Gate mechanism for processing a stream of articles

Abstract

Abstract AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING A STREAM OF ARTICLES MADE OF SHEET MATERIAL INCLUDES AN ARTICLE CLASSIFYING GATE WHICH HAS A FIRST POSITION IN WHICH IT DIRECTS A FLOW OF ARTICLES OF ONE CLASS TO A FIRST MEANS FOR RECEIVING THE ARTICLES AND A SECOND POSITION IN WHICH IT DIRECTS THE FLOW OF THE ARTICLES OF ANOTHER CLASS TO A SECOND MEANS FOR RECEIVING THE ARTICLES. THE GATE HAS A LINK ASSOCIATED THEREWITH WHICH IS MOVABLE BY A PLURALITY OF SPACED APART CAM MEMBERS WHICH MOVE THE GATE BETWEEN ITS FIRST AND SECOND POSITIONS IN A TIMED RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FLOW OF ARTICLES PAST THE GATE. THE LINK IS OPERABLE TO MOVE THE GATE WHEN A CAM FOLLOWER MOUNTED THEREON ENGAGES WITH ONE OF THE CAM MEMBERS AND IS INEFFECTIVE TO CONTROL THE POSITION OF THE GATE WHEN THE CAM FOLLOWER IS NOT ENGAGED WITH ONE OF THE CAM MEMBERS. A SPRING LOADED TOGGLE LINKAGE IS PROVIDED FOR MAINTAINING THE GATE IN A SELECTED POSITION TO WHICH IT HAS BEEN MOVED BY THE CAM MEMBERS DURING THE PORTION OF THE OPERATION OF THE APPARATUS IN WHICH THE CAM MEMBERS ARE NOT ENGAGED WITH THE CAM FOLLOWER. THIS CONSTRUCTION ALLOWS THE SPACED APART CAM MEMBERS TO BE MOVED RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER SO AS TO ENABLE THE APPARATUS TO CLASSIFY MANY DIFFERENT TYPES AND SIZES OF ARTICLES WITHOUT THE NECESSITY OF LONG TIME DELAYS AND COSTLY CHANGE-OVER PROCEDURES EVERY TIME IT IS DESIRED TO CLASSIFY A NEW SET OF ARTICLES WHICH ARE DIFFERENT FROM THE PROCEDING SET OF ARTICLES WHICH HAVE BEEN CLASSIFIED BY THE APPARATUS.

Inventors

• 👤 Robert K Norton

Bibliographic Details