Device and method to accelerate and separate as well as spatially align blanks, especially envelope blanks

Abstract

A device and method are disclosed to accelerate, separate, and spatially align blanks such as, for example, envelope blanks. The device may include at least one stop cylinder body that rotates on an axis (the cylinder body including at least one stop element), and may also include at least one entraining transport device that entrains the blanks relative to at least one stop cylinder body. A stop cylinder body may include at least one suction air opening in a lateral surface thereof.

Description

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention concerns a device and a method to accelerate and separate as well as spatially align (regulate) blanks, especially envelope blanks in an envelope manufacturing machine. The term “envelopes” is to be understood as letter envelopes as well as shipping envelopes of all kinds. Blanks according to this invention can also be label blanks, e.g. for bottle labels, or lid labels for food container lids. For the sake of simplicity, both the state-of-the-art and the invention will be discussed in the following with reference to the manufacture of letter envelopes.

2. State of the Art

There are two known types of machines for manufacturing letters. One kind of machine processes already cut, stacked envelope blanks into envelopes. Such machines are normally called “sheet machines,” where the term “sheet” indicates that the individual blank sheets are processed.

In contrast, machines of the other kind process into envelopes a material or paper web wound on a supply reel. The material web is drawn directly from this supply reel into the machine and cut to size at a suitable site in the processing route by a trim cut device so that the envelope blanks only arise within the letter envelope manufacturing machine. Such machines are termed reel machines.

In both types of machines, the individual processing stations work at a common cycle causing the envelope blanks or material web to be processed to pass through the envelope manufacturing machine at a corresponding speed, i.e. the cycle speed, so that they reach the respective station always at the right time (on cycle.) The envelope blanks run through most stations separately, i.e. on the corresponding conveyance devices at a distance corresponding to the cycle.

However, there are different stations during the envelope manufacturing process at which the individual envelope blanks are not processed separately but shingled, i.e. partially lying on each other. This is particularly the case when adhesive is applied to the seal flap and subsequently dries.

During these processes or when passing through the corresponding stations of the envelope manufacturing machine, the transport devices normally transport the envelope blanks at a speed less than the general cycle speed of the envelope manufacturing machine.

After they pass through such stations, it is therefore necessary for the envelope blanks to be separated and accelerated to the cycle speed, i.e. brought in to time with the cycle of the envelope manufacturing machine so that they can be fed at the correct speed and at the correct time to the following stations such as a folding station to fold the seal flap.

It is very important that the re-separated envelope blanks are arranged on the corresponding transport device in a correct spatial alignment or spatial position (regulated) so that they can be correctly and precisely processed in the following additional processing stations.

In the state-of-the-art, the processes of separating and accelerating the envelope blanks on the one hand and regulation on the other hand are carried out by two separate devices: an acceleration device and a regulating device.

Segmented cylinders or acceleration cylinders feeding a vacuum (so-called vacuum acceleration cylinders) are for example used as the acceleration device. Both types of cylinders are familiar to experts, and the latter is for example known from DE 26 28 809 A1.

A vacuum acceleration cylinder rotates at an angular velocity such that the web speed of the lateral surface corresponds to the cycle speed of the envelope manufacturing machine and grips the shingled envelope blanks or stacked blank sheets from above or below by vacuum-fed suction air holes.

The envelope blank or blank sheet contacting the cylinder in this manner is suddenly accelerated to the cycle speed and then transferred by the vacuum cylinder to the separate, downstream regulation device.

Known regulation devices are in particular regulating wheels as for example described in DE 196 09 991 A1, as well as regulating chains.

Since the acceleration and regulation occurs at different times and locations and at least two components are required, the method known from the state-of-the-art and corresponding devices require a great deal of space with associated material and servicing costs.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

a) Technical Problem

It is therefore the problem of this invention to create a device as well as a method to accelerate/separate and regulate blanks, especially envelope blanks, that is distinguished by requiring less space at lower manufacturing and servicing costs.

b) Solution to the Problem

This problem is solved by the device according to the invention with the features of claim 1, and by the method according to the invention with the features of claim 17. Further embodiments of the invention are found in the corresponding subclaims.

The device according to the invention to accelerate and spatially align blanks has at least one stop cylinder body with a stop element as well as an entraining transport device to entrain the blanks relative to the stop cylinder body. According to invention, the lateral surface of the stop cylinder body has at least one vacuum air hole.

The entraining transport device must permit slip between its transport elements and the blanks as soon as the latter are in their aligned or regulated position. Such an entraining transport device is in particular an entraining cylinder body that preferably rotates on the same axis as the stop cylinder body and has at least one suction air hole in its lateral surface to hold the blanks. It is alternately conceivable to design the entraining transport device as a suction belt transport device that can hold the blanks with suctioned surrounding air just like the vacuum-feedable entraining cylinder body. Another alternative for the entraining transport device consists of a conveyor belt device that does not work with suction air, for example in the form of at least two essentially stacked conveyor belts that can hold the blanks between them like a sandwich due to the frictional locking and also permit slip as soon as the respective blank is in the aligned position.

This description will not cover the mode of operation or control of the individual suction air holes to be supplied with a vacuum by valve channels and passage channels within the cylinder body as well as outside devices to generate the vacuum since these are common in this field and familiar to an expert. It will only be noted that the suction air openings in the lateral surfaces of the individual cylinder bodies can be selectively fed a vacuum while they rotate so that they generate the suction used to place a blank on the lateral surface and hold it against the lateral surface while the cylinder rotates against the arising centrifugal and aerodynamic forces. To be understood as “place” is that the corresponding blank is positioned and held on the lateral surface essentially free of slip.

Before discussing additional advantages of the embodiments of the device according to the invention, the method according to the invention will be presented for sake of clarity.

The basis is that plurality of stacked or shingled blanks are separated or accelerated and regulated by the method according to the invention. According to invention, only a single device is used with at least one stop cylinder body that has at least one stop element, as well as an entraining transport device.

As portrayed above, the entraining transport device can for example be an entraining cylinder body provided with suction air openings, a suction belt transport device, a conveyor belt device with at least two interacting conveyor belts between which the blanks can be entrained, or the like. In the following, this invention will be explained with reference to an entraining cylinder body as the entraining transport device. As long as both the basic function of the entraining cylinder body supplied with suction air exists in other entraining transport devices, the following statements also apply to these other entraining transport devices.

Vacuum-supplied suction air holes in the lateral surface of the stop cylinder body first place a blank from a plurality of shingled or stacked blanks on the lateral surface of the stop cylinder body and accelerate it to its web speed.

To be understood as “place” within the framework of the invention is that the blank to be separated is drawn to the lateral surface of the stop cylinder body by the suction through the suction air holes, and it is held on the lateral surface of the stop cylinder body by this suction. Disregarding a brief slip phase, the blank to be separated is hence suddenly accelerated to the web speed of the lateral surface of the stop cylinder body.

The entire surface of the blank does not lie on the lateral surface of the stop cylinder body; rather, it covers at least a significant area of the lateral surface of the neighboring entraining cylinder body on the same shaft as the stop cylinder body.

According to the invention, while the cylinder bodies rotate in the same direction, the web speed of the lateral surface of the entraining cylinder body differs from the web speed of the lateral surface of the stop cylinder body such that after the blank is placed on the lateral surface of the stop cylinder body, the lateral surface of the entraining cylinder body first glides below the area of the blank covering the lateral surface of the entraining cylinder body.

In order to spatially align the blank separated and accelerated in this manner, the blank is then placed on the lateral surface of the entraining cylinder body by the vacuum-fed suction air openings in the lateral surface of the entraining cylinder body, i.e., held by the lateral surface of the entraining cylinder body by suction. Given the different web speeds of the lateral surfaces of the entraining cylinder body and stop cylinder body, the blank is either braked or accelerated when it is placed on the lateral surface of the entraining cylinder body depending on which of the two web speeds is greater.

It is not necessary for the blank to be held free of slip on the lateral surface of the entraining cylinder body, i.e., it is not necessary for the blank to be completely accelerated to the web speed of the lateral surface of the entraining cylinder body. According to the invention, only the following is important: By placing the blank on the lateral surface of the entraining cylinder body, the blank is caused to move relative to the stop cylinder body as a function of the two web cylinder skates in or against the direction of travel of the stop cylinder body. According to the invention, this relative movement moves the blank into a stop position in which it lies on the stop element of the stop cylinder body. The blank is spatially aligned as it is placed on the stop element.

Once the blank reaches its stop position, the blank cannot move further relative to the stop cylinder body, and the blank then moves at the web speed of the stop cylinder body, i.e., at the cycle speed.

In a preferred embodiment, the vacuum fed to the suction air openings of the entraining cylinder body is controlled so that its suction air openings are inactive when the blank is placed on the lateral surface of the stop cylinder body, i.e., not supplied with a vacuum, and without suction. This can ensure that placing the blank on the lateral surface of the stop cylinder body will not be impaired by possible suction from the suction air openings of the entraining cylinder body.

However, it would also be conceivable in this case for the suction air openings of the entraining cylinder body to exert suction when the blank is placed on the lateral surface of the stop cylinder body. In this case, however, it should be noticeably less than the suction of the suction air openings of the stop cylinder body.

For the blank to be smoothly placed on the lateral surface of the entraining cylinder body and smoothly moved into stop position, the suction air openings in the lateral surface of the stop cylinder body are preferably inactive during these procedures, i.e., not supplied with a vacuum, and therefore having a suction.

The suction air openings of the entraining cylinder body are preferably inactive, i.e., not supplied with a vacuum so that they do not provide suction after the blank has reached the stop position, i.e., lies on the stop element. This ensures that the blank is not pressed against the stop with a corresponding force by the continued movement of the entraining cylinder body which could damage the front contact edge of the blank.

Of course, it is also possible to merely correspondingly adjust the different suction levels of the suction air holes in the lateral surfaces of the stop cylinder body or entraining cylinder body without completely deactivated suction air openings. Throughout the entire process of controlling the suction air openings, it must be ensured that the blank is held to the vacuum cylinder according to the invention at all times, i.e., that either the suction air openings in the lateral surface of the stop cylinder body or the suction air openings in the lateral surface of the entraining cylinder body must be supplied with a vacuum at all times.

After the blank is regulated by being placed on the stop element of the stop cylinder body, the blank can then be passed on in a familiar manner to a following processing or transport station. In this context, the web speed of the stop cylinder body preferably corresponds to the speed at which the blank is to be transferred by the vacuum cylinder to this station that normally corresponds to the cycle speed of the envelope manufacturing machine.

According to a preferred embodiment, the vacuum cylinder according to the invention comprises two stop cylinder bodies and an entraining cylinder body, whereby the entraining cylinder body is on a common shaft with all cylinder bodies between the two stop cylinder bodies, whereby the three lateral surfaces of the cylinder bodies preferably form an essentially continuous and contiguous overall lateral surface.

The cylinder bodies are preferably joined together such that the two stop cylinder bodies can be rotated synchronously, i.e. at the same angular velocity and at a specific angle in relation to each other on a common shaft. The entraining cylinder body can contrastingly be driven independent of the stop cylinder bodies and is especially rotated on the shaft at an angular velocity that differs from the angular velocity of the stop cylinder bodies. Because the cylinder bodies essentially have the same diameter, the different angular velocities yield different web speeds of the lateral surfaces of the different cylinder bodies.

In this case, the blank is supplied so that its middle area covers the lateral surface of the entraining cylinder body, and its two-sided areas cover areas of the corresponding lateral surfaces of the two entraining cylinder bodies.

In a preferred embodiment, at least one stop cylinder body can have a plurality of stop elements. These are distributed over the circumference of the lateral surface of the stop cylinder body, preferably at equivalent angular distances.

It is particularly preferable for the stop cylinder body to have to diametrically opposing stop elements on its lateral surface. However, a stop cylinder body is also conceivable with three, four or more stop elements that are at an angular distance of 120°, 90°, or at a correspondingly lesser regular angular distance from each other on the lateral surface of the stop cylinder body.

The stop element is preferably formed by a cam projecting radially from the lateral surface of the stop cylinder body. This cam has a stop surface possessing at least one section lying in a radial plane of the stop cylinder body. Stated otherwise, the stop surface has at least one section that is perpendicular on the lateral surface of the stop cylinder body. In this embodiment, the separated blank lies on this stop surface section after regulation.

In reference to the common shaft for the cylinder bodies, the axial length of the stop element is preferably less than the axial extension of the lateral surface of the stop roller body and normally does not project axially beyond this lateral surface. This is especially true with the above-portrayed embodiment with two stop cylinder bodies and an intermediate entraining cylinder body.

However, particularly when an individual stop cylinder body is used, it is conceivable that the stop element projects axially beyond the lateral surface of the stop cylinder body and accordingly covers a part of the lateral surface of the entraining cylinder body abutting the stop cylinder body in this case. This can ensure correct alignment in this case as well, and due to the different web speed of the lateral surface of the entraining cylinder body, the blank will not tilt or twist on its vertical axis on the stop element.

In this case, it must be ensured that the stop element does not influence the rotation of the entraining cylinder body. For example, it would be conceivable in this case for the stop element to not contact the lateral surface of the entraining cylinder body, but rather be at a slight radial distance from this lateral surface so that the entraining cylinder body can pass without contact under the stop element. The radial distance between the stop element and the lateral surface of the entraining cylinder body must be set small enough so that a blank lying on the lateral surface of the entraining cylinder body can be placed on the area of the stop element over the lateral surface of the entraining cylinder body.

In a preferred embodiment, especially when two stop cylinder bodies are used with an intermediate entraining cylinder body, the stop element of the stop cylinder body can be shifted in an actual direction relative to its lateral surface. This can be advantageous for changes in format when the device according to the invention is to be adapted to blanks with different widths.

The suction air openings of the stop cylinder body preferably do not extend over its entire lateral surface, but rather in sections over an area of the lateral surface of the stop cylinder body neighboring the respective stop element. Depending on whether the regulation is carried out by a relative motion of the blank in reference to the stop cylinder body in or against the direction of rotation, the area of the suction air openings of the stop cylinder body is before or behind the stop element in reference to the rotational direction of the stop cylinder body by a specific angular area that can depend on the size of the respective blank. Expressed otherwise, the area of the suction air holes of the stop cylinder body lies within a definite angle before or after the stop element in reference to the rotational direction of the stop cylinder body.

The angle in which the area of the suction air openings in the lateral surface of the stop cylinder body lies with reference to the stop element is selected such that the path along which the separated blank must be moved for regulation (i.e., the circumferential distance to the stop surface of the stop element) is very slight. Accordingly, the area of the suction air openings preferably lies directly adjacent to the respective stop element, i.e., at an angle of 0° to 60° measured from the stop surface of the stop element.

The extension of the area of the suction air holes over the circumference in the lateral surface of the stop cylinder body is selected so that the blank is sufficiently drawn to the lateral surface of the stop cylinder element by the section from the suction air holes both before and after being regulated to compensate for the centrifugal and aerodynamic forces acting on the blank.

As described above, the entraining cylinder body moves at a different web speed than the stop cylinder body when the inventive vacuum cylinder is operating. To ensure that the blank correctly lies on the lateral surface of the entraining cylinder body to be regulated, the suction air openings of the entraining cylinder body preferably extend over the entire circumference of its lateral surface.

In order to separate or accelerate and regulate the blanks as smoothly as possible according to the invention, the suction air openings of the stop cylinder body and/or the entraining cylinder body can be shut off when the cylinder bodies rotate at least over a specific circular arc, i.e., they can be changed to a state in which they are not fed a vacuum and do not exert suction. This is done in a familiar manner by controlling the vacuum acting on the respective suction air holes.

To prevent the stop elements projecting from the lateral surfaces of the stop cylinder bodies from damaging the lateral surfaces of adjacent vacuum cylinders, it is conceivable to design the stop elements from an elastically deformable material. The stop elements could also be designed, for example using a corresponding spring system, so that they can be selectively moved during rotation into a radially retracted position in which they are flush with the metal surfaces.

c) Exemplary Embodiments

In the following, is an exemplary embodiment of the device according to the invention as well as the method according to the invention with reference to the attached figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a side view of a stop cylinder body of an embodiment of a device according to the invention in an envelope manufacturing machine;

FIG. 2 shows a side view of an entraining cylinder body of an embodiment of a device according to the invention in an envelope manufacturing machine;

FIG. 3 shows a schematic front view of an embodiment of a device according to the invention with the stop cylinder body and entraining cylinder body shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

The embodiment of the device according to the invention portrayed in the following to accelerate and spatially align blanks can for example be used to manufacture envelopes after an adhesive drying station.

As can be seen in FIG. 3, the device designed as a vacuum cylinder 1 in this embodiment comprises two disc-shaped stop cylinder bodies 1a and 1b, as well as a disc-shaped entraining cylinder body 2. The cylinder bodies 1a, 1b 2 are all rotatably mounted on a common shaft A. The entraining cylinder body 2 is between the two stop cylinder bodies 1a and 1b. The blanks can be accelerated and separated as well as spatially aligned according to the invention with a single vacuum cylinder 1 in this embodiment.

The two stop cylinder bodies 1a and 1b rotate synchronized at the same angular velocity and at a specific position in relation to each other when the vacuum cylinder I according to the invention is operating, and the stop elements 12a, 12b are axially colinear. In contrast, the rotation of the entraining cylinder body 2 is independent of the rotation of the stop cylinder bodies 1a and 1b.

FIG. 1 shows a cross-section of the stop cylinder body 1a of the vacuum cylinder 1 installed in an envelope manufacturing machine. The stop cylinder body 1b is correspondingly constructed. As can be seen in FIG. 1, the stop cylinder body 1a in this embodiment has two stop elements 12a that are diametrically opposed on the lateral surface 10a of the stop cylinder body 1a in the form of cams projecting out of the lateral surface 10a. The stop elements 12a all have a stop surface 120a that stands essentially perpendicular on the lateral surface 10a of the stop cylinder body 1a.

Furthermore, there are two rows of suction air openings 11a in the lateral surface 10a of the stop cylinder body 1a neighboring the stop surface 120a of the stop elements 12a. These suction air openings 11a are selectively supplied with a vacuum via corresponding suction air channels 110a by means of device (not shown) in a familiar manner. In particular, it is possible to suitably control the vacuum supply so that the suction air channels 110a and hence the suction air openings 11a are supplied with the vacuum only over a specific angle of the rotation when the stop cylinder body 1a rotates, and correspondingly only exert suction in this area.

FIG. 2 shows the entraining cylinder body 2 of this embodiment of the vacuum cylinder 1 according to convention. This has suction air openings 21 over the entire circumference of its lateral surface 20 that can be selectively fed a vacuum through corresponding suction air channels 210, and that are in three neighboring rows running in an axial direction in FIG. 3.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show the rotational direction R of the cylinder bodies 1a, 1b, 2 at the respective web speeds v1 and v2 of the stop cylinder body 1a and the entraining cylinder body 2 of the respective lateral surfaces 10a and 20 during operation.

During operation, the vacuum cylinder 1 according to the intention is fed shingled blanks 30 by a feed device 5.

When the stop cylinder bodies 1a and 1b rotate, the first blank 300 is placed on the lateral surfaces 10a, 10b by the suction through the vacuum-supplied suction air holes 11a, 11b in the lateral surfaces 10a, 10b of the stop cylinder bodies 1a, 1b in areas in the lateral surfaces 10a and 10b, and the blank is hence suddenly accelerated to the web speed v1 of the stop cylinder bodies 1a, 1b.

FIG. 3 shows the state directly after the separated blank 3 is placed on the lateral surfaces 10a, 10b. In this state, the lateral surfaces 20 of the entraining cylinder body 2 moving at a higher web speed v2 pass under the area of the blank 3 that it overlaps since the corresponding suction air holes 21 into lateral surface 20 of the entraining cylinder body 2 are controlled so that they exert a substantially lower suction than the suction air openings 11a, 11b of the stop cylinder bodies 1a and 1b, or no suction at all.

As can be seen in FIG. 3, the blank 3 is not yet correctly spatially aligned, i.e., its advanced front edge 31 does not lie on the contact surfaces 120a and 120b of the stop element 12a and 12b.

To accomplish this, the blank 3 is transferred by the stop cylinder bodies 1a, 1b to the entraining cylinder body 2 when the suction of the suction air holes 11a, 11b in the lateral surfaces 10a, 10b of the stop cylinder bodies 1a, 1b is reduced by correspondingly controlling the vacuum, or even decreased to zero while the suction of the suction air openings 21 in the lateral surface 20 of the entraining cylinder body 2 is retained or even increased.

In this manner, the blank 3 sucked onto the lateral surface 20 of the entraining cylinder body 2 executes a relative movement in relation to the lateral surfaces 10a and 10b of the stop cylinder bodies 1a and 1b from the web speed v2 of the entraining cylinder body 2 that is larger than the web speed v1 of the stop cylinder bodies 1a, 1b and is moved to the stop surfaces 120a, 120b of the stop elements 12a, 12b.

As soon as the front edge 31 of the blank 3 contacts the corresponding stop surfaces 120a and 120b, the blank has reached its stop position, and is in the desired, correctly aligned position in which the front edge 31 is exactly parallel to the common axis A.

The suction generated by the suction air openings 21 of the entraining cylinder body 2 is set so that the blank 3 in its stop position is not pressed too strongly against the stop surfaces 120a, 120b due to the higher web speed v2 of the entraining cylinder body 2 to prevent the blank 3 from being damaged. The lateral surface 20 of the entraining cylinder body 2 can glide under the blank 3 in stop position.

After the blank 3 reaches its stop position, it can be transferred in a normal manner by a subsequent transport element, the vacuum cylinder 4 in this case. Since the blank 3 in stop position moves synchronous to the stop cylinder bodies 1a and 1b at the same web speed v1, this web speed v1 corresponds to the cycle speed of the envelope manufacturing machine in this case, so that after being transferred to the vacuum transport cylinder 4, the blank 3 does not need to be accelerated further.

After the blank 3 is regulated, it can be transferred by the entraining cylinder body 2 to the stop cylinder bodies 1a and 1b by turning on or increasing the suction of the corresponding suction air openings 11a, 11b by correspondingly controlling the vacuum. This ensures that the regulated blank 3 to be transferred to the vacuum transport cylinder 4 firmly lies on the lateral surfaces 10a, 10b of the stop cylinder bodies 1a, 1b.

To keep the stop elements 12a, 12b projecting out of the lateral surfaces 10a, 10b of the stop cylinder bodies 1a, 1b from damaging the lateral surface 40 as they rotate past the lateral surfaces 40 and 10a, 10b of the vacuum transport cylinder 4 and stop cylinder bodies 1a, 1b, the lateral surface 40 can for example be made from an elastically yielding material or be coated with such a material. It is, however, conceivable to design the stop elements 12a, 12b out of an elastically deformable material. The stop elements 12a, 12b can also be designed for example by using a corresponding spring system so that they can be selectively moved during rotation into a radially retracted position in which they are flush with the lateral surfaces 10a, 10b.

Reference Number List

1 Vacuum cylinder

1a Stop cylinder body

1b Stop cylinder body

10a Lateral surface of 1a

10b Lateral surface of 1b

11a Suction air openings of 1a

11b Suction air openings of 1b

110 Suction air channel

12a Stop element of 1a

12b Stop element of 1a

120a Surface of 12a

120b Surface of 12b

2 Catch cylinder body

20 Lateral surface of 2

21 Suction air opening of 2

210 Suction air channel

3 Blank

30 Shingled blanks

31 Front edge of 30

300 First blank

4 Vacuum transport cylinder

40 Lateral surface of 4

5 Feed device

A Comment shaft

R Rotational direction

v1 Web speed of 1a,b

v2 Web speed of 2

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

at least one stop cylinder body rotating on an axis and comprising at least one stop element; and

at least one entraining transport device to entrain the blanks relative to the at least one stop cylinder body;

wherein the at least one stop cylinder body comprises at least one suction air opening in a lateral surface thereof.

2. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

two stop cylinder bodies; and

one entraining transport device;

wherein the one entraining transport device is positioned between the two stop cylinder bodies.

3. The device according to claim 2,

wherein the two cylinder stop bodies and the one entraining transport device are joined together so that the two stop cylinder bodies rotate synchronously at a same angular velocity, and at a specific angle in relation to each other on the axis; and

wherein the one entraining transport device comprises a transport surface that moves at a velocity different from the angular velocity of the two stop cylinder bodies.

4. The device according to claim 2, wherein the one entraining transport device comprises a suction belt transport device with at least one suction belt on which the blanks can be entrained by means of suction air.

5. The device according to claim 2, wherein the one entraining transport device comprises a conveyor belt device having at least two essentially stacked conveyor belts between which the blanks can be entrained.

6. The device according to claim 3, wherein the one entraining transport device comprises an entraining cylinder body rotating on the axis with at least one suction air opening in a lateral surface thereof.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the transport surface is formed by the lateral surface of the entraining cylinder body such that the velocity of the transport surface equals the angular velocity of the one entraining cylinder body.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein a stop cylinder body comprises at least one stop element.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the stop cylinder body comprises a plurality of stop elements distributed at even angular intervals over a circumference of a lateral surface thereof.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the stop cylinder body comprises two diametrically opposing stop elements on the lateral surface of the stop cylinder body.

11. The device according to claim 8, wherein a stop element comprises a cam projecting out of the lateral surface of the stop cylinder body, and further comprises a stop surface with at least one section lying in a radial plane of the stop cylinder body.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one stop element of the at least one stop cylinder body can shift in an axial direction relative to the lateral surface of the at least one stop cylinder body.

13. The device according to claim 1,

wherein a plurality of suction air openings of the at least one stop cylinder body extend at least in sections over an area of the lateral surface of the at least one stop cylinder body; and

wherein the area of the lateral surface precedes or follows the at least one stop element of the at least one stop cylinder body by an angle ranging from 0° to 60° in reference to a direction of rotation of the at least one stop cylinder body.

14. The device according to claim 6, wherein a plurality of suction air openings of the entraining cylinder body extend over an entire circumference of the lateral surface of the entraining cylinder body.

15. The device according to claim 6, wherein a plurality of suction air openings selected from the group consisting of a plurality of suction air openings of the two stop cylinder bodies, and a plurality of suction air openings of the entraining cylinder body, can be shut off when the two stop cylinder bodies and the entraining cylinder body are rotating, at least over a specific section of a circular arc.

16. An envelope manufacturing machine comprising the device according to claim 1.

17. A method, comprising:

accelerating and spatially aligning blanks using a device comprising at least one stop cylinder body and an entraining transport device, the at least one stop cylinder body comprising at least one stop element;

placing one blank from a plurality of shingled or stacked blanks on a lateral surface of the at least one stop cylinder body using vacuum-fed suction air openings in the lateral surface of the at least one stop cylinder body;

accelerating the at least one stop cylinder body to a web speed;

using the entraining transport device to alter a velocity of the blank; and

moving the blank into a stop position relative to the at least one stop cylinder body, the blank contacting the at least one stop element of the at least one stop cylinder body.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the web speed of the at least one stop cylinder body corresponds to a speed at which the blank is to be transferred by the device to at least one downstream station selected from the group consisting of a downstream processing station, and a downstream transport station.

19. The method according to claim 17, further comprising placing the blank on the lateral surface of the at least one stop cylinder body when suction air openings on a lateral surface of an entraining cylinder body are inactive, the entraining transport device comprising the entraining cylinder body.

20. The method according to claim 17, further comprising moving the blank into the stop position using the entraining transport device when suction air openings of the at least one stop cylinder body are inactive.

21. The method according to claim 19, further comprising switching off a vacuum supplied to the suction air openings of the entraining cylinder body after the blank has reached the stop position.

22. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one entraining transport device comprises a suction belt transport device with at least one suction belt on which the blanks can be entrained by means of suction air.

23. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one entraining transport device comprises a conveyor belt device having at least two essentially stacked conveyor belts between which the blanks can be entrained.

24. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one entraining transport device comprises an entraining cylinder body rotating on the axis with at least one suction air opening in a lateral surface thereof.

25. The device according to claim 24, wherein a plurality of suction air openings of the entraining cylinder body extend over an entire circumference of the lateral surface of the entraining cylinder body.

26. The device according to claim 24, wherein a plurality of suction air openings selected from the group consisting of a plurality of suction air openings of the at least one stop cylinder body, and a plurality of suction air openings of the entraining cylinder body, can be shut off when the at least one stop cylinder body and the entraining cylinder body are rotating, at least over a specific section of a circular arc.