Abstract:
There are disclosed method and apparatus for stacking the output ("documents" or "printed products") of a high speed printing press or bindery line. The documents are shingled on a linear infeed conveyor where they are also aligned, positioned, and counted, all at high speed. When the amount of documents desired for a stack have been counted or weighed or determined by stack size or height, further document flow is temporarily interrupted. The documents are speeded up in an accelerator to reduce the amount of shingling. They are ejected from the accelerator to glide through the air onto a stack starter surface which slowly descends as the stack is formed. The partially completed stack is transferred to a de-elevator and the stack starter returns to begin building a new stack. The de-elevator lowers the completed stack onto a receiving surface and rises to receive the next partially completed stack from the stack starter surface. A pusher then removes the stack from the receiving surface.
Abstract:
The present invention provides a sheet feeding apparatus for moving a sheet in a predetermined direction, characterized by a guide located at the lateral side of the path for the sheet, a conveyor for conveying the sheet along the guide, and a flexure inhibiting member for holding down the sheet.
Abstract:
By means of a conveyor device, which possesses grippers arranged behind one another in the product conveying direction, the printed products are infed in an imbricated formation to at least one but possibly two or more stacker units. These stacker units are successively arranged in the product conveying direction below the conveyor device. Above each stacker unit there is located a release device for the grippers. In each case at least one of the release devices is located in its switched-on condition for opening the grippers moving therepast. The printed products are drawn by the conveyor device over the stacker compartment of the stacker units. The products released above the intended stacker compartment, upon opening of the grippers, drop essentially in vertical direction downwardly and after a short free-fall path arrive in such stacker compartment. While there is accomplished in the one stacker unit a stacking of the printed products there are not infed any printed products to the other stacker unit during such time that its stacker compartment is emptied. Thereafter to the extent necessary the one prior switched-on release device is switched-off and to the extent necessary the other release device is switched-on, so that now the arriving printed products can be stacked in the other stacker unit.
Abstract:
A decorrugating sheet transport system includes a drive shaft with three drive rollers mounted for rotation in relation to three idler rollers. The three drive rollers have relieved areas on portions of their circumferences and are positioned on the drive shaft so that upon receiving the lead edge of a corrugated sheet only the two outer rollers drive the sheet initially. This allows the corrugations in the sheet to expand toward the outer rollers. Next, all three rollers drive the sheet for about a 30.degree. arc and then the sheet is driven only by the center roller with the outer two rollers separated to allow the corrugations to dissipate to the edges of the sheet through a small gap between the outer rollers.
Abstract:
A device for use in conjunction with a compartmented distribution line for flat articles, such as letters, which arrive in succession over a conveying path. The device comprises a succession of stacking compartments arranged one behind the other to which the flat articles are supplied by switches separately associated with the individual compartments. On the conveying path, closely before each individual stacking compartment, there is provided a rubber elastic roller-type attachment which faces the upper edge of each flat article against a guide sheet disposed opposite the attachment.
Abstract:
A system for counting and stacking a continuous stream of shingled or overlapping sheets in which the shingled sheets are transported by a first conveyor and fed into an optical counting means for individually counting the sheets. From the optical counting means, the sheets are fed into a second conveyor which imparts a concave transverse bow to the sheets thereby providing rigidity to the sheets. The sheets exit the second conveyor and are collected by a recovery means for stacking. The second conveyor further includes an insertion means activated by the optical counter for separating the stream of sheets. The action of the insertion means separates the stream of sheets so that a predetermined number of sheets are collected and stacked by the receiving means while the insertion means temporarily supports the continuing stream of sheets. After removal of the completed stack of sheets, the insertion means retracts to its original position thereby transferring the newly forming stack of sheets to the receiving means without interrupting the continuous stream of sheets.
Abstract:
A flat article feeding apparatus has a stacker for accumulating a plurality of flat articles, in a standing state. A main suction chamber is arranged to confront a side of the flat articles which accumulate in the stacker. A perforated suction belt moves around the main suction chamber for picking up the flat article, one by one. A pair of confronting transfer belts transfer the flat articles within a pinch of the confronting belts, as they are delivered from the suction belt. An intake belt is positioned between the suction belt and the transfer belts. The intake belt flares outwardly to form an angle .theta., with respect to the flat artcle transfer direction. Fins are mounted on a roller which supports the intake belt in order to guide the oncoming flat articles carried by the belt. The speed V.sub.1 of the intake belt or fins is set at (V/cos .theta.) with respect to the transfer speed V.sub.2 of the flat article.
Abstract:
A document guide mechanism having an upstream end, a downstream end, and a feeding line therebetween. A cupping device including a cupping rib provides stiffness to the documents as they are moved along the feeding line from the upstream end towards the downstream end where the documents are stacked. A flexible band having predetermined parameters is used to form a "wave" which travels along the feeding line to move the trailing edges of documents already stacked away from the feeding line to provide an entrance for the leading edge of a document being moved along the feeding line towards the stacked documents.
Abstract:
A sheet curl control apparatus that includes a pair of coacting rolls and a baffle extending across the path of a sheet exiting the nip between the rolls so as to deflect it about one of the rolls.
Abstract:
A delivery system of a sheet-fed rotary printing machine includes a device for inhibiting curl formation in a leading edge of a sheet, comprising blowing units disposed at a location of the delivery system whereat, as viewed in travel direction of the sheet, a forward region of a stack of delivered sheets is disposed. The blowing units are in vicinity of a location at which the leading edge of the sheet being delivered travels downwardly. The blowing units have respective means for directing a controlled air jet, with one directional component in the travel direction of the sheet and another directional component towards the middle of the sheet, against the underside of the downwardly traveling sheet in vicinity of the leading edge of the sheet tending to curl.