Adjustable conveyor apparatus and method for book block finishing machine

Abstract

An apparatus for conveying a plurality of sheets into a receiving member includes receiving member and a conveyor for conveying a plurality of sheets into the receiving member so that the sheets are stacked one upon another to form a book block. The conveyor can have a downstream end that is moveable relative to the stack of sheets in the receiving member. The apparatus can also include an actuator connected to the conveyor that is operable to move the downstream end of the conveyor relative to the stack of sheets in the receiving member.

1 . An apparatus for conveying a plurality of sheets into a receiving member, the apparatus comprising:
 a receiving member;   a conveyor for conveying a plurality of sheets into the receiving member so that the sheets are stacked one upon another to form a book block, the conveyor having a downstream end that is moveable relative to the stack of sheets in the receiving member;   an actuator connected to the conveyor and operable to move the downstream end of the conveyor relative to the stack of sheets in the receiving member.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the downstream end of the conveyor is moveable in a generally vertical direction and the second position is at a higher elevation than the first position. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , further comprising a controller communicably linked to the actuator for automatically moving the downstream end of the conveyor between the first and second positions. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the controller is operable to move the downstream end of the conveyor based on a height of the book block in the receiving member. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the conveyor is movable between the first and second positions while conveying the plurality of sheets. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein in the first position the downstream end of the conveyor is at a higher elevation than the book block. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the second position is always at a higher elevation than the book block. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the conveyor is displaceable in a lateral direction relative to the frame and the receiving member. 
     
     
         9 . A method of conveying a plurality of sheets into a receiving member, the method comprising:
 positioning a downstream end of an adjustable conveyor at a first height;   conveying the plurality of sheets toward a receiving member;   depositing the plurality of sheets in the receiving member one upon another in a stack to form a book block; and   raising the downstream end of the conveyor relative to the stack of sheets in the receiving member so that the downstream end of the conveyor is always at a higher elevation than the stack of sheets in the receiving member.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising adjusting the downstream end as the receiving member is filled so that the downstream end of the conveyor remains at generally a constant spacing above a top sheet in the stack. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising automatically adjusting the position of the downstream end of the conveyor using an actuator controller by a controller. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising using the controller to determine a desired rate of change of the elevation of the downstream end of the conveyor based on a rate at which the plurality of sheets are conveyed into the hopper. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising removing the stack from the receiving member and returning the downstream end to the first height to begin stacking another plurality of sheets in the receiving member. 
     
     
         14 . A apparatus for conveying a plurality of sheets in a book block finishing machine, the apparatus comprising:
 a frame;   an upstream conveyor to convey a plurality of sheets in a machine direction;   a downstream conveyor to receive a plurality of sheets from the upstream conveyor, the downstream conveyor being movably mounted on the frame and comprising a conveyor reference axis extending in the machine direction, and the downstream conveyor being selectably displaceable relative to the upstream conveyor in a transverse direction to align the conveyor reference axis with a reference axis defined by the plurality of sheets when the sheets are being conveyed in a machine direction by the upstream conveyor.   
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the conveyor reference axis is a lateral centerline of the downstream conveyor. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , further comprising a receiving member downstream from the downstream conveyor for receiving the plurality of sheets, the conveyor being displaceable in the transverse direction relative to the receiving member. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , further comprising at least one transverse actuator drivingly connected to the downstream conveyor, the actuator being operable to translate the downstream conveyor in the transverse direction. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , further comprising a controller communicably linked to the at least one transverse actuator to automatically adjust the transverse position of the downstream conveyor based on the location of the sheet reference axis. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the downstream conveyor comprises an upstream end for receiving the plurality of sheets and a downstream end, the downstream end of the conveyor being movable relative to the receiving member between a first position and a second position, the second position being at a higher elevation than the first position. 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 19 , further comprising an elevation actuator drivingly connected to the downstream end for moving the downstream end between the first and second positions, the elevation actuator being displaceable in the transverse direction relative to the frame with the downstream conveyor. 
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , further comprising a nozzle apparatus mounted on the downstream conveyor for blowing a fluid between sequential ones of the plurality of sheets exiting the downstream conveyor, the nozzle apparatus being movable in the transverse direction with the downstream conveyor. 
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , comprising a jogging apparatus mounted on the downstream conveyor for jogging the plurality of sheets exiting the conveyor in the machine direction, the jogging apparatus being moveable in the transverse direction with the downstream conveyor. 
     
     
         23 . A method of conveying a plurality of sheets in a book block finishing machine, the method comprising:
 conveying a plurality of sheets in a machine direction on an upstream conveyor;   displacing a downstream conveyor relative to the upstream conveyor in a transverse direction to align a conveyor reference axis of the downstream conveyor with a sheet reference axis defined by the plurality of sheets when the sheets are being conveyed in a machine direction by the upstream conveyor; and   transferring the plurality of sheets from the upstream conveyor to the downstream conveyor.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the conveyor reference axis is a lateral centerline of the downstream conveyor. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising automatically adjusting the transverse position of the downstream conveyor to align the conveyor reference axis with the sheet reference axis using a transverse actuator drivingly connected to the downstream conveyor and a controller communicably linked to the transverse actuator. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising transferring the plurality of sheets from the downstream conveyor to a receiving member and stacking the sheets in the receiving member to form a book block. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising adjusting the vertical elevation of a downstream end of the downstream conveyor to adjust a vertical spacing between the downstream end of the downstream conveyor and the book block. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising injecting fluid between sequential ones of the plurality of sheets entering the receiving member using a nozzle apparatus, the nozzle apparatus being moveable in the transverse direction in unison with the downstream conveyor. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising jogging the plurality of sheets in the receiving member in the machine direction using a jogging apparatus, the jogging apparatus moveable in the transverse direction in unison with the downstream conveyor.