Abstract: A process and apparatus for storing stackable, sheet-like blanks delivered individually one after the other, in particular for packaging. The individual blanks are fed to an intermediate store which comprises a stack of the blanks, and the blanks are withdrawn from the intermediate store by a conveying device as an essentially continuously blank stream. The withdrawn blanks are then wound onto a rotationally driven winding core to form a wound roll of the blanks.

Abstract: A device and a method for depositing products or signatures on a conveying belt utilizes both a fixed stripper and a rotating stripper, in conjunction with a delivery paddle wheel. The cooperation of the fixed and rotating strippers deposits the signatures or folded products onto the delivery belt in an efficient manner while preventing damage to the products or signatures.

Abstract: A stop wheel assembly for use in a web-product delivery system includes a stop wheel rotatably attached to an elongated member, a clamp member attached to the elongated member, and a gas cylinder including a first end attached to the clamp member to rotate the clamp member about a pivot point to raise or lower the stop wheel. A screw received in a threaded opening of a screw supporting block may contact the clamp member to rotate the stop wheel to a desired vertical distance from a slow down belt.

Abstract: Document transport apparatus (10) includes at least one pair of cooperating rollers (20A, 20B) for engaging documents therebetween and for defining a first stage (18) of a document transport path (16) for movement of documents therealong, the first stage (18) also being defined by at least one pair of tapes (28A, 28B) arranged such that one tape (28A) at least overlaps the other tape (28B) and such that documents are moved therebetween and relative thereto by the cooperating rollers (20A, 20B).

Abstract: A fold section feeding out apparatus of a folding unit for a rotary press is capable of preventing rebounding of a read end portion of a fold section to be caused upon transferring from a delivery fan to a conveyer. The fold section feeding out apparatus includes the delivery fan receiving fold sections cut and folded by a folding unit for feeding, and the conveyer receiving fold sections fed from the delivery fan and transporting the fold section in overlapped condition with shifted for a predetermined pitch. The fold section feeding out apparatus also includes at least one air ejecting means opening above the conveyer and ejecting a compressed air from a leading end side of the fold section at least toward a position in the vicinity of the rear end of the fold section for holding the rear end of the fold section transferred from the delivery fan to the conveyer as being lowered according to rotation of the delivery fan, for restricting free movement of the rear end of the fold section.

Abstract: Certain parameters in a high speed order change in a corrugator, including a small gap between orders and the relative lengths of the old and new order sheets, require altered order change and discharge routines on the downstacker conveyor system in order to prevent edge butt between the last sheet of the old order and the first sheet of the new order. Alternate order change and order discharge routines, which are automatically implemented by the downstacker system controller, include accelerated movement of the old order shingle out of the downstacker vacuum conveyor to outrun the incoming first sheet of the new order or, alternately, allowing the first sheet of the new order to overrun the tail end of the old order and utilizing, if necessary, a device to divert the lead edge of the first new order sheet upwardly to allow the shingle to be reestablished.

Abstract: An apparatus for providing printed products to a gatherer, including a product supplier for feeding printed products, a product separator positioned to receive printed products from the product supplier and to separate the printed products into a separated stream, a printer positioned adjacent to the separated stream and positioned to print on the separated printed products, and a gripper conveyor positioned to receive the separated printed products from the printer and to form a shingled stream.

Abstract: An apparatus for stacking mailpieces received from a mail processing machine includes a deck; a sloped wall extending from the deck; a plurality of continuous belts each extending along the deck in a first direction and positioned at substantially equal intervals along a second direction of the deck, each of the plurality of continuous belts having a top surface which extends above the deck and which contacts the mailpieces received from the mail processing machine; structure for driving the plurality of belts in the first direction to move the received mailpieces along the sloped wall in a shingled configuration; a registration wall disposed on the deck to define a landing area on the deck for the received mailpieces, the registration wall being mounted for slideable movement along the deck in the second direction to change a size of the landing area to accommodate the receiving of different sized mailpieces from the mail processing machine; and structure, connected to the registration wall and the plurality

Abstract: A slow-down apparatus is disclosed using a suction box by itself to slow a sheet of paper in a paper transport apparatus, and to remove the trailing edge of a sheet from the path of the leading edge of an oncoming or following sheet to prevent lead edge damage. A set of high-speed conveyors deliver a sheet above shingled predecessor sheets being drawn by a slowdown conveyor. The shingled sheets "shutter" a suction box beneath them from affecting the delivered high-speed sheet. As the shingled sheets uncover the suction box, the high-speed delivered sheet is affected and drawn to the low-speed conveyor.

Abstract: Sheets to be coated with water-based coating material, for example a primer and a low adhesion backsize, are supplied from a feeder (1), in end-to-end overlapping relationship, to a dual coater (3) in which the sheets are coated individually on both sides. A sheet inserter (2) is provided, upstream of the dual coater, to insert sheets from a second supply into the sheets from the feeder (1). The dual coated sheets are dried as individual sheets or as a pseudo-web of overlapped sheets. The sheets are then overlapped, unless previously overlapped, and the direction of overlap changed, if necessary, to provide the trailing edge of each sheet on top of the leading edge of each succeeding sheet. The overlapped sheets are conveyed through an adhesive transfer station (7) where stripes (236) of at least partially dried adhesive are coated onto the dual coated sheets from a transfer belt (71).

Abstract: A sheet inverter is used in a method of handling documents, preferably to invert the documents, change them from an in-line configuration to a shingled configuration, and then move them in a direction substantially transverse to the original direction of conveyance of the documents. An inverter shaft is rotatable about a generally horizontal axis and has a plurality of sheet supporting elements, such as rods or bars (such as in an exaggerated generally S-shaped configuration) axially spaced from each other along the shaft, with each sheet supporting element comprising first, second and third portions defining first, second and third closed sides for receipt of a document, and an open fourth side by which the document may enter the elements. A support structure connects each of the sheet supporting elements (either together or individually) to the shaft for rotation with the shaft about its axis.

Abstract: A device for feeding blanks on a cigarette packing machine, wherein a succession of blanks, arranged side by side and overlapping one another along a supporting strip wound into a reel, is fed along a supply path by unwinding the reel and feeding the supporting strip along the path, which extends through a pitch-change device for spacing the blanks to eliminate the overlapping arrangement, and for adjusting the pitch of the blanks in a given manner.

Abstract: An apparatus for providing printed products to a gatherer, including a product supplier for feeding printed products, a product separator positioned to receive printed products from the product supplier and to separate the printed products into a separated stream, a printer positioned adjacent to the separated stream and positioned to print on the separated printed products, and a gripper conveyor positioned to receive the separated printed products from the printer and to form a shingled stream.

Abstract: A specific number of printed products is arranged on a supporting belt in a compacted imbricated formation. The printed product arranged at the leading end of the imbricated formation, as seen in the conveying direction, rests with its bottom end against a stop element. The printed product arranged at the other end bears, with its lower flat side, on the supporting belt. By virtue of the upending element being pivoted from a horizontal to an upright position, the imbricated formation is formed into a horizontal stack which is transferred to the removal conveyor by means of the stack transporter.

Abstract: Sheet-like products are fed to the transfer location by a first conveyor. A detector arrangement determines the spacing between the products and controls the first predetermined speed of a second conveyor correspondingly, with the result that, at the transfer location, the formation of the products have a predefined spacing. If the second conveyor is driven, at the stationary transfer location, at the first predetermined speed which differs from a second predetermined speed at the stationary discharge location, the conveying length of the second conveyor changes, thereby displacing a deflection wheel. Different spacings between fed products can thus be evened out.

Abstract: A conveying belt is deflected around a stationary deflection roller and loops around the bottom of a deflection wheel. The deflection wheel is freely rotatably mounted on a lever and is prestressed in the direction towards the deflection roller by a spring element. The conveying belt, driven by a stepping motor, and the deflection wheel form a conveying gap for the products, which are arranged in an imbricated formation. In this formation each product, as seen in the feed direction, bears on the preceding product, with almost complete overlapping. The products form a stack-like supply and are conveyed to the discharge location, with the result that a product is always available there for discharge.

Abstract: A high capacity conveyor assembly is utilizable with pressure sealers or other business forms manufacturing or handling equipment to efficiently handle forms that may be job separated, and provides high capacity outfeed. An infeed conveyor has a first horizontal conveyance surface and feeds forms in a first direction to a pair of nip wheels, with an outfeed conveyor downstream of the wheels for also feeding forms in the first direction and having a second horizontal conveyance surface. The nip wheels are powered and include a top nip wheel and a bottom nip wheel with a nip between them, the bottom nip wheel having a top peripheral surface closer to the outfeed conveyor than is the nip. A transition element (such as a low friction shelf) has a form supporting surface lower than the bottom nip wheel top peripheral surface, and is between the nip wheels and outfeed conveyor.

Abstract: Rolls of individual plastic bags are formed on apparatus that overlaps the bags before the bags are fed into the roll to provide a compact roll of individual bags. The apparatus overlaps portions of the bags so that a plurality of bags can be continuously fed into the roll even though the bags are not mechanically connected end-to-end to adjacent bags on the roll.

Abstract: Rolls of individual plastic bags are formed on apparatus that overlaps the bags before the bags are fed into the roll to provide a compact roll of individual bags. The apparatus overlaps portions of the bags so that a plurality of bags can be continuously fed into the roll even though the bags are not mechanically connected end-to-end to adjacent bags on the roll.

Abstract: A method is provided for temporarily storing a series of successive textile sheets having a length L in an overlapping relationship in a collecting apparatus, including the successive steps of conveying the textile sheets one after another to an inlet of a carrier mechanism, while preventing an uncontrolled relative movement with a neighboring sheet in an overlapping contact area, clamping each textile sheet between the carrier mechanism and cooperating clamping means and conveying the clamped textile sheets along a path to an outlet of the carrier mechanism in successive steps having an adjustable step length d, removing the textile sheets from the collection apparatus at the outlet without disturbing a position of a neighboring sheets and displacing the carrier mechanism by one of translation, rotation and translation combined with rotation around one of a vertical axis and at least one horizontal axis.

Abstract: An accumulating device having ten accumulating units connected at the input to a conveyor belt system and designed to house a number of mail items. Each accumulating unit comprises a conveyor system composed of two belts contacting each other along a substantially straight portion and having a sensor for generating an enabling signal upon a mail item being fed into the accumulating unit. As a consequence of the enabling signal, the belts are shifted one discrete step so that the mail items fed into the accumulating unit are inserted between the two belts and overlap one another.

Abstract: A belt conveyor leads past a processing station. Printing products lie on the conveyor belt in an imbricated formation, each printing product lying on the preceding one with edges to of the printing products running at an angle to the conveying direction of the belt conveyor. As a result of this incline, the printing products are exposed in a surface region and in the sections of the edges. Printing products are acted upon mechanically in the work station in these exposed regions. Individual printing products are thus taken up in a trouble-free manner and detached from the imbricated formation.

Abstract: By a first conveying device printing products are fed in an imbricated formation (S), in which each printing product rests on the following one, the fold edge of the folded products forming the trailing edge. The printing products are pushed into an intermediate stack from below. The respectively uppermost product of this intermediate stack is seized in the region of the fold edge by at least one sucker of a sucker arrangement, raised upward and brought into the conveying region (F) of a second conveying device. The latter has individually controllable grippers which are arranged at regular intervals, circulate along a closed path, seize the fold edges delivered by the sucker arrangement and convey away the printing products thus seized. By forming an intermediate stack, from which the printing products are then raised by the sucker arrangement at the desired rate and fed to the grippers, even imbricated formations (S) occurring with irregularities can be processed satisfactorily.

Abstract: A sequence stacker edge stacks envelopes or the like. Belts carry shingled envelopes in a downstream direction to an angled stop. The belts are carefully spaced vertically above a deck. As a stack of envelopes forms against the stop, the weight of the stack deflects the belts until the top surfaces of the belts become aligned with a stationary surface. At that point, the weight of the stack is transferred from the belts to the stationary surface. Consequently, the downstream driving force of the belts on the envelopes' bottom edges is greatly reduced. The result is that the sequence stacker can stack many more envelopes without backward tipping of the envelopes than prior stacking machines. In an alternate design, certain portions of a stack remain urged downstream at all times by the belts. For that purpose, short spacers are placed at intervals under the belts.

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: The invention relates to a method, apparatus and equipment for processing supple sheets comprising feeding a series of successive sheets (4) to a processing unit (23) by releasing them from the successive winding of a belt roll (3) and conveying them to the inlet side of said unit where they are processed and for collecting them at the outlet of said unit. The collection is carried out by the successive clamping of the sheets between the successive windings of a belt roll (13). The roll so formed is directly usable at the inlet of a subsequent processing unit by submitting it to a suitable translation combined or not with either a rotation around an axis (33) parallel to the shaft (16) of the belt roll or around an axis perpendicular to said shaft.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for adjusting the suction pressure drawn through a conveyor belt which conveys a stream of underlapping sheets to an alignment station where sheets are aligned prior to being fed to a sheet-processing machine. A source of high pressure is coupled to a low pressure suction chamber adjacent the alignment station when the final sheet in the stream reaches the alignment end. The high pressure source rapidly equalizes the pressure with the chamber, thus enabling easy lateral alignment of the final sheet in the stream which has no following underlapping sheets to otherwise block the suction pressure.

Abstract: A device for the formation of a train of underlapping sheet-like articles and more particularly for the formation of an overlapped stream during conveying sheets cut by a preceding transverse cutter device from a web of paper to a feed table of a paper processing machine, comprising a holding up device arranged over a belt arrangement and with which the trailing part of the successively moving articles is able to be moved into engagement with the formation of an inlet gap for the respectively following article and more particularly by means of an associated lifting device, is able to be brought into engagement, and a draw off device following the belt arrangement and adapted to be driven at the same speed as the overlapped stream. The belt arrangement is designed in the form of a drag device with circulating entraining belts adapted only for engagement of the consecutively moving articles at the leading edge thereof.

Abstract: A method for the continuous formation of a stack of folded products standing on edge includes feeding folded products to a stack of folded products standing on edge. The stack is moved forward with a conveyor belt at a speed being matched to the feeding of the folded products to the stack. An interruption in the continuous feeding of the folded products to the stack is detected. A separating device is activated. The conveyor belt is stopped for the duration of the interruption. A device for the continuous formation of the stack of folded products includes a device for feeding the folded products in a stream to a stack of folded products standing on edge. The stack is moved forward on a conveyor belt at a speed being synchronized with the feeding of the folded products to the stack. At least one separating device contacts the folded products. A sensor monitors the stream of folded products and supplies output signals.

Abstract: To receive, store and deliver printed products in minimum space, with a device which can, itself, be stored in minimum space when free of products, a steel tape or ribbon (1, 21) is formed with U-shaped cuts (7) to define, within the ribbon, tongues (5, 22). The tape or ribbon is guided in a curved path, typically about a guide roller (4, 23), which causes the tongues to flare out tangentially. When in flared or projecting position, products (8, 33) can be pushed in the space between the extended tongues and the remainder of the tape or ribbon material which, upon then being guided in an essentially linear path, will cause the tongues to close and grip the products, whereupon the tape or ribbon with the products, thereon can be rolled into a storage roll.

Abstract: An overlap cam for use in a precision sheeting machine for preventing overlap marks on carbonless paper includes a predetermined outer radius, a predetermined relieved area and an outer circumferential surface, all dictated by various sheeter section operating speeds. At least one lobe projects from the relieved area out to the outer predetermined radius. Rotation of the overlap cam will enable the lobe to engage a clip of sheets traveling at high speed at a point displaced a predetermined distance from the leading edge of a clip for preventing compression of active CB and CF together during braking and thereby preventing an overlap mark from being formed on a previously decelerated clip while still performing braking action of a clip of sheets supplied to the overlap section of the sheeter.

Abstract: Rolls of individual plastic bags are formed on apparatus that overlaps the bags before the bags are fed into the roll to provide a compact roll of individual bags. The apparatus overlaps portions of the bags so that a plurality of bags can be continuously fed into the roll even though the bags are not mechanically connected end-to-end to adjacent bags on the roll.

Abstract: A power stacker for collecting delivered articles such as envelopes from a mailing machine is comprised of a support housing having a deck fixably mounted along the housing. A registration wall is fixably mounted to the housing and extending generally perpendicular relative to the deck. A stack wall is slidably mounted to the housing at one end of the deck and has a reclined surface extended generally upwardly from the deck, the stack wall being slidably mounted to the housing such that the stack wall can be horizontally displaced relative to the deck. Support rods are provided for providing article support between the deck and displaced stack wall as well as between the registration and displaced stack wall. Threaded hubs are provided for causing the delivered articles to be collected against the stack wall and assume a generally parallel stacked orientation generally parallel to the reclined surface. A power stack wheel assembly is supported in a cantilevered fashion from the registration wall.

Abstract: An envelope feeder which can be used on virtually all existing printing machines without the need to synchronize the latter comprises a low-pressure chamber (3), a perforated conveyor belt (4) and an adjustable barrier (6). An overlap with a very small overlap length (5) is thereby achieved. The envelope feeder can therefore be used not only for small envelopes (1), but also for those with very narrow flaps (2).

Abstract: A multi-pass sorting machine includes a housing or supporting structure which has the configuration of an A-Frame. The A-Frame structure has a slanting front side supporting several individually functional devices and a slanting back side supporting other individually functional devices. The devices of the front side include an input feeder first transporting mechanisms, a singulating device, an accelerating mechanism, second transporting mechanisms, a bar code reader and associated electronic and computer equipment, a plurality of first sorting devices in the form of diverting vanes, an equal number of first pass stacker buffers, and a reversing member for transporting letters from the front side to the back side while at the same time retaining the same orientation of the letters to the planar surface as the letters go around the corner.

Abstract: In a paper dodging device having a pair of upper and lower high-speed belts for feeding paper onto a low-speed paper, the delivery side of the upper high-speed belt is overlapped above the inlet side of the low-speed belt, and a snubber is disposed above the inlet side of the low-speed belt, the snubber having an outer diameter gradually increasing towards the rear side with respect to the rotational direction of the snubber and having paper dropping portions formed at the outer peripheral end of increasing diameter for peeling the rear end of paper from the upper high-speed belt. When paper is fed from the high-speed belts onto the low-speed belt, the paper is dropped by the outer peripheral surface of increasing diameter of the rotating snubber, and the rear end of paper is peeled by the paper dropping portion and correctly dropped onto the low-speed belt, thereby preventing contact between foregoing paper and following paper and thus preventing generation of flaws or paper jamming.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for separating a stream of signatures into discrete batches includes an infeed conveyor transporting signatures at a constant velocity V.sub.1, an outfeed conveyor transporting signatures at a higher constant velocity V.sub.2, and a plurality of parallel endless belts disposed between the infeed and outfeed conveyors. The plurality of parallel belts each include a raised portion for engaging and transporting signatures. Each belt is independently driven, and the belts are positioned with the raised portions staggered to engage successive portions of the incoming stream of signature. Each belt is driven alternatively at speeds V.sub.1 and V.sub.2, first matching the infeed velocity and then matching the outfeed velocity. As each successive raised portion fully engages a portion of signatures, it is accelerated to V.sub.2, thus introducing a gap between that portion of signatures and the remainder of the stream, which is engaged by the raised portion of the succeeding belt traveling at V.

Abstract: Battery plates from the high speed output conveyor of a pasted plate making machine are deposited onto a lower speed first conveyor in an overlapped fashion to create a shingled stream of plates. As plates drop off of the discharge end of the first conveyor they are accumulated in vertical stacks on a second conveyor that is located below the first conveyor. Whenever a stack is completed the second conveyor is moved approximately one plate width to remove the stack and the process continues. In order to provide time to move the stack, the flow of plates on the first conveyor is disrupted when the stack is being moved. In the preferred embodiment the disruption is caused by squeezing the plates between the jaws of a clamping mechanism that the plates pass through.

Abstract: A facsimile machine has a paper discharge tray, and a device for shifting image-carrying recording paper as placed on the discharge tray. The recording paper further carries information relating to senders as recorded on a leading end margin thereof. The shifting device is operable for shifting the recording paper in the direction of paper discharge in timed relation to an operation for recording each series of image data. Consequently, the recording paper is sorted on the discharge tray for visual identification of the senders.

Abstract: The ejecting arrangement has two ejecting wheels which are designed in saw-toothed form on their circumference. The ejecting wheels can be swiveled out of a position in which they are turned by half a tooth pitch with respect to each other into a position in which the stops of the two ejecting wheels are mutually aligned. If the ejecting wheels are offset with respect to each other by half a tooth pitch, each printing product inserted into a pocket of the paddle wheel runs onto a stop and is ejected by the latter from the pocket due to the different speeds of the paddle wheel and of the ejecting wheels and is deposited in imbricated formation onto the delivery conveyor. If, on the other hand, the stops of the two ejecting wheels are mutually aligned, the printing products of two successively occupied pockets in each case make contact with a stop, as a result of which the two printing products are ejected from the pockets mutually aligned with their fold.

Abstract: A stream of square folded sheets, wherein one marginal portion is thicker than the marginal portion which is parallel thereto, is fed into the nip of a rotary core and one or more flexible bands which are being convoluted onto the core whereby the sheets form a roll having convolutions which alternate with the convolutions of the band or bands. The thicker marginal portions of the sheets are fed in a direction at right angles to the axis of rotation of the core so that, in the absence of any undertaking to the contrary, the diameter of the respective end face of the roll would exceed the diameter of the other end face which is formed by the thinner marginal portions of the sheets. The development of such frustoconical roll is prevented by moving the single band or one of several bands close to that end face of the roll which is formed by the thicker marginal portions of the sheets and by maintaining the thus positioned band under requisite tension in order to compress the thicker marginal portions.

Abstract: A paper mechanism for an offset printing press suppresses shocks to the paper upon reaching a braking roller, thus preventing damage to the front and trailing edges of the paper, one preferred embodiment including a slow down pulley, another preferred embodiment including a device for peeling paper from an upper high speed belt and dropping a rear edge of the paper unto a low speed belt.

Abstract: Magazine signatures which are manually loaded as a stack into a product hopper are stripped therefrom and are conveyed as a rough and non-uniform shingle to an accumulating hopper while being elevated from a low level to a substantially higher level. The signatures are stripped from the accumulating hopper and are formed into a thin and uniform running shingle with a comparatively large setback for transport along a horizontal path to a receiver hopper which is located at a relatively high elevation to feed the collating conveyor of a binding machine. The shingles are fed on an on-demand basis both to the accumulating hopper and to the receiver hopper in order to keep stacks of consistently low height and weight in the hoppers and thereby promote consistent stripping of shingle signatures from the hoppers.

Abstract: A device for transferring continuously arriving articles, especially folded-bottom boxes lying with their ends that face each other along the direction of travel differing in thickness, to a packing machine, with a mechanism for distributing the articles onto two different conveyor mechanisms, one conveying the articles without rotating them to the upstream side of a merging mechanism and the other extending below the merging mechanism, through a 180.degree. curve, and back to its downstream side and a mechanism for alternately laying off flat articles, especially folded-bottom boxes, from each side of and onto a more or less horizontal merging mechanism that is especially intended for use with a device of the aforesaid type and that has two two-belt conveyor mechanisms that end at approximately the same level on each side of and outside the layoff area. The merging mechanism is a conveyor belt that branches off at an angle from the two conveyor mechanisms and extends to a packing machine.

Abstract: A device for distributing finished photographic paper of the type in which finished photographic paper sheets discharged from a photographic-paper processing apparatus are transferred to a conveying belt by means of flappers, and are distributed and arranged on the conveying belt. The flappers are controlled in such a manner that they operate to transfer the finished photographic paper sheets selectively in conformance with the size of said photographic paper which are transferred to the conveying belt when a predetermined number of them have been accumulated on the flappers. And the distance of moving of the conveying belt is controlled when transferred to the conveying belt are arranged selectively in two modes, in one of which the piles of accumulated finished photographic paper sheets on the conveying belt is allowed to have an appropriate space between them, and in the other of which the piles partly overlap each other.

Abstract: Cable-type supporting elements (26) are stretched between the two serially arranged belt conveyors (10, 12). The supporting elements (26) are fixed in the end or starting region of the belt conveyors (10, 12) on supporting plates (24) over which the conveying sides of the conveyor belts (14) slide. The supporting elements (26) support the leading edges (30) of the printed products (28) in the region between the two belt conveyors (10, 12).

Abstract: An apparatus for splitting a shingled stream of paired coextensive sheets into two partial stream is advanced below an upper conveyor to which suction can be applied and which displaces the sheets at an acute angle to the main path defined by the lower conveyor. The upper conveyor engages only the upper sheet of each pair and shifts it laterally to deposit it on the lower conveyor in a shingled partial stream parallel to the partial stream which remains of the lower sheets after the upper sheets of each pair has been laterally drawn away.

Abstract: This process is outstanding in that paper in the form of a roll (B) double the width of the bag (S) to be obtained is used, the unrolled strip is separated into two equal widths (B1) (B2), the two half-widths of paper are independently fed to the point where the folded swabs are brought, the stacked swabs are fed between the two half-widths of paper and brought into superimposition, then the two superimposed half-widths of paper are cold sealed and the bags obtained are transversally cut, continuously and automatically.

Abstract: A conveying apparatus delivers a succession of printing products in a first imbricated formation to a take-over region where the products are transferred to a delivery conveyor and conveyed away in a second imbricated formation. In the takeover region, the successive products are formed into an arched configuration, when viewed perpendicularly to the direction of their travel. This assists in ensuring that the products are delivered singly to the delivery conveyor even if the products are received at the takeover region in congruent fully overlapping pairs.

Abstract: To hold and transport folded printed products, a belt (18), for example a steel ribbon, has separating and holding elements (19), for example flat metal plates or sheets secured thereto. The transport belt (18) with the separating elements thereon is guided about a curved guide surface (20), for example a roller, whereupon the separating elements will spread or fan out from the underlying transport belt. In this spread or fanned out position, they can accept one sheet element (11) of a spread apart folded product (1), the separating element (19) gripping that sheet element (11) between itself and the transport belt. The folded products can then be transported, in scale-like or imbricated or shingled form, to a storage position, for example by rolling up the steel ribbon (18).