Abstract: An apparatus is provided for positioning a plurality of cassettes within an automated printing plate handler. In a plate handler, a plurality of cassettes each contain a supply of printing plates for delivery to an automatic plate-recording device. The apparatus includes a separate support table for supporting each of the plurality of cassettes within the plate handler and an elevator device for moving each of the support tables along a vertical axis of the automated plate handler. The automated plate handler is configured to automatically position a selected cassette in a first position to facilitate removal of the cassette from the handler. The plate handler further includes a platform, which substantially forms an extension of the support table supporting the selected cassette in the first position. The platform provides a second position, at which the selected cassette is to be one of, loaded or unloaded.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for positioning a plurality of cassettes within an automated printing plate handler. In a plate handler, a plurality of cassettes each contain a supply of printing plates for delivery to an automatic plate-recording device. The apparatus includes a separate support table for supporting each of the plurality of cassettes within the plate handler and an elevator device for moving each of the support tables along a vertical axis of the automated plate handler. The automated plate handler is configured to automatically position a selected cassette in a first position to facilitate removal of the cassette from the handler. The plate handler further includes a platform, which substantially forms an extension of the support table supporting the selected cassette in the first position. The platform provides a second position, at which the selected cassette is to be one of, loaded or unloaded.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for positioning a plurality of cassettes within an automated printing plate handler. In a plate handler, a plurality of cassettes each contain a supply of printing plates for delivery to an automatic plate-recording device. The apparatus includes a separate support table for supporting each of the plurality of cassettes within the plate handler and an elevator device for moving each of the support tables along a vertical axis of the automated plate handler. The automated plate handler is configured to automatically position a selected cassette in a first position to facilitate removal of the cassette from the handler. The plate handler further includes a platform, which substantially forms an extension of the support table supporting the selected cassette in the first position. The platform provides a second position, at which the selected cassette is to be one of, loaded or unloaded.

Abstract: An accumulator system for foldable sheet-like material. The system includes an accumulator bin having a pair of sidewalls, a pair of end walls, a bottom wall, and an open top. An infeed mechanism conveys the material to the accumulator bin. A chute receives the material from the infeed mechanism and guides the material inside the chute. In a first state, the chute is stationary and the system operates in a steady-state condition with a loop in the material between the infeed mechanism and an outfeed mechanism. In a second state, the outfeed mechanism is shut off and the chute is capable of reciprocating such that the material is guided toward the bottom wall of the bin. The reciprocating motion of the chute causes the material to be folded endwise in alternating fashion.

Abstract: The primary function of the optional handler is to make plates available on demand to the imaging engine. A multitude of plates are stored inside cassettes and these cassettes are loaded into the handler. There may be up to four cassettes residing in the handler. Inside a cassette there may be a protective interleaf sheet, sometimes called a slip sheet, between each plate which is removed by the handler and discarded. The handler receives commands from the engine control sequencer which provides instructions as to what cassette needs to be accessed to make a plate available to the picker mechanism so the plate may be conveyed to the imaging engine. Conversely the handler provides status information to the engine to make full interaction with the system possible.

Abstract: The primary function of the optional handler is to make plates available on demand to the imaging engine. A multitude of plates are stored inside cassettes and these cassettes are loaded into the handler. There may be up to four cassettes residing in the handler. Inside a cassette there may be a protective interleaf sheet, sometimes called a slip sheet, between each plate which is removed by the handler and discarded. The handler receives commands from the engine control sequencer which provides instructions as to what cassette needs to be accessed to make a plate available to the picker mechanism so the plate may be conveyed to the imaging engine. Conversely the handler provides status information to the engine to make full interaction with the system possible.

Abstract: The primary function of the optional handler is to make plates available on demand to the imaging engine. A multitude of plates are stored inside cassettes and these cassettes are loaded into the handler. There may be up to four cassettes residing in the handler. Inside a cassette there may be a protective interleaf sheet, sometimes called a slip sheet, between each plate which is removed by the handler and discarded. The handler receives commands from the engine control sequencer which provides instructions as to what cassette needs to be accessed to make a plate available to the picker mechanism so the plate may be conveyed to the imaging engine. Conversely the handler provides status information to the engine to make full interaction with the system possible.

Abstract: The primary function of the optional handler is to make plates available on demand to the imaging engine. A multitude of plates are stored inside cassettes and these cassettes are loaded into the handler. There may be up to four cassettes residing in the handler. Inside a cassette there may be a protective interleaf sheet, sometimes called a slip sheet, between each plate which is removed by the handler and discarded. The handler receives commands from the engine control sequencer which provides instructions as to what cassette needs to be accessed to make a plate available to the picker mechanism so the plate may be conveyed to the imaging engine. Conversely the handler provides status information to the engine to make full interaction with the system possible.

Abstract: A burster for continuous single part business forms having a paper weight of about 32 lbs. or less utilizes a conventional transport mechanism, high speed rolls, and breaker blade. The slow speed rolls are substantially smooth surfaced (no axial grooves) and are mounted so that there is a fixed gap between them of 0.005-0.008 inches, which gap can be adjusted prior to machine operation. With this fixed gap, bubble formation in the business forms being burst does not occur, and there is no reason to use a servo or stepper motor to cycle the slow speed rolls apart and together. The high speed rolls are spring biased together and the transport mechanism includes a tractor pin feed drive located upstream of the slow speed rolls, a set of driven pull rolls between the tractor pin feed drive and the slow rolls, and a transport belt assembly. Spaced sheet metal plates may be used in place of the slow speed rolls.

Abstract: The primary function of the optional handler is to make plates available on demand to the imaging engine. A multitude of plates are stored inside cassettes and these cassettes are loaded into the handler. There may be up to four cassettes residing in the handler. Inside a cassette there may be a protective interleaf sheet, sometimes called a slip sheet, between each plate which is removed by the handler and discarded. The handler receives commands from the engine control sequencer which provides instructions as to what cassette needs to be accessed to make a plate available to the picker mechanism so the plate may be conveyed to the imaging engine. Conversely the handler provides status information to the engine to make full interaction with the system possible.

Abstract: Interstacked longitudinally offset form sets from continuous webs are fed through upstream low speed rollers and downstream rollers, with a breaker bar disposed between the roller pairs. The upper roller of the slow roller pair is mounted eccentrically to engage the webs between the upper and lower rollers of the slow roller pair once for each revolution of the upper roller. When a leading portion of one web enters the nip of the downstream rollers, the eccentrically mounted upper low speed roller engages the webs and the downstream roller pairs are rotated at a higher speed to create sufficient tension in the form between the pairs of rollers such that the form engages against the breaker blade to burst the form from the web. Upon bursting, the eccentric low speed roller disengages or opens relative to the webs and the leading portion of a form of the other web engages in the nip of the downstream roller pair whereupon the bursting of the form from the second web is accomplished.

Abstract: During the feeding of offset continuous collated business form webs to the slow rollers of a burster, it is important to insure that the top web properly passes through the slow roll section. By providing a number of puller wheels having aluminum cores and sawtooth rubber coverings atop conveyor belts passing over crowned pulleys which are oversped relative to the web speed, proper feed to the burster is provided. Form deflecting fingers extending from the puller wheels to the burster also help. In order to prevent the conveyor belts from running off the crowned pulleys an aligner is provided which has a number of vertical dowel pins with plastic sleeves covering and rotatable with respect to the dowel pins, disposed on each side of a conveyor belt associated with a crowned pulley and puller wheel. The aligner is provided immediately upstream of a rubber covered drive roll for the conveyor belts.

Abstract: The production of offset stacks of business forms is effected in a continuous (i.e. without interruption) manner until a vertical stacker into which the forms are fed is full. Between a detacher and the stacker, the forms are automatically and continuously directed either to the left or the right from a common center line to offset the forms into different groups with at least one form in each group. This offsetting action may be accomplished by a pair of angled conveyor belts with steel balls movable into and out of association with the conveyor belts by solenoids, and/or by two sets of diverter wheels which are also angled and which are moved up out of engagement with the forms or down into engagement with them. Edge guide rods are provided which are part of transport aligning mechanisms that are movable toward and away from each other to accommodate different form widths.

Abstract: During the feeding of offset continuous collated business form webs to the slow rollers of a burster, it is important to insure that the top web properly passes through the slow roll section. By providing a number of puller wheels having aluminum cores and sawtooth rubber coverings atop conveyor belts passing over crowned pulleys which are oversped relative to the web speed, proper feed to the burster is provided. Form deflecting fingers extending from the puller wheels to the burster also help. In order to prevent the conveyor belts from running off the crowned pulleys an aligner is provided which has a number of vertical dowel pins with plastic sleeves covering and rotatable with respect to the dowel pins, disposed on each side of a conveyor belt associated with a crowned pulley and puller wheel. The aligner is provided immediately upstream of a rubber covered drive roll for the conveyor belts.

Abstract: A compact interstacking web deflector for causing a slit paper web to overlap one side of the web over the other. The web deflector includes an elevated deflector bar skewed to the path of the slit web. The elevated deflector imparts a twists to one of the sections of the slit web as the web section flows downward in a loop between the web slitting device and a burster device. The other web section is twisted in an opposite angle to the first section as the other web section drops downward over a skewed leading edge on the slitter device. The opposing twists imparted to the side-by-side sections causes the web sections to merge towards the centerline of the web path and overlap each other. The twists in the web sections are removed as the sections loop under a pair web loop ledges at the bottom of the web loops. In this manner, the paper webs are superimposed one over the other for subsequent processing.

Abstract: A compact interstacking web deflector for causing a split paper web to overlap one side of the web over the other. The web deflector includes a triangular support plate over which the split web flows. The triangular leading edge of the support plate includes a pair of rods angled with respect to the paper webs. As the paper webs flow over the respective rods, opposing twists are imparted to the side-by-side sections of the paper web that causes the web sections to merge towards the centerline of the deflector. The twists in the web sections are removed as the sections loop under a pair of free-floating tension tubes. In this manner, the paper webs are superimposed one over the other for subsequent processing.

Abstract: A retail coupon document contains two paper coupons which are hidden from a coupon user, the coupons being for different values. The user selects and pulls one of two intersecting pull strips, thereby revealing one of the coupons and destroying the other, depending upon which pull strip is selected. The pull strips are formed by perforated division lines which are so arranged that each pull strip passes through one of the coupons, whereby the revealed (non-destroyed) coupon will possess perforations of one of the pull strips. The pull strips are oriented parallel to a longer dimension of each coupon and parallel to the grain of the paper.