Abstract: A device for opening and further transporting of printed products with respectively at least two sheets held together over a fixed edge, including a conveying device with transport grippers driven in conveying direction (F) arranged with a distance between one another, which are designed to hold the printed products suspended on their fixed edge, as well as with an opening device arranged below the transport grippers, which is destined to open the printed products. The opening device includes an opening wedge capable of being inserted into a free edge zone between the sheets of the printed product, and the opening device furthermore includes a device for supplying blast air, by way of which the sheets of the printed product are capable of being fanned open in the edge zone, into which the opening wedge is inserted.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for monitoring and/or controlling a transport device (10) wherein a plurality of similar products (17), in particular printed products, such as newspapers, magazines or similar are held in a detachable manner by means of individual clamps (12) that are arranged in a row, one behind the other, and are transported in sequence along a transport path (19). Improved operational reliability and controllability is characterized in that a contract-free read-in or read-out tag (T1-T5, Tn) is provided on the clamps (12), and that a reading-in/reading-out device (30) is disposed in the vicinity of the respective clamp for reading-in or reading-out data in the tags of a clamp (12), and is displaced with the respective clamp (12) over a selected section of the transport path (19).

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for inserting, collecting or collating a plurality of flexible, planar products, preferably printed products, wherein the device (10, 10a, 10b) comprises a product collection unit (12, 12a), a first processing unit (14, 14?), and a second processing unit (16, 16?, 16?) for the synchronized processing, for example feeding, of products. The product collection unit (14, 14?) comprises a main drive controller (18), which is operatively connected to a main drive (20, 20?) for driving a conveying means (22). The first processing unit (14, 14?) comprises a first drive controller (24, 24?), which is operatively connected to a first drive (26, 26?, 26?), and the second processing unit (16, 16?, 16?) comprises a second drive controller (28, 28?, 28?), which is operatively connected to a second drive (30, 30?).

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus (10) for the intermediate storage of planar articles, in particular print products, which can be spooled in an imbricated stream arrangement, which intermediate storage apparatus (10) has a plurality of substantially mutually adjacent winding stations (D1, . . . , D4), to which the articles to be temporarily stored are fed for spooling on connecting lines (14) or from which the temporarily stored articles, after being unspooled, are led off on the connecting lines (14), as well as at least one supply line (11) and at least one discharge line (12), which cross the connecting lines (14) at predefined junctions. The transfer apparatuses (13) are arranged displaceably on the connecting lines (14), which transfer apparatuses at the junctions selectively connect the connecting lines (14) to the at least one supply line (11), or the at least one discharge line (12), for transfer of the planar articles between the lines (11; 12; 14).

Abstract: A device and method for transport of flexible, two dimensional products and performance of associated production processing of those products, by which the flexible, two-dimensional products are serially conveyed to a workstation and are conveyed away from the workstation again by the same gripper transporter, which enables the workstation to be selectively removed from the production process being performed along the transport path of the printed products, and to be selectively re-introduced again the transport path, in a flexible manner.

Abstract: In a method and a device for opening printed products (26), folded printed products (20) are held on a back (28) and transported. Thereby, they are aligned at an edge region (44) lying opposite the back (28), for example by way of co-running lugs (98?). Subsequently, the edge region (44) is encompassed by a holding element (50) and held in a preferably loose manner. Preferably, the uppermost sheet of the printed product (26) is gripped with a revolving opening element (72) engaging on the printed product (26) behind the edge region (44), and pulled out of the holding element (50), while the remaining sheet or the remaining sheets of the printed product (26) remain in the holding element (50). After moving a holding-open element (102) into the printed product (26) opened in such a manner, the holding element (50) moves away to the bottom and thus the edge region (44) of the printed product (26) slips out of the holding element (50).

Abstract: The device (10) according to the invention for counting and detecting flat products (14) comprises a light source (16) having an illumination beam profile (24), an optical sensor (18) having a detection beam profile (30) and an evaluation unit (20) connected to the optical sensor (18). The detection beam profile (30) overlaps the illumination beam profile (24) in a detection region in which a section (33) of a surface profile of the flat products (14) is illuminated, the section being at least partially delimited by the illumination beam profile (24). A detection signal generated by the optical sensor (18) is fed to the evaluation unit (20), which determines therefrom the number of flat products located in the detection region.

Abstract: A crossing between two transport lines is configured for the horizontal transport of planar articles, preferably in the form of an imbricated stream, of which one transport line is led away at a crossing over the other transport line. Controllable means for transferring the transported articles from one of the transport lines to the other are provided, which, in a first setting, freely admit the transport of the articles on one of the transport lines and, in a second setting, divert the transported articles from one of the transport lines to the other. A transfer apparatus may include a flexible diversion line, which describes a space curve and which with a movable free end, in the first setting, maintains a distance to one of the transport lines and, in the second setting, engages with the free end in one of the transport lines to effect a diversion.

Abstract: Receiver units (10, 90) for taking over objects (100, 101, 102) are moved past a take-over location (S1, S2) and include an abutment (95) which limits the position of the object (100, 101, 102) which is fed in the feed direction (F). At least one holding element and/or braking element (45) acts in a direct or indirect manner on the objects to be taken over, for realising a defined product position, in particular so that the object (100, 101, 102) does not bend up or rebound from the abutment (95). In one variant, the holding element and/or braking element (45) brakes the object (100, 101, 102) by way of direct friction. In another variant, the object (100, 101, 102) to be taken over transmits its momentum onto an object (100, 101, 102) which is already held in the receiver unit (10, 90) by way of the holding element and/or braking element, and is braked by way of this.

Abstract: A device with a gripper conveyor and with a conveying-away device as well as with means for transferring two-dimensional products fed by the gripper conveyors, to the conveying-away device amid the formation of an imbricate formation, wherein the device forms a transfer region, in which the gripper conveyor is arranged above the conveying-away device. At least two, preferably at least three product release devices which are arranged in series after one another and distanced to one another, are individually activatable and are for the individual release of the products, are assigned to the gripper conveyor in the transfer region.

Abstract: A device and a method for rearranging flexible flat items, in particular printed products, which are delivered continuously in a delivery flow, relative to the delivery direction of the delivery flow. The items are delivered in an incoming delivery flow in a first delivery direction and with substantially identical orientation of the surface normals thereof, and in a predetermined cycle, to a diverting region. There, the delivery in the first delivery direction is ended and the individual items are accelerated in a second delivery direction, which is perpendicular to the first delivery direction and to the orientation of the surface normals in the incoming delivery flow, by an acceleration element which acts on the items in the diverting region in a predetermined cycle. The delivery flow moving in the second delivery direction is subsequently diverted.

Abstract: A method and to a device for conveying planar products (12), particularly folded printed products. At a transfer point (A), the products (12) are inserted with the leading edges (14) thereof ahead into compartments (22) of a revolving system (20) in the form of a paddle wheel, the compartments moving along a closed revolving path (U), and removed from the compartments (22) at a transfer point (B) by way of grippers (32) of a gripper conveyor (30) and conveyed away. The products are seized by the grippers (32) at the trailing edges (16). The seizing of the trailing edge (16), which preferably is not the folded open product edge, has the advantage that it can be implemented without a complicated engagement of the revolving system (20) and gripper conveyor (30) and that the further conveyance and further processing of the products (12) are simplified.

Abstract: A method and a device for the conveyance of planar products (10, 10?, 20, 20?), in particular printed products, are provided wherein a product group (100) composed of at least two products (10, 10?, 20, 20?) is gripped by a gripper (42) in the area of a product edge (12, 12?, 22, 22?) and conveyed in a direction of conveyance (F2). At least one of the products (10, 10?, 20, 20?) is displaced relative to the other product or products (10, 10?, 20, 20?) in the product group (100) in a direction of displacement (A) defined by the gripped product edge (12, 12?, 22, 22?), such that in each case a projection (14, 24) is formed in the direction of displacement (A). Thus a first projection (14) is associated with at least one displaced product (10, 10?, 20, 20?) and a second projection (24) is associated with the remaining product or products (10, 10?, 20, 20?) of the product group (100).

Abstract: A method for transporting two-dimensional, flexible products, in particular printed products, such as newspapers and magazines or parts thereof, with which the product is conveyed from one gripper of a conveyor device, freely held along a conveyor path at least in regions, and the product grasped by the gripper at the edge which is not to be cut, on the conveyor path, is brought into active connection with cutting means of a cutting station in a manner such that at least one edge of the product is cut.

Abstract: A new gathering and stitching machine (10) and a new method for operating a gathering and stitching machine (1) are proposed, which make it possible to drive in the staples (K) in a positionally correct manner and to close them satisfactorily even in the case of relatively short staple setting times. This is achieved by the novel control of the position of the staple heads (20) and the saddle-shaped supports (2, 30, 40, 50) in the region of the interaction during stapling. It is an essential feature of the present invention that the staple head (20) and the support (2, 30, 40, 50) are pivoted towards one another in such a way that they come to lie within a common stapling plane (H).

Abstract: A device and method for the transfer flexible flat articles between two conveyors. The device includes a first gripper conveyor with first grippers moved along a first gripper conveyor track for suspended transportation of the articles in a conveying direction, and a second gripper conveyor with second grippers moved along a second gripper conveyor track. Opening and closing of the grippers is controlled so that a transfer of the articles from the first to the second grippers is able to take place. In doing so, a spacing between the first grippers differs from the spacing between the second grippers such that, in a transfer zone, one gripper conveyor track, the grippers of which include the greater spacing between one another, defines a concave course, and the other gripper conveyor track, the grippers of which have the smaller spacing between one another, defines a correspondingly convex course.