Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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"Collating device for flat goods, particularly cards"
The invention relates to a collating device
for flat goods, particularly cards, which comprises an en-
dless conveyor with at least one conveying strip for the
goods.
"Conveying strip" should be understood here
in the largest meaning in such a way that it might mean he-
reinafter both a perforated or unperforated belt or band and
one or more chains.
Such devices are notably used for collating
playing cards. The cut-out playing cards are located in one
or more rows on the top portion of an endless conveying
band.
First of all the cards from each row should
be collected in groups and in the case of playing cards, it
is desired that the collected cards lie in the same sequence
as the one in which they were fed by the conveying device.
In known collating devices of this kind, use is made of slan-
ting chutes with such a construction that the cards which
are fed horizontally are tilted to the vertical position,
2~ whereby the various chutes open together in such a way that
the tilted cards in the various chutes are finally located
vertically against one another. The small packages thus for-
med in sequence are received on a band running cross-wise to
the chutes whereby thus the succeeding packages follow one
another vertically. Actually those cards which are fed simul-
taneously in the various rows are first collected and af-
terwards only the following cards in the rows. While this
per se is not a disadvantage, said known devices have howe-
113712~3
ver the following drawbacl;s : the collating devic~ does noLallow obtaining separate packages corresponding to a card
set ; there is obtained a continuous row of vertically piled
cards which have then to be distributed manually in packages
corresponding to a set. A second drawback lies in the colla-
ting occuring with a limited speed so that the manufacturing
speed is not only limited by a linear speed not to be excee-
ded when cutting, but also due to the collating operation.
The invention has now for object to obviate
these drawbacks and to provide a collating device for flat
goods, particularly cards, which can operate very fast and
whereby the goods are collected in small groups of a well-de-
termined number and according to a well-determined sequence.
For this purpose the collating device com-
prises at least one collecting member which is mounted fa-
cing the one end of the endless conveying strip, to collect
the goods to be collated which are fed along the top side of
said conveying strip, said collecting member having one por-
tion which forms at least during the collecting of goods, a
stop therefor and one portion that stands on the preceding
portion and forms relative to the top side of the correspon-
ding conveying strip, an angle to the movement direction of
said top side and has a free end which lies at another level
than said top side, to cause the goods fed on said top side
to tilt around an axis lying cross-wise to the movement di-
rection thereof.
In a particular embodiment of the inven-
tion, the collecting member comprises a clamping mechanism
to retain the goods collected against the stop-forming por-
tion, at least temporarily against the other portion.
In an advantageous embodiment of the inven-
tion, that collecting member portion which makes an angle at
least during the collecting of goods, to the movement direc-
tion of the conveying strip top side, depends at least du-
ring said collecting, slantingly from said top side and saidportion lies with a free end thereof above the end of the
conveying device.
In an useful embodiment, the collating devi-
ce comprises a plurality of endless conveying strips running
11~'712~
--3--
in parallel relationship, for a plurality of goods rows,
and facing the one end of each such strips lies at least
during the collecting of goods, a collecting member.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the
collecting member is so arranged as to be swingable facing
the one end of the conveying strip and the collating
device comprises means to swing said collecting member at
intervals and to retain same in position facing the one
end of the conveying strip when collecting.
In another particular embodiment of the invention,
the collating device comprises a second endless conveying
device which is arranged below the collecting member to
collect the series of goods collected by said member, and
means to drive said second conveying device.
Thus, an aspect of the invention is as follows:
A collating device for flat goods, particularly
cards, comprising: an endless conveyor with at least one
conveying strip for bearing said goods, said flat goods
being fed along the top side of said conveying strip: at
least one collecting member mounted facing a discharge
end of said endless conveying strip to collect said goods
leaving said conveying strip to be collated, said at
least one collecting member having a first portion, said
first portion at least during the collecting of goods,
being a stop therefor, and a second portion connected
transverselv to said first portion and positioned rela-
tive to said top side of said conveying strip at an
angle to the movement direction of said top side, said
second portion having a free end which is spaced apart
from said top side leaving a gap between said top side
and said free end, said goods fed on said top side pass-
ing through said gap and striking said second portion
and tilting about an axis transverse to the movement of
said conveying strip; a clamping mechanism to retain
said goods at least temporarily against said second
A
1~3712~
-3a-
portion, said goods being stopped against said first
portion and forming an angled surface of said gap; means
for positivelv retaining said flat goods on said at least
one conveving strip for movement therewith while said
conveving strip bears said flat goods on said top surface
to said discharge end, said conveving strip and associated
means for retaining driving said goods beyond said dis-
charge end and against one of said second portion and said
goods forming said angled surface of said gap, said flat
goods being collated in a stack between said second portion
and said clamping mechanism, the flat goods discharged
from said strip being forced between said preceding collated
goods and said clamping mechanism, said last discharged
goods displacing the position of said preceding goods in
said stack of collated goods.
Other details and features of the invention will
stand out from the following description, given by way of
non limitative example and with reference to the accom-
panving drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a side view of a portion of a collat-
ing device for playing cards according to the invention,
whereby plaving cards are shown.
Figure 2 is a side view of another portion of
the collating device from figure 1.
Figure 3 is a cross-section along line III-III in
figure 2.
Figure 4 is a top view of a portion of the device
shown in figures 1-3.
In the various figures, the same reference numerals
pertain to similar elements.
The collating device as shown in the figures
comprises an endless feed conveyor 1 which comprises va-
rious perforated suction belts 2 for the plaving cards 3 to
be collated. The suction belts 2 run with the topmost por-
tion thereof horizontal in parallel relationship with oneanother. The movement direction of said top portion is shown
113712~
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by arrow 8 in figure 1. All of the suction belts 2 run at
both ends of the conveying device 1, over wheels 4. At the
discharge end of the feed conveyor 1, said wheels 4 of the
suction belts 2 are each supported separately in an auxilia-
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l~ fl<~ 5 of thc~il c)wn. ~t the oLher en~l the wlleels 4 arealranDe(l on olle alld the same shart which is driven prefera-
bly interlllet:t:ent:ly, I)y ~l motor not shown in the figures. The
tOpll~OSt l)Ortic,n Or cach one of said suction wheels 2 runs
over a t~lbe-like vacuum chamber 6. The various vacuum cham-
bers 6 are connected through flexible hoses 7 to a vacuum
pump not shown in the figures. The vacuum chambers 6 are
mounted on the auxiliary frame 5 which belongs to the corres-
ponding suction belt 2. The complete vacuum feed conveyor 1
can be so mounted as to be ~;ertically reciprocable on a main
frame not shown in the drawings. This is for example the ca-
se when said feed conveyor 1 is part of a collecting and col-
lating device which connects to a discharge device which
pushes the cards 3 from top to bottom through a frame, said
discharge device connecting in turn to a stamping machine
which stamps the cards 3in a single operation from a sheet.
For discharging through the discharge device and in the stop-
ping stage of the platten in said device, the feed conveyor
1 lies in the topmost position thereof and against the dis-
charge punch in such a way that the discharged cards 3 aredirectly positively sucked by the suction belts 2 and conse-
quently always take an accurately determined position in
which they remain during the movement thereof.
When the collating device connects to a
stamping machine and a discharge device, and when for exam-
ple four card sets are printed in twelve rows of eighteen
cards on one sheet, the feed conveyor l comprises twelve suc-
tion belts 2. At each discharge, eighteen cards 3 are col-
lected on each suction belt 2, said eighteen cards being
first collated in a package and afterwards the twelve packa-
ge have to be collated again into one or more larger packa-
ges.
For this purpose the collating device com-
prises facing the discharge end of each suction belt 2,
three collecting members 9 which are rotatable about a hori-
zontal geometric axis which is directed cross-wise to the
movement direction of the suction belts 2 as shown by arrow
8. Said three collecting members g are made fast to a hori-
zontal shaft 10 which thus runs in the direction of the ro-
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t~t-ion ~l~i5. S~licl three col.lect:ing mem~ers 9are evcrl1y ~is-
tributed over the circulllference of said shaft 10 and they
all lie in a pl.ane wllich is clirected at right angle to the
ro~ation a~is. The axis is common to all. of the series oL
three collecting members 9 facing the various suction belts
2 in such a way that said shaft 10 thus runs over the whole
width below the discharge end of the feed conveyor 1. Said
shaft 10 is supported with ends of smaller cross-section 11
in the above-mentioned main frame, not shown in the figures.
Each one of said collecting members 9 com-
prises two bent fingers 13 of L-shape which lie next to one
another along the lengthwise direction of shaft 10, with a
spacing which is somewhat larger than the width of the cor-
responding suction belt 2. Said fingers 13 are however so
located that due to the rotation of shaft 10, the revolution
direction of which is shown in figure 1 by arrow 12, they
move on either side of the corresponding suction belt 2and
consequently also of the wheel 4 and the auxiliary frame 5
which supports said belt at the discharge end thereof.
It is clear that due to all of the fingers
13 being fast to the same shaft 10 and thus moving together,
those two fingers 13 which are part of two adjacent collec-
ting members 9 and move between two adjacent suction belts 2
may be united into a single finger. With a portion 14 each
one of both fingers 13 of a collecting member is eccentri-
cally made fast to shaft 10. The other portion 15 at right
angle to the above arm of each one of both fingers 13 con-
nects to the one end of portion 14. The portions 15 of all
of the fingers 13 of all of the collecting members 9 lie
with the free end thereof along the same direction, that is
in that direction opposite the revolution direction of shaft
10 as shown by arrow 12. Actually there is obtained some
kind of three-armed swastika whereby the cross arms are ho-
wever not directed radially relative to the center thereof.
Both L-shaped fingers 13 from each collec-
ting member 9 thus halved, project over such a distance and
at such an angle outside shaft 10 that they project with the
portion 15 thereof on either side of the discharge end of
suction belt 2 exactly above the topmost portion of said suc-
.
1~371~r3
tion helt , ~-l t Ic.lst in the lowcrmost position of said hc]t
2 pertainillg l-o mcmber 9 when the suction belt is movable
vert~ically.
Tlle rotation of shaft 10 is obtained inter-
mitenttently by means of a motor not shown in the figures,whereby during the collating one collecting member facing
each suction belt 2 lies every time in a position whereby
the portions 15 of the fingers 13 thereof take the above-des-
cribed position.
The portions 15 of both fingers 13 from a
collecting member lie in the latter position whereby they
thus lie above the one end of the pertaining suction belt 2,
at an angle to the topmost portion of said suction belt 2.
Said portions 15 run downwards away from said end. In the
above-mentioned position, whereby the collecting member 9
stands still for a time to collect cards 3, that end removed
from portion 14 of said portion 15 still lies some distance
above the top side of suction belt 2.
The first card 3 which is fed after the col-
lecting member 9 has reached its position, by a suction belt2 will engage the portions 15 of both fingers 13 from that
collecting member 9 pertaining to the suction belt and is
forced by said portions 15 to make an angle to the top side
of the suction belt 2. Said card is moved up against por-
tions 14 that section of which projecting outside shaft 10forms a stop. The arrangement of both portions 14 from a
collecting member 9 on the shaft 10 and the location of said
shaft 10 relative to the feed conveyor 1 are such that in
the above-mentioned position whereby member 9 collects cards,
the stop-forming section of portions 14 lies at a distance
from the end of suction belt 2 which is shorter than the si-
ze of a card 3 as measured along the direction of arrow 8 in
such a way that the card 3 as it engages portions 14, still
bears with a portion thereof on the end of suction belt 2
and the end thereof removed from portions 14 slants upwards
and is raised from the top side of the topmost portion of
suction belt 2. A following card 3 which is fed by suction
belt 2 will be slipped automatically below said latter-men-
tioned card 3 whereafter also this card 3 will be forced by
11371~3
port:ions 15 of Inenll~er 9 to take a slclnting l~osition and to
lie against the l~receding carcl 3. In this way a series of
carcls 3 fed by one suction belt 2 is collatecl in succession
into a sma].l package whereby each time a following card is
slipped below a preceding card.
It is clear that to be able to cooperate
witll both fingers 13 from a collecting member 9, those cards
3 which are fed by the pertaining suction belt 2, have to
project on either side outside said suction belt 2. The suc-
tion belt 2 has consequently a width which is substantially
smaller than the size of the cards 3as measured at right an-
gle to the direction of arrow 8. The cards 3 are mostly laid
with the cross-wise direction thereof along the movement di-
rection of suction belt 2.
In this way there is thus collated in the
corner formed between the guide-forming portions 15 and the
stop-forming portions 14 of both fingers 13 of the collec-
ting member 9 opposte each suction belt 2, a small package
of playing cards 3.
To prevent that due notably to the rotation
of shaft 10 and collecting member 9, said package should
fall down, each collecting member 9 further comprises a clam-
ping mechanism which is shown generally in 16. Said clamping
mechanism comprises for each finger 13 of the collecting
member 9, a spring wire which is fast to portion 14 and
which extends along portion 15 of finger 13.
When a large enough number of cards 3 fed
on each one of the suction belts 2 has been collated below
that collecting member 9 pertaining to each suction belt 2,
the shaft 10 swings over such an angle that then a following
collecting member 9 takes the position of the preceding mem-
ber and collates in the way described above a second series
of cards 3. While this occurs, the piles of cards 3 remain
due to the clamping mechanism 16 on the first-mentioned col-
lecting members 9. When the second series of collecting mem-
bers 9 has also collated enough cards 3, the shaft 10 swings
again whereby now the third series of collecting members 9
~s located facing the discharge end of the suction belts 2.
~ elow the complete array of collecting mem-
~13712~3
bel-s 9 is al-range<l a second endless con~eyor 17. Said con-
veyor 17 complises ~or each suction belt 2 of the ~eed con-
veyor 1, d pair of endless chains 18 between which are secu-
rcd small bo~es formcd by a bottom 20 and two walls 21 stan-
ding thereon. The walls 21 are directed outwards relative tothe conveyor 17 and stand cross-wise to the endless chains
lS. The boxes 20, 21 are consequently open sideways relative
to the lenghtwise direction of the chains 18. The boxes 20,
21 are secured with the bottom 20 thereof through hinges 19
to the links of the chains 18. Said endless chains 18 from
each pair each run at both ends of the conveyor 17 over a
chain wheel 22 which is made fast by means of circlips 23 to
a shaft 24. Said shaft 24 on which all of the chain wheels
22 at the one end of conveyor 17 are mounted, is supported
with both ends thereof in a frame 25 which may actually be
integral with the above-mentioned main frame (not shown)
wherein the shaft 10 is supported. The shaft 24 at each end
of conveyor 17 runs in parallel relationship with said shaft
lQ whereby the one shaft 24 is located below said shaft 10.
The topmost portion of the chains 18 moves horizontally,
away from the latter-mentioned shaft 24 along the same di-
- rection as the topmost portion of suction belt 2. The move-
ment direction of the chains 18 and thus also of the boxes
20, 21 mounted thereon is shown in figure 2 by arrow 26.
The topmost portion of the endless conveyor
17 is thus comprised of as many rows of boxes 20, 21 running
along the movement direction of the chains 18 as there are
suction belts 2, whereby each row is located below a suction
belt 2 and runs furhter way along the same direction as the
suction belt 2. When the collating device comprises twelve
suction belts 2, it does also comprise twelve rows of small
boxes 20, 21. Said boxes 20, 21 from adjacent rows also lie
directly next to one another in such a way that columns are
thus formed. The number of colums, that is thus the number
of boxes 20, 21 present in one row completely on the topmost
portion of a pair of endless chains 18, is one more than the
number of rows. When the collating device operates, at each
swinging of shaft 10 a package of cards 3from a collecting
member 9 is collected in each box 20, 21 of that box column
1~37~
th;lt I ie~; at tl~e C~ g helow sllaft l() o~ t:he Lol)lnosl l)or-
tiOIl ol cl~(lles~i c<)llvcyor 17. I)uring such col]ecting, the corl-
veyol- ~7 lies s~atiollary. The car<l pacl~age is pushed aw~ly
from the ~)OI`t:iOIl lr) of l~oth fingers 13 from a collecting mern-
ber 9, through a wdll 2] o a bo~ 20, 21 proper during a re-
volution of the collecting mcmber unit. The length of wall
21 is always appro~imately equal to the width of a suction
belt 2 and consequently may fit precisely between both fin-
gers l3 from member 9. There appears clearly from figures 1
and 2 that portion 15 from a collecting member 9 in the lo-
wermost position thereof, is located below the lowermost ed-
ge of the back wall 21 of that box 20, 21 which lies preci-
sely below said collecting member 9 at the top side of con-
veyor 17. In this way when the collating device is comple-
tely in operation, at each swinging between two stoppings of
shaft 10 with the collecting members 9, the card pàckage al-
ready collected on a collecting member 9 is pushed into a
box 20,21.
As soon as each one of said boxes 20, 21
has received a card package, the conveyor is moved over a
small distance in such a way that a new column now comes to
lie in the location of the preceding column. The card packa-
ges from the first column are now brought together step by
step between each movement of the endless conveyor 17.
Said bringing together occurs by means of
fingers 27 which are secured to a bearing plate 28. Said bea-
ring plate 28 runs in parallel relationship above the top-
most portion of endless conveyor 17 and is alternately mova-
ble at right angle to the movement direction of said topmost
portion as shown by arrow 26. Said bearing plate 28 lies
with both sides thereof which are directed at right angle to
the movement direction therereof, slidingly on two shafts
29 which are thus directed along the movement direction of
the bearing plate 28 and thus run in parallel relationship
to shafts 24. Said shafts 29 are fast to the frame 25. The
alternating sliding of the bearing plate 28 may be obtained
in any known suitable way. The bearing plate 28 may for ins-
tance be secured to a tube which fits on a rotating shaft
which is provided with a sinusoidal groove, while a pin goes
10
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through the tub~ to enter with one end thereof said groove
to thus follow said groove path during the revolution of
said shaft.
The number of fingers 27 which are fast to
the lower side of bearing plate 28 is equal to the number of
rows of small boxes 20, 21 but one. All of the fingers 27
lie on one line which lies in diagonal above the topmost por-
tion of the endless conveyor 17. In the rest position a
finger lies precisely next to tha-t box 20, 21which lies in
the second position as considered along the box movement di-
rection, on the topmost portion of an outermost box row and
a following row of boxes 20, 21, directly next to the third
box 20, 21 from -the latter-mentioned row. The following
third finger lies between the latter-mentioned row and the
third row of boxes 20, 21, directly next to the fourth box
~0, 21 from the latter-mentioned row, etc. The alternating
movement of the bearing plate 28 with the fingers 27 is pre-
cisely equal to the width of a box row. In other words du-
ring the forward movement, a finger 27 can push a card pa-
ckage from a box 20, 21 from the first row towards the adja-
cent box from the following row. Nothing happens during the
return movement. The possibility for the fingers 27 to push
card packages away from the boxes 20, 21 resul-ts from said
boxes being open in the movement direction of said fingers
27, that is thus along the width direction of endless con-
veyor 17, and from said fingers reaching down to the box bot-
tom 20. Said box bottom 2Q is provided for this purpose with
a groove 30 running along the finger movement direction, in
such a way that the lowermost end of a finger running there-
through can surely reach down to below the lower side of the
card package laying on said bottom 20. ~ `;
As the various cards should be collated by `
the fingers 27 with the correct sequence and thus the one
package should fall smoothly over the other one, the top si-
de of bottom 20 in all of the boxes 20, 21 slants along the
movement direction of the fingers 27, but for groove 30, up-
wards along the movement direction of the fingers 27 as they
take along a card package.
The movement of bearing plate 28 together
.
1137i~
witll tllc ringe--C. 27 occurs every time the endlesj conveyor
17 stands still. i\t the first stopplng of the endless con-
~'eyOL' 17, all o~ thc boxes 20, 2l in a column Iying at the
elld of the device co:llect a card package. At the following
stoppin~ the card pachage inside a box 20, 21 lying at the
end of said one location-removed column, is displaced by a
finger 27 over one row in such a way that said package falls
down on that package which is already present in the box
from said column lying in the second row. At the following
stopping of the endless conveyor 17 the same operation oc-
curs due to the following finger 27. Both latter-mentioned
card packages which are already assembled inside a box 20,
21 in the second row, are no brought by the fingers above
that package which is already present inside that box 20, 21
which is located in the third row. It is clear that in this
way at the discharge end of the endless conveyor 17, all of
the card packages which were collected in one column of
small boxes 20, 21, in other words all of the cards which
Have for instance been stamped from one sheet, are assembled
into one large package.
It is also clear that with a suitable se-
lection of the number and position of the fingers 27, it is
also possible to collate all of the packages which have been
collected in one column of boxes 20, 21, into a plurality of
smaller packages instead of one large package. When for ins-
tance the finger 27 is dispensed with between the third and
fourth box row, only those card packages from those boxes
20, 21 lying in one column which are also lying in the first
four rows will be collected and there is then obtained at
the discharge end of the endless conveyor 17 a package for-
med on the fourth row by four small packages from a box 20,
21.
It is thus possible by the suitable selec-
tion of the sequence according to which the cards are fed by
the suction belts 2, which is for example dependent on the
way the cards have been printed on the stamped-out sheet, to
obtain at the collating device outlet small piles comprising
each but one play set wherein moreover the cards are distri-
buted in the desired sequence. The operation is always such
113712~3
that all of t-he cal~(ls fecl on one suc~ion bclt 2 are first
collated in a well-deterinined sequence an(l thereafter the
small packages already collated by all of the suction belts
2 in a determined sequence are assembled by the endless con-
veyor 17 and the fingers 27 also according to a well-deter-
mined sequence.
It must be understood that the invention is
in no way limited to the above embodiments and that many
changes can be brought therein without departing from the
scope of this patent.
For instance the collating device does not
have necessarily to collate playing cards, it may also be
used to collate beer pads or other flat goods.
The number of catch members which are moun-
ted on the shaft should not necessarily be three for eachsuction belt. One member is already sufficient.
The collecting members should not necessa-
rily either be mounted to swing about a horizontal axis.
They could also be swingable about a vertical axis and they
might even not be swingable at all. In that case where the
collecting members are fixed, other means should of course
be provided to push the goods collected by the collecting
member away therefrom in place of the described means. Such
pushing away may for example be performed with a movable
punch.
When the collecting members stand still,
are swingable over but a limited angle about a horizontal
axis or are swingable about a vertical axis, they do not ha-
ve absolutely to be divided in two parts, namely two fin-
gers.
That portion of the collecting memberswhich causes the collected members to tilt should not abso-
lutely either run downwards away from the feed conveyor.
Said portion might also slant in the other direction.
:
