# US 5,346,206 A · Processing a stream of imbricated printed products into successive stacks > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 5,346,206 A - Document ID: US5346206A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 07/816,189 - Filed: 1992-01-02 - Granted: 1994-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 1992-01-02 - Assignees: Rima Enterprises - Inventors: Horst Steinhart - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5346206A ## CPC - B65H 29/66: Advancing articles in overlapping streams - B65H 29/60: diverting the stream into alternative paths (B65H29/62 takes precedence) - B65H 31/24: multiple or compartmented, e.d. for alternate, programmed, or selective filling - B65H 33/12: by creating gaps in the stream - B65H 2220/09: indicating that several of an entity are present - B65H 2301/4223: Pressing piles - B65H 2402/351: Turntables - B65H: HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES ## Abstract A product handling system for stacking printed products. The system includes a plurality of product stacking bins, a conveyor, a gapper and a plurality of diverters. In a preferred embodiment, the stacking bin is a compensating stacking bin including a temporary holding device which drops products onto a platform after a predetermined number of products have accumulated therein, a compression device which compresses the product stack on the platform, a compensation device which rotates the product stack on the platform and a product pusher device which pushes the product stack off of the platform. The system also includes a control processor to control the system. The diverter of the present invention has a low profile and can be integrated with a stacker conveyor. The system is actuated by pneumatic power. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A product handling system for an imbricated stream of products, each product having at least one connected edge, comprising: a plurality of product stacking bins wherein each stacking bin includes a product size adjustment device; a conveyor for moving the products from a product source to a first one of the stacking bins; a gapper for selectively gapping the products on the conveyor, thereby providing a plurality of gapped imbricated product streams; a plurality of diverters wherein each diverter selectively connects one stacking bin to the next stacking bin so that the stacking bins are serially connected, each diverter comprising a wedge connected to an actuating device coplanar to the conveyor in a low-profile assembly; and a control processor for controlling the activation of the gapper and the diverters; whereby the combination of the low-profile diverter and the product size adjustment device allows for a plurality of product types to be quickly stacked in the plurality of stacking bins. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The product handling system defined in claim 1, wherein the product stacking bins are compensating stacking bins. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The product handling system defined in claim 1, wherein the product stacking bins are substantially identical. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The product handling system defined in claim 1, wherein the gapper includes an electrically activated pneumatic cylinder. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The product handling system defined in claim 1, wherein each diverter includes an electrically activated pneumatic cylinder. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The product handling system defined in claim 1, wherein each diverter includes a wedge connected to a stacker conveyor. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The product handling system defined in claim 1, wherein the control processor includes a programmable logic controller and a memory. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The product handling system defined in claim 1, additionally comprising a product sensor for sensing products on the conveyor. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The product handling system defined in claim 1, additionally comprising a high speed sensor for sensing the speed of the conveyor. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The product handling system defined in claim 1, wherein each stacking bin is adjustable to accept products of varying sizes. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The product handling system defined in claim 1, wherein the diverters are substantially identical. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The product handling system defined in claim 1, wherein the diverters and product stacking bins are modular so that system size is incrementally expanded by adding one diverter and one stacking bin. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The product handling system defined in claim 1, wherein any one diverter is located above any one stacking bin. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The product handling system defined in claim 1, wherein the location of each diverter is fixed along a line parallel to product stream flow so as to allow adjustment of the stacking bins. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The product handling system defined in claim 1, wherein the product size adjustment device can comprise a length adjustment and a width adjustment. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The product handling system defined in claim 1, wherein the control processor additionally provides control signals to the stacking bins. ### Claim 17 A system for stacking products, wherein each product comprises at least one connected edge, comprising: a plurality of identical product stacking bins wherein each stacking bin includes product size adjustment means; means for receiving a plurality of overlapping products in a stream from a product source; means for periodically gapping the stream so as to create a plurality of stacker streams, each stacker stream comprising a plurality of overlapping products; means for periodically diverting one of the stacker streams to one of the stacking bins, the diverting means comprising a wedge connected to an actuating means coplanar to the receiving means; and a control processor for providing control signals to the gapping means and the diverting means. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The system defined in claim 17, wherein the product stacking bins are compensating stacking bins. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The system defined in claim 17, wherein the stacking bins are adjustable to accept products of varying sizes. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The system defined in claim 17, wherein the control processor additionally provides control signals to the stacking bins. ### Claim 21 (depends on 17) The system defined in claim 17, wherein the receiving means includes a conveyor. ### Claim 22 (depends on 17) The system defined in claim 17, wherein the receiving means includes a product sensor for sensing products in the stream. ### Claim 23 (depends on 17) The system defined in claim 17, wherein the gapping means includes an electrically activated pneumatic cylinder. ### Claim 24 (depends on 17) The system defined in claim 17, wherein the gapping means is active for approximately 50 milliseconds. ### Claim 25 (depends on 17) The system defined in claim 17, wherein the diverting means includes a plurality of diverters which selectively connect one stacking bin to the next stacking bin so that the stacking bins are serially connected. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The system defined in claim 25, wherein the diverters are substantially identical. ### Claim 27 (depends on 25) In the system defined in claim 25, a method of adding a stacking bin and a diverter to thereby increase the size of the system. ### Claim 28 (depends on 25) The system defined in claim 25, wherein the diverters are coplanar to one another. ### Claim 29 (depends on 25) The system defined in claim 25, wherein each diverter is active for approximately 15 milliseconds. ### Claim 30 (depends on 25) The system defined in claim 25, wherein each diverter includes an electrically activated pneumatic cylinder. ### Claim 31 (depends on 25) The system defined in claim 25, wherein each diverter includes a wedge connected to a stacker conveyor. ### Claim 32 (depends on 17) The system defined in claim 17, additionally comprising a high speed sensor for sensing the speed of the receiving means. ### Claim 33 (depends on 17) The system defined in claim 17, wherein the system operates independent of the speed of the product source. ### Claim 34 (depends on 17) The system defined in claim 17, additionally comprising a product counter that sends a signal to the control processor. ### Claim 35 (depends on 17) The system defined in claim 17, wherein the control processor includes a controller and a memory. ### Claim 36 (depends on 35) The system defined in claim 35, wherein a product count for each stacking bin is stored in the memory. ### Claim 37 (depends on 17) The system defined in claim 17, wherein the product stacks are of a low quantity. ### Claim 38 (depends on 37) The system defined in claim 37, wherein the quantity of any one stack is in the range of one to seventeen products. ### Claim 39 (depends on 17) The product handling system defined in claim 17, wherein the diverter means includes a plurality of diverters and any one diverter is located above any one stacking bin. ### Claim 40 (depends on 17) The product handling system defined in claim 17, wherein the location of the diverter means is fixed relative to the bin center position so as to accommodate different product sizes. ### Claim 41 (depends on 17) The system defined in claim 17, wherein the product size adjustment means can comprise a length adjustment and a width adjustment. ### Claim 42 In a system having a gapper, and a plurality of substantially identical adjustable stacking bins and diverters, wherein each diverter comprises a wedge and an actuating device, a method of forming a plurality of product stacks from an imbricated product stream, wherein each product comprises at least one connected edge, the method comprising the steps of: adjusting the size of the stacking bins according to the size of he product; accumulating products from the product stream in a first one of the stacking bins, thereby forming a first stack; activating a first one of the diverters at a first predetermined point in the product stream; translating linear motion of the first diverter activating device to rotational motion of the wedge; conveying a portion of the product stream downstream of the first activated diverter, said portion comprising imbricated products, accumulating products from the product stream portion in a second one of the stacking bins, thereby forming a second stack; actuating the gapper to gap the product stream at a second predetermined point in the product stream; activating a second one of the diverters at a third predetermined point in the product stream; translating linear motion of the second diverter activating device to rotational motion of the wedge; conveying a portion of the product stream downstream of the second activated diverter; and accumulating products from the product stream in a third one of the stacking bins, thereby forming a third stack. ### Claim 43 (depends on 42) The method of forming product stacks defined in claim 42, wherein each stacking bin comprises a compensating stacking bin. ### Claim 44 (depends on 42) The method of forming product stacks defined in claim 42, wherein each diverter comprises a wedge connected to a stacker conveyor. ### Claim 45 (depends on 42) The method of forming product stacks defined in claim 42, additionally comprising the step of initializing and incrementing a product count for each one of the stacking bins. ### Claim 46 (depends on 42) The method of forming product stacks defined in claim 42, wherein the accumulation step includes the steps of: creating a temporary stack; and forming one of the stacks from one or more temporary stacks. ### Claim 47 (depends on 42) The method of forming product stacks defined in claim 42, additionally comprising the step of deactivating the first diverter at a fourth predetermined point in the product stream. ### Claim 48 (depends on 42) The method of forming product stacks defined in claim 42, additionally comprising the step of deactivating the second diverter at a fifth predetermined point in the product stream. ### Claim 49 (depends on 42) The method of forming product stacks defined in claim 42, wherein system size is increased by adding at least one each of substantially identical modular stacking bins and diverters. ### Claim 50 (depends on 42) The method of forming product stacks defined in claim 42, wherein ay one diverter is located above any one stacking bin. ### Claim 51 (depends on 50) The method of forming product stacks defined in claim 50, additionally comprising the step of maintaining the location of the diverter relative to the center of the stacking bin to accommodate different product sizes.