Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
10~3~356
This invention relates to a conveyor apparatus for
flexible sheet material and in particular to an apl~aratus for
conveying flexible footwear upper components on edge.
Applicant's Canadian patent application Serial No.
237,494, filed October 14, 1975 discloses a discharge and
cutting apparatus for attachment to the trailing end of a
tandem sewing machine system, which is used to sew footwear
components along their rear edge, and for applying tape to
the seam thus produced. The discharge and cutting apparatus
includes a work surface for receiving the components inter-
connected by the contlnuous strip of tape from the sewing
machine system, pressure rollers driven in synchronism with
the sewing machines for feeding the components and tape away
from the sewing machine system, and a cutting device for chopping
the tape at the leading and trailing ends of the components.
The separated tape bits and components are fed down a ramp,
where the tape is discharged into a refuse container and the
components are discharged for further processing.
With the above described apparatus, there exists a
need for a conveyor for receiving the footwear upper components
interconnected by the stitching and tape, and for returning
such components to the front of the sewing machine, so that
the operator can view the finished product and determine
whether the sewing and cutting operat ons are being carried
out properly. In the absence of such a conveyor, either a
second operator is required to collect the components, or
alternatively the sewing machine operator must stop work at
the input end of the tandem sewing machine system and go to
the discharge end of the discharge and cutting apparatus to
examine the product.
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1~63056
Since a plurality of the sewing machine systems are
usually located in one work area, it is preferable that the
conveyor occupy the smallest possible area. Otherwise, the
work area required for the systems would be unduly large. In
fact, it is preferable to be able to instal the conveyor on
existing sewing machine systems without moving the systems
apart, or with a minimum of rearrangement.
The object of the present invention is to provide a
relatively simple and compact conveyor apparatus for receiving
and conveying flexible sheet material on edge. Because of the
structure of the conveyor apparatus, the sheet material must
be flexible, and with the shoe upper components mentioned
hereinbefore, this requirement is met.
Accordingly, the present invention relates to a
conveyor apparatus for conveying articles formed of flexible
sheet material on edge including a plate for receiving the
articles one at a time on edge; primary feed means mounted on
said plate for feeding said articles one at a time along a
first straight line path of travel; and a belt conveyor for
receiving each said article from said primary feed means and
feeding the article on edge around a corner and along a second
straight line path of travel perpendicular to the first straight
line path of travel. -
More specifically, the conveyor apparatus in~ludes
the plate, which receives the articles on edge; a pair of -
primary feed rollers, each having a single longitudinally
extending brush for engaging and moving the articles along the
first straight line path of travel which is perpendicular to
the line of descent of the articles to the plate and generally
in the same plane as the plane of descent of the articles onto
1063056
the plate; and a second or main feed device including a rotary
brush opposed by an endless link belt, which is opposed by a
guide rail throughout most of its length for receiving the
articles from the roller brushes and ~eeding such articles
along the first straight line path of travel, around a corner,
and along the second straight line path of travel perpendicular
to and on the same level as the first straight line path of
travel.
The primary feed roller brushes, which are formed by
a roller with a single, rarrow longitudinally extending brush
are driven in synchronism and out of phase, i.e. during a
conveying operation, the first brush engages the leading end
of the article to be conveyed approximately one eighth of a
revolution before the second brush engages the article. The
use of such brush rollers with such intermittent feed, permits
the article to drop onto the plate. A roller with brushes
around its entire periphery would not permit the articles to
drop fully onto the plate. The rotary brush is driven by the
link belt or at least in synchronism with the belt, so that
wear on the rotary brush due to slippage is avoided. The
link belt comes with projections or teeth for gripping the
articles, which are sandwiched first between such belt and the
rotary brush and then between the belt and the guide rail
during travel away from the primary feed roller brushes. The
link belt also possesses the advantage of being relatively
easy to replace. The guide rail is provided with gates at the
corner and at its trailing end facilitating passage of the
articles between the belt and the rail.
A second embodiment of the conveyor apparatus includes
the plate for receiving the articles on edge; a pair of primary
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feed rollers, each having a pair of brushes extending outwardly
from the top end thereof for engaging and moving the articles
along the first straight line path of travel, and a second or
main feed device including at least one endless belt opposed by
an endless link belt for receiving the articles from the roller
brushes and feeding such articles along the first straight line
path of travel, around the corner, and along the second straight
line path of travel.
By using a pair of brushes extending outwardly from
the upper end, i.e. above the middle of the primary feed
rollers, the components are engaged more quickly by the brushes
than with single brushes, but the brushes are still absent
from the feed area most of the time so that the articles can
drop onto the plate.
As in the case of the rotary brush the endless belt
opposing the endless link belt is driven by the latter. The
endless belt can be a V-belt or a double V-belt. The advantage
of a double V-belt is that it is intended to flex two ways,
rather than one way as in the case of the single V-belt. The
endless belt replaces both the rotary brush and the guide rail.
However, a low rail is provided beneath the belt, forming a
channel for the bottom ends of the articles. Such an arrange-
ment is advantageous when feeding shoe upper components, since
any tape ends dropping into the channel are swept along with
the components and removed from the conveyor apparatus with
the components.
The endless belt of the second embodiment of the
invention is mounted on pulleys, and is driven solely by the
endless link belt. The pulleys are mounted on bases, which are
rotatably mounted on the article-receiving plate, so that the
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1063056
belt and pulley can move away from the link belt to facilitate
passage of thick articles or thick portions of articles.
As already mentioned, the apparatus of the present
invention was designed to convey footwear upper components,
but it will be readily apparent that the apparatus can be used
to convey any articles having sufficient flexibility to go
around a corner. Of course, the articles must be sufficiently
rigid and/or heavy that they will slide down a ramp into the
area of the primary feed brushes. In other words, the articles
should more or less retain their normal shape during passage
into the conveying apparatus. The footwear upper components
in question are formed of natural or man made fabrics including
canvas, leather and plastic.
The apparatus of this invention will now be described
in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings,
which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention, and
wherein: -
Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of
the conveying apparatus of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a schematic plan view of the apparatus
of Fig. 1 with a sewing machine system, and a discharge and
cutting apparatus;
Figure 3 is an elevation view of the apparatus of
Figs. 1 and 2;
Figure 4 is a schematic bottom view of the apparatus
of Figs. 1 to 3;
Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line
V-V of Fig. l;
Figures 6 and 7 are schematic plan views of primary
rollers and brushes used in the apparatus of Figs. 1 to 5 in
two positions;
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Figure 8 is a perspective view of the primary feed
rollers of a second embodiment of the invention;
Figure 9 is a perspective view of the second or main
feed device of the second embodiment of the invention;
Figure 10 is a schematic plan view of the feed device
of Fig. 9; and
Figure 11 is a schematic plan view of the primary
feed rollers used in the apparatus of Figs. 8 to 10.
With reference to Figs. 1 to 3 and 8, both embodiments
of the conveyor apparatus of the present invention are
intended for use with a tandem sewing machine system generally
indicated at 1, and a discharge and cutting apparatus generally
indicated at 2, both of which are mounted on a table 3. Shoe
upper components, in this case quarters are fed into the tandem
sewing machine system 1 at a leading or front end 4 of the
table 3 in overlapping relationship to each other. The
components are sewn together with a line of stitching adjacent
and parallel to their rear edges by a first sewing machine 5.
The components are then spread apart and the edges outside the
line of stitching are folded apart flat against the component -~
between the sewing machine 5 and a second sewing machine 6. A
tape i8 applied to the folded edges and sewn to the guarters by
two lines of stitching in the second sewing machine 6. Then
the discharge and cutting apparatus 2 draws the components and
tape from the second sewing machine 6. The discharge and
cutting apparatus 2 cuts the tape at the leading and trailing
edges of each component and discharges the separated components
and tape down a ramp 7, where the components drop onto a plate
8, which forms part of the apparatus of the present invention,
and the tape ends drop through an opening 9 into a refuse
container (not shown).
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1063056
FIRST EMBODIMENT
In the first embodiment of the invention (Figs. 1 to 7),
the plate 8 is mounted beneath the trailing or discharge end 10
of the table by means of posts 11. The-p~a~e 8 supports a
primary feed device generally indicated at 12, and a secondary
or main feed device generally indicated at 13. The primary
feed device 12 receives a footwear component 14 (Figs. 6 and 7)
on edge from the discharge and cutting apparatus 2, and feeds
it to the main feed device 13, which feeds the component
around a rear corner 15 of the table 3, along one side 16 to
the front end 4 thereof (Fig. 2).
The primary feed device 12 includes a pair of rollers
17 and 18 mounted on shafts 19 and 20, respectively for rotation
therewith. The shafts 19 and 20 extend downwardly through the
plate 8, with pulleys 21 and 22, respectively mounted on their
bottom ends. Each roller 17 and 18 is provided with a single
longitudinally extending, narrow brush 23 and 24, respectively
for engaging the component 14 and feeding it to the main feed
device 13. The brushes 23 and 24 extend from the top to the
bottom of their respective rollers, and their lowermost
bristles touch the plate for removing any sections of tape
accidentally reaching the plate 8 from the ramp 7. In order
to ensure that the rollers 17 and 18 rotate in synchronism with
each other, sprockets 25 are mounted on the top of shafts 19
and 20. The sprockets 25 are interconnected by a chain 26
which also extends around a sprocket 27 rotatably mounted on a
stub axle formed by the top end of a post 28 extending
upwardly from the plate 8 for tensioning the chain 26. The
second primary feed brush 24 is followed in the path of travel
by a fence 29 in the form of a post 30 mounted on the plate 8,
:: :
'' '''";'' ' , ' ~ ": '~ ' ' , '. ' ~'
... . . , . ~ .
1~63~56
with a plurality of fingers 31 extending outwardly therefrom
towards the roller 18. The bristles of the brush 24 pass
between the fingers 31 during use.
A shield 32 (Fig. 3), with openings 33 and 34 for the
brushes 23 and 24, is mounted on the plate 8 between the chain
26 and the ramp 7. The shield 32 has a curved top end 35
arcing towards the ramp 7. A rod 36 is connected to each
bottom corner of the shield 32 for removably mountin~ the shield
on the plate 8. The rods 36 extend downwardly through apertures
(not shown) in the plate 8 into sleeves 37 mounted on the
bottom of the plate.
A rotary brush 38 is rotatably mounted on the plate 8
downstream of the primary feed brushes 23 and 24 in the ~ -
direction of travel of the component. The brush 38 is freely
rotatable on an axle 39 extending through the plate 8, with
a bushing 40 between the brush 38 and the axle 39. A pulley
41 is rotatably mounted on the bottom end of the axle 39. The
rotary brush 38 is annular with bristles 42 around its entire
periphery.
The rotary brush 38 is opposed and driven by an
endless link belt 43. The belt 43 is formed of a plurality
of overlapping rectangular segments 44 interconnected by rivets
45. The leading ends of the segments 44 project outwardly
from the plane of the belt for pushing footwear upper components
14 toward the front end 4 of the table 3. The link belt 43
passes around pulleys 46, 47, and 48 mounted on the plate 8
opposite the rotary brush 38, beneath the rear corner 15 of
the table 3 and beneath a front corner 49 (Fig. 2) of the
table, in that order. The pulley 46 is mounted on a shaft 50
opposite the rotary brush 38, i.e. a line connectin~ the
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10630S6
longitudinal axes of the ~xle 39 and the sh~ft 50 is pexpendi-
cular to the path of travel o~ the footwear upper component,
The distance between the longitudinal axes of the axle 39 and
the shaft 50 is slightly less than the sum o~ the radi~ of
the rotary brush 38 and the pulley 46, so that the rotary
brush is driven by the belt 43 pass~ng around the pulley 46.
The rotary brush 38 i`s followed in the direction of
travel of the footwear upper components ~y a guide rail 51
(Figs. 1, 3 and 5), which extends around the rear corner 15
of the table and along the side 16 to the front or input end
4 of the table 3. The rail 51 is integral with a flange 52
extending upwardly from the plate 8 for maintaining the rail
51 at the level of the belt 43. The rail 51 and flange 52
are retained on the plate 8 by brackets 53. As best
illustrated in Fig. 5, the guide rail 51 has a generally U-
shaped cross-sectional configuration, with short, horizontally
extending arms 54, the inner free ends 55 of which are rounded
to ensure smooth sliding of the component 14 between the belt
43 and the rail 51.
When conveying thick components 14 or when the
components have a thick portion such as the tape sewn onto
folded portions of the shoe upper components, there is the
danger that the components will get jammed between the belt
43 and the rail 51, particularly in the area of the pulleys
47 and 48. Accordingly, gates 56 and 57 are provided at the
rear corner and at the discharge end of the rail 51. Each
gate S6 and 57 includes a sleeve 58 connected to the gate and
rotatably mounted on a pin 59 extending upwardly from the plate
8. As the component 14 passes between the belt 43 and the
rail 51 in the area of the pulley 47 or 48, the gate 56 or
57 i8 free to swing out facilitating passage of such component.
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.. . . . . - ~ , . . .
- .
,, . ~ . .
.. - -
1063~356
Each gate 56 and 57 is biased to the closed position by a helical
spring 60 mounted on a pin 61, the pin extending inwardly toward
the gate from a flange 62 mounted on the plate 8.
DRIVE
All of the movable elements of the apparatus described
hereinbefore are operated by a single drive, which includes a
motor 63 mounted beneath the plate 8 and the table 3. A right
angle drive 64 on the outer end of the motor 63 is ~ounted
beneath the plate 8 by means of a bracket 65. A pulley 66 is
connected to an output shaft 67 of the right angle drive 64. -
The pulley 66 is connected to a pulley 68 by a V-belt 69. The
pulley 68 is mounted o~ the same shaft 50 as the pulley 46 for
driving the link belt 43. A third pulley 70 is mounted on the
same shaft 50 above the pulley 68 for driving the pulleys 21
and 22 on the bottom ends of the shaft 19 and 20 bearing the
rollers 17 and 18. The pulley 70 is connected to the pulleys
21 and 22 by an O-ring 71, which passes around tensioning
pulleys 72 and 73 mounted on stub axles 74 and 75, respectively
at opposite sides of the plate 8, and bears against pulley 41,
which acts as a tensioning pulley, and tensioning pulley 76
mounted on a stub axle 77 extending downwardly between the
pulleys 21 and 22. The stub axle 75 is connected to the plate
8 by a screw 78, which passes through one of a row of aligned
openings 79 in the plate 8 for permitting adjustment of the . -:
tension on the O-ring 71.
Theoretically the rotary brush 38 could be driven by
the pulley 41 if the brush and pulley 41 were fixed on the axle
39. However, with such an arrangment, if slippage occurs, the -
brush 38 and belt 43 would move at different speeds and thus
rapid wearing of the brush would occur. Thus, it is pre~erable
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1063056
to have the brush 38 driven by the belt link 43 as stated
hereinbefore. The brush 3~, being driven at exactly the same
speed as the belt 43 will not wear as quickly as with sepa~ate
drive arrangements which permit slippage between the belt and
brush. The O-ring 71 is used as a safety measure. While, with
a V-belt or chain and sprocket drive there is no slippage
between the driving and driven elements, an O-ring will slip,
and thus one can manually stop rotation of the rollers 17 and
18 without being injured.
It will be appreciated that in order to facilitate
the handling of large (high) footwear components, a second set
of pulleys could be mounted on shafts supporting the pulleys 46,
47, and 48 above such pulleys, and a second link belt could be
provided above the first link belt 43 for stabilizing the
components during conveying by the main feed device 13. More-
over, for long components more than two primary feed brushes
can be used.
OPERATION OF FIRST EMBODIMENT
When the sewing machine system 1 is in operation, the
motor 63 is constantly running, and thus the brushes 23, 24
and 38 are constantly rotating in a clockwise direction when
viewed from above, and the belt 43 is continuously moving around
the pulleys 46, 47 and 48 in the direction of arrow A (Fig. 1).
As a shoe upper component 14 slides down the ramp 7 from the
discharge and cutting apparatus 2 it drops onto the plate 8 in
the area of the primary feed device 12, which is located slightly
downstream of the centre line C (Figs. 6 and 7), if one of the
brushes 23 or 24 is in a component engaging position when the
component drops, the component will sit on the brush for an
instant until the brush passes and then fall onto the plate 8.
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1063056
Ideally, the component is engaged first at its leading end by
the brush 24 and then by the brush 23. With.this sequence, the
leading end of the component 14 cannot curl into the area
between the rollers 17 and 18. If the component 14 ~s engaged
first by the brush 23, it tends to buckle or fold in front of
brush 23. However, even if the component 14 is engaged first
by the brush 23, the brush 24 is in position (Fig. 7) to function
as a fence, preventing movement of the component far out of the
intended straight line path of travel. With the brushes
rotating at high speed, e.g. 120 revolutions per minute, the
brush 23 or 24 will seldom be in position to prevent the
component 14 from dropping onto the.plate 8.
After normal engagement of the component 14 by the
brush 25, the latter acts as a fence to prevent curling of the
leading end of the component around the roller 18 between such
roller and the rotary brush 38. The fence 29 also prevents
such curling. Once the shoe upper component 14 has passed the
fence 29, it is picked up by the rotary brush and belt 43, and
fed into the channel defined by such belt 43 and the rail 51.
The component 14 is conveyed around the rear corner of the
rail 51. If necessary, because of the thickness of the
component or a portion thereof, the component 14 opens the
gates 56 and 57 during passage to the discharge end of the
apparatu~ at the front end 4 of the table 3. If the gates 56
and 57 are opened they are returned to the closed position by
the springs 60.
SECOND EMBODIMENT
With reference to Figures 8 to 11, the second embodiment ..
of the invention will now be described. Wherever possible, the
same reference numerals have been used to identify the same
elements.
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1063056
As with the first embodiment of the invention, a plate
8 is mounted beneath the trailing or discharge end 10 of the
table 3. The plate 8 supports a primary feed device generally
indicated at 12 and a secondary or main feed device generally
indicated at 13.
The primary feed device 12 includes a pair of rollers
17 and 18 mounted on shafts 19 and 20, respectively. The shafts
19 and 20 extend downwardly through the plate 8, with pulleys 21
and 22, respectively mounted on their bottom ends. Each roller
17 and 18 is provided with a pair of brushes 80 and 81,
respectively. Each of the brushes 80 and 81 includes bristles
extending outwardly from a sleeve 82, which can be moved out
of the roller 17 or 18 to compensate for bristle wear. The
sleeves 82 are locked in position by set screws (not shown)
extending downwardly through the top of the rollers 17 and 18.
It has been found that the best positions for the brushes 80
on the roller 17 are 40-45 apart, with the brushes 81 on the
roller 18 being diametrically opposed (Fig. 11). With this
arrangement, one of the brushes 80 may engage the shoe component
14 before either of the brushes 81. However, the apparatus
still operates efficiently to move the components 14 towards
the main feed device 13.
As in the first embodiment of the invention, rotation
of the rollers 17 and 18 is synchronized by a chain 26 extending
around sprockets 25 on the rollers and around a sprocket 27
rotatably mounted on a stub axle formed by the top end of a
post 28. Protective discs 83 are provided above each of the
sprockets 25 and 27 to prevent injury to the operator should
fingers be inserted into the area of the sprockets.
Unlike the first embodiment of the invention, the exit ~-
1063~56
end of the discharge and cutting apparatus 2 is provided with an
arcuate shield 84 which prevents shoe components 14 curving
upwardly away from the plate 8. It has been found that some
large components tend to curve upwardly away from the conveying
apparatus. The shield 84 directs the components downwardly
towards the conveyor. Of course, such a shield can also be
provided in the apparatus of Figs. 1 to 7. The apparatus of
Figs. 8 to 11 also includes a shield 85 between the rollers 17
and 18, and the ramp 7. The shield 85 is in the form of a
plate with a slot 86 for the brushes 80 and 81. The shield 85
is pivotally mounted on a bracket 87 for rotation around a pin
88. A sleeve 89 on the bracket contains a spring and ball (not
shown) projecting through an aperture in the bracket for bearing
against a depression in the outer surface of the shield 85 for
releasably holding the shield in position. An L-shaped bracket
90 on the plate 8 acts as a guide and stabilizer for bottom arm
91 of the shield 85. The arm 91 of the shield 85 extends beyond
the brushes 81 to the leading end of the second or main feed
device 13.
The main feed device 13 includes the link belt 43
which is opposed by a pair of V-belts 92 and 93 (Figs. 9 and
10). While one V-belt could be used, it is preferable to use
two belts, so that the length of the second feed device is
readily adaptable to different lengths of sewing tables 3. The
V-belt 92 passes around pulleys 94, 95 and 96, and the V-belt
93 passes around pulleys 97 and 98. Each of the pulleys 94
to 98 is rotatably mounted on the top end of a stub axle 99
extending upwardly from a small base plate 100. Each base plate
100 is pivotally mounted by a screw 101 on the plate 8. The
belts 92 and 93 are tensioned by idler rollers 102 rotatably
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mounted on stub axles 103 extending upwardly from base plates
104. The base plates 104 are pivotally mounted on the plate 8
for rotation around screws 105. One end of each base plate 104
opposite the end carrying the roller 102 is biased outwardly
by a helical spring 106, maintaining the roller 102 against
the belt 92 or 93, and consequently tensioning the belts 92
and 93.
With the above described arrangement, the belts 92
and 93 are biased against the link belt 43. The belts 92 and
93 can move outwardly away from the link belt 43 in the area of
the pulleys 94 to 98 to permit passage of thick components 14
o~ thick portions of such components. When a thick component
or thick portion of a component 14 passes between the link belt
43 and the belt 92 or 93 in the area of one of the pulleys 94
to 98, the pulley moves outwardly; the pulley, stub axle 99 and
plate 100 rotating around the screw 101. At the same time, one ~ -
of the tensioning rollers 102, stub axles 103 and plates 104
rotates around the screw 105 against the action of the spring
106. After the thick component or portion thereof passes the
pulley 94 to 98, the spring 106 causes the base plates 100 and
104, the stub axles 99 and 103, the roller 102 and the pulley
to return to their rest positions.
A small fence 107 (Figs. 8 and 10) is provided on the
plate 8 following and overlapping the trailing end of the botto.
arm 91 of the shield 85. The fence 107 extends beneath the
pulleys 94 to 98 preventing the escape of any stray strips of
tape into the area of the base plates 100 and 104, and acting as
a guide for the bottoms of components 14 being conveyed by
the apparatus. Posts 108 are also provided on the plate 8 for
~, . . .- .
supporting a protective cover (not shown). A top cover above
, .. .. . - . ......................... : .... - : - - : :
' ' ' ' ~: ' '' ,' ' . ;. ,.. ... :, . ,
1063~56
the pulleys 94 to 98 will facilitate conveying of the components
14 by preventing escape of the components from the apparatus,
and prevents injury to the operator.
DRIVE (SECOND EMBODIMENT)
The drive of the second embodiment of the invention is
the same as that of the first embodiment, except that the pulley
41 is mounted on its own stub axle (not shown) extending down-
wardly from the bottom of the plate 8 and the O-ring 71 passes
around the outside of the pulley 41 (Fig. 9). Only the pulleys
21 and 22, and consequently the brush rollers 17 and 18 are
driven by the O-ring 71. The V-belts 92 and 93 bear against
and are driven by the link belt 43.
OPERATION OF THE SECOND EMBODIMENT
The operation of the second embodiment is also similar
to that of the first embodiment. As a shoe upper component 14
slides down the ramp 7, it drops into the channel defined by
the bottom end of the ramp 7 and the shield 85. Sometimes,
during cutting of the tape at the leading and trailing ends of
the components 14, bits of tape jump onto the components and
are carried down the ramp 7 with the components rather than
dropping through the opening 10. In any event, the components
14 and some tape bits drop into the channel where they are
engaged by the brushes 80 and 81 extending through the slot 86
in the shield 85, and fed to the main feed device 13. In the
main feed device 13, the components 14 are sandwiched between
the link belt 43 and the V-belts 92 and 93. Thus, the components
14 are conveyed around the rear corner of the table 3 and along
the side 16 to the front or operator end of the table. If
necessary, because of the thickness of a component or a portion
thereof, the component moves the endless belt 92 or 93 and one
.
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1063~)56
of the pulleys 94 to 98 outwardly. The belt and pulley are
returned to their rest position by the spring 106, which biases
the tensioning roller 102 against the belt. Any tape bits
dropping onto the plate 8 with the components 14 are swept
along with the components and discharged at the front end of
the table 3.
Both embodiments of the above described apparatus can
be used to convey thin strips of material or several thicknesses -
of material, the gates in the first embodiment and the pivotally
mounted pulleys in the second embodiment facilitating passage
of a variety of thicknesses of material.
1063~56
SUPPLEMENTARY DISCLOSURE
As mentioned in the principal disclosure, the belt
conveyor portion of the apparatus can be modified in a variety
of ways, includIng the provision of a second set of pulleys
mounted on the shafts support`ing the pulleys carrying the
V-belts, which oppose the link belt. Moreover, the V-belts can
be replaced with 0-rings opposing the link belt. It has been
found that such an arrangement affords advantages over the two
embodiments of the invention disclosed hereinbefore. Specific-
ally, the use of a pair of 0-rings opposing the endless link
belt throughout the trailing end of the path of travel of the
flexible sheet material provides for three-point gripping of
the material~
Thus, in accordance with a third embodiment of the
invention, the conveyor apparatus includes a plate for receiving
articles formed of flexible sheet material one at a time on
edge; primary feed means mounted on the plate for feeding the
articles one at a time along a first straight line path of
~ travel; belt conveyor means for receiving each of the articles
! 20 from the primary feed means and feeding the articles on edge
around a corner and along a second straight line path of
travel perpendicular to the first straight line path of travel,
the belt conveyor means including a first belt having projec-
`~ tions for engaging the articles, and a pair of endless belts
opposing the first belt, in planes above and below the first
~' belt for holding the articles against the first belt during
1~ conveying thereof, the belts defining a portion of the first
,I straight line path of travel, the corner and the second straight
line path of travel.
The third embodiment of the invention will now be
described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying
1` A
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``_ 1C~63~56
drawings ! wherein;
Figure 12 is a perspective yiew of the second or main
feed device of a thi~rd embodiment of the inven~ion;
Figure 13 is a plan view of the feed device of Fig. 12;
Figure 14 is a partly sectioned end view of the feed
device of Figs. 12 and 13; and
Figure 15 is a perspective view of a gate used in the
feed device of Figs. 12 to 14.
In Figs. 12 to 15, wherever possible, the same reference
numerals have been used to identify the same elements as in
Figs. 1 to 11.
Referring to Figs. 12 to 15, a third form of main feed
device includes a pair of endless belts 110 and lll which oppose
and slightly overiap an endless link belt 43. The link belt 43
passes around pulleys 46, 47 and 48. As best illustrated in
Fig. 14 the belts 110 and 111 are disposed in planes above and
below the link belt 43, whereby a shoe component or other sheet
of flexible material is sandwiched between the belts 43, 110
and 111 for positive three-point gripping. The endless belts
110 and 111 are 0-rings and thus have a circular cross-sectional
configuration.
The belts 110 and 111 pass around double pulleys 112,
113 and 114 opposite the pulleys 46, 47 and 48. Each of the
pulleys 112, 113 and 114 is rotatably mounted on a stub axle
115. The stub axle 115 is mounted on one end of a plate 116,
which is pivotally mounted with a screw 117 on the plate 8.
The axle 115 is eccentrically mounted on the plate 116, i.e. a
line through the longitudinal axes of the axle 115 and the
screw 117 is not parallel to the path of travel of the belt 43
or ~elts 110 and 111. Thus, as thick shoe components or a
plurality of thin shoe components pass between the belts 43, 110,
.
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111, each pulley 112~ 113 or 11~ ~nd its ~ssociated plate 116
is free to pIVOt outwardly away from the opposing pulley 46,
47 or 48 to permit passage of the component(s~.
The first double pulley 112 includes upper and lower
belt-receiving grooves in upper and lower discs 118 and 119,
respectively. Four brushes 120 extend outwardly from the centre
of the roller shaft between the discs 118 and 119. The brushes
120 are spaced equidistant apart (at 90% with respect to each
other) and extend outwardly beyond the periphery of the pulley
112 and slightly beyond the outer edge of the belts 110 and 111
or positively engaging components as they are fed to the main
feed device from the primary feed device. A fence 121 is pro-
vided behind the belts 110 and 111 following the pulley 112 in
the direction of feed of the components to prevent edges of the
components entering the area behind the belt and getting caught
between the pulley 113 and either of the belts 110 or 111. The
fence 121 is L-shaped with a base portion 122 secured to the
plate 8 by screws 123 (Fig. 13).
The plate 8 in the straight stretch following the corner
pulley 113 is provided with an elongated slot 124 extending
almost the entire length of such straight stretch with an open
trailing end 125, so that bits of tape entering the main feed
device can fall from the plate 8.
The trailing end of the plate 8 is reinforced by a plate
126 (Fig. 14) secured to the plate 8 on each side of the
trailing end 125 of the slot 124. The plate 126 is provided with
a rectangular notch 127 in its top surface beneath the slot 124
permitting the passage of components.
A gate 128 is provided near the pulley 114 for ensuring
that components do not enter the area between the belts 110 and
111 and the pulley 114. The gate 128 (Figs. 14 and 15),having
'
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1~63~56
a C-shaped cross-sectional configuration, is pivotally mounted
on a post 129 by a screw 130. The gate 128 is so positioned
that the trailing end of its top and bottom arms 131 and 132,
respectively slightly overlap the link belt 43. The gate 128
is retained in position by a bolt 133 in the top end of an L-
shaped bracket 134. The trailing end of the gate 128 is biased
outwardly into the path of travel of the components by a helical
spring 135 mounted on a bolt 136 in the bracket 134. The brac-
ket 134 is L-shaped, with a bottom arm connected to the plate
8 by srews 137.
- Brackets 138 and posts 139 are also provided on the plate
8 for supporting covers 140 (shown in part in Figs. 12 and 14)
for preventing injury to the machine operator or others. The
covers 140 can hold a switch (not shown) open when the covers
are closed, whereby opening of the covers will automatically
close the switch to stop the machine. The covers 140 include a
downwardly extending projection or extension 141 for preventing
accidental access to the drive mounted beneath the piate 8. The
drive in the third embodiment of the invention is the same as
that employed in the second embodiment on the invention (Fig. 10). -
In use, the third embodiment of the invention functions
in essentially the same manner as the main feed device of the
first two embodiments of the invention. A shoe component 14 is
fed by the primary feed device from the bottom of the ramp 7 to
the area between the pulleys 46 and 112, i.e. between the belt 43
and the endless belts 110 and 111. The component 14 is then fed
around the corner 15 of the table 3 towards the trailing end of
the belt conveyor while sandwiched between the belts 43, 110 and
111. The component 14 passes through the gate 128, and is dis-
charged from the apparatus for further processing. When passing
through the gate 128, the component is firmly gripped between the
arms 131 and 132 of the gate 128, and the belt 43.
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