Patent US3764133A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3764133A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Sheet feeding apparatus
Assignee: Crosfield Business Machines Ltd
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Filing: 1971-06-07
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Granted: 1973-10-09
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Expires: 1991-06-07
Abstract
Abstract A vacuum feeder includes an extensible chamber which can be moved from an extended position to a contracted position in response to a reduction of pressure within the chamber. The movable section of the chamber includes an aperture which is positioned adjacent a sheet at a first station so that withdrawal of air from the chamber sucks the sheet over the aperture. Further withdrawal of air therefore produces a vacuum or partial vacuum within the chamber retaining the sheet over the aperture while simultaneously causing the chamber to contract from its extended position. The contraction results in a transferal of the retained sheet from the first station to a second station.
Inventors
- 👤 C Gray
- 👤 A Burge
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 13:55
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65H; B65H5/00; B65H5/22; B65H5/222; B65H3/00; B65H3/08; B65H3/0808; B65H3/0883; G; G06; G06K; G06K13/00; G06K13/02; G06K13/08; G06K13/16
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
157 words
Sheet feeding apparatus including; a. an extensible chamber having a section for engaging a sheet to be transferred from a first station to a second station, said section movable from a first position to a second position in response to a reduction of pressure within said chamber, b. a port opening into said chamber through which air may be withdrawn from said chamber, c. an aperture in said section to overlie a sheet at said first station when said section is in said first position whereby withdrawal of air through said port firstly draws said sheet Over said aperture and subsequently reduces the pressure within said chamber to move the said section from its first position to its second position, and d. means responsive to the resulting contraction of the chamber for imparting a translational motion to the sheet such that the sheet is advanced along a fixed path from said first station to said second station.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
157 words
Sheet feeding apparatus including; a. an extensible chamber having a section for engaging a sheet to be transferred from a first station to a second station, said section movable from a first position to a second position in response to a reduction of pressure within said chamber, b. a port opening into said chamber through which air may be withdrawn from said chamber, c. an aperture in said section to overlie a sheet at said first station when said section is in said first position whereby withdrawal of air through said port firstly draws said sheet Over said aperture and subsequently reduces the pressure within said chamber to move the said section from its first position to its second position, and d. means responsive to the resulting contraction of the chamber for imparting a translational motion to the sheet such that the sheet is advanced along a fixed path from said first station to said second station.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
41 words
Apparatus according to claim 1 including means responsive to the movement of said section into its second position for venting said chamber whereby, in operation, the sheet is released from the said section as the sheet moves into said second station.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
33 words
Apparatus according to claim 2 further including means for urging said section toward its first position such that said section is automatically returned to the first station after the chamber has been vented.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
45 words
Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said moving section comprises an extensible sleeve fitted over a fixed inner tube, the apparatus further comprising a fixed bearing about which said tube is rotatable, and said aperture being formed in the protruding end of the sleeve.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
34 words
Apparatus according to claim 4 in which the sleeve and the tube each include a venting port, the two ports being aligned with one another only when the sleeve is in its contracted position.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
56 words
Apparatus according to claim 4 further including a link having one end pivotally connected to the sleeve such that, with the other end pivotally connected to a fixed point, rotation of said link about the fixed point in response to a contraction of the sleeve produces a lateral movement of the sleeve toward the second station.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
76 words
Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said chamber includes a curved peripheral top surface, side walls and a pair of end walls, the peripheral top surface, the side walls and a first of the end walls being pivotally mounted for rotation about a fixed bearing, the second end wall of the chamber being fixed such that the volume of the chamber may be contracted by rotating the first end wall toward the second end wall.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
56 words
Apparatus according to claim 7 in which the side walls are contoured such that a venting port is formed between the second end wall and at least one of the side walls as soon as the peripheral surface has rotated through the angle required to transfer a sheet from the first station to the second station.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
78 words
Apparatus according to claim 7 in which the aperture is formed in the said peripheral surface and is positioned such that the leading portion of a sheet at the first station is drawn across the aperture when air is withdrawn from the chamber, the apparatus further including means for holding the trailing portion of the said sheet against the peripheral surface with a force substantially less than the vacuum force retaining the said leading portion over the aperture.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
37 words
Apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a rotatably mounted cylinder and an eccentric fixed cam within the cylinder, the extensible chamber comprising a portion of the annulus between the outer cylinder and the inner fixed cam.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
66 words
Apparatus according to claim 10 in which the end walls of the chamber comprise a pair of diametrically opposed linked vanes slidably mounted in slots formed in the wall of the cylinder, the said aperture being formed through the wall of the cylinder adjacent one of the vanes and the inner cam including said port opening into the said annulus for connection to a vacuum source.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
96 words
Apparatus according to claim 11 including a second aperture through the wall of the cylinder diametrically opposed to the first aperture such that the said vanes divide the annulus into two symmetrical extensible chambers and, with the port opening into the first chamber, rotation of the cylinder to transfer a sheet retained over the first aperture from the first station to a second station simultaneously moves the second aperture into the first station as the trailing end wall of the first chamber moves across the said port to Permit withdrawal of air from the second chamber.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
36 words
Apparatus according to claim 10 in which the end walls of the chamber comprise a pair of diametrically opposed vanes pivotally mounted on the inner wall of the cylinder and resiliently biased toward the inner cam.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
25 words
Apparatus according to claim 13 in which the vanes are curved with a radius of curvature less than the radius of curvature of the cam.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US2215458A
Cited
US3039767A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-10-08 | 1977-04-09 | 1977-10-09 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-10-08 | 1981-04-09 | 1981-10-09 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-10-08 | 1985-04-09 | 1985-10-09 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |