Improvements in or relating to closure flap folding and envelope stacking mechanism for envelope machines

摘要

708,612. Sheet delivering apparatus. UNITED STATES ENVELOPE CO. Aug. 6, 1952, No. 19801/52. Class 100 (1). [Also in Group XVII] In a mechanism for folding down the seal flap of envelopes and for stacking the completed envelopes, the formed envelopes are received from a drying device and advanced flatwise in a horizontal path with the seal flaps trailing, glued margins downward, by means of a suction roller 42 to a pair of rolls 45, 46, which align the envelopes, the lower roll 46 being provided with a pair of radial fingers against which the bottom edge of each envelope is delivered. The rolls 45, 46 advance the envelopes to a scoring roll 54 which co-operates with a roll 56 of rubber or like material to mark the fold line. From the rolls 54, 56, envelopes are delivered to a folding roll 64 which co-operates with a suction roll 65, the ungummed surface of the seal flap adjoining the fold line being held by suction against the roll 65 when the pocket portion of the envelope has passed through the rolls 64, 65, whereby the pocket portion tends to sag downwardly and is bent over parallel with the flap as the latter is carried upwardly by the roll 65. As the move. ment continues the bend is converted into a fold by the roll 70 and the envelope is no longer held by suction on the roll 65. The roll 70 is carried by a pair of spring-loaded bell crank levers, Fig. 13 (not shown), which are pivoted upon the shaft 60 of the roll 64 and co-operate with a cam shaft operated by a handle 80 to adjust the spacing of the roll 70 from the roll 65 as desired. The upper rolls 45, 56 and 65 are carried by spring-loaded blocks 81 slidable in grooves in the walls 21 of the machine, the spacing between the upper and lower rolls being adjustable by screws 85. To raise the upper rolls for maintenance, cams engage the lower portion of the blocks 81 and are rotatable through handle members 88. The envelopes with their seal flaps folded are delivered upwardly to the envelope transferring mechanism which comprises three spaced wheels 98 rotating with a sleeve 92 about a hollow shaft 93 which is connected with a vacuum creating means. A relieved portion 95 is provided on the shaft 93 to form a chamber which communicates with the interior of the shaft through ports 96 and as the sleeve 92 rotates the ports 97 communicate intermittently with the ports 96. Each of the wheels 92 is provided with an annular chamber 99, which communicates directly with a port 97, and a flat portion 981 on the wheels communicates through a conduit 100 with the chamber 99. As the envelopes are delivered from the rolls 65, 70 they are positioned within one of the wheel flats 98' of each of the three wheels and carried by suction in a clockwise direction to a table 101 where the vacuum is broken and they are stacked. Specification 697,898, [Group XVII], is referred to.