Abstract: An improved container includes a base and wall panels which cooperate with the base to form compartments for holding the stacks of sheet material. The wall panels are held against movement relative to each other and the base by slidably interlocking surfaces on the base and wall panels and a single strap which extends around the base and wall panels. The strap extends through passages formed in upper end portions of the wall panels. In addition, the strap extends through a passage formed in the base. Two end wall panels and a center wall panel are formed with bottom flanges which are engaged by the stacks of sheet material. The base is formed with lift element receiving channels. A plurality of wheels are provided on the base to support the container.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for applying a soft cover to book block is disclosed. A book block conveyor moves the book block to a cover applying station. A first adhesive applicator applies adhesive to the spine of the book block. A soft cover conveyor transports the soft cover to the covering station in a timed relationship to the book block. A crash feeder attaches crash to a first portion of the soft cover that covers a first side of the book block as the soft covers pass the crash feeder. The crash is attached to the soft cover so that the crash engages a spine portion of the cover that covers the spine of the book block but is not attached to the spine portion.

Abstract: An apparatus calipers a signature delivered from a hopper into a collating pocket movable past the hopper. The apparatus comprises a light source and a member supported on the pocket and movable with the pocket relative to the hopper and movable past the light source to interrupt light from the light source. The member moves past the light source to interrupt the light from the light source when a signature is delivered from the hopper into the pocket. A sensor senses non-interrupted light from the light source when the member moves past the light source. The amount of non-interrupted light from the light source is outside of a predetermined range when a misfeed occurs from the hopper into the pocket. Preferably, the member includes a shaft supported on the pocket for rotation about the longitudinal central axis of the shaft and a plate connected to one end of the shaft. The shaft rotates about its longitudinal central axis when a signature is delivered from the hopper into the pocket.

Abstract: An improved apparatus is used to feed sheet material to a feed station of a collating conveyor. At the feed station of one embodiment of the invention, a first feed drum engages a leading edge portion of the sheet material and feeds the sheet material toward the collating conveyor. A first feed drum feeds the sheets along an arcuate path to a secondary drum. The secondary feed drum feeds the sheet material from another holder to a secondary conveyor. The secondary conveyor is inclined to a horizontal at an angle lesser than the arcuate path. A printer assembly prints indicia on the sheet material. The printer assembly directs ink toward opposite sides of the sheet material along paths which are skewed at an acute angle relative to the vertical so that particles of ink do not fall back onto ink jet nozzles and clog the nozzles.

Abstract: A liquid toner composition for electrophotography comprising a dispersion which includes a carrier liquid, pigmented or dyed toner particles, an inorganic binder insoluble in the carrier liquid at room temperature and a charge control agent in a charge directing amount, said charge control agent comprising lecithin, 1% to 2.5% by weight, based on the total weight of active components in the charge control agent, of an alkylated N-vinyl pyrrolidone polymer, and 0.5% to 10% by weight, based on the total weight of active components in the charge control agent, of an oil soluble or dispersible anionic surfactant.

Abstract: Newspapers are collated with materials which vary as a function of the characteristics of the readers of the newspapers. For example, a newspaper for a reader having a credit card for a particular business establishment would include an insert which is an advertisement for the business establishment. A newspaper for a reader who did not have a credit card for the business establishment would not include the advertisement. Indicia identifying the reader for whom each newspaper is intended is printed on the jacket of the newspaper during the process of collating the newspaper. Further indicia may be applied onto inserts appropriate to the intended reader and/or advertiser.

Abstract: A circuit compensates backlash of a shaft on an incremental encoder having a quadrature and index pulse output lines. Quadrature is represented as two signal lines phased apart by 90 degrees and an index pulse occurring once per revolution of the encoder shaft. The logical combination of the quadrature signals produce a four state condition which, through sequential examination of the signal levels, allows discriminating circuitry to determine the rotational direction of the encoder shaft. The circuit allows the definition of clockwise or counterclockwise rotation as being the forward direction. When the circuit discerns the positive forward rotational progression of the two signal lines, the circuit passes such signals unaltered to a pulse responsive system. Upon discernment of an encoder's shaft reverse rotation, the circuit causes the last forward rotational quadrature state to be latched on its output lines.

Abstract: An apparatus for handling sheet material articles includes a hopper which supports a stack of sheet material articles with front edge portions of the articles skewed at an acute angle to the axis of rotation of a feed drum. A separator is sequentially engageable with a corner portion of each of the sheet material articles to move the corner portion of the sheet material article away from a next succeeding sheet material article. The feed drum pulls a sheet material article from the hopper with the front edge portion of the sheet material article skewed at an acute angle to the axis of rotation of the feed drum. While a portion of the sheet material article is still in the hopper, the sheet material article moves from between the separator and the next succeeding sheet material article to expose the next succeeding sheet material article to the separator. A conveyor receives the sheet material article from the feed drum.

Abstract: A sheet material handling apparatus includes a container handling assembly which is operable to sequentially position containers at an unloading station. An unloader assembly is operable to remove stacks of sheet material from containers at the unloading station. The unloader assembly includes a lift assembly which is operable to engage a stack of sheet material disposed in a container and to lift the stack of sheet material upwardly through an open lower end portion of an upright hopper. Once the stack of sheet material has been moved into the hopper, the hopper and the stack of sheet material are moved to a tilted orientation. As the hopper moves to the tilted orientation, the hopper moves the stack of sheet material along an upwardly inclined ramp into engagement with a sheet material feed assembly. The sheet material feed assembly sequentially feeds sheet material from the lower end portion of the tilted stack of sheet material.

Abstract: A reject control system is used in a collator having a plurality of hoppers for feeding a plurality of signatures to collating spaces along a collating conveyor movable past the hoppers. Each collating space is divided into a plurality of segments in which at least one segment is associated with a dead zone of the collating space. A shift register has a plurality of adjacent bits. Each bit is associated with a segment of a particular collating space. The setting of a bit associated with a segment other than a segment corresponding to the dead zone of a collating space is indicative of a misfeed condition in the collating space. Information is shifted between adjacent bits in the incremental shift register during operation of the collator.

Abstract: A press, and a process of printing a combination of fixed and variable data on such press, wherein printed images being manufactured are created by direct digital driving of an imaging device at normal press speed, optionally followed by one or more processing operations in the case of business forms or the like, as required for a particular job. The content of the printed images can be changed without stopping the press. The press and process uses novel electrostatic printing engines having a direct digital imaging system which can create latent electrostatic images at normal press speeds, including the ability to accommodate substantial speed variations. Together with these printing engines, an electronic imaging system is provided in which fixed (or base) image data and variable image data are combined electronically to drive a single exposure system.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for wrapping selected articles of a plurality of articles. A stream of the articles is moved along a first path by a first conveyor. Selected articles are sequentially moved from the stream of articles moving along the first path to a second conveyor by a deflector. Moving the selected articles from the stream of articles results in the forming of gaps in the stream of articles at locations where the selected articles are sequentially moved from the stream of articles. The gaps in the stream of articles are maintained as the stream of articles moves along the first path. Disposed along the second path is a wrapping station where selected articles are sequentially wrapped. As one of the selected articles is moved through the wrapping station, a pair of webs engage opposite sides of the one article and are sealed to wrap the one article. The seal is severed along its center portion and adjacent to a trailing end of the one article.

Abstract: An improved sheet material handling apparatus includes a pair of saddle conveyors. An extractor drum sequentially grips folded edge portions of signatures in hoppers and moves the signatures along an arcuate path. During rotation of the extractor drum to move the signatures along the arcuate path, a first signature engages a first stop member and is transferred to a first saddle conveyor. The first stop member is then retracted and the next signature moves past the first stop member into engagement with a second stop member. The second signatures is then transferred to a second saddle conveyor. A single stitcher assembly is provided to stitch signatures in first and second spaced apart streams of signatures being conveyed by the two saddle conveyors. In addition, a single trimmer assembly is provided to trim the signatures while maintaining the signatures in the first and second spaced apart streams of signatures.

Abstract: Sheet material assemblages each having a jacket section enclosing a plurality of inner sections are formed by sequentially moving a circular array of upwardly opening pockets through an arcuate array of feed stations. A jacket section feed mechanism at a first one of the stations feeds a jacket section into each of the pockets in turn. A plurality of single inner section feed mechanisms feed inner sections one at a time into an open jacket section in each of the pockets in turn. A plural inner section feed mechanism is operable to feed a plurality of inner sections at a time into a jacket section in each of the pockets in turn.

Abstract: An improved apparatus for sequentially loading sheet material articles into a plurality of compartments in a plurality of containers includes a loader assembly which is disposed at a loading station. An infeed shuttle assembly moves an empty container to a carriage disposed at the loading station. The carriage is movable back and forth along a linear path to sequentially position compartments of the empty container at the loading station. In addition, the carriage is operable to rotate the container about a vertical axis to at least partially position another compartment at the loading station. When the compartments of the container have been loaded with sheet material articles, an outfeed shuttle assembly engages the loaded container and moves it away from the carriage.

Abstract: A sheet material handling apparatus includes a main conveyor along which collated assemblies of signatures are sequentially moved. An inserter assembly is provided to feed inserts one-at-a-time into each of the collated signature assemblies in turn. The inserter assembly includes an infeed conveyor which feeds a continuous strip of interconnected inserts from a source. A separator assembly separates the leading insert from the remaining inserts in the strip of inserts. A separator conveyor moves the leading insert forwardly away from the strip of inserts toward a feeder conveyor. The feeder conveyor accelerates the insert to a relatively high speed and then propels the insert into an opening in the collated assembly of signatures. To form the opening in the collated assembly of signatures, a plow or deflector plate is mounted on the outer end portion of the feeder conveyor and engages the collated assembly of signatures.

Abstract: A first series of sheet material articles, conveyed by a first gripper conveyor, is interleaved with a second series of sheet material articles, conveyed by a second conveyor, to enable the first and second series of articles to be delivered to a single receiving location in an interleaved relationship. To form the first series of sheet material articles, a plurality of collating spaces are sequentially moved past a first group of hoppers. To form the second series of sheet material articles, the plurality of collating spaces are sequentially moved past a second group of hoppers. Grippers of the first gripper conveyor sequentially grip the articles of the first series of articles at a first delivery location while grippers of a second conveyor are sequentially gripping articles of the second series of articles at a second delivery location. The paths of the two gripper conveyors converge and the first series of articles is interleaved with the second series of articles.

Abstract: An apparatus for forming sheet material assemblages includes a plurality of sheet material assemblers which travel in a continuous path and sequentially pass beneath stacks of sheet material. The stacks of sheet material are disposed in bottomless hoppers. The sheet material assemblers include belts which support the stacks of sheet material in the bottomless hoppers. The belts move with the sheet material assemblers to sequentially engage the stacks of sheet material. Upper runs of the belts move in opposite directions to the sheet material assemblers and at the same speed as the sheet material assemblers so that the upper runs of the belts are stationary relative to the stacks of sheet material. The sheet material assemblers also include feed mechanisms and receiving locations. As a sheet material assembler passes under a stack of sheet material, sheet material is fed from the stack of sheet material by a feed mechanism to a receiving location.

Abstract: A signature handling system is provided to form and handle stacks of signatures. The signature handling system includes a stacker which receives signatures and forms stacks of signatures. A plurality of containers have side-by-side cells to hold the stacks of signatures. A conveyor is provided to sequentially move the containers to the stacker. The stacker includes a loader which loads the signatures into cells of the containers. The loader may be extendable through open sides of cells of the containers to move stacks of signatures downwardly into the cells of the containers through open upper end portions of the cells. The containers may be provided with doors which are movable between an open condition and a closed condition. When the doors are in the closed condition, they at least partially block open sides of the cells to retain stacks of signatures in the cells.

Abstract: A method of distributing newspapers includes collating newspaper inserts into separate stacks. The stacks of collated newspaper inserts are wrapped to provide separate wrapped packages. Newspaper news sections are collated into separate groups. The groups of collated newspaper news sections with the wrapped packages of collated newspaper inserts are distributed to customers. The wrapping of the stacks of inserts includes applying plastic sheeting about the stacks, sealing the sheeting applied to the stacks, and severing the sheeting to separate the stacks from one another to provide the separate wrapped packages. The wrapped packages of collated newspaper inserts are stacked together and stored until the time of distribution with the groups of newspapers news sections.