Moving carriage buffer/feeder

Claim 1

A device for transporting and buffering a flow of flat, rectangular articles having a leading edge and a trailing edge opposite the leading edge and a bottom edge extending between the leading and trailing edges, such as letter mail, comprising: a support frame; an output feeder positioned on the support frame at the output of a buffer stack for removing articles individually from the stack; a plurality of parallel rotatable bars supported by said frame with at least one of said bars having screw threaded sections on a cylindrical surface interspaced along its length with polygonal cross sections and at least one of said bars having a polygonal cross section along its length, said bars for supporting and agitating a plurality of the articles collected side by side to form the buffer stack, the articles in the buffer stack transverse to said bars such that the polygonal cross section of the bars engages the bottom edge of the articles to advance the articles in a direction substantially tangential to said bars and said bar with the screw threaded sections thereon further engaging the bottom edge of the articles at a point spaced from the leading edge to move the articles toward said output feeder along the longitudinal axis of the bar; an edging belt positioned substantially transverse to the movement of the articles by the polygonal cross sections and engaging the leading edge of the articles for advancing the articles in the buffer stack along with the screw threaded sections of said bar toward said output feeder; a linearly displacable carriage positioned transversely offset from the line-of-travel of the article in the buffer stack and movable parallel to the line of travel; a conveyor belt assembly having a fixed article input supported by said frame, said conveyor belt assembly extending to and further supported by said carriage for transporting articles from the article input across said carriage in a direction essentially transverse to the line of travel of said carriage; a pivoting arm supported by said carriage and extending therefrom transverse to the line of travel of the carriage to reach the buffer stack, said pivoting arm including a shoe for directing articles received from said conveyor belt assembly into the buffer stack; and means for displacing said carriage in response to movement of said pivoting arm to maintain essentially a constant pressure on said shoe against the last article in the buffer stack.

Claim 2

A device for transporting and buffering a flow of flat, rectangular articles having a leading edge and a trailing edge opposite the leading edge and a bottom edge extending between the leading and trailing edges, such as letter mail, comprising: a support frame; an output feeder positioned on the support frame at the output of a buffer stack for removing articles individually from the stack; a plurality of parallel rotatable bars supported by said frame with at least one of said bars having screw threaded sections on a cylindrical surface interspaced along its length with polygonal cross sections and at least one of said bars having a polygonal cross section along its length, said bars for supporting and agitating a plurality of the articles collected side by side to form the buffer stack, the articles in the buffer stack transverse to said bars such that the polygonal cross section of the bars engages the bottom edge of the articles to advance the articles in a direction substantially tangential to said bars and said bar with the screw threaded sections thereon further engaging the bottom edge of the articles at a point spaced from the leading edge to move the articles toward said output feeder along the longitudinal axis of the bar; an edging belt positioned substantially transverse to the movement of the articles by the polygonal cross sections and engaging the leading edge of the articles for advancing the articles in the buffer stack along with the screw threaded sections of said bar toward said output feeder; a linearly displacable carriage positioned transversely offset from the line-of-travel of the article in the buffer stack and movable parallel to the line of travel; a conveyor belt assembly having a fixed article input supported by said frame, said conveyor belt assembly extending to and further supported by said carriage for transporting articles from the article input across said carriage in a direction essentially transverse to the line of travel of said carriage; a pivoting arm supported by said carriage and extending therefrom transverse to the line of travel of the carriage to reach the buffer stack, said pivoting arm including a shoe for directing articles received from said conveyor belt assembly into the buffer stack; and means for displacing said carriage in response to movement of said pivoting arm to maintain essentially a constant pressure on said shoe against the last article in the buffer stack.

Claim 4

A device for transporting and buffering a flow of flat, rectangular articles having a leading edge and a trailing edge opposite the leading edge and a bottom edge extending between the leading and trailing edges, such as letter mail, comprising: (a) a supporting frame, (b) at least one rotatable bar supported by said frame and having a noncircular cross section for supporting and advancing in a direction substantially tangential to said bar a plurality of the articles collected side by side in a buffer stack by engaging the bottom edges of the articles, the articles in said buffer stack positioned transverse to said bar, (c) a rotatable edging bar having alternating first and second segments, said first segments having a screw thread configuration and said second segments having a noncircular cross section, said edging bar positioned adjacent the leading edges of the articles in said buffer stack for agitating the articles in the buffer stack and urging the articles therein toward the output feeder, (d) a linearly displaceable carriage positioned transversely offset from the line-of-travel of the articles in said buffer stack and movable parallel to said line-of-travel, (e) a conveyor belt assembly having a fixed article input supported by said frame, said conveyor belt assembly extending to and further supported by said carriage for transporting articles from said article input across said carriage in a direction essentially transverse to the line-of-travel of said carriage, (f) a pivoting arm supported by said carriage and extending therefrom transverse to the line-of-travel of said carriage to reach said buffer stack, said pivoting arm including a shoe for directing articles received from said conveyor belt assembly into said buffer stack, and (g) means for displacing said carriage in response to movement of said pivoting arm to maintain essentially a constant pressure of said shoe against the last article in said buffer stack.

Claim 5

A device for transporting and buffering a flow of flat, rectangular articles having a leading edge and a trailing edge opposite the leading edge and a bottom edge extending between the leading and trailing edges, such as letter mail, comprising: (a) a supporting frame, (b) at least one rotatable bar supported by said frame and having a noncircular cross section for supporting and advancing in a direction substantially tangential to said bar a plurality of the articles collected side by side in a buffer stack by engaging the bottom edges of the articles, the articles in said buffer stack positioned transverse to said bar, (c) a rotatable edging bar having alternating first and second segments, said first segments having a screw thread configuration and said second segments having a noncircular cross section, said edging bar positioned adjacent the leading edges of the articles in said buffer stack for agitating the articles in the buffer stack and urging the articles therein toward the output feeder, (d) a linearly displaceable carriage positioned transversely offset from the line-of-travel of the articles in said buffer stack and movable parallel to said line-of-travel, (e) a conveyor belt assembly having a fixed article input supported by said frame, said conveyor belt assembly extending to and further supported by said carriage for transporting articles from said article input across said carriage in a direction essentially transverse to the line-of-travel of said carriage, (f) a pivoting arm supported by said carriage and extending therefrom transverse to the line-of-travel of said carriage to reach said buffer stack, said pivoting arm including a shoe for directing articles received from said conveyor belt assembly into said buffer stack, and (g) means for displacing said carriage in response to movement of said pivoting arm to maintain essentially a constant pressure of said shoe against the last article in said buffer stack.

Claim 9

A device for transporting and buffering a flow of flat, rectangular articles having a leading edge and a trailing edge opposite the leading edge and a bottom edge extending between the leading and trailing edges, such as letter mail, comprising: a support frame; an output feeder positioned on the support frame at the output of a buffer stack for removing articles individually from the stack; a plurality of parallel rotatable bars supported by said frame with at least one of said bars having screw threaded sections on a cylindrical surface interspaced along its length with polygonal cross sections and at least one of said bars having a polygonal cross section along its length, said bars for supporting and agitating a plurality of the articles collected side by side to form the buffer stack, the articles in the buffer stack transverse to said bars such that the polygonal cross section of the bars engages the bottom edge of the articles to advance the articles in a direction substantially tangential to said bars and said bar with the screw threaded sections thereon further engaging the bottom edge of the articles at a point spaced from the leading edge to move the articles toward said output feeder along the longitudinal axis of the bar; an edging belt positioned substantially transverse to the movement of the articles by the polygonal cross sections and engaging the leading edge of the articles for advancing the articles in the buffer stack along with the screw threaded sections of said bar toward said output feeder; a linearly displacable carriage positioned transversely offset from the line-of-travel of the article in the buffer stack and movable parallel to the line of travel; a conveyor belt assembly having a fixed article input supported by said frame, said conveyor belt assembly extending to and further supported by said carriage for transporting articles from the article input across said carriage in a direction essentially transverse to the line of travel of said carriage; a pivoting arm supported by said carriage and extending therefrom transverse to the line of travel of the carriage to reach the buffer stack, said pivoting arm including a shoe for directing articles received from said conveyor belt assembly into the buffer stack; means for displacing said carriage in response to movement of said pivoting arm to maintain essentially a constant pressure on said shoe against the last article in the buffer stack; and means for terminating the flow of articles from the device when the length of said buffer stack becomes less than a preselected value.

Claim 10

A device for transporting and buffering a flow of flat, rectangular articles having a leading edge and a trailing edge opposite the leading edge and a bottom edge extending between the leading and trailing edges, such as letter mail, comprising: a support frame; an output feeder positioned on the support frame at the output of a buffer stack for removing articles individually from the stack; a plurality of parallel rotatable bars supported by said frame with at least one of said bars having screw threaded sections on a cylindrical surface interspaced along its length with polygonal cross sections and at least one of said bars having a polygonal cross section along its length, said bars for supporting and agitating a plurality of the articles collected side by side to form the buffer stack, the articles in the buffer stack transverse to said bars such that the polygonal cross section of the bars engages the bottom edge of the articles to advance the articles in a direction substantially tangential to said bars and said bar with the screw threaded sections thereon further engaging the bottom edge of the articles at a point spaced from the leading edge to move the articles toward said output feeder along the longitudinal axis of the bar; an edging belt positioned substantially transverse to the movement of the articles by the polygonal cross sections and engaging the leading edge of the articles for advancing the articles in the buffer stack along with the screw threaded sections of said bar toward said output feeder; a linearly displacable carriage positioned transversely offset from the line-of-travel of the article in the buffer stack and movable parallel to the line of travel; a conveyor belt assembly having a fixed article input supported by said frame, said conveyor belt assembly extending to and further supported by said carriage for transporting articles from the article input across said carriage in a direction essentially transverse to the line of travel of said carriage; a pivoting arm supported by said carriage and extending therefrom transverse to the line of travel of the carriage to reach the buffer stack, said pivoting arm including a shoe for directing articles received from said conveyor belt assembly into the buffer stack; means for displacing said carriage in response to movement of said pivoting arm to maintain essentially a constant pressure on said shoe against the last article in the buffer stack; and means for terminating the flow of articles from the device when the length of said buffer stack becomes less than a preselected value.