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US 10,414,615 B2Granted
Sheet stacker and method for forming stacks of sheets containing different jobs of sheets
AssigneeFosber S.p.A.
InventorMauro Adami
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A sheet stacker includes a sheet conveyor arrangement and a stacker platform. The sheets are fed in a sheet feeding direction on the stacker platform, to form stacks of sheets thereon. The stacker platform supports a stack conveyor configured and controlled to move in a conveyor direction to move the stack under formation such that sequentially piled up jobs are placed in an approximately centered position one with respect to the other according to the sheet feeding direction.
Claims16
A sheet stacker comprising:
- a sheet conveyor arrangement, configured for feeding a plurality of sheets in succession towards a sheet discharge end of said sheet conveyor arrangement;
- a stacker platform, whereon sheets delivered by the sheet conveyor arrangement are formed into stacks;
- wherein the sheet discharge end and the stacker platform are provided with a mutual approaching and distancing movement;
- a stack conveyor supported by the stacker platform, arranged to move according to a conveyor direction, wherein said conveyor direction is approximately parallel to a sheet feeding direction of the sheet discharge end in which said sheets are fed from the sheet discharge end onto the stacker platform;
- a control unit programmable with machine parameters for providing a job sequence;
- wherein the stack conveyor is adapted for horizontal movement on the stacker platform of a partially formed stack in said conveyor direction and vertical movement of the stacker platform by a lifting and lowering mechanism, which in combination with a job retaining device and a stop plate, said stop plate being adapted for movement along a stationary support structure arranged above said stacker platform, is structured and arranged to provide selective stoppage of sheets resulting in positioning of sequentially received sheets one onto another so that shorter sheets of one job are arranged in an intermediate position with respect to longer sheets of another job through coordinated movement controlled by said control unit of said stacker platform, said job retaining device and said stop plate.
3 more elements
A method of forming a stack of sheets comprising a plurality of superposed jobs;
- the method comprising as follows:
- (a) feeding a plurality of sheets along a sheet conveyor arrangement towards a stacker platform, the sheet conveyor arrangement having a sheet discharge end, wherefrom the sheets are discharged onto the stacker platform in a sheet feeding direction and formed into a stack on a stack conveyor supported by the stacker platform;
- said stack conveyor being movable in a conveyor direction approximately parallel to the sheet feeding direction;
- (b) while the sheet stack gradually grows on the stack conveyor, moving the stacker platform and the sheet discharge end gradually away from each other;
- (c) once a first job of sheets having a first length in the sheet feeding direction has been stacked on the stack conveyor, moving the stack conveyor in the conveyor direction;
- (d) stacking a second job in an intermediate position on the first job;
- (e) repeating steps(c) and (d) until the stack is completed;
- (f) evacuating the stack from the stack conveyor.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.