US3092380A - Apparatus for stacking cut forms at high speed - Google Patents

Description

APPARATUS FOR STACKING CUT FORMS AT HIGH SPEED Filed Oct. 5. 1960 June 4, 1963 T. H. ANDERSON ETAL m v A :52 2

4 s Q L 502 2 2 E62 2 1 THEODORE H. ANDERSON RICHARD H. HARRI TON BY Q JQQ A IVE) J1me 1963 T. H. ANDERSON ETAL 3,092,330

APPARATUS FOR STACKING cu'r FORMS AT HIGH SPEED 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 3, 1960 n 1953 T. H. ANDERSON ETAL 3,092,380

APPARATUS FOR STACKING CUT FORMS AT HIGH SPEED Filed 001:. s, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 June 1963 T. H. ANDERSON ETAL 3,092,330

APPARATUS FOR STACKING CUT FORMS AT HIGH SPEED Filed Oct. 3, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG. 4

HOR\ZONTAL United States Fuedoces, i960, Ser. No. scans 12 Claims. (Cl. 271-71 This invention relates to apparatus for stacking cut forms, such as record cards, checks or the like at high speed, and more particularly relates to an improved stackingapparatus for stacking serially fed for-mson their short edges by decelerating them without damage and moving them generally sidewise and on end from their previous path in such manner that the forms retain their original order.

The present trend is to feed forms serially (that is, lengthwise or short-edge first) throuigh computers. in order to reduce the buffer and storage requirements necessitated when forms are fed in parallel (that is, shortwise or long-edge first). To process a given number of forms per minute in a serial feed type machine requires considerably higher transport velocities than would be required to process the same number of forms in a parallel feed type machine, because of the differences in dimensions of the forms along their feed axis. Moreover, since certain fixed minimum time intervals must be maintained between successive forms for such as sensing, punching or printing operations, Whether such for-ms are fed serially or in parallel, it will be apparent that an even further increase in transport velocity between and after these operations is required over and above that necessary merely to compensate for the increased dimension of the forms in the feeding direction during serial processing. It is therefore necessary to provide a stacking device capable of stacking, at high rates, forms fed thereto serially at high velocities. Stacking apparatus has heretofore been proposed com prising one feed means, such as a conveyor belt, for feeding sheets successively into decelerators and/or pincers at a so-called cornering station, and another feed means to thereafter feed the sheets at 90 to their original path but in essentially the same plane for flatwise stacking on the top of a stack. Edgewise stacking has heretofore been proposed in various types of so-called radial stackers wherein cards are successively directed into edgewise contact with a concavely curved deflector which is joggled to stack the cards on their edges. However, in these previously proposed arrangements the'cards will be stacked in reverse order to their original order unless they are turned over prior to stacking. Also, these previously proposed stacking arrangements require considerable space and they are generally not suitable for high-rate stacking of serially fed forms moving at extremely high velocity.

The principal object of the invention is therefore to provide an improved high-rate stacking device which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, is relatively simple in construction and is especially suitable for stacking serially fed forms, such as record cards, at high speed and in their original order without damage.

Another object'is to provide "an improved stacking device wherein forms from different transport systems may be readily mergedin sideby-side relation and deposited inthe same stack.

Still another object is to provide an improved, compact, multi-pocket stacking device wherein theforms are stacked on end on theirshort edges to conserve space, and wherein forms can be removed from any pocket while other forms are being stacked.

Wilt

According to the invention, the improved stacking device comprises means for advancing out forms successively forward along a predetermined path prescribed by a guide means. Means, preferably in the form of a belt and a roll, is disposed adjacent the terminal end of the guide means to intercept each form and arrest its forward movement as the form is driven between the belt and roll and concurrently move such form generally sidewise and on end toward a pocket to cause the form to be stacked successively on such end in the pocket. The belt and roll preferably have a peripheral speed which is a small fraction of the peripheral speed of the feed-rcll-type advancing means, so that the form will be moved sidewise at a substantially lower speed than the high speed at which it approaches the belt and roll so as to be stacked without damage. To assure that a form cannot overtake a preceding form and thus cause the forms to be stacked in an order diflferent from their original order, the advancing means includes feed rolls which keep the form moving at said high speed until the trailing edge of each form reaches a point near the exit end of the feed rolls and somewhat more than a form length from the belt. Thereafter, in the manner hereinafter described, the trailing portion of the form will be snapped out of the path of the succeeding form, so that as the forms tend to accumulate in overlying shingle-like fashion at the terminal end of the guide means, they will be advanced fanwise in their original order. The belt and roll advance the foms toward the pocket in a direction which will preserve their original order.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a stacking device em bodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged section view, taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1 and showing the means for arresting the cards and moving them laterally and on end relative to their former path and to a pocket;

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective View, to enlarged scale, of the arresting and moving means showing how the cards are moved fanwise to a pocket and stacked on end;

FIG. 4 is an elevation view of said arresting and moving means taken in the direction of the arrow 4 of PEG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is an elevation View like FIG. 4, except illustrating a modified portion of the stacking device shown in FIGS. 1 to 4.

Descripti0nFIGS. 1 to 4 As illustrated in these figures, the stacking device embodying the invention comprises a substantially vertical back plate 10 secured at an obtuse angle of such as to a downwardly and forwardly inclined bed plate 11. A plurality of sets of feed rolls 12 and 13 are rotatablysupported on pins carried by brackets secured to the back plate 10. At least the larger rolls of each such set, but preferably both rolls of each set, are positively driven at transport system speed by suitable gearing or transmission means (not shown). As indicated by the arrows, rolls 12 advance one set of cards C successively lengthwise from right to left as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2 from one transport system; whereas rolls 13 advance another set of cards C in the reverse direction from another transport system.

Cards C and C are adapted to be deposited selectively in one of a plurality of pockets P and P, respectively; or a card C and a card C may be merged by concur-rent sliding contact with respective converging concave deflecting surfaces 14, 15 of a V-shaped deflector 16 following which they are deposited in a merge pocket MP. Since these surfaces 14, converge in a V, merged cards C and C would normally be deposited face-to-fiace or backto-back in pocket MP, according to whether they are both fed face up or face down through the rolls 12, 13. So that they will be stacked in order and face-to-back, cards C are fed into rolls 12 face down; and cards C are fed into rolls 13 face up after having been turned over, such as by being driven around the outside of a semi-circular deflector 17 by transport rolls 18.

To select the particular pockets into which cards C or C are to be stacked, magnets 20, 21, 22, 23 are provided each having an armature 24 operatively connected to a respective rockable flipper-type pocket selector 25 or other gating element to flip the selector down when its corresponding magnet is energized. Hence, a card C will be deflected into the right-hand pocket P after passing through the rightmost rolls 12 if magnet 20 is deenergized and its selector is therefore up as shown in FIGURE 1. A card C will be deflected into the lefthand pocket P after passing through the two rightmost sets of rolls 12 if magnet 20 is energized and rocks its selector 25 down and magnet 21 is deenergized. If magnets 20 and 21 are concurrently energized and their selectors 25 are therefore both rocked down, a card C will pass through the three sets of rolls 12 and into merge pocket MP. Similarly a card C will be deflected into the left-hand pocket P if magnet 22 is deenergized, into the right-hand pocket P if magnet 22 is energized while magnet 23 is deenergized, and into the merge pocket MP if magnets 22, 23 are concurrently energized.

The selectors 25 controlled by magnets 20, 21 are rockably supported on pins carried by, and near the right or card entering end of, curved upper guides 26 that cooperate with curved lower guides 27 to define a chute or passage through which cards C can pass leftwardly and downwardly toward the respective pockets P. These guides 26, 27 are preferably stamped from sheet metal stock. Each guide 26 has a concave guide surface of generally the same curvature as deflector surface 14 but extending lower than surface 14 and having a convex bend at 28 joining a straight substantially vertical terminal guide surface. Each guide 27 has a convex guide surface which also extends lower than surface 14 and is joined, by a horizontal rightwardly extending surface 29 above bend 28, to a substantially straight terminal surface 30 that extends vertically downward and is spaced slightly from the vertical surface of the corresponding guide 26.

The selectors 25 controlled by magnets 22, 23 are rockably supponted on pins carried near the left end of curved upper guides that cooperate with curved lower guides 36 to define a chute or passage through which cards C can pass rightwardly and downwardly toward the respective pockets P. Each preferably stamped guide 35 has a concave guide surface of generally the same curvature as deflector surface 15 but extending lower than surface 15 and terminating in a horizontal surface 37 at the same height as the surfaces 29. Each surface 37 extends rightwardly and joins a straight terminal surface 38 that extends substantially vertically downward. Each guide 36 has a convex guide surface which also extends lower than surface 15, and below surface 37 has a convex bend 39 that joins a downwardly extending terminal surface generally parallel to and spaced slightly from the straight surface 38 of guide 35.

Guides 40, 41 receive cards C and C to be merged in pocket MP and provide convex guide surfaces spaced slightly below, and having generally the same configuration as, deflector surfaces 14, 15 respectively. The lower end of the convex surface of guide 40 joins a horizontal surface 42 that is at the same level as surfaces 29, 37 and extends rightward and joins a downwardly extending vertical surface 43. The lower end of the convex surface of guide 41 has a convex bend 44 which, like the bends 28, 39, is below the horizontal surface 42 and joins a straight terminal surface extending vertically downward and spaced slightly from surface 43.

It will thus be noted that the different sets of guides 26, 27 and 35, 36 and 40, 41 are of somewhat different configuration in that, among other things, the bends 28 are provided in the upper guides 26, whereas bends 39, 44 are provided in the lower guides 36, 41 respectively. However, each set of these guides is of identical configuration below their respective aligned horizontal surfaces.

The guides 26, 27 and 35, 36 and 40, 41 are suitably secured to the back plate 10, such as by screws which pass through outturned ears formed integrally with the rear edges of their curved upper portions and through spacer sleeves 45 and are screwed into the back plate. Stiifening ribs 46 are preferably provided along the front edges of the guide surfaces 30, 38, 43. Feed rolls 47 are provided just above the corresponding horizontal surfaces 29, 37, or 42 and preferably are driven to maintain the card moving at the same velocity as imparted by rolls 12 and 13.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 to 4, a mechanism 50 is disposed below the lower end of each set of guides 26, 27

r and 35, 36 and 40, 41 to frictionally contact and decelerate the downwardly moving cards and move them fanwise on end generally horizontally in a curved path and deposit them successively fiatwise against a preceding card of a stack of cards in a respective pocket P, P or MP.

As illustrated, each mechanism 50 comprises a belt 51 passing around a driven pulley 52 and an idler pulley 53. The upper edge of each belt 51 is somewhat more than a card length from the horizontal surface 29, 37 or 42, for reasons presently to be explained. The periphery of mid-portion of a roll 54 impinges or encroaches on the rear run of belt 51 so that when a card is between the roll and the belt the card will have arcuate (rather than merely linear) frictional contact with the roll and belt. The belt 51 and roll 54 are preferably both positively driven at the same peripheral velocity which is a small fraction, such as about ten to twenty percent, of the peripheral velocity of the rolls 12, 13, 18, 47.

As illustrated in FIG; 4, the pulley 52 may, for example, be driven from a drive shaft 55 to which is keyed a small spur gear 56 that is below the bed plate 11 and meshes with a larger spur gear 57 keyed to a shaft 58 that drives the roll 54. The ratio of the pitch diameters of gears 56 to 57 is substantially in proportion to the diameters of the pulley 52 (plus about the belt thickness) to roll 54. The shafts for the pulleys and roll 54 are suitably journaled, preferably in ball bearings carried by the bed plate 11.

As best shown in FIG. 2, as successive cards C or C leave the belt 51 and roll 54 on end and long-edge first, they are guided by a curved portion of a fixed rear wall 60 of the corresponding pocket P, P or M'P into contact with a leaf-type deflector spring 61 that is carried by said wall. Spring 61 urges the successive cards generally forward and into flatwise contact with an inclined card support 62 (or flatwise contact with a preceding card supported by said support). This support 62 serves as an expansible front wall'of the pocket because as the weight of the cards increases the front wall will move forward against resistance of a bias spring (not shown).

A conventional cam-actuated joggler mechanism (not shown) preferably is employed to joggle the cards after they are delivered to the pocket. This joggler mechanism is used to provide space for following cards to en-.

ter a pocket so that they do not have to displace previously stacked cards. This joggler mechanism also causes the cards to be stacked perfectly "square with the cards already stacked, in the manner heretofore disclosed in radial type stacking devices. The various pockets P,

63 which provide side walls for the pockets.

Summary of Operation-FIGS. 1 to 4 If magnet 20 is deenergized, the pocket selector 25 controlled thereby will be up, as shown in FIGURE 1. Hence, as a card C passes leftward through the rightmost rolls 12, it will be guided downward through the rightmost set of guides 26, 2'7 and into the feed rolls 47 which will keep the card moving at the same velocity as imparted by rolls 12.

initially, the card will be bowed transversely into a C-shape by guides 26, 27. However, as the leading portion of the card passes below surface 2d and down around bend 28, it will be constrained to bend in a slightly reversed C-shape due to the convex curvature of bend 28, thus causing the card to be bowed generally into a slight S-shape. As soon as the trailing edge of the card moves below surface 2d, the card will tend to straighten itself and the trailing portion of the card will move rightward into contact with straight surface 30 and out of the path of a succeeding card. The surface 29 is somewhat more than a card length from the upper edge of belt 51 so that the card will not be driven between the decelerating belt 51 and roll 54 until after the trailing portion of the card has moved rightward. The speed of the card is maintained by rolls 47 to pre vent a succeeding card from entering between the preceding card and guide 27.

At this point, it is to be noted that even if a card or some other form (such as a bank check) does not have sufiicient inherent stiffness to cause its trailing portions to snap over into contact with surface 30 as soon as the trailing edge of such form passes below the horizontal surface 29, the original order of such forms will nevertheless be maintained because roll 47 will keep a preceding form moving fast enough so that it will be at least partially pinched between the belt 51 and roll 54 and moved somewhat laterally before the leading edge of the succeeding form can contact such preceding form. As soon as a form is pinched between the belt 51 and roll 54 and moved a slight distance laterally, it will be bowed generally longitudinally or in a lengthwise direction and thus stiffened to cause its rear portion to contact straight surface 3-9. Also, the lowermost parallel portions of the guides 26, 27 will constrain the rear edge of the form to contact surface 39 and thus prevent the trailing edge of such form from being hit by the leading edge of a succeeding form.

In any event, as the leading portion of the card enters between the slow roll 54 and slow laterally moving belt 51, the card will be moved generally sidewise by said roll and belt and also initially slightly downward until the momentum due to its entering velocity is dissipated or snubbed by the braking action of said roll and belt. If the included angle between the back plate and bed plate 11 is some angle other than 90 (for example, about 105 as illustrated in FIGS. l to 4), the guide surface 39 governing the approved path of the card to the decelerating belt 51 and roll 54 will be at the same angle to the plane of operation ofsaid belt and roll. Hence, as the cards enter between the belt 51 and roll 54 at an obtuse angle to the bed plate 11, they must be squared up so that their lower edges are parallel to the bed plate.

As best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the card is squared up by an accelerating or driving member 7%} mounted on the driven pulley 52 just above the belt 51. This driving member 70 may be in the form of an annular rim or flange formed integrally with and concentrically surrounding the upper part of pulley 52, or as is preferred, in the form of an O-ring non-slippingly mounted over the upper part of said pulley. In either event, the member 7%) is of larger diameter than the arc of the belt 51 running around the pulley 52. While a card is moving between the roll 54 and belt 51, the driving member 70 will press the card against a convexly curved or smaller effective diameter portion 71 of roll 54 adjacent the upper end of said roll. Since the diameter of the driving member 70 is greater than that of belt 51 and the diameter of the curved porto'n 71 of the roll 54 is less than that of the belt-engaging portion of said roll, the upper part of the card will be driven laterally by said driving member somewhat faster than the lower part and slip somewhat relative to said curved portion. This will tilt the card by an amount necessary to square the lower edge of the card with the bed plate 11 by the time it leaves the decelerating mechanism 51, 54 and contacts the curved portion' of rear wall 62.

Meanwhile, in view of the decelerating action of the belt 51 and roll 54 succeeding cards will enter between said belt and roll before the particular card has been moved into its selected pocket P. The cards will thus accumulate below the surface 29 and be moved in shinglelike overlying fashion through the belt 51 and roll 54, as shown in FIGS, 1, 2, and 3.

As each card leaves the belt 51 spring 61 will deflect it forward from :the rear wall 60 of the pocket for stacking it on end flatwise against the preceding card (or the inclined card suppont 62). As the weight of the cards lying against the card support 62 increases, the latter will creep forward (i.e., away from rear wall) against the resistance of a bias spring (not shown).

. To direct a card G into the left-hand pocket P, magnet 20 is energized but magnet 21 is maintained deenergized. As a result, the selector 25 connected to magnet 20 is flipped down to guide the card past the guides 26, 27 for [the righthand pocket and through the intermediate rolls 12 and into the left-hand set of guides 26, 27, as viewed in FIG. 1. Otherwise operation is the same as already described.

To direct a card C and a card C to the merge pocket MP, magnets 20, 21, 22, 23 are concurrently energized to rock down the selectors 25 controlled thereby. Card C will be guided through the three sets of rolls 1-2 by passing over the selectors 25 between said rolls and over both upper guides 26, and then move down along deflector surface 14; and card C, after being inverted by being driven around the semi-circular deflector 17 by rolls 18, will pass through the three sets of rolls 13 by passing over the selector 25 and over both sets of guides 35, and then move down along deflector surface 15. The cards C and C will concurrently enter the rolls 47 with their front faces facing nightward, assuming that cards C pass through the rolls 12 front face down and cards C pass through the rolls 13 front face up due to their inversion by passing around deflector 17. When the trailing edges of these cards drop below surface 42, the bend 44 will snap them over into contact with surface 43, in rthe same manner as described in connection with bend 28, and surface 29. Thereafter the cards will be advanced by the belt 51 and roll 54 to pocket MP in the same manner as already described. However, even if the cards C and C tend to fan out slightly and overlap, card C will consistently be stacked flatwise against the preceding card and card C will be stacked flatwise against card C, due to the fact that the belt 51 and mu 54 move the cards leftward as viewedin FIG. 1. Thus, the cards will be deposited front face forward toward the expansible wall or card support 62, and will thus be stacked in thesame relative order as that in which they entered the rolls 12 and 13.

If it is desired to have cards fed front face upward (rather than downward) through the transport system, for reading, punching or marking from the top (rather than bottom), and yet stack them such manner that their original order is preserved, then the turn-around deflector I17 and rolls 18 need merely be transposed so that they will turn over cards C prior to being fed into the first set of rolls 12(rather than turn over cards C prior to being fed into the firstse tof rolls 13, as illustrated). On the other hand, the same result may be accomplished withoutchangin'g the location of the turnaround deflector 17 and rolls 18, butby changing the direction of feeding of the roll 54 and belt 51 so that they move the cards rightward, instead of leftward, as viewed in FIGS. :1 and 2.

It will now be apparent that if a card C is fed front face up through rolls 13 and either into the left-hand pocket P as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2 due to deenergization of magnet 22 or into the right-hand pocket P due to energization of magnet 22 but not magnet 23, the cards C will be stacked front face forward against the corresponding card support 62 and hence stacked in the same order as that in which they were fed into the rolls 13. I It will be apparent that the cards C or C may be removed from any of the pockets P, P or MP while the stacking device is operating merely by removing the card contacting the particular card support 62 and any desired number of cards to the rear thereof.

It will also be noted that from the time a card enters the guides until it is advanced by the belt 51 and roll 54 :to the appropriate pocket, its movement is continually positively controlled.

Description and Operatin-FIG.

The stacking device constructed according to this embodiment fo the invention differs from that illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 only in that the bed plate 11' and axes of rotation of the roll 54 and pulleys 52, 5-3 are at an angle of 90 (rather than 105) to the back plate and the driving member 70 is therefore eliminated be cause it is not needed to tilt a card to square it with the bed plate. In all other respects the structure and operation of this modified form of stacking device is the same as already described in connection with FIGS. 1 to 4.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In apparatus for stacking out forms in a pocket, the combination of guide means for guiding each form in a predetermined path, means for advancing the forms successively forward along said path at one velocity, and endless means having closely arranged movable surfaces providing a hip disposed adjacent the terminal end of said guide means to snubbingly intercept each form as it exits without obstruction or interruption from the guide means and reduce its forward component of movement to zero while concurrently moving such form generally sidewise and on end and in a direction generally at right angles to its forward component of movement at a velocity slower than said one velocity toward the pocket thereby to cause successive forms to move in overlapping shingle-like relation toward the pocket and be caused to stack on such end on the pocket.

2. In an apparatus for stacking out forms in a pocket, the combination of guide means for guiding each form in a predetermined path, means for advancing the forms successively forward along said path, a plurality of endless means providing two pairs of continuously movable endless mating surfaces providing respective nips for concurrently engaging different portions of each form after it leaves the guide means to snub its continued forward movement and move each form generally in a direction cross-wise of its former direction, the axes of move ment of all said endless means being parallel to each other but inclined to the direction of such forward movement of each form as it emerges from the guide means, andmeans operative to drive at least one of the mating surfaces of each pair at different velocities to cause the form, while being driven generally sidewise, to be til-ted a degree necessary to render its leading edge substantially parallel to said axes of movement.

I sidewise and on end at a velocity lower than said one velocity and toward the pocket for stacking in such pocket on such end.

4. In an apparatus for stacking out forms, the combination of guide means for guiding each form in a predetermined path, means for advancing the forms successively forward along said path, means defining a pocket having a fixed end wall and an oppostiely arranged expansible end wall, other means disposed adjacent the terminal end of said guide means to intercept each form and arrest its forward movement and concurrently move such form generally sidewise and on end toward the fixed wall of the pocket, and resilient means for contacting a flat side of each form as it emerges on its said end from said other means and biasing such form toward said expansible wall thereby to cause successive cards to be stacked on their said ends in the pocket and in fiat-side to fiat-side relation against the expansible wall.

5. The combination according to claim 4, wherein indicia is present on a certain side of each form, and said other means is so disposed relative to the guide means and pocket as to cause the forms to be stacked with their respective certain sides facing the expansible wall to cause the forms to be stacked in the same order as that in which they were initially fed into the guide means.

6. In an apparatus for stacking cut forms, the combination of guide means for guiding each form in a predetermined path, means for advancing the forms successively forward along said path and including two members, one providing a substantially straight surface which joins a curved deflecting surface, and the other providing a surface substantially parallel and longer than said straight surface to create a cavity between the exit side of said advancing means and such parallel surfaces, thereby to cause such form to be successively bowed transversely by sliding contact with said deflecting surface and then cause the trailing portion of such form to snap out of the path of a succeeding form as soon as the trailing edge of the first-mentioned form enters said cavity and permits the form to straighten itself under the straightening action of said parallel surfaces.

7. In an apparatus for transporting out forms, the combination of means including feed means and guide means for feeding forms successively in a defined path at one velocity, two endless elements having respective movable surfaces providing a nip into which each form is fed and which surfaces move in directions to transport each form generally transversely of the axis of said path at said nip, and means for moving at least one of said surfaces at a relatively slow peripheral speed for snubbing continued movement of each form in the direction of said axis and advancing each form successively on end and generally sidewise at a velocity less than said one velocity.

8. In an apparatus for stacking cut forms, the combination of means including feed rolls and guide means for feeding forms successively in a defined path at one velocity, two elements having respective movable surfaces between which each form is fed, and means for continuously moving both of said surfaces at the same peripheral speed which same speed is a relatively small fraction of the peripheral speed of said feed rolls, said surfaces being moved by the last introduced means in a curved path in a plane generally at right angles to the axis of the terminal part of said defined path for snubbing continued movement of each form in the direction of said terminal part and advancing each form successively on end and generally sidewise at a velocity less than said one velocity, means defining a pocket having a fixed end and an expansible opposite end and a bed between said ends, and means associated with said fixed end and effective as each form leaves the elements to resiliently urge such form toward said expansible end for stacking such form on such end on the bed.

9. Sheet conveying apparatus comprising feed and guide means for feeding sheets in the planes thereof with a certain edge foremost, and endless means providing two closely arranged counter-movable surfaces driven and disposed to provide a moving nip elongated in the direc tion of movement of said surfaces and into which said edges are advanced by said feed means without intervening reduction in forward progress of the sheets, and means for moving said surfaces of said endless means in directions as necessary to advance the sheets sidewise and on end in a transverse direction generally parallel to said certain edges, thereby concurrently to snub continued movement of the sheets in their former path and advance the sheets sidewise on end at generally right angles to said former path.

10. Sheet conveying apparatus comprising feed and guide means for feeding sheets in the planes thereof with a certain portion foremost, sheet snubbing means including a pair of endless members cooperating to provide a resiliently spreadable moving nip into which the sheets are advanced directly without interruption or obstruction by said feed means with said certain portions foremost and which pinch the sheets to arrest their continued forward movement, and means including said snubbing means for conveying the sheets sidewise with another portion forward during such snubbing.

11. In a sheet conveying apparatus, the combination of two endless members one of which impinges on a substantial portion of the curved surface of the other to provide an elongated sheet-receiving nip, means for moving at least one of said members to cause sheets within the nip to be moved in a controlled curved path, and means for driving the sheets successively without obstruction into said nip from a direction generally at right angles to the path of movement of the nip, whereby movement of the sheets in said curved path will commence before movement of the sheets in said direction ceases.

'12. In an apparatus for stacking cut forms in a pocket, the combination of guide means for guiding each form in a predetermined path, means for advancing the forms successively forward along said path, a plurality of endless members providing a nip disposed adjacent the terminal end of said guide means, said endless members comprising a movable belt and a movable roll that impinges on one run of the belt, and means for driving at least one of said endless means to cause each form when within the nip to be driven continuously in an arcuate path, whereby as each form enters said nip its forward movement will be snubbingly arrested as it is concurrently moved in the arcuate path and generally sidewise and on end toward the pocket for causing the forms to be stacked successively on such end in the pocket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,581,583 Low Apr. 20, 1926 1,960,311 La Bombard May 29, 1934 2,288,149 Williams June 30, 1942 2,352,088 Evans June 20, 1944 2,761,680 Lens Sept. 4, 1956 2,929,490 Stewart Mar. 22, 1960 2,933,313 S'tObb Apr. 19, 1960 2,964,161 Lopez Dec. 13, 1960

Claims (1)

1. IN AN APPARATUS FOR STACKING CUT FORMS IN A POCKET, THE COMBINATION OF GUIDE MEANS FOR GUIDING EACH FORM IN A PREDETERMINED PATH, MEANS FOR ADVANCING THE FORMS SUCCESSIVELY FORWARD ALONG SAID PATH AT ONE VELOCITY, AND ENDLESS MEANS HAVING CLOSELY ARRANGED MOVABLE SURFACES PROVIDING A NIP DISPOSED ADJACENT THE TERMINAL END OF SAID GUIDE MEANS TO SNUBBINGLY INTERCEPT EACH FORM AS IT EXITS WITHOUT OBSTRUCTION OR INTERRUPTION FROM THE GUIDE MEANS AND REDUCE ITS FORWARD COMPONENT OF MOVEMENT TO ZERO WHILE CONCURRENTLY MOVING SUCH FORM GENERALLY SIDEWISE AND ON END AND IN A DIRECTION GENERALLY AT RIGHTANGLES TO ITS FORWARD COMPONENT OF MOVEMENT AT A VELOCITY SLOWER THAN SAID ONE VELOCITY TOWARD THE POCKET THEREBY TO CAUSE SUCCESSIVE FORMS TO MOVE IN OVERLAPPING SHINGLE-LIKE RELATION TOWARD THE POCKET AND BE CAUSED TO STACK ON SUCH END ON THE POCKET.

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