High speed in-line paper inserting apparatus and method

Claim 3

A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein subsequent to impelling said insert into said pocket, the gripped lap is released thereby permitting gravitional lowering of the top half of said newspaper onto said insert to form said composite jacket and supplement insert.

Claim 4

A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said step of impelling said insert downwardly and forwardly is at a speed of approximately four times greater than the rectilinear speed of said jacket to facilitate the insert seating.

Claim 5

A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said impelling step further comprises the steps of positioning said inserts as a stack, the stack being raised incrementally and sequentially in time with movement of the conveyed folded jacket, the insert being folded with the folded edge forwardly disposed, lifting an insert from the top of the stack by vacuum and feeding to an inserter which serves to impel the insert into said pocket.

Claim 6

Apparatus for high speed in-line inserting of a supplement insert into a newspaper comprising, in sequence: A. A newspaper folding mechanism including means to provide a folded newspaper having an extending lap on the top half with respect to the bottom half and to convey said folded newspaper as a folded jacket with the folded edge forwardly disposed to a speed-up mechanism, B. Said speed-up mechanism including means to accelerate said conveyed jacket forwardly and downwardly onto a rectilinearly moving conveyor, C. Said rectilinearly moving conveyor comprising an endless conveyor, a plurality of folded newspaper jacket receiving means operatively connected to said conveyor in linearly spaced successive positions thereon, wherein each of said jacket receiving means comprises: i. an angularly movable lower arm adapted to support and rectilinearly carry said jacket with its folded edge maintained forwardly and downwardly with respect to said extending lap, and ii. a fixed upper arm angularly disposed from said movable arm, said fixed upper arm together with said movable lower arm positioned to define a rearwardly and upwardly openable pocket which is rectilinearly conveyed upon said conveyor, and iii. newspaper top half edge gripping means mounted upon the distal end of said fixed upper arm to selectively maintain only said top half of the newspaper jacket against said fixed upper arm, and iv. means disposed along the rectilinear path of travel of said each newspaper jacket receiving means to coact with said movable lower arm to selectively pivot the newspaper jacket thereon supported forwardly into contact with said fixed upper arm whereby said gripping means are operable to selectively grip said extending lap while allowing said bottom half to be selectively rearwardly pivoted by said lower movable arm, thereby defining a rearwardly and upwardly opening pocket in said jacket which is rectilinearly conveyed, and; C. Means for impelling an insert downwardly and forwardly into said jacket pocket as it is rectilinearly conveyed therepast, wherein said insert is impelled downwardly and forwardly at a speed substantially greater than the rectilinear speed of said conveyor, and; D. Means for releasing said gripping means from said lap thereby closing said jacket with the insert therein as a folded composite.

Claim 7

Apparatus for high speed in-line inserting of a supplement insert into a newspaper comprising, in sequence: A. A newspaper folding mechanism including means to provide a folded newspaper having an extending lap on the top half with respect to the bottom half and to convey said folded newspaper as a folded jacket with the folded edge forwardly disposed to a speed-up mechanism, B. Said speed-up mechanism including means to accelerate said conveyed jacket forwardly and downwardly onto a rectilinearly moving conveyor, C. Said rectilinearly moving conveyor comprising an endless conveyor, a plurality of folded newspaper jacket receiving means operatively connected to said conveyor in linearly spaced successive positions thereon, wherein each of said jacket receiving means comprises: i. an angularly movable lower arm adapted to support and rectilinearly carry said jacket with its folded edge maintained forwardly and downwardly with respect to said extending lap, and ii. a fixed upper arm angularly disposed from said movable arm, said fixed upper arm together with said movable lower arm positioned to define a rearwardly and upwardly openable pocket which is rectilinearly conveyed upon said conveyor, and iii. newspaper top half edge gripping means mounted upon the distal end of said fixed upper arm to selectively maintain only said top half of the newspaper jacket against said fixed upper arm, and iv. means disposed along the rectilinear path of travel of said each newspaper jacket receiving means to coact with said movable lower arm to selectively pivot the newspaper jacket thereon supported forwardly into contact with said fixed upper arm whereby said gripping means are operable to selectively grip said extending lap while allowing said bottom half to be selectively rearwardly pivoted by said lower movable arm, thereby defining a rearwardly and upwardly opening pocket in said jacket which is rectilinearly conveyed, and; C. Means for impelling an insert downwardly and forwardly into said jacket pocket as it is rectilinearly conveyed therepast, wherein said insert is impelled downwardly and forwardly at a speed substantially greater than the rectilinear speed of said conveyor, and; D. Means for releasing said gripping means from said lap thereby closing said jacket with the insert therein as a folded composite.

Claim 8

Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the gripping means comprise pivotally mounted gripping hooks on the ends of said upper fixed arms of said pockets, and means for rotating said hooks in timed sequence with movement of said pockets on said conveyor when said lower arms have contacted said newspaper with said upper arms to thereby grip the overlapped edge of said newspaper and subsequently, after insertion of said supplement insert, to release said hooks to permit the upper half of the newspaper to gravitationally lower onto the lower newspaper half and insert to form said composite.

Claim 9

Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, including an insert lIft platform adapted to support a stack of inserts, means for upwardly moving said lift platform incrementally and sequentially in timed relationship to movement of said conveyor and said pockets thereon, a vacuum drum pick-up positioned above said stack of inserts on said lift platform, ports in said vacuum drum, means for controlling opening and closing of said ports for suctionally picking up an insert from the top of said stack and feeding the inserts folded edge first from the stack, to said insert speed-up mechanism for receiving the presented inserts and accelerating speed of the inserts for subsequent ejection therefrom and insertion into said rearwardly open pockets in said newspapers.

Claim 10

Apparatus as claimed in claim 7, said conveyor mounting said pockets including endless chains operationally entrained over drive sprockets at the entrance and discharge ends of the conveyor, laterally extending shafts operatively connected between spaced said chains, brackets mounting said arms comprising said pockets with a plurality of sets of said arms being laterally spacedly mounted on said shafts to form laterally extending pockets, said arms being movable together with said chains on an upper run from the entrance end to the discharge end, around the rear sprocket and along the lower conveyor run, thence around the entrance end in a continuous cycle.

Claim 11

Apparatus as claimed in claim 8, including composite newspaper and insert stripping means at the rear end of said conveyor, said stripper means including a primary segmental pointed nose probe positioned in the line of travel of the newspaper composite spaced intermediately of said laterally spaced arms forming said pockets and engageable under the leading edge of newspaper composites being conveyed, and conveyor means including a plurality of belts entrained over pulleys and laterally spaced and positioned between said laterally spaced arms forming said pockets to receive newspaper composites stripped from said pockets for conveying and re-shingling the newspaper composites for presentation to a later folded edge stacker acceptance.