide path against the counterweight. Alternative opment or some processing operation on the web. methods were to use a solenoid which after a predeter- ,, These processors, because of the fact that the sheet mined length of sheet material was fed between the 25 or web material moves through them at a slower speed, feeding means a pressure was exerted by the sheet to and that the len«th of the sheet mav varv- causes the activate a solenoid which moved the guide member out sheet t0 necessarily double up or fold within the space of position permitting the sheet material to seek its own between the web feeding means. This space or path beeuidine ttath tween the feeding means never exceeds the length of
The present invention utilizes a simplified web guide 30 ^shortestweb *° be processed so that control of the which does not need to be pivotally mounted and needs web ,s,m^^- The larger sheets need additional no springs but yet accommodates sheets of various c°ntruo1 over the intermediate portion of the sheet. In , A. , »t_ , r. ,, , • , . the sheet guide of the present invention the guide corn
lengths and permits them to be folded in a predeter- . 6. . F , . .6 ,. ,
. . , . .. r prises a wire form member or sheet metal part which
mined regular manner by the guide. is-* J . J . I J-.-j
° Jo 33 is formed to define a first semicylindncal guide surface
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 20, which arcuate surface is formed about an axis ex
~, ., -., „. .. _ . tending generally parallel to the axis of the feed rollers
The guide of the present invention comprises means - j T Tu r J • i -c TM ^
, _ . 6 _ . j _r ,. , 5 and 7. The semicylindncal surface 20 engages the
defining a first semicylindncal guide surface which re- . „ .... , . J. _ ^, ,. . ,.
°, Ui . • i r rLr-. , r , web 8 as it is driven by the first feeding means and diceives the sheet material from the first web feed mem- 40 * »u _ .. J .u c ^ J J
, , ,. . „ jr.. , , , rects the same toward the nip of the second feeding
bers and directs the free end of the web to a second means The first surface 2Q from ^ q*
slower feed member. A second semicylindncal guide ... ^ first feedi ... th/second
surface is positioned adjacent the second feed member feedi member thro h an arc of approximatel 90<>
and extends toward the first member in a path offset The ide lg js fonned wjth a Jsernicylindrical
from the path defined by the first guide surface. As a 45 surface n whkh has a first end don 22 di d ad.
sheet is guided along the guide and engages the second jacent the secon(J feeding member and extends in an
slower feed member, the continued driving of the sheet arcuate path toward the first feeding member but the
by the first faster feed member places a compression in surface 2\ is offset from the path of the first guide sur
the sheet forcing it against the guide and the sheet con- face 2Q away from the feeding members. The second forms to the first and second guide surfaces. The offset 50 guide surface 2J must have g ... sufficient to con.
between the surfaces intermediate the ends introduces tact the free end of the sheet as it is initiaiiy directed
a transverse bend in the sheet. This bend may then de- from the first guide surface 20 toward the second feed
velop into a loop as the length of material fed by the jng member 16 and 17. The surface may be discontinu
first feed member increases. After the feeding of a pre- Gus to allow a spacing between its opposite end and the determined length, the first feed means is stopped or 55 adjacent end of the first surface 20. But, as shown in
the and of the sheet is reached. The sheet is then pro- the drawing, the guide 15 is formed of one continuous
gressively drawn through the second feed member sheet and an offset or shoulder 23 connects the adja
without any wrinkling or folding occuring in the sheet cent ends of the guide surfaces,
material. Referring now to FIG. 1 you will see that the web 8
The invention will be better understood after reading is guided along the first surface 20 and has been di
the following detailed description which refers to the rected into the nip between the rollers 16 and 17 of the
accompanying drawing wherein: second feeding means.
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a sheet In FIG. 2, the web 8 is shown in dotted lines to illustransport and cut-off mechanism utilizing a web guide fi5 trate the next position taken by the web as the first
constructed according to the present invention; and feeding member 5 and 7 feed an extent of web material,
FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the operation of exceeding the spacing between the feeding means
the web guide of the present invention. around the 180° bend or path. The web 8 has begun to
3,743,154
