Sheet handling device particularly useful as ledger feeder and stacker for accounting machines

A sheet handling device for handling sheets to be processed by a data processing machine, comprising:

• a right and left side frame member:
• a main hopper compartment disposed between said frame members for receiving sheets to be processed;
• a main stacker compartment disposed between said frame members for receiving sheets after their processing;
• sheet feeding means for feeding the sheets from the main hopper compartment through a first path leading to the data processing machine;
• sheet stacking means for moving the sheets, after their processing by the data processing machine, through a second path leading from the data processing machine to the stacker compartment;
• a stacker ram pivotally mounted to said frame members in the main stacker compartment;
• and ram drive means for moving the stacker ram away from the stack of sheets in the main stacker compartment during the operation of the stacking means, and against said stack to compact same during the operation of the sheet feeding means.

A sheet handling device for handling sheets to be processed by a data processing machine, comprising:

• a right and left side frame member;
• a main hopper compartment disposed between said frame members for receiving sheets to be processed;
• a main stacker compartment disposed between said frame members for receiving sheets after their processing;
• sheet feeding means for feeding sheets from the main hopper compartment through a first path leading to the data processing machine;
• sheet stacking means for moving the sheets after their processing by the data processing machine, through a second path leading from the data processing machine to the stacker compartment;
• said second path including a hold station disposed between said frame members for temporarily holding processed sheets being fed from the data processing machine;
• a substantially V-shaped pivotably mounted hold station deflector in said second path said deflector being pivotably actuated by a sheet moving into the hold station wherein said sheet engages one surface of said V-shaped deflector causing said deflector to pivot into a blocking position to prevent another sheet leaving the data processing machine from passing into said second path;
• and control means for selectively controlling said sheet stacking means to terminate the operation thereof when the process card has reached the hold station.