Paper Feeding Device

Abstract

To provide a sheet feeding container device, a carton containing a pack of copy paper or similar sheet material is thrust into a tray-like metal cassette which is adapted to be fitted to the intake of a copying machine or the like. The cassette is provided with two blades which project into the carton and embrace the pack to maintain its lateral dimensional stability during feeding. The cassette and carton have interengaging projections which interlock the two members so that attempts to withdraw the carton from the cassette will destroy the carton.

Description

This invention relates to devices for the convenient and accurate sequential introduction of sheets of material, such as paper into a handling or treating machine, such as a copier or the like.

In its broader aspects, the invention contemplates the provision of a unitary combination package insertable into the intake of the machine and comprising a relatively rigid and sturdy cassette, preferably made of metal or a hard plastic, and a carton of novel construction containing a pack of copy paper and interlocking with the cassette in such a way as to efficiently present the pack to the intake so that the successive sheets may be fed accurately thereto with the required lateral dimensional stability.

The combination device forming the subject of the present invention may conveniently include the separate elements disclosed in the application of Rosenburg, Ser. No. 146,964 and of Byrne and Mulvany, Ser. No. 146,963 now abandoned both applications filed on May 26, 1971.

Other objects of the invention and features of novelty over the prior art include the provision of means other than the relatively soft box-board carton walls for meeting the critical sideways tolerance required, especially in situations where moisture or humidity conditions are not fully controlled.

Means are also incorporated in the cassette-carton assembly for insuring the destruction of the carton upon removal thereof from the cassette, once the two elements have been interlocked for application to the machine. This effectively prevents re-use of the carton.

Other objects and features of novelty will be apparent from the following specifications when read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which one embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example.

In the drawings

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a blank from which a carton, embodying certain aspects of the invention, is made;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a carton formed from the blank of FIG. 1, ready to receive a pack of paper;

FIG. 3 is a similar view of the filled carton, closed for transportation and sale;

FIG. 4 is a similar view of the package with a portion of the carton torn away along certain tear lines and with the forward end portion of the pack of paper exposed;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a cassette for holding the package during the feeding of the successive papers into the handling or copying machine;

FIG. 6 is a view of the cassette in side elevation;

FIG. 7 is a view of the cassette in vertical transverse section taken on line 7--7 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a view in perspective, showing the insertion of the copy paper package into the cassette;

FIG. 9 is view in vertical longitudinal section through the loaded cassette during feeding of the sheets into the treating machine; and

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary perspective view of the forward end of the loaded cassette indicating the function of a novel top sheet separating feature.

In feeding sheets of copy paper into a copying machine from a box-board carton, accuracy requires a high degree of dimensional stability of the package --a higher degree of stability especially in the transverse direction, than is afforded by the walls of the carton itself, especially when the package has been subjected to conditions of moisture or humidity which could swell or warp the walls.

Also in certain cases, it is desirable that measures be taken to prevent reuse of the carton.

Both of these requirements are met by the present development.

In FIG. 1 of the drawings, a blank 10 is provided for forming the carton for containing the pack, and it will be seen that the blank comprises the top panel 11 and the bottom panel 12 connected by the side wall panel 13. An opposite side wall panel 14 adjoins the outer edge of the bottom panel and carries a glue flap 15 adapted to be secured to the underside of the marginal portion of the top panel 11.

Fold lines a, b, c, and d serve to hinge the panels 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 together in that order.

Flaps for closing the carton after the pack of sheets has been inserted are provided as follows:

rear closure flaps 17 and 18 hinged to the top and bottom panels 11 and 12 respectively, and dust flaps 19 and 20 similarly hinged to the side panels 13 and 14. Front end closing flaps 21 and 22 are hinged to the front edges of the top and bottom panels, and there are no dust flaps at this end of the carton in this particular embodiment.

When the carton is erected by gluing the flap 15 to the under-edge of top panel 11, it appears as in FIG. 2 of the drawings and is in condition for receiving the pack of sheets (designated S in FIGS. 4, 8, 9, and 10). The filled and sealed package is shown in FIG. 3, in which condition it is stored, transported, or placed on sale.

Returning to the showing of the blank 10 in FIG. 1, it will be seen that the following relatively soft tear lines are provided: line 25 along the forward portion of fold or hinge a, line 26 along the forward portion of hinge line d, and the diagonal tear lines 27 and 28 crossing an intermediate portion of the respective side wall panels 13 and 14. Also the front closure flap 22 is joined to the main portion of bottom flap 12 by the tear line 29; and two transverse tear lines cross the glue flap 15 at 30 and 31.

A harder or firmer tear line 34 divides the bottom panel 12 into a rearward main section and a forward section 36, and the section 36 is further subdivided by means of the fold or hinge line 37 to delineate, along with the tear line 29 and the fully cut lines 38 and 39, the area 40, the function of which will be described later.

In addition to the cut lines 38 and 39, additional cut lines are made at 42 along fold d and at 43 and 44 to define the three sides of the two interlock tabs 45 and 46, these tabs being hinged along the fold lines 47 and 48, aligned with the central tear line 34.

To complete the description of the blank 10, it can be seen that a tear strip 50 is formed in the material of the top panel 11, the tear strip being bounded by the tear lines 51 and 52, and having a slightly projecting tab end 53 adapted to be grapsed by the fingers in opening the package. A pair of quite soft tear lines 54 and 55 are provided at the tab end of the strip to facilitate starting the tear.

When the package of paper in carton 100 is received in the condition shown in FIG. 3, the tab end 53 of the tear strip 50 is grasped between thumb and forefinger and raised to burst the starter tear lines 54 and 55 and then the principal irregular tear lines 51 and 52 to free the tear strip and also break the forward portion 11a loose. Further tearing along lines 25 and 26 removes the portion 11a and its flap 21 entirely together with the flap 22 by severing the tear line 29. This leaves the package in the condition shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings, exposing the forward end of the pack S and freeing the forward section 40 of the bottom panel 12 to hingedly support the intermediate portions of the forward end of the pack S.

At this point, it will be well to describe the cooperating member of the sheet feeding combination, the cassette 60, by reference to the remaining figures of drawing.

The novel cassette 60 comprises a rectangular pan-like or tray-like receptacle with a bottom wall 61 and a front wall 62. Extending rearwardly from the front wall 62 are the shortened side walls 63 which are flared outwardly as indicated at 64.

Straddling the side walls 63 are the inverted V-shaped clips 65, the outer legs 66 of which are secured to the outer surfaces of the walls 62 as by spot welding suggested at 67. The inner legs 70 of the clips 65 take the form of somewhat flexible blades which serve to guide and center the pack S as will be described presently.

It will be noted from FIG. 7 tha the greater intermediate portion of the front wall 62 of the cassette is slightly lower than the other walls, and at each end of the front wall there are fixed the narrow vertical plates 72 with triangular horizontal flanges 73 at the upper ends thereof. Also a small plate 75 is secured centrally of the inner surface of front wall 62.

Through the bottom panel 61 of the cassette are bored the openings 76 and flanges are struck upwardly therefrom as shown at 80.

After the front closure portions of the carton 100 have been stripped therefrom, the carton with its pack of sheets S is inserted into the cassette 60 as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. The forward ends of side walls 13 and 14 of the carton are inserted within the side walls 63 of the cassette, the flared ends of these walls acting as guides. The blades 70 enter the carton and, embracing the pack S, replace the carton walls 13 and 14 as lateral guides for the pack, thus insuring lateral dimensional stability.

Further movement of the carton and pack into the cassette brings the front edge of the pack up against the plate 75 insuring the maintenance of a slight air space to assist in freeing the sheets. At the same time the bottom panel of the carton slides over the flanges 80 struck from the bottom wall of the cassette, until the tabs 46 practically coincide with the flanges 80 and the rearwardly facing edges 85 of the portion of the area 36 immediately in front of the tabs 46 drops down in front of the raised ends of the flanges 80. (See FIG. 9.)

This interlocking arrangement effectively prevents the removal of the carton from the cassette without destroying the former. Any attempt to pull the carton backwardly will cause the flanges 80 to rip the portions 36 and 40 of the bottom panel of the carton and the forward side wall portions along the tear lines 27, 28, and 34.

The device thus described may be used in conjunction with many types of sheet feeding means, such as suggested by the feed rolls 90 carried on rotatable shaft 91, and the pack S may be maintained at the proper feed level for the current top sheet as the pile decreases, by means of the fixed pins 95 which project through the holes 76 in the bottom wall of the cassette, and maintain the hinged panel 40 in an upward position.

As the uppermost sheet s is fed forwardly, its lateral front corners are tripped by the small triangular plates or flanges 73 and the sheet is slightly buckled as shown and "flicked" into easy separation from the remaining sheets in the pile.

In order to apply a certain amount of retaining friction against the lower surface of the bottom sheet of the pile, the upper surface of the hinged panel 40 may be roughened as suggested at 97.

Claims

I claim:

1. A self-contained, portable, unitary package, of generally rectangular parallelopiped configuration, for the introduction into a handling or treating machine of a flat pack of sheets, said package comprising a rigid shallow tray-like cassette having a bottom panel, a front wall, and oppositely disposed side walls with its rear end and top open, and receiving a flat non-rigid box-board carton of parallelopiped configuration having opposed top and bottom panels, and a rear end wall only, said carton containing said flat pack of sheets which are aligned longitudinally of said flat carton to be fed lengthwise therefrom, the side walls of said tray-like cassette embracing the side panels of said carton, and a flat blade projecting from said cassette interiorly of each side wall, occupying a vertical plane, and extending into the open forward end of the carton between a side panel of said carton and the adjacent side of said pack; the pair of blades closely but yieldingly embracing the side edges of the rectangular pack of sheets for insuring lateral dimensional stability during the longitudinal feeding of the sheets.

2. The device as set forth in claim 1 in which mutually interlocking means are provided in the cassette and the carton, whereby any attempt to pull the carton and the cassette apart will result in the mutilation or destruction of the carton, preventing reuse thereof.

3. A self-contained, portable, unitary package, of generally rectangular parallelopiped configuration, for the introduction into a handling or treating machine of a flat pack of sheets, said package comprising a rigid shallow tray-like cassette having its rear end and top open and receiving a flat non-rigid box-board carton containing said flat pack of sheets which are aligned longitudinally of said flat carton to be fed lengthwise therefrom, and mutually interlocking means on the cassette and the carton, whereby any attempt to pull the carton and the cassette apart will result in the mutilation or destruction of the carton, preventing reuse thereof, said interlocking means comprising a rigid tongue extending at a slight angle from the bottom of said cassette toward the surface of the bottom sheet of the pack, rather than across a side or an end of said pack, whereby upon such disruption of the carton, any remaining sheets therein will not be damaged.

4. As a subcombination, an article of manufacture comprising a rigid shallow, tray-like cassette for receiving and holding a flat carton of parallelopiped configuration, having opposed side panels, and containing a pack of sheets, which are aligned longitudinally of the flat carton, said cassette having a bottom panel, a front wall, and oppositely disposed side walls with its rear end and top open, the side walls of said tray-like cassette adapted to embrace the side panels of said carton, and a flat blade projecting from said cassette interiorly of each side wall, occupying a vertical plane, and adapted to extend into a carton between a side panel thereof and the adjacent side of a pack of sheets; the pair of blades thus adapted to closely embrace the side edges of the pack for insuring lateral dimensional stability during sequential removal of such sheets.

5. The article as set forth in claim 4 in which each of said blades comprises an inverted U-shaped shank straddling one of the side walls of the cassette, the outer one of its arms rigidly secured to said side wall and the inner one spaced slightly from said side wall and terminating in the blade proper.

6. The article as set forth in claim 4, in which the front wall and those portions of the bottom and side walls adjacent the front or feed end of the pack of sheets are imperforate and thus impervious to air, and in which there is provided a small thin plate secured to the central portion of the rear surface of the front wall, against which the front end of the pack of sheets can abut, to leave a thin air space between the pack and said wall surface upon either side of said small plate.