AU707976B2

AU707976B2 - Processing discrete sheets of material

Info

Publication number: AU707976B2
Application number: AU62756/96A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Timothy W. Duffy; Arthur W. Robichaud
Original assignee: Combibloc Inc
Current assignee: SIG Combibloc Inc
Priority date: 1995-06-12
Filing date: 1996-06-11
Publication date: 1999-07-22
Anticipated expiration: 2016-06-11
Also published as: BR9608760A; JPH11507902A; EP0833775A1; AU6275696A; WO1996041747A1; NZ311427A; MX9710047A; CA2224266C; CA2224266A1; EP0833775A4

Description

WO 96/41747 PCT/US96/10150 PROCESSING DISCRETE SHEETS OF MATERIAL This application is a continuation of U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 08/489,356 filed June 12, 1995 entitled A PROCESS AND SYSTEM FOR HANDLING

DISCRETE

SHEETS OF MATERIAL by Arthur W. Robichaud and Timothy W. Duffy.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to a system for use in handling discrete sheets of material and more particularly to a process and system for rapidly processing discrete sheets of material.

Many process systems known today, use a continuous web feed of uncut material into a process zone where a process of some type will be performed on the material. For example, in the packaging industry, a continuous web of material is fed through a printing system, and later it is cut into individual packaging units to be folded into a desired package configuration.

A newspaper printing press is another example of a continuous feed of material paper) passing through a printing process, later to be cut into individual sections.

Of course, printing is not the only process that is incorporated into such systems, and paper is not the only kind of material that is continuously fed into such systems. Industry in general has applied many different processes to many different materials in continuous feed systems.

The known continuous material web systems, in some applications, suffer from certain drawbacks. For example, in many known web systems, whatever speed the material is moving P:\OPER\KAT62756-96. 128 10/5/99 -2at any point in the system, is the same average speed the material is moving at all other points in the system.

It is advantageous in certain process applications to slow the speed of the material at one point in the system, without slowing the material speed at all other points in the system.

According to the present invention, there is provided a system, comprising: a source of a plurality of discreet sheets of material; a shingling device adapted to arrange said discrete sheets of material such that one of said discrete sheets overlaps a portion of an adjacent one of said discrete sheets; a conveyor adapted to transport said discrete sheets in a predetermined path; a process device adapted to perform a process on an exposed area of said adjacent one of said discrete sheets in said path; and a sensor in communication with said process device, said sensor adapted to detect a leading edge of said adjacent one of said discrete sheets to trigger said process.

The invention also provides a method of performing a repetitive process on discrete 15 sheets of material, said method comprising the steps of: conveying said discrete sheets in a continuously moving fashion through a path adjacent equipment to perform said process; causing one of said discrete sheets to overlap a portion of an adjacent one of said discrete sheets; S 20 detecting a leading edge of said adjacent one of said discrete sheets to trigger said process; and f-•.:performing said process on an exposed portion of said adjacent one of said discrete sheets.

The invention also provides a material processing system, comprising: a plurality of discrete sheets of material; a shingler for advancing said discrete sheets in an overlapping manner, wherein each sheet overlaps a portion of each adjacent sheet; a conveyor for advancing said overlapped discrete sheets; a device for performing a process on an exposed area of each discrete sheet as each discrete sheet continues to move through said system; and a sensor in communication with said device, said sensor adapted to detect a leading edge of each discrete sheet to trigger said process as said sheets move through said system.

The invention also provides material processing system, comprising: P:\OPER\KAT62756-96.128- 10/5/99 -2Aa first source of continuous material moving at a first speed; a cutter for cutting said continuous material into a plurality of discrete sheets; a conveyor for receiving said discrete sheets and transporting said discrete sheets in an overlapping manner, in which each discrete sheet overlaps a portion of an adjacent discrete sheet, said conveyor continuously moving at a second, slower speed; a process device for applying a process to an exposed portion of each of said continuously moving discrete sheets; and a sensor in communication with said process device, said sensor adapted to detect a leading edge of each discrete sheet to trigger said process as said sheets move through said system.

The source of the sheets may be a previously cut stack of sheets or a web system sheeter output having discrete sheets cut from a continuous web prior to entry into a process application. Shingling (overlapping) sheets of material allows slowing the speed of the 0 material through a process zone. The greater the overlap of the surface area of adjacent sheets the slower the speed will be. For example, an overlap of 50% may enable the shingler to supply cards (discrete sheets) to a process zone at the same overall throughput rate as a web but at half the conventional web system speed. A higher percentage of overlap may allow loss in feed rate for the overall system, but may offer the advantage of cards moving through 2the process at a slower speed. This slower speed may be advantageous because many 20 processes work better at slower tracking speeds. For example, paper passing through an ink jet printer may not be printed properly if it is passed through the ink jets at too high a speed.

Labellers could also be operated at this lower speed while not capable of operation at full conventional web system rates.

It is to be appreciated that other processes such as electrostatic operations, gluing, ink jets, labelling, and any other operation that may be performed upon the shingled sheets are within the scope of the present invention.

These and other advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description of the invention, drawings, and claims.

WO 96/41747 PCT/US96/10150 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The various features and advantages of the present invention may be more readily understood with reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like structural elements, and in which: Figure 1 is a side view of one preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a top view of a shingled stack of material cards of the present invention; and Figure 3 is a top plan view of another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED

EMBODIMENT(S)

Referring to Figure 1, an embodiment of the present invention 10 is shown. This particular embodiment has a stack of sheets 12 and a shingling transfer/conveyor 14. The conveyor 14 conveys shingled sheets 16 to a down stacking elevator 18. While the shingled sheets 16 are being conveyed (constantly moving), a process 20 is performed on the sheets 16.

Preferably, process 20 is a non-contact or a casual contact process, such as a laser, labeler, printer, coater, gluers, etc. It is to be understood that the source of sheets 12 may be a web sheeter, that is a web of material cut into discrete sheets prior to the process being applied, rather than a stack of sheets as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 2 shows an overhead view of a portion of the shingled sheets 16. Each individual card or sheet may expose a portion of its surface 24 when shingled. Sensors may be utilized to detect a leading edge 26 of each card to trigger the application of the process onto each card as each card passes a predetermined process application location in the overall system. Each individual card need only expose enough area to allow the process 20 to treat the respective, desired, exposed area.

Claims

1. A system, comprising: a source of a plurality of discreet sheets of material; a shingling device adapted to arrange said discrete sheets of material such that one of said discrete sheets overlaps a portion of an adjacent one of said discrete sheets; a conveyor adapted to transport said discrete sheets in a predetermined path; a process device adapted to perform a process on an exposed area of said adjacent one of said discrete sheets in said path; and a sensor in communication with said process device, said sensor adapted to detect a leading edge of said adjacent one of said discrete sheets to trigger said process.

2. A method of performing a repetitive process on discrete sheets of material, said method comprising the steps of: conveying said discrete sheets in a continuously moving fashion through a path :adjacent equipment to perform said process; causing one of said discrete sheets to overlap a portion of an adjacent one of said *discrete sheets; "0 detecting a leading edge of said adjacent one of said discrete sheets to trigger said process; and performing said process on an exposed portion of said adjacent one of said discrete S-sheets.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of providing a card feeder to supply said discrete sheets to said conveying step.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said source is a card feeder. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of: providing a web sheeter to supply said discrete sheets to said conveying step. SThe system of claim 1, wherein said source is a web sheeter output. P:\OPER\KAT\62756-96.128 10/5/99 -4- Figure 3 shows another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment a continuous web of material 30 moving at a relatively high speed is cut into discrete sheets 32. The discrete sheets 32 are then forced onto a conveyor 34. The sheets may be placed on the conveyor at practically any desired orientation, including at ninety degrees right hand to the web, ninety degrees left hand to the web, or straight onto the conveyor in a line with the web. The sheets 32 preferably overlap a portion of each adjacent sheet on the conveyor 34. The conveyor speed is slower than the web speed. An exposed portion of each sheet is then conveyed past a process device 36, and a process is performed on the exposed portion while the sheets 32 continue moving through the system. A collection device 38 or receiver may be positioned near the conveyor to collect the processed sheets. The overlap of adjacent sheets allows the overall system output rate to remain :unchanged, yet allows the discrete sheets to move at a slower speed through the process step, when compared to a system having a continuous material web all the way through the process 15 step. The present invention has been described in the form of several embodiments, but it is to be recognized that several modifications and variations to the invention could be made and fall within the scope of the subjoined claims. *---:Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps. P:\OPR\KAT\2756-96. 128 10/5199 -6-

7. A material processing system, comprising: a plurality of discrete sheets of material; a shingler for advancing said discrete sheets in an overlapping manner, wherein each sheet overlaps a portion of each adjacent sheet; a conveyor for advancing said overlapped discrete sheets; a device for performing a process on an exposed area of each discrete sheet as each discrete sheet continues to move through said system; and a sensor in communication with said device, said sensor adapted to detect a leading edge of each discrete sheet to trigger said process as said sheets move through said system.

8. A material processing system, comprising: a first source of continuous material moving at a first speed; a cutter for cutting said continuous material into a plurality of discrete sheets; a conveyor for receiving said discrete sheets and transporting said discrete sheets in an overlapping manner, in which each discrete sheet overlaps a portion of an adjacent discrete sheet, said conveyor continuously moving at a second, slower speed; a process device for applying a process to an exposed portion of each of said continuously moving discrete sheets; and a sensor in communication with said process device, said sensor adapted to detect a leading edge of each discrete sheet to trigger said process as said sheets move through said system. S. Se C DATED this 10th day of May, 1999 SIG COMBIBLOC INC. By its Patent Attorneys Davies Collison Cave !ii'