Abstract: The method and the device serves for the production of defined stacks of folded or unfolded sheets. The individually supplied sheets are placed on edge onto a horizontal table whereby the separation of the individual stacks is achieved by a separating support that is advanced parallel to the table at the stack forming velocity. In order to be able to separate and individualize product stacks of differently sized sheets without the need for structural adaptation of the device, the formation of a first separating plane defining the beginning of the stack as well as the formation of a second separating plane defining the end of the stack is achieved by a separating support that is insertable between the sheets in a direction transverse to the longitudinal extension of the table. Further supports are completely insertable into the thus formed separating planes.

Abstract: A paper stacking apparatus for a sheet-fed press includes a horizontal lower plate, a driving unit, a vertical chain, an upper plate, a front gauge, biasing members, a cam, and engaging members. The lower plate is free to move in a vertical direction. The driving unit and the vertical chain vertically move the lower plate. The upper plate is mounted on the lower plate to be movable in at least a paper feed direction and stacks paper sheets. The front gauge is vertically fixed on a machine frame and aligns the leading end of the paper sheets stacked on the upper plate in the paper feed direction. The biasing members bias two side portions of the upper plate in a direction to be pressed to the front gauge. The cam and the engaging members position the upper plate biased by the biasing members in the paper feed direction such that the distal end thereof is close to the front gauge in accordance with an upward movement of the lower plate.

Abstract: The vertical stack of trays in a movable tray sorter for sheets of paper exiting a copies is moved in a manner to enlarge the spacing between consecutive pairs of the trays to accept consecutive sheets of paper by moving the trays along a pair of helical coils, each of which has a turn of relatively coarse pitch. The turns of relatively coarse pitch are located at the copier paper chute and causes an increased separation of adjacent trays only at that position as the coils are turned.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus is provided including a sheet stacking portion constructed and arranged to receive a plurality of sheets of different sheet widths stacked in a sheet feeding direction in order of width so that the widest sheets are disposed at a lowermost position of the sheet stacking portion; a first pair of guides provided in the sheet stacking portion and being constructed and arranged to restrict a lateral position of the widest sheets along a predetermined path; at least one other pair of guides provided in the sheet stacking portion and being constructed and arranged to restrict a lateral position of sheets having a width narrower than a width of the widest sheets along a predetermined path and to contact an upper surface of a sheet of the widest sheets disposed immediately beneath the narrower sheets; and at least one feeder constructed and arranged to move successive sheets of the plurality of sheets from the stacking portion such that the widest sheets are first moved from the stacking por

Abstract: An apparatus for transporting sheet-like products includes a belt conveyor with a flexible conveyor belt. The conveyor belt is driven in a conveying direction at a conveying speed. A takeover conveyor has individually controllable clamps which are arranged one behind the other on a carrying member. The clamps are driven in a rotating direction, and the clamp mouths are directed in the takeover region forward in rotating direction. The products fed to the takeover region are in each case pressed against the conveyor belt by a pressing roller at the free end of the first clamping jaw of the clamp. Since the clamp speed of the clamps is greater than the conveying speed, the following clamp thus catches up with the held product and seizes it at the trailing edge.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a device for feeding sheets, one by one, from a stack of sheets stored in a sheet placement unit. The sheet feeding device basically comprises suction cups or pads facing one end of the edge of an uppermost sheet of the stacked sheets, for taking out the uppermost sheet, an engaging member located at the sheet placement unit, for supporting the leading ends in the withdrawal direction of the stacked sheets, and a roller disposed near the engaging member and positioned to face a cut-away portion in a portion of the engaging member facing the opposite end of the uppermost sheet, the opposite end being spaced away from the suction pads. The cut-away portion is formed to prevent the opposite end of the uppermost sheet from contacting with the engaging member due to hang down of the uppermost sheet. In addition, the cut-away portion is inclined downwards toward the opposite end of the uppermost sheet from the one end thereof.

Abstract: A product handling system for stacking printed products. The system includes a plurality of product stacking bins, a conveyor, a gapper and a plurality of diverters. In a preferred embodiment, the stacking bin is a compensating stacking bin including a temporary holding device which drops products onto a platform after a predetermined number of products have accumulated therein, a compression device which compresses the product stack on the platform, a compensation device which rotates the product stack on the platform and a product pusher device which pushes the product stack off of the platform. The system also includes a control processor to control the system. The diverter of the present invention has a low profile and can be integrated with a stacker conveyor. The system is actuated by pneumatic power.

Abstract: An assembly is provided for separating a bag from a stack of bags. The assembly comprises a bag magazine having a bottom portion for supporting a stack of bags and a cutout section in the bottom portion. A gripping member is employed for engaging a bag in said magazine adjacent said bottom portion. A moving device is further provided for moving the gripping member between at least first and second positions, wherein the gripping member engages a bag through the cutout section when in the first position and wherein the second position is horizontally displaced from the cutout section. Movement of the gripping member from the first position to the second position while engaging the bag slidably removes the bag from the bag magazine.

Abstract: A materials-handling fork-lift truck comprising a chassis (11) which is fitted with two forwardly extending, mutually parallel support legs (18), and a chassis-mounted lifting mast assembly (16) provided with a raisable and lowerable lifting fork (17). The lifting mast assembly can be moved along the support legs (18), between a first, mast-withdrawn position and a second, mast-extended position, in which the lifting fork is located close to the outer ends (19) of the support legs. The lifting mast assembly (18) is intended to be supported on the support legs (18), and a linkage mechanism (20) is provided for effecting movement of the mast assembly along the support legs. The linkage mechanism is also intended to constitute a horizontal support for the mast assembly (16).

Abstract: A sheet supporting arrangement comprises an upper sheet supporting grid and a lower sheet supporting grid, each made up of rods of jacks which are arranged on front and rear walls of a stacker. The upper grid consists of a series of jacks, each comprising an elastically, though not permanently deformable rod which is set at one of its ends in a piston that is also elastically, though not permanently deformable. The elastically, though not permanently rod is then guided within a bearing when it moves as well as by the circumferential surface of the piston sliding on the inner cylindrical surface of the cylinder forming the jack.

Abstract: A feed roll wear compensating method and apparatus measures the surface speed of the feed and nudger rolls that are rotated by a motor and adjusts the motor speed to prevent sheet damage from occurring. The surface speed of each of the rolls is measured by sensors that detect the position of a moving sheet and the signal from the sensors is used to deduce the reduction in diameter of the rolls due to wear. The roll wear information is used to adjust the nominal elevator height to maintain constant force on the sheets and to provide feedback for adaptive control of the feed motor to adjust the speed of the feed roll.

Abstract: A portable arrangement to allow a user to retrieve and then later refile a single sheet of single or multi-part architectural plans, blueprints, and/or any document from a flat storage file drawer. The portable arrangement allows the removal of a single sheet from a tightly packed stack of sheets without losing the place of the single sheet in the file and to replace the single sheet in the stack of sheets without disturbing the order in which the sheets are arranged. A first embodiment comprises an upright rack having opposite feet that are interconnected by a crossbar, a sheet separator, first clamping device, and second clamping device, said sheet separator having a tapered front portion and a device for being mounted on at least one transverse member which in turn has a device for slidingly coupling to runners of the storage drawer.

Abstract: A bars packer plant having hung transfer magnets for packing bar layers differentiated in number including a single linear system of rotating hung transfer magnets movable between a position above a supply line with bar layers to be picked up to a position above a pack formation pocket. The transfer magnets rotate by turning upside down. A lifter is provided below the supply line and below the hung transfer magnets in a pick-up area. The lifter serves to lift one bar layer and attach it to a magnetic pickup surface above and below the hung transfer magnets, depending on the rotation of the magnetic pickup surface.

Abstract: At the free end of a pivotable arm (1) of an aligning device, two wheels (4, 6) of identical diameters are mounted for independent rotary movement, such wheels being driven by a shaft (2). The wheels (4, 6) are each eccentrically offset from the axis of rotation (2a) of shaft (2) by the same amount (26, 27)and are uniformly spaced about said axis. With respect to a plane running perpendicularly to the axis of rotation (2a) of shaft (2), each wheel (4, 6) is mounted at an acute angle (.alpha.) such that adjacent wheels (4, 6) are arranged in a V-shaped configuration. The eccentrically (26, 27) and the angular position (.alpha.) of the wheels (4, 6) are related such that the contact surface (4b and 6b) of each wheel (4 and 6, respectively) resting on the sheet to be aligned carries out a movement transversely to the sheet-entrance direction (A) and towards the lateral limiting wall (18).

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring the capacitance of tablets of varying shapes and sizes by conveying the tablets along a curved path which includes a zone of travel between the plates of a capacitive sensing device. The tablets are conveyed in a relatively fixed orientation by constructing a guide channel including a fixedly-positioned curved guide spaced away from a rotatable disk, and wherein a resilient clamp is provided above the guide channel so as to compress the tablet against the rotatable disk during its path of travel.

Abstract: In the ADF of this invention, not only the conveying unit but also at least one of the paper feeding unit and the paper discharging unit are supported by a support frame via floating support mechanisms. The conveying unit and either one of the paper feeding unit and the paper discharging unit are provided with a plurality of contact pieces that come in contact with the platen glass and with the housing at the closed position of the support frame or the ADF. The load of either the paper feeding unit or the paper discharging unit is supported by said contact pieces at the closed position of the ADF.

Abstract: A loading apparatus for selectively taking out a sheet film from among sheet films accommodated in a plurality of magazines and loading the sheet film into a cassette. The sheet taken out from the magazine is adapted to be held in a holding device in a curved state. In a holding section, the sheet film is received from a lower end thereof and is taken out from an upper end thereof so as to be loaded into the cassette. Hence, even if there are a multiplicity of magazines, the film can be fetched speedily and loaded into the cassette, and the apparatus can be made compact. The magazine is drawn out from the apparatus body in a cantilevered manner so as to load the films, thereby facilitating the loading operation.

Abstract: An apparatus which advances and separates sheets from a stack of sheets. The apparatus includes an operator pivotable frame having a nudger roll and a feed roll mounted thereon. In operation, the feed roll engages a retard roll. The retard roll is coupled through a gear to a slip clutch. In the event a single sheet is advanced by the nudger roll to the nip defined by the feed roll and retard roll, the frictional force between the sheet and retard roll is sufficient to overcome the torque applied on the retard roll by the slip clutch and the retard roll rotates in one direction permitting the sheet to pass through the nip. Alternatively, in the event multiple sheets are being advanced by the nudger roll into the nip, the frictional force is reduced and the retard roll rotates in the opposite direction under the torque applied thereon by the slip clutch driving the sheets back toward the stack from which they originally advanced.

Abstract: A paper supplying deck is insertable into and withdrawable from a paper supplying portion of a body resulting in electrical connection between the side of the paper supplying deck and the side of the body through a drawer-type connector when the paper supplying deck is inserted and interruption of such electrical connection when the drawer is withdrawn. The paper supplying deck has a paper carrying portion with a paper width setting mechanism and a variable resistor the resistance value of which is changed in dependence on the paper width setting mechanism, thereby changing an output paper width detecting voltage. On the wide of the paper supplying deck, a resistance which prevents the paper width detecting voltage from amounting to a power source voltage even though the resistance value of the variable resistor reaches a maximum value, is connected in series with the variable resistor.

Abstract: A hand scanner support and paper guide apparatus is disclosed for mechanically scanning a thin sheet, e.g. a sheet of paper, using a scanner designed to be hand-held. The apparatus includes a housing which includes a planar upper wall which serves as a flat surface along which the thin sheet is moved. A support assembly is connected to the housing and supports the scanner a spaced distance above the planar upper wall as the thin sheet is moved past the scanner. A guide assembly is connected to the housing and guides the thin sheet in a straight path as the thin sheet is moved along the planar upper wall. A drive assembly is housed within the housing and moved the thin sheet past the scanner. The drive assembly includes a driven, thin-sheet-contacting element such as a cylindrical roller; and a slot, in the planar upper wall, permits the cylindrical roller to contact and move the thin sheet as it lies on the planar upper wall.