Method and apparatus for transferring printed products arriving in at least one continuous product stream to the infeed paths or lines of at least two processing stations

A method of transferring products arriving in at least one continuous product stream, especially in an imbricated stream of printed products, to the infeed paths of at least two processing stations, comprising the steps of:

• engaging the product stream and guiding the engaged product stream such that it crosses at least predeterminate ones of the infeed paths at predeterminate crossing locations;
• transferring at least for a predeterminate period of time at least part of the product stream at least at a predeterminate one of the crossing locations to an associated storage device at which there is stored the transferred part of the product stream;
• and
• during the independent of such transfer emptying at the region of said at least predeterminate one of the crossing locations at least a predominant portion of the previously stored products of the storage device at the region of a transfer location to an associated one of the infeed paths.

An apparatus for transferring products, especially printed products arriving in at least one continuous product stream, especially in an imbricated product stream, to the respective infeed paths of at least two processing stations, comprising:

• at least two processing stations;
• means defining an infeed path for each said at least two processing stations for infeeding products thereto;
• at least one conveyor means for infeeding the product stream towards the infeed path of each processing station;
• said conveyor means crossing each of the infeed paths at a respective predeterminate crossing location;
• said infeed paths comprising at each crossing location at least one product transfer location;
• a storage device arranged at each crossing location;
• said storage device being alignable with the conveyor means and with the transfer location;
• and
• means for simultaneously loading the storage device with products and emptying at least a predominant portion of stored products from the storage device.

A method of transferring products arriving in at least one continuous product stream, especially in an imbricated stream of printed products, to the infeed paths of at least two processing stations, comprising the steps of:

• engaging the product stream and guiding the engaged product stream such that it crosses each of the infeed paths at predeterminate crossing locations;
• transferring at least for a predeterminate period of time at least part of the product stream at least at a predeterminate one of the crossing locations to an associated storage device at which there are stored the transferred part of the product stream while retaining the formation of the infed product stream;
• during such transfer at the same time emptying at the region of said at least predeterminate one of the crossing locations stored products of the storage device at the region of a transfer location to an associated one of the infeed paths;
• during said steps of transferring and storing said part of said product stream, winding up at the storage device the product stream into a first wound product package while during the same time unwinding previously wound up products from a second product package at the storage device;
• delivering the unwound products of the second product package by means of the transfer location to said associated infeed path;
• and
• upon formation of said full first wound product package delivering the product stream to a further one of said predeterminate crossing locations as long as the second wound product package at said at least predeterminate one of the crossing locations is not completely unwound.

An apparatus for transferring products, especially printed products arriving in at least one continuous product stream, especially in an imbricated product stream, to the respective infeed paths of at least two processing stations, comprising:

• at least two processing stations;
• means defining an infeed path for each said at least two processing stations for infeeding products thereto;
• at least one conveyor means for infeeding the product stream towards the infeed path of each processing station;
• said conveyor means crossing each of the infeed paths at a respective predeterminate crossing location;
• said infeed paths comprising at each crossing location at least one product transfer location;
• a storage device arranged at each crossing location;
• said storage device being alignable with the conveyor means and with the transfer location;
• means for simultaneously loading with products and emptying products from the storage device;
• each of said storage devices arranged at respective ones of said crossing locations containing a common package frame means;
• and
• each said common package frame means comprising two individual and independently driveable winding cores for selectively reeling and unreeling products thereon and thereoff.