Moore Business Forms, Inc.

Agfa Corporation

Agfa Division, Bayer Corporation

Moore U.s.a., Inc.

Ross A Freeman

Robert S Ring

James C Folsom

Laurence S Blake

Roger A Jacques

Gerald L Smith

Philip A Rombult

Libor N Krupica

David B Larsen

Wilbur Drew

David L Cooper

Pedro Beildeck

Kenneth E McDonald

Daniel James Nicols

Thomas Patrick Munson, Jr

An apparatus is provided for positioning a plurality of cassettes within an automated printing plate handler. In a plate handler, a plurality of cassettes each contain a supply of printing plates for delivery to an automatic plate-recording device. The apparatus includes a separate support table for supporting each of the plurality of cassettes within the plate handler and an elevator device for moving each of the support tables along a vertical axis of the automated plate handler. The automated plate handler is configured to automatically position a selected cassette in a first position to facilitate removal of the cassette from the handler. The plate handler further includes a platform, which substantially forms an extension of the support table supporting the selected cassette in the first position. The platform provides a second position, at which the selected cassette is to be one of, loaded or unloaded. The selected cassette may be filled with a new supply of plates on the platform or the selected cassette may be removed from the platform and replaced by a another cassette.

Apparatus for loading and unloading a supply of plates in an automated plate handler

The primary function of the optional handler is to make plates available on demand to the imaging engine. A multitude of plates are stored inside cassettes and these cassettes are loaded into the handler. There may be up to four cassettes residing in the handler. Inside a cassette there may be a protective interleaf sheet, sometimes called a slip sheet, between each plate which is removed by the handler and discarded. The handler receives commands from the engine control sequencer which provides instructions as to what cassette needs to be accessed to make a plate available to the picker mechanism so the plate may be conveyed to the imaging engine. Conversely the handler provides status information to the engine to make full interaction with the system possible.

Method for loading and unloading a supply of plates in an automated

Method and apparatus for an automated plate handler with elevator and

Business forms are stacked using a cart having first and second portions pivotally movable with respect to each other from a substantially L-shaped configuration to a substantially in-line configuration with each portion having a conveyor associated with it, and a docking station. The cart with the first and second portions in the substantially L-shaped configuration is moved into operative association with the docking station. The cart is lifted and rotated in the docking station so that the second portion is substantially horizontal, and the first portion of the cart is pivoted with respect to the second portion so that the first portion is in the substantially in-line configuration with respect to the second portion. The conveyors are operated so that business forms are moved onto the first portion, and then onto the second portion, with the second conveyor operating at a speed of at least fifty percent greater than the first conveyor (e. g. about ten times as fast). An indicator automatically indicates when the frame is substantially full of forms and then the forms are moved off the first portion and operation of the conveyors stopped, and then the first portion is pivoted back to the substantially L-shaped configuration, the cart is lowered and rotated so that the second portion is substantially vertical, and the cart is manually rolled out of contact with the docking station.

Forms transfer system and method

Cassette for storing and accessing plates within an automated plate

Method and apparatus for an automated plate handler with slip sheet

Short multi-ply business forms, or other flexible planar articles, are stacked with a vertical orientation in a horizontally elongated stack. The forms are conveyed in a first horizontal direction, then deflected by a deflecting roller and conveyor belts to move toward a generally vertical orientation, and driven vertically into contact with a depth stop, so that they have a vertical orientation and the first form in a stack is against a backstop. The backstop is moved intermittently in the horizontal first direction to accommodate further forms in the stack. A conveyor for moving the forms vertically is mounted for pivotal movement about a generally horizontal axis, which movement is sensed by a sensor which in turn, through a controller and motor, effects intermittent movement of the backstop. The depth stop may be adjusted to accommodate forms of different depths, and the position of the horizontal axis about which the second conveyor pivots may also be adjusted. The pivoting vertical conveyor applies a packing force against the forms in the stack, and its center of gravity is between its pivot axis and the stack at all times.

Stacking of flexible planar articles

A system for collecting paper trim and dust automates and simplifies the removal and disposal of trim. The system includes a funnel receiving the paper trim from an automatic trimmer, a drum and rewinder for winding the paper trim into a bale, and a dust trap for sucking dust from the drum and funnel into a dust bin. As the trim is baled, the rewinder drags the paper bale against the side of the drum. This drag compacts the bale and increases the load on the rewinder. As the drag load on the rewinder increases, the rewinder is moved radially towards the center of the drum to increase the distance between the rewinder and the drum wall. A current sensing circuit triggers the radial movement of the rewinder when the current load on the rewinder motor exceeds a threshold limit. This radial movement reduces the drag on the rewinder. When the rewinder reaches the center of the drum and the trim bale fills the drum, the rewinder is stopped and the trim bale removed.

Portable paper trim removal system with trim rewinder and dust vacuum

A specially constructed pallet jack is used for transporting a heavy roll of paper having a central hollow core. The pallet jack includes a frame with elongated arms having first and second ends, with a first set of wheels mounted at the second end of the arms, and a second set of wheels mounted near the first end of the arms. A jack is provided for jacking up the first ends of the arms so that they are spaced from the wheels. Between the arms is a cradle having first and second ends with three obtuse angle-connected planar surfaces extending between the first and second ends. The first end of the cradle is pivotally mounted to the first ends of the arms, and the cradle is biased to a roll-receiving position by a gas spring. When a roll is rolled into the cradle, it pivots, dampened by shock absorbers to a roll-capture position in which the roll cannot spontaneously roll out of the cradle. A strap passes from the cradle through the core of the roll to positively hold it in place.

Roll dolly

Continuous business forms are detached and disposed in offset stacks. Continuous forms being fed into a conventional detacher are sensed by a first optical sensor, and after detachment are conveyed by a roller conveyor away from the detacher in a first direction. A guide rail is elongated in generally the first direction and the detached forms have an edge which engages the guide rail so that all the forms in a particular group are aligned when discharged from the conveyor into a stack. The guide rail is mounted on guide rods, for movement in opposite second and third directions, both generally perpendicular to the first direction, so as to change the position of the edge of detached forms in a subsequent group of forms so that consecutive stacks are offset from each other. A second optical sensor at the discharge of the conveyor cooperates with the first sensor and a control mechanism to operate the detacher and solenoids for moving the guide rail between its different guiding positions to form offset stacks of business forms.

Offset conveyor

Growing community of inventors

Somersworth, NH, United States of America

Ross A Freeman