Abstract: Sheet-like articles, such as paper, entering one or more support trays are aligned in one or more vertical stacks by a pair of rotating drive devices positioned vertically and adjacent to opposite sides of the support trays. The rotating drive devices include a plurality of resilient flaps mounted to a support member. The flaps are configured to reach over a stack of sheets thereby contacting a sheet on its top surface as well as on its edge.

Abstract: A device for aligning sheets in a stack relative to at least one reference surface of a support tray. The device includes at least one movable alignment arm extending into the tray and a mechanism for transporting the arm to contact a sheet periodically and to move said sheet in a direction perpendicular to the reference surface for alignment.

Abstract: Apparatus for moving an object, such as for example the top sheet of a stack of individual sheets of cut paper, including a motor which upon energization of the motor to rotate its drive shaft having a drive member provided thereon, is pivoted toward the object to cause the drive member to engage the object and move the object upon rotation of the drive shaft. Such pivoting of the motor and drive shaft is produced by using force received from the drive shaft to produce another force which in turn produces torque which causes pivoting of the motor and drive shaft toward the object to be moved.

Abstract: A photographic print stacking device is positioned proximate the discharge end of the conveyor system which conveys photographic prints from a photographic print cutter. The print stacking device includes upper and lower print receiving elements, which are yieldably urged toward one another. The lower print receiving element is movable generally downward and away from the upper print receiving element as the prints are deposited on the lower print receiving element. The conveyor system delivers the prints to the stacking device with sufficient force to carry the prints between the upper and lower print receiving elements until their front edges engage a stop element. As a result, the rear edges of the prints are all substantially in alignment at a location proximate the discharge end of the conveyor system. The stop element preferably is releasably latched in an operative upstanding position and may be moved out of the way by the operator when removing an accumulated stack of prints.

Abstract: A stacker for flat material sheets unfolds dog-eared sheets to facilitate stacking. The rotating stacker drum has a cut out preceding the sheet adhering suction openings with an unfolding face and a run-in face.

Abstract: An improved stripping and transfer roller assembly which is related to the device disclosed and claimed in prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,991,996 assigned the same assignee as the present invention. The present stripping and transfer roller assembly provides a hollow protective reinforcing sleeve element which surrounds and protects the compressible transfer elements and also permits compression and expansion of said elements during the transfer of a film sheet.

Abstract: Apparatus for receiving sheets of corrugated paperboard or the like from a processing machine such as a slotter for transfer to another device such as a stacker including shifter rollers for longitudinal separation of each sheet, an inclinable belt conveyor for lateral separation of the sheet, and a belt conveyor adapted to be transiently stopped for the accumulation of the sheets, each conveyor having serial rolls along the upper surface of the conveyor belt to pass and restrain the sheets on the conveyor belt. Sheets divided in the slotter are separated crosswise and accumulated in order in the apparatus in accordance with the needs of the succeeding device.

Abstract: A paperboard web is severed transversely between the double facer machine and the slitter-scorer after the completion of a production order. The speed of the double facer machine is maintained constant while the severed web section is accelerated to a speed substantially above the speed of the double facer machine to create a gap. Adjustments to one or more of the slitter-scorer and cut-off for the next production order are made while the same are in the gap. Sheets cut from the web section are shingled on a shingling conveyor. The speed of the shingling conveyor is accelerated prior to the arrival of the last sheet of the web section and decelerated while the gap is on the shingling conveyor.

Abstract: Apparatus for stacking sheets in corner registration comprises a stacking surface inclined downwardly towards a registration corner and a pair of coacting sheet feed rolls of tapered cross-section adjacent the upper end of the stacking surface for directing sheets into the registration corner. With such an arrangement the sheets are so oriented that they present a leading corner to the registration corner along a line following the direction of advance and aimed into the registration corner. The rolls may be continuous or discontinuous.

Abstract: Disclosed is a mechanism for feeding unit documents, such as sheets, envelopes, pages, cards, and the like to an apparatus for processing. A mechanism is provided for feeding the documents to and removing them from the operating apparatus at a relatively high rate of speed. During the time that an individual document is being operated upon it is conveyed by a mechanism associated with the operating apparatus. Examples of such operations would be printing addresses on an envelope, embossing credit cards, encoding magnetic tapes, and the like. Upon conclusion of the operation, the documents are removed quickly so that a second document may be supplied to the operating apparatus expeditiously.

Abstract: A printing machine sheet transfer drum adjustable to variable sheet lengths has sheet carriers forming respective meshing comb-like structures adjustable relative to one another, and devices for gripping the leading and trailing edges of a sheet. The gripping devices are disposed in channels of the transfer drum and secured to the sheet carriers, the gripping devices having at least one continuous sheet-supporting rail extending from side to side of the sheet transfer drum. The transfer drum has a rigid main drum body integral with one of the comb-like structures and formed of at most two separable parts including the device for gripping the leading edge of the sheet, and a hollow, substantially cylindrical body partly surrounding the main drum body in circumferential direction thereof. The device for gripping the trailing edge of the sheet being disposed on the hollow body and forming therewith a rotatable sheet carrier unit.

Abstract: Apparatus is disclosed for offset stacking two or more sets of sheets produced by a copier or the like. The apparatus includes two rotatable sheet-engagable rollers which form a sheet propelling nip. At least one of the rollers is selectively movable between two positions, so that in the first position the nip imparts a first velocity profile to sheets of the first set to move them seriatim to a first stacking position and in the second position the nip imparts a different velocity profile to sheets of the second set to move them seriatim to a second stacking position offset from the first stacking position.

Abstract: A movable self-contained deflector unit for directing sheets into the paper bin of a multi-bin collator. A first motor is mounted on the frame of the deflector unit to drive transport rolls also mounted thereon. The transport roll provides the final impetus for moving the sheets into the collator bin. A second motor is mounted on the frame of the deflector unit to drive the unit to a selected bin. The motor may be reversible in order to approach a selected bin from either direction. Alternatively, movement of the deflector unit in the second direction may be obtained through a spring motor wound through deflector unit movement in the first direction. Speed of the spring-driven deflector unit is controlled by dynamic braking of the second motor. This collator may interact with a copier machine to provide semi-automatic duplexing and the speed of the transport rolls may be synchronized with the speed of the copier for moving copy sheets into bins while the sheet is still in the final processing station.