Machines For Making Envelopes

Abstract

An envelope-forming machine for making large diagonal seam envelopes includes a flat horizontal bed, side-flap folders, a rotary segmental applicator and a bottom-flap folder over the bed, with presser carriages extending beneath the applicator shaft and including a plurality of presser rollers disposed over the outer edges of the path of travel of the envelope blanks and closely adjacent to the outer edges of the applicator. The presser rollers are mounted on stub shafts extending inward from a support, and a thin cover plate extends over the inner side of each set of rollers. The carriages are supported for vertical reciprocating adjustment and horizontal sliding adjustment. The mechanism for feeding the blank to the machine includes a rotary drum and two sets of independently resiliently mounted rollers disposed in opposite echelon arrangement for engaging the leading edges of a blank for forming a diagonal seam envelope.

Parent Case Text

This is a division of application Ser. No. 591,995, filed Nov. 4, 1966.

Description

This invention pertains to machines for making envelopes and particularly to apparatus adapted for forming large diagonal seam envelopes in high-speed envelope-forming machines.

One type of a relatively large envelope which has obtained wide acceptance and use is the so-called open side diagonal seam envelope (sometimes identified as the cross-seam or baronial-type envelope). There is a need for machines capable of producing such envelopes economically and at high-production rates. Further, it is desirable that such machines be highly flexible for producing various modifications of these envelopes, such as with extensive and/or multicolor printing and with or without windows, and that the machines be readily adaptable for forming other types of envelopes. Due to the substantial cost of such machines, one desirable manner of obtaining the aforementioned capabilities is by providing for convenient field or operator conversion of existing high-speed machines between setups for forming diagonal-seam envelopes and setups for forming other types of envelopes.

A machine presently in use for forming large open side diagnonal-seam envelopes from appropriate blanks is the ("barge Open End Envelope Machine" produced and sold by F. L. Smithe Machine Co. Inc., Duncansville, Pa. This machine has a production capacity on the order of 5,000-6,000 envelopes per hour. Another machine presently in commercial use for forming relatively large envelopes is identified as the "Medium Open End Envelope Machine" (sometimes referred to herein as the MO machine) produced and sold by said F. L. Smithe Machine Co. Inc. This machine is capable of forming envelopes from blanks at rates on the order of about 18,000 envelopes per hour. This machine also has greater capabilities than the Large Open End Envelope Machine in several other respects, such as in applying printing to the blanks as the envelopes are being formed. However, a conventional MO machine is not capable of producing certain types of envelopes, notably diagonal-seam envelopes.

It is an object of this invention to provide improvements in machines for producing envelopes. Further objects of this invention are to provide improved machines for forming large diagonal-seam envelopes at high-production rates; to provide improvements for increasing the flexibility of machines for forming envelopes; to provide for producing open side diagonal seam envelopes on an MO-type machine; and to provide improvements permitting convenient field conversion of such machines for forming various types of envelopes, including diagonal-seam envelopes. Further and additional objects and advantages will appear from the description, accompanying drawings and appended claims.

For reference in discussing envelope sizes, it may be noted that a conventional MO machine is adapted for making open end center seam envelopes in sizes of about 5" to about 12" in width and about 7" to about 151/2" in length. The machine also may be used for making open end single side-seam envelopes on the order of 9" in width. Such an MO machine modified in accordance with the present invention may be utilized for making open side diagonal-seam envelopes of the same or slightly larger sizes, i.e., about 6" to about 121/2" wide and about 7" to about 91/2" in length.

While the invention is disclosed and described herein with respect to the production of diagonal-seam envelopes on an MO machine modified in accordance with this invention, such a modified machine is also adapted for use in forming open side double side-seam envelopes (sometimes identified as booklet-type envelopes) with substantially the same setup as for forming diagonal-seam envelopes. Further, this modified machine may be readily converted for forming the various types of envelopes for which it is conventionally adapted. In each instance the modified machine retains its basic structure and manner of operation in that each blank is or may be moved through a seal flap gummer, a dryer, printing stations, a window cutter and a glassine applicator in a flat, open condition, with the bottom flap at the leading edge and then through flap-closing and envelope-discharge apparatus.

In accordance with one illustrative form of this invention, as each envelope blank is conveyed through the flap-closing apparatus it first moves through folding apparatus for folding the side flaps over the body, then through a gummer station where a rotary segmental adhesive applicator die positioned over the conveyor applies adhesive to the appropriate edges of the infolded side flaps, and finally through a bottom flap folder which folds the bottom flap over the adhesive areas on the side flaps to complete the blank. Presser carriages at each end of the applicator engage the edges of the blank as it passes through the gummer station. The folding and gumming of the side flaps and the folding of the bottom flap all occur as the blank moves in a one linear direction, with the blank moving in a single plane through these stations.

For a more complete understanding of this invention reference should now be had to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings by way of example of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a machine for making envelopes and employing teachings of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a carriage mechanism employing teachings of this invention, taken generally along line 2--2 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along the line 3--3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the adhesive-applying mechanism of a machine employing teachings of this invention;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of the mechanism of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a blank for forming a large, open side diagonal-seam envelope;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the blank of FIG. 6 with the side flaps folded in;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of an open end double side-seam envelope;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the conveyor, side flap folders and adhesive applicator of the mechanism of FIGS. 4 and 5;

FIG. 10 is a side elevation view of an improved envelope-feeder element;

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of the element of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is an end view of a portion of the feed mechanism of a machine as in FIG. 1 and employing the improved feeder element of FIG. 10; and

FIG. 13 is an elevation view of a portion of the mechanism of FIG. 12.

The invention is illustrated as applied to modify an MO machine for forming large open side diagonal-seam envelopes from appropriate blanks B, see FIG. 6. Each blank B includes a body portion 10, a seal flap 12, two side flaps 14 and 16, and a bottom flap 18. The flaps are jointed to the body portion along fold lines 12a, 14a, 16a and 18a, respectively, as illustrated.

Referring to FIG. 1, the machine 20 includes an envelope feeder 22, for instance of the general type shown in Novick, U.S. Pat. No. 2,954,225. The feeder 22 feeds blanks B to conveyor belts at 24 which carry the blanks through a seal flap gummer 26. The blanks then are carried by dryer chains 28 through a drying station including heating elements 30. After drying of the adhesive on the seal flaps 12, the blanks move along the conveyor system of the upper portion of the machine where they may be subjected to suitable printing elements at the printing station 32 and/or a window-cutting mechanism at 34 and a window applicator at 36. Thereafter the blanks are conveyed along the upper surface of a flat conveying bed at 38, with the inner surface of the blank upward, the bottom flap extending in the direction of movement (to the right in FIG. 1), and the side flaps 14 and 16 extending to the sides of the blank as in FIG. 6. As they move over bed 38 the blanks pass through a side flap folding station at 40 where the side flaps are folded inwardly over the body 10 as shown in FIG. 7, then through a gummer station 42 where adhesive is applied to the upwardly exposed edges 16b and 14b of the side flaps (see FIG. 7) and through the bottom flap folder 44 where the bottom flap 18 is folded over the body 10 with its edges overlying the gummed edges 16b and 14b and is pressed against these edges. The completed open side envelope is then removed from the machine, as by a conveyor (not shown) moving laterally of conveyor 38 at the right of the bottom flap folder 44 in FIG. 1.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 9, the conveyor 38 is of conventional construction comprising a support bed with a generally planar upper surface and a plurality of drive rollers 46 and 48 having their uppermost peripheral edges projecting slightly above the upper surface of the support bed. A presser belt 50 is supported with a flight contiguous to the upper surface of the bed between rollers 48 to assist in moving the blanks over the bed 38. Presser plates 52 overlie the rollers 48 at each side of belt 50 and extend to points adjacent the adhesive applicator 42 to assist in maintaining the envelope blanks which pass thereunder flat and in frictional engagement with the underlying rollers.

Side folders 56 and 58, together with folder wires 60 and 62 fold the side flaps 14 and 16 over the body 10 as the blank is conveyed through the side flap folding station 40. Each side flap folder includes elements to engage, lift, crease and fold the side flaps inwardly over the body 10 as is generally known in the art. However, the folders 56 and 58 are preferably extended, as by including auxiliary plates 56a and 58a on the plowshares 56b and 58b. Folder wires 60 and 62 are positioned in accordance with the size of the envelope blank, and thus the width of the flaps being folded.

With particular reference now to FIGS. 4 and 5, the gummer apparatus 42 includes a gum box 70 which may be of conventional construction. The illustrated gum box includes a reservoir roller 72 journaled to rotate with its lower portion in adhesive in a reservoir 74, with a scraper or doctor blade 76 adjustably mounted as by thumb screws 78 for controlling the thickness of adhesive on reservoir roller 72. The reservoir roller 72 transfers a quantity of adhesive to the surface of transfer roller 80, which in turn, is effective to distribute the adhesive to rotary applicators 82a and 82b as indicated in FIG. 5.

The gum box 70 is mounted on a crossbar 84 which is secured to two vertical supports 86. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the lower portion of each of these vertical support bars 86 may include a rack section which engages a pinion 88 supported on the machine frame 90. A handle or other suitable means is provided for rotating the pinions 88 and thus for effecting vertical movement of the gum box 70 between the upper retracted position of FIG. 4 and the lower operative position of FIG. 5. Adjustable stop screws 92 are provided in the ends of bar 84 to abut frame elements of the machine when the gum box is lowered and serve as gauges for positioning the transfer roll 80 in appropriate contact with the applicator segments 82a and 82b.

The applicator segments 82a and 82b are mounted on a shaft 94 and comprise appropriate opposed helical segments of a cylindrical surface to apply adhesive in the V-shaped pattern of the edge portions 14a and 16b of the infolded side flaps 14 and 16 (see FIG. 7). The shaft 94 is driven by a sprocket 95 in suitable timed relation with the movement of envelope blanks therebeneath to apply adhesive to the desired area of each such blank. Referring particularly to FIG. 5, each end of shaft 94 is journaled in a block 96 supported on a compression spring 98 in a guideway in a side support plate 99, with an adjustable abutment screw 100 for effecting fine vertical adjustment of the block 96 and thus of the applicator segments 82a and 82b. Gear 101 on shaft 94 engages a gear (not shown) on the shaft of roller 80 to drive the gum box rollers.

A convex recess (not shown) may be provided beneath the applicators 82a-82b to avoid application of gum to the underlying bed in the event of a missed blank. Alternatively, other known arrangements may be included to allow for missed blanks.

With reference now to FIGS. 2, 4, 5 and 9, a first pair of roller carriages 102 and 104 are mounted at the infeed side of the gummer station, and a second pair of carriages 106 and 108 are supported at the output side of the gummer station. The two carriages at each side of the bed are aligned with one another (see FIG. 9) and extend beneath the drive shaft 94 to points closely adjacent one another, whereby each aligned pair 102-106 and 104-108 forms an essentially continuous articulated carriage assembly at the respective side of the adhesive application station. The area over the folders, between the presser belt and the gummer apparatus, is thus open to permit unobstructed folding of wide side flaps such as flaps 14 and 16.

The construction of the illustrated presser carriages will be described with reference to the carriages 104 and 108, it being understood that carriages 102 and 106 are of identical though reversed construction, being right-hand units instead of left-hand units as in the instance of carriages 104 and 108.

Referring first to carriage 104 in FIGS. 2 and 3, a carriage bracket 110 includes an upright post portion 112 secured to a rack section 114 which is slidably received in a vertical slideway 116 in a carriage slide 118. The rack 114 engages a splined pinion shaft 120 (see also FIG. 4). A mounting bar 122 is secured to the carriage bracket 110 by a plurality of cap screws 124, and a carrier plate 126 is mounted on the bar 122. A plurality of roller brackets 128 are journaled on studs 130 which are mounted on support plate 126 and project toward a cover plate 132 on the opposite side of the carriage. Each roller bracket 128 carries a roller 134 freely rotatably journaled on a stub shaft 136 supported on the respective bracket. A compression spring 138 is confined between the support bar 122 and the distal or free end of each bracket 128 to urge the respective roller 134 downwardly against envelope blanks which pass between the roller and the underlying conveyor bed. Thus, the rollers assist in creasing the blanks along the side flap fold lines and insure frictional drive-engagement between the blanks and the underlying driven rollers of the conveyor.

It will be noted that each roller 134 is supported entirely by the support plate 126 and that this support plate is disposed on the outward side of the carriage 104. The inner plate 132 serves only a covering and guard function, e.g., to prevent adhesive on the applicator segments and/or on the envelope blanks from coming into contact with the rollers. Accordingly, the plate 132 may be of very thin material and may be positioned closely adjacent the inner surface of the rollers 134. This permits the outermost edges of the adhesive applicators 82a and 82b to be operated very close to the inner edges of the rollers 134 whereby the adhesive may be applied very close to the outer edges of the envelope blanks which are gripped beneath the rollers 134.

Carriage 106 is of substantially the same construction as described above regarding carriage 104 and includes a carriage bracket 140 having a vertical post section 142 joined to a rack segment 144 and slidably engaged in a vertical slideway 146 extending through a carriage slide 148. The rack segment 144 meshes with a splined segment of a pinion shaft 150 (see also FIG. 4). A support bar 152 is joined to carriage bracket 140 by capscrews 154 and carries a support plate 156. Roller brackets 158 are mounted on studs 160 secured to the support plate 156. Rollers 164 are journaled on stub shafts 166 which are mounted on brackets 158, and compression springs 168 are confined between support bar 152 and the outer ends of brackets 158 to urge the rollers 164 downward against envelope blanks passing therebeneath. A thin cover plate (not shown), corresponding to cover plate 132, extends parallel to support plate 156 at the opposite side of the rollers 164.

Parts of the carriages 102 and 106 are referred to herein by the same numerals as used in describing corresponding parts of carriages 104 and 108, but with prime notations added, e.g., 110'.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the carriage slides 118 and 118' are slidably supported on a support bar 170 extending across the bed 38. Slides 118 and 118' are fixed in any given lateral position on bar 170 by clamping screws 172 and 172'. The carriage slides 148 and 148' are supported in the same manner on a transverse support bar 174, being secured in the desired lateral position through hand screws as at 176 (see FIG. 2). It will be appreciated that the slidable engagement of the four carriage slides on bars 170 and 174 and the slidable engagement of the corresponding racks on the splines of pinion shafts 120 and 150 permit lateral adjustment of the carriages 102 and 104 for convenient adjustment to envelopes of various widths. It will be appreciated that an individual pinion gear may be provided for each carriage, with such gears being slidably mounted on drive shafts of appropriate configuration in place of the shafts 120 and 150.

Rotation of pinion shafts 120 and 150 effects vertical adjustment of the respective pairs of carriages. Handles may be provided on the ends of the pinion shafts, as at 178, 178', 180 and 180' (see FIG. 5) for convenient rotation of these shafts by the operator from either side of the machine. Suitable locking means also may be provided for securing the shafts in a desired position of vertical adjustment of the various carriages.

The carriages 102-108, in their vertical adjustment, reciprocate along paths normal to the axis of rotation of the adhesive applicators 82a and 82b, and thus parallel to the plane of rotation of the outer ends of these applicators. Any preset clearance between the carriages and the applicators will be maintained as the carriages are raised and lowered. This avoids any danger of damaging the machine due to interference of these parts should an operator start the machine with the carriages raised or attempt to adjust the carriages vertically while the applicators are rotating. Accordingly, the machine safely may be set up for operation with very little clearance between the outermost edges of the adhesive applicators and the inner surfaces of the carriage guard plates. Considering further that the guard plates are formed of thin material and are closely adjacent the presser rollers, adhesive may be applied to the blanks closely adjacent the edges gripped beneath the presser rollers, i.e., close to fold lines 14a and 16a in FIG. 7.

Referring to FIG. 5, the bottom flap folder 44 may be of a type known in the art. For instance, the illustrated folder normally includes a lifter comb (not shown) journaled just beneath the upper surface of bed 38 and which moves upward briefly as each successive envelope blank approaches to direct the leading edge of a bottom flap upward along the forward face of bottom flap skids 180. As the bottom flap fold line 18a approaches the lower end of the skids 180, tucker blades 182 mounted on a pivot shaft 184 assist in folding the blank B at line 18a and in feeding this fold between the lower ends of skids 180 and the upper surface of bed 38. Thereupon, the continued movement of the envelope, to the right in FIG, 5, results in folding of the bottom flap over the infolded side flaps. Appropriate means are provided to press the bottom flap against the underlying side flaps to complete the adhesion of the overlapping edges of the three flaps.

The feed mechanism illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13 is a part of a feeder of the general structure and arrangement shown in the Novick U.S. Pat. No. 2,954,225 as aforenoted. The illustrated components include a drum 200, feed belts 202, 204 and 206, with suitable support rollers as illustrated, guide arms 208, deflectors 210, a stationary shaft 212, a rocker lever 214 mounted on shaft 212, a rocker arm 216 also mounted on shaft 212, a rod 217 connecting rocker 216 with deflector 210, track cams (not shown) mounted on shaft 218 for actuating rockers 214 and 216, and arms 220 pivotally mounted on pins 222. The illustrated components, in cooperation with other elements (not shown) withdraw envelope blanks one at a time from a stack of blanks supported above drum 200 and feed these blanks between the belts 202 and 204. The belts 204 and 206, which comprise the conveyor belts 24 of FIG. 1, then feed the blanks through the seal flap gummer 26, and thereafter deliver them to the chains 28 for conveying to the drying station.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 13, there are two arms 220, comprising right and left-hand versions designated as 220 and 220'. Arm 220 is illustrated in greater detail in FIGS. 10 and 11. Referring thereto, a base arm 221 supports three fingers 222, 224 and 226 journaled on a lateral shaft 228. Pressure rollers 230, 232 and 234 are journaled on stub shafts mounted in the outer ends of the respective fingers 222, 224 and 226. The central finger 224 is provided with a substantially square end at 227 which is disposed adjacent a corresponding surface or shoulder on the base arm 221 whereby finger 224 has rather limited pivotal movement about the axis of shaft 228. Fingers 222 and 226 are freely pivoted on shaft 228 and are urged downward, into contact with drum 200 by leaf springs 236 and 238. These springs are secured at one end to arm 220 by rivets 240, the outer end of spring 236 bearing on the outer end of finger 222 and the outer end of spring 238 bearing on the outer end of finger 226. A stud 242 is engaged by a tension spring 244 (see FIG. 12) which urges the outer end of arm 221, and thus the rollers 230, 232 and 234 toward drum 200. The mounting arrangement for the fingers 222, 224 and 226 insures that all three rollers will conform to and remain in yielding contact with the surface of the drum 200.

As will be seen in FIG. 13, arm 220' is of the same construction as arm 220 except that the three rollers 230', 232' and 234' thereon are disposed in opposite echelon arrangement. The angular arrangement of the two sets of rollers on arms 220 and 220' conforms to the included angle between the two sides of the leading edge of bottom flap 18 whereby this type of pointed flap will be engaged by all six rollers of the arms 220 and 220' for improved positive feeding of this type of blank by the feed mechanism 22.

It will be obvious that other modifications of the specific embodiment shown may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.

While the illustrated machine 20 is adapted for forming diagonal-seam envelopes, it readily may be converted to the formation of double side-seam envelopes D (FIG. 8) by the substitution of appropriate adhesive applicator segments on shaft 94. An added advantage is that the machine also may be converted for use in forming other envelopes in its conventional manner of operation simply by raising the gum box unit 70 to an inactive position as shown in FIG. 4 and utilizing the gummer normally positioned beneath bed 38 ahead of the side flap folding station 40 (to the left of folding station 40 in FIG. 1). Thus the present improvements increase the flexibility of the machine 20 by providing for its use in forming additional types of envelopes without in any way impeding or impairing its use for forming envelopes in accordance with its original design.

It will thus be seen that the aforenoted objects have been met.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been shown, it will be understood, of course, that the invention is not limited thereto since modifications may be made by those skilled in the art, particularly in light of the foregoing teachings. Therefore, it is contemplated by the appended claims to cover any such modifications as incorporate those features which may be said to constitute the essential features of these improvements, within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

I claim:

1. Envelope-forming apparatus comprising a generally horizontal planar bed, means for conveying envelope blanks over said bed, a rotary adhesive applicator positioned over said bed for applying adhesive to such blanks being conveyed thereover, and a plurality of elongated presser means disposed over said bed, with one of said pressure means being disposed along and closely adjacent each outer edge of said applicator, for engaging the opposite edges of blanks as such blanks pass beneath said applicator, each of said elongated presser means extending transverse the axis of rotation of said applicator to engage such blanks prior, during and after their passage beneath said applicator, and means mounting said pressure means for vertical reciprocating movement toward and away from said bed to permit adjustment of the clearance of said presser means from said bed without interference with said applicator.

2. Envelope-forming apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said presser means are mounted on rack and pinion supports, said racks being disposed normal to said plane to provide such vertical adjustment of said presser means.