Sorting device
AssigneeOce-van der Grinten N.V.
InventorsTheo P. C. Breuers, Andreas T. Heijnen, Hendrikus J. J. van Soest
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Device for the assorted collection of sheets, comprising a transport track and bins situated along this track. The bins are provided with guide organs and each bin can be moved so that its guide organ protrudes into the track so as to guide a sheet into a bin. In the transport track the sheets are transported by means of belts running around a vacuum holddown device so as to hold the sheets onto the belts.
Claims22
Apparatus for the assorted collection of sheets, comprising means for transporting sheets to be assorted successively along a sorting track, a group of bins situated along a side of said track, and guide organs movable selectively into said track and each operative therein to divert a sheet therefrom into a pertaining bin, characterized in that each bin of a plurality of said bins has a guide organ unified therewith and is movable to and fro relative to said track and independently of the other of said bins between two positions in a first of which the guide organ on the bin is situated out of the path of movement of a sheet in said track and in the second of which said guide organ protrudes into said path to divert a sheet from said track into one of said bins.
Apparatus for the assorted collection of sheets, comprising a suction box having upright walls at opposite sides thereof and a top wall extending between said upright walls, a plurality of substantially parallel endless belts which are mutually spaced apart and are movable about said box on and along the outer sides of said walls to define with them a track including a rising track part and a descending track part respectively along said upright walls and a mainly horizontal transition part along said top wall, and walls having openings therethrough in the spaces between said belts, means for maintaining a reduced air pressure in said box whereby a sheet brought to said track will be transported therealong by being held against said belts by suction through said openings, first and second groups of trays positioned, respectively, beside said rising track part and said descending part, each of said groups comprising a multiplicity of superposed, mainly horizontal trays each of which has a guide organ thereon and is movable to and fro relative to said track, and independently of the other trays of the group, between two positions in a first of which the guide organ on the tray is situated out of the path of movement of a sheet in said track and in the second of which said guide organ protrudes into said path to divert a sheet from said track into one of said trays, said first position of each said tray being a normal rest position thereof which the tray occupies when not being displaced toward said track, the said guide organ on any tray of said first group in said second position being operative to divert a sheet from said track into the next lower tray of said group and the said guide organ on any tray of said second group in said second position being operative to divert a sheet from said track into its own tray, and means for displacing said trays of each said group in succession, each to its said second position and thereafter back to its said first position, at intervals such that sheets being transported successively along said track are deposited into respective successive trays.
Apparatus according to claim 27, said transition part making ahead of said descending track part a sharp bend whereby each sheet being transported over said bend is directed out of said track, and a guide member lying obliquely at a location beyond said bend to receive each sheet so directed and then to deliver the sheet with its originally trailing edge downward, so in reversed position, to an upper portion of said descending part.
A sorting apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of sheet receiving bins, each of said bins including a member for supporting sheets in said bin;
- means for transporting a sheet past each of said bins;
- each of said members including an integral means for deflecting a sheet from said transport and guiding said sheet into one of said bins;
- and
- means for supporting said members for movement selectively between a first position wherein said deflecting means is operative to deflect and guide a sheet from said transport into a bin and a second position wherein said deflecting means is inoperative to deflect and guide a sheet from said transport into a bin.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.