MXPA97000435A - Unita product loading and unloading system - Google Patents

Abstract

A system for quickly receiving and storing a quantity of loose copies, for example newspapers, from a high-speed printing press and dispatching them to the point of use without having to go through a traditional newspaper binding operation. More particularly, the present invention relates to a newspaper dispatch system comprising a conveyor system for receiving a continuous stream of untied and loose newspapers, directly from a high-speed printing operation, a transport vehicle having an area of load equipped with a single copy storage unit to receive the loose newspapers supplied by the transport system and store them during transport, and a means to dispatch a selected number of newspapers once the vehicle arrives at a despatch destination.

Description

UNIT PRODUCT LOADING AND UNLOADING SYSTEM FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for receiving, storing and dispatching a succession of loose copies of printed material, for example newspapers. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for receiving and storing a stream of newspapers, at high speed, and dispatching, upon request, individualized quantities of the printed material.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Newspapers go through three basic stages before reaching the consumer. These stages are commonly referred to as press room stage, post office stage and circulation stage. During the press room or printing stage, newspapers are printed, cut and folded to form the entire document at very high speeds. Typically, the papers are presented at the end of the press stage as a high-speed stream of partially overlapped newspapers. Currently, in the otapa of the post office, newspapers are placed in piles and tied to distribute to different locations. Stacking and tying operations are a The expensive procedure that employs an excessively complex equipment. These bundles or packages can be stacked either in fixed quantities or in predetermined quantities that are sent to a defined final distribution point. The elaboration of bundles that correspond to the size of the order complicates the operations of stacking and tying as well as the circulation stage since it requires bundles that need to be traced individually. The complete bundles are supplied from the installation of the post office to the circulation stage. Typically, the bundles are transported directly to trucks where they are manually removed from the conveyor and loaded into the cargo space of the truck. This manual loading operation is slow and tedious, and, as it requires a large amount of labor, considerably increases the operating costs of the circulation stage. In order to solve this problem in the industry, systems have been developed to automate the circulation stage. These systems comprise trolleys and automatic loaders for trolleys such as those described in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,181,820 and 5,437,537 which are used to receive the bundles from the post office and place them in the trolleys. Later the carts are taken manually to the cargo space of the truck. The trolleys were dimensioned in order to make a more economical use of the total space volume of cargo. When the trucks arrive at their destination, the carts are removed from the cargo space and unloaded. Although these systematized systems helped to better utilize the cargo space and reduced certain manual operations, they still involved manual loading and unloading of cargo space and in no way focused on the operations of stacking and tying at the stage of the post office. . In addition, the newspapers are still in bundles stacked at the end point of distribution to the newspapermen, in charge of home delivery and selling boxes, this means that or they already need to prepare individual bundles of predetermined quantities of newspapers, which are traced individually throughout the circulation stage and they are delivered to the final distribution point, or the bundles need to be undone and separated at the distribution point in order to deliver the required quantity of newspapers. It is clear that the prior art newspaper systems involve numerous automated and manual steps that require expensive equipment, labor and time for newspapers to be received from the press room to the final distribution point.

P tdl Co or the uninterrupted operation of the printing machine is of primary importance, there may be additional equipment, for example between the press room and the stage of the post office to provide intermediate storage between the two. For example, if the stacking and binding equipment was not working, the press could continue to operate as long as the paper flow could be diverted to an intermediate storage. To date, the intermediate storage system included a helical ramp with a vertical arrow. It caused that the succession of newspapers ascended by the ramp. This was problematic as the newspapers slid and turned causing the ink to run and the papers to crease. Another type of intermediate storage system involved a drum where the papers were wound on the drum with the help of a strip. This system also presents several problems and limitations since it only provides a minimum storage capacity and requires large portions of valuable floor space in order to function. U.S. Patent No. 5,018,618 discusses a system that requires significantly reduced floor space and operates in the space required for the drum. This system involves a vertical lift shelf unit that straddles the transported newspaper stream and hooks the outer edges of newspapers. This shelf unit lifts newspapers vertically and keeps them stored. The unit required an upstream device to divide the succession of newspapers and form longitudinal sections so that stacks of newspapers could be placed on each shelf. The cigar industry uses a vertically stacked horizontal conveyor to temporarily store the cigars. This system, which is described in U.S. Patent No. 4,201,507, is designed to transport and temporarily store articles similar to rods (cigars or cigar filter rods). This system handles several layers of cigars that flow freely and are confined, by the attack end, by means of a closing device and, on the upper and lower part, by means of conveyors. The closing device of the attack end is carefully designed to pass through the trajectories of the zig-zag conveyor. The movement of the cigars is controlled by the movement of the end closure device as the cigars are not discreetly held within the unit. As the end closure device moves forward in the storage unit, it creates a cavi, which always enlarges, defined by the upper and lower conveyors and the rear face of the closing device. The layered stream of the free-flowing cigars is continuously pumped into this progressive cavity until the storage device is filled. Once the cavity is filled, the entry opening of the storage device is closed to hold the back face of the cigars flowing freely in the storage unit. In order to maintain a continuous total flow of cigars, the system is equipped with an elevator that provides a vertical cavity to allow the formation of a complete trajectory of cigars. The movement of free-flowing cigars in this system is analogous to that of water being pumped through a pipeline. The cigars do not remain fixed one with respect to the other or with respect to the surface of the transporter. Therefore, the mass of cigars moves freely within the zig-zag path of the system. The system is capable of dispensing cigars since it only controls the movement of the closing device and is not able to maintain the relative position of the cigars. Therefore, an aspect of the present invention is to provide an automated system for receiving newspapers at a speed equal to or higher than that of industry printing standards., store the newspapers in a fixed relation that diminishes the damage to them, as for example the run of the ink and the crumpled of the paper, and dispatch the newspapers on request either in discrete quantities or as a direct current. Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a system for receiving, storing and dispatching newspapers from a printing press to the final distribution point, without requiring newspapers to be tied or bundles formed. Yet another additional aspect of the present invention is to provide a system for automatically receiving newspapers from the printing press, storing them in a fixed ratio and automatically dispatching individual quantities of newspapers, at a remote location. In yet another aspect of the present invention is to provide an automated system for receiving, sustaining and reintroducing a continuous stream of newspapers. In still another aspect of the present invention it is considered to provide a high automated volume of newspapers, per unit area of the storage unit, and P3ül who firmly holds each newspaper and is able to selectively dispatch newspapers. Yet another aspect of the present invention is to provide an automated continuous conveyor system comprising a series of conveyors stacked vertically and placed in close proximity, which receive, hold and dispatch newspapers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention involves a system for receiving and storing a quantity of loose copies, for example newspapers, from a printing press and dispatching them to a point of use without having to go through the traditional operation of bundling the newspapers. More particularly, the present invention relates to a newspaper supply comprising a conveyor system for receiving a continuous stream of loose and untied newspapers, directly from a high-speed operation, a transport vehicle having a load area equipped with a single copy storage unit to receive the loose newspapers supplied by the conveyor system and store them during transport; and a means to dispatch a selected number of newspapers once the truck arrives at a delivery destination. It should be noted that the term periodic, which is used throughout the application, refers to an example of a loose type of copy. It should be understood that while the newspaper is an example of a loose copy the present invention is not limited to newspapers but extends to any other type of loose copy, for example magazines, flyers and the like. In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the transfer conveyor, which transports the loose copy from the printing press to the storage unit, comprises a pair of web conveyors, each having a series of separate rollers and a plurality of separate conveyors. elastic bands placed around the rollers in a separate parallel arrangement. The space between the pair of conveyors is dimensioned in order to maintain and allow the passage of a stream of partially overlapped newspapers. The pair of belt conveyors is designed to support and transport a continuous stream of partially overlapped newspapers in virtually any orientation. When the transfer conveyor is in the slope orientation, the lower stroke of the upper belt of the conveyor is brought into contact with the i • ic > i upper surface of the newspaper stream and holds each paper against the supporting surface of the upper run of the lower belt conveyor. The two runs of the pair of conveyors are synchronized to travel in the same direction at the same speed. A series of belt conveyors in pairs can be used to transport a stream of papers from the high-speed press to a delivery truck, which may be located, for example, on a loading platform. The delivery truck is equipped with a single copy storage unit. More specifically, the storage unit comprises several vertical stacks of essentially horizontal belt conveyors for handling a continuous or discontinuous stream of newspapers. Each conveyor belt vertically stacked have placed, at each end, a plate or diverter conveyor. These deviators are used to direct the flow of newspapers either upwards to the belt conveyor, above or below the conveyor belt located at the bottom, depending on the placement of the derailleurs and / or the direction travel of the band transporters in pairs. The stacked conveyors and associated deviators are positioned so that there is a path of P361 continuous conveyor that connects all conveyors in a stack and each stack with each adjacent stack. All deviator belt conveyors and each of the multitude of support / confinement conveyors of the storage unit are synchronized and can be driven in a group from a single source of energy. The newspaper stream is supplied to a predetermined entry position on the storage unit. Typically, this entry position will be located in either <; - > l Upper or lower conveyor in one of the end batteries in the storage unit. The papers can be transported from this point of entry in a serpentine form to reach the storage unit, until the leading edge of the newspaper flow reaches the end of the last conveyor of the unit, that is until the truck is full. The truck is then driven to deliver deliveries while the individual papers are held firmly in position by the top and bottom races of the stacked conveyors. Once the delivery truck arrives at a delivery destination, the truck storage unit is operated to supply an individually selected quantity of papers.

P < 1 > 1 Optionally, newspapers can be loaded directly into a delivery box (which replaces an automatic vending box) placed at the entrance / exit of the stacked conveyor system. The delivery box is equipped internally with a series of stacked conveyors, similar to those of the loose copy storage unit, to receive and dispatch newspapers on request. Following is a detailed description of how the newspaper travels within the storage unit. It should be understood that the storage unit can be inverted or designed in various types of arrangements. In operation, the newspaper stream is fed onto the support surface of the first conveyor at the entry position of a series of stacked conveyors, which are typically located at the upper corner of one end of the unit. The current is transported along the length of this first conveyor. Upon reaching the end, the current is directed downwards by a diverter on the belt conveyor, placed directly below the first conveyor. The papers are in contact with what was the support surface and now is the lower confinement surface of the first conveyor, as it returns to the end P361 input, at a lower conveyor level. This serpentine process continues until the leading edge of the paper stream reaches the lower conveyor of the first stack. At this point, the current is fed to a traversed conveyor which is tilted or is directed towards the lower input end of a second stack of vertical conveyors. This second stack of vertical conveyors is placed immediately adjacent to the first stack. The newspaper stream is transported in a serpentine form, above this transporter stack, until it reaches the upper conveyor. At this point, the current again tilts or goes to a third conveyor stack, where it forms a serpentine until it reaches the lower conveyor. This ascending trip towards a stack and descending towards the next stack continues until the front edge of the stream arrives at the lower (or upper) conveyor of the last vertical stack. At this point, the series of vertically stacked belt conveyors is still filled if the current is not continuous throughout the storage space in the single-copy storage unit. This single copy storage unit can be placed somewhere between the printing press and the loading platform or in a location P361 remote, to provide an automatic buffering capacity, easily accessible. Specifically, the storage unit could be placed to receive and store a stream of newspapers during periods where there are no available trucks or to store portions of newspapers, for example inserts of Sunday editions, for a readily accessible supply in the future. These storage units could be used at any point, within the circulation stage, where it would be useful to keep a portion of the newspaper stream and / or to have an easily accessible quantity of newspapers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a system designed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. Figure 2 is a perspective vieta of a single copy storage unit according to the present invention, shown equipped with pivoting wheels placed on tracks mounted in a vehicle loading space (shown in phantom lines). Figure 3 is a plan view of the conveyors traversed from the single copy storage unit of Figure 2, intermediate to the P361 guide rollers, not shown. Figure 4 is a view of the traversed conveyors, taken along line 4-4 of Figure 3, intermediate to the conveyors and guide rollers not shown. Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view of a tapered end roller for a traversed conveyor, taken along section V of Figure 3. Figure 6 is an enlarged view of a belt conveyor shown in Figure 1 with a stream of partially overlapped newspapers, placed on top of the conveyor. Figure 7 is a side elevational view of two conveyors positioned vertically, with a stream of newspapers placed between them. Figure 8 is a sectional view and side elevation of the single copy storage unit of Figure 2 adapted with diverting plates. Figure 9 is a sectional view and side elevation of one end of the single copy storage unit of Figure 2 adapted with diverting conveyors. Figure 10 is a modified view of Figure 9 with a portion of the newspaper stream Mol partially overlapped, placed inside a deviated end. Figure 11 is a sectional view and end elevation of the loose copy storage unit of Figure 9. Figure 12 is a sectional view and end elevation showing the mechanical linkage between the unit's stacked conveyor. storage of loose copies of Figure 2 with contact points of friction drive. Figure 13 is a side elevational view of the single copy storage unit of Figure 2 with a motor drive linkage. Figure 14 is a side elevational view, partially in section, of the single copy storage unit of Figure 2 with a manual drive linkage. Figure 15 is a sectional and side elevation view of the sueded copy storage unit of Figure 12 and an output end of a transfer conveyor equipped with friction drive rollers. Figure 16 is an end section view of the guide strips placed on a roller of the single copy storage unit of Figure 2.

P361 Figure 17 is a side elevation and elevation view of the side divider plate for the single copy storage unit of Figure 2. Figure 18 is a sectional view and side elevation of one end of the storage unit of single copies of Figure 2 adapted with an alternative type of diverting conveyors.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE SAME Figure 1 shows a system 10 designed according to the principles of the present invention, wherein a continuous or discontinuous stream of loose copies, for example, periodic N, enters the system from printing press hanging conveyor H. A transfer conveyor system 2 cooperatively receives the newspapers N that come from the hanging conveyor H, so as to form a stream of newspapers S that are in a partially overlapped and essentially flat arrangement, with the folds of the newspapers N oriented forward and the sides of the newspapers practically in alignment. The relative speed between the hanging conveyor and the transfer conveyor system 2 is adjustable so that the overlap of the newspapers N into the stream P361 can be adjusted depending on the thickness of the newspapers. The transfer conveyor system 2 transports the stream S to an entry position to a loose storage unit 14. The loose copy storage unit receives the stream S and keeps the newspapers in an essentially fixed relationship within the stream. The loose copy storage unit can be placed in a cargo space of a transport vehicle 16. The vehicle 16 can transport the storage unit 14 of single copies to a remote delivery point D, where a number of individual newspapers N is to be dispatched by the backup copy storage unit 14. The transfer conveyor system 2 can be composed of a single conveyor 4 and / or conveyors 6 in pairs, of endless loop. Preferably the traneferral conveyor system will comprise at least one belt conveyor having an axis of guide roller 8, at least one of which is an actuator or drive roller, and a plurality of elastic bands placed around the series of rollers in a separate parallel arrangement. The transporters in pairs will comprise two separate trane carriers, placed on each side of the newspaper stream S. The transporters in pairs are designed to support, P361 confine and design the S stream of partially overlapped newspapers, practically in any direction. The space 12 between the transporters in pairs is dimensioned, preferably, to firmly hold each newspaper of the current S passing. The loose copy storage unit 14 comprises at least one vertical stack having a series of endless conveyors 22, longitudinally aligned, closely spaced, placed within a rigid frame 24 forming a serpentine conveyor path, as shown in Figure 2. The frame 24 provides sufficient structural integrity so that it can support the conveyors when they are fully loaded and, in the event that the unit is designed to be transported in a vehicle, so that it is capable of supporting the load. to which it will submit when transported. The separation between the separators It should be seen, as best seen in Figure 7, so that the lower stroke 32 of an upper conveyor 22a and the upper stroke 34 of a vertically adjacent lower conveyor 22b are in contact with a portion of the upper surface and lower, respectively, of each newspaper N. This not only ensures that each newspaper stands firmly between them, but also allows that in a unitary area it is P361 place more conveyor runs and therefore have more storage capacity. Preferably, the separation will be essentially uniform throughout the path of the serpentine conveyor. The single-copy storage unit 14 can be provided with pivoting casters or wheels 36 to simplify the movement of the unit in and out of the loading space 40 of the vehicle, as shown in Figure 2. The loading space 40 can optionally be equipped with track 38 for receiving the pivoting wheels or wheels 36 of the storage unit 14 and guiding the storage unit towards its popping in the loading space 40. The tracks may be adapted with a locking mechanism for locking the storage unit 14 in place in the loading space 40. The conveyors 22 may be conveyors of tape, bands or other suitable types. Preferably, the conveyors will be belt conveyors, as best seen in Figure 6, comprising a series of parallel and separate elastic bands 26, placed in a series of guide roller 28 with at least one driven roller 30. The conveyors Belts offer a compact and relatively light weight conveyor that allows more conveyors to be placed within a unitary area while requiring less structural support. The parallel elastic bands 26 and rollers 28 and 30 must be positioned to adequately support the newspaper stream S. The individual conveyors will extend almost the entire length of the structural frame and the rollers 28 and / or 30 will define the ends of the conveyors substantially aligned within the same vertical plane near the ends of the frame. It should be appreciated that the rollers can be adjusted in vertical and / or horizontal sense within the bater. This jig can be mechanically linked so that the rolls can be adjusted in unison, for example to adjust to a different thickness in the S stream. The rollers of the vertically adjacent conveyors can be in vertical alignment with each other or they can be offset from each other depending on the application. The stream S of newspapers is conveyed to the end of a belt conveyor and is guided around the end roller 61 by means of a diverter, as shown in Figures 8-10 and 18. The diverters are designed to change the direction of travel. the product stream by 180 ° when guiding the current S either up or down, depending on the direction of travel P361 of the conveyors and diverter arrangement around the end of the conveyor. The deviators can be passive, for example, mechanical derailleur plates 42 (see Figure 8), or active ones, for example diverter conveyors 62 and 132 (see Figures 9, 10 and 18) or the sevenma can use either of these two types. A mechanical flyer comprises a curved surface 44 disposed spaced from one end of a conveyor, and essentially mounted to the fork, with the apex 46 of the curved surface being substantially in line with the axes of the conveyor rollers, as shown in FIG. it obeys better in Figure 8. In eeta assembly poke astride, the curved surface must be dimensioned so that the lower surface 48 of the carrier immediately above and the upper surface 50 of the conveyor immediately below tangentially align with the respective ends 52 and 54 of the curved surface 44. The group of diverters 56 at one end of the frame will be placed so that it is located at the end of the other transporter, for example the 1st, 3rd, 5th or later transporter. At the opposite end, the group of diverters 58 will be offset so that they are placed at the ends of other conveyors, for example the 2nd, 4th or 6th conveyors. Therefore, each conveyor 22 P61 will have a diverter centered around only one end of the conveyor. The stacked conveyors 22 together with the diverting plates 42, placed in this form, shape the serpentine path of the conveyor inside the storage unit. In Figures 9 and 10 the loose copy storage unit is optionally equipped with diverter conveyors 62. The diverter conveyors 62 are placed around the ends of the stacked ends 22 to form a continuous path of the conveyor in epentine, similar to the arrangement of derailleur plates 42 just described. In addition to the components of the stacked conveyor, the diverter conveyors comprise a set of endless loop belts 64 and a spring-loaded roller 66. The spring-loaded roller 66 is positioned in line with the axes of the respective stacked conveyor rollers and just beyond the end roller 61 of each offset end 60 of a stacked conveyor 22. The strips 64 for the diverter conveyor 62, positioned around from a deviated end 60 of a particular stacked conveyor 22, form a loop in a separate parallel array, around the end rollers 61 of the transported carriers, above and below the diverted end 60 of the stacked conveyor 22 and the roller P361 - driven by springs 66, see Figure 11. As all the end rollers 61 of the vertically stacked conveyors 22 are in essentially vertical alignment, the placement of the strips 64 around the end rollers of the adjacent transporter pulls the bands 64 against the path side of the end roller conveyor 61 of the diverted end 60 of the stacked conveyor. As shown in Figure 10, when the stream S passes around the end roller, the spring-loaded roller 66 deforms inward toward the deviated end 60 of the stacked conveyor 22, allowing the webs 64 to move and move apart. of the end roller for adjusting to the flow of passage S. The tension induced in these bands 64 by effect of the spring-loaded roller 66 forces the bands to hold the flow of passage S firmly against the surface of the stacked conveyor 22, as which passes from the upper side of the conveyor around the diverted end 60 towards the lower side. Figure 11 shows the alternative position of the bands 64 of the diverter conveyor and the bands 26 of the stacked conveyor, about a series of end rollers 61 and the roller 66 driven by spring. The bands 64 of the diverter conveyor are separated as P361 along the width of the conveyor path to suitably support the stream S and guide it as it passes around the end roller 61 of the stacked conveyors. Figure 18 illustrates an alternative type of diverter conveyor 132. These alternative types of conveyors are alternately positioned around the offset ends of the stacked conveyors, similar to the way described above. This alternative type of conveyors has at least one tension roller 134 to provide the tension of the diverting conveyor belts 136. Preferably these diverter conveyors will comprise a ribbon of essentially entire width forming a loop around a pair of rollers. guide 138 (a and b) positioned above and below the deviated end rollers 61 and around an actuator roller 140 positioned in line with the axes of the respective stacked conveyor rollers and just beyond the end roller 61, of each diverted end 60 of a stacked conveyor 22. End rollers 61, of conveyors vertically adjacent the diverted end, may be inwardly biased to fit guide rollers 138 (a and b) for adjacent diverter conveyors 132.

P361 In an intermediate position between each of the guide rollers 138 (a and b) and the drive roller 140, a tension roller 134 is placed which contacts the outside of the belt. Each of this tension roller 134 is mounted on a spring-loaded pivot arm 142. The tension rollers 134 maintain tension in the bands or tapes 136 as they move and move away from the end roller 61 to adjust to the flow of passage S and to guide the same. Each vertical column 72 of stacked conveyors 22 in the loose copy storage unit 14 can have an inlet and an outlet 74, see Figure 2. Alternatively, the columns can be joined to form a continuous storage unit that shares a single entrance and exit 74. As the em is reversible, each entry can also serve as an exit and a given unit only needs to have a point that serves both entry and exit. Alternatively, a unit may have several inputs / outputs. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, each vertical column 72 in a multiple column loose copy storage unit can be joined to the adjacent column by a traversed conveyor 76, placed either in the upper part or in the lower part in one end of the column 72. The crossed conveyors P361 76 can be of any type of conveyor suitable for this purpose, including a laterally flexible conveyor. Preferably, the traversed conveyor 76 will be a diagonal traneporter having one end 78 aligned with the exit end of a column 72 and the opposite end 80 aligned with the entry end of the adjacent column 72. These entry and exit ends of the adjacent columns 72 are both on the top and bottom of the stacked trailers, as best ob- served in Figure 4. Therefore, the adjacent columns 72 will carry the stream in vertically opposite directions. For example, one will transport the current upwards while the adjacent conveyor will transport it downwards. Although there is no practical limit on the number of adjacent columns that can be joined in this way, the number of columns merged continuously into a given storage unit can be determined by the width of each column and the available global space, for example, space of load in a vehicle, for the placement of the unit. In this way, if the entry and exit 74 for The first column 72 of a storage unit 14 of single copies of several columns is placed in the Upper Plbl, there will be crossed conveyors 76 placed at the exit end of the bottom of the odd number columns, counting the conveyor with the entry as the 1st column. Counting in a similar manner from the 1st column, there will be crossed carriers 76 placed at the exit end of the top of the numbered even columns. These crossed conveyors 76 form a continuous path for the stream S to enter the inlet of the 1st column, traveling down the column on the through conveyor 76 to the inlet end of the 2 column and, upwards, to the conveyor traversed leading to the entrance end of the 3rd column. This ascending and descending travel through the joined columns of stacked conveyors continues to the end of the path at the end of the last conveyor of the last column. This end may either be the upper part or the lower part of the column, depending on the arrangement of the stacked cuissines. Since the current can be reversed by operating the conveyors in the opposite direction, the end of the path of the last conveyor column can be closed, for example if the end is inaccessible, or it can be a second entry / exit point for the unit of P361 storage 14. Crossed conveyors 76 comprise three sections: two transition sections 90 and 92 at each end and a main section 88 positioned therebetween, as best seen in Figure 3. The main section 88 comprises a series of rollers. guide and a set of bands similar to the stacked conveyors 22. The difference is that the main section has two tapered end rollers 82, placed in an opulete shape. Spindle end rollers 82, as seen in Figure 5, are designed to provide the necessary angle for the traversed conveyor, so that it aligns with the opposite ends of the adjacent columns 72. Shafts 84 of these tapered rollers preferably they will be parallel to the axes of the rollers in the respective stacked conveyors and will be placed inside two vertical planes defined by the ends of the stacked conveyors. As shown in Figure 5, the transition section 92, which has an opposite orientation to that of the transition section 90, comprises a set of bands 94 extending around the tapered end roller 82 and a non-tapered roller 96, on the same level as the main section, which has an axis essentially parallel to the rollers of the stacked conveyors and P361 placed in the vertical plane defined by the ends of the stacked conveyors, in the respective column. If the system comprises diverter conveyors, the non-tapered roller 96 will preferably be part of a diverter conveyor for guiding the stream S from the end of the last conveyor of the respective column onto the traversed conveyor and vice versa. The variable surface velocity across the length of the tapered roller assists the transition of the stream S, from the stacked conveyors, to the diagonal conveyor and back to the stacked conveyors. The backup copy unit can be energized by any suitable means. Preferably, the stacked conveyors 22 in the unit will be mechanically linked so that they can be driven in group synchronously by a single energy source, as shown in Figure 12. The stacked conveyors can be linked mechanically by a series of chains or drive belts 102 attached to the power driven rollers 104, with the actuating rollers 106. As the path through the conveyor stack is a serpentine path, each alternating conveyor of the stack travels in the same direction and the conveyors Adjacent ones travel in opposite directions. Preferably, all conveyors of the stack traveling in the same direction are mechanically linked by drive chains or belts 102 extending from a driven roller 104 or 106 of a conveyor, on the opposite side of an adjacent conveyor, whether the No or no portion of the drive belt or chain 102 is in contact with the driven roller 104 or 106 of the intermediate adjacent conveyor. The stacked conveyors can be driven by a variable speed motor 108 linked by a belt or chain 110 to a group of end rollers. Preferably, the drive chain or band 110 will loop in an S-shaped configuration around three adjacent rollers 104, driven by power, and a drive pulley 112 energized by the motor 108, as shown in Figure 13. The conveyors optionally stacked can be equipped with a manually operated back-up, push-up linkage 114 as shown in Figure 14. Another option illustrated in Figure 15 is that for driving the unit stacked by the drive rollers 116 from a source remote For example, the output end of the transfer conveyor 118 running from the printing press (not P3cl shown), may be equipped with a set of drive rollers 116 positioned proximate the output end of the output conveyor 120. As the input of the stacked conveyors aligns longitudinally with the trailing end of the trane conveyor The actuating roller 116 will be frictionally coupled with a set of power-driven rollers 104 on the stacked conveyor unit. Once coupled, the stacked conveyor will operate synchronously with the transfer conveyor. The stacked conveyors can be coupled with divisoree. The dividers will help guide the newspapers along the trajectory of the transporter and will prevent misalignment of the paper in a pile, so that it does not interfere with the adjacent stacks. Any suitable type of divider can be used. The dividers can be guide strips 122 with a raised ridge 124 extending outward, as shown in Figure 16. The guide strips are mounted towards the ends of the conveyor rollers 126 outside the support strips and the area where they are located. the newspaper N. travels. As illustrated in Figure 17, the dividers may also be removable partition panels 128 mounted on the sides of the stacked conveyors 22. The frame 24 of the unit P3? > The storage compartment 14 should be designed so that the panels 128 can easily be re-erected and removed for maintenance. While illustrating and describing a particular configuration, the foregoing description is intended to provide the understanding of the present invention. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention will be determined only in relation to the appended claims.

Mftl

Claims (20)

1. CLAIMS: 1. A single-copy storage apparatus, comprising: at least one series of separate carriers to store a stream of loose copies in an essentially fixed relationship, the carriers each having a first race and a second race directed in an opueeta way to the first race; wherein the series of traneportadores forms a storage area of loose copies, in the form of serpentine, essentially continuous, and with the first race pushing the loose copy against the at least one second race. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that each loose copy article is simultaneously in virtually continuous contact with one of the first or second runs. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises: means for dispensing selected quantities of loose copies. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises: a diverter means for directing the loose copy from between the first run and the second run P361 until between another first race and another second race, in the stack of horizontal transporters. The apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the diverter means comprises a pl < AC. The apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the diverter means comprises a conveyor 7. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the conveyors are reversible. 8. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the carriers are synchronized and polled synchronously. 9. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the transporters are transported with an endless loop band. 10. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the system comprises a plurality of at least a series of conveyors, each connected by a crossed conveyor means that joins the storage area from said series, in a form essentially continuous, with the storage area of another series. 11. A seventh for the remote dispatch of single copies supplied from a printing press, P361 comprising: at least one loose copy storage apparatus comprising: means for receiving a stream of loose copies; and a means for storing single copies; and a means for storing loose copies in an essentially fixed relationship within the stream, which has: a means for supporting single copies; and a means to firmly hold each copy rolled against the medium of support; a means for individually charging quantities selected from loose copies from the storage apparatus; and a vehicle having a cargo space to support the at least one storage device. 12. The seventh according to claim 11, characterized in that the dispatch means is part of the storage apparatus. The seventh according to claim 11, further characterized by means for transferring the loose copy from the printing press to the storage apparatus. The seventh according to claim 11, characterized in that the storage apparatus further comprises a means of transport for transporting the loose copy within the storage apparatus. 15. The system according to claim 14, characterized in that the means of transport comprises: a series of essentially horizontal conveyors and vertically offset, each having a support stroke and a return stroke; where the horizontalee transporter series forms a storage area for the loose copy, in the form of a serpentine, with the support races supporting the loose copy and the return races pushing the loose copy against the support races. The seventh according to claim 15, characterized in that each loose copy article is simultaneously brought into almost continuous contact with a support stroke and a return stroke. 17. The system according to claim 15, characterized in that the transporters are mechanically linked to operate synchronously. 18. The system according to claim 15, characterized in that the trans- fer means further comprises a driving means for energizing the storage apparatus. 19. The system according to claim 15, characterized in that the transport means comprises a belt conveyor, each having a series of rollers and a set of elastic bands placed around the rollers, in a parallel and separate arrangement. 20. The seventh according to claim 19, characterized in that the conveyor means comprises divider strips having a raised rim to keep the copied copy on the transport medium.