Feeding assembly for feeding books or book blanks at regular intervals onto a conveyor belt
The present invention relates to a feeding assembly for supplying books or book blanks at regular intervals onto a first conveyor belt leading to a further processing apparatus of books or book blanks, such as a packing machine or a three-way trimmer and binding line for book blanks, said assembly comprising a second conveyor belt perpendicular to the first belt. 
     When feeding bound but untrimmed and coverless book blanks to a three-way trimmer and cover binding line by using the prior art feeding mechanisms, the book blanks are piled up on top of each other and the bottom book blank is always forced by means of a pusher on top of a conveyor belt. Thus, the pile of book blanks may not be very high, so that the friction caused by its weight would not increase unreasonably. In spite of this, damages of book blanks occur as the topmost leaves tend to crumple under the action of frictional forces. Also, when forwarding covered and bound books out of a pile e.g. to a packing machine, scratching of the covers occurs as a result of the friction caused by the weight of a pile of books. 
     An object of the invention is to provide a feeding assembly or mechanism which overcomes the above damaging problems and in which substantial quantities of books can be loaded without affecting operation of the assembly. 
     This object is achieved by means of a feeding assembly according to the invention on the basis of the inventional characteristics set forth in the annexed claims. 
     One embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference made to the accompanying drawing which diagrammatically shows a feeding assembly of the invention in side view. 
     Designated at 4 is a first conveyor belt which travels in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing and proceeds to an apparatus, not shown in the drawing, for further processing books or book blanks. Such a further processing apparatus may comprise a three-way trimmer and cover binding line for book blanks or a packing machine for finished books. 
     The feeding assembly comprises a second conveyor belt 2 which is perpendicular to said first conveyor belt 4. Said second conveyor belt 2 is located below the level of first conveyor belt 4 at least by the width of books 3. Books 3 are loaded on conveyor belt 2 with the bound back downwards. Conveyor belt 2 extends at a small, e.g. 5° angle relative to the horizontal plane in a manner that the end of said belt lies lower than its outset. Hence, books 3 stay in a forwardly inclined position and do not fall backwards upon belt 2. The only factor limiting the quantity of books loaded in the feeding assembly at one time is the length of belt 2, which can be chosen according to an application and need. 
     For intermittent feed of belt 2 there is a pneumatic piston-cylinder unit 5 adapted to reciprocally pivot an arm 6 which is connected to a drive gear or roll 8 of belt 2 through a dummy coupling 7. When turning in one direction, said arm 6 brings roll 8 along through the action of coupling 7 but in the other direction, said arm 6 is allowed to turn freely. 
     The end of conveyor belt 2 is provided with an impact wall 17 which the books 3 forwardly by belt 2 run into. The lower edge of wall 17 is fitted with a limit switch 14 for stopping the feed-directed movement of cylinder 5 as soon as the leading book hits said wall 17. After this, cylinder 5 effects automatically a return stroke for another forward stroke. 
     Impact wall 17 is provided with vertical slots 17a through which protrude the brackets of a hoist 10, said brackets engaging below the bound back of a book or book blank. A pneumatic cylinder 9 operates said hoist 10 which pushes a book or book blank toward the top of a climb path provided with a feed gap formed between a rotatable feed roller 12 and a guide 11, wherein a book forced by guide 11 falls down on top of feed roller 12. The rotating feed roller 12 transfers a book onto belt 4. In order to have a book slide undamaged onto belt 4, between feed roller 12 and the edge of belt 4 is provided a compressed air line 13 whose nozzle orifices are directed upwards or obliquely upwards so as to produce an air cushion between the top surface of belt 4 and a book 3 to be forwarded. 
     It should be appreciated that book 3 need not at any time be removed from under the weight of a pile of books. Impact wall 17 is positioned to produce an angle of more than 90° with the plane of belt 2, whereby a gap between a stopped book and impact wall 17 grows larger in the climbing direction. On the other hand, the movement of hoist 10 proceeds vertically with a consequence that hoist 10 will protrude further and further out of the slots 17a in impact wall 17 as the lift movement proceeds upwards. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the invention, two parallel feeding assemblies are each adapted to simultaneously feed a book forward at every other impulse issued by a further processing apparatus. Thus, the impulses received from a further processing apparatus along a line 16 are distributed by an impulse distributor 15 in a manner that every other impulse sets off the lift movement of cylinder 9 and every other impulse sets off the feed movement of cylinder 5. Thus, two parallel runs operate to feed two books forward by two control impulses. 
     When feeding unbound books whose binding cover is wider than the rest of the book, the book blanks tend to fall forward at the outset of a feeding line. In order to prevent this and to ensure flawless feeding, there is fitted above conveyor belt 2 an endless line comprised of a chain 19 and catches 21 pivotably mounted thereon. The turning roll 22 of belt 2 drives chain 19 by way of a chain or belt 23 which rotates an idler wheel 20 so that the lower run of line 18 travels at the same rate of speed and in the same direction as the upper run of belt 2. Along the lower run of line 18 pivoting of catches 21 is prevented by fixed guide rails 24 between which the base portions 25 of catches 21 are sliding.