Abstract: A chain link type stapler operates in transit at about 45,000 items per minute to staple and crease printed paper products. Only two link chains are required and they have a common contiguous path for receiving and clasping the paper products for transit while being stapled by means of mating, stapler and anvil links. The stapler link operates to receive wire lengths, form staples therefrom, insert and clinch the staples over a cyclic path of the chain. This is achievable by means of a reciprocating wire clip assembly journalled in an internal cavity of the stapler link. Reciprocation is programmed by a cam arm extending externally from the clip assembly and stapler link on which roller means is mounted to ride in a cam track about the chain travel path.

Abstract: A stream of shingled printed products coming off a press at high speed, with variable speed of conveyance and with variable shingle spacing, has alternate products divided into two streams conveyed at reduced speed. Thus two cyclically driven chains present alternating gripper links at a pickup station to grip and transport the alternate products along diverging paths for release on a corresponding pair of conveyor lines for the divided product streams. To conform with varying speeds and spacings, the gripper chain drive is synchronized to operate the grippers as each individual product arrives.

Abstract: Shingled precisely spaced papers are carried off a first conveyance path on a moving belt at a first speed into a further conveyance path along which a set of spaced clamps which individually grasp each paper flow at a substantially constant lower transit speed. By gradually inserting a paper into an open clamp travelling alongside in a parallel path over a predetermined transfer zone length overlapping a plurality of successive clamps, the instantaneous nature of feeding a paper into a clamp is changed so that a higher paper feed speed can be tolerated. By inclining the shingled paper feed path downwardly over the transfer zone, the drag of the papers off the shingled array is reduced to prevent any tendency to misalign the papers from a seated position in the clamps.

Abstract: A rotary fan bucket type shingling system converts a high speed stream of paper products into a shingled array with the products moving at slower speeds, with the positions of the products defined more accurately than previously attainable with fixed stripping stops. This is achieved by means of movably positioning stripping stops to move into the path of the buckets and engage the paper products about a stripping arc defined by the bucket path with the stop moving at a speed less than that of the papers carried in the buckets. A mechanism is provided for holding the interceptor arm of the movable stripping stops substantially perpendicular to the paper product travel path over the stripping arc. The stripped products are shingled onto a conveyor belt tangentially disposed at the bottom of the bucket path moving at the same speed as that of the stripper stops.

Abstract: A system converts the timing, spacing and orientation of newspapers from a high speed rotary press to conform with the precision spacing and speed requirements of subsequent on-line paper processing equipment such as inserters, addressers, counters and bundlers. The critical precision timing feature provides a rotary member and belt meeting tangentially in a converging path into which papers from the press are fed. They are stopped at spaced index notches in the rotary member for precise spacing between papers, which are released for conveyance at the closely controlled belt-rotary member speed. Conveyance through the belt-rotary member over an arc distance in friction contact assures that they are started along a continuous synchronized on-line transport path with the precise control of spacing and movement required by the on-line processing equipment.