GB1039320A - Collator - Google Patents

Abstract

1,039,320. Sheet collators. THOMAS COLLATORS Inc. Oct. 16, 1964 [Oct. 17, 1963], No. 42252/64. Heading B6H. A sheet collating apparatus comprises a plurality of superimposed trays 24, Fig. 1, for reception of sheets (not shown) which are fed simultaneously into a delivery tray 17 by a reciprocating slide including uprights 58 connected by transverse rods 56 which support pushers 54 having at one end thereof rubber rollers 86 for engagement with the sheets. The uprights 58 are mounted for reciprocating movement on slide rods 60, 62 and the movement is imparted by a link 66 connected to a lever 68 pivotally attached to a rod 69 and oscillated by a pitman 70, Fig. 2, connected to crank 72 driven by a motor 74. The lever 68 carries a plate 76 having an arcuate slot 78 for adjustment of the pitman 70 to vary the oscillation of lever 68 and thereby the movement of the pushers 54 in accordance with the length of the sheets gathered. To deal with sheets of different sizes the trays 24 are provided with adjustable side guides 36 and back stops 48. The trays are also provided with sheet elevators 51 to raise the centre of the sheets to prevent the sheets rising up at the corners. The bottoms of the trays are further provided with cork strips 94 to provide tracks for discs 88, Fig. 4, disposed on either side of the rubber rollers 86, to ride on during idling movement of the pushers when the trays are empty or not in use. Each tray has also secured to a side flange 32 thereof a patch 104 of friction material to buckle the sheets fed and facilitate the snapping out of a front portion of the sheets from under the tapered flange 103 of a sheet corner separator 98 mounted on a corner post 18 and secured thereto by a guide strip 95.