System and method for collating book and pamphlet signatures and the like

A method for collating signatures for books, pamphlets, and the like in a system comprising serially arranged stations delivering said signatures, and a transport adapted to pick up said signatures and take them to said stations to form stacks of said signatures, said method being characterized in that it comprises the steps of:

• detecting each anomaly by missed delivery of one said signature at one said station, and forming consequently anomalous stacks by lack of one said signature,
• detecting the positions progressively occupied by said anomalous stacks through said system,
• stopping each said station on one said anomalous stack moving past on said transport,
• diverting said anomalous stacks out of said transport and subsequently re-loading of the same on said transport upstream of said previously stopped stations, and
• activating, on said anomalous stacks re-loaded onto said transport moving past, just those stations which have missing signatures from said re-loaded stacks.

A method for collating signatures for books, pamphlets, and the like in a system comprising consecutively arranged stations delivering said signatures, and a transport adapted to pick up said signatures and take them from said stations to form stacks of said signatures, said method comprising

• detecting each anomaly involving a missed delivery of a signature at one said station, and forming consecutively anomalous stacks involving a missed signature;
• detecting the positions progressively occupied by said anomalous stacks through said system;
• stopping each said station producing said anomalous stack moving on said transport;
• diverting said anomalous stacks out of said transport and subsequently re-loading of said anomalous stacks on said transport upstream of said previously stopped stations;
• and
• reactivating just those stations which have missed delivery of a signature to enable delivery of said missed signature to anomalous stacks reloaded onto said transport when said stacks move past said station.