Apparatus for transporting sheets of packaging material

Apparatus for transporting sheets of material, said apparatus including means for temporarily storing at least one of said sheets of material (12), said temporary storing means comprising:

• a supply rocker (10) which includes a looping roller carrier (32), a plurality of looping rollers (33) mounted on said looping roller carrier, a plurality of fixed counter rollers (34) positioned relative to said looping rollers such that said sheet of material can pass between said looping rollers and said counter rollers, and a pivot bearing (42) which includes a rotatable axle (48);
• and
• means for pivoting said looping roller carrier (32) about said pivot bearing (42) to thereby cause said looping rollers to move relative to said counter rollers to permit said sheet of material to either run in a straight line between said looping rollers situated on one side thereof and said counter rollers situated on the other side thereof or run in a looped path between said looping rollers and said counter rollers, depending on the position of said looping roller carrier;
• wherein said looping roller carrier is comprised of first and second pivot arm portions (51,52) extending in opposite directions from said pivot bearing (42), each of said pivot arm portions having mounted thereon a plurality of looping rollers, associated fixed counter rollers being provided for the looping rollers of each of said first and second pivot arm portions;
• and
• wherein said rotatable axis (48) is connected to said looping roller carrier (32) to rotate therewith, and includes a slit-shaped passage (53) through which said sheet of material may pass regardless of the position of said looping roller carrier.