GB2260761A

GB2260761A - Feeding fan-folded webs

Info

Publication number: GB2260761A
Application number: GB9222071A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Werner Maedge
Original assignee: Mannesmann AG
Current assignee: Vodafone GmbH
Priority date: 1991-10-21
Filing date: 1992-10-21
Publication date: 1993-04-28
Anticipated expiration: 2012-10-21
Also published as: DE4135038A1; DE4135038C2; GB2260761B; ITMI922345A1; GB9222071D0; FR2682639A1; IT1255860B; ITMI922345A0; FR2682639B1

Abstract

A fan-folded web, comprising documents 4 connected by perforated lines at the folds 5, is located in a container 1 with the folds vertical (the figure is a plan view) and the web is withdrawn by vertical roller pairs 8, 9 and separated at 21 into individual documents, which are then fed vertically upwardly to a printer (not shown) by horizontal roller pairs 14, 15. Rollers 9 are separable to permit the upward feeding of the individual documents. <IMAGE>

Description

2 2 -1) ') -) 1 1 A PROCESS AND DEVICE FOR FEEDING DOCUMENTS TO A DOCUMENT

PROCESSING DEVICE It is known, in document processing devices, to withdraw individual sheets or individual documents from feed hoppers assigned to each type of paper and to transport said documents into the reglo'n of a platen (DE-C2 28 56 950). In the case of continuous paper it is known (DE-Al-23 64 783) to withdraw fan-folded paper goods from a supply container and to introduce these fiom below or from the rear into a printer. This mode of operation does not, however, satisfy the requirements of all types of paper to be processed. Thus it is not possible for flat, fan-folded paper withdrawn from a stack to be subsequently subjected in an advantageous fashion, to all the necessary handling steps in a document processing device, such as write-read procedures, bar-code reading and printing.

Rather, the mode of operation must be adapted to the document goods to be processed, in the same way that the document processing device must be adapted to the handling stops for the document goods.

The present invention addresses the problem of conducting fan-folded paper, which is not lying flat, in the correct position to a document processing device.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a process for conducting continuous frangibly connected document goods in the form of a block into a document processing device, wherein from a block of the document goods, the frangible edges of which are standing upright and which consists of fan-folded individual documents, the first open individual document is horizontally withdrawn and deflected into a direction extending approximately at right angles to the horizontal withdrawal direction in the same plane, is then separated from the next document, and is further transported, in the form of an individual sheet, in a vertical dirertlon again at right angles to the withdrawal direction.

2 The advantages achieved by means of the process of the invention consist, in particular, in that formats standing on their side edges, such as for example air or ship travel tickets, train tickets and the like, can be withdrawn and introduced into the document processing device in the correct position.

Further advantages are achieved in that the initial withdrawal of the first open document takes place in a direction, corresponding to the fanfold, of the first fanned out document. This step facilitates the lateral fanning out of the block of document goods, thereby ensuring error-free transport.

It is further provided that the withdrawal of the first rectangular document in the fan-fold direction takes place in the form of a curve. The curved guidance likewise assists the lateral fanning out of the block of document goods.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a device comprising a document supply container in which a block of documents is stored and comprising a withdrawal device which consists of at least one or more pairs of rollers, wherein a supply container is assigned two respective pairs of rollers which form a curved path for the document goods and the axes of which extend vertically, and that after the last pair of rollers following in the direction of transport for the document goods are arranged one or more pairs of rollers, the axes of which extend at right angles to the axes of the preceding pairs of rollers.

The advantages achieved by means of the device of the invention consist, in particular, in that horizontal transport can be converted into vertical transport.

It is also advantageous that a separating or cutting device is arranged in the region of the pairs of rollers with vertical axes. In this way the horizontal movement can take place independently of the vertical movement by separating successive individual documents, i.e. the transport processcan take place in accelerated fashion.

3 In accordance with other features it is provided that the pairs of rollers with the vertical axes, the pairs of rollers with the horizontal axes and the sepdrating device are each enclosed in a document supply container. Thus a plurality of document supply containers, arranged one above another, can be equipped with their own transport devices arid are thus independent of one another.

An exemplary embodiment of the device of the invention is illustrated in the drawing and will be described in detail in the following.

Figure 1 Is a side view of a printer willi the means provided for the process according to the invention; and Figure 2 is a plan view of further means which are essential to the process and which are arranged betteath the means according to Figure 1.

From a document supply container 1 a respective individual document 4 is withdrawn from a block 2 of document goods 3 standing on its lower (not visible) edges - see Figure 2. The individual documents 4 are still connected to one another at their ends 5 by tear-off perforations or similar preferential breakage points. Opposite an output 6 of the document supply container 1 is arranged a roller arrangement 7 which consists of two pairs of rollers 8 and 9, a respective roller 8a and 9a of each pair being located inside a curved path 10, and being power driven. The drive is transmitted from the one roller 8a by means of a belt drive 11 to the other roller 9a or vice versa. The axes 12 of the rollers of roller pairs 8 and 9 extend vertically in space and perpendicularly to the drawing plane of Figure 2. In the direction of withdrawal 13, i.e. horizontally, an individual document 4 is then transported between two pairs of rollers 14 and 15. The axes 16 of these pairs of rollers 14 and 15 are parallel to one another (14a, 14b; 15a, 15b) and extend horizontally. As a result a change in direction takes place from the horizontal transport direction 13 into an initially vertical transport direction 17 - see Figure 1.

4 However, a movement in the transport direction 17 cannot occur until the individual document 4 has been separated by a separating device 18 via a cutting or separating tool 19 in the cutting or separating direction 20 along the line 21.

Considered from the standpoint of process technology, therefore all the individual documents 4, the edges of which form a block 2 composed of fanfolded individual documents 4, commencing with the first open individual document 4 are withdrawn, deflected approximately at right angles to the transport direction 13 in a horizontal plane, thereby introduced between further pairs of rollers 14 and 15, then separated from the following document by the separating device 18, and further transported as an individual document, again at right angles to the withdrawal direction 13, i.e. vertically, in the direction of transport 17.

Here the withdrawal of the first open individual document 4, which is still attached to the next, can take place without substantial tractive force in a withdrawal direction 13 corresponding to the fan-fold (Figure 2) and resulting from the direction of the first fanned out document. Advantageously here a curved path 10 is followed between the block 2 and the pairs of rollers 8 and 9, in order to deflect the document goods 3 from the withdrawal direction 13 into a transport direction 13a approximately at right angles thereto.

It is also advantageous always to keep the pair of rollers 8 closed and in the case of the pair of rollers 9 to design the roller 9a or roller 9b so as to be movable away from the other roller of its pair, in order to ensure a satisfactory transfer of the individual document 4 from the transport direction 13a into the transport direction 17.

The individual documents 4 are now introduced from below into the printer (Figure 1). For this purpose pairs of feed-in rollers 22 and 23 are provided. One of the pair of feed-in rollers 23 is equipped with a signal generator 24 for the rotation of the rollers, and the pair of feed-in rollers 23 is followed by a further signal generator 24 for scanning the document goods.

Other si,Itial generators 26 to 33 are arranged on the respective pairs of rollers. A pair of rollers 34 for a feed hopper is then followed in the transport path 35 by a pair of rollers 36 before a magnetic strip unit 37. Following the reading of the individual documents, these are printed by a printing mechanism 38, driven by pairs of rollers 39, 40 and 41, in accordance with the instructions of a computer.

The pairs of rollers 42 and 43 and 44 then transport the printed individual document 4 out of the printer through an ejector opening 45.

The lower part of the device shown in Figure 2, i.e. the pairs of rollers 8 and 9 with the vertical axes 12, the pairs of rollers 14 and 15 with the horizontal axes 16, and the cutting device 18 can in each case be enclosed in the document supply container 1 by an adjoining housing 46.

6

Claims

1. A process for conducting continuous frangibly connected document goods in the form of a block into a document processing device, wherein from a block of the document goods, the frangible edges of which are standing upright and which consists of fan-folded individual documents, the first open individual document is horizontally withdrawn and deflected into a direction extending approximately at right angles to the horizontal withdrawal direction in the same plane, is then separated from the next document, and is further transported, in the form of an individual sheet, in a vertical direction again at right angles to Ihe withdrawal direction.

2. A process as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the withdrawal of the first open document takes place in a direction, which corresponds to the fanfold, of the first fanned out document.

3. A process as claimed in Claims 1 and 2, wherein the withdrawal of the first rectangular document in the fan-fold direction takes place in the form of a curve.

4. A device comprising a document supply container in which a block of documents is stored and comprising a withdrawal device which consists of at least one or more pairs of rollers, wherein a supply container is assigned two respective pairs of rollers which form a curved path for the document goods and the axes of which extend vertically, and that after the last pair of rollers following in the direction of transport for the document goods are arranged one or more pairs of rollers, Ihe axes of which extend at right angles to the axes of the preceding pairs of rollers.

5. A device as claimed in Claim 4, wherein a separating device is arranged in the region of the pairs of rollers with the vertical axes.

6. A device as claimed in Claims 3 and 4, wherein the pairs of rollers with the vertical axes, the pairs of rollers with the horizontal axes and the separating device are each enclosed in a document supply container.

k 1 7

7. A document handliti(g device substantially as described herein with reference to Figure 1 or Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.

8. described herein.

A process for conducting documents substantially as