Abstract: Apparatus for transporting stacks of paper sheets from a gathering station which receives successive rows of aligned stacks to two packing machines has a discrete staggering conveyor for each stack of a row. These conveyors serve to convert each row into two groups of staggered stacks and cooperate with auxiliary conveyors which deliver such stacks to successive pallets of two separate sets of pallets which advance the stacks toward the respective packing machines. The pallets of each set travel along a separate main track. The main tracks are parallel to each other and flank two crossing connecting tracks.

Abstract: A machine which converts a strand of wire into a body of meandering shape has two carriers which rotate about parallel axes and respectively carry annuli of pins. One annulus of pins surrounds the other annulus of pins, and each pin of one annulus is adjacent to a pin of the other annulus. When the carriers rotate, neighboring pins of the two annuli move toward each other during one-half of each orbital movement about the respective axes and away from each other during the other half of each orbital movement. A looping device winds the wire alternately about the oncoming pins of the inner and outer annuli while the neighboring pins move away from each other whereby the wire is converted into a meandering body and the wire portions between successive pins are stretched to assume a predetermined shape. The meandering body is stripped off the pins while the neighboring pins move nearer to each other.

Abstract: Apparatus for looping the free end portions of the outermost convolutions of helical binders which are threaded through the perforations of a stack of loose leaves has a pivotable tool with a cutting edge which clips the end convolution of a properly located binder and a bending edge which bends the free end portion of the clipped end convolution over the neighboring convolution. A rotary loop forming device is thereupon actuated by a lever to convert the deformed end portion into a loop which surrounds the neighboring convolution. The loop forming device has a guide face which cooperates with a parallel second guide face provided on a reciprocable hold-down device which is caused to extend between the end convolution and the neighboring convolution while the end portion is converted into a loop.

Abstract: Apparatus for looping the free end portions of the outermost convolutions of helical binders which are threaded through the perforations of a stack of loose leaves has a pivotable tool with a cutting edge which clips the end convolution of a properly located binder and a bending edge which bends the free end portion of the clipped end convolution over the neighboring convolution. A rotary loop forming device is thereupon actuated by a lever to convert the deformed end portion into a loop which surrounds the neighboring convolution. The loop forming device has a guide face which cooperates with a parallel second guide face provided on a reciprocable hold-down device which is caused to extend between the end convolution and the neighboring convolution while the end portion is converted into a loop.