Claims
- 1. An apparatus for turning the posture of flat articles moving along a transport path extending upstream and downstream from said apparatus, comprising:
- a cone roller having a conical side surface and being disposed along said path for transporting the flat articles;
- at least three first rotation means each independently positioned to engage the side surface of said cone roller which is on the upstream side of said transport path;
- at least three second rotation means disposed at the same side of said surface and located away from said surface at a position which is upstream with respect to said first rotation means; and
- at least three narrow running belts stretched between said first and second rotation means, whereby the flat articles are gripped within a relatively small angle formed between said conical side surface and said running belts.
- 2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which both said first and second rotation means include a pulley.
- 3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which said running belts are in movable contact with said side surface of said cone roller.
- 4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the pairs of said first and second rotation means are carried by individually associated arms which are swingable around an axis to cause said first rotation means to engage the side surface of said cone roller.
- 5. A mail article alignment device comprising first conveying means for conveying a mail article from an upstream position in a first alignment, conical roller means for receiving mail articles delivered from said first conveying means, a plurality of individual pulley means and for turning the posture of the mail articles pulley means being provided between said first conveying means and said conical roller means, a distance of each associated pair of pulley means being shorter than a length of said mail articles, spring biased means for supporting to said each of the associated pairs of said pulley means and the associated belts belts being positioned adjacent the surface of said conical roller means to form a relatively small nip angle therewith, and second conveying means for conveying mail articles emerging from the nip between said conical roller means and said belts to a downstream position of said conical roller means, the surface configuration of said conical roller means rotating said mail article from said first alignment to a second alignment.
- 6. The alignment device of claim 5 wherein said spring bias means comprises an arm having said associated pair of pulley means rotatably mounted thereon, one of said pair of pulley means being at one end of said arm and the other of said pair of pulley means being at a location which is displaced from said end, said arm being mounted to pivot about a point which enables the pulley means mounted on its end to be urged toward said conical surface, and spring bias means associated with said arm for so urging pulley means toward said surface.
- 7. The alignment device of claim 6 wherein said arm is straight, said displaced location is between the ends of and along the length of said arm, and said spring means is connected to said arm near the end opposite said one end.
- 8. The alignment device of claim 6 wherein said arm has an "L-shape", said displaced location being on the same arm of said L-shape that includes said one end, and said spring means being associated with the other arm of said L-shape.
- 9. A device for turning a mail article which is being transported along a predetermined path, said turning means comprising a conical roller, a plurality of spaced parallel running belts having an effective length which is shorter than the length of said mail article and forming a nip with said conical roller at a relatively small angle to reliably cooperate with said conical roller in order to grip said mail article, said roller having a conical surface configuration which turns said mail articles by 90.degree..
- 10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the distance between said first rotation means and said second rotation means is at a distance which is shorter than a length of said flat articles.
- 11. An apparatus for turning the posture of flat articles moving along a transport path extending upstream and downstream from said apparatus, comprising:
- a cone roller having a conical side surface and being disposed along said path for transporting the flat articles;
- at least three first rotation means each being independently positioned to engage the side surface of said cone roller which is on the upstream side of said transport path, said at least three first rotation means holding a flat article while said flat article is being turned by said cone roller;
- at least two second rotation means disposed at the same side of said surface and being positioned at a distance which is removed from said surface to a location which is upstream with respect to said first rotation means; and
- at least two narrow running belts stretched between said first and second rotation means, whereby the flat articles are gripped within a relatively small angle formed between said conical side surface and said running belts.
- 12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, in which the distance between said first rotation means and said second rotation means is a distance which is shorter than a length of said flat articles.
- 13. An apparatus for turning the posture of flat articles, said apparatus comprising:
- first conveyor means for conveying flat articles, said first conveyor means comprising a pair of conveying belts;
- a rotating cone roller disposed apart from said first conveyor means to provide a certain space between the end of said first conveyor means and said rotating cone roller for turning the posture of said flat article by 90.degree. while the side surface of said rotating cone roller is in contact with said flat article;
- a second conveyor means disposed on the downstream of said rotating cone roller for conveying said flat article delivered from said rotating cone roller;
- a plurality of first rotation means, each of said first rotating means being independently disposed to engage the side surface of said rotating cone roller;
- a plurality of second rotation means placed in said certain space, each of said second rotation means being independently disposed at the same side of said surface and located away from said surface at a position which is upstream with respect to said first rotation means; and
- a supporting belt stretched between each pair of said first and second rotation means; whereby flat articles are gripped within a relatively small angle formed between said side surface and said supporting belts.
- 14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13, in which both said first and second rotation means include a pulley, the pulleys of said first and second rotation means forming associated pairs of said pulleys, and the supporting belts being stretched between said associated pairs of said pulleys of said first and second rotation means.
- 15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13, in which said supporting belts are in movable contact with said surface of said rotating cone roller.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
57-193516[U] |
Dec 1982 |
JPX |
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Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 06/564,234, filed Dec. 21, 1983, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (2)
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0489627 |
Jan 1930 |
DE2 |
0033261 |
Mar 1977 |
JPX |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
564234 |
Dec 1983 |
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