Lasermax Roll Systems, Inc.

Roll Systems, Inc.

Design Technology

Tecnau, Inc.

Taylor, Bruce, J.

Sjostedt, Richard

Lewalski, Steven, P.

Stewart, Sean

Eliasson, Hans

Steven P Lewalski

Bruce J Taylor

Richard A Sjostedt

John M Fiske

Hans Eliasson

Sean Stewart

James P Zamanakos

John W Clifford

Hugh Robinson

Edward J Zanchi

Matthew D Bouche

This invention provides a stacker for use in forming stacks of cut sheets received from an upstream utilization device (e.g. a printer, cutter, etc.) that allows for positive driving of sheets into a stack using a stacking unit that includes a series of grippers that are adapted to grip and release a leading edge of each sheet at the appropriate time. In this manner, each sheet is gripped as it arrives from the upstream operation and is passed downstream into the stack, being released so as to properly decelerate at the stack's backstop. The grippers are mounted on a continuous belt between a pair of opposing drive sprockets. An edge sensor located upstream of the stacking unit triggers motion of the belts. The grippers are actuated by a mechanical cam arrangement to selectively grip and release at predetermined positions as the belt is driven.

Sheet stacker

This invention provides a system and method for aligning, feeding, trimming, slitting, rotating, cross-slitting and stacking sheets, each containing one or more discrete page images thereon that allows for greater automation of the overall process so that reduced or no manual intervention is required to generate completed book stacks or 'blocks' from a stream or stack of printed sheets. Sheets are fed to a first, upstream trimming station to remove margin edges and optionally separate the sheets relative to the discrete page images. The sheets are then rotated 90 degrees and fed to a second, downstream trimming station that trims the right-angle edges and optionally separates the sheets into a final group of full-bleed pages, removing margins and gutter strips. The sheets are fed to a stacking assembly to be tacked in page order and any rejected, defective sheets or stacks are removed from the order.

System and method for inline cutting and stacking of sheets for formation of books

This invention provides a slitter assembly with automated adjustment of slitter elements that allows for driven rotation of elements on the associated drive shaft during operation while enabling the elements to be moved freely along the drive shaft during setup and subsequently secured to the shaft free of lateral movement. This ensures that adjustment of the slitter elements is accurate, repeatable and reliable. In an illustrative embodiment, the slitter elements each comprise a pair of coaxial members including a blade member and a locking member. The blade member contains a slitter blade and overlies the locking member which is nested therewith. The locking member directly engages the drive shaft surface with a wedge assembly structure. The members are spring-loaded with respect to each other so that the two surfaces are normally biased to cam together and exert a hoop stress on the drive shaft.

Sheet slitting mechanism with automated size adjustment

This invention provides a system and method for aligning, feeding, trimming, slitting, rotating, cross-slitting and stacking sheets, each containing one or more discrete page images thereon that allows for greater automation of the overall process so that reduced or no manual intervention is required to generate completed book stacks or 'blocks' from a stream or stack of printed sheets. Sheets are fed to a first, upstream trimming station to remove margin edges and optionally separate the sheets relative to the discrete page images. The sheets are then rotated 90 degrees and fed to a second, downstream trimming station that trims the right-angle edges and optionally separates the sheets into a final group of full-bleed pages, removing margins and gutter strips. The sheets are feed to a stacking assembly to be tacked in page order and any rejected, defective sheets or stacks are removed from the order.

A system and method for rotating sheets receiving cut sheets from a source and providing them to a utilization device. The rotator continually engages sheets with at least one drive component throughout the transport and rotation process. The rotator includes a transport mechanism having a plurality of nip roller pairs along the length of a feed table. The nip rollers (nips) can be selectively engaged with, and disengaged from, the driven rollers using discrete actuators. This allows for feed velocity differentials when entering and exiting the rotator feed table, and also for clearance during sheet rotation. A rotator disk assembly is centered on the table between, and comprises a driven rotator disk and an overriding, freely rotating pressure disk. When sheets enter or pass through the rotator section, the pressure disk is raised to provide a clearance for sheets to pass.

System and method for rotating sheets

This invention provides a system and method for separating, folding, stacking and transporting a continuous web that allows stacks of web that are relatively large (four-feet-high or more) to be generated at high speed directly beneath the folding mechanism and to be transferred as complete, discrete stacks to downstream locations and stack utilization devices without interrupting the ongoing, upstream stack-folding and stack-formation process. A zigzag folded web passes by a pair of opposing front and rear compression plate assemblies, with fingers that are extended to selectively project into the folding area, onto a stack supported by a vertically moving supporting mechanism. The supporting mechanism cycles between an ever-lower position in which upper, loose pages of the folded web pass by plate fingers (when retracted) and an upper position in which the stack engages and presses upwardly against the now-extended plate fingers to compress the stack. After the web is separated above the chute, the supporting mechanism eventually travels to the base where the now-completed stack is conveyed to a downstream location. While the supporting mechanism is occupied transferring the completed, old stack, new folded web is deposited on a deployed temporary support that allows a new stack to form thereon until the supporting mechanism has completed the transfer of the old stack, and is ready to receive the new stack from the temporary support.

System and method for folding and handling stacks of continuous web

This invention provides a system and method for aligning, feeding, trimming, slitting, rotating, cross-slitting and stacking sheets, each containing one or more discrete page images thereon that allows for greater automation of the overall process so that reduced or no manual intervention is required to generate completed book stacks or 'blocks' from a stream or stack of printed sheets. Sheets are fed downstream on a feed surface, trimmed at a first, upstream trimming station to remove margin edges and optionally separate the sheets relative to the discrete page images. The sheets are then rotated 90 degrees and fed to a second, downstream trimming station that trims the right-angle edges and optionally separates the sheets into a final group of full-bleed pages, removing margins and gutter strips. The sheets are feed to a stacking assembly to be tacked in page order and any rejected, defective sheets or stacks are removed from the order. Trimming stations can be automatically adjusted to accommodate different numbers and sizes of pages in sheets. The stacking assembly can include a right-angle merge assembly that can include a plurality of decks, served by divert gates to handle a large number of separated pages to-be-stacked.

System and method for inverting folded stacks of continuous web

An apparatus for adjusting a swing arc and centering of a swinging director chute during separating, folding, stacking and transporting a continuous web that allows stacks of web that are relatively large (four-feet-high or more) to be generated at high speed directly beneath the folding mechanism and to be transferred as complete, discrete stacks to downstream locations and stack utilization devices without interrupting the ongoing, upstream stack-folding and stack-formation process. The apparatus includes a lever arm, interconnected with the swinging director chute, and a connecting rod having a first pivot end and a second pivot end. The first pivot end is adjustable movable along the lever arm. A drive arm connected to the second pivot end includes a lead screw. The lead screw can be operatively connected to an index wheel having a plurality of directed posts and a movable pawl that advances the index wheel.

Apparatus for adjusting a swing arc and centering of swinging director chute

An apparatus for selectively streaming and merging side-by-side sheets is provided. In general, sheets enter in a side-by-side orientation onto an input feed surface and are directed selectively upwardly or downwardly onto overlying upper and lower feed surfaces by a diverter assembly having two diverter sides. The diverter sides can be independently moved to direct sheets upwardly or downwardly. The upper feed surface and lower feed surface have opposing edge guides. The upper feed surface and lower feed surface can be moved with respect to each other so that the edge guides are placed one sheet width apart or more than two sheet widths apart. By orienting the two diverter halves, and setting the desired distance between the upper and lower edge guides, sheets can pass along each of the upper and lower surfaces in a side-by-side streamed or over-lapping merge orientation. Sheets pass out of each of the upper and lower feed surfaces onto a common output surface through an output ramp at which time they are either side-by-side streamed or merged. Each edge guide can include an offset actuator that moves at selected times to provide an offset to selected sheets as they enter the output feed ramp. Sheets can be derived from a wide web that is slit and cut as it enters the input feed unit.

Cut sheet streamer and merger

An automatic sandwich preparation system including a meat patty and bun storage and delivery system. The patty system includes a number of canisters containing meat patties mounted on a carrousel and tilted inwardly toward the center of the canister. An ejection blade slides the bottom patty from the bottom of a selected canister onto a wire conveyor. Each canister is coded for the size of the meat patties contained in it. The carrousel is mounted in a freezing chamber. The bun system includes parallel shelves holding the bun portions in rows separated by step-driven dividers. The bun portions are delivered from the trays into a bun transport that in turn delivers the bun portions to a toaster.

Growing community of inventors

Melrose, MA, United States of America

Steven P Lewalski