Abstract A sheet processing device including an elongate storage magazine and a suction conveyor device, is disclosed. The magazine is so mounted that the longitudinal dimension of the magazine is inclined at an angle of about 15* to the horizontal and the stacking direction of sheets stored in the magazine with their adjacent flat faces in contact extends in a direction only slightly inclined to the horizontal. Thus, one end portion of the magazine is maintained at a lower level than the respective other end portion. The magazine is provided with a plurality of endless belts, each of which has one of its runs in contact with the edges of sheets stacked in the magazine. As the endless belts are rotated, the belts contacting the edges of the stacked sheets exert a frictional force tending to urge the sheets towards the lower end portion of the magazine. The wall portions adjacent the lower end portion of the magazine are perforate to permit a stream of gas to be blown into the magazine to loosen sheets stacked in the lower end portion thereof. The magazine is associated with a rotary suction roller assembly which is arranged to extract the sheets singly from the lower end portion of the magazine. Each sheet so removed is transferred to suction conveyor means comprising permeable endless belts through which suction is applied to each such sheet to maintain it in contact with the permeable belts whilst being conveyed thereby to a reception station of a cigarette packaging machine. Due to the horizontal orientation of the magazine the sheets, after being removed therefrom and transferred to the permeable belt conveyor, are substantially vertically orientated. It is therefore necessary for the permeable belt conveyor to cause the sheets to transverse an L-shaped path in order that they may be horizontally orientated when fed to the reception station of the packaging machine.
A sheet processing device comprising, in combination: an elongate storage magazine for storing a plurality of individual sheets of wrapping material with their adjacent flat faces in contact; mounting means for mounting said magazine with the elongate dimension thereof inclined at a small angle to the horizontal and thereby to position said magazine with one end portion thereof at a lower level than the respective other end portion thereof; frictionally operative means to act against at least one edge of each sheet for urging said sheets towards said lower end portion of said magazine; orifice means disposed next adjacent said lower end portion, whereby compressed gas may be applied through said orifice means to loosen sheets located in said lower end portion of said magazine; a rotary suction device to remove successive single ones of said sheets from said magazine, said rotary suction device comprising at least one suction roller rotably mounted on a slidable carriage, said carriage being mounted to be rectilinearly reciprocatable, said suction roller being provided with an orifice in the periphery thereof to apply suction to each individual said sheet in turn, thereby to remove said sheet from said magazine; suction conveyor means comprising at least one permeable endless belt and suction chambers located neXt adjacent one surface of said permeable belt to apply suction to sheets through said permeable belt thereby to maintain said sheets in contact with the surface of said permeable belt opposite to said one surface thereof, said permeable belt being constrained into a generally L-shaped configuration and being displaceable to convey said sheets successively removed from said storage magazine by said rotary suction device along at least part of a sheet path; and a gripper cylinder to transfer said sheets from said rotary suction device to said suction conveyor means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
299 words
A sheet processing device comprising, in combination: an elongate storage magazine for storing a plurality of individual sheets of wrapping material with their adjacent flat faces in contact; mounting means for mounting said magazine with the elongate dimension thereof inclined at a small angle to the horizontal and thereby to position said magazine with one end portion thereof at a lower level than the respective other end portion thereof; frictionally operative means to act against at least one edge of each sheet for urging said sheets towards said lower end portion of said magazine; orifice means disposed next adjacent said lower end portion, whereby compressed gas may be applied through said orifice means to loosen sheets located in said lower end portion of said magazine; a rotary suction device to remove successive single ones of said sheets from said magazine, said rotary suction device comprising at least one suction roller rotably mounted on a slidable carriage, said carriage being mounted to be rectilinearly reciprocatable, said suction roller being provided with an orifice in the periphery thereof to apply suction to each individual said sheet in turn, thereby to remove said sheet from said magazine; suction conveyor means comprising at least one permeable endless belt and suction chambers located neXt adjacent one surface of said permeable belt to apply suction to sheets through said permeable belt thereby to maintain said sheets in contact with the surface of said permeable belt opposite to said one surface thereof, said permeable belt being constrained into a generally L-shaped configuration and being displaceable to convey said sheets successively removed from said storage magazine by said rotary suction device along at least part of a sheet path; and a gripper cylinder to transfer said sheets from said rotary suction device to said suction conveyor means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
35 words
A device as defined in claim 1, comprising a nozzle located next adjacent the periphery of said gripper cylinder to apply adhesive material to said sheets in passage around said periphery of said gripper cylinder.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
26 words
A device as defined in claim 1, comprising an identing cylinder co-operating with said gripper cylinder to indent said sheets in passage around said gripper cylinder.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
37 words
A device as defined in claim 1, comprising a suction plate to receive said sheets from said permeable endless belt and to locate said received sheets relatively to a plunger for pressing said sheets into a cell.