Method and apparatus for conveying folded sheets using orbitally gripping and releasing clamp pads

Abstract

Apparatus for conveying folded sheets along a raceway and in an inverted V-shaped position and moving the sheets to an elevating conveyor which turns the sheets onto their sides where the sheets can then be further moved into a trimmer or stacked or the like. The apparatus provides for safe and accurate transport of the sheets and for movement at a constant velocity so that the sheets can be moved at the high speed of the printing press which is producing these sheets. Also, an orbital type of device is utilized for picking up the sheets from the raceway and like conveyor while maintaining the sheets in their horizontal orientation and then presenting the sheets to the vertical elevating conveyor, all without upsetting the relationship between the sheets in the multiplicity of folded sheets such as a signature. Further, the sheets are moved through a caliper section where the size of the sheets is detected, and any sheets which are not of standard size are then culled out of the stream of sheets by means of a reject gate which removes the non-standard size sheets from the stream. A method is employed to move the folded sheets at a continuous high-speed velocity. The sheets are elevated and then laid onto their side.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.