Patent · US Expired

Apparatus for expelling air from stacks of superimposed sheets

US5687644A · kind A · utility

3Cited by
8References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 13, 1996
Grant dateNov 18, 1997
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 13, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S414/12
  • WIPO fieldHandling
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

Apparatus for expelling air from between the sheets of stacks of superimposed sheets has a conveyor which advances successive stacks of a series of stacks along a horizontal first path from a stack assembling first station toward a second station. The conveyor employs a reciprocable carriage for one or more tongs which engage the front end portion of fresh stack at the first station and entrain the stack toward the second station. A roller is mounted in a conveyance for repeated movement with the conveyance along a downwardly sloping second path from a raised position above and away from the first path to a lowered position of engagement with successive stacks which are being advanced toward the second station. The conveyance is provided with a follower which tracks a vertical guide on the carriage to ensure that the roller moves vertically downwardly into engagement with a freshly gathered stack immediately behind the tongs irrespective of the height of the sack to thus ensure at least substantially complete expulsion of entrapped air (if any) when the conveyance is arrested as soon as the roller engages an advancing stack but the thus engaged stack continues to advance toward its…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.