EP0108109B1 - Device for separating layers of continuous forms or the like - Google Patents

Abstract

The device for cutting sets of continuous forms (14) provided with transversal perforations by means of a tearing arrangement (22) comprised of two pairs of transporting rollers (72 and 74) spaced from each other is arranged so that both pairs of transporting rollers (72 and 74) are driven at the same speed up to the moment where the next transversal perforation is between the two pairs of rollers (72 and 74). At that time, the driving speed of the downstream pair of rollers is doubled, thereby causing the tearing of the perforation. The individual locations of detached portions of the set are delimited by separation bands (30); each detached portion may be conveyed to a particular reception box. The length to be cut may be manually provided to a control installation or may be read by a detector (202) by means of a marking corresponding to the web (14).

Description

The invention relates to a device for separating multi-layer continuous form sets or the like provided with transverse perforations, with a tear-off arrangement of two transporters arranged at a distance from one another in the transport path of the set, wherein the front transporter in the transport direction can be driven at a higher speed than the rear transporter by one Tearing to create a tensile stress triggering the transverse perforations in the section of the set located between the conveyors.

In a known device of this type (FR-A-1 598 295) an endless form set is cut along the transverse perforations into the corresponding longitudinal sections. In the case of a multilayer continuous form tape, one would often also like to divide the individual layers. To date, this has been done in such a way that the individual layers of the still continuous set of continuous forms are separated from one another and then the individual layers are either passed successively through a single separating device or at the same time through a corresponding plurality of separating devices. The time and equipment involved is correspondingly high. If, on the other hand, the multi-layer set of continuous forms is first passed through the separating device and then only divided into the individual layers, the latter step can only be carried out with increased expenditure on equipment, since individual successive and spaced-apart stacks of sheets are now to be divided.

The object of the invention is to provide a device of the generic type which, in addition to the separation of the continuous form sets into individual lengths, also allows a division into the individual layers with a simple structure.

This object is achieved in that elongated separators are arranged between successive layers of the set, which extend in the transport direction between a rear attachment point behind the rear transporter and a front attachment point in front of the front transporter.

So that the separators do not interfere with the running of the conveyors, it is proposed that the conveyors are each formed by the set between pairs of transport rollers, that at least one of the two transport rollers of each pair of transport rollers extends only over a portion of the width of the set perpendicular to the direction of transport, and that the separators in the remaining area of the set width run through the pairs of transport rollers. It can be provided that the at least one transport roller of each pair of transport rollers is subdivided into at least two partial rollers arranged at a distance from one another, and that the band-shaped separating members run between the partial rollers.

The band-shaped dividers reliably guide the layers of form sets through the transporters if they are spring-loaded and therefore always run straight.

The separation of the individual layers and subsequent feeding into the respective assigned trays is ensured if the front fastening points of the separating members are formed by separating heads which feed the individual layers of the separated set piece to the respective assigned trays. These separating heads can be provided with prestressing springs for the band-shaped separating elements.

The guidance of the layers through the transporters is further improved in that a preferably band-shaped cover member is provided on at least one of the two sides of the set and runs along the separating members.

In order to facilitate the tearing of the respective transverse perforation, a preferably eccentrically mounted perforation tear aid is provided in the area between the conveyors, with pressing elements, preferably in the form of double-cone rollers, which press against the set under local load. The eccentric bearing enables the contact pressure to be adapted to the set of continuous forms to be separated. In order to be able to automatically compensate for any corrugations of the continuous form set occurring between the pairs of transport rollers, it is provided that at least one of the two transport rollers of each pair of transport rollers is designed with a flattened partial circumferential area.

The invention is explained below using an exemplary embodiment with reference to the drawing.

• Figur 1 eine schematische Seitenansicht einer erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung zum Auftrennen von mit Querperforationen versehenen mehrlagigen Endlosformularsätzen ;
• Figur 2 eine technische Details zeigende Draufsicht auf eine Vorrichtung entsprechend Fig. 1 ;
• Figur 3 eine Vorderansicht der Vorrichtung gemäß Fig. 2 in Richtung des Pfeils 111 ;
• Figur 4 eine Rückansicht der Vorrichtung gemäß Fig. 2 und 3 in Richtung des Pfeils IV in Fig. 2 ;
• Figur 5 einen Detailschnitt der Vorrichtung gemäß Fig. 2 bis 4 entlang der Linie V-V in Fig. 2 in vergrößertem Maßstab ; und
• Figur 6 eine isometrische Prinzipdarstellung einer der Vorrichtung gemäß Fig. 2 bis 5 vorschaltbaren Ableitvorrichtung für Kohlepapier-Zwischenlagen.

It shows :

• FIG. 1 shows a schematic side view of a device according to the invention for separating multilayer continuous form sets provided with transverse perforations;
• FIG. 2 shows a plan view showing technical details of a device corresponding to FIG. 1;
• FIG. 3 shows a front view of the device according to FIG. 2 in the direction of arrow 111;
• FIG. 4 shows a rear view of the device according to FIGS. 2 and 3 in the direction of arrow IV in FIG. 2;
• FIG. 5 shows a detail section of the device according to FIGS. 2 to 4 along the line VV in FIG. 2 on an enlarged scale; and
• 6 shows an isometric basic illustration of a discharge device for carbon paper intermediate layers which can be connected upstream of the device according to FIGS. 2 to 5.

The device 10 shown schematically in FIG. 1 for separating continuous form sets provided with transverse perforations serves to separate the continuous form sets supplied by a continuous printer, possibly connected to a data processing system, into individual forms referred to as sets. The device is suitable for single or multi-layer continuous form sets. In the case of multilayer continuous form sets, the individual layers of a sentence are divided.

1, a zigzag stack or leporello stack 12 of an endless form set 14 within a stacking container 16 is indicated. This continuous form set 14 is first passed through an edge strip separating device 18, which removes transport hole edge strips 20 running on the side edges of the set 14. The edge strip separating device 18 will be explained in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. The edge strip separating device 18 is followed by a tear-off arrangement 22 which ensures that endless form sets 24 are torn off along the transverse perforations 26 from the leading end of the set 14. These transverse perforations 26 are already present in the set 14 from the outset. In Fig. 2, two such transverse perforations 26 are indicated in the form of slots 28. However, there are also other usual types of perforations, such as perforations.

The tear-off arrangement 22 also ensures that the individual layers are separated, specifically in that separating tapes 30 are inserted between the individual layers. In Fig. 1, two such separating tapes 30 are indicated by dash-dotted lines. The front ends of the separating belts 30 in the transport direction A of the set are attached to separating heads 32, which deflect the individual layers 34 of the set pieces into respectively assigned trays 36, 38 and 40. In FIG. 1, four sets of set pieces 34a to 34d that have already been deposited can be seen in each tray 36 to 40. As can be seen, sentence device layers of different lengths a can be separated from the sentence 14 with the aid of the device according to FIG. 1. The first separated layer 34a has the greatest length; layer 34b is half the length of layer 34a; the length of the layers 34c and 34d is 3/4 of the length of the layer 34a. As will be described in more detail below, the device according to the invention can be used, for example, to separate continuation calculations of different lengths, or to make so-called group separations from computer printouts, that is to say a separation in the individual customers of sentences associated with a data processing system (for example, for DATEV users). By the term "endless form set is in this case in general an optionally printed, iang ^g estreckte, single or multi-layer arrangement understood from paper or foil strips along prefabricated. transverse material weakenings are to be separated. This can be a self-scream. trade be paper sets in which all layers are copied, for example due to the appropriate coatings on the front and back of each inner layer. However, carbonless paper sets can also be processed with the device according to the invention, in which carbonless intermediate layers, for example carbon paper intermediate layers, are required for the printing process, but which must then be removed later. The removal of such carbon paper intermediate layers 42 from the set 14 is carried out in a diverting device 44 which can be connected upstream of the edge strip separating device 18 and which is indicated by dashed lines in FIG. 1. The discharge device 44 is explained in more detail below with reference to FIG. 6.

2 to 4, the device 10 shown schematically in FIG. 1 is shown in detail. The individual components of the device 10 are arranged on a row of horizontally running, parallel cross bars, which are supported at both ends in two vertical side walls 46. The continuous form set 14, which comes from the left in FIGS. 2 and 3, is first seized by two tractors 48 which engage in corresponding transport holes 54 on both longitudinal edges of the set 14 via caterpillars 50 provided with knobs 50. 2 shows a cross bar 56 connecting the walls 46 on which the tractors 48 are mounted; A likewise square shaft 58, which is rotated by a drive motor, not shown, drives the two tractors 48.

Before the set 14 reaches the tractors 48, it still runs between a lower and an upper guide rod 60 and 62, which also run transversely between the walls 46.

In the transport direction A of the set 14, the edge strip separating device 18 adjoins the tractors 48, which is shown in simplified form in FIGS. 2 and 3. On two superimposed shafts 64 and 66 driven by drive means, not shown, in the region of each longitudinal edge of the set 14, two cutting wheels 68 and 70, each lying exactly one above the other, are fastened, which roll with one another with their outer circumference and in this way cut through the possibly multi-layer copy paper set. In this way, the edge strip 20 containing the transport holes 54 is cut off on both long sides of the set 14, drained downwards and deposited in a manner not shown, for example rolled up. The shafts 64 and 66 can be mounted in a manner not shown in the side walls 46 so that they can be displaced in the vertical direction to enable readjustment. Furthermore, the shafts 64 and 66 can also be biased towards one another by means of biasing springs.

The tear-off arrangement 22 follows the edge strip separating device 18 two transport roller pairs 72 and 74 arranged at a distance b (see FIG. 1) from one another, which form a front conveyor (transport roller pair 74) in the transport direction and a rear conveyor (transport roller pair 72). Each pair of transport rollers 72 and 74 consists of two roller shafts arranged vertically one above the other. The lower roller shaft of the pair of transport rollers 72 is designated 76 and the upper shaft 78; the lower shaft of the pair of transport rollers 74 is designated by 80 and the upper one by 82. The shafts 76 to 82 each carry two sub-rollers which are spaced apart. The front partial rollers of the shafts 78 and 82 located at the top in FIG. 2 are designated by 84 and 86, the rear partial rollers in FIG. 2 by 88 and 90. The rollers located below the rollers 84 and 86 in FIG. 5 are 92 and 94. It can be seen from FIGS. 2 and 5 that the rollers lie one above the other in pairs and that the rollers of the rear pair of transport rollers 72 are aligned in transport direction A with those of the front pair of transport rollers 74. As shown in FIG. 5 in particular, the upper partial rollers 84 and 86 (and also 88 and 90) are formed with a flattened partial peripheral region 96, which serves to compensate for warpage of the multi-layer set 14 that occurs during operation. As soon as the equally oriented partial circumferential areas 96, for example of the rollers 84 and 88, are in their lowest position, the set 14 is no longer clamped between the partial rollers of the pair of transport rollers 72, so that the warping can compensate for itself.

The superimposed partial rollers of the rear transport roller pair 72 are driven in opposite directions and synchronously. The synchronization is achieved in that the shafts 76 and 78 are rotatably connected at their ends projecting from the upper wall 46 in FIG. 2 to a gear 98 or 100 of a meshing pair of gears (see FIG. 4). In the same way, the shafts 80 and 82 of the front pair of transport rollers 74 are synchronized with one another (meshing gears 102 and 104 at the end of the shafts 80 and 82, respectively).

The two pairs of transport rollers 72 and 74 are driven by a single electric motor 106, which can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 4. The power is transmitted via a belt drive 107. A belt 108, possibly a toothed belt. runs over two equally large pulleys 110 and 112, which are attached to the ends of the shafts 80 and 76, which protrude beyond the side wall 46. The belt 108 in the form of a closed loop runs from the pulley 112 to a reversing roller 114 and in front of this to the motor shaft 116 of the electric motor 106. The path then leads via a tensioning roller 118 to the pulley 110 and back to the pulley 112. The transport direction of the belt 108 is indicated by the arrow B in Fig. 4. The pulley 112 is rigidly connected to the shaft 76. The pulley 110, however, is coupled to the shaft 80 via a freewheel 120.

The freewheel 120 can, for example, be inserted as a freewheel ring in a correspondingly large central bore in the pulley 110 and pushed over the shaft 80. The freewheel 120 is set up in such a way that it locks when the pulley 110 rotates at a higher speed in the direction of rotation C (counterclockwise in FIG. 4) than the shaft 80. In this case, the shaft 80 is carried along by the pulley 110. On the other hand, if the shaft 80 wants to rotate in the direction C at a higher speed than the pulley 110, the freewheel 120 allows this.

Consequently, if both shafts 80 and 98 are driven exclusively by pulleys 110 and 112, the two pairs of transport rollers 72 and 74 run at the same speed (and direction of rotation). The belt drive 107 shown in FIG. 4 therefore represents a 1: 1 transmission.

On the other side of the device 10 shown in FIG. 3, a further belt drive 121 is attached, which represents an optionally switchable 1: 2 transmission. A large pulley 122 is rotatably attached to the end of the shaft 76 which projects below the side wall 46 in FIG. 2. A small pulley 124 is supported on the corresponding end of the shaft 80. A belt 126 runs over both pulleys 122 and 124 and additionally over an eccentrically mounted tensioning roller 128. Between the shaft 80 and the pulley 124, an annular magnetic coupling 130 is interposed in this area, which is provided with an extension 131 projecting downwards. The extension 131 is fastened to the outside of the wall 46 by means of a bracket 133 by means of two screws 135. As long as the magnetic coupling 130 is not under tension, the pulley 124 and shaft 80 can run completely independently of one another. On the other hand, if the magnetic coupling 130 is placed under a cut-in voltage, the magnetic coupling 130 connects the shaft 80 to the pulley 124 in a rotationally fixed manner.

The belt drive 121 therefore represents an n selectable transmission, the transmission ratio of which is 1: 2 in accordance with the radius ratio of the two pulleys 122 and 124.

Between the wall 46 and the pulley 122, a slotted disk 132 made of metal is attached to the shaft 76 in a rotationally fixed manner, the slits 134 of which are scanned by an inductive pick-up 136 which engages around the disk 132 in a fork-like manner. The angular spacing of successive slots 134 is determined such that a transport path of the set 14 through the transport roller pair 72 corresponds to 1/6 inch (25.4 / 6 mm).

The separating belts 30 already mentioned in the explanation of FIG. 1 for separating the individual layers of the set 14 or the separated set piece 24 are each at their rear end with respect to the transport direction A. attached to horizontal dividing plates, which in turn are fitted between the two side walls 46. The continuous form set 14 used in the device 10 shown in the figures is 3-ply. There are therefore two separating plates 138 each between two successive layers of the set 14 (see FIG. 5). In order to reliably guide the set 14 or the set 24 separated at the front through the tear-off arrangement 22, in addition to the separating tapes 30, cover tapes 140 are provided on the upper and lower sides of the set 14, which in turn at the rear end on the walls 46 connecting plates are attached. The lower cover strips 140 are fastened to a lower plate 142, the upper cover strips 140 to an upper plate 144. The lower plate 142 is designed as a relatively large support plate which protrudes relatively far in the opposite direction of transport A. Both transverse edges of the lower plate 142 are angled slightly downwards. The rear ends of the cover tapes 140 are fastened approximately in the middle of the width (measured in direction A) of the lower plate 142. As can be seen in FIG. 2, four cover strips 140 run from the lower plate 142 in the transport direction A. In each case two of these cover tapes 140 run past the two end faces of the two pairs of partial rollers 92, 84 and 94, 86 in front in FIG. 2 (see also FIG. 5); The same applies to the upper pairs of partial rollers in FIG. 2, of which the partial rollers 88 and 90 can be seen. In the transport direction, following the pairs of transport rollers 72 and 74, a cross bar 146 is provided, which deflects the four lower cover strips 140 downward to a second cross beam 148. The ends of the four lower cover strips 140 are fastened to a further cross beam 150 with the interposition of helical tension springs 152.

In turn, four separating tapes 30 are each attached to the separating plates 138 mentioned by their rear end. These four belts 30 each run exactly above the lower four cover belts 140, that is also parallel to direction A and laterally past the partial rollers. The front ends of a total of eight separating tapes 30 are attached to the already mentioned (also eight) separating heads 32. These separating heads 32 each consist of an elongated curved bracket element tapered in a wedge shape at its rear end facing the pairs of transport rollers 72, 74 in the side view of FIG. 5. The four separating heads 32 each associated with the four separating tapes 30 starting from a separating plate 138 are held together on two transverse rods 154. Each separating head 32 is provided with a lateral recess 156 (see FIG. 5) for receiving a helical tension spring 158, one end of which is connected to the front end of the associated separating tape 30 and the other end of which is connected to a retaining web 160 of the separating head 32. The foremost cross bar 154 'is connected to the side walls 46 via connecting straps 155.

In order to facilitate threading the leading end of a new set 14, the separating plates 138 are staggered upwards in the direction of transport A. The plate 144, from which the four upper cover bands 140 extend, is inclined to form an insertion bevel. The four cover tapes 140 extending from the plate 144 run exactly above the separating tapes 30 and the lower cover tapes 140. The front ends of the upper cover tapes 140 are in turn guided over two cross bars 162 and 164 and finally fastened to a further cross bar 168 under tension by means of tension springs 166 . 1 and 5 in this context it should be noted that the distance between the individual layers of the set 14 or the separated set piece 24 and, accordingly, the distance between the bands 30 and 140 is drawn greatly enlarged to the structure and operation of the invention Clarify device. The invention is also not limited to 3-layer sets 14; there may be fewer or more layers.

Between the pairs of transport rollers 72 and 74 there is a double-cone roller shaft 170, which in turn extends transversely to the direction of transport A and horizontally and is mounted on the side walls 46 with an eccentric pivot point. The double cone shaft 170 serves as a perforation tear aid. For this purpose, it is provided with a total of five double-cone rollers 172, which are attached to the double-cone shaft 170 so as to be rotatable or non-rotatably distributed at the same distance from one another over the width of the set 14 to be separated. The double-cone roller shaft 170 is pivoted with its rollers 172 as far from below into the transport path of the set 14 between the pairs of transport rollers 72 and 74 that when the set 14 is tensioned between the pairs of rollers 72 and 74, the double-cone rollers 172 produce a local bulge of the set 14 upwards. If at the same time one of the transverse perforations 26 is located in this bulging area, this immediately leads to the local opening of the perforation and subsequently to a complete separation of the transverse perforation.

The operating principle of the device 10 according to the invention now consists in having the set 14 transported by both pairs of transport rollers 72 and 74 at the same transport speed until the transverse perforation to be separated next reaches the area between the two pairs of transport rollers 72 and 74. The front pair of transport rollers 74 is now driven at a higher speed than the pair of transport rollers 72, which leads to a correspondingly increasing tensile stress in the section of the set 14 between the pair of transport rollers 72 and 74, until finally, supported by the double-cone roller shaft 170, the corresponding transverse perforation 26 tears open and then the individual layers of the torn-off sentence piece 24 and the respective assigned shelves 36 to 40 (see also Fig. 1) are supplied. After switching to the same transport speed of the transport roller pairs 72 and 74, this process can be repeated as often as desired.

From the above it can be seen that it is sufficient for the operating phase with the same transport speed of the transport roller pairs 72 and 74 if the electric motor 106 acting directly on the belt drive 107 is switched on with the magnetic coupling 130 switched off. For the subsequent operating phase with a higher transport speed of the front transport roller pair 74, all that is required is , With the electric motor 106 still running, the magnetic clutch 130 are switched on. The shaft 80 subsequently rotates at twice the speed of the shaft 76; The freewheel 120 is overhauled.

The control of the electric motor 106 and the magnetic coupling 130 can take place via a control device 174 shown as a box in FIG. 2. This is connected to the corresponding electrical components of the device 10 by means of dash-dotted electrical lines. A line 176 thus connects the control device 174 to the electric motor 106; a line 178 forms the connection of the magnetic coupling 130 to the control device 174.

The control device 174 can be connected directly to a data processing system printing the set 14, which is symbolized in FIG. 2 by an electrical line 180. The control device 174 is informed via this line 180 when it has to carry out the speed changeover in order to separate the next transverse perforation 28.

However, the device 10 can also be designed for independent operation using simple means, which makes the device 10 particularly suitable for use in what is known as medium data technology.

For the automatic automatic operation, it is essential that the control device 174 works exactly in synchronization with the course of the set 14. To achieve this, a first detector 182 is provided which detects the position of the leading end of the set 14. The detector 182 consists, for example, of a light barrier arrangement which is arranged between the double-cone roller shaft 170 and the front transport roller pair 74 and which measures the passage of the leading end of the set 14, which has now been torn after the corresponding transverse perforation has been torn, when this leading end approaches the front transport roller pair 74. The detector 182 consists, for example, of a light barrier transmitter 184 located above the transport path of a set 14 and a light barrier receiver 186 located below a transport path. Transmitter 184 and receiver 186 are each attached to a crossbar 188. The location signa given by the recipient 186! is supplied to the control device 180 via an electrical line 190.

In order to couple the control sequence with the transport process or the movement of the transport roller pairs 72 and 74 in a simple manner, the already mentioned inductive pickup 136 is provided, which scans the slotted disc 132 rotating with the shaft 78 and sends a corresponding signal via a line 192 to the Control device 174 outputs.

In the case of an independent operation of the device 10, the control device 174 must be supplied with information about the length of the sentence piece to be torn off. For this purpose, for example, an input device 194 indicated in FIG. 2 can be connected to the control device 174 via a line 196. The input device 194 is provided, for example, with six input keys 197, which correspond to six different tear-off lengths. A start and stop button 198 is also provided.

After pressing one of the input keys 196 and the start / stop key 198, the control device 174 starts the electric motor 106. Thereupon, the leading end of the set 14, which was previously threaded in layers between the plates 138, 142 and 144, is transported by the tractors 48, which are not shown, to the rear pair of transport rollers 72 and is finally carried along by them. As soon as the leading end of the set 14 passes through the light barrier of the detector 182, a counter 200 of the control device 174 is activated via the corresponding signal supplied via the line 190 to the control device 174, which then counts the pulses emitted by the inductive pickup 136 corresponding to the slot division of the disk . A comparison circuit (not shown) compares the respective count with a target value that is smaller than the product of the entered tear-off length in inches and the number 6 by a predetermined small value. Once the counter 200 has reached the target value, the transverse perforation to be torn off is located 28 in the area between the rear pair of transport rollers and the double-cone roller shaft 170. The control device 174 now switches on the magnetic coupling 130, whereupon the transport speed of the front pair of rollers 74 doubles. Since the transport speed of the rear pair of rollers 72 is unchanged, a rapidly increasing tensile stress builds up during the further transport, which ultimately leads to the transverse perforation 28 which has now reached the double-cone rollers 172 tearing open. The torn-off set piece 24 is then conveyed on by the transport rollers 74 either at double or at a single transport speed and stored in layers 36 to 40 divided into layers. The counter 200 is reset. so that device 10 is ready for severing the next sentence.

It can be seen that to change the tear-off length, simply press another enter key 197; the mechanical configuration, in particular, the distance b between the pairs of transport rollers 72 and 74 remains unchanged.

In some applications, such as continuation calculations or when distributing a computer printout to different customers (group separation), the printout length (or form length) changes from record to record. In order to enable a corresponding automatic separation of the sentence pieces with different tear-off lengths, the device 10 is provided with a further detector 202 which reads a marking 204 in the region of the leading end of each sentence piece, which indicates the tear-off length of this sentence piece. The marking 204 can be, for example, an optical marking (possibly a bar code). However, other markings such as magnetic are also possible. The detector 202 is attached to a crossbar 205 above the transport path of the set 14 between the rear pair of transport rollers 72 and the double-cone roller shaft. The detector 202 outputs its signals indicating the tear-off length to be taken into account next to the control device 174 via a line 206, which in turn converts these signals into a setpoint value that is comparable to the count of the counter 200. The further operational sequence of the device 10 is the same as that when the tear-off length is entered externally via the input device 194.

In the event that continuous form sets 14 'with intermediate layers no longer usable later, e.g. B. carbon paper intermediate layers 42, the arrangement shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 is preceded by the discharge device 44 already mentioned in connection with FIG. 4. This is explained in more detail in FIG. 6. It consists of two pairs of tractors 208 and 210 spaced apart in the direction of transport A and strip-shaped baffle plates 212 arranged between the pairs of tractors. Each baffle plate 212 lies between the underside of a printed layer 13 and the top of a carbon paper intermediate layer 42 to form a 45th ° Angle with the transport direction A. Each carbon paper intermediate layer 42 is now wrapped around the front edge 214 of the overlying baffle plate 212 in the transport direction A and is led laterally outwards in the plane of the incoming set 14 'from the set 14'. Subsequently, the intermediate layers 42 are deflected, for example downward, via deflecting rollers 216 and fed to a reeling device, not shown. In this way, the carbon paper intermediate layers 42 can be led out laterally in the direction A during continuous transport of the set 14 '. The set 14 'is suspended in the tractors 208 and 210 in such a way that the section located between the two pairs of tractors can be expanded sufficiently by the baffle plates 212.

Claims (9)

1. Device (10) for separating multi-layer endless form sets (14 ; 14') or the like provided with transverse perforations (28), having a tear-off arrangement (22) of two transporters arranged with spacing (b) from one another in the transport path of the set (14 ; 14'), where the forward transporter in the transport direction (A) is drivable at higher speed than the rear transporter, in order to generate, in the section of the set (14,14') situated between the transporters a tension stress instigating the tearing of one of the transverse perforations (28), characterised in that elongated separating members (30), which extend in the transport direction (A) between a rear fastening point (138) behind the rear transporter and a forward fastening point before the forward transporter, are arranged in each case between successive layers (13) of the set (14).

2. Device according to Claim 1, characterised in that the transporters are formed in each case by transport roller pairs (72, 74) holding the set between them, in that in each case at least one of the two transport rollers of each transport roller pair (72, 74) extends only over a partial zone of the set width perpendicularly of the transport direction (A), and in that the separating members (30) extend through the transport roller pairs (72, 74) in the remaining region of the set width.

3. Device according to Claim 2, characterised in that at least the one transport roller of each transport roller pair (72, 74) is divided into at least two part rollers (84, 86, 88, 90, 92, 94) arranged with spacing from one another, and in that the separating members (30) of band form extend through between the part rollers (84, 86, 88, 90, 92, 94).

4. Device according to Claim 1, characterised in that the separating members (30) are under initial spring stress.

5. Device according to Claim 1, characterised in that the forward fastening points of the separating members are formed by separator heads (32) which feed the individual layers (34a-34d) of the separated-off set piece (24) to respectively allocated delivery points (36, 38, 40).

6. Device according to Claim 5, characterised in that initial-stressing springs for the separating members of band form (30) are provided on the separator heads (32).

7. Device according to Claim 1, characterised in that on at least one of the two sides of the set (14) there is provided a cover member [140) whicn extenas along the separating members (30).

8. Device according to Claim 1, characterised in that in the region between the transporters there is provided a preferably eccentrically mounted perforation-tearing aid (170) with presser elements which press with local loading upon the set (14).

9. Device according to Claim 2, characterised in that in each case at least one of the two transport rollers of each transport roller pair is formed with a flattened-off partial circumferential zone (96).

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