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US 4,547,112 AGranted
Signature handling apparatus
AssigneeRima Enterprises
InventorHorst K. Steinhart
Life of this patent
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AssigneeRima Enterprises
InventorHorst K. Steinhart
Estimating the term…
An improved apparatus is operable to stack signatures having one edge portion which is thicker than other edge portions of the signatures. The apparatus compensates for the thickness of the one edge portion by flattening the one edge portion and offsetting successive layers in a stack of signatures. The apparatus includes a platform which receives the signatures in an initial orientation. This platform is rotated about a vertical axis to offset a first group of signatures from their initial orientation. The signatures subsequently received on the platform have a relatively thick edge portion offset from the first group of signatures. After a retractable apparatus has been extended over the top of a group of signatures, the platform is raised to press the signatures against the retractable apparatus and thereby flatten the signatures.
An apparatus for use in stacking signatures having linear edge portions with one edge portion thicker than other edge portions and compensating for the thickness of the one edge portion by flattening the one edge portion and offsetting successive layers of a stack of the signatures, said apparatus comprising platform means for receiving signatures with the one edge portion in an initial spatial orientation, first drive means for rotating said platform means through a predetermined arcuate distance about a vertical axis to offset a first group of signatures from the initial spatial orientation so that signatures subsequently received on said platform means in the initial spatial orientation have their one edge portion offset from the one edge portion of signatures in the first group of signatures, retractable means operable between a retracted condition and an extended condition in which said retractable means extends over the top of signatures on said platform means, said retractable means including a first compression member which is skewed at an acute angle to and extends across the one edge portion of a signature adjacent to a first corner of the signature when said retractable means is in the extended condition, and a second compression member which is skewed at an acute angle to and extends across the one edge portion of the signature adjacent to a second corner of the signature when said retractable means is in the extended condition, and second drive means for raising said platform means to press signatures on said platform means against said retractable means when said retractable means is in the extended condition to compress the first group of signatures and thereby flatten the one edge portion of the signatures in the first group of signatures.
An apparatus for use in stacking signatures having four linear edge portions which intersect at four corners of the signatures with one edge portion thicker than other edge portions and compensating for the thickness of the one edge portion by compressing the one edge portion and offsetting successive groups of signatures in a stack of the signatures, said apparatus comprising platform means for receiving signatures in an initial spatial orientation, first drive means for rotating said platform means through a predetermined arcuate distance about a vertical axis to offset a first group of signatures from the initial spatial orientation so that a second group of signatures subsequently received on said platform means have their one edge portion offset from the one edge portion of signatures in the first group of signatures, a plurality of compression members, motor means for moving said compression members from retracted positions to extended positions extending over said platform means and for moving said compression members from their extended positions to their retracted positions, said motor means and plurality of compression members being connected with said platform means for rotation therewith under the influence of said first drive means, said plurality of compression members including first and second compression members which extend across edge portions of the first group of signatures at locations adjacent to the one edge portion when said first and second compression members are in their extended positions over the first group of signatures and third and fourth compression members which extend across edge portions of the first group of signatures at locations adjacent to an edge portion opposite from the one edge portion when said third and fourth compression members are in their extended positions over said first group of signatures, said first and second compression members extending across said second group of signatures at locations adjacent to the edge portion opposite from the one edge portion of the signatures of the second group of signatures when the second group of signatures is disposed on top of the first group of signatures and said first and second compression members are in their extended positions, said third and fourth compression members extending across said second group of signatures at locations adjacent to the one edge portion of the signatures of the second group of signatures when the second group of signatures is disposed on top of the first group of signatures and said third and fourth compression members are in their extended positions, and second drive means for raising said platform means to press signatures on said platform means against said first, second, third and fourth compression members when said compression members are in their extended positions to compress the signatures on said platform means adjacent to the one edge portion and the edge portion opposite from the one edge portion of the signatures.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.