Method and apparatus using electrostatic charges to temporarily hold packets of paper
AssigneeRobert A. Foisie
InventorBernhard J. Welsch
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a paper processing machine, the method and apparatus of this invention apply an opposite electrostatic charge to stacks and reams of paper to eliminate the repelling force from like charges on both sides of the individual sheets of the stack or ream to thereby temporarily bond them together. With the sheets thus temporarily bonded, the stacks and reams of paper can be easily transported between work stations without undesirable sliding of the sheets.
Claims16
A method using electrostatic charges to temporarily hold sheets of paper in assembly, comprising:
- providing means for producing a stack of sheets of paper,
- utilizing said stack producing means to produce a stack of sheets of paper so that the sheets in said stack have an electrostatic charge introduced thereon which tends to repel said sheets from adjacent sheets in said stack and so that, in addition, at least some of said sheets in said stack have a layer of air between adjacent sheets whereby the electrostatic forces and layers of air cause adjacent sheets to slide relative to one another if the stack is moved;
- and
- introducing an opposite electrostatic charge into at least an upper portion of said stack, said opposite electrostatic charge having an opposite polarity to the repelling electrostatic charge on said sheets thereby causing sheets in the upper portion of the stack to no longer repel one another thereby decreasing the tendency of the sheets in the upper portion of said stack to slide relative to one another if the stack is moved.
An apparatus using electrostatic charges to temporarily hold sheets of paper in assembly, comprising:
- means for producing a stack of sheets of paper so that the sheets in said stack have an electrostatic charge introduced thereon which tends to repel said sheets from adjacent sheets in said stack and, in addition, so that at least some of said sheets in said stack have a layer of air between adjacent sheets whereby the electrostatic forces and layers of air cause adjacent sheets to slide relative to one another if the stack is moved;
- and
- means for introducing an opposite electrostatic charge into at least an upper portion of said stack, said opposite electrostatic charge having an opposite polarity to the repelling electrostatic charge on said sheets thereby causing sheets in the upper portion of the stack to no longer repel one another thereby decreasing the tendency of the upper portion of the sheets to slide relative to one another if the stack is moved.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.