US 4,787,162 AGranted

Device for the cyclic rearrangement of a pile of rectangular or square sheets

AssigneeLicinvest AG

InventorPeter Ackeret

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Abstract

The invention relates to a device for the cyclic rearrangement of a pile of rectangular or square sheets, especially a pile (182) of photographic prints, having a first (12) and a second (14) frame part which may be moved relative to one another and parallel to the main plane of the pile, and having means that, on movement of the frame parts backwards and forwards, remove an individual sheet from one end of the pile and add it to the other end of the pile again, these means comprising: (a) a separating means (20, 68, 71) for separating the individual sheet from the pile, (b) a feeding means (22) for feeding sheets to the separating means, (c) retaining means (26, 28, 32, 80) for holding the individual sheet in the first frame part and the remainder of the pile in the other frame part, and (d) a guide means (79) for guiding the separated individual sheet for the purpose of returning it to the other end of the remainder of the pile, wherein the feeding means (22) on the first frame part (12) has a contact face lying as a result of spring bias (24) adjacent the rear edge (viewed in the direction of movement) of the pile at the end from which a sheet is to be separated, by means of which contact face a force exerted from the pile, parallel to the plane of the pile, on the contact face may be converted into a yielding movement transversely thereto against the spring bias.

Claims45

Dependent claims

An apparatus for cyclic rearrangement of a pile of substantially planar rectangular sheets of nominally identical thickness, said pile having a first end and an opposite second end, said apparatus comprising a first frame part and a second frame part, said frame parts being reciprocable relative to one another along a reciprocation axis which is parallel to the plane of any said sheets, each of said sheets having a first edge transverse to said reciprocation axis and an opposite second edge parallel to said first edge, and said reciprocation extending between a closed end portion in which said frame parts are closest together and an opposite open end position, the apparatus further comprising means responsive to each reciprocation of said frame parts for removing an individual sheet from said first end of said pile leaving a remainder of said pile and for returning said individual sheet to said second end of said pile, said means for removing and returning including:

(a) separating means disposed in said frame parts for separating said individual sheet from said first end of said pile,
(b) feeding means disposed in said first frame part for feeding at least said individual sheet to said separating means,
(c) first retaining means disposed in said frame parts for holding said individual sheet in said first frame part, and
(d) second retaining means disposed in said second frame part for holding the remainder of said pile in said second frame part, said second retaining means engaging said first edges of said sheets in said pile at the start of reciprocation, said feeding means including:
contact means for engaging said second edge of at least said individual sheet, and
bias spring means for urging said contact means and said second edge of at least said individual sheet into engagement,
said contact means being shaped to retain sheets engaged by said contact means against a predetermined force transmitted to each of said engaged sheets by said second retaining means upon said reciprocation, and
said bias spring means yielding to disengage said contact means from each of said engaged sheets to which a force exceeding said predetermined force is applied so as to permit passage past said contact means of those sheets which are subjected to said exceeding force.

5 more elements

An apparatus for cyclic rearrangement of a pile of substantially planar rectangular sheets of nominally identical thickness, said pile having a first end and an opposite second end, said apparatus comprising a first frame part and a second frame part, said frame parts being reciprocable relative to one another along a reciprocation axis which is parallel to the plane of any said sheets, each of said sheets having a first edge transverse to said reciprocation axis and an opposite second edge parallel to said first edge, and said reciprocation extending between a closed end position in which said frame parts are closest together and an opposite open end position, the apparatus further comprising means responsive to each reciprocation of said frame parts for transferring an individual sheet from said first end of said pile to said second end of said pile, said transferring means including:

(a) separating means disposed in said frame parts for separating said individual sheet from said first end of said pile,
(b) feeding means disposed in said first frame part for feeding at least said individual sheet to said separating means,
(c) first retaining means disposed in said frame parts for holding said individual sheet in said first frame part, and
(d) second retaining means disposed in said second frame part for holding the sheets other than said individual sheet in said second frame part,
said first frame part having a viewing window and a spring biased pressing device to urge said pile against said window when said frame parts are in said closed end position,
said feeding means including contact means for engaging said second edge of at least said individual sheet, said second edge being the edge of said individual sheet which is closer to said sheets other than said individual sheet when said frame parts are in said open end position, said contact means being operatively associated with said pressing device.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.