Abstract: Sheet delivery for a sheet-processing machine having a conveyor with a device for releasing conveyed sheets horizontally oriented on a displaceable base support above an auxiliary sheet pile, includes a device for inserting a plurality of base members as intermediate pile supports in a successive sequence opposite to a conveying direction of the sheets into respective gaps between sheets of respective pairs of the sheets, and a device including a guide for guidingly swiveling the intermediate pile supports together with a respective auxiliary pile accumulated thereon through an angle of 90.degree. into a main pile position wherein the sheets stand edgewise on a side edge thereof, and the intermediate pile supports are vertically withdrawable.

Abstract: The invention provides a method and apparatus for continuous sheet delivery. According to the invention, a continuous stream of sheets is separated into a main pile, supported by a removable pallet, and an auxiliary pile, in which sheets are stored while the pallet and the main pile are removed and a new pallet is introduced. An embodiment of the invention includes a sheet supply, a pallet for accepting sheets from the sheet supply to form a main pile, a belt having a widened portion forming an edge for separating the edges of the pile to define an auxiliary pile, an auxiliary pile support, and a main pile. The auxiliary pile is divided from the main pile and supported separately therefrom by the dividing means while the pallet is replaced.

Abstract: Delivery for a sheet-fed printing press includes a device for conveying sheets supplied from the printing press in a given conveying direction to a location at which the sheets fall consecutively onto a pile of the sheets, a swivelingly mounted stop shaft carrying retractable stops for leading edges of the sheets in an upper region of the sheet pile, a swivelingly mounted catching-arm shaft disposed adjacent to the stop shaft and carrying a plurality of lever arms, respective catching arms articulatedly connected to the lever arms, the catching arms being insertable in a direction opposite to the conveying direction between the falling sheets for catching and auxiliarly supporting the sheets, a drive member swivelable about a rotary axis, and connecting members for connecting both the retractable stops and the catching arms in common to the drive member for performing an enforced sequence of movements of the catching arms and the stops wherein the stops are retracted following an insertion of the catching arm

Abstract: The stack-forming device (10) has a stack compartment (20), which is closed at the bottom by slide plates (22) and to which printing products (16) are fed by the conveying device (14). Above the slide plates (22), intermediate-bottom elements (58) can be pushed into the stack compartment (20), on which elements the fed printing products (16) can be deposited one on top of the other at the beginning of a preliminary stack formation. As soon as a certain number of printing products have been stacked, the intermediate-bottom elements (58) are drawn out of the stack compartment (20), as a result of which the stacked printing products (16) fall onto the slide plates (22), and the preliminary stack is completed by feeding further printing products (16). The finished preliminary stack is then set down onto the depositing table (30) by moving the slide plates (22) apart.

Abstract: Sheets of cardboard continuously fed in a shingled stream are stacked upon a progressively lowered speed form until the desired stack height is reached, whereupon a vertically-fixed horizontal movable bar grate is inserted between the oncoming sheets and the finished stack, concurrently with vibration of the stop board against which the leading edges of the sheets impact.

Abstract: A sheet supporting arrangement comprises an upper sheet supporting grid and a lower sheet supporting grid, each made up of rods of jacks which are arranged on front and rear walls of a stacker. The upper grid consists of a series of jacks, each comprising an elastically, though not permanently deformable rod which is set at one of its ends in a piston that is also elastically, though not permanently deformable. The elastically, though not permanently rod is then guided within a bearing when it moves as well as by the circumferential surface of the piston sliding on the inner cylindrical surface of the cylinder forming the jack.

Abstract: A signature stream is intercepted by a bucket unlatched from the intercept position. The buckets are moved by drive chains. A spring assembly maintains tension upon the drive chains and spring loads the bucket in the "home" position, providing a detent action upon this bucket to accelerate the bucket and also provide a force for drop-out of the bucket. A bucket cam follower guides the bucket to move from a normal path to the "home" position. A microprocessor selectively halts each bucket during downward movement to reduce free fall time of signatures. A zero force cam engaged by the bucket cam follower counteracts the force otherwise applied to the chains by variable weight signatures on the bucket to maintain uniform tension on the chains. Circular cams move the free ends of the tines increasingly faster to orient the signature stack horizontally before the bucket withdraws from beneath the batch. Oscillating paddles jog the sides and corners of the signatures during stacking to form a neat batch.

Abstract: A sheet delivery device is provided that allows for high output and accurate operation during changing of the main stack. The device includes two secondary stack carriers which are normally disposed on opposite sides of the main stack in a first lateral waiting position. The secondary stack carriers are reciprocally moveable between the first lateral waiting position and an operative position. In the operative position, the secondary stack carriers accumulate a secondary stack while the main stack is being changed. This secondary stack is later deposited on the new main stack. Cooperating with the secondary stack carriers are separating elements normally disposed above the secondary stack carriers in a second lateral waiting position. The separating elements are reciprocally moveable between the second lateral waiting position and a separating position. In the separating position, the elements accumulate a temporary stack to form an entry gap above the main stack.

Abstract: A device having a movable grid mounted on a movable carriage to temporarily intercept sheets being deposited from a machine for processing the sheets being discharged into a pile from a machine for processing the sheets includes an arrangement of a planetary system comprising a pinion movable in a circular arc coacting with a rim gear rigidly mounted on a frame and an arrangement for connecting the pinion to the carriage so that as the pinion rotates in the circular arc, the carriage is shifted between a retracted position and a second position for intercepting the sheets being deposited in pile. The device is particularly useful in a delivery station for a machine for die cutting package blanks in sheets of material.

Abstract: A device for uniting residual sheet pile and a main sheet pile into an aggregate pile, wherein a lowermost sheet of the residual sheet pile rests on an uppermost sheet of the main sheet pile, includes a pile-carrying plate having a horizontally oriented upper side whereon the residual sheet pile rests with its lowermost sheet prior to a performance of a pile uniting process, the pile-carrying plate having mutually parallel grooves formed on the upper side thereof, an auxiliary carrying device for temporarily carrying the residual sheet pile including an assembly of horizontally disposed and mutually parallel lattice bars fitting into respective cross sections of the grooves formed in said pile-carrying plate and combined into a rake, guide rails whereon said rake is mounted so as to be displaceable in the longitudinal direction of the lattice bars, a stop rail extending transversely to and being displaceable in the longitudinal direction of the lattice bars, the stop rail being formed with penetrations throug

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a vertical stacking system comprising an apparatus and method to control stack formation based on a non-contact sensing of the reaction of the feed conveyor to the forming stack. In accordance with the invention a stream of signatures is fed by the feed conveyor onto a support surface. There is an upper feed extension of the feed conveyor located above the support surface. The stack is formed between the support surface and the feed extension. The top of the stack is adjacent to the upper feed extension. The location of the extension is determined by the location of the top of the stack. The non-contact sensing means senses the location of the feed extension and generates a location signal. This location signal is used to control a slide drive which moves the support surface.

Abstract: Apparatus for the automatic filling of magazines which receive a stack of package forming blanks, the magazine having an essentially vertical shaft and the blanks being extracted from the lower end of the shaft, the apparatus having a conveyor which may be energized in response to the sensing of the top of a stack of blanks located in the magazine. The conveyor, when energized, delivers a further stack into an extension of the magazine where the further stack is temporarily supported on movable support plates before being released to fall onto the stack already in the magazine.

Abstract: A sheet stacker, particularly for corrugated paperboard container blanks, has a downwardly movable elevator for supporting stacked sheets, firing rollers for feeding successive sheets in a path above the elevator, and a stop for stopping each successively fed sheet above the elevator and enabling each stopped sheet to drop onto a stack being formed. A flexible cam, preferably a resiliently flexible loop, is rotatably mounted above the elevator. The flexible cam is intermittently rotated to move the cam out of the path of a sheet being fed to allow a leading portion of this fed sheet to pass under the flexible cam, then to bring the cam into contact with a rear portion of the fed sheet to urge this rear portion towards the stack, and then to bring the flexible cam to rest in kissing contact with the fed sheet when resting on top of the stack being formed. Tolerance variations in the sheet thickness can be accommodated by flexing of the cam.

Abstract: A copying and or printing apparatus including a duplex feeder for feeding sheets having had page image information copied/printed on one side thereof, back to a copying/printing station for transferring page image information to the other side thereof. The duplex feeder includes a buffer tray that can be positioned above and slightly upstream of a feeder tray. The buffer tray stores copy sheets exceeding the maximum capacity of the feeder tray such that the copier/printer can process a greater number of duplex copies in a single run.

Abstract: A sheet delivery for a printing machine or the like with a device for changing a sheet pile while the machine is in operation, includes suction-type grippers insertable into a sheet feeder, opposite to a conveying direction of the sheets and between pile stops for a leading edge of the sheets, the suction-type grippers having a device for gripping by suction, in an inserted end position of the grippers, the leading edge of a sheet deposited onto the suction-type grippers and for holding the sheet at a distance above the sheet pile in an auxiliary-pile position, so as to permit the insertion of an auxiliary-pile device beneath the sheet, and a device for stretching the sheet after the leading edge of the sheet has been gripped by the inserted suction-type grippers, the sheet-stretching device being effective for withdrawing the suction-type grippers a predetermined distance towards the pile stops for the leading edge of the sheet.

Abstract: A device for collecting a trailing edge of a sheet for a sheet delivery with a non-step auxiliary piling device in a sheet-fed rotary printing machine includes a plurality of collecting fingers all disposed at the same level at distances mutually spaced from one another, a motorized drive for moving the collecting fingers forwards and backwards, parallel to sheet travel, in a guide channel, a suction roller in operative proximity with the collecting fingers, and sheet pile stops for the trailing edges of the sheets, the sheet pile stops extending upwardly beyond the level of the sheet pile to the suction roller, the collecting fingers being disposed beneath the suction roller and between the pile stops, the motorized drive including a common drive member with mechanical transmission members coupled with the collecting fingers.

Abstract: Sheet delivery apparatus for rotary printing presses, in which the supplied sheets are deposited on a lowerable delivery table to form a pile of sheets. A bar grate is employed as a temporary storage apparatus and is adapted to be slid into position when a full pile of sheets, which are to be removed, are stacked. When the bar grate is slid into position, one end of it rests on a provided, laterally movable support.

Abstract: The invention relates to a sheet delivery system for a sheet-processing machine in which the sheets to be deposited are conveyed horizontally and are deposited on a sheet stack which is carried by a stacking table and lowered with increasing stacking height, said sheet delivery system comprising an auxiliary stacking table, the grate-like bars of which, can be inserted into the stacking area. Auxiliary guides are provided for facilitating the manual insertion and removal of the heavy auxiliary stacking table into and from the sheet stack.

Abstract: An envelope handling system for removing envelopes from an upper level conveyor, placing them in stacks on a lower level bucket conveyor, removing the stacks from the bucket conveyor and side-loading them into cartons, sealing the cartons, conveying the cartons to a packing area, and forming the cartons into a horizontal column for placement into shipping containers. The system includes a spider feeder for removing the envelopes from an upper level conveyor and discharging them downwardly in a vertical direction, pivoting bottom fingers for receiving envelopes from the feeder and collecting them into a stack, hold back fingers for intercepting envelopes in a second stack above the bottom fingers, and transfer fingers for compressing a stack collected on the bottom fingers and urging the bottom fingers downwardly to place the stack onto the conveyor.

Abstract: A layboy for depositing sheets, especially sheets of paper, on a stack by count, with a layoff platform that travels up and down; forks that are positioned at the rear of the stack and that travel horizontally into and out of the vicinity of the stack and up and down; and an auxiliary stack platform that travels up and down and into the vicinity of the layoff platform behind the stack. To deposit sheets more rapidly onto relatively low stacks without losing sheets, the layboy includes at least three independently moving forks (20.1, 20.2 and 20.3); positioning mechanisms (23 and 25) that travel up and down behind the stack and engage and position the forks while they are in the vicinity of the stack; and a lift (24) positioned behind and away from the stack with a device (26) for gripping and moving the forks away from the stack, for lifting them up to the infeed level, and for introducing them into the vicinity of the stack and transferring them to the engaging and positioning mechanisms.

Abstract: A pair of back sheet stops are pivotably mounted on a sheet delivery assembly and move in an oscillating manner to align a stack of sheets on a main pile board. As an auxiliary deposit table is inserted above the main sheet pile to allow removal of the main sheet pile while the printing machine is running, the back sheet stops are maintained in contact both with the main sheet pile and also with an interim sheet pile being formed on the auxiliary deposit table.

Abstract: A corrugated container blank stacker 10 is described for receiving rows of container blanks 12 from a sheet cutter and for stacking the container blanks in rows of stacks on a pallet. In the embodiment shown the stacker is able to receive container blanks in rows of three abreast and then forming three rows of stacks, three abreast, on a pallet.

Abstract: An apparatus in which an elevator movably supports a drawer having a tray associated therewith. The tray receives successive sheets at a loading station. The elevator moves continuously downwardly to maintain the uppermost sheet of the stack of sheets on the tray at a preselected location in the loading station until the drawer and tray are positioned at a discharge station located interiorly of a housing. The sheets are transferred from the tray to the drawer which advances the sheets from the discharge station to an unloading station located externally of the housing. A door opens, in synchronism with the movement of the drawer, to enable the sheets to pass from the discharge station to the unloading station located exteriorly of the housing.

Abstract: An apparatus for in-line, high-speed stacking of paper signatures which includes two or more horizontally disposed batch forks having integral, pivoting fingers which project upstream towards an incoming flow of shingles being continuously conveyed from a sheeter. The batch forks are supported on a paper batching carriage, and can be raised and lowered from a pivot point, and retracted to transfer a partial stack of shingles to intermediate interrupt forks or to main pile forks for transfer to a conveyor. These additional paper handling forks cooperate with the batch forks and integral, pivoting fingers to continuously stack the shingled sheets in quantities determined by a counting and control system. The pivoting fingers depress the incoming signatures to separate them into stacks without slowing flow from a present rate of about 1200-1300 f.p.m. and higher.

Abstract: Delivery for sheets being delivered by a transport system in a conveying direction from a sheet-processing machine and being deposited alternatively in a pile and on catching arms of a catching device, the catching arms being temporarily movable out of a basic position into a catching position above the pile, including stops for respective leading edges of the sheets, the stops being disposed at the pile and being flappable away from the pile in the conveying direction, and a transmission system for moving the catching arms from the basic position into the catching position and from the catching position into the basic position, and for flapping-out the stops against the action of a stop spring in the conveying direction and into a release position thereof and in an opposite direction into a stop position on the pile by way of a common actuating element, the transmission system being constructed so as to flap out the stops into the release position immediately after the catching arms have been moved into the

Abstract: A stacking apparatus includes a stacking unit and a bundling unit arranged under the stacking unit. Located at the end of a prestacking space, as seen in the direction (F), is a limiting element which serves as a stop for the folds of the printing products. While the printing products fed, with their fold forward, in the feed direction (F) are being deposited on one another to form a prestack, they are supported approximately centrally by a supporting element in their edge region located opposite the fold. For depositing the prestack so formed into a rest table, supporting arms are pivoted into a position of rest and slide plates are moved out of the region of the stacking space. A residual bend of the printing products is thus preserved in their edge region, thereby improving the stability of the stack.

Abstract: A device for stacking sheets, especially sheets of cardboard, comprising a mechanism that continuously supplies the sheets to a stacking platform that can be lowered, an auxiliary stacking platform that can be advanced into the stacking area, and a ream-demarcating mechanism for inserting ream-demarcation strips between the rear edges of the sheets while they are being laid off. The auxiliary stacking platform (13) cannot move up and down. The outlet end (18) of the ream-demarcating mechanism (15) can be moved vertically between the sheet-supply mechanism (3) and the auxiliary stacking platform.

Abstract: A device for slowing cut sheets in seriatum flow by nipping the trailing edge of the sheets as they leave a high-speed conveyor system is provided whereby the sheets pass to a stacking pile at a slow speed. The nipping device is provided in several embodiments including a brush carrying roll, an oscillating roll on a lever arm and an air jet. Ream removal apparatus are also provided to remove reams of paper from the bottom of the stacking pile.

Abstract: A device for stacking sheets, especially sheets of paper that arrive overlapped. The device has a layoff platform that can be raised and lowered, a separating mechanism that is positioned behind the stack, that can be raised and lowered, and that can be introduced into the vicinity of the top of the stack, especially between the uppermost sheet and the incoming stream of overlapping sheets, two compression jaws that are positioned at different heights at the rear of the stack, that can be raised and lowered, and that can be inserted into gaps created by the separating mechanism, and an auxiliary stacking platform that is positioned at the rear of the stack, that can be raised and lowered, and that can be introduced into the vicinity of the layoff platform immediately below the lower compression jaw. The object is to provide a device that is of particular advantage with respect to design.

Abstract: An envelope handling system for removing envelopes from an upper level conveyor, placing them in stacks on a lower level bucket conveyor, removing the stacks from the bucket conveyor and side-loading them into cartons, sealing the cartons, conveying the cartons to a packing area, and forming the cartons into a horizontal column for placement into shipping containers. The system includes a spider feeder for removing the envelopes from an upper level conveyor and discharging them downwardly in a vertical direction, pivoting bottom fingers for receiving envelopes from the feeder and collecting them into a stack, hold back fingers for intercepting envelopes in a second stack above the bottom fingers, and transfer fingers for compressing a stack collected on the bottom fingers and urging the bottom fingers downwardly to place the stack onto the conveyor.

Abstract: A device for stacking sheet material in the form of individual stacks comprises a fixed stop, a vertically movable stop, a support surface, a sensor and a guide member, to which two pushers are fastened, which are activated by lifting cylinders. The sheet material to be stacked is conveyed by conveying rollers and falls down freely between one of the stops and a stop face where the individual stacks are formed. The guide member can be raised and lowered about a pivot by means of a lifting cylinder which engages a pivot point provided at the underside of the guide member. Stacking is performed in individual stacks, whereby two super-imposed individual stacks each are mutually offset in the direction of transport Z by a distance of displacement x.

Abstract: A downstacker assembly in which paperboard blanks, received from a die cutter station, are passed sequentially through a trim removal station, a feed station, a stacker assembly partially disposed in a pit, and a stack retrieval assembly. The stacker assembly is disposed in a drop chute beneath a vacuum conveyor assembly which drops the blanks from the feed station into the drop chute, assisted by a pair of twin blank striker assemblies which selectively separate the blank therefrom. The stacking blanks are tamped using a semiflexible tamper plate assembly against flexible curtains on a descending elevator assembly. A stack staging assembly serves as a temporary cradle to catch the falling blanks once a predetermined stack height is achieved until the stacks can be removed via the stack retrieval assembly. A dunnage holding assembly provides multiple-tier load forming as the stacks are discharged from the downstacker assembly.

Abstract: A vertical signature stacker comprises a separator plate supported within a stacker framework for removal of signatures from a conveyor belt and delivery thereof to a fork. The separator plate is supported by a slide frame that may be tilted and vertically adjusted. The separator plate is also adjustable in a horizontal direction. The fork receives signature stacks and is vertically adjustable. The separator plate has an upper limit stop that is generally level with the head of an operator.

Abstract: An improved compact bill acceptor having a frame provided with transport means for carrying a bill inserted therein along a path from an inlet to the space between a ram and the front opening of a bill box carried by the frame and a compound slide connected between the frame and the ram for reciprocating the ram to drive a positioned bill into the bill box. Preferably the bill box has open sides closed by side panels pivotally mounted on the frame to permit the box to be unloaded through one of the sides.

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

Abstract: A method for feeding a blocked sheet unit for continuously taking out a blocked sheet unit from a sheet unit forming section and feeding the blocked sheet unit to a subsequent step, the method for feeding a blocked sheet unit comprises a first step of taking out a generally half length of the blocked sheet unit from the sheet unit forming section. A subsequent stop includes forming a state where a lower surface of a front portion of a blocked sheet unit subsequently fed is partially superposed on an upper surface of a rear portion of a blocked sheet unit precedingly fed. The preceding blocked sheet unit and subsequent blocked sheet unit are clamped at the superposed portion together and simultaneously taking out the generally half length of the blocked sheet units. The final steps include subsequently separating the preceding blocked sheet unit from the subsequent blocked sheet unit one after another and feeding thereof to the subsequent step.

Abstract: A separating device for a sheet collection apparatus including support arms for interrupting the passage of sheets between the obverse and reverse convey path outlets and the collecting portion of the sheet collection device after a designated number of sheets have entered the collection device. The separating arms are individually movable for interacting and supporting conveyed sheets for a predetermined period of time while the sheets in the collection device are being bundled. The support arms rotate from a neutral position to a primary support position between the obverse and reverse convey path outlets and the collection device. The support arms also rotate to a secondary support position at specified intervals for facilitating the passage of sheets from the obverse and reverse convey path outlets on to the separating device.

Abstract: A wicket type bag stacking machine is provided with apparatus for accumulating articles being stacked on a temporary stack so that stacked articles on the production stacking station can be removed. Upon removal of stacked articles from the production stacking station an empty stacking station is provided and the articles temporarily stacked on the temporary stack are positioned on the production stacking station.

Abstract: A receiving device in a sheet conveyor for collecting occasionally one or more sheets (20) to be conveyed thereafter further by a conveyor (11, 12, 13) for continued sheet handling disposed beneath the device comprises a first and a second guide wall (7) located above the conveyer (11-13) in a spaced relationship, said guide walls extending transversely of the conveying direction of the conveyer and at a mutual distance somewhat greater than the length in the conveying direction of the sheets to be received and collected. Movable sheet carrying rods (9) are arranged between the guide walls (7) and in the lower edge area of the respective guide wall. Besides, sheet depressing fingers (10) are arranged to engage the uppermost sheet of the sheets (20) located in the device and depress the pile of sheets downwards towards the conveyer after the sheet carrying rods (9) have been moved out of engagement beneath said sheets (20).

Abstract: The invention relates to a back-edge stop in the form of a cross-member for sheet stackers of sheet-fed presses having a vertically positionable intermediate stacker which forms a relatively large stack, the cross-member being pivotally connected to the sheet brake by way of a link parallelogram support. A sheet brake has disposed on it fixed sheet stops and at least one further fixed sheet stop having a recess in which a brush is pivotally mounted, the bristles of the brush being inclined forwardly and downwardly and extending into the major surface of the stack a distance substantially equivalent to the difference in sheet size. As the intermediate stacker rises and falls, the brush is pivoted, by way of an inclined cam surface on the cross-member, this surface being connected non-positively to engage an actuating edge of the brush to make a controlled pivoting movement around a horizontal axis extending transversely to the direction of sheet movement.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for stacking sheets conveyed continuously at a stacking point. With the assistance of a separating member (6, 7), which can be introduced into a natural gap between the upper side of a stack and the sheets conveyed in an overlapping manner, in the conveying direction from the rear side of the stack (4), two gaps are created one after the other, into which clamping jaws (9, 10) arranged at different heights can be inserted. By clamping the wad of sheets (13) located between the inserted clamping jaws (9, 10), with simultaneous lowering of the stack of sheets (4), a larger gap is created below the wad of sheets (10), into which an auxiliary stacking platform (11), located directly below the lower clamping jaw (9), can be introduced. Since the sheets of the wad of sheets are held by the clamping jaws (9, 10), there is no danger that sheets may slide due to the formation of a "bow wave" at the front edge of the auxiliary stacking platform (11), as it is inserted.

Abstract: A note sorting and counting apparatus includes a draw-out unit for drawing out in succession notes accumulated in a stack, a discrimination unit for discriminating at least denomination of notes drawn out by the draw-out unit, a sorting unit for sorting notes according to the denomination of notes on the basis of the denomination discriminated by the discrimination unit, a plurality of temporary reserving units for temporarily reserving the notes sorted by the sorting unit according to the denomination of note, a judgement or determining unit for judging or determining whether the temporary reserving units are filled with notes, a corresponding plurality of containers for receiving notes accommodated in the temporary reserving unit according to the denomination of the stacked notes, and a control unit for causing the transfer of notes reserved in the temporary reserving units to their respective containers.

Abstract: An improved downstacker assembly in which paperboard blanks, received from a die cutter station, are passed sequentially through a trim removal station, a feed station, a stacker assembly partially disposed in a pit, and a stack retrieval assembly. The stacker assembly is disposed in a drop chute beneath a vacuum conveyor assembly which drops the blanks from the feed station into the drop chute, assisted by an impacting assembly which selectively separates the blanks therefrom. The stacking blanks are tamped against flexible curtains on a descending elevator assembly. A stack staging assembly serves as a temporary cradle to catch the falling blanks once a predetermined stack height is achieved until the stacks can be removed via a stack retrieval assembly.

Abstract: An improved banknote stacker is described which achieves reduced levels of jamming and improper stacking. A banknote is directed to a prestorage compartment using a pulley, belt and roller drive assembly. During a pusher cycle, a pusher plate drives the banknote from the prestorage compartment into a banknote storage magazine, and then the pusher plate returns to its original position. Just prior to the pusher cycle, rollers in the roller drive assembly are retracted to release the banknote. The pusher plate is specially designed to prevent banknote slippage, and it is preferably driven by the same drive mechanism which retracts the rollers to insure that a pusher cycle will follow shortly after the retraction of the rollers.

Abstract: A proper number of flexible work pieces such as napkins, handkerchiefs and he like are deposited in a proper position or positions for providing packages each of which contains a freely selectable number of pieces. For this purpose the work pieces travel through at least one branching station and from there alternately into two depositors or stacking stations comprising several compartments. The depositors then deposit the work pieces on a stacking table from which the stacks are removed onto a conveyor belt for continuing the conveying, for example into a packaging machine. The branching station includes three suction drums in which the suction is controlled for alternately distributing work pieces into different directions to different stackers. Air permeable conveyor belts run around the suction drums.

Abstract: Disclosed is a rotary vacuum arm bag or sheet transferring and stacking device and a stack-handling system enabling an indexing of counted bag stacks. The transferring device grasps and retains the bags adjacent margins transverse to the direction of web advance while at least a portion of the opposed margins parallel to such directions are spaced inwardly from the arms to define a slot or gap thru which stack-retaining fingers project contributing to remove a bag from a pair of arms and retaining the bag in a stack wherein respective margins overlie each other. Also disclosed is a stack-handling system having the ability to remove a completed stack from the stacking station and yet allow, if desired, continuous bag machine operation and, as a result, uninterrupted transfer of sheets or bags to the stacking stations.

Abstract: A system for counting and stacking a continuous stream of shingled or overlapping sheets in which the shingled sheets are transported by a first conveyor and fed into an optical counting means for individually counting the sheets. From the optical counting means, the sheets are fed into a second conveyor which imparts a concave transverse bow to the sheets thereby providing rigidity to the sheets. The sheets exit the second conveyor and are collected by a recovery means for stacking. The second conveyor further includes an insertion means activated by the optical counter for separating the stream of sheets. The action of the insertion means separates the stream of sheets so that a predetermined number of sheets are collected and stacked by the receiving means while the insertion means temporarily supports the continuing stream of sheets.

Abstract: A paper sheet manipulator has a main manipulation member, an auxiliary manipulation member and devices for moving the main and auxiliary manipulation members. The main manipulation member is adapted to temporarily receive the front edges of paper sheets being fed for the purpose of accumulating the paper sheets into a sheet unit composed of a prescribed number of accumulated paper sheets, whereas the auxiliary manipulation member is adapted to press down the sheet unit to form a sufficient gripper insertion space between the sheet unit and the temporarily received paper sheets and suppress swelling and play of the upper layer of the sheet unit, thereby eliminating the drawbacks suffered by the conventional paper takeout and supply apparatus in operating a gripper of the apparatus for taking out and supplying to the subsequent step the sheet unit.

Abstract: In a paper sheet collecting apparatus according to the present invention, paper sheets successively fed from a conveying path are guided and collected into a collecting chamber, held between vanes of a rotating vane wheel, is provided with a separator which can rock around the rotating shaft of the vane wheel and also move in the radial direction of the rotating shaft. In distributing the paper sheets, the separator is rocked through a predetermined angle and then moved radially, so that succeeding paper sheets guided by the vane wheel are temporarily and assortatively collected on the separator.

Abstract: Overlapped sheets are conveyed against a stop to form piles, a plurality of the stops being provided on a starwheel. The leading edge of each forming pile is carried by carrier fingers operatively associated with the stops, most of the pile being carried over the actual pile table by a support element, which projects in ramp-like sloping manner through the table plane. The pile can be removed by a gripper after lowering the support element, while a new pile forms on a carrier finger swung in by rotation of the starwheel.