Method and apparatus for forming an even edged pile of flexible sheets

Claim 3

In a layboy for receiving and piling flexible sheets including a platform for supporting the pile of sheets, and jogger means positioned for aligning received sheets into an even edged pile, the improvement comprising: a set of jogger mechanisms supported at the top of said pile on opposite sides of said layboy and spaced to contact the edges of sheets delivered to said layboy between opposed mechanisms, each of said mechanisms having a pair of parallel substantially vertically disposed shafts spaced along the direction of travel of said sheets; a pair of sprocket gears mounted in spaced relation on each of said shafts, each of said gears being mounted for rotation in alignment with a corresponding gear on the other of said shafts; a pair of endless drive chains engaging the aligned gears on said shafts; a set of members extending between said drive chains and movable therewith; means for driving said sprockets to move said members along the peripheral path of said drive chains with a transverse oscillatory motion component produced by the pitch of said sprocket gears, the motion of said members in contact with the edges of said sheets being in the direction of travel of said sheets delivered to said layboy.

Claim 4

In a layboy for receiving and piling flexible sheets including a platform for supporting the pile of sheets, and jogger means positioned for aligning received sheets into an even edged pile, the improvement comprising: a set of jogger mechanisms supported at the top of said pile on opposite sides of said layboy and spaced to contact the edges of sheets delivered to said layboy between opposed mechanisms, each of said mechanisms having a pair of parallel substantially vertically disposed shafts spaced along the direction of travel of said sheets; a pair of sprocket gears mounted in spaced relation on each of said shafts, each of said gears being mounted for rotation in alignment with a corresponding gear on the other of said shafts; a pair of endless drive chains engaging the aligned gears on said shafts; a set of members extending between said drive chains and movable therewith; means for driving said sprockets to move said members along the peripheral path of said drive chains with a transverse oscillatory motion component produced by the pitch of said sprocket gears, the motion of said members in contact with the edges of said sheets being in the direction of travel of said sheets delivered to said layboy.

Claim 5

Apparatus according to claim 2 in which said members comprise rollers rotatable on support bearings between said drive chains.

Claim 6

Apparatus according to claim 3 and including an endless belt supported on and movable with said rollers.

Claim 7

Apparatus according to claim 2 in which said set of mechanisms comprises two pairs of mechanisms opposed on opposite edges of said pile, one pair of said mechanisms having said peripheral path extend to a position adjacent the point of delivery of said sheets to said layboy.

Claim 8

Apparatus according to claim 2 including means for supporting said jogger mechanisms for sliding vertical movement and means contacting said platform for elevating said mechanisms at the elevated position of said platform.

Claim 9

A jogger mechanism comprising: a base adapted to be supported horizontally; a pair of spaced vertical shafts supported oN said base; a pair of spaced sprocket gears mounted on each of said shafts, each of said gears being mounted for rotation in alignment with a corresponding gear on the other of said shafts; a pair of endless drive chains engaging the aligned gears on said shafts; a set of members extending between said drive chains and movable therewith; means for driving said sprockets to move said members along the peripheral path of said drive chains with a transverse oscillatory motion component produced by the pitch of said sprocket gears; and means for tensioning said drive chains between said gears to make the peripheral portion of said drive chains extending between said sprocket gears move as a unit with said oscillatory motion component.

Claim 10

A jogger mechanism comprising: a base adapted to be supported horizontally; a pair of spaced vertical shafts supported oN said base; a pair of spaced sprocket gears mounted on each of said shafts, each of said gears being mounted for rotation in alignment with a corresponding gear on the other of said shafts; a pair of endless drive chains engaging the aligned gears on said shafts; a set of members extending between said drive chains and movable therewith; means for driving said sprockets to move said members along the peripheral path of said drive chains with a transverse oscillatory motion component produced by the pitch of said sprocket gears; and means for tensioning said drive chains between said gears to make the peripheral portion of said drive chains extending between said sprocket gears move as a unit with said oscillatory motion component.

Claim 11

Apparatus according to claim 7 in which said members comprise rollers rotatable on support bearings extending between said drive chains.

Claim 12

Apparatus according to claim 8 and including an endless tensioned belt supported on and movable with said rollers.

Claim 13

Apparatus according to claim 9 in which said belt has an internal flexible strip attached continuously along the top edge of said belt.

Claim 14

Apparatus according to claim 7 in which said means for tensioning comprises a base having separate bearing blocks rotatably supporting said shafts and means slidably connecting said blocks with spring loading to urge them apart for maintaining tension on said drive chains.

Claim 15

Apparatus according to claim 11 wherein said base comprises a substantially horizontal plate, means for securing one of said bearing blocks to depend from said support plate, a pair of spaced parallel rods extending upwardly from said support plate; and a mounting bracket for said jogger mechanism, said bracket having guide members for slidably receiving said guide rods to permit relative vertical motion between said mechanism and said bracket.

Claim 16

Apparatus according to claim 12 and including mounted on said support plate a drive motor and a drive coupling between said motor and one of said shafts.

Claim 17

Apparatus according to claim 7 in which the pitch of said drive chains is a multiple greater than the tooth pitch of said sprocket gears to amplify said transverse oscillatory motion component.

Claim 18

A jogger mechanism according to claim 7 in which the spacing between said parallel shafts is equal to the length of an integral number of chain pitch units.

Claim 19

A jogger mechanism comprising: a base adapted to be supported horizontally; spaced vertical shaft means supported on said base; sprocket gear means on said shaft means; endless drive chain means engaged with said sprocket gear means; jogger surface means supported on said drive means; means for driving said sprocket gear means to move said jogger surface means along the peripheral path of said drive chain means with a transverse oscillatory motion component; and means for tensioning said drive chain means between said sprocket gear means to make the peripheral portion of said drive chain means extending between said sprocket gear means move as a unit with said oscillatory motion component.

Claim 20

A jogger mechanism comprising: a base adapted to be supported horizontally; spaced vertical shaft means supported on said base; sprocket gear means on said shaft means; endless drive chain means engaged with said sprocket gear means; jogger surface means supported on said drive means; means for driving said sprocket gear means to move said jogger surface means along the peripheral path of said drive chain means with a transverse oscillatory motion component; and means for tensioning said drive chain means between said sprocket gear means to make the peripheral portion of said drive chain means extending between said sprocket gear means move as a unit with said oscillatory motion component.

Claim 21

A flexible sheet piling system comprising: a layboy having a horizontal support surface for said sheets and elevator means for vertically moving said support surface; means for transporting and successively delivering said sheets in a generally horizontal direction into said layboy; jogger means driven for applying aligning forces to opposite edges of said sheets transverse to the direction of travel as said sheets are delivered to said layboy, said jogger means comprising for each of said opposite edges a chain-sprocket mechanism, an endless belt supported on the periphery of said chain-sprocket mechanism, the outer surfaces of said belt providing active surfaces for contacting said sheets, said active surfaces extending above and below the top surface of a pile of sheets in said layboy, said mechanism continuously oscillating the positIon of said active surfaces of said belt transverse to said periphery and moving said belt continuously in the peripheral direction with one of said active surfaces of said belt moving in the direction of travel of said sheets; and means for mounting said jogger means for sliding vertical movement and operative to raise said active surfaces to extend above said support surface when said elevator means is raised to start a new pile of said sheets on said support.

Claim 22

A flexible sheet piling system comprising: a layboy having a horizontal support surface for said sheets and elevator means for vertically moving said support surface; means for transporting and successively delivering said sheets in a generally horizontal direction into said layboy; jogger means driven for applying aligning forces to opposite edges of said sheets transverse to the direction of travel as said sheets are delivered to said layboy, said jogger means comprising for each of said opposite edges a chain-sprocket mechanism, an endless belt supported on the periphery of said chain-sprocket mechanism, the outer surfaces of said belt providing active surfaces for contacting said sheets, said active surfaces extending above and below the top surface of a pile of sheets in said layboy, said mechanism continuously oscillating the positIon of said active surfaces of said belt transverse to said periphery and moving said belt continuously in the peripheral direction with one of said active surfaces of said belt moving in the direction of travel of said sheets; and means for mounting said jogger means for sliding vertical movement and operative to raise said active surfaces to extend above said support surface when said elevator means is raised to start a new pile of said sheets on said support.

Claim 23

Apparatus according to claim 17 and including rollers supported on said chain-sprocket mechanism and a belt tensioned on said rollers to move with said chain-sprocket mechanism.