Apparatus for processing flat objects, especially printed products

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6764069
  • Patent Number
    6,764,069
  • Date Filed
    Thursday, May 1, 2003
    21 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, July 20, 2004
    20 years ago
  • Inventors
  • Original Assignees
  • Examiners
    • Mackey; Patrick
    Agents
    • Alston & Bird LLP
Abstract
An apparatus for processing flat objects, such as sheet-like printed products. The apparatus has a rail system which defines a closed path of travel, and a plurality of conveyor elements are supported by the rail system for free and independent movement along the path of travel. The conveyor elements in turn mount product carrier elements. A plurality of stations, including a product feed station, a product processing station, and a product output station, are disposed along the path of travel, and the stations each include a dedicated drive arrangement for the conveyor elements and thus the product carrier elements along the path of travel at a spacing and speed required by the associated station.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates to a an apparatus for processing flat objects, especially printed products, of the general type disclosed in EP-A-0 771 754 and the corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,823.




In such prior apparatus, a saddle-like rest as well as a rest wall and carrier elements having a base are arranged at a distance one behind the other in the manner of a cantilever on an endless flexible drive element which is driven continuously. The flexible drive element is configured as a conveyor chain guided in a channel over rolls. A first feed station is intended either for depositing folded printed products opened and in straddling form onto the saddle-like rest of the carrier elements moving past it for feeding printed products to the carrier elements in such a way that they become into contact with the base and rest wall. Processing stations configured as further feed stations are arranged downstream of the first feed station as seen in the conveying direction of the flexible drive element forming the conveying mechanism, with the same intended purpose as first feed station. At an output station downstream of processing stations, the combined printing products are removed from the carrier elements and output for further processing.




In the case of this known device all the stations must operate synchronously with the continuously driven endless flexible drive element.




It is an object of the present invention to further develop the known device such that it can be adapted or is adapted to have more flexibly, with respect to the boundary conditions required by the individual stations.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The above and other objects and advantages of the invention are achieved by the provision of an apparatus which comprises a rail system which extends along a preferably closed path of travel.




The conveying mechanism is formed by a large number of conveyor elements which can be moved individually along the rail system, each of the carrier elements preferably being arranged on one of the conveyor elements in the manner of a cantilever. The conveyor elements and thus carrier elements are decoupled from each other and can be moved individually in the rail system. If the conveyor elements abut each other they can of course be moved forward by the transmission of impact forces, but they do not exert any tensile or pulling forces on each other.




Each of the stations, e.g. the feed station, the processing station or stations, and the output station, has a dedicated drive arrangement for the conveyor elements, which convey the conveyor elements and carrier elements at the spacing and speed required by the station in question. Each station can be operated optimally by virtue of the conveyor elements being decoupled and by virtue of the dedicated drive arrangements, the stations being independent of one another.




Sections of the rail system serving as a buffer storage section allow buffer storage of carrier elements and of the objects transported by means of the latter. In this way it is also possible to considerably compensate for stations being interrupted.




To permit a modular construction of the apparatus, a section of the rail system is permanently joined to each of the stations, with other sections serving as buffer storage or connecting sections, so that it is possible to combine the sections as desired to form a closed rail system.




Further particularly preferred embodiments of the apparatus according to the invention are specified in the following more detailed description of the invention.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




The invention will be explained in more detail using exemplary embodiments depicted in the drawings. In the drawings, purely schematically:





FIG. 1

shows a plan view of a device embodied as circulating system;





FIG. 2

shows a detail of the device according to

FIG. 1

with individual conveyor elements and carrier elements arranged in the manner of a cantilever on the latter;





FIG. 3

shows a further possible embodiment of a section of the device with a station and a three-dimensionally curved section of the rail system;





FIG. 4

shows a station together with a section of the rail system assigned to it and the drive arrangement assigned to it with further upstream and downstream sections of the rail system;





FIG. 5

shows a section of the rail system with a supporting means, acting, for example, as an auxiliary drive, for the carrier elements;





FIG. 6

shows a section of the rail system with a queuing element connected and a station arranged in the queuing section;





FIG. 7

shows two feed stations arranged one behind the other with associated drive arrangements which move the carrier elements at a specific spacing through the stations;





FIG. 8

shows a section of a device according to the invention with a rectilinear section of the rail system and a stapling apparatus, and





FIG. 9

shows part of a device according to the invention with a stapling apparatus arranged in curved section of the rail system.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




The apparatus shown in

FIG. 1

has a rail system


10


which extends in a horizontal plane and is intrinsically closed. Two semicircular rail sections


12


are connected to each other by means of rectilinear rail sections


14


to form a circulating system. A large number of individual conveyor elements


16


are arranged one behind the other in the rail system


10


and are guided so that they can move freely and independently along the rail system. The number of conveyor elements


16


is selected such that they do not form an intrinsically closed impact chain by abutting against each other; in other words there are gaps between individual successive conveyor elements.




A carrier element


18


is fastened to each of the conveyor elements in the manner of a cantilever, the carrier element projecting outward from the conveyor element


16


in the radial direction with regard to the rail system


10


.




A first feed station


20


is indicated by a dash-dotted rectangle. It is assigned a dedicated drive arrangement


22


which is intended for moving conveyor elements


16


and hence the carrier elements


18


at a specific spacing A and at a specific speed V, through the feed station


20


in the conveying direction F so that the feed station can feed a flat object, for example a printed product, to each carrier element


18


.




A processing station


24


likewise with a dedicated drive arrangement is arranged at a distance from and downstream of the feed station


20


as seen in the conveying direction F. This processing station is intended for moving the conveyor elements


16


in the buffer stored state, i.e. resting on each other, and thus the relevant carrier elements


18


through the processing station


24


at a minimum spacing B and a speed specified by said processing station. In the processing station, a further object can be attached, for example adhesively bonded, to the objects fed in the feed station


20


, or any other desired processing operation on the relevant objects can take place.




A further processing station which is configured as a further feed station


26


is arranged downstream of and at a distance from the processing station


24


. Its construction and functioning correspond to those of the feed station


20


.




A drive arrangement


22


′ is assigned to a further section of the rail system, the object of which drive arrangement is to drive the incoming conveyor elements


16


in the conveying direction F so that they reach an output station


28


. The output station in turn has a dedicated drive arrangement which is intended for moving the conveyor elements


16


through the output station


28


in the buffer-stored state, i.e. spacing B. The objects fed to the carrier elements


18


upstream and processed in the processing station


24


are removed from the carrier elements


18


in the output station


28


and fed to a further processing operation.




A drive arrangement


22


′ is assigned to a further rail section downstream of the output station


28


in order to feed the carrier elements


18


to the feed station


20


again.




The apparatus can be adapted to the individual requirements as all the stations


44


mentioned and the rail system


10


are of modular construction. It is thus conceivable, for example, to arrange stations


44


in turn between the output station


28


and the feed station


20


, as seen in the conveying direction F, it being possible for said stations to form a dedicated processing path for objects or said stations forming a single processing path together with the stations


44


shown further above.





FIG. 2

shows a section of the apparatus represented in

FIG. 1

with three conveyor elements


16


abutting the end of each other in the buffer stored state. Each of the conveyor elements


16


has a conveyor element body


30


on which a horizontal carrier shaft


32


is fastened in the manner of a cantilever. The carrier shaft carries a carrier element


18


formed, for example, from metal sheet at a distance from the conveyor element body


30


, with the carrier element firstly forming a saddle-like rest


34


and secondly having a flat rest element


36


and an adjoining base


38


. A multipart flat object


40


, for example a first printed product, lies on the base


38


and on the rest wall


36


, the object having been fed to the carrier element


18


by means of the feed station


20


(FIG.


1


), for example. A further folded object


40


′ sits in straddling form on the rest


34


and covers the object


40


. The object


40


′ has been opened for example by means of the further feed station


26


(FIG.


1


), and deposited onto the rest


34


.




Guide wheels


42


are mounted such that they can rotate freely on each conveyor element body


30


and mount the conveyor element


16


, in the manner of a carriage and such that it can move freely, on the rail which is C-shaped in cross section. The ends of the conveyor element bodies


30


are configured as abutting surfaces in order to rest on the facing end of the conveyor element body


30


of the adjacent conveyor element


16


in the buffer stored state.





FIG. 3

schematically shows a processing station


24


with an associated rail section


12


′. The drive arrangement assigned to this processing station


24


is not shown. It is intended for moving the conveyor elements


16


, these and the carrier elements


18


are configured identically to those shown in FIG.


2


and described further above, at a predetermined spacing and at a predetermined speed through the processing station


24


. This movement can of course be carried out continuously or in start/stop operation.




A further rail section


12


″ serving as a connecting path is connected downstream of the rail section


12


′ and is three dimensionally curved with a narrow radii. It is also an object of the processing station


24


to release the conveyor elements


16


with such a spacing that they can move through the pronounced curvature of the rail section


12


″ without hindering each other. This rail section


12


″ may, for example, be sloped so that no further drive arrangement is necessary.




A further possibility for arranging the rail guidance means with regard to the conveyor and carrier elements


16


,


18


is indicated by dash-dotted lines. The conveyor elements


16


are correspondingly located adjacent to the base


38


, for example approximately centrally as seen in its longitudinal direction.





FIG. 4

shows a station


44


, configured as a module or modular insert, which may be a feed station


20


, a processing station


24


or an output station


28


and has a permanently joined rail section


12


′ and a dedicated drive arrangement


22


. Rail sections of adjacent stations adjoin both ends of the rail section


12


′, the two adjacent stations in the example shown being configured as buffer storage stations


46


each having a dedicated rail section


12


′″ and a dedicated drive arrangement


22


.




The drive arrangement


22


of the station


44


has a belt


48


which is driven in circulation and moves the conveyor elements


16


through the station


44


with a form fitting or force transmitting connection at a predetermined mutual spacing and at a stipulated speed. A feeder wheel or a controlled release device, for example, may be provided on the entry side of the drive arrangement


22


in order to feed or release in each case a conveyor element


16


to the belt


48


at the desired times for driving.




The buffer storage stations


46


have a further belt


48


′ which is driven in circulation in the conveying direction F and drives the conveyor elements


16


in the conveying direction F, for example by means of a frictional or magnetic connection, until said conveyor elements rest on one another in the buffer stored state.




In the embodiment shown in

FIG. 5

, the carrier shafts


32


of the carrier elements


18


, on the side facing away from the conveyor elements


16


, project beyond the rest


34


and the rest element


36


. The rail section


12


′ shown is likewise assigned a drive arrangement


22


which drive the conveyor elements


16


in the conveying direction F in a manner which permits slip to occur. The station


44


shown in

FIG. 5

has an auxiliary drive arrangement


50


which also serves as a supporting device and has a pulling element


52


which is driven in the conveying direction F, is intrinsically closed and has groove-like recesses


52


′ at predetermined spacings for accommodating the free end regions of the carrier shafts


32


. The spacing and the conveying speed of the carrier elements


18


is stipulated in this case by the auxiliary drive arrangement


50


.




Upstream of the station


44


, a rail section


12


′″ serving as a buffer storage path is provided, for example with a slope, from which rail section in each case one conveyor element


16


is sequentially taken by means of the auxiliary drive arrangement


50


and moved through the station


44


at the desired spacing from the preceding carrier element


18


. The carrier elements


16


are supported at both ends in the station


44


shown in FIG.


5


. This can be advantageous in particular when processing operations are to be performed on the objects


40


,


40


′, for example if objects deposited on top of one another are to be connected to one another by means of staples.





FIG. 6

shows part of a station


44


which has a queuing element


54


connected at its downstream end. Adjoining the queuing element


54


in the upstream direction, the station


44


has a dedicated drive arrangement


22


with a belt


48


which is driven in circulation in the conveying direction F. Said belt is intended for driving conveyor elements


16


which come into its active region until they come into contact with the respective preceding conveyor element


16


. The force transmitting coupling between the belt


48


and the conveyor elements


16


can be formed, for example, by a frictional connection or magnetic connection. In this case the station


44


requires the carrier elements


18


to be stationary for it to process objects


40


,


40


′ which are either to be fed to the conveyor elements


16


or have already been fed to them earlier by means of a feed station


20


. At the cycle rate stipulated by the station


44


, the queuing element


54


releases in each case one conveyor element


16


, which is fed to the next rail section


12


in the conveying direction F by means of the drive arrangement


22


.





FIG. 7

shows a feed station


20


and a processing station


24


arranged at a distance and configured as a further feed station


26


, these two stations each having an associated rail section


12


′ and an associated drive arrangement


22


. Each of the two drive arrangements


22


has a belt


48


which is driven in circulation in the conveying direction F at a specific conveying speed and from which catching cams


56


project at a spacing one behind the other. These cams are intended for achieving form fitting engagement with the conveyor elements


16


in order to move them through the feed stations


20


,


26


at the desired spacing and at the required conveying speed.




The feed station


20


is intended for feeding an object


40


from above to each of the carrier elements


18


. In the example shown, the object is a folded printed product in which a further part product is arranged. The printed products are fed with the fold at the front so that their fold comes into contact with the base


38


and they can be transported further with their flat side lying on the rest element


36


. The further feed station


26


is intended for opening, in a known manner, objects


40


′ configured as folded printed products and depositing them in straddling form onto the saddle-like rests


34


of the carrier elements


18


in such a way that they cover the objects


40


fed in the feed station


20


.





FIG. 8

shows a rectilinear rail section


12


′ which is assigned to a processing station


24


having a stapling apparatus


58


. The drive arrangement


22


of this processing station


24


is intended for moving the conveyor elements


16


resting on one another through the processing station


24


at the cycle rate of the stapling apparatus


58


. The stapling apparatus


58


has stapling heads


62


arranged at equal spacings along the circumference of a carrying disk


60


driven in rotation. The spacing between the stapling heads


62


and the rotational speed of the carrying disk


60


are matched to the spacing B between successive carrier elements


18


in such a way that a stapling head


62


coincides with each carrier element


18


with the result that said stapling head can insert a staple into the objects


40


′ deposited in straddling fashion onto the rests


34


. Each carrier element


18


is assigned a bending-over device


64


which is controlled, for example, by means of a slotted guide


66


in such a way that the staples inserted into the objects


40


′ are bent over in a known manner.




The mutual spacing of the carrier elements


18


is minimal in the station


44


with the stapling apparatus


58


and thus substantially smaller than in the feed stations


20


,


26


shown in FIG.


7


. With the same processing capacity, the conveying speed is thus slower in the case of the processing station


24


shown in

FIG. 8

than in the feed stations


20


,


26


.





FIG. 9

likewise shows a processing station


24


with a stapling apparatus


58


of the same construction as shown in FIG.


8


and described further above. The associated rail section


12


′, however, is convexly curved with respect to the stapling apparatus


58


. This has the advantage that the change in angle between the stapling head


62


and the carrier element


18


takes place more slowly than in the case of the embodiment according to

FIG. 8

with a rectilinear rail section. The drive arrangement


22


in turn has a belt


48


which is driven in the conveying direction F and has catching cams


56


for driving the conveyor elements


16


with a form-fitting connection. As said conveyor elements are moved through a curve, they are preferably held by means of the drive arrangement


22


at a spacing from one another which can be very small. A bending over device


64


with bending over means is also attached in this case to the rest element


36


of each carrier element


18


, the bending over means being moved by means of a slotted guide control means so as to bend over staples.




The modules can be combined as desired to form a device because the stations


44


and the rail system


10


are constructed in modular fashion.




The carrier elements


18


can naturally also be of pocket shaped configuration and/or have opening and holding open elements or closing elements for the objects


40


.




For the sake of completeness, it should be mentioned that the device always has a feed station


20


and an output station


28


and, between them, at least one processing station


24


, it being possible for the latter also to be configured as a feed station


26


. The processing station can, however, fulfill any other desired function.




In the embodiments shown, the rail system


10


has an intrinsically closed rail which comprises rail sections


12


,


12


′,


12


″,


12


′″ arranged one behind the other. A more complex rail system with diverters and the like is, however, also feasible, the diverters in turn preferably being configured in the manner of a processing station


24


.




The carrier elements


18


do not necessarily have to have saddle-like rests


34


if objects


40


′ are not to be deposited in straddling fashion onto said rests. They can, however, also only have such rests


34


but no rest elements


36


or bases


38


if the objects


40


′ are only to be deposited in straddling fashion onto the rests


34


for processing.




In particular it is possible to keep the spacing of successive carrier elements small when collating objects and to select a larger spacing when collecting because spread products are to be deposited in straddling fashion onto the rests during collecting.




The device according to the invention is also suitable in particular for addressing objects, for gluing in cards, for example, or for inside printing, as the spacing between successive carrier elements can be selected in the stations


44


according to the requirements.




The device according to the invention allows the most diverse functions and processing operations to be performed on the same conveying path (i.e. rail system) without impairing smooth processing. The correspondingly required spacings can be set in the entire process sequence even in the case of mixed feeds, for example as shown in

FIG. 7

, and/or mixed processing.



Claims
  • 1. An apparatus for processing flat products, comprising:a rail system extending along a path of travel, a plurality of conveyor elements supported by the rail system for individual movement along the path of travel, a plurality of product carrier elements mounted to respective ones of the conveyor elements, with each of said carrier elements being configured for supporting thereon a flat product to be processed, a plurality of stations disposed serially along the path of travel, and including a product feed station wherein the products are delivered to the product carrier elements, a product processing station, and a product output station wherein the products are removed from the product carrier elements, and at least one of the stations including a dedicated drive arrangement for the conveyor elements for transporting the conveyor elements and thus the product carrier elements along the path of travel at a spacing and speed required by the associated station.
  • 2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rail system includes a buffer storage section connected upstream of each of the stations.
  • 3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein a section of the rail system is permanently joined to each of the stations.
  • 4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the rail system has individual sections with some sections being permanently joined to a station and other sections serving as a buffer storage or connecting section, and it being possible to combine the sections as desired to form an intrinsically closed rail system.
  • 5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said feed station has a dedicated drive arrangement which includes drivers driven in the conveying direction synchronously with the feed of the products, said drivers moving the conveyor elements through the feed station at a predetermined spacing.
  • 6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing station has a supporting device which serves as an auxiliary drive and is configured for supporting the carrier elements at their free ends remote from the associated conveyor element.
  • 7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing station has a stapling apparatus which is configured for introducing staples into folded products which have been deposited in straddling form onto saddle-like rests of the carrier elements.
  • 8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the stapling apparatus has stapling heads which move along a closed circulating path, and the dedicated drive arrangement is configured for moving the conveyor elements according to the speed and the spacing of the stapling heads.
  • 9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein an associated section of the rail system is convexly curved with respect to the stapling apparatus.
  • 10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein each carrier element includes a saddle-like rest and a bending over device for bending over staples inserted into the products supported thereon.
  • 11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein at learnt two feed stations and a processing station are provided, with the processing station arranged downstream with respect to said feed stations and including a stapling apparatus, the spacings between the conveyor elements in the feed stations being greater than in the processing station having the stapling apparatus.
  • 12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the carrier elements are arranged on the assigned conveyor elements on one side in the manner of a cantilever.
  • 13. An apparatus for processing flat products, comprising:a rail system extending along a closed path of travel, a plurality of conveyor elements supported by the rail system for individual movement along the path of travel, a plurality of product carrier elements mounted to respective ones of the conveyor elements, with each of said carrier elements being configured for supporting thereon a flat product to be processed, a plurality of stations disposed serially along the path of travel, and including a product feed station wherein the products are delivered to the product carrier elements, a product processing station, and a product output station wherein the products are removed front the product carrier elements, and each of the stations including a dedicated drive arrangement for the conveyor elements for transporting the conveyor elements and thus the product carrier elements along the path of travel at a spacing and speed required by the associated station.
  • 14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13 further comprising at least one conveyor drive positioned between two of the stations for delivering the conveyor elements to the downstream station.
  • 15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13 wherein each of the product carriers comprises a rest wall and a base, and a saddle-like rest extending along an upper edge of the rest wall.
Priority Claims (1)
Number Date Country Kind
2139/00 Nov 2000 CH
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a continuation of international application Ser. No. PCT/CH01/00643, filed Oct. 30, 2001, and designating the U.S. The subject matter of the referenced application is incorporated herein by reference.

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5375824 Anker et al. Dec 1994 A
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Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry
Copy of International Search Report for PCT/CH01/00643 completed Jan. 18, 2002.
Continuations (1)
Number Date Country
Parent PCT/CH01/00643 Oct 2001 US
Child 10/427133 US