Method and apparatus for turning continuously conveyed flat structures, especially arriving imbricated printed products such as to retain their original imbricated formation

An apparatus for turning continuously conveyed substantially flat flexible structures, especially printed products, arriving in an imbricated formation, comprising:

• means for infeeding the substantially flat flexible structures in an imbricated formation;
• means for outfeeding the substantially flat flexible structures;
• a deflection mechanism arranged between the infeed means and the outfeed means for the substantially flat flexible structures;
• said deflection mechanism comprising at least one endless revolvingly driven traction element;
• said deflection mechanism further comprising a deflection wheel;
• said at least one endless revolvingly driven traction element comprising two essentially linearly extending runs;
• said at least one endless revolvingly driven traction element being guided between said two essentially linearly extending runs about said deflection wheel;
• a plurality of carrier elements carrying a plurality of controlled grippers and arranged in mutually spaced relationship from one another on said at least one endless revolving driving traction element;
• said plurality of carrier elements protruding outwardly from said at least one endless revolving driven traction element;
• each said carrier element having an outer end;
• a respective one of said plurality of controlled grippers being mounted at the outer end of each said carrier element for laterally gripping an associated substantially flat flexible structure;
• and
• each said controlled gripper serving for individually grippingly engaging a flat structure for the controlled turning of the substantially flat flexible structures.

An apparatus for turning continuously conveyed substantially flat flexible structures, especially printed products, arriving in an imbricated formation, comprising:

• means for infeeding the substantially flat flexible structures in an imbricated formation;
• means for outfeeding the substantially flat flexible structures;
• a deflection mechanism arranged between the infeed means and the outfeed means for the substantially flat flexible structures;
• said deflection mechanism comprising at least one endless revolvingly driven traction element;
• said deflection mechanism further comprising a deflection wheel;
• said at least one endless revolvingly driven traction element comprising two essentially linearly extending runs;
• said at least one revolvingly driven traction element being guided between said two essentially linearly extending runs about said deflection wheel;
• a plurality of carrier elements arranged in mutually spaced relationship from one another on said at least one endless revolving driven traction element;
• said plurality of carrier elements protruding outwardly from said at least one endless revolving driven traction element;
• each said carrier element having an outer end;
• a controlled gripper mounted at the outer end of each said carrier element;
• each said controlled gripper serving for individually engaging a flat structure;
• said at least one endless revolving driven traction element comprising two pairs of substantially mutually parallel revolvingly driven chains;
• each of said chains being provided with said outwardly protruding carrier elements;
• and
• said controlled grippers being structured to coact in pairs so as to engage opposite lateral edges of an associated flat structure infed to each said coacting pair of grippers.

An apparatus for turning continuously conveyed substantially flat flexible structures, especially printed products, arriving in an imbricated formation, comprising:

• means for infeeding the substantially flat flexible structures in an imbricated formation;
• means for outfeeding the substantially flat flexible structures;
• a deflection mechanism arranged between the infeed means and the outfeed means for the substantially flat flexible structures;
• said deflection mechanism comprising at least one endless revolvingly driven traction element;
• said deflection mechanism further comprising a deflection wheel;
• said at least one endless revolvingly driven traction element comprising two essentially linearly extending runs;
• said at least one endless revolvingly driven traction element being guided between said two essentially linearly extending runs about said deflection wheel;
• a plurality of carrier elements arranged in mutually spaced relationship from one another on said at least one endless revolving driven traction element;
• said plurality of carrier elements protruding outwardly from said at least one endless revolving driven traction element;
• each said carrier element having an outer end;
• a controlled gripper mounted at the outer end of each said carrier element;
• each said controlled gripper serving for individually engaging a flat structure;
• each of said controlled grippers moving through a predetermined path of travel;
• guide means arranged at a region of the path of travel of the controlled grippers where the traction element is guided about the deflection wheel;
• and
• said guide means comprising guide rolls for the substantially flat flexible structures.

An apparatus for turning continuously conveyed substantially flat flexible structures, especially printed products, arriving in an imbricated formation, comprising:

• means for infeeding the substantially flat flexible structures in an imbricated formation;
• means for outfeeding the substantially flat flexible structures;
• a deflection mechanism arranged between the infeed means and the outfeed means for the substantially flat flexible structures;
• said deflection mechanism comprising at least one endless revolvingly driven traction element;
• said deflection mechanism further comprising a deflection wheel;
• said at least one endless revolvingly driven traction element comprising two essentially linearly extending runs;
• said at least one revolvingly driven traction element being guided between said two essentially linearly extending runs about said deflection wheel;
• a plurality of carrier elements arranged in mutually spaced relationship from one another on said at least one endless revolving driven traction element;
• said plurality of carrier elements protruding outwardly from said at least one endless revolving driven traction element;
• each said carrier element having an outer end;
• a controlled gripper mounted at the outer end of each said carrier element;
• each said controlled gripper serving for individually engaging a flat structure;
• a single conveyor means;
• said single conveyor means being equipped with grippers for seizing an edge of each one of the substantially flat flexible structures which extends transversely with respect to a predetermined conveying direction of the substantially flat flexible structures;
• said single conveyor means having a pair of conveyor runs;
• said means for infeeding the substantially flat flexible structures being constituted by one run of said pair of runs of said single conveyor means;
• and
• said means for outfeeding the substantially flat flexible structures is constituted by the other run of the pair of runs of said single conveyor means.

An apparatus for turning infed substantially flat flexible structures, especially printed products, arriving in a predetermined formation, comprising:

• means for infeeding the substantially flat flexible structures in an imbricated formation;
• means for outfeeding the substantially flat flexible structures;
• deflection means arranged between the infeed means and the outfeed means for the substantially flat flexible structures;
• said deflection means comprising at least one endless revolvingly driven element;
• said deflection means further comprising a deflection wheel;
• said at least one endless revolvingly driven element comprising two runs;
• said at least one endless revolvingly driven element being guided between said two runs about said deflection wheel;
• a plurality of carrier elements carrying a plurality of grippers and arranged in mutually spaced relationship from one another on said at least one endless revolving driven element;
• said carrier elements protruding outwardly from said at least one endless revolving driven element;
• each said carrier element having an outer end;
• a respective one of said plurality of grippers being mounted at the outer end of each said carrier element;
• and
• each said gripper serving for individually laterally engaging with a substantially flat flexible structure for grippingly turning the substantially flat flexible structures.

A method for turning continuously conveyed substantially flat flexible structures, especially printed products, arriving in an imbricated formation comprising the steps of:

• conveying the substantially flat flexible structures during infeed thereof in an imbricated formation along a predetermined path of travel and at a predetermined infeed velocity;
• individually laterally seizing the substantially flat flexible structures;
• gradually accelerating the individually laterally seized substantially flat flexible structures such that each laterally seized substantially flat flexible structure is singled from the imbricated formation;
• individually turning each such singled and laterally seized gradually accelerated substantially flat flexible structure about a deflection axis directed transversely with respect to said predetermined path of travel of the infed imbricated formation of substantially flat flexible structures;
• individually gradually decelerating the turned singled and laterally seized substantially flat flexible structures;
• and
• releasing the individually and laterally seized, decelerated substantially flat structures and outfeeding the released substantially flat flexible structures in an outfeed direction opposite to the infeed conveying direction of the imbricated formation of substantially flat flexible structures.