Quipp Incorporated

Quipp Systems, Inc.

Eds, Inc.

Christer A Sjogren

Kevin Cote

Medardo Espinosa

Tuval Kedem

J D Houseman

Louis D Kipp

Henri T Paets

William K Moritz

Carl D'Amico

Carlos Reyes

Jeffrey A Bond

Jeremy A Hyne

Ralph H Backman

John McRae

Printed products are accurately detected, counted and tracked as they move from a gripper conveyor to a lay down conveyor. The printed products are further tracked from a position where they reach a sensor upstream of the stacker where the position of selected printed products is provided to the stacker, together with a flag for those selected printed products, to assure that all of the stacker operations, including product stream interception, turntable rotation and bundle ejection, are performed with precision. Counting and tracking are performed by different sensors upstream relative to the stacker and the tracking function is transferred to the stacker when a flagged signature reaches a nip of the stacker infeed. Counting of printed products by the stacker is eliminated.

Method and apparatus for precision counting and tracking of signatures moving between a gripper conveyor and a stacker infeed

Printed products, such as newspapers are fed past a counting station arranged in imbricated fashion, preferably folded edges passing downstream first. A high intensity light source is arranged so that its light beams are oriented at an angle which, while illuminating upper surfaces of the newspapers, causes the forward folded edges to cast a shadow upon the upper surface of a downstream newspaper that the forward edge of the newspaper creating the shadow rests upon. An image sensing device creates an image of a given region which includes the leading edge of the newspaper creating the shadow. This image is compared with stored criteria to determine if the 'shadow' is due to a leading edge of a newspaper and to thereby discriminate a newspaper leading edge from other spurious conditions which, although they may create a 'shadow', fail to meet the criteria of a leading edge of a newspaper.

Method and apparatus for utilizing a shadow effect for counting newspapers, magazines, books, printed products, signatures and other like printed matter

Wheeled carts are pushed onto an inlet end of a conveyor and are automatically advanced, one at a time, to a cross conveyor for delivery to a cart loader conveyor. A cart loader is provided near the outlet end of the cart loader conveyor for automatically loading bundles into a wheeled cart. The input conveyor advances wheeled carts one cart position at a time. Cart positions along the input conveyor are monitored by sensors to automatically control advancement of wheeled carts therealong. A cart delivered from the outlet end of the input conveyor to the cross conveyor activates a cross conveyor limit switch advancing the cart delivered thereto to a position for feeding a wheeled cart onto the cart loader conveyor. A limit switch is actuated when the wheeled cart reaches this position where upon a push bar pushes the cart activating the limit switch onto the cart loader conveyor. The conveyor system in cart handling are preferably operated by hydraulic devices due to their compactness.

Cart handling system

Bottom wrap/three-quarter wrap apparatus having an automatic web feeder for safely advancing a web fed from a supply roll to a main web feeder. The main feed rollers advance one length of the web and a cutter cuts the advanced length, completing one cycle of operation, after which the bottom wrap/three-quarter wrap apparatus is placed under control of a bundle feeder. The main feed roller pair are displaced from one another when the web passes between creasing rollers. When a predetermined length of web has been advanced to the creasing rollers a cutter cylinder moves a blade mounting plate in the cutting direction. A resilient clamping assembly arranged on the mounting plate momentarily clamps the web between the mounting plate and a web guide just prior to severing of the web by the blade, maintaining the web taut during cutting. The cutting blade is rapidly moved back to a position displaced from the web in preparation for a subsequent cutting operation.

Cutter/clamping means for bottom wrap 3/4 wrap apparatus

Signatures are delivered to a stacker by a gripper conveyor, each gripper delivering a signature thereto. The grippers follow a curved path adjacent to the stacker, substantially aligning the signatures with the stacking platform receiving signatures as they are released. A plurality of stacking platforms are moved about a closed loop path, each independently driven by an associated drive motor. The speed of each stacking platform is variable and is synchronized with the throughput of the gripper conveyor as well as signature thickness. When a predetermined quantity of signatures has been collected, an upstream stacking platform is moved between the last signature of the preceding stack and the first signature of the next stack. When a stack has been completed, the stacking platform is quickly pulled away from the signature stack allowing it to fall by gravity into a collector, and is thereafter moved quickly to the ready position in preparation for forming a subsequent signature stack. The stacker has three stacking platforms independently driven by an associated motor. Three drive chain sets arranged to move about only two shafts each drive an associated stacking platform.

Stacker for counting and stacking signatures delivered by a gripper

Method and apparatus for wrapping a signature bundle by moving a wrapping sheet into the path of movement of a bundle, said sheet being maintained in self-supporting fashion by imparting a bend thereto as it is fed to the wrapping station. The bundle 'crashes' into the sheet causing it to collapse and wrap itself about the bundle. When the wrapping operation is completed, the wrapping sheet is wrapped around three contiguous surfaces of the bundle. The sheet is automatically cut and a new wrapping operation is initiated. The wrapping sheet may be printed upon by an ink jet printing characters 'on the fly'. The characters are printed backwards and 'bleed through' the wrapping sheet to appear in normal manner.

Method and apparatus for wrapping signatures and the like

A dual drive signature stacker having side-by-side stacker sections, each of substantially identical design and including a stepper motor for driving a pair of buckets for receiving signatures secured at spaced intervals along a drive chain driven by the stepper motor. The buckets have intercept blades supported by brackets joined to the drive chain to position one of the intercept blades of each drive assembly in front of the adjacent drive assembly so that all of the buckets of the dual drive assembly are in alignment with one another and with the signature stream. The side-by-side arrangement greatly simplifies the design cost and assembly. A microprocessor-based control system permits stacking of stacks having as few as two signatures and is further capable of forming successive signature stacks of differing count in a precision manner and compatible with the speeds of any signature flow rate.

Dual drive stacker and method for operating same

In an automatic loading system and method wheeled carts receive five or six layers of newspaper bundles of four to six bundles per layer. A waist-high conveyor and an inclined ramp conveyor move bundles to a roller platform of independently operated roller sections selectively halted upon receipt of a bundle. When the desired number of bundles have been delivered to the roller platform, a pusher laterally moves the bundles to a split roller platform. A second group of bundles are delivered to the roller platform and the split roller platform. The sections of the split roller platform are then abruptly pulled apart causing the bundles to drop upon a fork-like platform extending into one side of a cart receiving the bundles. The pusher is retracted to the start position and the fork-like platform is lowered to receive the next layer of bundles in a like manner. Once the cart is filled with the desired number of layers, the fork-like platform is withdrawn from the cart, the cart is advanced to a take-off location and the next cart is indexed to the receiving location, being guided thereto along guide rails. Each cart comprises a platform rolling upon casters and having an open top defined by four sides which form a cage-like structure. One side has lockable double doors to facilitate bundle removal. Cart sizes are designed to make efficient use of the truck cargo space receiving the carts.

Automatic bundle loading apparatus and method

A bundle distribution system is comprised of tilt tray carriers coupled in tandem forming a continuous loop, each carrier being a link in the loop. A top loader which is positioned above the track so as to minimize the space required therefor, is capable of dropping signature bundles onto the desired tray with great accuracy. The top loader also orients bundles delivered thereto at an angle which compensates for tilting of the bundle as it leaves the top loader thereby assuring that bundles are dropped upon each carrier in a predetermined orientation, without tumbling.

Sorting conveyor

A dual drive signature stacker having side-by-side stacker sections, each of substantially identical design and including a stepper motor for driving a pair of buckets for receiving signatures secured at spaced intervals along a drive chain driven by the stepper motor. the buckets have intercept blades supported by brackets joined to the drive chain to position one of the intercept blades of each drive assembly in front of the adjacent drive assembly so that all of the buckets of the dual drive assembly are in alignment with one another and with the signature stream. The side-by-side arrangement greatly simplifies the design cost and assembly. A microprocessor-based control system permits stacking of stacks having as few as two signatures and is further capable of forming successive signature stacks of differing count in a precision manner and compatible with the speeds of any signature flow rate.

A bundle distribution system comprised of tilt tray carriers coupled in tandem forming a continuous loop, each conveyor being a link in the loop. Vertical and horizontal wheels guide the conveyors along a closed loop path which may include curved and straight sections as well as vertical curves and inclined path sections. Each carrier includs a pivotally mounted tilt tray normally maintained in an upright position. Linear induction motors (LIMs) cooperate with a conductive plate arranged along the underside of each carrier for propulsion. The LIMs are distributed at spaced intervals along the closed loop track, each carrier being a movable element of the motor. The LIMs are operated in parallel and a speed sensor provides feedback for controlling the operating speed to a tolerance of within .+-.5%. The cam follower rollers of a tilting assembly follow a movable tilt cam which initially unlocks the tilting mechanism from the locked position followed by tilting of the carriage about its longitudinal axis. Straightening cams on both sides of the track downstream from the opening cam reset the tilted tray and prevent overshooting. The multi-wheel speed sensor assures rolling engagement of at least two of the sensor wheels with at least one of the carts. A top loader which is positioned above the track so as to minimize the space required therefor, is capable of dropping signature bundles onto the desired tray with great accuracy. The tilting cam likewise assures accurate tilting and release of a bundle upon a branching out feed chute.

Intercept arms of a stacker are coupled to the drive chains by connecting links pivotally connected at one end directly to one of the drive chain links so that the pivot point of the connecting link is coincident with the pitch centerline of the drive chain resulting from the fact that the connecting link forms an integral part of the drive chain, directly replacing one of the drive chain rollers. The connecting link design provides a mechanical advantage of five to one and is pivotally mounted and angled so that the connecting link is free to pivot about the chain to avoid interference as the intercept arm moves about the sprocket, providing greater stability to the intercept arm while simultaneously increasing the mechanical advantage thereby significantly reducing power losses.

Connection assembly for transmitting the load of an intercept arm

A stacker having platforms movable along a path by chains. Cam followers on the platforms engage a cam surface which controls the platform path. The chains are driven by a motor in a closed-loop system which monitors the platforms and controls their speed. The closed-loop system first decelerates the platforms and thereafter stops one platform in the intercept-ready position. The platform cam follower enters a claw which moves the end of the platform through the stream to collect signatures when the downstream platform reaches a predetermined count and deposits the stack on a turntable. A piston assembly rotates the turntable one-half turn after each deposit. Different pressure values are selectively applied to the piston assembly to slow the turntable before it is halted. A rotatable motor coaxial with the turntable axis drives the pushers through drive chains maintained under tension by gas springs which impose opposing forces upon these chains to maintain chain tension regardless of the direction the chains are driven. Jets on the surface of the turntable selectively emit air when a signature is deposited thereon to facilitate removal of a batch. A microprocessor-based controller continuously monitors and periodically adjusts the drop delay and stacking speed of the chains and the stacking platforms to allow the platforms to collect signatures at the lowest speed commensurate with stack size, to form neat stacks, the latter operation being accomplished by either a table look-up or an on-line calculation technique.

Signature stacker

In a stacker turntable used to form compensated bundles, a drive assembly for moving completed bundles off of the turntable comprises first and second drive motors mounted to the underside of the rotatable turntable at equally distant locations from the center line and as close thereto as is practicable to minimize the offcenter mass. The locations of the motors are balanced to balance the rotatable mass. Each motor drives a 'picket fence' assembly, each assembly being a movable wall formed of individual vertical slats. Pusher elements are arranged at spaced distances among the slats to cooperatively form end guides for supporting bundles as they are being formed and during the time that they are rotated for pushing a completed bundle off of the turntable. The leadlines of the motors extend through a hollow center support and coaxial with the turntable center of rotation to prevent any whipping of the leads during turntable rotation. Each motor comprises a stepper motor which is accurately stepped during operation to assure cooperative synchronous movement and further to provide simple adjustment of any undesirable offset condition and to simplify initialization thereof. Novel mounting assemblies provide simple, straightforward tension adjustment for the timing belts coupling each motor to its associated 'picket fence' drive gear.

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Miami, FL, United States of America

Christer A Sjogren