Apparatus for separating article groups of variable length from a stacked article series

Claim 1

In an apparatus for cyclically separating articles in groups, including a guide floor on which the articles are forwarded in a direction of advance in an edgewise standing orientation to form an article stack of undetermined length thereon; a pickup gate arranged for being abutted by a leading article in the stack; a separating member arranged for being introduced between two articles of the stack at a predetermined distance from said pickup gate upstream thereof as viewed in said direction of advance for separating a group of articles of predetermined length from the article stack; and driving means for cyclically introducing the separating member between said two articles of the stack and moving said pickup gate and said separating member together in a stroke of predetermined length for shifting away the article group situated between the pickup gate and the separating member from the article stack of undetermined length; the improvement comprising (a) a first setting means for shifting said separating member for varying the distance of said separating member from said pickup gate to vary the length of the article groups, said first setting means including (1) a rotary shaft; (2) an externally threaded sleeve torque-transmittingly and axially slidably mounted on said shaft; (3) a nut member threadedly received on said sleeve for axial displacement with respect to said sleeve upon rotation of said shaft; said nut member being operatively connected with said separating member for motion of said separating member parallel to said direction of advance relative to said pickup gate upon travel of said nut member relative to said sleeve; (b) a second setting means for altering the position of said guide floor parallel to said direction of advance in the sense of shifting of said separating member; (c) a third setting means incorporated in said driving means for varying the length of said stroke; and (d) a common setting drive means rotatably coupled to said rotary shaft of said first setting means and being operatively connected to said second and third setting means for operating said first, second and third setting means mutually dependent from one another.