Device for storage and release of strips of paper material

Abstract

 In the transfer of a continous strip of sheet material from a printer to an auxiliary unit for receiving and piling of said strip is provided a compensation device comprising an upper idling roll for guiding the strip and a pair of lower idling rollers separated by a predetermined distance from said roll and creating an interference for passage and guiding of said paper strip.
Motor means are provided for moving on command and instantly said pair of rollers toward said upper roll.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for the storage and release of strips of paper material, in particular for auxiliary units for the receiving and piling of paper sheet material coming out of a printer.

[0002] In modern data processing centres the printer, presently of fast type, e.g. the so-called laser printer, is fed with a continuous strip of sheets or forms which must be collected and piled up accordion-wise in an auxiliary outlet unit.

[0003] The applicant has in the past conceived and developed automatic machines of the aforesaid type for' the collection and piling up of material in sheets. Said machines are the subject of European patent application no. 82.100.731.7 to which reference is made for further details.

[0004] During operation of this machine connected for example to a laser printer, it happens that, when the printer sometimes stops for some reason, the paper is pulled back from the auxiliary unit toward the printer.

[0005] It is clear that if measures are not taken to compensate for said paper return the strip of paper enterinq the auxiliary unit will be subject to considerable tensile stress which could result in breakage or tearing thereof, especially if in the strip of forms or sheets are provided weakened transverse zones for tearing or ripping.

[0006] Reccurse to a loose loop of strip between the printer outlet and the inlet of the receiving and piling unit is not a good solution because it does not ensure effective control of the paper strip.

[0007] The purpose of the present invention is to accomplish a device which would solve the abovementioned problem.

[0008] Said object is achieved with a compensation device characterized in that it comprises first running guide means for the paper strip arriving from the printer and second running guide means for the paper strip located downstream from said first means and located at a predetermined and adjustable distance, said second means being mounted on drive means designed to shift upon command said second means toward said first means. The peculiar aspects and advantages of the present invention will appear clearly from the description given below with reference to the annexed drawings of a preferred embodiment without however any intention of limiting the same invention.

[0009] In the drawings -

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective and sectional view of the inlet of the auxiliary unit, and

FIG. 2 shows a cross section of the device of the invention in operating position.

[0010] Referring first to FIG. I-reference number 10 indicates the vertical wall delimiting the receiving and piling receptacle for the strip of sheets or forms (FIG. 2) which is deposited in the receptacle on the bottom surface with accordionlike folding.

[0011] The numeral 15 (A,B) indicates the two sides of the frame of the machine. Between the sides 15A and 15B is mounted in a turning manner a running guide roll 15 for the strip of sheet material 11 arriving from the printer as indicated by arrow 17.

[0012] With the side 15B is also made rigidly integral a stem 18 on which is mounted in a sliding manner a sleeve 19.

[0013] With the sleeve is made integral a bracket 20 to which is fixed an end plate 21 on which are mounted the ends of two rollers 22A and 22B which turn in opposite directions and create an interference through which passes the strip of forms or sheets coming from the roll 16.

[0014] On the sides 15A and 15B are fixed two running rack guides 23A and 23B, of which only the guide 23B is shown, which are engaged by a toothed roller 24 connected to the drive shaft of a drive motor 25 which is also integral with the bracket 20.

[0015] The above described device is normally in the condition illustrated in FIG. 1 so that the strip of paper 11 after passage over the guide roll 16 unrolls vertically up to the pair of rollers 22 (A,B) to then rise again parallel to the vertical wall 10 and enter the feed mechanism to the receiving and piling receptacle.

[0016] If the printer stops, a command to operate is given to the motor 25 which causes instant return upward of the bracket 20 with the pair of rollers 22 along the rack guides 23A and 23B so that the strip of paper can be pulled back by the printer in the opposite direction to that indicated by the arrow 17.

[0017] When operation of the printer has been restarted the group of two rollers 22 is brought back to the initial position shown in FIG. 1 by mere reversal of the direction of rotation of the motor 25 or by gravity.

[0018] It is understood that conceptually and mechanically equivalent modifications and variants are possible and foreseeable without exceeding the scope of the present invention. For example, the translation mechanism for the group of roller 22 from the lowered position to the raised position may be of a different but equivalent type, such as a hydraulic unit, which would perform the same functions.

[0019] The distance between the roll 16 and the rollers 22 in their lowered position is to be selected on the basis of the length of the strip of paper recuired by the printer. In the same manner it is possible to make said length adjustable by means of an appropriate assembly of the roll 16 for example.

Claims

1. Device for storage and release of material in paper strips designed to be mounted between the outlet of a printer and the inlet of a receiving and piling unit for the strip of paper, characterized in that it comprises first (16) and second running guide means (22A, 22B) for said paper strip (11), said first and second means being separated from each other by a predetermined and adjustable distance, said second means being associated with drive means (25) designed to shift upon command and instantly said second means toward said first means.

2. Device in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that said first means consist of a idling-roll (16) mounted between two side panels (15A, 15B) and said second means consist of a pair of idling rollers (22A, 22B) which create an interference for passage of said paper strip (11), said pair of rollers being mounted on two brackets (20) each of which is mounted integrally on said side panels, said brackets (20) being integral with respective sleeves (19) mounted in a sliding manner on vertical stems (18) fixed to the respective side panels.

3. Device in accordance with claim 2, characterized in that said drive means consist of an electric motor (25) mounted on one of said brackets (20) and moving with it, said motor driving a gear wheel (24) engaged with a guide rack (23A, 23B) fixed to the respective side panel.

Drawing