Mechanism for drawing superimposed webs for rotary press

For use in a rotary press installation including printing press means operative to discharge a plurality of superimposed webs at a selected discharge velocity to a folding machine, a mechanism for disposition between said printing press means and said folding machine, and operative for drawing said superimposed webs from said printing press means for transfer to said folding machine, said mechanism comprising:

• a drag roller having an outer peripheral surface operative to receive said superimposed webs discharged from said printing press means and having means for rotating and driving said drag roller at a peripheral velocity suitably higher than the velocity of web discharge;
• a plurality of separate, independently operable rotatable propeller rollers disposed adjacent each axial end of said drag roller to cooperate with said drag roller for engaging said superimposed webs at the outer peripheral surface of said superimposed webs along the opposite edges thereof to generate friction forces between said drag and propeller rollers and said superimposed webs to induce movement of said superimposed webs by said drag roller;
• and
• independent, selectively actuable means operative to selectively activate each of the propeller rollers to press the edges of the superimposed webs at longitudinally spaced locations against the outer peripheral surface of said drag roller adjacent the respective axial ends thereof, wherein said plurality of superimposed webs are pressed at their edge portions along opposite sides onto the outer peripheral surface of said drag roller independently by each of said propeller rollers for generating sufficient friction forces at the sites of the respective propeller rollers for simultaneously moving said webs through said mechanism through said folding machine by rotation of said drag roller.