Claims
- 1. An apparatus for feeding printed inserts sequentially into newspaper jackets as the jackets are fed along a predetermined path at high speed from an upstream location to a downstream location, said apparatus comprising:
- a hopper at said upstream location for supplying said inserts and having a preadjusted, stationary gate providing an opening of a size through which the inserts sequentially may be fed only one at a time;
- a high speed continuously movable endless perforated conveyor belt extending from within said hopper at said upstream location past said gate to a discharge point at said downstream location to selectively move inserts from said hopper and to said discharge point and into the newspaper jackets;
- a pressure plenum mounted on a side of said belt opposite said hopper and just upstream of and immediately adjacent to said gate and having openings in communication with a first portion of said belt perforations;
- means for supplying air under pressure to said pressure plenum to cause air to be blown through said first portion of belt perforations to hold the leading edge of the closest insert off of said belt at said gate to prevent feeding of the inserts;
- a vacuum plenum mounted downstream of said pressure plenum and said gate and having openings in communication with said first portion of belt perforations and with a second portion of said belt perforations downstream of said gate;
- means for drawing a vacuum through said vacuum plenum to cause air drawn through said first and second portion of belt perforations to pull the leading edge of the closest insert against said belt to accelerate it to the speed of said belt and move it through said gate to said discharge point and into a newspaper jacket;
- a plurality of first relatively short longitudinally extending channels spaced laterally below said belt and located entirely below said hopper;
- means supplying air pressure to said first channels;
- a longitudinal row of perforations in said belt each having an open area aligned to pass over each of said first channels, respectively;
- a plurality of second relatively long longitudinally extending channels spaced laterally below said belt and extending from a point below said hopper to a point downstream of said hopper;
- means drawing a vacuum through each of said second channels; and
- said belt perforations comprising a plurality of longitudinal valve slots in said belt aligned to pass over each of said second channels respectively for selectively applying a vacuum to the lowermost insert in said hopper each time said valve slots respectively pass over said second channels, said slots each having a length proportional to the time required to feed an insert and said slots each being spaced from each other in accordance with the desired feed rate of successive inserts.
- 2. An apparatus, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:
- a portion of said second channels extend upstream a sufficient distance to be interlaid with said first channels.
- 3. An apparatus, as claimed in claim 2, wherein:
- said upstream portions of said second channels are staggered so as to form longitudinally spaced upstream ends with respect to each other.
- 4. An apparatus, as claimed in claim 3, wherein:
- said valve slots are staggered so as to have the same respective longitudinal spacing as said upstream ends of said second channels.
- 5. An apparatus, as claimed in claim 4, wherein:
- said belt has a side edge and a center line; and
- the upstream ends of said second channels and said valve slots are longitudinally spaced further downstream as they progress from said side edge of said belt toward said center line.
- 6. An apparatus, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:
- said valve slots have an open area under said hopper which is greater than the area of said perforations so that when said valve slots pass under said hopper the vacuum drawn through them is sufficient to overcome the air pressure through said perforations so that the lowermost insert is pulled down onto said belt and fed through said gate by said belt.
- 7. An apparatus, as claimed in claim 1, further including:
- a restraining plenum extending transversely under said hopper upstream of said belt and said first channels for selectively holding the lowermost insert so that it is not fed under said gate;
- a source of vacuum connected to said restraining plenum; and
- open cell material in said restraining plenum through which the vacuum can be drawn evenly across said plenum.
- 8. An apparatus for feeding printed inserts sequentially into newspaper jackets as the jackets are fed along a predetermined path at high speed from an upstream location to a downstream location, said apparatus comprising:
- a hopper at said upstream location for supplying said inserts and having a preadjusted, stationary gate providing an opening of a size through which the inserts sequentially may be fed only one at a time;
- a high speed continuously movable endless perforated conveyor belt extending from within said hopper at said upstream location past said gate to a discharge point at said downstream location to selectively move inserts from said hopper to said discharge point and into the newspaper jackets;
- a pressure plenum mounted on a side of said belt opposite said hopper and just upstream of and immediately adjacent to said gate and having openings in communication with a first portion of said belt perforations;
- means for supplying air under pressure to said pressure platen, including a valve for controlling the flow of air to said pressure plenum, to cause air to be blown through said first portion of belt perforations to hold the leading edge of the closest insert off of said belt at said gate to prevent feeding of the inserts;
- a vacuum plenum mounted downstream of said pressure plenum and said gate and having openings in communication with said first portion of belt perforations and with a second portion of said belt perforations downstream of said gate;
- means for drawing a vacuum through said vacuum plenum, including a valve for controlling the flow of air through said vacuum plenum, to cause air drawn through said first and second portion of belt perforations to pull the leading edge of the closest insert against said belt to accelerate it to the speed of said belt and move it through said gate to said discharge point and into a newspaper jacket;
- a control circuit for controlling said pressure plenum valve and said air plenum valve to regulate the flow of air through said first portion of belt perforations to intermitently and selectively bring an insert in said hopper into contact with said belt so that the insert is accelerated to the speed of said belt to feed the inserts into the jackets;
- an external input connected to said control circuit; and means to provide a signal to said control circuit to selectively regulate said pressure plenum valve and said vacuum plenum valve in response to movement of each of the jackets along said predetermined path so that the air pressure from said pressure plenum is sufficiently greater than the vacuum through said first portion of belt perforations when no feeding is desired and wherein the vacuum through said first portion of belt perforations is greater than the pressure from said pressure platen when an insert is to be fed.
- 9. An apparatus, as claimed in claim 8, wherein said perforations are arranged in rows extending longitudinally on said belt, said pressure plenum including:
- a plurality of longitudinally extending pressure plenum channels spaced laterally across said belt, each channel being aligned with only one of said rows of perforations;
- a first fluid passageway extending transversely across said channels placing them in fluid communication with each other; and
- a first solenoid valve means is connected to one of said channels for selectively controlling flow of air through said pressure plenum in response to the position and movement of newspaper jackets to receive the inserts.
- 10. An apparatus, as claimed in claim 9, wherein said vacuum plenum includes:
- a first plurality of relatively long channels spaced laterally across said belt, each long channel being aligned with only one of selected ones of said rows and having first ends extending upstream under said gate and being interlaid with said pressure platen channels and having second ends extending downstream and terminating adjacent said discharge point;
- a second plurality of relatively short channels spaced laterally across said belt, each short channel being aligned with other selected ones of said rows and having first ends extending upstream under said gate and being interlaid between said pressure plenum channels and said first ends of said long channels and having second ends downstream of said gate;
- a second fluid passageway extending transversely across said second ends of said short channels and through said long channels and in fluid communication with said short and long channels; and
- a second solenoid valve means is connected to said second fluid passageway for selectively controlling vacuum drawn through said short and long channels of said vacuum plenum in response to the position and movement of newspaper jackets to receive the inserts.
- 11. An apparatus, as claimed in claim 10, further including:
- a restraining plenum in said supply path and located upstream of said endless belt and opposite said hopper; and
- means for drawing a vacuum through said restraining plenum to hold the closest insert against said restraining plenum so that it cannot be fed by said belt.
- 12. An apparatus, as claimed in claim 11, wherein said vacuum drawing means comprises a third valve means, said apparatus further including:
- control means connected to said first, second and third valve means responsive to movement of the newspaper jackets to rapidly cycle the feeding of the inserts from said supply path so that an insert is fed into a jacket each time a jacket passes said discharge point.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 185,236, filed Sept. 8, 1980, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (7)
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry |
Xerox Disclosure Journal; vol. #4, No. 5, Sep./Oct. 1979; "Low Force Feeder", S. Bains. |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
185236 |
Sep 1980 |
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