Apparatus for stuffing newspapers or the like

In an apparatus for collating and otherwise manipulating sheet material articles, particularly in a newspaper stuffing apparatus, a combination comprising a plurality of pockets;

• means for transporting said pockets in a predetermined direction along a predetermined path;
• means for feeding different sheet material articles into successive pockets in at least two different portions of said path, each of said pockets comprising a lower portion having a recess into which portions of articles in the respective pocket extend;
• and means for withdrawing the articles from successive pockets in a further portion of said path downstream of said first mentioned portions, as considered in said direction, including means for gripping the articles in the pockets in said further portion of said path, said path being located at a level above said withdrawing means and said gripping means including at least one set of mobile components and means for moving such mobile components toward the recesses of oncoming pockets as well as for moving said mobile components relative to each other in a direction to grip said portions of articles in a pocket which is located in said further portion of said path, said moving means comprising a rotary member having a plurality of teeth and tooth spaces between said teeth and said gripping means including a discrete set of mobile components for each of said tooth spaces and each of said sets including a first jaw on said rotary member and a second jaw movable toward and away from the respective first jaw to thereby grip said portions of articles in a pocket on movement of said second jaw toward the respective first jaw, said withdrawing means further comprising means for driving said rotary member in synchronism with said transporting means so as to place successive tooth spaces into register with the recesses of successive pockets.