Apparatus for squamiform lapping of blanks

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR SQUAMIFORMLY LAPPING BY STAGES ENVELOPE BLANKS HAVING TRANSVERSE FRONT AND REAR FLAP PORTIONS AND LATERALLY EXTENDING SIDE FLAP PORTIONS, INCLUDING MEANS FOR CONVEYING THE BLANKS AT HIGH SPEED ONE AFTER ANOTHER WITH THE FRONT TRANSVERSE FLAP PORTIONS LEADING THE LATERAL FLAP PORTIONS, A STAGGERING WHEEL AT SAID FIRST STAGE AND HAVING A PERIPHERAL MEANS FOR GRIPPING A FORWARD PORTION OF THE LEADING TRANSVERSE FLAP PORTION OF A LEADING BLANK ON THE CONVEYING MEANS TO CARRY SAID BLANK FROM THE CONVEYING MEANS ONTO THE PERIPHERY OF THE STAGGERING WHEEL AND SUBSEQUENTLY TO RELEASE SAID BLANK, BRAKING ROLLERS AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE STAGGERING WHEEL AND LOCATED SUBSTANTIALLY TANGENT TO A PLANE WHICH IS ALSO TANGENT TO THE STAGGERING WHEEL FOR ENGAGING THE SIDE FLAP PORTIONS, MEANS FOR ROTATING THE BRAKING ROLLERS AT A SLOWER PERIPHERAL SPEED THAN THE SPEED OF THE CONVEYING MEANS, PRESSURE ROLLERS TO URGE A PRECEDING BLANK INTO DRIVEN CONTACT WITH THE PERIPHERY OF THE BRAKING ROLLERS FOR REDUCING SPEED OF SAID PRECEDING BLANK, MEANS FOR ROTATING THE STAGGERING WHEEL AT A PERIPHERAL SPEED CORRESPONDING TO THE SPEED OF THE CONVEYING MEANS TO RUN SAID GRIPPED PORTION OF THE BLANK CARRIED THEREON UNDER SAID PRECEDING BLANK TO PULL THESIDE FLAP PORTIONS OF SAID GRIPPED BLANK INTO CONTACT WITH THE BRAKING ROLLERS AT THE TIME THE GRIPPED BLANK IS RELEASED BY SAID GRIPPING MEANS TO EFFECT ADVANCE OF SAID BLANK AT SAID REDUCED SPEED, A SECOND STAGGERING WHEEL SIMILAR TO THE FIRST, MEANS FOR ACTUATING SAID SECOND STAGGERING WHEEL AT THE PERIPHERAL SPEED OF THE FIRST BRAKING ROLLERS, A SECOND PAIR OF BRAKING AND PRESSURE ROLLERS, MEANS FOR ACTUATING THE SECOND BRAKING ROLLERS AT A REDUCED PERIPHEAL SPEED RELATIVELY TO THE SPEED OF THE SECOND STAGGERING WHEEL TO EFFECT FURTHER LAPPING OF THE BLANKS, AND MEANS FOR CONTINUING ADVANCE OF THE LAPPED BLANKS AT A SPEED CORRESPONDINGLY WITH THE SPEED OF THE BRAKING ROLLERS.