Device for lateral alignment of flat objects in a flow

Claim 1

A device for laterally aligning a flow of flat objects against a fixed stop comprising a frame; a stop; means mounting the stop on one end of the frame enabling movement between the stop and frame; lateral alignment means being disposed on the frame opposite the stop to urge a blank against the stop; means for monitoring the thickness of the blank flowing through the device; and means for frictionally holding a flat object moved against the stop by the pushing member; said lateral alignment means including a pushing member having a V-shaped groove extending along the direction of flow of the blank through the device, means for mounting the pushing member for reciprocating in a path directed toward the stop, and means for controllably shifting the pushing member toward said stop; said means for mounting the pushing member for reciprocating movement including a pair of arms mounted for pivotal movement on a support, the lower ends of said arms being pivotally connected to a Y-shaped member to form a parallelogram, and spring means acting on said parallelogram to modify the shape thereof; and said means for controllably shifting the pushing member including a cam having a cam surface with a depression and a cam follower mounted on the Y-shaped member engaging said cam surface so that the depression allows the parallelogram to be shifted to urge the pushing member against an edge of a blank.

Claim 2

A device for laterally aligning a flow of flat objects against a fixed stop comprising a frame; a stop; means mounting the stop on one end of the frame enabling movement between the stop and frame; lateral alignment means being disposed on the frame opposite the stop to urge a blank against the stop; means for monitoring the thickness of the blank flowing through the device; and means for frictionally holding a flat object moved against the stop by the pushing member; said lateral alignment means including a pushing member having a V-shaped groove extending along the direction of flow of the blank through the device, means for mounting the pushing member for reciprocating in a path directed toward the stop, and means for controllably shifting the pushing member toward said stop; said means for mounting the pushing member for reciprocating movement including a pair of arms mounted for pivotal movement on a support, the lower ends of said arms being pivotally connected to a Y-shaped member to form a parallelogram, and spring means acting on said parallelogram to modify the shape thereof; and said means for controllably shifting the pushing member including a cam having a cam surface with a depression and a cam follower mounted on the Y-shaped member engaging said cam surface so that the depression allows the parallelogram to be shifted to urge the pushing member against an edge of a blank.

Claim 5

A device for laterally aligning a flow of flat objects comprising lateral alignment means, said lateral alignment means being composed of one movable member acting together with a stop including a support mounted on a shiftable carriage which is movable along two crossbars, a pair of rod members pivotally connected to said support in a spaced side-by-side arrangement, a Y-shaped lever having two arms connected to the lower ends of the rod member to form a parallelogram arrangement, said Y-shaped lever having a lower leg provided with a roller moving on a cam surface of a cylindrical cam, and a spring acting on said parallelogram arrangement to hold the roller on the cam surface, the rotation of said cam in conjunction with the spring causing the shape of the parallelogram arrangement to be changed, a bar being mounted on the parallelogram arrangement adjacent the Y-shaped lever and having a groove extending parallel to the direction of movement of a blank through the device to urge a blank against said stop, means for loosening the stop after the alignment operation, means for holding flat objects adjacent said stop, and means for monitoring the thickness of a blank flowing through the device.

Claim 6

A device for laterally aligning a flow of flat objects comprising lateral alignment means, said lateral alignment means being composed of one movable member acting together with a stop including a support mounted on a shiftable carriage which is movable along two crossbars, a pair of rod members pivotally connected to said support in a spaced side-by-side arrangement, a Y-shaped lever having two arms connected to the lower ends of the rod member to form a parallelogram arrangement, said Y-shaped lever having a lower leg provided with a roller moving on a cam surface of a cylindrical cam, and a spring acting on said parallelogram arrangement to hold the roller on the cam surface, the rotation of said cam in conjunction with the spring causing the shape of the parallelogram arrangement to be changed, a bar being mounted on the parallelogram arrangement adjacent the Y-shaped lever and having a groove extending parallel to the direction of movement of a blank through the device to urge a blank against said stop, means for loosening the stop after the alignment operation, means for holding flat objects adjacent said stop, and means for monitoring the thickness of a blank flowing through the device.