Apparatus for automatically stacking and inverting stacked units of sheet material

Claim 2

In a machine for stacking identically sized sheetlike articles fed thereto seriatim by a continuous conveyor and formed to define a magazine for receiving said articles from said conveyor, a reciprocative elevator defining the bottom surface of said magazine and movable between an upper normal article receiving position and a lower article stack discharging position, stack separator means extendable across said magazine in a plane above that of the normal position of said elevator for supporting infeeding articles when in the extended condition, article sensor means disposed to detect a stack upon its building up to a predetermined elevation within said magazine, means controlled by said sensor means for progressively lowering said elevator when a stack has reached said predetermined elevation so as to accommodate additional infeeding articles on said stack, settable means for operating said separator means under a selected condition to intercept infeeding articles and start the buildup of a successive stack, means activated by the extension of said separator means for lowering said elevator continuously to its lowermost stack discharge position, reciprocative pusher means projectable across said magazine and activated by said elevator means upon reaching its stack discharge position for discharging said stack in stack formation from said magazine, and a rotatable turret disposed to receive the discharged stack and activated by said pusher means when projected to reorient said stack before transfer thereof in reoriented condition to a receiving station, said turret including a stack clamping mechanism operative before rotation of said turret for maintaining stack integrity during rotation of said turret.

Claim 3

The invention according to claim 1, wherein said turret is normally in its inactivated condition prior to receiving a stack from said magazine and is activated for rotation a predetermined time interval following the projection of said pusher means, said clamping mechanism being activated following the projection of said pusher means and prior to the activation of said turret means.

Claim 4

The invention according to claim 2, wherein said clamping mechanism includes a stack conveyor unit which is inoperable when said turret is in its inactivated condition and is rendered operable when the turret has been rotated to its fully activated condition for transferring a stack to said receiving station in the reoriented condition.

Claim 5

The invention according to claim 3, wherein said stack conveyor unit is disposed to receive a stack from said magazine when said turret is in its fully activated condition for transferring the stack to said receiving station in the same orientation as when received from said magazine.

Claim 6

The invention according to claim 4, wherein said turret is reversely rotatable for return to its inactivated condition after transfer of a stack to said receiving station, and including means settable for maintaining said turret continuously in its fully activated rotated condition for receiving successive stacks from said magazine and transferring them to said receiving station without reorientation thereof.

Claim 7

A machine of the type described comprising an article assembly magazine, means for delivering a plurality of articles in a single file to said magazine and assembling said articles in said magazine in a vertical pile on a downwardly movable elevator, a separator for separating a stack of said articles from said pile of articles, and a pusher for pushing said stack of articles out of said magazine in stack formation, a Turret positioned to receive said stack of articles from said pusher, means activated by the operation of said pusher for rotating said turret to invert said stack of articles carried thereby, said turret including opposed camping and conveying mechanisms between which said stack is delivered by said pusher, means for operating said clamping mechanism to clamp and firmly hold said stack in said turret against said conveying mechanism prior to the rotation of said turret, means for operating said clamping mechanism after rotation of said turret to release said inverted stack of articles, and means for actuating said conveying mechanism on said turret after rotation thereof to convey said inverted stack of articles from said turret to a receiving station.

Claim 8

A machine of the type described comprising an article assembly magazine, means for delivering a plurality of articles in a single file to said magazine and assembling said articles in said magazine in a vertical pile on a downwardly movable elevator, a separator for separating a stack of said articles from said pile of articles, and a pusher for pushing said stack of articles out of said magazine in stack formation, a Turret positioned to receive said stack of articles from said pusher, means activated by the operation of said pusher for rotating said turret to invert said stack of articles carried thereby, said turret including opposed camping and conveying mechanisms between which said stack is delivered by said pusher, means for operating said clamping mechanism to clamp and firmly hold said stack in said turret against said conveying mechanism prior to the rotation of said turret, means for operating said clamping mechanism after rotation of said turret to release said inverted stack of articles, and means for actuating said conveying mechanism on said turret after rotation thereof to convey said inverted stack of articles from said turret to a receiving station.

Claim 9

The invention defined in claim 6, including jogging means for arranging said articles as they are received in said magazine for formation into neat piles, and means for adjustably mounting said jogging means to accommodate therebetween articles of various sizes.

Claim 10

The invention defined in claim 7, wherein said jogging means comprise sets of opposed plates, parallel transverse bars oscillating directly out of phase with each other and supporting said plates, and wherein said adjustable means comprise mounting supports movably mounted on said bars, and means for securing said mounting supports in selected adjusted position on said bars.

Claim 11

The invention defined in claim 6, wherein said turret comprises spaced side frames, and said mechanisms include a clamping plate extending transversely between said frames, and a conveying element mounted in opposed relation to said clamping plate, and means for effecting relative movement between said plate and element to clamp stacked articles therebetween.

Claim 12

The invention defined in claim 6, wherein said conveying mechanism carried by said turret comprises spaced transverse shafts supported by the side frames of said turret, pulleys mounted on said shafts, conveyor belt means running on said pulleys, a friction wheel on one of said shafts, a driving belt positioned for engagement by said wheel in response to completion of the rotative inverting movement of said turret from stack receiving position, means for maintaining a constant resilient frictional engagement between said wheel and said driving belt, and means for continuously driving said driving belt to rotate said wheel and the shaft supporting said wheel, and thereby operate said conveyor belt means.

Claim 13

The invention defined in claim 10, wherein said turret includes means for fixedly supporting said conveying mechanism therein, and means for movably supporting said clamping plate for movement to and from clamping relationship relative to said conveying mechanism.

Claim 14

The invention defined in claim 11, including slide bearings attached to the sides of said clamping plate, slide rods on which said bearings slide, means for supporting said slide rods in said turret, and wherein said clamping plate supporting means comprises hydraulic motors for moving said plate to and from clamping relationship with said conveying mechanism.

Claim 15

The invention defined in claim 12, wherein said conveying mechanism on said turret comprises a backup plate for the active lap of said conveyor belt means, and supports mounting said backup plate for coaction with said clamping plate.

Claim 16

The invention defined in claim 6, including a control circuit having photoelectric sensing means for controlling progressively in successive increments the downward movement of said elevator and the articles assembled thereon, and settable means for initiating after a selected extent of progressively controlled elevator movement a cyclic operation of said separator, elevator, pusher and turret in sequence to invert and deliver assembled articles from the machine in stack formation.

Claim 17

The invention defined in claim 14, including selective means for effecting in one setting the periodic operation of said turret through its inverTing and returning 180* path of travel, and for incapacitating in another setting said movement of said turret at the end of its inverting path of travel, whereby stacks of articles delivered by said pusher to said turret can be moved by said conveyor on said turret directly therethrough without being inverted.

Claim 18

In an apparatus for stacking sheetlike cartons conveyed thereto seriatim including a magazine for receiving said cartons, a carton-supporting elevator in said magazine vertically movable between a normal uppermost carton receiving position and a lowermost carton discharge position, a knifelike separator normally retracted in a position outside said magazine and extendable laterally across said magazine in a plane above that of said elevator when in its normal position to intercept and support cartons entering said magazine, motor means for operating said elevator, motor means for operating said separator, carton sensor means for determining when a pile of cartons has built up to a predetermined elevation within said magazine, presettable means for selecting a characteristic of the stack to be formed, a pusher projectable for discharging a stack of cartons from said elevator, a motor for operating said pusher, a rotatable turret for receiving and inverting carton stacks discharged from said elevator and a motor for rotating said turret, a circuit for controlling the operation of said elevator, said separator, said pusher and said turret including an electric power source, contacts connected to said source and operated by said elevator when in its normal uppermost position, contacts connected to said source and comprising said presettable means for conducting a signal upon attainment of the selected stack characteristic, a photoelectric cell associated with said carton sensor means and when activated emitting output signals to said elevator motor for lowering said elevator progressively to maintain the carton stack level at substantially the same elevation, a switching device normally emitting an output for activating said photoelectric cell, said device being responsive to concurrent inputs through said contacts operated by said elevator and the contacts comprising said presettable means to switch its output from a circuit to said photoelectric cell to a circuit for energizing the motor means operable to extend said separator, contact connected to said source and operated by said separator when fully extended to complete a circuit independent of said photoelectric cell for energizing the motor means operable to lower said elevator for continuously lowering said elevator to its lowermost discharge position, contacts operated by said elevator upon descending to its lowermost discharge position for completing a circuit energizing said pusher operating motor, and contacts operated by said pusher upon its full projection for establishing a circuit for energizing said motor for rotating said turret to invert said stacks.

Claim 19

In an apparatus for stacking sheetlike cartons conveyed thereto seriatim including a magazine for receiving said cartons, a carton-supporting elevator in said magazine vertically movable between a normal uppermost carton receiving position and a lowermost carton discharge position, a knifelike separator normally retracted in a position outside said magazine and extendable laterally across said magazine in a plane above that of said elevator when in its normal position to intercept and support cartons entering said magazine, motor means for operating said elevator, motor means for operating said separator, carton sensor means for determining when a pile of cartons has built up to a predetermined elevation within said magazine, presettable means for selecting a characteristic of the stack to be formed, a pusher projectable for discharging a stack of cartons from said elevator, a motor for operating said pusher, a rotatable turret for receiving and inverting carton stacks discharged from said elevator and a motor for rotating said turret, a circuit for controlling the operation of said elevator, said separator, said pusher and said turret including an electric power source, contacts connected to said source and operated by said elevator when in its normal uppermost position, contacts connected to said source and comprising said presettable means for conducting a signal upon attainment of the selected stack characteristic, a photoelectric cell associated with said carton sensor means and when activated emitting output signals to said elevator motor for lowering said elevator progressively to maintain the carton stack level at substantially the same elevation, a switching device normally emitting an output for activating said photoelectric cell, said device being responsive to concurrent inputs through said contacts operated by said elevator and the contacts comprising said presettable means to switch its output from a circuit to said photoelectric cell to a circuit for energizing the motor means operable to extend said separator, contact connected to said source and operated by said separator when fully extended to complete a circuit independent of said photoelectric cell for energizing the motor means operable to lower said elevator for continuously lowering said elevator to its lowermost discharge position, contacts operated by said elevator upon descending to its lowermost discharge position for completing a circuit energizing said pusher operating motor, and contacts operated by said pusher upon its full projection for establishing a circuit for energizing said motor for rotating said turret to invert said stacks.

Claim 20

The invention according to claim 16, wherein said turret includes stack clamping mechanism and a motor for operating said mechanism, and wherein said motor for operating said clamping mechanism is energized by a circuit in parallel with the circuit for energizing said turret rotating motor, said circuit for energizing said turret rotating motor including a delay device for enabling operation of said clamping mechanism prior to energization of said turret rotating motor.

Claim 21

The invention according to claim 17, wherein said turret operating motor is reversible, and wherein said circuit includes contacts operated by said turret upon rotation thereof into a fully inverted position to establish a circuit for energizing said turret rotating motor in a reverse direction to return said turret to its original position.

Claim 22

The invention according to claim 18, wherein said clamping mechanism includes a normally inactive stack conveyor operable when said turret is inverted for transferring stacks out of said turret, and wherein thE circuit for reversely rotating said turret includes a delay device settable to prevent reverse turret rotation prior to transfer of said carton stacks out of said turret.