Method and apparatus for conveying sheets of corrugated cardboard or similar material through a processing machine

Apparatus for conveying individual prefabricated sheets of corrugated cardboard or similar material along a path through a processing machine having a feed-in unit and a processing unit, said conveyor apparatus comprising:

• (a) a pair of cooperating conveyor belts arranged in opposition to each other, said belts being disposed at one side of said path for gripping a sheet along a marginal edge thereof, one of said belts having a cross-section with a flat edge directed toward said path, and the other of said belts having a cross-section with a non-planar edge directed toward said flat edge;
• (b) a pair of deflecting rollers, one of which is power driven, over which said one of said belts runs;
• (c) at least one support roller disposed between said deflecting rollers, the distance between any two rollers being at most one-half of the dimension in the direction of conveyance of the smallest sheet for which the apparatus is intended;
• (d) a corresponding number of freely journaled deflecting and support rollers supporting said other of said belts, and respectively opposing corresponding rollers for said one belt;
• (e) means on one of said units supporting all said rollers so that the space between said belts is less than the thickness of the sheet;
• (f) a plurality of support belts laterally distributed over the working width of the machine;
• and
• (g) forward and rearward deflecting rollers carried by said one unit over which said support belts run, one of said last-named deflecting rollers being power driven such that said support belts move at the speed of said one conveyor belt, one of said last-named deflecting rollers which is forward in the direction of conveyance, being coaxial with the corresponding one of said deflecting rollers for said one conveyor belt.