US3255652A

US3255652A - Apparatus for handling sheets

Info

Publication number: US3255652A
Authority: US
Inventors: Gosta R Linden
Original assignee: Miehle Goss Dexter Inc
Current assignee: Miehle Goss Dexter Inc
Priority date: 1963-09-16
Filing date: 1963-09-16
Publication date: 1966-06-14
Anticipated expiration: 1983-06-14
Also published as: CH425837A; GB1036346A

Description

G. R. LINDEN APPARATUS FOR HANDLING SHEETS Jl ne 14, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 16, 1963 INVENTOR. GOSTA Raw/v0 luvocw June 14, 1966 G. R. LINDEN 3,255,652

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING SHEETS Filed Sept. 16, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 3* TicrE.

UNVEMTOR. -1 BY 605m IPOLA/Yp Z/wa/ June 14, 1966 e. R. LINDEN 3,255,652

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING SHEETS Filed Sept. 16, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet} INVENTOR. 605m fRam/vo [MOE Y June 14, 1966 G. R. LINDEN 3,255,652

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING SHEETS Filed Sept. 16, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet].

. v1 F V r INVENTOR. Gosm IRMA/v0 Z/NDE/Y BY ywwam June 14, 1966 5. R. LINDEN 3,255,652

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING SHEETS Filed Sept. 16, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Covn zsscpA/q INVENTOR 97 I6 Gosm {fix/m0 Amos/v Ti E1. lay/3M *W ATTU/P/YEYS United States Patent 7 3,255,652 APPARATUS FOR HANDLING SHEETS Gosta, R; Linden, Park Ridge, N.J., assignor to Miehle- Goss-Dexter Incorporated, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 16, 1963, Ser. No. 309,233

7 Claims. (Cl. 83-88) v This invention relates to a method and apparatus for handling sheets of paper. More particularly, it relates to a method and apparatus for changing the direction of movement of individual sheets forming a part of an endless stream of overlapped sheets.

In the printing industry it has-been found highly desirable to feed sheets to a printing press so that the grain of the sheet is parallel to the printing press rolls. This is known as grain long feeding. When the grain of the fed sheet is at right angles to the axis of the printing press rolls it is known as grain short feeding. Most of the present day printing presses are fed from a stack of sheets which have been previously piled on a pallet. The loaded pallet is inserted in a conventional sheet feeder and sheets are fed from the top of the pile one at a time to the printing press. The difficulties with this procedure are that the cost is high to have the paper precut and stacked, the stacked piles of paper take up a great deal of storage space, the edge's'of the stacked piles tend to get out of vertical alignment before use and the stacked piles be come warped after they have been allowed to rest on their pallets for any length of time. In the present invention, all of these difiiculties have been overcome by providing a roll sheet feeder which cuts sheets from a roll of paper, feeds the cut sheets to a continuously formed pile of cut sheets at a feed station, and simultaneously feeds the sheets to a printing press in a grain long feeding operation. All pn'or roll sheet feeders have had the disadvantage of not being able to sheet a roll and to feed the cut sheets grain long to a printing press in a continuous operation.

An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for changing the direction of individual sheets in a stream of overlapped sheets.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved apparatus and method for sheeting a roll of paper and feeding the cut sheets in proper orientation to printing press rolls in a continuous operation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel roll sheet feeder which is compact and which will efiiciently operate at a high rate of speed.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel apparatus which will efiiciently and continuously cut sheets from an endless roll of paper and form said out sheets into a stream of overlapped sheets and which will continuously form a bottom fed pile from said stream of overlapped sheets.

Another object is to provide a novel apparatus which continuously forms a bottom fed pile at a feeding station and simultaneously feeds sheets from the top of the pile without interruptingthe feeding of sheets to the bottom of the pile.

Another object is to provide a novel apparatus which will form a continuous bottom fed pile of sheets at a feed station at a high speed and which will feed sheets from the top of the pile wherein the operation of the formation of the pile need not be synchronized with the feeding of sheets from the top of the pile.

Another object is to provide a novel foot clamp mechanism for use in a sheet feeding apparatus whereby sheets may be fed from the top of a pile of sheets formed by sheets being continuously fed onto the bottom of the pile without interrupting the bottom feed.

A still further object of the present invention is to pro- Patented June 14, 1966 .vide a novel foot clamp mechanism for use in feeding sheets from the top of a pile of sheets which does not exert any downward pressure on said pile.

The above and further objects and novel features of the present invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description when the same is read in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only, and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters refer FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the tape roller mechanism taken along line 55 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged .end elevational view of the tape roller mechanism taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view of part of the mechanism for lifting pressure rollers 52 taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the combined air blast and vacuum foot clamp unit together with its operating mechanism taken on line 88 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged side elevation View, partly in section, showing the construction of the combined air blast and vacuum foot clamp; and

FIG. 10 is an enlarged bottom view, partly in section and with parts broken away, of the vacuum foot clamp, the section being taken on line 10-10 of FIG. 8.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a sheet conveying mechanism comprised of longitudinally extending side frames 10 and 11. Each of the sheet conveyors is comprised of a plurality of spaced apart parallel tapes for supporting and carrying sheets. The conveying system comprises a plurality of high speed feeding tapes 12, a plurality of slow speed tapes 13, a plurality of upper high speed tapes 14 extending over

tapes

12 and 13, a plurality of inclined tapes 15 and a plurality of lower conveyor tapes 16. A drive shaft 20 extends longitudinally. of side frame 10 and is mounted in suitable bearings for rotation. The drive shaft 20 is driven from a drive shaft 26 through a bevel gear 22, on shaft 20, a bevel gear 21 on shaft 19, a sprocket 23 on shaft 19,- a sprocket 24 on drive shaft 26' and chain 25 between sprockets 23 and 24. The upper tapes 14 are mounted between rollers 27 and 28, the ends of which are mounted in suitable bearings in side frames 10 and 11.. Roller 27 is driven from drive shaft 26 by means of a conventional timing belt 29 mounted over conventional timing belt pulleys, one of which is' keyed to the drive shaft 26 and the other of which is keyed to the end of a shaft 30 upon which the roll 27 is mounted. A tightening roll 18 regulates the slack in the tapes 14. The high speed tapes 12 are mounted between roll 31 and a series of rolls 32 secured to a shaft 33. The roll 31 is mounted for free rotation on shaft 36. Shaft-36 is driven by means of a gear 35 secured to one end thereof which meshes with a gear 34 secured to shaft 30. The tapes 12 are driven from rolls 32 by means of a conventional timing belt 9 mounted over a timing belt pulley keyed to shaft of rollers 38 are pivotally mounted on a transversely extending shaft 39 and are positioned to overlie each of the outer tapes 12. A back-up roll 40 extends transversely of the tapes 12 and is positioned under the upper reaches of said tapes and in vertical alignment with the centers of rollers 38 to provide a bite between each roller and the tape. Likewise a pair of rollers 41 are pivotally mounted on a transversely extending shaft 42 and each is positioned to overlie one of outer tapes 12 and each is in vertical alignment with a respective roll 32 at each side of the tapes. Thus the rollers 38 and rollers 41 assure that each of the fed sheets is carried along with the high speed tapes 12. A conventional roll sheeter 44 for cutting predetermined lengths from the end of a roll of paper is mounted in advance of the high speed tapes 12 and is driven by conventional means from the drive shaft 26. The leading edge of the uncut roll of paper in the roll sheeter 44 is fed between high speed tapes 12 and the rollers 38. The high speed tapes 12 have a greater lineal speed than the speed of the paper being fed out of the sheeter 44. Rollers 38 permit slippage of the forward end of the roll before it is cut by the sheeter. As soon as the sheet is cut it moves ahead of the slower moving leading edge of the paper in the roll sheeter so that a gap is formed between the cut sheets and avoids any interference between the trailing end of a cut sheet and the leading edge of the successively cut sheet. The slow speed tapes 13 are mounted at one end over a drum 45 and at the other end over roller 46. The upper reaches of the tapes 13 are spaced below the plane of the upper reaches of the high speed tapes 12 so that sheets which are fed from between

tapes

12 and 14 fall downwardly onto tapes 13 and out of contact with tapes 14. The ends of tapes 13 adjacent the ends of tapes 12 are inclined slightly downwardly toward tapes 12 by means of the positioning of an upper idler roll 47 and a lower idler roll 48 relative to the tape roller 46. Thus as individual sheets are fed from tapes 12 onto the tapes 13 they fall downwardly away from the upper tapes 14 and onto the tapes 13. Because of the inclined plane of the end of tapes 13 the trailing edge of each sheet is permitted to fall a maximum distance which assures that the leading edge of the next fed sheet, since it is now travelling faster than the previously fed sheet, will overlap the preceding sheet thus forming a stream of overlapped sheets. In order to further assure that the leading edge of each sheet is held above the trailing edge of the previously fed sheet there is provided a plurality of horizontally extending fingers 50 positioned between rolls 32. The fingers 50 are secured at one end to a transversely extending support rod 51, and the ends of said rod are adjustably mounted to the side frames 10 and 11 to permit the fingers 50 to be selectively extended or retracted beyond the end of the high speed tapes 12. The upper surfaces of fingers 50 are positioned slightly below the tapes 12. A conventional thumb screw is used to secure the rod 51 in adjusted position.

A series of transversely spaced rider rollers 52 are positioned above each of the tapes 13. The rollers 52 are of identical construction and therefore a description of one will be sufficient for an understanding of all. The mounting apparatus and the operation of the rollers 52 is more clearly shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The roller 52 is rotatably mounted between the lower ends of fingers 55, 56 of a yoke 53. The upper end of yoke 53 is loosely retained over a transversely extending shaft 49. A U- shaped bracket 57 spans the upper end of yoke 53 and has its leg portions keyed to shaft 49 and has a top plate spaced from the upper end of yoke 53. A stop pin 63 is threadedly mounted in the top of bracket 57 and serves to limit the rotational movement of yoke 53 about shaft 49. A spring 64 is held under compression between the top plate of bracket 57 and the upper end of yoke 53 so that the yoke and roller 52 are urged clockwise and toward tapes 13, as viewed in FIG. 5. When it is desired to lift roller 52 above a tape 13, shaft 49 together with T tapes 13.

bracket 57 is rotated counterclockwise, as viewed in FIG. 5. In such counterclockwise movement the stop pin 63 contacts the upper end of yoke 53 thus rotating the yoke counterclockwise and lifting the roller 52 above a tape 13. The ends of the shaft 49 are rotatably mounted in vertically extending

brackets

58, 59 positioned adjacent frames 10 and 11. The bracket 58 has a roller 60 which rides on a longitudinally extending track 61 secured to the frame 10. The lower surface of the track 61 has a toothed surface which meshes with a gear 62 mounted in the lower end of the bracket 58. Gear 62 is rotated by means of a handwheel. The bracket 59 is mounted for slidable movement along a suitable track on frame 11. A back-up roller 54 extends under tapes 13 and transversely of and in alignment with rollers 52 so that a pressure can be exerted between each of tapes 13 and its corresponding roller 52.. The ends of the back-up roller 54 are rotatably mounted in

brackets

58, 59 and therefore are movable with the rollers 52. It is desirable to have the leading edge of each sheet enter into the bite between the tapes 13 and the rollers 52 as soon as its trailing edge leaves the fingers 50 associated with the high speed tape 12. To accommodate sheets of varying lengths the rollers 52 and the back-up rollers 54 may be moved toward or away from the high speed tapes 12 by turning the gear 62 by means of its handwheel. During the side jogging of the stream of sheets (hereinafter to be described) it is desirable to raise the rolls 52 above the surface of the This is accomplished by means of a longitudinally extending bar 66 having its rear end pivotally connected to a link 67 which is in turn pivotally mounted to a fixed point on the side frame 10. The front end is pivotally connected to one arm of a bell crank 68 which is pivotally mounted at its center to a fixed point on the side frame 10. A lever 65 is secured at one end to shaft 49 and has a roller 69 rotatably mounted to its other end which is in vertical alignment with the lifting bar 66, so that upon raising of the bar 66 it will rotate the shaft 49 1 counterclockwise and raise each of the rollers 52 as described above. The raising of bar 66 is accomplished by means of a cam actuated mechanism connected to rotate the bell crank 68 about its pivot point. This mechanism comprises a cam 70 on the drive shaft 20 and a cam follower 71 rotatably mounted in an arm 72 which in turn is pivotally connected to a linkage 73 for connection to the bell crank 68. The

rollers

38 and 41 are mounted for pivotal movement about their

respective shafts

39 and 42 and are spring-loaded in the same manner as are rollers 52 described above.

The side jogging means for the stream of sheets comprises a pair of longitudinally extending L-shaped

plates

74, 75. As more clearly shown in FIG. 3, the jogger plate 74 is secured to a transversely extending shaft 76. Shaft 76 has its ends slidably mounted in the side frames 10 and 11. The jogger plate 75 is slidably received over the shaft 76. A drive rod 77 is slidably received between the side frames 10 and 11 and one outer end thereof is pivotally connected to an eccentric 78 mounted to the driven shaft 20. A lever 79 is pivotally mounted over a shaft 80 which is held stationary. One end of the lever 79 is pivotally connected to a block 81 which is in turn secured to the shaft 76. The other end of the lever 79 is pivotally connected to an end of a link 82. The other end of link 82 is pivotally connected to a block 83 slidably mounted over the shaft 76 and threadedly secured to the jogger plate 75 by means of a bolt 84. It will thus be seen that upon transverse reciprocation of the shaft 77 the

pogger plates

74 and 75 will simultaneously move toward and away from each other. The timing of the eccentric 78 and the roller lift cam 70 is such that the rolls 52 are lifted out of contact with the tapes 13 just prior to the operation of the

jogger plates

74 and 75 and are returned to operative position shortly after the operation of the jogger plates. A plurality of arcuately shaped fingers are spaced adja- I from drum 45 by \gear means.

cent the peripheral surface of the drum 45 and serve to .guide the stream of sheets around the drum. The fingers 90 are spaced so that they are in alignment with the spaces between the tapes 13. Rollers 91 are positioned over each of the end tapes 13 for holding the stream of sheets in contact with the tapes as the stream passes over the drum 45. Each of the rollers 91 is pivotally mounted to one of an arm 92 and the other end of the arm is pivotally mounted to extensions in side frames and 11. The inclined conveyor tapes are mounted between

rolls

94 and 95. Roll 94 is driven The lower conveyor tapes 16 are. mounted between

rolls

95 and 96. The upper reaches of the tapes 16 slidably move over the top surface of a stacking table 97. A roller 98 extends over each of the outside tapes 15 and a roller 99 extends over each of the outside tapes 16. The

rollers

98, 99 positioned at each side of

tapes

15 and 16 are pivotally mounted to arms 100 positioned at each side of the tapes. Each of the pivotally mounted

rollers

98, 99 are spring-loaded to urge them toward their respective tapes. One end of each of the arms 100 is pivotally connected to respective extensions of side frames 10 and 11. A spreader bar 101 extends between arms 100 and has secured to it a pair of upwardly extending telescopic rods 102 which are in turn secured to asupporting structure for side frames 10 and 11. The telescopic rods 102 may be adjustably'secured in fixed positions to locate arms 100.

Rollers

98 and 99 have individual spring pressure adjustments so that the proper amount of pressure between the rollers and their respective tapes may be predetermined. A roller 105 is mounted to one end of a rod 104 at each side of tapes 16. The other end of each rod 104 is slidably received in a block at the end of each arm 100 and is retained in adjusted position by conventional means such asa set screw. A sheet stop rail 110 extends transversely over the tops of the tapes 16 and is positioned adjacent one end of the stacking table 97 and spaced from the upper surface of said table a sufficient amount to permit the passage of said tapes. Thus as the leading end of each sheet in the stream of overlapped sheets contacts rail 110 it is stopped and the next overlapped sheet moves relative to the stopped sheet until its leading end strikes the rail 110. In this manner, a pile of sheets is formed which is constantly being fed from the bottom and which is constantly being jogged against the rail 110 because of the frictional engagement between the bottommost sheet in the pile and the adjacent sheet still moving in the.sheet stream.

A continuousfeeding of sheets from the top of the pile is accomplished by means of a pair of lifting suckers 112 and a pair of forwarding suckers 113 constructed and operated in a manner as described in the Williams US. Patent No. 2,838,306. The mechanisms for operating the lifting and forwarding suckers are mounted between a pair of spaced apart

frame members

114, 115 which are mounted above the stacking table 97. The lifting suckers 112 are so operated that the rear edge of only the topmost sheet is raised above the top of the pile for feeding into a printing press in a conventional manner. When the topmost sheet is raised a predetermined distance the forwarding suckers 113 are operated to engage the sheet and feed it into a printing press (not shown). In the conventional top feed mechanism a foot clamp is operated in such a manner as to be moved into position between the lifted topmost sheet and the remaining pile and presses upon the top of. the remaining pile to prevent any movement of the adjacent sheet while the lifted topmost sheet is being fed. In the conventional top feed mechanisms the foot clamp bears down upon the remainder of the pile of sheets with some degree of pressure. However, in this invention the conventional foot clamp cannot be used since any downward pressure on the pile of sheets would prevent the continuous feeding of sheets onto the bottom of the pile as described above.

In order to permit the continuous feeding of the sheets to the bottom of the pile on the table 97 there is provided a novel vacuum foot clamp'which permits continuous feeding from the top of the pile and which does not interfere with the continuous feeding of sheets onto the bottom of the pile. The novel vacuum foot clamp 116 is mounted to a frame 117 which in turn is slidably mounted over a pair of longitudinally extending

rods

118 and 119 the ends of which are mounted in the

frame members

114, 115. The lower surface of the foot clamp 116 has a vacuum chamber 120 having downwardly extending ports 121. A tube 122 connects the vacuum chamber with a source of vacuum (not shown). A compressed air chamber 123 is positioned in the upper part of the foot clamp and is connected by means of a tube 124 to a source of compressed air (not shown). A plurality of horizontally extending ports 125 connect the compressed air chamber with the forward end of the foot clamp. Suitable valve means control the supplying of vacuum to the appropriate chamber 120 in the foot clamp so that as the foot clamp moves into position over the top of the remaining pile after the topmost sheet has been lifted, the vacuum is turned 'on and the sheet on the top of the remaining pile is s/ecured to the foot clamp without the necessity of the foot clamp pressing down on the top of the remaining pile. Similarly, a suitable valve controls the compressed air to the chamber 123 in such a manner that after the foot clamp is in position a blast of compressed air is directed into the chamber 123 and out through the ports 125 to assure complete separation of the topmost sheet from the remainder of the pile and to aidin the feeding of the lifted topmost sheet into the printing press. The foot clamp 116 is moved in an arcuate path toward and away from the pile by means of a lever pivoted at 131. A cam follower roller 132 is positioned at the rear end of the lever 130 and is retained in contact with a cam 133 by means of a spring 134. The cam 133 is mounted on a shaft 135 which in turn is rotated by a conventional drive means connected to the printing press (not shown) so that each revolution of the cam 133 represents a feed cycle for one sheet of paper from the top of the pile. The forward end of lever 130 is pivotally connected at 136 to a bell crank 137. One end of the bell crank has a curved slot 138 which encases a roller 139 rotatably mounted in the frame 117. A threaded stud 140- is secured in the other end of the bell crank 137. The other end of the stud 140 is threadedly secured to the foot clamp 116 by means of an adjust-able nut 141. By turning the nut 141, the foot clamp may be drawn nearer to or further away from the bell crank 137. This provides an adjustment for the amount of descent for the foot clamp toward the pile so that no pressure is exerted on the pile. In operation the foot clamp will move from an operative position as shown in FIG. 8 to an inoperative position whereby the foot clamp is pivotally moved up and away from the edge of the pile of sheets.

Although only a single embodiment of the invention has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the foregoing specification, it is to be expressly understood-that said invention is not limited to said embodiment, and that various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as will now be clear to those skilled in the art. For a definition of the limits of the invention, reference is bad primarily to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a sheet handling apparatus the combination of means for continuously feeding a web of sheet material, means to successively cut sheets from the leading endof said web, means to successively feed said out sheets to form a stream of overlapped sheets with the leading end of each sheet underlapping the trailing end of the previously fed sheet, means to move said stream of sheets in a first path, stop means extending transversely of said first path to engage the leading end of successive sheets whereby a pile of sheets is continuously formed from the bottom of said pile, and means to successively feed sheets from the top of said continuously formed pile in a second path perpendicular to said first path of said sheet stream.

2. A sheet handling means comprising means for continuously feeding a web of sheet material, means to successively cut sheets from the leading end of said web, means to successively feed said out sheets to forin a stream of overlapped sheets with the trailing end of each sheet under the leading end of the succeeding sheet, means to invert said stream so that the trailing end of each sheet overlies the leading end of the succeeding sheet, means to move said inverted stream in a first path, stop means in said first path to engage the leading end of each sheet whereby a vertical pile of sheets in vertical registry is continuously formed from the bottom of said pile, and means to successively feed sheets from the top of said pile in a second path away from said pile at a right angle to said first path.

3. A sheet handling means comprising means for continuously feding a web of sheet material, means to successively out sheets from the leading end of said web, mean to feed said out sheets to form a stream of overlapped sheets, means to move said stream of sheets in a first path, jogger means positioned adjacent said first path, means to intermittently move said jogger means into operative relationship to each side of said stream of sheets, stop means in said first path to engage the leading end of each sheet whereby a pile of sheets is continuously formed from the bottom of said pile, and means to successively feed sheets from the top of said pile and move each fed sheet in a second path away from said pile at a right angle to said first path.

4. Sheet handling apparatus comprising means for continuously feeding a web of sheet material from a roll and for cutting sheets from the leading end of the continuously advancing web, first conveyor means for receiving said sheets from said first-named means and for continuously advancing said sheets at a first speed slightly greater than the speed of said web, whereby said sheets are advanced in spaced relation to each other, stationary support means having a portion projecting beyond the delivery end of said first conveyor means for receiving said sheets from the latter, means engageable with said sheets to move the same across said support means at approximately said first speed, second conveyor means extending below the projecting portion of said support means for receiving sheets from said support means and continuously advancing the same at a second speed substantially slower than said first speed, whereby said sheets fall onto said second conveyor means in lapped relation with the trailing portion of each heet underlying the leading portion of the succeeding sheet to form a stream of lapped sheets, means for intermittently yieldably applying pressure to the upper surface of said stream of lapped sheets, means for intermittently laterally jogging said stream of lapped sheets during intervals between applications of pressure by said pressure applying means, means for inverting the stream of lapped sheets while continuously advancing the same, a platform, third endless belt conveyor means for receiving and continuously advancing the inverted stream of lapped sheets and having the upper reach thereof extending across the surface of said platform, stop means positioned for engagement by the leading edges of successive sheets in said stream to successively stop said sheets on said third conveyor mean above said platform, whereby to form a continuously augmented bottom-fed vertical pile of sheets, means for removing the topmost sheet from said pile edgewise in a generally horizontal path, I

ing downward pressure on the pile while sheets are being continuously fed to the bottom thereof.

5. Sheet handling apparatus comprising first conveyor means for continuously advancing single sheets in spaced relation at a first speed, stationary support means having a portion projecting beyond the delivery end of said first conveyor means for receiving said sheets from the latter, means engageable with said sheets to move the same across said support means at approximately said first speed, second convey-or means extending below the projecting portion of said support means for receiving sheets from the latter and continuously advancing the same at a second speed substantially slower than said first speed,

whereby said sheets fall onto said second conveyor means,

in lapped relation to form a continuously advancing stream of lapped sheets, a platform, third conveyor means at a lower level than said second conveyor means, means for inverting said stream of lapped sheets and delivering the inverted continuously advancing stream to said third conveyor means, the latter comprising an endless belt, the upper reach of which extends across said platform, and means for stopping each said sheet at a predetermined station above said platform, whereby to form a continuously augmented bottom-fed pile of sheets.

6. Sheet handling apparatus comprising first conveyor means for continuously advancing single sheets in spaced relation at a first speed, stationary support means having a portion projecting beyond the delivery end of said first conveyor means for receiving said sheets from the latter, means engageable with said sheets to move the same across said support means at approximately said first speed, second conveyor means extending below th projecting portion of said support means for receiving sheets from the latter and continuously advancing the same at a second speed substantially slower than said first speed, whereby said sheets fall onto said second conveyor means in lapped relation to form a continuously advancing stream of lapped sheets, first means for applying downward pressure to said stream of lapped sheets, second means for laterally jogging said stream to align said sheets in the direction of sheet advance, and means for actuating said first and second means in timed relation, whereby said second means engages the sheets when said first means is rendered inoperative to apply pressure to the sheets.

7. Sheet handling apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein said jogging means comprises laterally movable elongated. elements engageable with opposite side edges of said sheets and said actuating means moves said elements outwardly from said sheets simultaneously and inwardly toward said sheets simultaneously.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,777,225 9/1930 Rockstroh 271-20 1,819,841 8/1931 Hudson. 2,097,013 10/1937 Bartholdt 271-37 2,110,175 3/1938 Reinartz 271-27 2,224,802 12/ 1940 Spiess 271-27 2,406,766 9/ 1946 Harrold 271-27 2,488,551 11/ 1949 Nordquist et al. W 271-49 2,655,842 10/1953 Baumgartner 83-88 X 2,754,540 7/1956 Clark. 3,031,906 5/1962 Holman 83-94 3,061,303 10/1962 Glaser et al 271-86 X 3,117,500 1/1964 Donahu et al. 93-93 3,178,174 4/1965 Schneider 271-46 3,182,994 5/1965 Huth 271-49 FOREIGN PATENTS 730,323 5/1932 France. 609,747 2/ 1935 Germany.

WILLIAM W. DYER, JR., Primary Examiner. ANDREW R. JUHASZ, Examiner. LEIGH B. TAYLOR, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. IN A SHEET HANDLING APPARATUS THE COMBINATION OF MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY FEEDING A WEB OF SHEET MATERIAL, MEANS TO SUCCESSIVELY CUT SHEETS FROM THE LEADING ENDOF SAID WEB, MEANS TO SUCCESSIVELY FEED SAID CUT SHEETS TO FORM A PATTERN OF OVERLAPPED SHEETS WITH THE LEADING END OF EACH SHEET UNDERLAPPING THE TRAILING END OF THE PREVIOUSLY FED SHEET, MEANS TO MOVE SAID STREAM OF SHEETS IN A FIRST PATH, STOP MEANS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID FIRST PATH TO ENGAGE THE LEADING END OF SUCCESSIVE SHEETS WHEREBY A PILE OF SHEETS IS CONTINUOUSLY FORMED FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID PILE, AND MEANS TO SUCCESSIVELY FEED SHEETS FROM THE TOP OF SAID CONTINUOUSLY FORMED PILE IN A SECOND PATH PERPENDICULAR TO SAID FIRST PATH OF SAID SHEET STREAM.