Abstract: A platform, for use in a sheet stacking device in which the platform descends as a stack being formed on it grows higher, is so constructed that its length can be varied according to the length of sheets to be stacked. The platform is made in two or more sections (10, 11, 12) each hinged (15, 17) to the next, and all sections are supported horizontally to receive long sheets, less than all the sections being horizontal and the remaining sections hanging vertically when shorter sheets are being stacked. Wheels (13, 16, 18) may be provided on the platform so that it may easily be moved out of the stacking device when loaded, all the sections being restored to a horizontal position for such movement.

Abstract: An apparatus for and a novel method of collating, sorting and stacking sheets, concurrently termed "offset collation", are disclosed. The first sheets of sets to be collated, numbering up to the desired number of sets in a job, are transported from an entry station to a unitary bin sheet receiving station via a sheet transport station having an arcuate feed path to and through the aforementioned unitary bin sheet receiving station. These first sheets are stacked in the unitary bin sheet receiving station in an alternate offset fashion clearly demarcating the sets to be collated. The second sheets of the aforementioned sets are then sequentially inserted in the same alternate offset fashion contiguous to the first sheets. The method is repeated until all the sheets comprising a set have been inserted into all the sets. The final result is collated, sorted and stacked sets readied for convenient removal from the unitary bin sheet receiving station.

Abstract: The apparatus comprises a sheet metal shears at a cutting station which station is provided with a lifting table 13 which is vertically adjustable, is used for cutting off small sections of sheet metal from a sheet and also is used for stacking these sections on a pallet 15. This lifting table extends through a cut-out side wall 5 for the shears and thus permits the shifting of an already piled-up stack 16 away from the shears, and then upwardly so that an adjacent stack 16a may be piled up neatly in spaced apart relation with stacks separated from each other by at least the thickness of the cut-out side wall. The continuing movement of the lifting table 13 after erecting the first stack 16 causes a small drop at the cut-off sections which are placed on the pallet 15, so that an orderly piled-up stack 16a develops. As the height of the stack increases the lifting table is gradually lowered until the predetermined height of the stack is reached.

Abstract: Printing products from a printing machine are successively moved one above the other against a stop to form a stack. A leading product in contact with the stop is biased adjacent to its fold by a perpendicular force compressing the fold. A trailing product is moved on the free end face of the leading product and the perpendicular compressing force is substantially relieved upon approach of the trailing product fold to the stop. The trailing product is biased by a perpendicular force in such a manner that the trailing product is pressed adjacent its fold against the leading product. The movement of the trailing product is not hindered by the perpendicular forces and is synchronized with the build up and relief of the perpendicular forces.

Abstract: Apparatus for stacking web units involving a transfer mechanism to accumulate substacks when traveling in a vertical path and including L-shaped fingers for supporting the stacks in the vertical path.

Abstract: A method of stacking printed products continuously arriving in a fish scale overlapping arrangement wherein the fish scale stream of products is transformed into a substantially spiral-shaped stack by deflection of the arriving printed products in their plane, the spiral-shaped stack of printed products bearing against one another. There is also disclosed apparatus for the performance of the method wherein following the outfeed end of a conveyor line for the fish scale product stream there is provided a revolving stack support. Deflecting means for the arriving printed products coact with the revolving stack support. The outfeed end of the conveyor line and the stack support are movable relative to one another in the direction of the axis of rotation of the stack support.

Abstract: A fork lift mechanism is associated with apparatus for palletizing long sheets of strip material at the discharge end of a shearing press. The long sheets are palletized on an underlying conveyor having a width corresponding to the length of the sheets in the direction of discharge from the press. The fork lift mechanism is supported above the conveyor for displacement toward and away from the shearing press in the direction of the discharge and is adapted to be elevated and lowered relative to the conveyor. The fork lift mechanism is operable to receive and support a plurality of short sheets from the press to form a stack on the fork lift mechanism and to position a plurality of such stacks on a pallet on the conveyor and in side-by-side relationship on the pallet in the direction of press discharge and/or in the direction of conveyor movement.

Abstract: High speed document processing and sorting apparatus. A stream of documents is guided along a path at high speed. A detector is mounted along said path to detect identifiable documents. A magazine is mounted to receive the detected documents. A vacuum wheel is mounted to remove the detected documents from said path to said magazine. The vacuum picker comprises a vacuum wheel mounted a predetermined spacing over said path, the vacuum wheel having a surface speed equal to the high speed document speed. A solid wheel is movably mounted below said vacuum wheel and below said path. A detector control moves the solid wheel and document up into contact with the vacuum wheel when it is desired to remove a document moving at high speed.

Abstract: A machine for continuously cutting a web of paper or the like into sheets of different length and then sorting and stacking the sheets includes an improved sheet stacking mechanism for stacking a wide range of sheet sizes. The sheet stacking mechanism comprises a multiple section skid lift assembly, means for automatically and continuously lowering the skid lift assembly to accomodate the increasing height of the stacked sheets, a pneumatically actuated jogger rail system including joggers for successively aligning the edges of the stacked sheets and an adjustable tamper device for stabilizing the sheets on the stack.

Abstract: A dual exit tray xerographic machine, having a hot roll fuser, supplies its output copy sheets to a large-capacity exit pocket whereat the sheets are stacked in a vertically extending pile, on a servo-movable elevator platform. The platform height is servo controlled so as to maintain the stack's top sheet at a fixed position relative to a fixed-position, generally horizontally extending, sheet discharge path.Sheet stacking is enhanced by a pair of movable bars. A hold-down bar, in its quiescent position, presses the stack's trailing edge portion down to insure reliable insertion of the next sheet. A pusher bar is maintained in an elevated quiescent position during such insertion.After the sheet has been inserted, the pusher bar lowers onto the stack, at a position between the hold-down bar and the stack's leading edge. The pusher bar thus holds the just-inserted sheet down. The hold-down bar synchronously moves in a generally elliptical path, to first clear the trailing edge of the just-inserted sheet.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for the production of a stack of etched, patterned metal foils for component elements, such as fluid plates and nozzle plates, is disclosed. Individual patterned foils are cut free from a mat having a group of patterned foils and also edge foils. The patterned foils are examined and unwanted foils together with the edge foils are discarded. The approved foils are individually stacked at stacking positions in a stacking station. A number of foil stacks corresponds to the number of individual patterned foils in the mat with the patterned foils being placed on the foil stacks in correspondence with their arrangement in the mat. Additional patterned foils from additional mats are stacked onto the individual foil stacks until a counter for each of the stacks determines that a predetermined number of stacked foils has occurred. The stack is removed and a new stack is begun until the counter again arrives at the predetermined number of foils for a given stack.

Abstract: At least one end of a conveyor having guided movement in an upright direction is provided with an emergency brake to stop descent of the conveyor in the event of a component failure. The brake includes elements on the conveyor which cooperate with the conveyor guide.

Abstract: An apparatus for receiving documents which tend to kite and/or curl upon being fed thereinto. The apparatus is made up of an elevatable platform which reduces curling problems upon low velocity feeding, and document elevatable wings which trap the leading edge of each document and overcome any curling and kiting problems during high velocity feeding.

Abstract: A system for automatically loading mail into a postal tray. A tray support mechanism holds a postal tray at a steep angle at each of two loading stations within the system. A transport system conveys articles of mail to one of the two stations where each piece of mail is ejected laterally into the tray. The tray is gradually moved downward as it is filled. When completely filled, a changeover mechanism begins to fill the tray at the other station while the filled tray is removed and replaced.

Abstract: Sheet stacking apparatus having a variable speed conveyor on which sheets are carried in partially overlapped or "shingled" relation and deposited onto a second variable speed conveyor disposed in end-to-end relation to the first conveyor for receiving sheets therefrom and projecting onto a vertically movable stacking conveyor which lowers automatically as the stack builds up. Feed stop mechanism is disposed to stop and release selectively the flow of sheets from the first conveyor onto the second conveyor in response to the "full stack" position of the stacking conveyor. Control means is provided for changing the speed of the two conveyors in sequential relationship to the actuation of the stop mechanism whereby the speed of the first conveyor is substantially reduced, while the speed of the second conveyor is substantially increased to clear the latter preparatory to discharge of the stacking conveyor.

Abstract: A stacker includes a rectangular housing within which there is located a vertically movable platform. A vertical wall of the housing includes, along an upper region, an orifice through which sheets may be fed into the housing, and each of the other three vertical walls includes a series of fluid outlet ports, at the same level as the orifice, each series of ports being coupled to a vacuum source. The top of the housing includes an array of fluid inlet ports which are coupled to a fluid source. The fluid source cooperates with outlet ports and vacuum sources to create a fluid stream in the housing which biases a sheet entering through the orifice, selectively, against one of two corners in the housing. Sheets in the housing are also biased towards the platform by movable spring members extending into the housing through the orifice. The spring members are moved out of the way of a sheet entering the housing through the orifice by a detector which controls a solenoid yoked to the spring members.

Abstract: A sheet turning machine includes two slidable platforms, one of which is ascending while the other is descending, the upward travel of one of the platforms being synchronized with the downward travel of the other platform. The ascending platform is arranged between two vertical guide columns solidly fastened to a fixed chassis, while the descending platform is guided between two columns solidly fastened to a frame which tilts about the fixed chassis. The ascending platform is arranged under the field of action of a suction pump. A turning bridge is arranged above the descending platform and includes an endless conveyor belt which has a lower or return run part which diverges in a direction perpendicular to the columns guiding the descending platform. At the front of a roller whereat the endless belt returns, there is an air generator capable of maintaining a sheet of paper fixed to the belt while the sheet, travelling with the belt, passes from the upper run to the lower or return run.

Abstract: An envelope stacker capable of stacking envelopes as they are discharged from an automatic pile delivery printing press. The stacker having a plurality of adjustable vertical standards extending upwardly from a base member through appropriate slots in a movable table positioned upwardly from the base and supported on an elevator normally carried by the printing press.

Abstract: Apparatus for stacking sheet members in a number of piles, having a conveying passage for the sheet members, so constructed that a downstream end portion thereof can be lengthened and shortened, a stop member movable up and down, facing the downstream end portion, and a lifting mechanism which can be elevated and lowered below a space formed between the end portion of the passage and the stop member.

Abstract: An apparatus for effecting secondary printing in the course of paper delivery in addition to primary printing achieved within the body of an offset printing machine comprises a delivery mechanism, a mechanism provided with a printing couple for performing secondary printing, a mechanism for applying printing pressure and a mechanism for arranging paper sheets.

Abstract: An improved stacking system for a collar is disclosed. The stacking system comprises a unique three-position off-set stacking apparatus that provides a third off-set stack position for improperly collated sets. The improperly collated sets are delivered to a third off-set position when a miss or a double feed is detected. Two stop members are moved to an inactive position in response to the double or miss detection, thus allowing a third stop member to provide a third off-set position for the improperly collated stack.

Abstract: A sheet stacking apparatus wherein individual sheets are inserted between the preceding sheet and an air floatation chamber having angled ports therein for discharge of air in the direction of sheet movement to transport the sheet therebetween, maintain the delivered sheets out of the path of incoming sheets, and hold the delivered sheets in a planar condition.

Abstract: An article stacking apparatus for stacking flat randomly shaped articles and the like including a movable article transporter, inclined slides located beneath the transporter, and containers having three sides and an open top located at the lower end of the slides. The transporter, slides and the containers are uniquely configured to minimize the impact velocity of the article with the slide and to permit the random articles to be placed in a stack that has two flush sides. Elevators are provided for adjusting the height of the containers in accordance with the height of the stack, and sensors are provided which detect the height of the stack and feed appropriate signals to an elevator control circuit which controls the elevators.