Method and apparatus for feeding sheet material into a hopper

Claim 3

A method of delivering sheet material to a hopper in accordance with claim 1 in which the step of interrupting the delivering of the flow of sheet material for a predetermined additional duration comprises iNterrupting the delivering of the flow of sheet material for an additional duration which enables the flow of sheet material preceding the interrupting of the delivering thereof to be substantially delivered into the hopper.

Claim 4

A method of delivering sheet material to a hopper in accordance with claim 1 in which the step of delivering a flow of the sheet material toward the one end portion of the hopper comprises: i. conveying the sheet material from one conveyor to another conveyor and conveying the sheet material from the other conveyor to the hopper in response to the sensing of the stack of sheet material within the hopper less than the substantially predetermined stack, and ii. in which the step of interrupting the delivering of the flow of sheet material comprises interrupting the conveying of the material on the one conveyor while maintaining the conveying of the material on the other conveyor, whereby the additional conveying of the sheet material on the other conveyor enables the flow of sheet material preceding the step of interrupting to the hopper to be delivered into the hopper.

Claim 5

A method of delivering sheet material to a hopper in accordance with claim 1 and further comprising the step of jogging the stack of sheet material within the hopper and the portion of the flow of the sheet material being delivered which is within the hopper, the jogging enabling substantially even and uniform stack to be maintained within the hopper.

Claim 6

A method of delivering sheet material to a hopper in accordance with claim 4 in which the step of jogging comprises cyclically applying force substantially to an edge portion of the sheet material within the stack and the sheet material being delivered which is in the hopper.

Claim 7

A method of delivering sheet material to a hopper in accordance with claim 5 in which the step of jogging by applying force substantially to an edge portion of the sheet material comprises applying a level of force which varies along the height of the stack of sheet material within the hopper and the sheet material being delivered which is in the hopper, the varying of the level of force enabling the sheet material to be directed to a substantially even and uniform stack.

Claim 8

A method of delivering sheet material to a hopper in accordance with claim 4 in which the step of jogging comprises jogging the edge portion of the sheet material within the stack and the sheet material being delivered which is in the hopper, the edge portion being in a substantially facing relationship with respect to the flow of sheet material being delivered.

Claim 9

A method of delivering sheet material in accordance with claim 4 in which the step of jogging comprises jogging the edge portion of the sheet material which is in a substantially parallel relationship with respect to the direction of flow of the sheet material being delivered.

Claim 10

A method of delivering sheet material to a hopper in accordance with claim 4 and further comprising the step of supporting substantially the edge portion of the sheet material to be jogged as the sheet material is being delivered to the hopper to assist in the direction of the sheet material toward the stack within the hopper.

Claim 11

A method of delivering sheet material to a hopper in accordance with claim 9 in which the step of supporting substantially an edge portion of the sheet material to which the jogging is applied comprises supporting the edge portion by engaging it with a reciprocating surface which extends substantially parallel to the surface of the sheet material.

Claim 12

A method of delivering sheet material to a hopper in accordance with claim 4 in which the step of jogging comprises: i. jogging the edge portion of the sheet material within the stack and the sheet material being delivered which is in the hopper, the edge portion extending in a substantially facing relationship with respect to the flow of sheet material being delivered; and ii. additionally jogging the edge portion of the sheet material within the stack and the sheet material being delivered which is in the hopper, the edge portion to which the additional jogging is applied extending substantially parallel to the direction of flow of the sheet material being delivered.

Claim 13

A method of delivering sheet material to a hopper in accordance with claim 11 in which the step of jogging and the step of additionally jogging are actuated substantially out of phase with one another in order to cause the sheet material to move with a motion in the hopper resolvable into orthogonal components.

Claim 14

A method of delivering sheet material to a hopper in accordance with claim 4 and further comprising the step of cyclically directing at least one blast of a gaseous fluid toward the sheet material within the hopper in a direction extending substantially between the surfaces of said sheet material in the hopper to maintain at least a degree of separation between adjacent surfaces of the sheet material in order that the sheet material can be jogged into a substantially even and uniform stack within the hopper.

Claim 15

A method of delivering sheet material to a hopper in accordance with claim 13 in which the step of applying at least one blast of a gaseous fluid is applied substantially in phase with the jogging of the stack of the sheet material.

Claim 16

Apparatus for delivering sheet material to a hopper from which the sheet material is to be subsequently released, the hopper being adapted to receive the sheet material adjacent one end portion thereof and to have the sheet material released from another portion of the hopper disposed at a distance from the one end portion, the hopper being adapted to support a stack of the sheet material with the surface of each of the sheet material being substantially contiguous with the sheets adjacent thereto, said apparatus comprising: a. means for sensing the presence of a stack of sheet material of less than a substantially predetermined size within the hopper; b. means for delivering a flow of the sheet material toward the one end portion of the hopper, the activation of said delivering means being in response to the sensing by said sensing means of a stack of sheet material within the hopper less than the substantially predetermined stack; c. means for periodically interrupting the delivering of the flow of sheet material by said delivering means while said stack is less than a predetermined size and after a predetermined duration of the operation thereof and for a predetermined additional duration, the interrupting of the delivering by said delivering means producing bursts of sheet material being delivered to the hopper; and d. means for terminating the delivering of the sheet material by said delivering means in response to the sensing by said sensing means of a stack of sheet material in the hopper of a desired size.

Claim 17

Apparatus for delivering sheet material to a hopper from which the sheet material is to be subsequently released, the hopper being adapted to receive the sheet material adjacent one end portion thereof and to have the sheet material released from another portion of the hopper disposed at a distance from the one end portion, the hopper being adapted to support a stack of the sheet material with the surface of each of the sheet material being substantially contiguous with the sheets adjacent thereto, said apparatus comprising: a. means for sensing the presence of a stack of sheet material of less than a substantially predetermined size within the hopper; b. means for delivering a flow of the sheet material toward the one end portion of the hopper, the activation of said delivering means being in response to the sensing by said sensing means of a stack of sheet material within the hopper less than the substantially predetermined stack; c. means for periodically interrupting the delivering of the flow of sheet material by said delivering means while said stack is less than a predetermined size and after a predetermined duration of the operation thereof and for a predetermined additional duration, the interrupting of the delivering by said delivering means producing bursts of sheet material being delivered to the hopper; and d. means for terminating the delivering of the sheet material by said delivering means in response to the sensing by said sensing means of a stack of sheet material in the hopper of a desired size.

Claim 18

Apparatus for delivering sheet material to a hopper in accordance with claim 15 in which said means for delivering a flow of the sheet material toward the one end portion of the hopper comprises: i. a conveyor; ii. an additional conveyor having its entrance portion adjacent the exit portion of said conveyor and its exit portion adjacent the hopper, said additional conveyor conveying the sheet material from said conveyor to the hopper in response to the sensing by said sensing means of a stack of sheet material within the hopper less than the substantially predetermined size of stack, and in which said means for interrupting the delivering of the flow of sheet material by said delivering means interrupts the conveying of the material on said conveyor while maintaining the conveying of the material on said other conveyor, whereby the additional conveying of the sheet material on said other conveyor delivers the flow of sheet material preceding the step of interrupting to the hopper.

Claim 19

Apparatus for delivering sheet material to a hopper in accordance with claim 15 and further comprising meaNs for jogging the stack of sheet material within the hopper and the portion of the flow of the sheet material being delivered which is within the hopper, the jogging by said jogging means enabling a substantially even and uniform stack to be maintained within the hopper.

Claim 20

Apparatus for delivering sheet material to a hopper in accordance with claim 17 in which said means for jogging cyclically applies force substantially to an edge portion of the sheet material within the stack and the sheet material being delivered which is in the hopper.

Claim 21

Apparatus for delivering sheet material to a hopper in accordance with claim 17 in which said means for jogging by applying force substantially to an edge portion of the sheet material applies a level of force which varies along the height of the stack of sheet material within the hopper and the sheet material being delivered which is in the hopper, the varying of the level of force by said jogging means enables the sheet material to be directed into a substantially even and uniform stack.

Claim 22

Apparatus for delivering sheet material to a hopper in accordance with claim 17 in which said means for jogging jogs the edge portion of the sheet material within the stack and the sheet material being delivered which is in the hopper, said jogging means extending transversely with respect to the direction of the path of flow of sheet material being delivered and adjacent the portion of the hopper adjacent to said delivering means.

Claim 23

Apparatus for delivering sheet material to a hopper in accordance with claim 17 in which said jogging means further comprises means for supporting substantially the edge portion of the sheet material being jogged as it is being delivered to the hopper to assist in the directing of the sheet material being delivered toward the stack within the hopper.

Claim 24

Apparatus for delivering sheet material to a hopper in accordance with claim 17 in which said jogging means comprises: i. a jogger for jogging the edge portion of the sheet material within the stack and the sheet material being delivered by said delivering means which is in the hopper, the edge portion extending in a substantially facing relationship with respect to the flow of sheet material being delivered by said delivering means; and ii. an additional jogger for jogging the edge portion of the sheet material within the stack and the sheet material being delivered which is in the hopper, the edge portion to which the additional jogger is applied extending substantially parallel to the direction of flow of the sheet material being delivered by said delivering means.

Claim 25

Apparatus for delivering sheet material to a hopper in accordance with claim 22 in which said jogger and said additional jogger are actuated substantially out of phase with one another in order to cause the sheet material to move with a motion in the hopper resolvable into orthogonal components.

Claim 26

Apparatus for delivering sheet material to a hopper in accordance with claim 17 and further comprising means for cyclically directing at least one blast of a gaseous fluid toward the sheet material within the hopper in a direction extending substantially between the surfaces of the sheet material in the hopper to maintain at least a degree of separation between adjacent surfaces of the sheet material in order that the sheet material can be jogged into a substantially even and uniform stack within the hopper.

Claim 27

Apparatus for delivering sheet material to a hopper in accordance with claim 24 in which said means for applying at least one blast of a gaseous fluid is actuated substantially in phase with the jogging of the stack of the sheet material by said jogging means.

Claim 28

Apparatus for stacking sheet material in an oriented relationship with the edges in vertical alignment, said apparatus including; source means for providing a supply of the sheet material to be stacked, conveyor means for feeding signatures from said source means to the stack, drive means for driving said conveyor means, means for discontinuing the feeding of said conveyor means when a stack of a desired size has been completed, and control means for intermittently interrupting the drive of said drive means for intermittent predetermined period while a stack is being made whereby the interrupting of the drive of said conveyor means produces bursts of sheet material being delivered to the stack for stacking.

Claim 29

Apparatus for stacking sheet material in an oriented relationship with the edges in vertical alignment, said apparatus including; source means for providing a supply of the sheet material to be stacked, conveyor means for feeding signatures from said source means to the stack, drive means for driving said conveyor means, means for discontinuing the feeding of said conveyor means when a stack of a desired size has been completed, and control means for intermittently interrupting the drive of said drive means for intermittent predetermined period while a stack is being made whereby the interrupting of the drive of said conveyor means produces bursts of sheet material being delivered to the stack for stacking.

Claim 30

The apparatus of claim 26 and further including, jogging means operatively associated with the hopper, said jogging means including means for applying force substantially to the edge portion of each sheet material as it settles onto the stack and to an edge portion of the sheet material within the stack.

Claim 31

Apparatus including a hopper for receiving a flow of sheet material to form a stack within the hopper and for subsequently releasing the sheet material from the end of the stack opposite to which the sheet material is delivered, said apparatus comprising: a laterally extending member for supporting the stack of sheet material which is in the hopper with one edge portion of said member forming an opening with the structure of the hopper through which the sheet material can be released, delivery means for delivering a flow of the sheet material to the hopper with the surface of each of the sheet material being generally parallel to the upper surface of the stack, plate means forming at least a portion of a wall of said hopper extending upwardly from adjacent said member, said plate means being pivotedly mounted with respect to said hopper adjacent the lower portion of said plate means with the pivot axis being substantially parallel to the flow of sheet material being delivered to enable the surface of said plate means adjacent to the interior of the hopper to be swung in a facing relationship with respect to the interior of the hopper and an edge portion of each of the sheet material, said plate means further including a supporting surface on the upper portion thereof with said supporting surface being adjacent to the delivery end of said delivery means and generally aligned with the path of travel of at least an edge portion of the sheet material as it passes from the delivery means whereby said supporting surface engages and supports said sheet material as it is passing from the delivery means and before the sheet material descends toward the hopper, and means for moving said plate with a swinging motion about the pivotal mounting thereof to enable said supporting surface to impart direction to the sheet material supported thereon in a direction transverse to the path of flow of the sheet material and to enable the inner surface of said plate facing the interior of said hopper to strike an edge portion of each of the sheet material settling into the hopper in order to assist the proper positioning of each of the sheet material upon the stack within the hopper.

Claim 32

Apparatus including a hopper for receiving a flow of sheet material to form a stack within the hopper and for subsequently releasing the sheet material from the end of the stack opposite to which the sheet material is delivered, said apparatus comprising: a laterally extending member for supporting the stack of sheet material which is in the hopper with one edge portion of said member forming an opening with the structure of the hopper through which the sheet material can be released, delivery means for delivering a flow of the sheet material to the hopper with the surface of each of the sheet material being generally parallel to the upper surface of the stack, plate means forming at least a portion of a wall of said hopper extending upwardly from adjacent said member, said plate means being pivotedly mounted with respect to said hopper adjacent the lower portion of said plate means with the pivot axis being substantially parallel to the flow of sheet material being delivered to enable the surface of said plate means adjacent to the interior of the hopper to be swung in a facing relationship with respect to the interior of the hopper and an edge portion of each of the sheet material, said plate means further including a supporting surface on the upper portion thereof with said supporting surface being adjacent to the delivery end of said delivery means and generally aligned with the path of travel of at least an edge portion of the sheet material as it passes from the delivery means whereby said supporting surface engages and supports said sheet material as it is passing from the delivery means and before the sheet material descends toward the hopper, and means for moving said plate with a swinging motion about the pivotal mounting thereof to enable said supporting surface to impart direction to the sheet material supported thereon in a direction transverse to the path of flow of the sheet material and to enable the inner surface of said plate facing the interior of said hopper to strike an edge portion of each of the sheet material settling into the hopper in order to assist the proper positioning of each of the sheet material upon the stack within the hopper.

Claim 33

Apparatus in accordance with claim 28 and further including means for cyclically directing a blast of gaseous fluid toward the sheet material within the hopper in a direction extending substantially between the surfaces of the sheet material to maintain at least a degree of separation between adjacent surfaces of the sheet material so that the sheet material can be jogged into a substantially even and uniform stack within the hopper, and means for cyclically actuating the blast of gaseous fluid substantially in phase with said means for moving said plate means with a swinging motion.

Claim 34

Apparatus including a hopper for receiving a flow of sheet material to form a stack within the hopper and for subsequently releasing the sheet material from the end of the stack opposite to which the sheet material is delivered, said apparatus comprising: a laterally extending member for supporting the stack of sheet material which is in the hopper with one edge portion of said member forming an opening with the structure of the hopper through whIch the sheet material can be released, delivery means for delivering a flow of the sheet material to the hopper with the surface of each of the sheet material being generally parallel to the upper surface of the stack, plate means forming at least a portion of a wall of said hopper extending upwardly from adjacent said member, said plate means being pivotedly mounted with respect to said hopper adjacent the lower portion of said plate means with the pivot axis being substantially transverse to the flow of sheet material being delivered to enable the surface of said plate means adjacent to the interior of the hopper to be swung in a facing relationship with respect to the interior of the hopper and an edge portion of each of the sheet material, said plate means further including a supporting surface on the upper portion thereof with said supporting surface being adjacent to the delivery end of said delivery means and engageable with said sheet material as it is passing from the delivery means, said supporting surface comprising structure forming a curved surface extending transversely with respect to the path of the flow of sheet material being delivered and in which the radius of curvature of said curved surface decreases from adjacent the portion of said curved surface facing the flow of sheet material to the portion of the curved surface facing the interior of the hopper, means for moving said plate means with a swinging motion about the pivotal mounting thereof with the swinging motion moving said curved surface substantially tangentially to the path of flow of sheet material being delivered whereby said curved surface imparts direction to the sheet material supported thereon in the direction of the path of flow of the sheet material before the sheet material descends into the hopper with the inner surface of said plate means striking an edge portion of the sheet material as the material settles into the hopper thereby to assist the proper positioning of each sheet upon the stack within the hopper.

Claim 35

Apparatus including a hopper for receiving a flow of sheet material to form a stack within the hopper and for subsequently releasing the sheet material from the end of the stack opposite to which the sheet material is delivered, said apparatus comprising: a laterally extending member for supporting the stack of sheet material which is in the hopper with one edge portion of said member forming an opening with the structure of the hopper through whIch the sheet material can be released, delivery means for delivering a flow of the sheet material to the hopper with the surface of each of the sheet material being generally parallel to the upper surface of the stack, plate means forming at least a portion of a wall of said hopper extending upwardly from adjacent said member, said plate means being pivotedly mounted with respect to said hopper adjacent the lower portion of said plate means with the pivot axis being substantially transverse to the flow of sheet material being delivered to enable the surface of said plate means adjacent to the interior of the hopper to be swung in a facing relationship with respect to the interior of the hopper and an edge portion of each of the sheet material, said plate means further including a supporting surface on the upper portion thereof with said supporting surface being adjacent to the delivery end of said delivery means and engageable with said sheet material as it is passing from the delivery means, said supporting surface comprising structure forming a curved surface extending transversely with respect to the path of the flow of sheet material being delivered and in which the radius of curvature of said curved surface decreases from adjacent the portion of said curved surface facing the flow of sheet material to the portion of the curved surface facing the interior of the hopper, means for moving said plate means with a swinging motion about the pivotal mounting thereof with the swinging motion moving said curved surface substantially tangentially to the path of flow of sheet material being delivered whereby said curved surface imparts direction to the sheet material supported thereon in the direction of the path of flow of the sheet material before the sheet material descends into the hopper with the inner surface of said plate means striking an edge portion of the sheet material as the material settles into the hopper thereby to assist the proper positioning of each sheet upon the stack within the hopper.