The present invention concerns a banding system for piled products, such as piled sheets of paper.
The present invention also concerns a banding process for piled products, such as piled sheets of paper.
Such systems are known in the art, in particular in the art of fabricating securities made of paper substrate or the like.
As a first example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,939,621, the content of which is enclosed by reference in the present application, discloses a method of processing sheets of printed security papers into bundles and packets. In this known process, sheets with printed numbered banknotes are supplied to a cutting machine in piles of 100 sheets. After trimming of edges of the pile, successive strips are cut in the pile, each strip having several banknotes in a row. In the given example, each sheet contains 24 printed banknotes arranged in four columns and six rows, thus four strips are produced with six banknotes each. A further cutting unit is provided which then cuts the strips into individual piles of 100 banknotes. The individual piles of 100 banknotes are then individually banded in a banding unit to produce banded bundles of 100 notes consecutively numbered.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,283,902 discloses another process and apparatus for converting piles of freshly printed sheets of banknotes into bundles of banknotes. The disclosed machine comprises as many banding devices as there are individual banknotes per strip, the banding devices operating simultaneously on each strip. Accordingly, the bundled strips are simultaneously provided with bands at all banknote positions, so that the bundles of banknotes leaving the last cutting tool are already banded and the narrow path which the banding station represented in the apparatus known hitherto is eliminated.
Another example is given by U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,707, the content of which is incorporated by reference in the present application, which relates to a method and device for automatically processing sheet piles of numbered multiple-note security papers, such a banknotes, into bundled packets.
A further example of a banding device and banding process is disclosed in PCT application WO 95/19913, corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,084, both incorporated by reference in the present application. Said publications disclose a device for arranging a band of flexible material around at least one product, comprising a feed mechanism for feeding band material from a supply roll, means for forming a loop in an end portion of the band material round a space for receiving the product, means for severing that end portion and welding means for closing the loop, the means for forming the loop consisting of transporting means for the band material movable round the space and suction means connected to the transporting means.
In the described device, the band material is pushed up via a guide by feed and pulling rollers and then comes into contact with a perforated endless conveyor belt. The belt, driven by a motor, is in a casing in which a vacuum pump creates underpressure (vacuum) in a channel engaging round the belt. The perforated belt thus draws the band material until the leading end of the band is clamped by a clamp. A space is surrounded by the band material, said space being larger than the product to be banded placed herein. Feed and pulling rollers then tighten the band material until the band material fits around the product, the band material coming loose from the perforated belt. Finally, cutting and welding means close the loop of band material and sever it from the remaining band material. The product banded can be removed and the machine is ready for the following cycle.
This machine is however not practical when using it for banding a strip of notes in a simultaneous manner as is usual in the art of producing printed document such as securities. With several banding units arranged next to each other (as many banding units as single notes in the strip), the strip must be transported laterally under the successive banding units in order to be in place in banding position, which is very time consuming, since the means for forming the loop are rigidly connected to the machine body side.
Document DE 101 60 718 describes a banding system comprising means for forming a loop around the products to be banded which are movable upwardly and downwardly with respect to a stationary machine body so as to allow the products to be transferred in the banding position between an opening created between the means for forming the loop and the machine body. This document does not however disclose how the band material is or might be transported around the product, or how the means for forming the loop is operatively connected to the remaining of the machine. There is in particular no indication or suggestion in this document that the band material is or could be transported by means of a vacuum-assisted transport system. Moreover, in DE 101 60 718, the means for forming the loop are displaceable by means of a supporting frame oriented perpendicularly to the transport path of the band material and which therefore limits the dimensions, lengthwise (i.e. in the direction perpendicular to the transport path of the band material), of the products to be banded. This constructions also creates complications and is too bulky should one desire to dispose several banding system in parallel, in order for instance to band several portions of a same strip of piled products.
It is therefore an aim of the present invention to improve the known devices and methods.
In particular, an aim of the present invention is provide a simple banding device and process.
A further aim of the present invention is to provide a banding device and process that are more efficient.
Another aim of the present invention is to provide a banding system that can be placed in existing machines.
To this effect, the invention complies with the definition of the claims.
The invention will be best understood by the description of one embodiment thereof and of the accompanying drawings in which:
a is a plan view of the banding system of
b is a more detailed plan view of the banding system illustrated in
In
Another transfer belt mechanism (not shown in
As schematically illustrated in
As illustrated in the Figures, the banding system exhibits a generally planar configuration which coincides (i.e., is aligned) with the plane in which the band material 2 is transported. This planar configuration of the banding system advantageously allows for several banding systems to be disposed in parallel, in a compact manner, one next to the other, so as to simultaneously perform several banding operations of strip-shaped products, such as strips of piled banknotes which have previously been cut out from a pile of banknote-bearing sheets.
Attached to the means for forming a loop 7 there is in addition a pressure means 10 formed, for example, by a pressure stamp, which may also have a relative motion of its own with respect to the means for forming a loop 7. The pressure stamp is guided on the means for forming a loop by a guiding aperture 20 and is moved by appropriate means, for example a piston 21. This pressure stamp 10 is used to apply pressure on the products being banded during the banding operation.
In
All rolls 111 in the means for forming the loop 7 are linked to each other by conveyor means 13, for example rubber rings (O-rings). Similarly, the additional rolls 111′ in the machine frame 8 are linked to each other by separate conveyor means 13′. The functioning of the transporting means is similar to the one of the device disclosed in WO 95/19913 and reference is made to this publication for description purposes. As described in this document, the transporting means are subjected to vacuum through a main vacuum pump 19 and, optionally, an auxiliary vacuum pump 19′ which are located in a vacuum channel 24 (see
In the present embodiment, the vacuum channel 24 includes a first channel portion 24a located in the machine frame 8 and a second channel portion 24b located inside the means for forming the loop 7 and which connects to the first channel portion 24a during the banding operation. The main vacuum pump 19 is coupled to the first channel portion 24a, while the optional auxiliary vacuum pump 19′ is coupled to the second channel portion 24b.
As this is apparent in
When the means for forming a loop 7 are lifted with respect to the feed mechanism along the rail means 9 (see
The welding means for closing the loop are illustrated in more detail in
A new reel 1 of band material 2 is mounted as follows in the banding system. The reel 1 is mounted on its reel support 1a and a piece of band material 2 is unwound from the reel 1. The free end is first fed through the band storage 3, 4 and then to the drive roll 5 as illustrated in
The banding operation occurs as follows. Once the products to be banded are transferred to the banding position (the middle part, width-wise, of the products to be banded overlying the welding means), the pressure stamp 10 is driven downwards and applies pressure on the products to be banded; simultaneously, the means for forming the loop 7 are moved downwards to connect both portions of the vacuum channel 24 and thereby create a closed transporting channel around the products to be banded.
A determined length of band material 2 is then advanced by the band feed mechanism 6 under action of the drive roll 5 and associated pressure roll 12. During this process, rotation of the reel support 1a and band reel 1 is prevented by means of the brake system 1b and the necessary amount of band material 2 is taken from the available material stored in the band storage 3, 4. In the process, storage rolls 3 are driven upwards.
The vacuum generated by the main and auxiliary pumps 19, 19′ in the vacuum channel 24 presses the band material 2 against the conveyor means 13, 13′ and the band material 2 is accordingly drawn along its whole length in a secure manner. Thanks to the close contact between the band material 2 and the conveyor means 13, 13′ and the synchronized driving of the rolls 111, 111′ with that of the drive roll 5, the band material 2 is frictionally driven along its whole length. As soon as the determined length of band material 2 is advanced in the system, the free end of the band material 2 is fed over clamping plate 16b and comes in overlap relationship with the other part of the band material 2, under the counter piece 14.
Once the loop has been formed around the products to be banded and the free end of the band material 2 is fed under the counter piece 14, as schematically illustrated in
Next, the clamping part 16a is displaced against the counter piece 14 to clamp a second side of the band material 2, followed by the cutting means 17 which performs cutting of the band material 2; the heating stamp 15 is thereafter displaced by means of for example a piston 18 (
The control of the proper closing of the band may now be carried out. Such a control can be carried out optically with a light ray controlling whether both ends of the loop are properly attached to each other. This can be carried out by an illumination device and photo-sensor suitably located near the welding point.
If the loop is correctly closed, the banded products are now ready to be taken away. The counter piece 14 is however still enclosed within the loop of band material. The banded products are thus moved laterally in order to free the loop of band material from the counter piece 14. To this effect, a transverse pusher (not shown) is positioned at one end of the banded products and pushes laterally said banded products on a distance at least equal to the width of the band until the counter piece 14 is freed from the band. Once this movement has been carried out, the banded products may be taken away for further processing, such as trimming, cutting, collecting etc.
The transverse pusher can be actuated by appropriate means, for example by air under pressure.
During the welding process, the storage rolls 3, 4 are further activated in order to unwind the length of band material 2 required for the next banding operation. During this process, the brake system 1b is released so as to allow rotation of the reel support 1a and band reel 1, while the free end of the band material 2 is clamped. Once the required length of band material 2 is stored by storage rolls 3, 4, the brake system 1b is again activated to prevent any rotation of the band reel 1. The banding system is then ready to receive the next products to be banded and perform the required banding operation.
Of course, the described embodiments of the machine and process are not to be construed in a limiting manner and are only given as examples. Equivalent means and steps can be derived from the present description. For instance, drive means other than pistons or pneumatic driving means, such as electric motors, could be used in order to perform the necessary displacement of the functional components of the banding system.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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04005269.8 | Mar 2004 | EP | regional |
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/591,063, which is the National Stage of International Application No. PCT/IB2005/000540, filed Mar. 3, 2005, the entire disclosures of which are both incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 10591063 | Nov 2006 | US |
Child | 12369988 | US |