Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
1~2~168
FIELD ~E INVENl~ION
The invention relates to the production of bows for
ornamentation of gifts.
BACKGRO~NP OF TEIE ~ENTIQ~
Prior U.S. Patent No. 4,661,197 of the present inventors
describes a bow formed with a multiplicity of conical ornamental elements and
having a generaUy hemispheric overall shape. Cone-forming assemblies are
taught in the prior patent for transforming leaves associated with a sheet-like
blank into the de~sired conical elements. These cone-fonning assemblies
comprise a conical form and a winder or wrapping assembly which effectively
wraps a planar leaf about the form. The blanks specifically illustrated therein
are generaUy circular with radiaUy directed leaves. Once the leaves associated
with a number of circular blanks are formed into conical elements, the blanks
are stacked and stapled OlltO a backing member to provide an estheticaUy
pleasing bow.
St l~y~TION
The present invention provides a bow construction which
lends itself to faster and less expensive production and provides methods and
apparatus which permit such manufacture. In particular, the apparatus and
processes described herein lend themselves to production of bows from
continuous sheet materials supplied, for example, in roll form.
In one aspect, the invention involves a bow formed with
conical oznarnental elements and having a novel construction. The bow is
25 forrned from a multiplicity of bow components each having an elongate
central portion and a pair of conical elements integrally formed with the central
portion and extending from opposing ends of the central portion. The bow
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13281~8
components are stacked along a predetermined axis, each bow components in
the stack bçing rotated about the predetermined a~is relative to any
immediately overlaid component. Means are provided for securing the set of
bow components in their stacked and rotated relationship to the backing
5 member. The bow is preferably constituted by two distinct sets of bows, one
set being secured to the backing member and the second set being secured
onto the first set.
In another aspect, the invention provides a method for
producing a bow which mvolves forming sheet material into a continuous
strip having pairs of ornamental elements at predetermined intervals along the ;
length of the strip. The ornamental elements are preferably conical in form,
but the method can be adapted for construction of bows with other types of
ornaments. Each pair comprises one ornamental element extending laterally
from one side edge of the ~trip and another ornamental element extending
laterally from an oppos~ng side edge of the strip. An end portion of the strip ; `
is advanced in a predetermined direction towards a cutting position. The strip
end portion is cut t~ separate a bow component having a central portion and a
pair of ornamental ~lements e~tending from opposing ends of the central
portion. The bow c~n~ponent is pierced by a collecting element, the collecting
element being indexed through a predetermined angle about an axis with each
bow component collect~d. The steps of advancing the strip, cutting the skip
to produce a bow c~ppnent, piercing the resulting the bow component and
indexing the collectin~ element are repeated until a set of bow components of
predetermined numb~ i~ retained on the collecting element. Thereafter7 the
25 set of bow compopentS is s~ipped from the collecting element onto a backing
member and fixed ~n the backing member.
In ~ r aspect, the invention provides a method of
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producing bows in which collecting and stripping operations are performed in
a substantially contemporaneous manner The method involves forming sheet
materials into a continuous strip having pairs of ornamental elements at
predetermined intervals along the length of the strip. One of a plurality of
5 collecting elements is located at a collecting station and another at a stripping
station. Backing members to receive sets of bow components are delivered at
intervals to the collecting station. Individual bow components are ~ormed on
the collecting element currently at the collecting station by advancing the strip
towards to the collecting station until an end portion is in an ap~ropriate
10 cutting position, cutting the end portion of the strip to separate a bow
component having a central portion and a pair of ornamental elements
extending from opposing ends of the central portion, piercing the bow
component with the collecting element currently at the collecting station, and
indexing the collecting element through a predetermined angle about an axis
15 transverse to the direction of advancement of the strip The advancing,
cutting, piercing and indexing steps are repeated until a predetermined number
of bow components is formed on the collecting element At the stripping
sta~on, a set of bow components on the collec~ng element curren~ at the
stripping station is stnpped onto and fixed to a backing member The
20 collecting elements are repeatedly indexed in a predetermined sequence along
a close circuit between the collecting position and the st~ipping position. Eachindexing ~nvolves replacing the collecting element currently at the collecting
station with a collecting element reta~ning no set of bow components and
replacing the collecting element currently at the stripping station with a
25 collecting element retaining a set of bow components With each indexing,
the steps of fonning a set of bow components on the collecting element
currently at the collecting station and the steps of s~ipping and fixing a set of
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bows from the collecting element currently at the stripping station are
repeated.
In another aspect9 the invention provides apparatus for
producing a bow from sheet materials. The apparatus comprises means for
forming sheet material into a continuous strip having pairs of ornamental
elements at predetermined intervals along the length of the strip. Means are
provided for cutting an end portion of the strip to produce bow components,
each bow component comprising a central portion and a pair of ornamental
elements extending from opposing ends of the central portion. A collecting
element is provided which is shaped to pierce the central portion of each bow
component and to retain each pierced bow component in a fixed angular
relationship relative to the collecting element. Means are provided which
pierce the central portion of each bow component with the collecting element,
such means preferably being in the form of a pushing element which pushes
each bow component onto a stationary collecting element. Means are
provided for indexing the collecting element relative to each bow component
about an axis of the collecting element such that a set of bow components in
predetermined angularly spaced-apart relationship is eventually formed on the
collecting element. Means are provided for str~pping the set of bow
components onto a backing rnember and for fixing the bow components to the
backing member in their predetermined angular relationship.
In another aspect, the invention provides apparatus for
producing a bow from sheet materials in which the collecting of bow
components and stripping of bow components onto a backing member can be
performed substantially contemporaneously. Means are provided for forming
sheet material into a continuous strip having a paired o~namental elements.
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Means are provided for advancing an end portion of the strip to a collecting
station where cutting means cut the strip to produce bow components. A
plurality of collecting elements are provided, each shaped to pierce the centralportion of a bow component and to maintain each pierced bow component in a
S fixed angular relationship relative to the collecting element. Means are
provided for indexing the plurality of collecting elements in a predetermined
sequence in a closed circuit between the collecting station and a stripping
station. Means are provided for repeatedly piercing and collecting ~e bow
components produced by the cutt~ng means at the collecting station, including
means for indexing the collecting element currently at the collecting station
relative to each bow comp~nent about a collecting element axis such that the
bow components are collected in a predetermined angularly spaced apart
relationship. Means are provided for delivering backing members at intelvals
to the st~ipping station ultimately to receive collected bow components.
Means are provided for str~pp~ng a set of bow components frorn the collecting
element currently at the stripp~ng station onto a backing member.and for
fixing the strip set of bow components thereto. The delively of backing
members may be timed to permit two or more sets of bow components ~o be
mounted one atop another to form a complete bow.
Various aspects of the invention will be more a~parent from a
description of a preferred embodiment of bow-forming machinery below and
will be more specifically defined in the appended claims.
DESCR~ON OF l'HE I)~WTNGS
'rhe invention will be better understood with the re~erence to
drawings in which:
~Ig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of bow forming machinery
embodying the invention;
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13281~8
~lg. 2 is a fragmented perspective view of components of the
machinery which convert a roll of sheet matenal into a continuous blank with
paired leaves;
fig. 3 is a fragmented perspective view of a drive assembly
associated with the components of fig. 2; ,
fig. 4 is a fragmented elevational view in partial cross-section
of portions of a conveyor which transports the blank between two
cone-forming assemblies;
fig. 5 is a fragmented side elevational view illustrating two sets
of cone-forming assemblies;
fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a track and bearing
which support a slide associated with one set of cone-forming assemblies;
fig. 7 is a fragmented perspec~ve view of the one set of
cone-forming assemblies;
~Ig. 8 is an enlarged side elevation in partial cross-section
detailing the construction of a single cone-forming assembly;
fig. 9 is a fragmented perspective view illustra~ng machinery
comp~n~nts which cut and collecting bow components, deliver backing
members to receive bow component sets, and s~ip sets of bow components
onto the backing members,
fig. 10 is an enlarged fragmented perspective view p~oviding
further detail regarding a bow component collecting station;
fig. 11 is a side elevational view illustrating drive and timing
assemblies associated with ~e cutting and collecting of bow components;
fig. 12 is a pe~spective view illustrating how a set of bow
components is stripped and stapled onto a ticket-like backing member;
~lg. 13 is a fragmented elevational view in partial cross-section
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g
illustrating the construction, mountmg and operation of a bow component
collecting element;
fig. 14 is an extensively fragment elevational view illustrating
various positions of an optical sensor and reflecting pin mounted on a
plvotmg arm;
fig. 15 is a perspective view of the drive and timing assembly
of fig. 11 with a general support frarne omitted;
fig. 16 is a perspective view illustrating how a strip formed
with conical elements is advanced towards a cutting assernbly;
fig. 17 is a perspective view illustrating how an element for
pushing bow components cut from the strip onto a pronged collecting element
is guided for reciprocating rectilhlear r;lotion;
fig. 18 is a side cross-sectional view a drive assembly which
produces the reciprocating rec~linear motion and which adjusts the stroke of
the pushing element;
figs. l9a-19c are diagrammatic end views of wrapping
elements associated with the cone-forming assembly of fig. 8 in vaIious
stages of leaf wrapping;
fig. 20 is a perspective view of a bow produced by the
machinery.
DE$CRIPI10N QF PREFE~ED EMB0DI~
The overall operation of preferred bow forrning machineIy 10
will be described with respect to the schematic representation of fig. 1. The
starting material is a roll 12 of sheet material which travels along a path
indicated with arrows. The sheet material is conveyed to a rotary die 14 to be
forrned into a continuous blaTIk 16 with pa~red leaves extending from
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opposing side edges of the blank 16. One pair of leaves 18 illustrated in fig.
2 is exemplary. The resulting scrap 20 is directed over a
continuously-powered roller 22 and discarded. The blank 16 is then
conveyed to two sets of cone-form~ng assemblies 24, 26 which transform the
5 leaves into conical ornamental elements. The resulting strip 28 has pai~ed
conical elements at regular predetermined intervals along its length. A pair of
conical elements 30, 32 shown in connection with certain strip advancing
apparatus in fig. 16 is exemplary: one conical element 30 extends laterally
from one side edge of the strip 28; the other conical element 32, from the
10 opposing side edge of the strip 28.
The strip 28 is conveyed to a collecting station 36 where
individual bow components are cut from the strip 28. S)ne bow component
38 illustrated in ~lg. 16 is exemplary and may be seen to comprise an elongate
central portion 40 and an inte~ally connected pair of conical ornamental
elements 42, 44 extending from opposing ends of the central portion 40. In
this embodiment of the machinery 10, each bow component is collected
substantially contemporaneously with its cutting on one of two pronged
coUecting elements 42, 44. The collecting element 42 cullently at the
collecting station 36 in ~Ig. 1 is indexed about its longitudinal axis relative to
20 each succeeding bow component cut from the strip 28 such that a set of
components in angularly spaced-apart relationship is formed on the collecting
element. The other collecting element 44 is ~urrently shown at a stripping
station 50 in fig. 1.
The collecting element currently at the collecting station 36 is
25 then moved to the stripping station 50 where the set of bow components is
stripped onto an elongate backing member formed of thin cardboard and
stapled to the backing member. Although a sufficient number of bow
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components might be formed in any given set to constitute a complete bow, it
has been found preferable to form each bow from at leas~ two separate sets of
bow components (thirteen components in each set), the second set being
stripped onto the first set and stapled to the backing member. In this
embodiment of the invention, one collecting element coUects bow components
at the collecting station 36 whenever a set of bow components is being
stripped from the other collecting element at the stripping station 50.
Ihere are a multiplicity of operations perfolmed by the
machinery 10. To understand how these opera~ions are controlled and timed,
the following brief overview of the control principles associated with the
machinery 10 will be helpful. First, many of the actuators in this embodiment
of the invention are pneumatic cylinders. Whether specifically mentioned or
not, each of the pneumatic cylinders ls associated with a pair of magnetic
sensors, one at either end of the pneumatic cylinder, which respond to the
position of the associated piston. One sensor indicates when the cylinder is
fully-contracted; the other indicates when the cylinder is fully-extended. As a
general rule, the process steps and sub-steps actuated by the cylinders are
completed with either a full-extension or a full~ontraction of each cylinder.
The signals generated by the associated sensors consequently indicate when
such process steps and su~steps have been completed and are normally
transmitted to a central controller 52 to time a sequence of operations. Most
other operations are timed or controlled with optical sensors that project a
beam of light and expect to receive a reflected beam. Exceptions to these
types of control are noted in the description of operation below.
The manner in which the starting material is dispensed, die~ut
and delivered to the two sets 24, 26 of cone-forming assemblies will be
described with reference to fig. 2 1. The roll 12 of sheet material is mounted
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on a powered supply roller 60 which is mounted for rotation in a conventional
manner on a general support frame 62 associated with the machinery 10. The
sheet material is conveyed to the rotary die 14 along a path defined by four
free-wheeling rollers 64, 66, 68, 70. A slackened loop 72 is formed in the
conveying path upstream of the dispensing roller 60 and downstream of the
die 14 . For purposes of this specification and the appended claims, the term
"upstream" should be understood as meaning in the direction of movement of
the sheet material, blank or processed strip with conical elements, and
"dovvnstream" should be und~rstood as meaning in a direction contrary to
such direction of movement.
The slackened loop 72 is formed between t~vo of the
free-wheeling rollers 68, 70 which are spaced apart horizontally by about two
inches. The two rollers 68, 70 are vertically spaced as well, although this is
not critical to the formation of the slackened loop 72. A weight 74 formed as
a roller draws a Nn of the sheet material downwardly between the two
free-wheeling rollers 68, 70 (as apparent in figs. 1 and 2) and between two
vertical aluminum plates 76, 78 which ef~ectively isolate the loop 72. The
weight 74 is simply loosely rested on the sheet material and has
circumferential flanges encompassing the sides of the sheet mate~ial.
An optical detector or sensor 80 serves to detect when the
slack in the loop 72 has reduced in resp~nse to conveying of the sheet material
to the die 14 . The sensor 80 projects a beam 82 of light horizontally and
through an aperture which is not apparent in the drawings but is located where
the one alurninum plate 76 is shown fragmented in fig. 2. When the slack has
reduced to a predetermined degree, namely, when the height of the bottom of
the loop 72 is greater than the height of the optical sensor 80, the sensor 80
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1328168
12
detects light reflected back from the other aluminum plate 78 and actuates a
motor 84 associated wi~ the dispensing roller 60 to dispense more material.
The dispensed material is drawn into the loop 72, as dispensed, owing to the
presence of the weight 74. Once the bottom of the slackened loop 72 extends
5 below the height of the optical sensor 80, intermpting and absorbing the beam
82, the sensor 80 discontinues the operation of the motor 84. It should be
noted that this arrangement may be adversely affected by use of highly
refle tive sheet material. Wi~h such materials3 it may be desirable to form an
opening in the other aluminum plate 78 and to rely on non-reflection of the
10 sensor beam to indicate when slack has been reduced. Alternative sensing
arrangements will be apparent.
The dispensing of the sheet material is largely independent of
the subsequent convey~ng of the processed sheet material to var~ous stations
in the machinery 10. One problem which arises in connection with the
15 conveying of the sheet material to different processing stations is a potential
tearing of ~e strip 28 if conveyed and processed at different effective speeds.
This necessitates relative timing of conveying operations. Use of the
slackened loop 72 effectively isolates the process of deliver~ng sheet rnaterialto the die 14 ~nd simplifies timing reguirements.
The rotary die 14 comprises a support frame 90 fixed to the
general support frame 62 of the machinery 10 and consis~ing of two vertical
parallel plates and a plurality of horizontal tie rods A cylindrical die member
92 is rnounted for rotation between the two plates, and a steel roller 94
presses the sheet material against the cylindrical die rnember 92. The roller 94is driven ~n a manner described more fully below, and the cylindrical die
member 92 simply follows the roller 94. Care should be taken to ensure that
the support frame 90 is sufficien~y robust that ~e roller 94 does not misalign
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1328168
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relative to the cylindrical die member 92 in response to torques applied dur~ng
driving of the roller 94. Failure to maintain a proper parallel relationship
between the cylindrical die member 92 and roller 94 can damage the rotary die
14 over a relatively short period of time.
The cylindrical die member 92 has two continuous projections
96,98 extending outwardly from its periphery. One projection 96 defines
one side edge of the required strip 2~ and the leaves to be formed on that side.'~e other projection 98 defines the opposing side edge of the slrip 28 and the
leaves to be formed on that opposing side edge. The resulting scrap 20 is
simply directed over the top of the cy]indrical die member 92 and loosely over
the scrap roller 22 which is con~nuously operated by a motor 23 to discard
the scrap as produced.
A conveyor 100 guides the resulting blank 16 with paired
leaves between the two sets 24, 26 of cone-forming assemblies. The
conveyor 100 comprises a pair 102 of endless chains mounted in parallel
relationship on paired sprocket wheels 104, 106 located at opposing ends of
the cha~ns 102. The paired sprocket wheels 104 are driven; the other sprocket
wheels 106 are simply idlers. The chains 102 have paired projections in
side-by-side relationship such as the pair of projections 106 of fig. 7
extending transversely and outwardly from the chains. The horizontal
spacing between each pa~r of projections corresponds to the width of the
blank 16 between its opposing parallel side edge portions. The pitch of the
paired projections (their relative spacing along the chains 102) corresponds to
the spacing between the pa~red leaves along ~e blank 16. This arrangement
p~rmits the paired projections to lodge behind successive pairs of leaves on
the blanlc 16 in substantially the manner in which the palticular paired
projections 106 lodge behind and push an exemplary pair of leaves 110~ 112.
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14
The upper runs of the chains 102 travel along a track 114 seen in
cross-section in fig. 7. The track has a pair 116 of square longitudinal
shoulders which support rollers formed with the paired chains 102 and a
central longitudinal portion 118 which supports the centre of the blank 16. A
central guide plate 120, fixed to the general support frame 62 and marginally
spaced from the upper runs of the chains 102, ensures that the blank 16 is
held down while being conveyed between the cone-forming assemblies 24,
26. `
The pa~red sprocket wheels 104 of the conveyor 100 are fixed
to a drive shaft 122 which is rotatably supported on the general support ~ame
62 as apparent in fig. 4. The supporting means include a sleeve 124 fixed to
the general support frame 62 and a pair of bearmgs 126 which support the
drive shaft 122 within the sleeve 124. A sprocketed drive wheel 128 is fixed
to the drive shaft 122 adjacent its ~ear end surface to penn~t the shaft 122 to be
rotated.
A circular timmg plate 130 ca~ying ten radially directed teeth
(only one tooth 132 specifically indicated) is fixed to a rear end portion of the
drive shaft 122. The circumferential spacing between the teeth coITesponds to
the pitch of the paired projections of the chain 102 and consequen~y to the
longitudinal spacing b~tween pa~red leaves of the blank 16. An optical sensor
134 mounted on the gene~al support frame 62 projects a beam 136 of light
hori~ontally towards the teeth and detects light reflected from the teeth. The
sensor 134 consequently provides an indica~on of the position of the leaves
for purposes of application of an adhesive prior to cone-form~ng (as
described more fully below). The tooth 132, which is typical, is separable
from the timing plate 130 and has a large base fo~med with a
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1328168
circumferentially-dire ted slot. The tooth 132 is held to the tirning plate 130
by means of a bolt 142 extending through the slot and can be moved
circumferential by loosening the bolt 142. The circumferential position of the
teeth can consequently be varied to permit m~nor adjustment of the t~ming of
the application of adhesive to the leaves. In practice, however, this is seldom
done, and the releasable mounting of the teeth serves primarily to permit the
teeth to be periodically removed and polished to ensure proper reflection of
light back to the sensor 134.
The timing of die operation and the advancement of the
resulting blank 16 by the conveyor 100 will be described with the reference to
fig. 3. This illustrates the drive mechanism located behind the rotary die 14
and the conveyor 100. The primary driving means are a motor 144, an
indexing table 146 with a toothed, circular periphery 148, and reduction gear
150 coupling ~e indexing table 146 to the motor 144. When actuated by the
central controller 52, the motor 144 rotates a control shaft 152 through 360
degrees and indexes the table 146 through roughly 60 degrees, the gear ratios
of the reduction gear be~ng selected to provide such relative measures of
rotation. Motor operation is terminated by the central controUer 52 whenever ,,
a cut~ff switch 154 is trip3ped by a cam 156 mounted on the control shaft
lS2. A control arm 158 associated with ~e switch 154 carries a roller 160
which travels along the periphery of the carn 156. Accsrdingly, the control
arm 158 can r~tate through only 360 degrees be~ore a cut-off signal is
generated (as ~n the position illustrated in fig. 3). When such a signal is
produced, the central controller 52 discontinues operation of the motor 144.
The indexing table 146 is mechanically coupled to both ~e
rota~y die 14 and the conveyor 100. A drive chain 162 couples the periphery
148 of the indexing table 146 to a sprocket wheel 164 associated with the
~32~16~
16
roller 94 of rotary die 14 and also to the sprocket wheel 128 associated with
the conveyor drive shaft 122. A displaceable idler sprocket wheel 166
mounted to the general support firame 62 permits drive chain 162 to be
tightened in a conventional manner. The transmission ratios to the die
sprocket wheel 164 and to the conveyor sprocket sprocket wheel 128 are
selected such that, upon each 60 degree indexing of the table 146, the rotary
die 14 cuts ten new pairs of leaves in the sheet material and the conveyor 100
advances ten pairs of leaves past the cone-form~ng assemblies 24, 2S. The
die sprocket wheel 164 has in practice been formed with 68 sprockets
whereas the conveyor sprocket wheel 128 has been ~ormed w~th 70 sprockets
so that the rotary die 14 operates marginally faster than the conveyor 100.
This ensures that the blank 16 is not excessively tensioned and broken during
transit from the rotary die 14 to the conveyor 100.
Prompt stopping of the motor 144 is very ~mportant and
dynamic braking is used to that end. Delays in halting motor operation can
cause dramatic increases ~n scrap produced in the cone-forming processes
owing to misposition~ng of leaves. Although the rotary die 126 and conveyor
100 have been successfully operated by the inventors in the manner described
aboYe, it may be preferable to trigger stopping of the motor 144 directly from
the cut-off switch 154 to avoid delays in signal processing. Also, the cut-off
position of the cam 156 might be more quickly detected with a fast-acting
optical sensor rather than a mechanical cut-off switch. Use of serv~motors
to drive the various components would potentially avoid such problems,
although adding considerably to the cost of the machinery.
The con~folming process involves applying an adhesive
adjacent on a downstream lateral portion of each leaf prior to the actual
wrapping of the leaf about a conical form. The general object is to ensure that
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1328168
17
each conical element retains its form once the wrapping process is complete.
To that end, a pair of hot-melt dispensers 168, 17û are provided, one
associated with each of the sets 24, 26 of cone-forming assemblies. The
dispenser 168 associated with the ~lrst set 24 is positioned immediately
downstream and above and to the side of the blank 16 where the filrst set 24
operates on the leaves. The second dispenser 170 is similarly positioned with
respect to the second set 26 of cone-forming assemblies above and to an
opposing side of the blank 16 to apply adhesive to the leaves appearing at that
side. Each of the dispensers 168, 170 is electrically-actuated to eject a liquidadhesive and closed with a biasing spring. The duration of ejection will
typically be about 2.5 milliseconds. To enhance the speed of operation it may
desirable to provide dispensers 168, 170 in which both ejection and shut-off
are electrically controlled to avoid the delays inherent in use of a biasing
spring.
The adhesive is applied to the leaves during ~e advancing of
the blank 16 by the conveyor 100. As mentioned above, the teeth associated
with the tim~ng plate 130 interrupt and reflect the beam 136 of light generated
by the associated optical sensor 134. Each signal so produced by ~e sensor ;
134 is ~ansmitted to ~e central controller 52 which actuates bo~ dispensers
168, 170 to eject liquid adhesive onto ~e two leaves then Immediately below
and registered with ~e outlets of the dispensers 168, 170. Accordingly,
liquid adhesive is de~osited on each of the ten leaves presented to each of the
sets of conforming-form~ng assemblies with each advancing of the blank 16.
The two sets of cone-forming assemblies 24, 26 are
substantially identical in confilguration and operation. They comprise the ;,
same number of cone-forming assemblies, namely, ten. The first set 24
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18
operates exclusively on leaves extending from one lateral side of blank 16; the
second set 26 operates exclusively on the leaves extending ~rom the opposing
side the blank 16. The sets 24, 26 of con~forrning assemblies are operated
substantially contemporaneously.
~ne cone-fonning assembly 166 of the first set 24 is typical
and is detailed in fig. 7. The cone-forming assembly 166 comprises a conical
form 174 and a winder assembly 172 adapted to wind a leaf about the form ;
174. The winder assembly 172 comprises two separate male and female
wrapping elements 178, 180 which together define a conical bed 182. With
each pçriodic advancing of the blank 16, a fresh leaf is positioned over the
bed 182, such as the leaf 112 shown over the winder assembly 172. A
pneumatic cylmder 184 is then actuated to advance the conical form 174
axially to press the leaf against the bed 182, and suction is applied along a
conduit 186 tothe interior of the conical form 174 and ultimately to an
opening 188 formed in the upper exterior of the form 174. The negative
pressure at the opening 188 is used to hold portions of the leaf 112 to the
conical form 174 during initial phases of the wrapping process.
The movement o~the wrapping elements 178, 180 to effect the
wrapping of the leaf 112 is apparent from the series of end views of ~e
wrapping elements provided in figs. l9a-19c. In these views, a cun~ed
arrow adjacent one of the wrapping elements 178, 180 indicates the direction
in which the element is about to be ~otated to arrive at the orientation in a
succeeding drawing. The degree measurement adjacent the alrow indicates
the extent of such rotation. The home position of the wrapping elements is
2~ shown in fig. 19a.
The male wrapping element 180 is f~st rotated upwardly and
through about 180 degrees in a first direction until it engages the female
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19
wrapping element 178. This step wraps one lateral portion 190 of the leaf
112 about the form and over the vacwum opening 188 where the leaf portion
is held. A leading sharpened edge 192 of the male wrapping element 180
crimps a portion 194 of the one lateral leaf portion 190 to one side of the
vacuum opening 188 in a conforming recess 196 formed in the ~emale
wrapping element 178. The cnmped portion 194 and other lateral leaf portion
198 then extend in a roughly radial manner ~rom between the wrapping
elements 178, 180 as in fig. l9b.
The male wrapping element 180 is then driven in an o~posite
direction through about 540 degrees. During this rotation, the male wrapping
element 180 initial departs from the female wrapping element 178 and then
re-engages and drives the female wrapping element 180 through about 360
degrees thereby wrapping and adhering the other lateral leaf portion 198
(which bears a drop 200 of adhesive deposited by the dispenser 168) over the
crimped portion 194 and the one lateral leaf portion 190. The resulting
o~ientation (which corresponds to the home position) is illustrated in filg. l9c.
The female wrapping element 178 is then rotated in a re ~erse
direction ~rough 360 degrees. The female wrapping element 178 in~tially
separates from the male uTapping element 180 and thereafter re~ngages and
drives the male wrapping element 180 to home position, essentially to the
same orientation apparent in fig. l9c. The purpose of ~is additional 360
de~ee rotation is to restore a pneumatic cy]inder operating the male wrapping
element 180 to a particular home position which is intermediate its
fully~xtended and fully-contracted states, as described more fully below.
2S Air under pressure is then applied to the interior of the conical form 174, and
the conical form 174 is retracted leaving a fully assembled conical element.
The manner in which the two wrapping elements 178, 180 are
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132~
driven to produce such a wrapping operation will now be described. Theexemplary winder assembly 172 may be seen to comprise an outer cylindrical
shaft 202 connected to the female wrapping element 178 and an inner shaft
204 connected to the male wrapping element 180. The outer cylindrical shaft
202 is mounted with bearings 206 in a winder support structure 208 for
rotation about its longitudinal axis. The inner shaft 204 is rotatably mounted
within the outer cylindrical shaft 202 for rotation about the same axis. A pair
of gears 210,212 are keyed to the exterior surfaces of the two shafts 182,
2V4. These gears 210, 212 are meshed with two identical drive mechanisms
214, 216.
The drive mechanism 214 associated with the cylindrical shaft
202 eomprises an elongate toothed rack 218. This track 218 is attached to an
upper surface of an elongate brass wear member 220. The wear member 220
15 is supported for horizontal sliding movement by a pair of horizontally
spaced-apart bearings mounted to the support structure 208, such as the
bearing 222. Another brass strip 224 is ~Ixed to one side edge of the rack
218. The rack 218 is displaced by a pneumatic cyl~nder 226 which has
magnetic sensors 228,230 at opposing ends to detect extremes in the stroke
20 of the cylinder 226. A full extension or full con~action of the pneumatic
cylinder 226 corresponds to ~40 degrees of rotation of the female wrapping
member 178. The drive mechanism 216 associated with the male wrapping
elements 180 element similarly comprises a second toothed rack 232 meshed
with the associated gear 212 and driven by a second pneumatic cylinder 234.
The cylinder 234 also has sensors 236, 238 at opposing ends to indicate
fully-extended and fully-con~acted cylinder states. A full extension or full
contraction of the pneumatic cylinder 225 corresponds to 360 degrees of
~ . , .
" 132~16~
21
rotation of the female wrapping member 178. When the racks 218, 232 are
installed, the various winder assemblies must be differently oriented so that,
as they are progressively engaged with the racks 218, 232, all winder
assemblies can ultimately be located simultaneously in their home positions.
The starting or home position of the first and second
pneumatic cylinders 226, 234 is apparent in fig. 8. In the home position, the
cylinder 226 which operates the female wrapping element 178 is
fully-contracted while the cylinde~ 234 which operates the male wrapping
element 180 is extended about 1/3 of its stroke from its fully-contracted state
towards its fully-extended state. To produce the vvrapping operation
described above, the second pneumatic cylinder 234 is contracted ~rom its
home position to its fully contracted state (producing the imtial 180 degree
rotation of the male wrapping element 180 towards the female wrapping
element 178~. Completion of this sub-step is indicated by the sensor 238.
The controller 52 then initiates a full extension of the second pneumatic
cylinder 234, producing an initial 180 degree rotation of the male wrapping
element 180 in a contrary direction away ~m the female wrapping element
178 and then the further 360 degree rotation during which the male wrapping
element 180drives the female wrapping element 178 (the first pneumatic
cylinder 226 idling and following during this process~. The wrapping of both
lateral leaf portions is then complete, and completion of ~is step is ~ndicated
by the senor238. The con~oller 52 then causes a full contraction of the f~t
cylinder 226 which produces the required 360 degree rotation of the female
wrapping element 178 towards its home position. The second cylinder 234
idles and follows during this process, permitting the female wrapping element
178 after about 180 degrees of rotation to drive the male wrapping element ~;
180 back to its home state and to drive the male wrapping element back to its
;............. : .,: . :
.
.. ' ~
- ~ --, . ~
132~168
22
home position (one-third extended). Completion OI this step is indicated to
the controller 52 by the sensor 230.
The cone-form~ng assemblies of the first set 24 are operated
contemporaneously in the same manner as the exemplary cone-form~ng
5 assembly 166. The set 24 comprises ten conical forms in parallel relationship
as apparent in fig. 5. These are mounted on a slide 240 which is support by
two parallel spaced-apart tracks (such as the track 242 apparent in side view
in fig. 5 and in transverse cross-section in fig. 6) fixed to the general support
~rame by bearings meshed with the tracks (such as the bearing 244 meshed
10 with ~e ~ack 242). When actuated~ the pneumatic cylinder 184 advances the
slide 240 thereby extending the ten conical fonns through openings ~only one
opening 246 indicated) in the central guide plate 120 towards the conical beds
associated with the various winder assemblies of the first set 24. The
winding elements constituting the conical beds are then operated
15 simultaneously by actuating the pneumatic cylinders 226, 234 in the manner
described above with respect to ~e single con~forming assembly 166.
The operation of the con~fonn~ng assemblies 24 and the
production and advancing of the blank 16 are timed as follows. The indexmg
table 146 is actuated ~e~eby causing the rotary die 14 to cut ten pa~rs of
~0 leaves and causing the conveyor 100 to convey ten fresh pails of leaves to the
conical beds. The cut~ff switch 154 associated wi~ the indexing table 146
indicates that the cutting and advancing steps are complete. The cen~al
contr~ller 52 responds to the cut~ff switch 154 by actuating the pneumatic
cylinder 184 which displaces the slide 240 and engages the conical forms with
25 the associated conical beds. Negative pressure is also applied to the intenors
of the conical forms. A magnetic sensor 248 at the end of the pneumatic
cylinder 184 indicates that the pneumatic cylinder 184 is fully extended and
.. ~ . .
. : , . . . . . ................... . .
- .
,- .: , ~
~ 32~16~ :
23
that the conical forms are in an operative position relative to the beds. The
pneumatic cylinders 226, 234 are then operated in the rnanner described above
to complete the wrapping of the ten leaves about the conical forms. The
sensor 230 of the pneumatic cylinder 226 indicates that the wrapping
operation is complete. The controller 52 then causes air under pressure to be
applied to each of the conical forrns and causes the pneumatic cylinder 184 to
retract the slide 240 and the var~ous conical forms. The second set 26 o~
cone-forming assemblies is operated simultaneously with the first set 24 in
the sarne general manner.
The resulting strip 28 with paired conical elements is advanced
to the collecting station 36 along a horizontal supporting surface 250, as
apparent in figs. 10, 15 and 18. At the collecting station 36, the advancing
end portion 2S2 of ~e strip 28 is cut transversely to produce individual bow
components. The mechanism for advancing the strip 28 towards a cutting
position comprises two pushing elements 260, 262. The pushing elements
250, 262 have elongate body portions 264, 266 and forked upper portions
268, 270, respectively, the ~orks being spaced sufficiently to locate on either
side of the strip 2~ nediately behind a pair of conical elements. A pa~r of
parallel elongate slots 272, 274 are formed in the supporting surface 250 to
pennit the ~orked po,rtions 268, 270 to ~avel through and along the horizontal
support surface 2~
The ~lmting and driving of one push~ng element 260 is
typical. Two shafts 2~6, 278 are rotatably mounted to the general support
frame 62 in parallel ~.latlonship. A pair of disks 280, 282 are ~lxed to the
shafts 276, 278 for ~4tation with the respective shafts. The body portion 264
of the pushing elen~nt 260 is pinned eccentrically to both disks 280, 282 at ~ '
~''
: ''
.
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.... ~.
- ,
24 1328~6~
equal radii from the relevant rotational axes. Sprocketed pulleys 284, 286 are
fixed to opposite ends of the shafts 276, 278 to permit the sha~ts 276, 278 to
be driven. With each complete rotation of the shafts 276, 278, ~he forked
portion 268 rises through the slots 272,274 in the horizontal supporting
5 surface 250, advances the strip 28 laterally a distance equal to the spacing
between two pairs of conical elements, and then drops below the horizontal
supporting surface 250. The othe~ pushing element 262 is mounted to the
general support frame 62 m a similar manner by means of two disks 288, 290
and two shafts 292, 294 associated with sprocketed pulleys 296, 298.
A common sprocketed belt 300 joins and simultaneously
drives the four sprocketed pulleys 284, 286, 296, 298 thereby synchronizmg
the operation of the two pushing elements 260, 262. A sliding sprocketed
idler pulley 302 permits tension in the belt 300 to be adjusted in a
conventional manner. One shaft 276 carries a major sprocketed drive pulley
304 which is coupled to an electric motor 306by means of a sprocketed
pulley 308 fixed to the motor shaft and a sp~ocketed drive belt 310 connecting
the two pulleys 308, 312. A sliding sprocketed idler pulley 312 permits
tension in the belt 310 to be adjusted in a conventional manner. The motion
of the two pushing elements 260,262 is ~med such that one descends below
20 the horizontal suppor~dng surface 250 ~thereby ceasing pushing) as the other
ascends through the hori~ontal supporting sur~ace 250 (thereby commencing
pushing). For a brief instant during this transition, both elements 260, 262
are pushing. The general object is to provide a continuous advancing action
and to prevent the s~ip 28 from slipping in a downstream direction.
The cuttmg operation is pe~oImed by a rotary cutting element
320 comprising a disk 322 and a blade 324 extending radially from the
periphery of the disk 322. The cutting element 320 is mounted to the general
.
.. :, . . : -
- . . .
.. .
~: : '' , ~ .. .. .
1328168
support structure for rotation in a conventional manner. The advancing strip
28 is held down adjacent to the cutting element 320 by an overhanging
structure 326 spaced a small distance above the horizontal support surface.
As the end portion 252 of the s~ip 28 approaches the cutting position, air
under pressure is supplied through a conduit 328 and ejected through a nozzle
330 formed in the overhanging structure 326 to prevent the end portion 252
from curling upwardly when otherwise engaged by a pushing element
described more fully below.
The rotaIy cutting element 320 is driven together with the two
pushing elements 260, 262 and their relative operation is synchronized. The
rotary cutting element 320 is driven by a gear mechanism which comprises
two meshed bevel gears 338, 340. One bevel gear 340 is mounted on a drive
shaft 342 together with a sprocketed drive pulley 344, and is operated by the
same sprocketed belt 310 which provides motive power to the two pushing
elements 260,262 associated with ~e advancing mechanism. The
transmission ratios are selected such that the cut~ng blade 324 rotates once
with each complete cycle of vne pushmg element. Accordingly, one bow
component is cut from the strip 28 with each advancing of ~e strip by each of
the pushing elements 260, 262. Appropriate ~ansmission ratio can be set by
selecting the size of the sprocketed drive pulleys in an conventional manner. : '
The relative ~ning of the advancing and cutting operations can be adjusted by
loosening the drive belts 300, 310 and locating the two pushing elements 260,
262 and the rota~ cutting element 320by hand in predetermined orientations
and then ensuring that ~e drive belts 300, 310 are properly engaged with the
respective pulleys.
In this particular embodirnent of the invention, collection of the
bow components forrned by the rotaly cutting element 320 involves the
,
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132816~
26
operation of a pushing element 34B formed with a cross-bar 350. This
cross-bar 350 pushes each bow components substantially contemporaneously
with the cutting of the bow component onto one of the collecting elements 46,
48 curren~y at the collecting station 36. Although not illustrated, it should benoted that the pushing element 348 has a central opening in the cross-bar 350
which receives the prongs of the collecting elements 46, 48. This opening
may be ~llled with a foamed plastic to provide support for the bow
components during the piercing operation and yet accomm~date ~e prongæ.
The pushing element 348 is mounted on an elongate drive
assembly illustrated in fig. 17 and comprising two push rods 352, 354 joined
by a pivot pin 356. The upper push rod 352 is guided for vertical movement
within a longitudinal groove 358 formed in steel block 360 fixed to the
general frarne 62 and is retained therein by a closure plate 362 bolted to the
bloclc 360. This arrangement guides movement of the pushing element 348
along the axis of the collecting element currently at the collecting sta~on 36,
transv~rse to the direction in which the strip end portion 252 is being
advanced. The lower push rod 354 is coupled eccentrically to a rotaly
member 364 with a pivot pin 366.
The rotary member 364 is mounted by two bearings 368 in the
interior of a support shucture 370 ~or rotation about a horizontal axis. It is
rotated by the motor 306 through a sprocket pulley 372 mounted on the rotary
member 364, a sprocket pulley 374 mounted on the motor shaft, and a
sprocketed drive belt 376 connecting the two sprocket wheels 372,374. The
pushing element 348 is consequently moved in a reciprocating fashion along
the transverse axis against each bow component thereby causing the bow
component to be pierced by the collecting element.
132~16~
27
The stroke of the pushing element 348 is progressively
shortened in roughly one-eighth inch increments during collection of each
bow component of a set. The general object is to ensure that the bow
components are not tightly packed when pushed onto the collecting element,
5 as this detracts drastically from the quality of the finished product. To thatend, a threaded shaft 378 is mounted to the rotary member 364 in part by a
pair of beanngs 380 which permit rotation of the threaded shaft 378 about its
longitudinal axis, perpendicular to the horizontal rotational axis of the rotary -
member 364. A first bevel gear 382 is keyed to the exterior of the threaded
shaft 378, and a second bevel gear 384 is meshed with the first bevel gear
382. The second bevel gear 384 is keyed onto a drive shaft 386 which is
supported in the interior of the rotary member 364 by two bearmgs 388 for
rotation about the horizontal rotation axis of the rotary member 364. This
drive shaft 386 is normally maintained stationary during collection of the set
15 of bow components. Rotation of the rotary member 364 conse~uently
produces a rotation of the threaded shaft 378 about its longitudinal axis and a
simultaneous rotation of the threaded shaft 378 with the rotary member 364
about the horizontal rotational axis of the rotary member 364. A threaded
follower 390 is meshed with the threaded shaft 378 such that rotation of the
20 threaded shaft 378 about its longitudinal axis causes displacement of the
follower 390 ax~ally along the shaft 37~. The pivot pin 366 eccentrically
coupling the lower push rod 354 to the rotaly member 364 is fixed to the
follower 390. Accordingly, with each rotation of the rota~y member 364, the
follower 390 travels along the threaded shaft 378 towards the horizontal ;
25 rotation axis by a distance corresponding to the pitch of ~e shaft threads. The
stroke of the pushing element 348 is consequently shortened by a
corresponding amount as each bow component is collected.
:; ,
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., ~ ~ . .
132~16~
28
The stroke of the pushing element 348 is reset to a
predetermined value once a set of thirteen bow components has been formed
on a collecting element. A separate resetting motor 392 is provided for such
purposes. The resetting motor 392 is coupled to the threaded shaft 378 by a
5 linkage which includes the drive shaft 386 mounted in the interior of the
rotary member 364 and the pair of bevel gears. A sprocketed pulley 394 is
attached to the drive shaft 386 and coupled by a sp~ocketed belt 396 to the
resetting motor 392 to perrnit rotation of the drive shaft 386. When the i
resetting motor 392 is actuated, the drive sha~t 386 is rotated thereby causing
10 the threaded shaft 378 to rotat about its longitudinal axis in a direction
opposite to that occasioned by normal rotation of the rotary member 364.
Tbis causes the follower 390 to travel away from the ho~zontal rotational axis
of tbe rotary member 364, effectively increasing ~e stroke of the pushing
element 348.
The process of resetting the stroke of the pushing element 348
is stopped when ~e stroke acquires a predetermined value by a mechanism
illustrated in figs. 11, 14 and 17. The mechanism comprises a plate-l~ce
pivot arm 398 having one end portion connected by a pivot pin 400 t~ the
general support frame 62. The opposing free end portion 402 of the a~n 398
20 is formed with an upwardly projecting s~ucture defining a concave
par~-circular edge 4W which can be engaged by the bottom of the lower push
rod. The free arm end portion 402 has a horizontal projection which supports
a vertically-oriented reflecting pin 406. An optical sensor 408 is mounted on
the exterior of the general support frame 62 and directs a beam 410 of light
25 horizontally in the general direction of Ihe reflecting pin 406. A solenoid 412
is mounted to ~e general support frame 62 and positioned such that a shaft
414 associated with the solenoid 412 deflects the aIm 398 downwardly
,
.
' ', :~ , ' - ~
-` ~32816~
29
completely free of the lower push rod ~to avoid clanging durmg the collecting
process). The position of the reflective pin 406 when the arm 398 is so
deflected is indicated in stippled outline at 416 in fig.14. A biasing spring
418 acting between the general suppolt frame 62 and the arm 398 tends to
draw the free arm end portion 402 upwardly. When a complete set of bows
has been collected at the collecting element currently at the collecting station36, the solenoid 412 is deactivated by the central controller 52 allowing the
arm 398 to swing upwardly. This engages the bottom of ~e lower push rod
with the part~ircular edge 404 and orients the reflecting pin 406 in
substantially the position indicated in stippled outline at 420 in fig. 14. The
resetting motor 392 is then actuated to displace the follower 390 away from
the rotational axis of the rotary member 364, and the arm 398 pivots
downwardly with the attendant downward movement of the lower push rod.
The exact position of the lower push rod relative to the arm 398 is not cxitical
as it engages the part-circular edge 404 defined in the arm 398. When the
arm 398 has been pushed down un~l the reflecting pin 406 no longer
interrupts the sensor beam 410 as in the orientation indicated in solid outline
in fig. 14, ~e sensor 408 sends a signal to the controller 52 indicating that the
stroke of the pushing element has been reset to a ~edetennined value. The
central contro~ler 52 then deactivates the resetting motor 392 and acthates the
solenoid 412 to push the arm 398 downwardly in preparation for the
collection of the next set of bow components. The reflecting pin 406 may be
threaded onto horizontal projection suppor~ng the pin to perrnit adjustment of
the reset value of the stroke.
The timing of the operatioDs at ~e collecting station 36 will be
described with reference to figs. 11 and 1~. First, the operation of the
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~32~6~
pushing elements 260, 262 is mechanically synchronized with the advancing
and cutting operations in the manner described above. The object is to ensure
that the cutting of a bow component commences after the central portion of the
bow component has been pierced by the collecting element currently at the
5 collecting station 36, the prongs associated with the collecting element serving
to hold the bow component in place durmg the cutting operation. Second, the
operations at the collecting station 36 are timed by a tirning wheel 424
mounted on the drive shaft associated with the principal motor 306.
The direction of rotation of the timing wheel 424 is clockwise
in fig. 11. The timing wheel 424 is cut to define three radially~irected edges:
a leading edge 426 extending between innerrnost and outermost radii of the
timing plate; a f-rst trailing edge 428 starting at an mtermediate radius of thetim~ng wheel 424 and terminat~ng at an outermost radius; a second trailing
edge 430 star~ng at an innermost radius of the timing wheel 424 and
terminating at the intermediate radius. First and second op~cal sensors 432, ;
434 are mounted on the general SUppOIt frame 62 and projects two beams of
light horizontally at radii commensurate respecthrely with the radial spans of
first and second trailing edges 428, 430. -
The second optical sensor 434 effectively counts the bow
20 components being collected on the collecting element currently at the
collecting station 36. Whenever the leading edge 426 of the fiming wheel 424
interrupts and reflects the beam of the second sensor 434, the second sensor
434 produces a signal effectively indicating that a bow component has been
colle ted. The position of the t~ming wheel 424 on the motor shaft is selected
25 such that the signal is generated substantially when the pushing element 348 is
at the lowest point in its stroke. This signal indicates to the controller 52 that
the collecting element currently at the collecting station 36 may be indexed (as
~32~168
31
described more fully below). The same signal is also tallied by the central
controller 52 until a tally of thirteen is reached, indicating collection of a full
set of bow components, and the controller 52 then terminates the operat;on of
the principal drive motor. It should be noted that the expanse of disk 450
between the leading edge 426 and the second trailing edge 430 is provided to
permit the controller 52 sufficient time to poll the second optical sensor 434
and obtain the relevant signal.
The expanse of disk 450 between the leading edge 426 and the
first trailing edge 428 represents a star~ng or home region for co~unencement
of collection operations. This is detected by the first optical sensor 432 when
the leading edge 426 interrupts and reflects the sensor's beam. When the
home region is achieved after a count of thirteçn bow components, the
controllçr 52 interchanges the collecting elements 46, 48, actuates the resetting
motor 392 to reset the stroke of the pushing element 348, and initiates another
cycle of bow component cutting and collection. The purpose of providing
such a home region is to accornrnodate delays in halting the operation of the
drive motor 310. In palticular, the mechanism for limiting 1he resetting ~f the
stroke of the pushing element 348 requires the pushing element 348 to be near
the bottom of its stroke (within the part~ircular edge 404 of the pivoting arm
398 described above). If there is an overshooting of the home region when
the motor 310 is being stopped, the controller ~2 slowly reverses the drive
motor 310 until the home region is achieved (indicated by reflection of the
beam produced by the first optical sensor 432. An a]ternative to such
operation would be to replace the driven rnotor 310 with a servo-motor which
can be more readily controlled.
It should be noted that the central controller 52 compares the
rate of production of the strip 16 with the rate of co~ection of bow
.,
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~L328168
32
components and operates the rotary die 14 and the sets 24, 26 Qf
cone-forming assemblies so as to ensure that the strip 16 is produced at an
appropriate rate. A loose run of the strip 16 tas apparent in fig. 1) should be
maintained between the sets 24, 26 of cone-forming assemblies and the
advancing mechanism to ensure that the collecting station 36 is always
adequately supplied and that no break in the strip 16 occurs. `
As previously mentioned, there are two collecting elements 46,
48 in this embodiment of the machinery 10. These collecting elements 46, 48
are supported from a horizontal platform 440. The pla~orm 440 is mounted
to the top of a vertically-oriented cylindrical shaft 442 which is supported forrotation about its vertical longitudinal axis with appropriate bearings (not
illustrated) mounted in a support block 444. The motive means for producing
rotation is a pneumatic cylinder M6. I~e cylinder 446 is coupled to the
cylindrical shaft 442 in a manner analogous to that in which the pneumatic
cylinders 220, 226 are coupled to the individual winder assemblies, and
consequently has not been illustrated. Basically, a toothed rack is attached to
one end of the piston rod associated wi~h the pneumatic cylind~r ~6, and the
rack is meshed wi~ a gear fixed to the cylindrical shaft 442. When the
pneumatic cylinder 446 is extended fully, the cylindrical shaft 442 rotates
through 180 degrees in a first direction thereby interchanging the two
collecting elements 46, 48 at the stripping and collecting stations. When the
cylinder 446 is fully contracted, the cylindrical sup~ort rotates back through
180 degrees, once again interchanging ~e two collecting elements 46, 4B.
Magnetic sensors (not illustrated) at opposing ends OI the pneumatic cylinder
446 indicate when ~e fully-contracted and fully~xtended states of the
cylinder 446, and consequently provide the controller 52 with signals
;, ~ ,
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:. ..
, ~ ~
1328~
33
identifying which of the collecting elements 46, 48 is currendy at the
collecting station 36 and which is currently at the stripping station 50. This is
significant since, in this embodiment of the invention, the two collecting
elements 46, 48 are of different lengths and dedicated to collecting two
5 distinct sets of bow components. It will be appreciated that the two collecting
elements 46, 48 are indexed through a predetermined, albeit limited, closed
circuit which in this particular embodiment of the invention comprises only
the stripping and collecting stations. One collecting element bearing no leaves
is positioned with each indexing at the collecting station 36, while the other
10 collecting element (which was previously formed with leaves) is then
positioned at the stripping station 50. Additional collecting elements might be
introduced and indexed through more stations in variants of the system
described herein, but this would not appear to enhance operations.
The collecting element 48 shown at the stripping station 50 in
figs. 12 and 13 is typical. It comprises two prongs 448 tapered and pointed
to p~nit pierc~ng of ~e central portion of each bow component cut from ~e
strip 28. The prongs 448 are fixed in substan~ally par~llel relationship to a
supporting disk 450 associated with the colleeting element 48. Since two
prongs 448 are used, the angular relationship of each bow component relative
20 to the longitudinal axis of the collecting element 48 is fixed when pierced.
The collecting element 48 is mounted to the horizontal platfolm
440 for rotation about a longitudinal c~llecting element axis. The mounting
means comprise a drive shaft 452 which ~lts into a passage 454 extending
vertically through the horizontal support platform 440. The ends of the
25 passage 454 are expanded radially to define seating surfaces fo~ two bearings456. These bearings 4$6 support the dlive shaft 452 for rotation about its
vertical longitudinal axis. An upper end portion of the shaft 452 has a
.
~32~:L6`~
34
shoulder 4S8 which bears against the upper surface of the horizontal support
platform 440. A lower end portion of the shaft 452 is formed with a circular
recess that receives a C~lip 460 to complete its retention to the horizontal
support platform 440. The disk 450 of the collecting element 48 is sirnply
bolted to the lower end of the drive sha~t 452 for rotation therewith. A
sprocketed pulley 462 is fixed to an upper end of the shaft 452 and is coupled :~
by a toothed belt 464 to another sprocketed pulley 466 associated with a
stepper motor 468. The stepper motor 468 is ultimately controlled by the
central controller 52 which causes the collecting element 48 to be indexed in ~`
predetermined angular increments about its longitudinal axis with each bow
component collerted.
Each collecting element is associated with similar stripping
members. The stripping member 470 associated with the collecting element ~;
48 currently shown at the stripping station 50 in figs. 12 and 13 is mounted at
one end of an elongate shaft 472. A longitudinal passage is formed centrally
through the drive shaft 452, and the elongate shaft 472 supporting the
stripping member 470 is mounted for vertical sliding movement within the
passage 474 and through an aligned clearance hole of the disk 450 associated
with the collecting element 48. The stripping member 470 is a disk-shaped
element with a pair of apertures which receive the prongs 448 of the collecting
element 48 and which pennit displacement of the stripping member 470
between a retracted position at one upper end of the prongs 448 and an
advanced position at an opposing lower end of the prongs 448. An upper end
of the shaft 472 supportirlg the stripping member 470 is ~ead and receives
an elongate internally threaded head 480. A biasing spring 492 mounted
about the shaft 472 acts between the top of the sprocketed drive pulley 462
and the head 480. The spring 492 applies an upward resilient restonng foIce
. ' ', ~ ~ '
.
~3~8168
to the shaft 472 which tends to return the stripping member 470 to its retractedposition. It should be noted that the mounting of the shaft 472 permits
rotation of the stripping member 470 with the collecting element 48 during
indexing about the axis of the collecting element 48.
A pneumatic cylinder 494 with a driving element 496 is
positioned at the collecting station 36. The pneurnatic cylinder 494is
supported by an arm extending from the general support ~rame 62. When the
pneumatic cylinder 494 is fully retracted, the driving element 496 is
positioned a predeterm~ned distance, for example, above the head 480
associated with the collecting element cuIrently at the stripping station 50, asapparent in fig. 13. As apparent in figs. 12, the pneumatic cylinder 494 can
be actuated by the controller S2 to drive the element 496 against, for example,
the head 480 ta displace the stripping member 470 f~om its retracted position
to its advanced position thereby pushing a collected set of bow components
from ~e collecting element onto a backing member (such as the set of bow
components 498 being str~pped onto an upper face of the backing member
500 in ~lg. 12). It should be noted that the driving element 49Ç is screw
threaded onto a threaded portion of the piston rod associated with the
pneumatic cylind~ 494 to perm~t adiustment OI the clearance between the
driving element 496 and the head 480. This pe~nits adjustment of the range
of moving of lhe s~ipping element, and in particular, pe~n~ts adjustment of
the advanced ~sition to c~incide with the ends of the prongs 448.
The two collecting elements 46, 48 are substantially identical
except that the prongs of the collecting element 48 shown at the stripping
station 50 in figs. 12 and 13 are about 1/4 inch shorter and have tips
positioned about 1/4 inch higher than those associated with the other
.- .
,~ ` ' ' ' ' .
:
` ` ~ 3 ~ 8
36
collecting element 4S. The head 480 associated with the shorter collecting
element 48 is also adjusted to be about 1/4 inch lower than the head associated
with the longer collecting element 46. The longer collecting element 46 is
devoted en~irely to collecting the first set of thirteen bow components to be
5 applied to each backing member; the shorter collecting element 48 is devoted
entirely to collecting the second set of thirteen bow components to be stacked
onto the first set. In this embodiment of the invention, the bac~cing members
delivered to the collecting station 36 are maintained at a single height during
the stripp~ng operations. The purpose of this arrangement is consequently to
10 accommodate the thickness of the central portions of the first set of bow
components when fixed to a backing member. One alternative would be to ,
adjust the vertical position of the stapling mechanism and the vertical positionof the backing member during stapling operations prior to each
interchangement of collecting elements 46, 48.
15Bow components a~e stripped in the angular relationship in
which they have been collected onto an upper face of the backing member
currently at ~e stripping statiotl 50. They are then fixed in the particular
angular relatianship to the backing member by an air-powered stapler 510.
The stapler 510 is part of a stapling assembly 512 mounted on a horizontal
20 platform 514 which is vertically displaceable by a pair of pneumatic cylinders
516 between a retracted (lowered) position and an advanced (raised) position.
Full contraction of the cylinders 516 corresponds to the retracted position;
full extension of the cylinders 516 corresponds to the advanced position ~n
which a staple ejec~ing port is positioned immediately against the lower
25 opposing surface of the backing member. Magnetic sensors (not illustrated)
associated wi~ opposing ends of these cylinders 516 indicate to the controller
52 ~e retracted and advanced s~ates.
:'
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132816~ .
37
The stapler 510 has a trigger 518 which is operated by a
horizontally~riented pneumatic cylinder 520 with a relatively short stroke.
The piston rod of the pneumatic cylinder 520 is terminated witb a conical
actuating element 522. In a retracted position, the conical actuating element
S22 is positioned immediately adjacent tbe trigger 518, but the trigger 518 is
not depressed. When the pneumatic cylinder 520 is extended, a portion of the
conical actuating element 522 with a larger cross-section engages and
depresses the trigger 518 thereby causing ejection of a staple. Magnetic
sensors (not illustrated) associated with the trigger controlling cylinder 520
1~) indicate fully~ontracted and fully-extended states of the cylinder 520corresponding to activation and deactivation of the stapler 510. '~
The stapling assembly 512 includes a rubber suction cup 524
which is mounted on a rigid suction line 526. The suction cup 524 is
positioned to engage the lower face of a backing member delivered to the ``
stripping station 50 when the stapling assembly 512 is raised. The cup 524
has a central aperture 528 through which negative pressure is applied to the :,
bottom face of the backing member to hold the bacldng member securing
during the stripping and stapling ope~adons. A nozzle 530 is mounted on and
receives pressur~zed air flows from a conduit 532 fixed to the stapling ' '
assembly 512. When such p~essurized air flows are applied to the nozzle
530, and suction is no longer applied to the suction cup 524, a finished bow
seated on the suction cup 524 is blown away from machinery, as to a
~eceptacle.
Bacl~ng members are delivered at intervals to the stripping
station 50. These backing members are f~rmed as a continuous roll 540 and
mounted on a reel 542 which rotates with a shaft 544 rotatably mounted on
the general support frame 62. They are dravwn from the reel 542 by a movable
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~3281~8
38
jaw 546 comprising a large rectangular slide 548, a U-shaped jaw member
S50 which is fixed to the top of the slide 548 and through which the backing
members are extended, and a squat vertically-oriented pneumatic cylinder (not
illustrated) which is mounted within the slide 548 and which has a piston rod
term~nated with a circular pad whose diameter is smaller than the width of the
backing members. The pad can be extended vertically through an upper
surface of the slide 548 to clamp a backing member between the pad and the
interior surface of the U-shaped jaw member 550. The slide 548 is
bearing-mounted to a horizontal track 552 and can be moved between a
retracted position (solid in fig. 9) and an advanced position (stippled in fig. 9)
prox~mate to a stationary jaw 5S4. A pneumatic cylinder 556 is mounted to
the track 552 for such purposes and operably connected to the slide 548. The
stationary jaw ~54 is substantially identical to the movable jaw 546. It
comprises a U-shaped jaw member 55~ mounted on top of a support block ;
560 and a verlically-oriented pneumatic cylinder mounted with the support
block 560 and operable to press a backing member against the U-shaped jaw
member 558. All pneumatic cylindcr asso iated with the backing member
delive~y system have pairs of magnetic sensors at opposing ends thereof to
indicate fully extended and contracted states, which correspond to the
comple~on of the vanous process steps actuated by the cylinders.
To advance a new backing member to the stripping station 50,
the stationaly jaw S54 is released and a signal is ~ansmitted to the controller
52 to indicate that the associated pneumatic clarnping cylinder has fully
contracted. The con~oller 52 then actuates the clamping cylinder of the
movable jaw 546. Upon receipt of a signal from the clamping cylinder that
the clamping has been initiated, the controller 52 actuates the slide cylinder
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39
556 which slides the movable jaw 546 in a clamped state towards the ;
stationary jaw 554. This advances a backing member along a parallel pair of
channeled guides 562 extending between the movable and stationary jaws and
mounted for sliding movement relative to the movable jaw 546. The magnetic
5 sensors associated with the pneumatic cylinder 556 indicate to the controller
52 when this advancing operation is complete. The stationary jaw 554 is then
actuated by the controller 52 to clamp the bacldng member advanced through
the stationary jaw 554, the controller 52 being signaled by sensors associated
with the clamping cylindçr of the stationary jaw 554 that such clamping has
10 been initiated. The movable jaw S46 is then released, and up~n receipt of
sensor signals indicating such release, the controller 52 causes the slide
cylinder 556 to retract the movable jaw 546. The controller 52 receives a
signal from the sensors associated with the slide cylinder ~56 (now fully
contracted) indicating when the retraction is complete.
Once anew backing member has been advanced to the
stripping station 50, the controller 52 causes the stapling assembly 512 to be
displaced from its retracted position to its advanced position. The suction cup
524 then engages the lower face of the backing member. When so gripped by ':
the suction cup 5~4, the backing member is cut from the roll 540 by a blade
564 which is momentarily advanced by a pneumatic cylinder 566 along a track
568 and then retr~cted to a rest position. The advancing of the stapling
assembly 512, application of suction to the cup 524, and the cuffing operation
are once again timed by sensors at opposing ends of the relevant pneumatic
cylinders and providing signals to the controller 52 to indicate the sequence of25 events occurring.
An optical sensor 170 positioned downstr~am of the movable
jaw 546 responds to dark patches printed on the backing members. These
13281~8
patches are positioned to indicate that the backing members are being properly
advanced. In particular, registration of a dark patch with optical sensor 570
indicates to the controller 52 that a backing member advanced to the stationary
jaw 554 is properly positioned for cutting and separation from the roller. An ;~
5 alternative which may be more reliable is to allow the optical sensor to sightthrough a hole normally provided in a backing member to perrnit a finished
bow to be hung in a conventional manner from a retail display rack.
The stripping and stapling processes are controlled by the
central controller 52 in a cyclic fashion. It will be assumed that the shorter
10 collecting element is currently at the stripping station S0 and that a bow has
just been completed. The controller 52 actuates a compressed air flow
through the nozzle 530 to eject the ~mished bow from the stapling assembly
512. The controller 52 then causes the stapling assembly 512 to be displaced
to its retracted position to permit delivery of a new backing member. The
15 magnetic sensors associated with cylinders 516 supporting the stapling
assembly 512 indicates when the retraction is complete. Ihe controller 52
then actuates the bacldng member delivery system to deliver a new backing
member to the stripping station 50 in the manner described above. l`he
sensors associated with the backing member deliver system indicate when this
20 operation is complete. The con~ller 52 then actuates the pneumatic cylinders
516 supporting the stapling assembly 512 to place the stapler 510 immediately
against the bott~m of the backing element to engage the suction cup 524 with
the baclcing member. When the sensors associated with pneumatic cylinders
516 indicate that the stapling assembly 512 has been fully advanced, the
25 controller 52 actuates the suction line 526 to grip the backing member with the
suction cup 524. It also actuates the pneumatic cylinder S66 associated with
the blade 564 to sever the backing member from the roll 540.
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41
The controller 52 then initiates the interchangement of the two
collecting elements 46, 48. The central controller 52 is signalled when the
collecting element are interchanged and the longer collecting element 46 with a
5 set of bow components is positioned at the stripping station 50. The requisitesignal is provided by the magnetic sensors associated with the pneumatic
cylinder 446 which rotates the cylindrical shaft 442 supporting the collecting
elements 46, 48 and associated stepper motors. Another optical sensor 572 is
fixed to the general support frame and directs a beam of light horizontally
10 towards the head associated wi~ the collecting element 4~ currently at the
collecting station 36. The signal generated by reflection of the beam signals
the controller 52 that the par~icular collecting element is properly oriented for
collection and that the stripping element has not failed for some reason to
return to its retracted position.
The con~roller 5~ then astuates the cylinder 494 operating the
driving element 496 to strip the set of bow components frorn the longer
collecting element A6 onto the backing member. Magnetic sensors associated
wi~ the driving cylinder 494 indicate to the controller 52 when the stripping
member has been fu~ly advanced. The central controller 52 then actuates ~e
trigger controlling ~linder 520 to extend ~ereby tiiggering the stapler 510
and driving a staple ~rwgh the backing member and ~rough the stripped set
of bow component~? It should be noted that during the stapling, the driving
cylinder 494 is maintained fully extended (analogous to fig. 12) so that the
stripping member s~ s not only to maintain the set of bow components
against the backing mer~ber but also serves as a necessary anvil to bend the
legs of the driven staple ~gainst the backing member. The sensors associated
with the triggering ~yl~nd~r 520 indicate when the cylinder 520 has been fully
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42
extended and the controller 52 then causes the triggering cylinder 520 to be
retracted.
The con~roller 52 then awaits completion of the collection of
bows components on the short collecting element 48 which is the at the
5 collecting station 36. The timing wheel 424 and the pivoting arm ultimately
generate signals indicating that the timing wheel 424 is at its home position
and that the resetting of the stroke of the push~ng element 348 is complete.
The controller 52 then actuates the pneumatic cylinder 446 which rotates the
platform 440 supporting the collçcting elements 46, 48, effectively placing the
10 shorter collectmg element 48 at the stripping station 50 with a second set ofbows. The magnetic sensors associated with the pneumatic cylinder 446
indicate when the interchangemenL of collecting elements 46, 48 is complete.
The controller 52 then repeats the stnpping and stapling steps described
immediately above with the shorter collec~ng element 48. Since a complete
15 bow has now been formed, the control cycle is repeated.
The overall process of fonning bows will now be described in
general detail. The sheet material dispensing assembly, the rotary die 14 and
the cone-forming assemblies 24, 26 are operated at regular intervals to
produce a continuous strip 28 of sheet matenal having the required paired
20 conical elements.
A first set of bow components is formed on the collecting
element 46 with the longer set of prongs. This is done by continuously
advancing the strip 28 towards the collecting station 36 and a cutt~ng position
relative to the rotaly cutt~ng element and repeatedly cut~ng the strip end
25 portion 252, piercing the central portion of the component with the collecting
element, cutting the end portion 252 of the strip 28 to separate a bow
component, and indexing the collecting element 46 through a pr~determined
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43 ~ 32~8
angle about its axis after each component is cut and pierced. A set of bow
components previously collected on the shorter collecting element 48 now at
the stripping station 50 is substantially contemporaneously stripped onto a
backing member to complete a bow then in process at the stripping station 50
and the central portions of the stripped set of bow components are stapled to
the backing member. The finished bow is removed with a burst of
compressed air; the stapling assembly 512 is lowered to permit a new backing
member to be delivered to the stIipping station 50; and the stapling assembly
512 is once again raised to an operative position in which the new backing
member is supported by the suction cup S24.
The pair of collecting elements 46, 48 are then indexed
between the collecting and stripping stations, placing the longer collecting
element 46 at the stripping station 50 with a first set of bow components for
the new backing member and placing the shorter collecting element 48 at the
15 collecting station 36 with no bow components. The steps associated with
foTming a set of bow components and the steps associated with stripping and
fixing bow components to a backing member are ~en repeated at the
respective stations.
The pair of collecting components 46, 48 are once again
interchanged. The shorter collecting element 48 is then at the stripping station50 with a second set of bow components for the bow in process at the
stripping station 50. The longer collecting element 46 is then at the collectingstation 36 awaiting formation of a f~st set of bow components for a new
backing member to be delivered to the stripping station 50 once the bow in
process at the stripping station ~0 is complete. One cycle is of operation is
now complete. Ihe processes as described above are then repeated to provide
continuous bow production.
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` 13281~8
44 ;
The central controller 52 is constituted principally by a
p~ogrammable logic controller (PLC). A number of functions are prefeMbly
perforrned mdependent of the PLC to simplify programming. The dispensing
of sheet material, for example, is controlled directly in response to the optical
sensor 80 associated with the slackened loop 72 thereby requiring no
intervention by the central con~oller 52. The operation of the die 14 and
conveyor 100 requires only an actuating signal from the PLC and response by
the PLC to the signal generated by the cut~ff switch 154. I'he operation of
the adhesive dispensers 168, 170 can be controlled by a separate timing board
in response solely to the optical sensor llB and timing plate 116. The
programming of the PLC to implement the remaining functions in response to
the various sensors will be readily apparent to a skilled programmer.
A bow 574 produced accord~ng to the above process and
mounted on a backing member 576 is illustrated in ~Ig. 6. Although it closely
resembles the bow described in prior U.S. patent No. 4,661,197, it is
constructed exclusively of bow components consisting of an elongate central
portion and a pair of conical elements integrally formed at opposing ends of
the central portioll. The bow components are stacked along a vertical central
axis with each bow component rotated relative to any ~Imediately overla~d
bow component by a predetenn~ned angle.
During the production of the bow 574, the stepper motors
index their respective collecting elements 46, 48 in increments indicated in thetable below. The home position or orientation at the collecting station 36 of
the two prongs of each collecting element is initially a plane parallel to the
direction of movement of the s~ip end portion 252 towards the rotary cutting
element 320 and containing the vertical longitudinal axis of the collec~ng
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132~68
element. The headings "First Set" atld "5econd Set" indicate the two sets of
bow components used to form a bow according to the processes described
above, in the order in which they are fixed to a backing member (that ;s, the
second set is uppermost). ~he numbers under ~ese headings identify bow
5 components in the order in which they are collected on each collecting elementand consequently their vertical order from top to bottom as located on the
backing member 576. The numbers under the heading "Index Angle" indicate
relative angular indexing in degrees between successive bow components in a
common direction, ~e ~lrst such entry in each column being relative to the
10 common plane containing the home position of the prongs of both collecting
elements at the collecting station S0. Although precise figures are provided
below, it will be appreciated that such preclse angular increments will not be
achieved in practice. Variations of a few degrees with each indexing are
acceptable.
First Set ~ndex Angle Second Set Index Angle
22.5 1 4~
2 67.5 2 90
3 45 3 45
4- ~5 4 90
67.5 ~ 67.5
6 45 6 45
7 45 7 45
20 8 45 8 45
9 67.5 9 67.5
11 45 11 45
12 90 12 67.5
13 45 13 22.5
These indexing inc,rements also defime the angular relationship in a common
direction about a ver~cal central axis between each par~cular bow component
and any immediately supe~acent bow component. With respect the first bow
components in each set, ~e index angle represents the angle by which each o~
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13~8:l~8
46
these components is rotated in the common direction relative to a plane
containing the vertical axis. A principal object of this angular relationship
above is to ensure ~at bow components will be forced upwardly by
underlieing bow components to provide an overall hemispheric appearance.
5 The angular increments above were determined empirically. In any alternative
indexing arrangement, considerable care must be exercised in selecting the
increments if an esthetically pleasing, hemispheric bow is to result.
It will appreciated that particular embodiments of the invention
have been described and that modifications may be made therein without
10 depar~ing ~rom the spirit of the invention or necessarily departing from the
scope of ~e appended claims.
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