Abstract: Apparatus for manipulating streams of discrete sheets or webs of coherent sheets has a frame for a carriage which supports several tools for depression, alignment, orientation, stoppage, severing, flexing and/or other manipulation of sheets. At least some of the tools are adjustable in or counter to the direction of advancement of sheets and/or transversely of the direction of advancement of sheets in order to change the setup for the manipulation of different sheets or for a different manipulation of sheets. The operation of the parts which serve to adjust the tools can be automated, and such parts comprise a locating device which is movable longitudinally or transversely of the path for the sheets or web and can be coupled to two or more discrete distancing elements which are affixed to or form part of holders for the tools.

Abstract: Successive stacks of overlapping paper sheets are transported toward a sewing station where the sheets of successive stacks are sewn together by a sewing machine. In order to reduce the generation of heat at the sewing station and the resulting breakage of thread and damage to the needle or needles, successive stacks are provided with rows of holes ahead of the sewing station. The distribution of holes in the stacks and the mode of transporting stacks toward and through the sewing station are selected with a view to ensure that the needle or needles penetrate into the prefabricated holes with a minimum of friction. The surplus of thread is trimmed off the products downstream of the sewing station. Such products can constitute books, brochures, pads or other commodities containing stacks of sewn together sheets of paper or other sheet material.

Abstract: Apparatus for manipulating streams of discrete sheets or webs of coherent sheets has a frame for a carriage which supports several tools for depression, alignment, orientation, stoppage, severing, flexing and/or other manipulation of sheets. At least some of the tools are adjustable in or counter to the direction of advancement of sheets and/or transversely of the direction of advancement of sheets in order to change the setup for the manipulation of different sheets or for a different manipulation of sheets. The operation of the parts which serve to adjust the tools can be automated, and such parts comprise a locating device which is movable longitudinally or transversely of the path for the sheets or web and can be coupled to two or more discrete distancing elements which are affixed to or form part of holders for the tools.

Abstract: An apparatus for simultaneously or independently adjusting components in a machine wherein the components are movable along a track to change the positions of tools, tool holders or other mobile parts. The apparatus has an indexible feed screw which is parallel to the track and mates with discrete nuts, one for each adjustable component and each rotatably connected to the respective component. The nut has axially parallel grooves for reception of pivotable pallets on the nuts to establish torque-transmitting connections between the feed screw and selected nuts. The nuts can be arrested against rotation with the feed screw by locking bolts which are engageable with selected teeth of annuli of teeth on the nuts. A nut will shift the respective component along the track when the respective pallets are expelled from the grooves of the feed screw and the nut is arrested so that it cannot rotate with the feed screw.

Abstract: Successive stacks of paper sheets are gathered from successive sheets of a stream of sheets at a first station where the sheets are fed downwardly to form a lowermost stack on mobile belt conveyors mounted on a reciprocable carriage, and a growing stack on top of the lowermost stack. When the growing stack is converted into a fully grown stack, the lowermost stack is transferred by the conveyors to a processing station and the fully grown stack is lowered to the level of the removed stack. The underside of each stack which is being removed from the first station is in large-area contact with the belt conveyors, and the front marginal portion of the stack which is being transported away from the first station is engaged and held by a jaw which is movable up and down as well as with the belt conveyors during the initial stage of removal of a stack from the first station to thus reduce the likelihood of shifting of sheets in the stack relative to each other.

Abstract: Apparatus for transporting stacks of paper sheets has a first conveyor which delivers stacks in a first direction, a second conveyor which removes stacks in a second direction at right angles to the first direction, and a transfer conveyor having an endless foraminous band which is disposed between the discharge end of the first conveyor and the receiving end of the second conveyor and is operated intermittently to accept stacks from the first conveyor or to deliver stacks onto or toward the second conveyor. The upper reach of the endless band is located above several rows of nozzles which can discharge streams of compressed air to cause a stack to levitate during transfer onto the band or during removal from the band while the transfer conveyor is at a standstill.

Abstract: Apparatus for converting a continuous stream of partially overlapping sheets of paper or the like into a succession of stacks has a table which is movable between a first position adjacent the discharge end of a conveyor for the stream of sheets and a second position adjacent a stack removing unit. When in first position, the table is lowered gradually at the rate at which the height of the growing stack on its top increases, and such table is mounted on a reciprocable carriage which further supports a platform adjacent to the table so that the platform can enter the gathering station and take over a growing stack while the fully grown stack on the table is advanced to the removing unit. The table and the platform are provided with conveyors so that a fully grown stack can be transferred from the table onto the removing unit and the conveyor on the platform can transfer a growing stack onto the table when the transfer of the fully grown stack onto the stack removing unit is completed.

Abstract: A self-locking chuck which can clamp the hollow core of a bobbin to a rotor has two nuts which mate with externally threaded sections of the rotor and have threads inclined in opposite directions or threads of different pitch so that they move axially toward or away from each other in response to joint rotation relative to the rotor or vice versa. The nuts are surrounded by two or more axially parallel torque transmitting segments whose external surfaces are movable into torque-transmitting engagement with the internal surface of a core in response to joint rotation of the nuts relative to the rotor. To this end, the inner sides of the segments are provided with a first set of cam faces and the outer sides of the nuts are provided with a second set of cam faces which cooperate with the cam faces of the segments to move the segments radially outwardly in response to joint rotation of the nuts relative to the rotor.

Abstract: A continuous web of paper with a series of transversely extending rows of perforations between successive panels is folded in zig-zag fashion by reducing the speed of each oddly numbered panel and simultaneously diverting the oddly numbered panel from the path of the web while the evenly numbered panels immediately following the diverted oddly numbered panels continue to advance at a higher speed so that the neighboring panels define loops while the next-following evenly numbered panels catch up with the immediately preceding oddly numbered panels. The loops are stabilized by suction-operated conveyors and by admission of compressed air thereinto, and the resulting stack of overlapping panels is severed at intervals across selected rows of perforations to form a series of smaller stacks each of which contains a desired number of panels.

Abstract: A first transporting unit advances a series of stacks of paper sheets along a straight first path. A transfer conveyor can be lifted into the first path to divert selected stacks into the range of a second transporting unit which defines a second path making an oblique angle with the first path. The transfer conveyor is assisted by a pusher which is adjacent to the first path opposite the stack-receiving end of the second transporting unit and is movable at right angles to the first path to move the diverted stack sideways. Such stack strikes a yieldable bumper which expels it from the second path into the range of a third transporting unit serving to advance stacks in parallelism with or at right angles to the direction of movement of stacks along the first path. The orientation of selected stacks remains unchanged during diversion from the first into the second path as well as during diversion from the second into the third path.

Abstract: Apparatus for accumulating stacks of paper sheets has a cross cutter which repeatedly severs several overlapping running paper webs to form a series of groups of overlapping sheets. Such groups are accumulated into layers at a gathering station, and successively formed layers are engaged and withdrawn by a transfer unit which delivers the layers into the range of a withdrawing conveyor serving to deliver the layers to a stack forming station. The operation of the transfer unit is controlled by a rotary camshaft which is driven by the prime mover for the cross cutter through the medium of a computer-controlled step-down transmission arrangement having a compensating transmission whose control shaft is adjustable by the computer, whose input member receives torque from the prime mover and whose output shaft drives the camshaft through the medium of a change-speed transmission, an adjustable planetary transmission, a bevel gear transmission and a gear transmission.

Abstract: One of the two knife holder shafts in a cross cutter for webs of paper or the like is driven by a unit wherein a motor rotates the input shaft of a bevel gear drive whose output shaft drives or constitutes one shaft of a universal joint. The other shaft of the universal joint is driven by the one shaft and transmits torque to the knife holder shaft or shafts by way of a step-up gear transmission and a clutch which allows for changes in angular positions of the knife holder shafts with reference to the universal joint. An extension of the axis of the input shaft of the bevel gear drive intersects the axes of the shafts of the universal joint at the point where the axes of the shafts of the universal joint intersect each other. To this end, the other shaft of the universal joint contains an elastically deformable but torsion-resistant insert.

Abstract: One of the two knife holder shafts in a cross cutter for webs of paper or the like is driven by a unit wherein a motor rotates the input shaft of a bevel gear drive whose output shaft drives or constitutes one shaft of a universal joint. The other shaft of the universal joint is driven by the one shaft and transmits torque to the knife holder shaft or shafts by way of a step-up gear transmission and a clutch which allows for changes in angular positions of the knife holder shafts with reference to the universal joint. An extension of the axis of the input shaft of the bevel gear drive intersects the axes of the shafts of the universal joint at the point where the axes of the shafts of the universal joint intersect each other. To this end, the other shaft of the universal joint contains an elastically deformable but torsion-resistant insert.

Abstract: A series of separate paper sheets issuing from a cross cutter wherein a running paper web is subdivided into discrete sheets is converted into a stream of partly overlapping sheets by transporting the sheets of the series at a first speed onto the upper reach of a belt conveyor which is driven at a lower second speed. A cylindrical braking roller is adjacent to the sheet-receiving end of the upper reach of the belt conveyor and is driven at a peripheral speed matching the second speed. A flat of the otherwise cylindrical peripheral surface of the braking roller is adjacent to but out of contact with the leading edges of successive sheets of the series but the cylindrical surface of the roller engages the intermediate portions of successive sheets and decelerates such sheets from the first to the second speed. This ensures that reaction liquid cannot escape at the leading edges of successive sheets which constitute carbon-free pressure-sensitive copy paper sheets.