Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
284 words
An apparatus for destacking successive folded sheets from a stack thereof wherein the folded sheets have fold edges located at one side of saId stack and free edges located at the opposite side of the stack, said apparatus comprising: a rotatable destacking drum rotatable beneath said stack and provided with a plurality of angularly spaced rollers rotatable in a sense opposite the sense of rotation of said drum, said rollers each being provided with means adapted to entrain the fold edges of successively lowermost sheets of said stack upon rotation of said drum therepast to carry the respective sheets to a release location angularly offset from said stack about the axis of said drum; conveyor means spaced from said location in the sense of rotation of said drum for displacement of said sheets along a predetermined transport path; reversibly swingable gripper means adjacent said drum for engagement with the fold edges of the successive sheets delivered to said location to draw each folded sheet by its fold edge away from said location in a direction counter to the direction of rotation of said drum and thereafter shift each sheet generally in the direction of rotation of said drum to said conveyor means whereby said conveyor means entrains the successive sheets by their free ends, said reversibly swingable gripper means including a gripper arm formed with a gripper head releasably engageable with the fold edges of said sheets; a pivot swingably mounting said arm for oscillating movement about an axis parallel to and above the axis of said drum; and control means operatively connecting said arm with said drum and including means for adjusting the stroke of said arm to accommodate sheets of different width.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
284 words
An apparatus for destacking successive folded sheets from a stack thereof wherein the folded sheets have fold edges located at one side of saId stack and free edges located at the opposite side of the stack, said apparatus comprising: a rotatable destacking drum rotatable beneath said stack and provided with a plurality of angularly spaced rollers rotatable in a sense opposite the sense of rotation of said drum, said rollers each being provided with means adapted to entrain the fold edges of successively lowermost sheets of said stack upon rotation of said drum therepast to carry the respective sheets to a release location angularly offset from said stack about the axis of said drum; conveyor means spaced from said location in the sense of rotation of said drum for displacement of said sheets along a predetermined transport path; reversibly swingable gripper means adjacent said drum for engagement with the fold edges of the successive sheets delivered to said location to draw each folded sheet by its fold edge away from said location in a direction counter to the direction of rotation of said drum and thereafter shift each sheet generally in the direction of rotation of said drum to said conveyor means whereby said conveyor means entrains the successive sheets by their free ends, said reversibly swingable gripper means including a gripper arm formed with a gripper head releasably engageable with the fold edges of said sheets; a pivot swingably mounting said arm for oscillating movement about an axis parallel to and above the axis of said drum; and control means operatively connecting said arm with said drum and including means for adjusting the stroke of said arm to accommodate sheets of different width.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
55 words
The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said control means includes a rocker lever pivotal about a fulcrum parallel to said axis, and a connecting rod interconnecting said arm and said lever, said connecting rod and said lever being provided with means enabling the articulated connection of said arm at selected distances from said fulcrum.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
57 words
The apparatus defined in claim 2 wherein said drum is provided with a shaft, said control means further comprising a cam mounted on said shaft and cam follower means on said lever engaging said cam, said cam being formed with a plurality of cam formations corresponding in number to the number of said rollers on said drum.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
35 words
The apparatus defined in claim 3 wherein said conveyor means includes a pair of endless conveyors defining a transport path generally tangential to said drum and receiving said free ends of said sheets between them.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
26 words
The apparatus defined in claim 4 wherein said drum is formed with arrays of guide bars parallel to said axis between each two of said rollers.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
23 words
The apparatus defined in claim 5 wherein said head is provided with gripper fingers releasably engageable with said fold edges of said sheets.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
26 words
The apparatus defined in claim 6 wherein the means on said rollers adapted to entrain the fold edges of the successive sheets includes a suction device.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
290 words
An apparatus for destacking successive folded sheets from a stack thereof wherein the folded sheets have fold edges located at one side of said stack and free edges located at the opposite side of the stack, said apparatus comprising: a rotatable destacking drum rotatable beneath said stack and provided with a plurality of angularly spaced rollers rotatable in a sense opposite the sense of rotation of said drum, said rollers each being provided with means adapted to entrain the fold edges of successively lowermost sheets of said stack upon rotation of said drum therepast to carry the respective sheets to a release location angularly offset from said stack about the axis of said drum; conveyor means spaced from said location in the sense of rotation of said drum for displacement of said sheets along a predetermined transport path; and reversible swingable gripper means adjacent said drum for engagement with the fold edges of the successive sheets delivered to said location to draw each folded sheet by its fold edge away from said location In a direction counter to the direction of rotation of said drum and thereafter shift each sheet generally in the direction of rotation of said drum to said conveyor means whereby said conveyor means entrains the successive sheets by their free ends, said reversibly swingable gripper means including: a gripper arm formed with a gripper head releasably engageable with the fold edges of said sheets; and a pivot swingably mounting said arm for oscillating movement about an axis parallel to and above the axis of said drum, said conveyor and gripper means being positioned to guide said sheet along said drum generally tangential thereto during displacement of said sheet in said direction of rotation of said drum.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
290 words
An apparatus for destacking successive folded sheets from a stack thereof wherein the folded sheets have fold edges located at one side of said stack and free edges located at the opposite side of the stack, said apparatus comprising: a rotatable destacking drum rotatable beneath said stack and provided with a plurality of angularly spaced rollers rotatable in a sense opposite the sense of rotation of said drum, said rollers each being provided with means adapted to entrain the fold edges of successively lowermost sheets of said stack upon rotation of said drum therepast to carry the respective sheets to a release location angularly offset from said stack about the axis of said drum; conveyor means spaced from said location in the sense of rotation of said drum for displacement of said sheets along a predetermined transport path; and reversible swingable gripper means adjacent said drum for engagement with the fold edges of the successive sheets delivered to said location to draw each folded sheet by its fold edge away from said location In a direction counter to the direction of rotation of said drum and thereafter shift each sheet generally in the direction of rotation of said drum to said conveyor means whereby said conveyor means entrains the successive sheets by their free ends, said reversibly swingable gripper means including: a gripper arm formed with a gripper head releasably engageable with the fold edges of said sheets; and a pivot swingably mounting said arm for oscillating movement about an axis parallel to and above the axis of said drum, said conveyor and gripper means being positioned to guide said sheet along said drum generally tangential thereto during displacement of said sheet in said direction of rotation of said drum.