US 2003/0164588 A1 · Method and installation for transforming a stream of flat articles conveyed in a held manner into an imbricated stream in which the arrangement of the articles is selectable

Abstract

A supply stream (1) of flat articles (8), in particular of printed products, conveyed hanging and held by grippers is transformed into an imbricated stream (2, 3, 4, 5) or into sections of an imbricated stream, in which the articles are arranged in one of two or advantageously four possible ways. For the stream transformation, the articles (8) are selectively deposited on a conveying surface at a first or at a second depositing point (I, II), wherein the articles (8) deposited at the first depositing point (I) or to be deposited at the first depositing point (I) are additionally rotated by 180° (after or before deposition) and wherein the held article edges are, advantageously selectively, leading or trailing on deposition. The selective stream transformation as well as switching from one transformation mode (A, B/B′, C or D/D′) to another one are very simple. The stream transformation is suitable in particular for supplying an imbricated stream of printed products selectively to either one of two stacking devices with opposing stacking directions, and for producing e.g. cross stacks (6, 7) in the stacking devices.

Claims15

Dependent claims

Method for transforming a supply stream (1) of flat articles (8) into an imbricated stream (2, 3, 4, 5) with a selectable article arrangement, the method comprising the steps of:

conveying the flat articles (8) in the supply stream (1), each article individually held at an upper edge and in a conveying direction being oriented substantially transverse to the held edges,
depositing the flat articles (8) from held conveyance selectively at a first depositing point (I) or at a second depositing point (II) with the held edges leading or trailing on to a conveying surface (13) to form an imbricated stream on the conveying surface (13),
and conveying the flat articles in the imbricated stream away on the conveying surface (13),
wherein the articles deposited at the first depositing point (I) or to be deposited at the first depositing point (I) are in addition rotated by 180° around the conveying direction.

1 more element

Installation for transforming a supply stream (1) of flat articles (8) into an imbricated stream (2, 3, 4, 5) with a selectable article arrangement, the installation comprising:

a supply means (10) with grippers (11) for supplying the flat articles (8) each held individually at an upper edge substantially transverse to a conveying direction
and a conveying-away means (12) with a conveying surface (13) for conveying-away the imbricated stream (2, 3, 4, 5),
wherein, at a first and a second depositing point (I, II), the conveying surface (13) is arranged underneath the grippers (11, 11′) and driven in the same direction as the grippers,
wherein at the first and the second depositing point (I, II), means (15) are arranged for selectively de-activating the grippers (11, 11′) and means for displacing the lower edges of the articles (8) held by the grippers (11, 11′) into a leading or a trailing position relative to the held edges,
and wherein, upstream or downstream of the first depositing point (I), a rotation means is provided for rotating the articles to be deposited at the first depositing point or deposited at the first depositing point (I) by 180° around the conveying direction.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and installation for transforming a stream of flat articles conveyed in a held manner into an imbricated stream in which the arrangement of the articles is selectable

Life of this patent

Method and installation for transforming a stream of flat articles conveyed in a held manner into an imbricated stream in which the arrangement of the articles is selectable

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims15