Abstract: An automatic sheet feeder includes a body, a sheet-feeding mechanism and a sheet supporting structure. The body has a sheet passageway which has an input end and an output end. The sheet-feeding mechanism disposed in the body feeds a sheet from the input end into the sheet passageway and then discharges the sheet out of the output end. The sheet supporting structure, disposed at one of the input end and the output end and pivotally connected to the body, supports the sheet to be fed into the input end or the sheet to be discharged from the output end. The sheet supporting structure is rotatable relatively to the body and can be thus spread out or retracted relatively to the body.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming section that forms a toner image on a sheet; a fixing section that fixes the toner image on the sheet; a sheet conveyance path that branches into a first sheet conveyance path and a second sheet conveyance path downstream of the fixing section; a blowing section that guides the sheet to the first sheet conveyance path or to the second sheet conveyance path by blowing air to the sheet; and a controller that controls the blowing air of the blowing section.

Abstract: A printer is disclosed. The printer includes a print media supply station for storing print media. The printer further includes a print engine station arranged to receive print media from the print media supply and to print on the print media. A binding assembly station is also included which is configured to apply adhesive along an edge of each sheet of print media after printed upon, and to compile the print media into a bound stack. A receptacle station receives the bound stack. The print media supply station, the print engine station, the binding assembly station and the receptacle station are arranged vertically.

Abstract: A recording apparatus is capable of reliably correcting skew feeding of a recording sheet in an arrangement for conveying the recording sheet absorbed by a belt surface. The recording apparatus includes: a driving roller for driving the conveying belt wound around the driving roller and electrically charging the conveying belt by application of a voltage; and a pinching roller abutting against the driving roller via the conveying belt. A pinching section, which is formed by the driving roller and the pinching roller, corrects skew feeding of the recording sheet fed from the paper feed section and thereafter the voltage is applied to the driving roller to electrically charge the conveying belt.

Abstract: An apparatus and method support rollers with a shaft along an axis absent of deflection of the shaft. Under load, the shaft deflects and the rollers reorient themselves along the shaft such that outer circumferential surfaces of the rollers are substantially parallel to the undeflected axis.

Abstract: In an automatic original conveying device, a motor rotates in a single direction and a driving force transmission mechanism transmits the driving force of the motor from a sheet feeding roller to a switchback roller. The sheet feeding roller conveys an original that stands by in a switchback conveying path to a second conveying path. A sorting unit sorts the original conveyed from a paper delivery path to an original delivery table or to the switchback conveying path. The switchback roller is provided between the sorting unit and the switchback conveying path and it is rotatable in a normal direction or a reverse direction.

Abstract: A collation control mechanism is used to transfer a collation from a dual accumulator to an exit nip of a collation machine. The collation control mechanism has a middle drum and two side rollers to form an upper nip and a lower nip. The drum is caused to rotate alternately in a clockwise direction and in a counter-clockwise direction for transferring a collation from the upper bay and the lower bay, respectively, to the exit nip. A motor is used to drive the drum in both the clockwise and counter-clockwise direction. A coupling mechanism including two sets of one-way clutches is used to engage the motor to the upper and lower rollers of the exit nip so that the upper roller is caused to rotate only in the counter-clockwise direction while the lower roller is cause to rotate only in the clockwise direction.

Abstract: A manual feed tray including a cover member pivotally supported at a lower end and assuming a storage position and a sheet feeding position; a sheet feeding platform situated at the lower end side of the cover member in the sheet feeding position, and mounted to the cover member so as to be capable of sliding toward the upper end side of the cover member and so as to leave a gap between the sheet feeding platform and itself; and an extension member assuming a storage position in which the extension member is stored in the gap between the sheet feeding table and the cover member and a pulled-out position.

Abstract: A transport device includes a transport path which connects an inlet and an outlet and is formed between a first curved surface which is convex in a first direction, and a second curved surface which faces the first curved surface via a gap, and along which a sheet-like medium is transported, a protruding portion which is arranged on the first curved surface and protrudes from the first curved surface, and a first roller which is arranged on the second curved surface, and at least a portion of which protrudes from the second curved surface. The protruding portion is arranged in a position where the sheet-like medium which has entered the transport path through the inlet contacts the protruding portion prior to the first roller.

Abstract: A media path crossover for a printing system includes a first crossover pathway on which sheets of print media are conveyed across a crossover junction without interruption and a second crossover pathway on which sheets of print media are conveyed across the crossover junction without interruption. The second crossover pathway intersects the first crossover pathway at a crossover junction. The first crossover pathway comprises a first input path and a first output path and the second crossover pathway comprises a second input path and a second output path. At least the first input path includes a first access panel, whereby a sheet can be cleared therefrom while continuing conveyance of media along the second crossover pathway.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has: pluralities of sheet storage units; a printing unit; a sheet driving unit that feeds a sheet of paper from the sheet storage units to the printing unit; a group setting maintaining unit that forms a group of the sheet storage units; a residual sheet amount detecting unit that detects sheet empty on any of the sheet storage units in the group; a sheet storage switching control unit that controls the sheet driving unit to select another one of the sheet storage units in the same group for feeding a sheet, if the residual sheet amount detecting unit detects the sheet empty; and a sheet empty warning unit that warns a user of the sheet empty detected by the residual sheet amount detecting unit.

Abstract: A document feeder includes a substantially U-shaped document transporting pathway with an upper feeding tray and a lower discharging tray, a separating-transporting device including a first rotation driving member and a first contacting member, a reverse transporting device including a second rotation driving member and a second contacting member and a pathway cover, which includes at least the second contacting member among the first and second contacting members, and capable of rotating about a rotational shaft closer to the discharging tray than the feeding tray. When the pathway cover is opened, at least the second contacting member of the first and second contacting members is separated from the second rotation member and at least a part of the document transporting pathway is exposed.

Abstract: A sheet conveyer device to convey a sheet in a conveyer path, including a first roller pair arranged in an intermediate position in the conveyer path, a feeder to feed the sheet toward the first roller pair during a feeding operation, a discharge portion, on which the sheet is discharged, a second roller pair arranged in the conveyer path in a position closer to the discharge portion than the first roller pair, a control unit to control the first and the second roller pairs to rotate synchronously, and a judging system to judge whether a sheet feeding error has occurred in the feeder, is provided. The control unit controls the first and the second roller pairs to rotate synchronously in a second direction during the feeding operation and in a first direction when the judging system judges that the sheet feeding error has occurred during the feeding operation.

Abstract: A sheet feed device has a tray with holding surface for holding sheets, a feed unit for feeding sheets from the tray, and a separation plate. The separation plate has an inclined surface and two or more separation portions that separate a sheet from the sheets held in the tray. At least one of the separation portions projects a first distance from the inclined surface. The separation plate also has a projection positioned on the inclined surface that projects a second distance from the inclined surface. The second distance is greater than the first distance. A first of the separation portions is positioned upstream of the particular projection in the sheet feed direction, and a second of the separation portions positioned downstream of the particular projection in the sheet feed direction.

Abstract: There is provided an automatic document feeder, comprising: a document tray; an output tray on which the document for which image reading is finished is placed; a roller applying a carrying force to the document by rotating and contacting the document; a movable ejection flap movable between a first position where the document for which the image reading is finished is sunk into a position between the output tray and a bottom of a stacked document already staked on the output tray and a second position where the document is ejected on the output tray without being sunk into the position between the output tray and the bottom of the stacked document; a switching unit to switch between a first motion of transmitting a driving force of a driving source to the movable flap and a second motion of transmitting the driving force to the roller.

Abstract: A paper feed apparatus includes a gate, an actuator, a transmission, a pickup device, a reversing device, a paper feed device. The gate has a rack defined at one end of the gate and a resilient arm connecting to the outer portion of the rack. The resilient arm has a plurality of external teeth. The actuator has a pickup gear with a disc-shaped body, an external wheel connecting to the outside of the body and an external gear connecting to the outside of the external wheel. A receiving passage is defined through the pickup gear along the axis thereof. The receiving passage includes a holding hole at one side of the receiving passage that is near to the rack. The resilient arm is inserted into the receiving passage with the external teeth abutting against the inner surface of the holding hole.

Abstract: A system and method are described for aligning a sheet for simultaneous modification of a plurality of areas of the sheet. The sheet may be received by an alignment device from a feeder. The alignment device may angularly align the sheet, which may cause the sheet to become flush to the alignment device. The alignment device may adjust the sheet to correct for an offset alignment which may cause the sheet to be aligned with the direction of travel of the sheet. The alignment device may also align the sheet with a plurality of print heads. A conveyor may then pass the sheet beneath the plurality of print heads. The plurality of print heads may simultaneously modify the plurality of areas of the sheet.

Abstract: An auto-document feeder re-ingestion stop includes an auto-document feeder having a lower input tray and an upper output tray, the upper output tray having a length which is shorter than the length of input tray so that exiting or exited media depends onto the input tray, a flexible stopper depending from the upper output tray and inhibiting the exited media from being re-ingested by paper-to-paper friction during feeding of media in the input tray.

Abstract: A drive apparatus for driving media sheets in a printing device is disclosed. The drive apparatus includes a fuser drive train, a duplexer drive train, an exit roll gear and a bell crank. The bell crank is at least partially disposed in-between the fuser drive train and the duplexer drive train and is capable of swinging to assume one of a first position and a second position. The bell crank in the first position couples the fuser drive train to the exit roll gear driving the exit roll gear in the first direction for driving a media sheet into an output bin of the printing device. The bell crank in the second position couples the duplexer drive train with the exit roll gear driving the exit roll gear in the second direction for driving the media sheet along a redrive path into the printing device.

Abstract: A technique in an image forming apparatus in which the front and back sides of a sheet are reversed by using a reversal conveyance path is provided for causing the sheet to wait such that the sheet is not damaged when a unit for conveying the sheet to the reversal conveyance path is pulled out for the purpose of clearing a jam or the like. A roller for conveying the sheet is controlled such that the sheet to be turned back and directed into the reversal conveyance path is caused to wait until the sheet can be conveyed into the reversal conveyance path. As a standby position of the sheet while the sheet is caused to wait, a position is set such that an upstream end portion in the second conveying direction of the sheet to be directed into the reversal conveyance path does not extend for a predetermined length or longer into another conveyance unit adjacent to the intermediate conveyance unit upstream from the intermediate conveyance unit in the second conveying direction.

Abstract: A document feeding device comprises a document input tray, a document output tray, a feeding mechanism for a feeding path, a turnover mechanism for a turnover path, ejection rollers, an ejection mechanism which switches its document ejection mode between a first ejection mode (for successively ejecting each document while stacking it on documents already ejected to the document output tray) and a second ejection mode (for successively ejecting each document while sliding it under the already ejected documents) by relatively moving a nipping position of the ejection rollers and an upstream end position of the document output tray in the vertical direction, a pressing member which is pivotable up and down on the downstream side of the ejection rollers and which presses down the already ejected documents in the first ejection mode, and a retracting mechanism which retracts the pressing member by pivoting it upward in the second ejection mode.

Abstract: A document feeding device comprises a document input tray, a document output tray placed above the document input tray, and a feeding mechanism provided for a feeding path (connecting the document input tray and the document output tray via a scanning position) to feed each document along the feeding path. The document output tray includes a reference tray and a pivoting tray (on the downstream side of the reference tray) pivotable with respect to the reference tray around a pivot shaft on the upstream side of the pivoting tray. The pivoting of the pivoting tray is restricted at a retracted position by a pivot restricting part when the pivoting tray has pivoted from a document stacking position to the retracted position. The pivot shaft is situated above an upstream end of a stacking surface of the pivoting tray when the pivoting tray is placed at the document stacking position.

Abstract: A document feeding device for feeding documents comprises a document input tray on which documents to be fed are placed, a document output tray to which the documents are ejected, and a feeding mechanism which is provided for a feeding path connecting the document input tray and the document output tray via a scanning position and feeds each document from the document input tray to the scanning position and from the scanning position to the document output tray. The document output tray includes a tray part which holds the ejected documents, a projecting part which pushes up a part of the ejected documents on the upstream side in a feeding direction and thereby lifts an upstream end of the ejected documents, and a pressing member which makes contact with the ejected documents from above at a position on the downstream side of the projecting part's apex in the feeding direction.

Abstract: A method for controlling a sheet processing apparatus configured to convey a sheet fed from any one of a plurality of sheet feed units includes detecting curling of the sheet fed from any one of the plurality of sheet feed units, and specifying a sheet feed unit that has fed the sheet having the detected curling from among the plurality of sheet feed units.

Abstract: An automatic document feeder includes first, second, third, and fourth paths for guiding movement of a document. The document is fed through the first path and a scanning module so as to allow for scanning of a first side surface of the document. Thereafter, a switching gate is pivoted to a first position so as to allow the document to be moved from a front section of the second path onto a roller unit via the fourth path and a rear section of the third path. The rotational direction of the middle roller is changed in response to movement of the document onto the roller unit so as to allow the document to be moved onto the first path via the third path, thereby allowing for a subsequent scanning operation on a second side surface of the document. The automatic document feeder further includes a document-inverting path such that documents are automatically arranged according to paper number.

Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a cassette having a stacking region for stacking recording materials mounted to main assembly of the recording apparatus; a feeder for feeding the recording material stacked to the cassette; a sheet discharge portion for sheet discharging the recording material having been subjected to a recording operation; a tray movable between a first position where the recording material is incapable of being discharged from the sheet discharge portion and a second position where the recording material is capable of being discharged from a main assembly of the recording apparatus; a holding portion, disposed on the tray, for holding the recording material discharged when the tray is at the second position; an auxiliary portion disposed on the tray and capable of stacking the recording material with the stacking region when the tray is at the second position.

Abstract: A medium delivery apparatus, includes: a medium insertion portion; a medium delivery port; first and second medium guide surfaces; a feed roller; a first pressing member; a second pressing member; a rotating member; an urging member, configured to give an urging force acting in a first rotation direction to the rotating member to rotate the second pressing member toward the protruding position; an elastic member, configured to cause the second pressing member and the rotating member to abut against each other; and a stationary abutting portion, against which the rotating member abuts when the first pressing member is placed in the vicinity of the waiting position.

Abstract: A document feeder includes a reverse transporting mechanism that forms a substantially U-shaped document transporting pathway for carrying a document from a feeding tray located at a lower side to a discharging tray located at an upper side through a reading position, a pulling device, a separating-transporting device and a openable pathway cover. The pulling device and the separating-transporting device are arranged at substantially the same horizontal level within the height that is occupied by the reverse transporting mechanism. The pathway cover is capable of opening and closing to cover on the pulling device, the separating-transporting device and the reverse transporting mechanism.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a reading mechanism having an original placement portion on which an original document is placed for reading an image; a recording mechanism having a medium supply tray on which a recording medium is set, the recording mechanism being disposed in such a manner that a longitudinal direction of the medium supply tray is substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the original placement portion; an angular casing that houses the reading mechanism and the recording mechanism while stacking the reading mechanism and the recording mechanism vertically; and a cartridge holder that houses an ink cartridge and is disposed in a space located at a corner position of the casing below the reading mechanism and surrounded by a circumferential wall of the casing and a side wall of the medium supply tray.

Abstract: A paper sheet processing apparatus has a take-in device which takes in notes set in a setting unit, a judgment device which judges the quality and condition of a note taken in by the take-in device, a stacking box which stacks the note judged the quality and condition by the judgment device, a backup which is provided movably up and down in the stacking box and stacks notes, and a control device which variably controls the position of the backup based on the result of judgment by the judgment device.

Abstract: A paper sheet processing apparatus has a take-in device which takes in notes set in a setting unit, a judgment device which judges the quality and condition of a note taken in by the take-in device, a stacking box which stacks the note judged the quality and condition by the judgment device, a backup which is provided movably up and down in the stacking box and stacks notes, and a control device which variably controls the position of the backup based on the result of judgment by the judgment device.

Abstract: A method of transporting items includes receiving a group of one or more items in a singulation device, implementing a singulation routine, measuring a speed of a first portion of the group, measuring a speed of a second portion of the group, and comparing the speed of the first portion with the speed of the second portion. The method may further include continuing the singulation routine where the speed of the first portion is not equal to the speed of the second portion, and terminating the singulation routine where the speed of the first portion is equal to the speed of the second portion. The method may also include transporting a lead item away from the singulation device. The singulation device may include opposing transport elements.

Abstract: Printing processing is performed on a sheet having a characteristic value within a range of a characteristic value of a sheet which is defined usable in the printing processing in accordance with a specific print job. Specifically, in a case where a test page print job is input, a CPU selects a sheet feeding tray on which sheets having a characteristic value within a range of a characteristic value represented by characteristic value range information. The CPU performs a control operation so that a sheet is fed from the selected sheet feeding tray to a printer unit and the printer unit executes the test page print job.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for personalizing a large number of security documents, documents of value or smart cards within a personalization installation which comprises a plurality of processing stations arranged one behind the other along a longitudinal axis of the personalization installation for carrying out individual personalization steps, wherein in order to carry out the personalisation steps the documents or smart cards run through one processing station in a first direction running transversely to the longitudinal axis and the other processing station in a second direction which is opposite to the first direction and likewise runs transversely to the longitudinal axis, wherein all the processing stations are oriented with their run-through directions transverse to the longitudinal axis.

Abstract: A transportation device including first and second tray portions which are stacked relative to each other, first and second transportation openings included in the first and second tray portions, respectively, and a transportation path for a material which is formed between the first and second transportation openings. The first tray portion includes a first movable tray portion which can be displaced, the second tray portion includes a second movable tray portion which can be displaced. The first movable tray portion and the second movable tray portion are configured move between a tray position where the first and second movable tray portions form a tray member for transporting the material and a housing position where the tray portions form a housing configuring member by closing the first and second transportation openings which are exposed in the tray position.

Abstract: An imaging system comprises an imaging device having a manual feed mechanism integrated into a lid thereof. The manual feed mechanism is actuatable to feed a media object to a platen of the imaging device for imaging thereof.

Abstract: In a recording material guiding device, a second guide member is comprised of a hopper swinging surface, an edge guide member including a second side end guide member, and a liftup preventing guide. The hopper swinging surface is engaged in an opening provided in a side surface of a reference end guide serving as a first guide member. The second guide member can be slid in a main scanning direction with respect to the reference end guide (first guide member). During recording, a gap can be formed between the second side end guide member and a side end of the recording paper by sliding the second side end guide member from a first position to a second position, so that frictional contact can be prevented at the side end of the recording paper on the second side end guide member side.

Abstract: A spring is bridged between a pair of press levers, and a pair of driven rollers is pressurized uniformly, so that clamping and conveying force of the sheet of paper P on the front side and rear side by conveying rollers and the driven rollers is made equal such as Pf=Pr, the sheet of paper P are prevented from being skewed, while the sheet of paper P are clamped and conveyed by a conveying device, and the good conveying of the sheet of paper P is improved, thus the image quality is improved.

Abstract: A customer access apparatus for an automatic media dispenser is provided. The customer access apparatus may include a pivotable supporting plate that supports an end of the media standing upright, and a stacker guide which is movably installed on the supporting plate. A push plate moves integrally with the stacker guide and relative to the stacker guide, and a driving unit recovers media which have been compressed and conveyed by the stacker guide and the push plate. Upper ends of the stacker guide and plate are selectively located at a position where the media are raised toward an inlet to which a customer has access, by means of a rotation of the supporting plate, such that a process of depositing and withdrawing the media can be performed. A contact point between the customer and the customer access apparatus may be located outside of the customer access apparatus such that the operation of depositing and withdrawing the media can be performed more accurately and easily.

Abstract: A print system capable of printing more quickly, printing and observing images more in the order of completion of transfer of the image data, and also reducing the generation of waste of recording sheets even in a case that printing of the image is canceled in the middle of the image printing, compared with the conventional method. In the system including at least two image data outputting apparatuses and one printer for printing images based on the image data transferred from the at least two image data outputting apparatuses, when the image data is transferred from each image data outputting apparatuses, the printing preparation of the recording sheet is started at a timing so that it is completed upon completion of the image data transfer, based on the time required for transfer of the image data and printing preparation time required for the printing preparation of the recording sheet.

Abstract: An automatic document feeder of the present invention is provided with a turning/discharging path in a reversing path in order to read images on both sides of documents in lengths less than the main size and discharge in a discharging tray. Further, an aligning wall is provided to bump ends of documents discharged from the turning/discharging path against it. Thus, the documents of which both sides are read are discharged in the sequentially collated state at a high-speed and the aligned state.

Abstract: An auto document feeder includes a housing unit, spatially interconnected first and second paths, an inverting path in spatial communication with the first path, a bypass path spatially inter communicating the second path and the inverting path, a feeding roller unit for feeding documents onto the first path, first and second transfer roller units disposed respectively on the first and second paths, an ejecting roller unit aligned with the second path and the inverting path, and two switching gates disposed pivotally on the housing unit for guiding movement of the documents. The bypass path and the switching gates are internal to the ejecting roller unit so as to reduce document transportation travel.

Abstract: A recording medium feeding device includes: a delivery roller provided so as to abut on a surface of recording media and for delivering the recording media to a downstream side in a direction of conveyance of the recording media in accordance with the rotation of the delivery roller; a separation member provided on the downstream side with respect of the delivery roller; and a feed roller provided opposite to the separation member to sandwich the recording media delivered by the delivery roller with the separation member, the feed roller rotating for separating and conveying the recording media one by one, wherein a diameter of the feed roller is larger than a diameter of the delivery roller.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is disclosed that includes an image forming part configured to form an image on a recording medium, a feed part for feeding the recording medium, a manual feed part for manually feeding the recording medium, and a shutter member configured to open and close a manual feed opening from the manual feed part. The shutter member is provided so as to be swingable.

Abstract: A bill deposit/withdrawal machine including a deposit/withdrawal port for delivering the bills deposited by users and discharging bills to users. The deposit/withdrawal port includes a bill hopper for accepting bills deposited by users and discharging bills to users, a delivering mechanism for delivering bills deposited by users, and a push plate operation mechanism for moving a push plate which forms an accepting unit and which supports bills. The bill hopper is movable by rotation operations with a bill delivering side as a fulcrum, and the delivering mechanism includes at least a gate controller which does not rotate in a delivering direction.

Abstract: A recording medium transfer apparatus includes a motor control unit for controlling the motor to rotate at higher speed when the recording medium is fed to the liquid ejection area than that when the recording medium is discharged out of the liquid ejection area, and a feed control unit for controlling a next recording medium to be fed simultaneously with discharge of the recording medium, if a position of a rear end of the recording medium when recording or printing has been finished is situated upstream of a predetermined position, which is upstream of the discharge roller as much as a distance between a feed start position of the recording medium and the liquid ejection area, whereas controlling the next recording medium to start to be fed after discharge of the recording medium has been finished, if the position of the rear end of the recording medium when recording or printing has been finished is situated downstream of the predetermined position.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an ADF provided in an upper part of a main body of the image forming apparatus, a printer unit that prints image data, plural conveying paths that are provided in parallel in the main body and convey sheets having images formed thereon by the printer unit in the same direction, a first discharge port configured to discharge a sheet conveyed via a first conveying path, a second discharge port configured to discharge a sheet conveyed via a second conveying path to a finisher, and a first storage tray that receives the sheet discharged from the first discharge port, and the image forming apparatus performs control to discharge a sheet of a nonstandard size to the first storage tray via the first conveying path.

Abstract: In a sheet stacking apparatus, a pair of side members includes a pair of lower side members which is provided with an approximately same distance therebetween as a width of a planographic printing plate and limits a movement in the planographic printing plate width direction; and a pair of upper side members which are provided above the pair of lower side members, each of which is provided with a movable section movable in the planographic printing plate width direction, and on which tapered surfaces are formed facing each other in a generally V shape. The distance between the pair of upper side members is controlled by driving the movable sections of the pair of upper side members so as to prevent quality degradation caused by a thrown-in sheet scratching a stacked sheet.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a platen glass face provided in an apparatus body and having a reading area for reading a document set under a stationary condition thereof and an automatic reading area for reading the document while the document is guided past over this automatic reading area by an automatic document feeding mechanism, a cover means mounting said automatic document feeding mechanism and attached to the apparatus body via a pivot shaft to be pivoted for selectively opening/closing the platen glass face and a reading guide attached to the cover means and configured for guiding the document in opposition to the automatic reading area when the cover means is closed.

Abstract: A transport apparatus (10) for transporting flat, rectangular sheet material (BN), in particular sheet-shaped value documents such as bank notes, comprises a distributing element (12) reciprocating between at least two positions, or at least two distributing elements reciprocating between two positions, said distributing element or elements moving delivered sheets of the sheet material (BN) alternatively or alternatingly into at least two removal positions (11a, 11b), and at least one removal device (13a, 13b) for carrying off the sheets (BN) out of the removal positions (11a, 11b) in removal directions (B) associated with the removal positions (11a, 11b).