Hopper loader having arced conveyor for forming an overlapping stream of signatures from a vertical stack

US6017028A · kind A · utility

Inventors

• John St. John · Blue Jay, US
• Eduardo Salazar · Sylvia Park, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 21, 1997
• Grant date: Jan 25, 2000
• Expiry date: Oct 21, 2017

Classification

• Technology area (CPC B): Performing Operations; Transporting
• CPC primary: B65H2701/176
• WIPO field: Handling
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

The invention pertains to a hopper loader apparatus for separating and forming an overlapping shingled stream of individual signatures of sheet materials from a vertically aligned, parallelepiped shaped stack of such signatures for subsequent handling operations. The hopper-loader has a chassis; a first continuous, downwardly inclined planar conveyor mounted on the chassis which moves a stack of vertically aligned signatures and deposits them onto a second conveyor as a separated, shingled stream of the signatures. The second conveyor is mounted on the chassis and aligned with an end of the first conveyor. It has a plurality of driven belts which travel over each of an upwardly inclined planar ramp segment, an arched transition segment, and a planar exit segment. The arched transition segment comprises either a belt slide or a plurality of serially arranged rollers.