Sheet material collating apparatus

In an apparatus for collating and otherwise manipulating sheet material articles including jackets which exhibit a tendency to open and inserts for such jackets, particularly in a newspaper stuffing apparatus, the combination of a plurality of pockets each having a first and a second wall, said second wall being movable with respect to said first wall between first and second positions and said walls enabling the jacket therein to open in one of said positions of said second wall;

• means for transporting said pockets along an endless path, said pockets extending transversely of the direction of movement of pockets along said path;
• at least one stuffer including a first device for feeding jackets between the walls of successive pockets in a first portion of said path and at least one second device for feeding inserts into the jackets in successive pockets in a second portion of said path;
• means for moving said second walls of successive pockets to said one position intermediate said first and second portions of said path;
• means for evacuating assembled jackets and inserts from successive pockets in a third portion of said path;
• at least one retaining device for each of said pockets;
• guide means for each of said retaining devices, said guide means having a longitudinally extending direction and extending transversely of the direction of movement of pockets along said path;
• means for introducing said retaining devices between the walls of successive pockets and into open jackets in such pockets intermediate said first and second portions of said path, said introducing means including means for moving said retaining devices in one direction along the respective guide means;
• means for moving the inserted retaining devices toward one of the respective walls to thereby clamp a portion of the open jacket against said one wall of the respective pocket during transport of pockets past said second feeding device;
• and means for removing said retaining devices from the respective pockets not later than in said third portion of said path, said removing means including means for moving said retaining devices in the opposite direction along the respective guide means.