GB2139195A - Sheet sorting machine with travelling bin sorter - Google Patents

Abstract

A sheet sorting machine has bin trays (11) adapted to receive sheets of paper or paper-like material from a source (T), such as an office copier, the trays being mounted one on the other and on a lower base for pivotal movement. A travelling sheet feed (I) and bin opening Geneva wheel mechanism (18) is supported for vertical movement past tray inlets and a sheet guide directs successive sheets to the trays. On rotation, the Geneva wheels, coupled through floating shaft (20), progressively engage tray ends and move to successive trays while holding adjacent tray ends spaced apart by engagement with the periphery of the Geneva wheel. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Sheet sorting machine with travelling bin sorter This invention relates to sheet sorting machines.

Very small or compact sorting or collating machines have been developed for use with office copying machines, wherein a set of bin trays are shifted seriatim from positions above or below tray shifting members, and the tray ends remote from a sheet inlet are pivotally supported to allow the sheet inlet ends of the trays to be heid widely spaced at the sheet entry location.

Examples of such sorting machines are disclosed in the prior U.S. patents of Lawrence 4,343,463 and Du Bois and Mamma 4,328,963, and 4,332,377.

Other examples of travelling bin openers are disclosed in the following U.S. patents, wherein the sheets are deflected into the opened bins from a conveyor: 3,774,902 November27,1973 Schulz 3,879,032 April22, 1975 Shirase 4,133,522 January 9,1979 Siegel These prior art devices employ shaft drives and cams which are complex mechanisms requiring numerous parts, but they are efficient in terms of reducing the size of an apparatus for sorting a given number of sheets per bin.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved sorting machine in terms of simplicity of structure, savings of space, weight, ease of assembly and economy.

The present invention is a sheet sorting machine comprising a frame structure, a plurality of trays in said frame structure arranged in a stack and having laterally spaced trunnions projecting from opposite sides of said trays at an inner end thereof, said trays being pivotally mounted one on the other at their other ends, travelling tray opening means engaged with said trunnions and operable to engage and space the inner ends of adjacent trays and to move from tray to tray upon operation thereof, said travelling tray opening means including a pair of Geneva wheel cams at opposite sides of said frame structure, a floating shaft extending transversely of said frame structure and interconnected with said Geneva wheels to rotate the same, and means for driving said shaft while allowing said shaft to travel with said Geneva wheels.

The frame structure also has a sheet guide pivotally mounted therein and movable with the bin opener assembly to provide a defined sheet path leading from the sheet inlet location of the sorter to the vertically spaced bin locations as the bins are successively opened and closed.

To assure that sheets are transported from the sheet guide into the opened bins, a sheet transport shaft is disposed about the Geneva wheel shaft and carries driven sheet feed rolls opposed by pinch rolls forming a nip operable to carry the sheets into the bins. Such a Geneva wheel shaft and sheet feeding counter shaft are disclosed in the pending application 391,795 and in patent 4,337,936, wherein the shafts rotate on fixed axes ratherthan on a shiftable axis as in the present invention.

The combination of the Geneva wheel tray bin opener moving to space the trays and moving from tray-to-tray, together with the combined Geneva wheel drive and paper drive, provides a very simple and compact structure utilizing a very small number of parts for a sorter in which the bin trays are spaced apart during sheet entry and rest on one another above and below the opened bin.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a top plan showing a sorter applied to an office copier; Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof; Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1, with the bin opener in a mid-sorting position; Figure 4 is a view cot responding with Figure 3, but showing the bin opener in a lower sorting position; Figure 5 is a horizontal section on the line 5-5 of Figure 3; and Figure 6 is a horizontal section on the line 6-6 of Figure 3.

As seen in the drawings, a sorting machine S is disposed in a position relative to a typical office machine C to receive sheets of paper or similar material from the copier, as indicated by the broken line in Figure 2.

Sheets of copy are fed from the copier by the usual transport means T, such as pressure rolls 10 to the sorter, to be deposited in one or another of the trays or bins 11 successively during sorting operations or into the upper tray during non-sorting operation of the copier.

The trays 11 are mounted in a frame structure 12 having sidewalls 13 providing vertical guide slots 14to receive laterally projecting trunnions 15 at opposite sides of the inner ends of the trays. At their outer ends, the trays are supported upon an outwardly projecting whales tail 16 formed as part of the frame structure and on one another on cam tray ends 17 which are more particularly disclosed in patent 4,332,377 so as to cam the outer ends of the trays apart during sorting operations.

The inner ends of the trays 11, are vertically shiftable in the slots 14 and rest one upon the other at their inner ends, by a pair of bin openers 18. These bin openers 18 in the form shown are notched discs or "Geneva" wheels having a radial notch 19 adapted to receive one of the tray ends or trunnions when the Geneva wheel is rotated, to cause the Geneva wheels to travel up or down the trays, in a manner later to be described.

When the Geneva wheels are stationary the trunnions of adjacent bins are spaced apart to provide a wide space between trays to facilitate sheet entry.

The Geneva wheels are fixed on a driven shaft 20, at opposite ends thereof, the shaft having enlarged end bushings 21 adapted to move vertically in opposed guide slots 22 formed in the housing. Shaft 20 is driven in a selected direction by means of a reversible electric motor M1 mounted on the base of the frame structure and having a drive pulley to drive a flexible belt or chain 23 which engages a sprocket 24 on shaft 20. The drive belt or chain has sufficient slack to allow vertical excursions of the shaft 20.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, it will be seen that rotation of the shaft 20 will cause the cam wheels 18 to rotate in a selected direction, under control of one revolution control means in motor control circuitry of the type generally shown in Figure 9 of patent 4,343,463, incorporated herein by reference. Each revolution of the Geneva wheels causes the notches 19 to receive trunnions 15 ofthe tray above or below, depending upon the sense of rotation, so that continued rotation causes the wheels to walk up or down, opening the next bin and allowing the previously open bin to close.

With such a construction, the total space for the trays in a vertical direction is reduced approximately 50% as compared with the space required by bins in the structure of patent 4,328,963 since the bins are not transferred between locations above and below the Geneva wheels. Thus, an extremely compact sorter structure is provided, compatible mechanically and aesthetically with modern-day small copiers.

Furthermore, the structure is extremely simple, and a single drive effects actuation of both cams 18. The structure is further simplifed by having a support or housing structure 12 which can be of moulded plastic having the vertical grooves 14 and 22 moulded therein, so that the working parts can be inserted from above.

A cover 12 is applied to the top of the frame structure and is adapted to contain all logic, power or control circuitry. When the cover is removed all moving parts can be assembled from above. The Geneva wheel shaft and the bins are simply dropped into the open top of the slots.

In order to direct sheets into the bins, infeed means I are provided. An infeed guide is formed by a pair of transversely extended plates 30 and 31 pivotally mounted between the end walls 13 of the frame and having an open inlet 32 adapted to receive the sheets from the transport of the copier, the plates converging towards the bin trays. The inner end of plate 30 has laterally spaced bearings 33 which support a grip roll shaft 34 for rotation, the peripheries of the grip rolls on shaft 34 extending downwardly through notches in plate 30 into confronting relation to driven rolls 35 on a driven shaft 36 which is a hollow shaft disposed about the Geneva wheel shaft 20. A motor M2 on the base of the frame has a flexible drive belt 38 engaging the drive pulley 39 on the hollow shaft.

From the foregoing, it will now be understood that the invention provides a simple, very compact sorting machine ideally suited for use with the small copiers which are common-place today.

When interfaced with the logic of the copier and when the infeed is driven by a power take-off from the copier transport T, the sorter is further simplified and requires only sufficient electrical components to power the drive motor M1 for the Geneva wheels.

Claims (7)

1. A sheet sorting machine comprising a frame structure, a plurality of trays in said frame structure arranged in a stack and having laterally spaced trunnions projecting from opposite sides of said trays at an inner end thereof, said trays being pivotally mounted one on the other at their other ends, travelling tray opening means engaged with said trunnions and operable to engage and space the inner ends of adjacent trays and to move from tray to tray upon operation thereof, said travelling tray opening means including a pair of Geneva wheel cams at opposite sides of said frame structure, a floating shaft extending transversely of said frame structure and interconnected with said Geneva wheels to rotate the same, and means for driving said shaft while allowing said shaft to travel with said Geneva wheels.

2. A sheet sorting machine as claimed in claim 1, including a sheet infeed leading to said trays and movable with said floating shaft.

3. A sheet sorting machine as claimed in claim 2, said sheet infeed including a pair of guide plates forming a divergent path, said plates being pivotally mounted on said frame structure and connected to said floating shaft.

4. A sheet sorting machine as claimed in claim 2, said sheet infeed including a hollow feed roll shaft disposed about said floating shaft and a grip roll shaft.

5. A sheet sorting machine as claimed in claim 1, said frame structure including side walls having two opposed pairs of vertical slots, said floating shaft having bearings slidably disposed in one pair of opposed slots, said trunnions being slidable in the other pair of opposed slots, said slots being open at their top, and further including a removable cover closing said slots.

6. A sheet sorting machine as claimed in claim 1, said pivotally mounted ends of said trays being stacked on said frame structure and having nested cams at opposite sides thereof operable to spread the trays upon pivotal relative movement thereof.

7. A sheet sorting machine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.