Abstract: A cutter arrangement for automatically trimming flat products, such as leaflets, magazines and books transported along a horizontal path includes a clamping mechanism positioned along the path for clamping the products, respectively, during a trimming operation. A counter-knife is fixedly positioned above the horizontal path in a location corresponding to the position of the clamping mechanism and has a cutting edge. An up and down movable knife is coordinated with the clamping mechanism and positioned below the horizontal path beneath the counter-knife. The movable knife has a cutting edge for cooperating with the cutting edge of the counter-knife during an upward movement of the movable knife for trimming a respective one of the flat products clamped by the clamping mechanism.

Abstract: A feeding device for printed products including a conveyor for conveying the printed products on a front conveying section in the form of a stack and on a rear conveying section in the form of a bar and in the form of a loosened zone between the stack and the bar, and a sensing device which senses the position of the stack and controls the feeding movement of the printed products. The rear conveying section includes a continuously advanced conveying device which is controlled by an intermittently advanced conveying device of the front conveying section.

Abstract: A device is provided for trimming an edge of printed products which are fed continuously at regular distances to a conveying arrangement. The conveying arrangement includes circulating, pocket-like conveying units that are loaded from above with printed products. The edges of the printed products project at the conveying units so that the edges extend through a cutting arrangement laterally disposed at the conveying arrangement and including a blade. A support arrangement includes a shoulder disposed on a rear side of the printed product relative to the blade. The support arrangement is set back from the projecting edge of the printed product and is disposed opposite the blade during the cutting process. The support arrangement is movable into position at least approximately over a length of a cut by the blade and is driven in the same direction and at the same cadence as the printed products that are fed to the cutting arrangement.

Abstract: Apparatus for trimming lateral marginal portions of a scalloped stream of partially overlapping sheets has two counterknives at that side of the path for the sheets which is adjacent the leaders of successive sheets and a pair of rotary knives located opposite the counterknives at the side of the path which is adjacent the trailing ends of successive sheets. The sheets of the stream of sheets issuing from a printing machine must be inverted by 180.degree. if the counterknives are located beneath the respective rotary knives. Trimming operations which are carried out upon successive sheets having leaders at that side of the path which is adjacent the counterknives are less likely to result in tearing of the sheets than the trimming operations in conventional apparatus.

Abstract: A stream of partially overlapping paper sheets is advanced below one or more wheels which are driven by the sheets and transmit torque to one or more rotary disc cams which cooperate with a roller follower provided on an intercepting device having a pallet which can be moved into and retracted from the path of movement of oncoming leaders of successive sheets. The periods of dwell of the pallet in the path of movement of the leader of each sheet are selected in such a way that the spacing between successive leaders is equalized to match the sum of spacings of successive leaders divided by the number of such leaders. A leaf spring biases the roller follower against the periphery of peripheries of the cam or cams.