Apparatus for delivery of printed sheets of paper or the like in successive stacks

An apparatus for delivery of sheets of paper or like material in successive stacks, comprising:

• (a) infeed means for successively supplying sheets to be delivered;
• (b) a delivery fan comprising a rotary shaft, and a plurality of sets of blades disposed at constant circumferential spacings on the shaft for receiving therebetween the successive sheets from the infeed means, the delivery fan being capable of rotation in a prescribed direction;
• (c) abutment means to be hit by the successive sheets being carried by the delivery fan, the sheets on hitting the abutment means falling off the delivery fan with continued rotation thereof;
• (d) delivery means underlying the delivery fan for receiving and having stacked thereon the sheets successively falling off the delivery fan;
• (e) a temporary sheet holder angularly displaceable about the same axis as the delivery fan between a working position, where the temporary sheet holder temporarily receives the sheets falling off the delivery fan pending replacement of a preformed stack of sheets on the delivery means, and a retracted position where the temporary sheet holder allows the sheets to fall from the delivery fan onto the delivery means, the retracted position being spaced upstream from the working position with respect to the prescribed direction of rotation of the delivery fan;
• (f) overrunning clutch means through which the temporary sheet holder is mounted to the shaft of the delivery fan for preventing the temporary sheet holder from rotating faster than the delivery fan shaft in a direction from the retracted to the working position, and for allowing the temporary sheet holder to rotate independently of the delivery fan shaft in a direction from the working to the retracted position;
• (g) resilient means acting between the temporary sheet holder and a stationary part of the apparatus for biasing the former from the retracted toward the working position and hence for causing, in cooperation with the overrunning clutch means, the temporary sheet holder to travel at the same angular velocity as the delivery fan from the retracted to the working position;
• and
• (h) drive means for moving the temporary sheet holder from the working to the retracted position against the bias of the resilient means.