Apparatus for gathering square folded sheets in bookbinding machines

Abstract

The backs of a stack of square folded sheets in a gathering apparatus rest on the upper side of the upper reach of an endless belt, and successive sheets of the stack are withdrawn by the gripper of a rotating drum which delivers a succession of discrete sheets into the nip of two rotary opening conveyors serving to deposit opened sheets on the straight upper reach of a chain conveyor. The folded edges of the folded sheets are located ahead of the unfolded edges, as considered in the direction of travel of the upper reach of the chain conveyor, when the sheets are in the process of descending onto the chain conveyor, and the axes of the drum and opening conveyors make acute angles with and slope toward the upper reach of the chain conveyor counter to the direction of travel of the upper reach. The upper side of the belt is parallel to the axes of the drum and opening conveyors and also slopes toward the upper reach of the chain conveyor counter to the direction of travel of the upper reach. Such mode of depositing square folded sheets prevents their unfolded edges from interfering with predictable deposition, even when the chain conveyor is to receive sheets at frequent intervals.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.