Bin for receiving sheets

A bin for receiving sheets in a collator or sorter having means for feeding sheets at a selected level in a feed direction comprising:

• a substantially vertical rear end plate positioned below said level for forming an aligning face of sheet-ends;
• a first inclined plate connected to a lower edge of said rear end plate and inclined downwardly from said rear end plate at an acute angle to the horizontal and extending downstream of the feed direction;
• a second inclined plate connected to a lower edge of said first inclined plate and extending at an acute angle to the horizontal upwardly of said first inclined plate to a level above said selected level, said second inclined plate having a length greater than said first inclined plate in the feed direction;
• and
• at least one stop at a downstream end of said second inclined plate in the feed direction for stopping front edges of sheets fed by said means for feeding sheets;
• connections between said rear end, first inclined and second inclined plates being smooth whereby sheets fed by said means for feeding sheets feed each sheet against said second inclined plate and up said second inclined plate to a level above said second inclined plate so that by the weight of each sheet, each sheet descends along said second inclined plate and up said first inclined plate until it abuts said substantially vertical rear end plate, said acute angle from a horizontal of said second inclined plate being chosen to be sufficient so that the weight of each sheet produces a downward force on said second inclined plate greater than the frictional force between sheets to be stacked and between a first sheet to be stacked and said second inclined plate.