公开(公告)号：US10029877B2

公开(公告)日：2018-07-24

申请号：US15783679

申请日：2017-10-13

Applicant: A. G. Stacker Inc.

Inventor： Clarence C. Allen, Jr. ,  Kevin G. Gorby ,  Micah C. Sundstrom

IPC: B65H29/14 ,  B65H31/02 ,  B65H37/00

Abstract: A conveying apparatus includes an upper conveyor and a lower conveyor, the top of the lower conveyor facing the bottom of the upper conveyor and defining with the bottom of the upper conveyor a sheet transport path. An air duct having an opening facing the top of the upper conveyor is mounted over the upper conveyor, and a fan is provided that is in fluid communication with the air duct. The fan draws air through the opening, into the air duct and out an exhaust vent. A housing substantially encloses the upper conveyor and the lower conveyor and is connected to the air duct, and the housing has a bottom opening located below the sheet transport path such that a majority of the air drawn through the opening by the fan passes through the upper conveyor.

公开(公告)号：US10589953B2

公开(公告)日：2020-03-17

申请号：US15235883

申请日：2016-08-12

Applicant: A. G. Stacker, Inc.

Inventor： Clarence C. Allen, Jr. ,  Micah C. Sundstrom ,  Eric H. Crowe ,  Samantha L. J. Armstrong

IPC: B65H29/16 ,  B65H29/18 ,  B65H29/50 ,  B65H29/60 ,  B65H43/00

Abstract: A conveyor includes a plurality of belt support assemblies each having a drive wheel assembly at one end and an idler wheel assembly at the other end. Each of the drive and idler wheel assemblies includes a motion converter for converting the rotational movement of a shaft into linear motion along the shaft and an actuator for selectively engaging the motion converter and the shaft. A controller controls the operation of the shafts and the actuators to selectively and individually control the location of each end of each belt assembly relative to one another and to a centerline of the conveyor.

公开(公告)号：US09731924B2

公开(公告)日：2017-08-15

申请号：US15235592

申请日：2016-08-12

Applicant: A. G. Stacker, Inc.

Inventor： Clarence C. Allen, Jr. ,  Eric H. Crowe ,  Micah C. Sundstrom

IPC: B65G15/26 ,  B65G17/28 ,  B65G21/14 ,  B65H29/16 ,  B65H29/60 ,  B65H43/00 ,  B65H29/18 ,  B65H29/50

CPC classification number: B65H29/16 ,  B65H29/18 ,  B65H29/50 ,  B65H29/60 ,  B65H43/00 ,  B65H2301/4473 ,  B65H2404/255 ,  B65H2404/2691 ,  B65H2404/2693 ,  B65H2701/1762 ,  B65H2220/01 ,  B65H2220/02

Abstract: A sheet stacking system for transporting sheets and depositing them in a stack includes a layboy, a transport conveyor downstream of the layboy, and a main conveyor downstream of the transport conveyor, the main conveyor having a frame and being supported by a conveyor support, a discharge end of the main conveyor being movable between a lowered position and a raised position relative to the conveyor support. The main conveyor intake end is configured to move from a first position when the main conveyor discharge end is in the lowered position to a second position when the main conveyor discharge end is in the raised position, and also a variable length conveyor between the transport conveyor and the main conveyor, the variable length conveyor having a discharge end connected to and movable with the main conveyor intake end and movable relative to the transport conveyor discharge end.

公开(公告)号：US10351380B2

公开(公告)日：2019-07-16

申请号：US15783630

申请日：2017-10-13

Applicant: A. G. Stacker Inc.

Inventor： Clarence C. Allen, Jr. ,  Eric Stempihar ,  Dalton Hege ,  Kevin G. Gorby ,  Micah C. Sundstrom

IPC: B65H29/58 ,  B65H29/62 ,  B65H43/04 ,  B65H29/18 ,  B65H29/50

Abstract: A diverter conveyor includes a frame supporting an upper conveyor that has an upstream end and a downstream end and that is configured to carry sheets in a first, downstream, direction. A plurality of nip rollers are mounted on the frame upstream of the upstream end of the upper conveyor and are spaced from the upstream end of the upper conveyor by a gap. The nip rollers feed the sheets along a main path to the upstream end of the upper conveyor. A rejection conveyor is supported by the frame and has a portion beneath the gap and extends away from the upper conveyor at an acute angle. A plurality of paddles are mounted at the first gap, and an actuator is operably connected to the paddles and configured to shift the paddles from a first position out of the main path to a second position in the main path.

公开(公告)号：US10343856B2

公开(公告)日：2019-07-09

申请号：US15783740

申请日：2017-10-13

Applicant: A. G. Stacker Inc.

Inventor： Clarence C. Allen, Jr. ,  Eric Stempihar ,  Eric H. Crowe ,  Samantha L. J. Armstrong ,  Kevin G. Gorby ,  Micah C. Sundstrom

IPC: B65H31/30 ,  B65G47/71 ,  B65G57/03 ,  B65H29/50 ,  B65H31/38 ,  B65G57/11

Abstract: A sheet stacking system includes a main conveyor configured to carry sheets in a downstream direction, an accumulator section downstream of the main conveyor configured to receive the sheets from the main conveyor, at least one tamping plate in the accumulator section, and at least one linear motor connected to the at least one tamping plate. The at least one linear motor is configured to move the at least one tamping plate back and forth in a direction perpendicular to the downstream direction to tamp a stack of the sheets in the accumulator section.

公开(公告)号：US10071873B2

公开(公告)日：2018-09-11

申请号：US15783719

申请日：2017-10-13

Applicant: A. G. Stacker Inc.

Inventor： Clarence C. Allen, Jr. ,  Kevin G. Gorby ,  Micah C. Sundstrom

IPC: B65H29/12 ,  B65H29/14 ,  B65H31/02 ,  B65H37/00

CPC classification number: B65H29/14 ,  B65H29/12 ,  B65H31/02 ,  B65H37/00 ,  B65H2301/121 ,  B65H2301/152 ,  B65H2301/5112 ,  B65H2301/531 ,  B65H2402/10 ,  B65H2404/1532 ,  B65H2404/261 ,  B65H2404/262 ,  B65H2406/36625 ,  B65H2701/1762 ,  B65H2801/42

Abstract: A conveyor includes a first conveyor deck having a first plurality of contact elements, each having a contact surface movable around a closed path from a contact region to a non-contact region, the first contact regions lying in a plane or being bounded by the plane and a second conveyor deck having a second plurality of contact elements, each having a contact surface movable around a closed path from a contact region to a non-contact region, these contact regions lying in a second plane or being bounded by the second plane. The transport path of the conveyor is defined by the contact surfaces of the first and second contact elements in the contact regions, and the first plurality of contact elements are belts and the second plurality of contact elements are wheels.

公开(公告)号：US09896295B2

公开(公告)日：2018-02-20

申请号：US14951870

申请日：2015-11-25

Applicant: A. G. Stacker Inc.

Inventor： Clarence C. Allen, Jr. ,  Eric H. Crowe ,  Micah C. Sundstrom

IPC: B65H29/34 ,  B65H31/30 ,  B65H31/20 ,  B65H31/32 ,  B65H31/38

CPC classification number: B65H29/34 ,  B65H31/20 ,  B65H31/3018 ,  B65H31/32 ,  B65H31/38 ,  B65H2404/1523 ,  B65H2404/1543 ,  B65H2701/1762 ,  B65H2801/15 ,  B65H2801/21

Abstract: A buffer apparatus configured to hold a stack of sheets includes an input, first and second side guides each having a face facing transverse to the travel direction, and a backstop facing the input and spaced from the input in the travel direction. The first side guide, second side guide and backstop define a hopper for holding a plurality of the sheets. First and second retractable supports are shiftable from first positions in which a first portion of the respective retractable support projects a first distance into the hopper and a second position in which the first portion of the respective retractable support projects a second distance into the hopper or does not project into the hopper, the second distance being less than the first distance. The at least one second retractable support is located between the input and the at least one first retractable support.