Sheet products stacking and feeding apparatus

An apparatus for stacking and feeding sheet products discharged successively from a discharge position, comprising:

• catcher bars formed of flexible metal belts, disposed above a conveyor, opposed to the discharge position, bent to be accumulated at an accumulated position and arranged and spaced from each other in a lateral direction, the accumulated position being spaced from the discharge position;
• shutter bars disposed between the discharge position and the catcher bars, extending vertically and arranged and spaced from each other in the lateral direction so that the sheet products should collide against the shutter bars to fall onto the conveyor after being discharged successively, for stacking the sheet products on the conveyor;
• and
• a catcher drive by which the catcher bars are pushed out of the accumulated position to pass between the shutter bars and protrude toward the discharge position so that coming products should be received on the catcher bars after stacking the sheet products, the catcher bars being then bent by the catcher drive to be returned to and accumulated at the accumulated position so that the coming products should fall onto the conveyor after feeding the sheet products by the conveyor.