Integral sheet hole punching and output inverting system

Abstract

In a printing system on-line sheet output system with a rotating disks type sheet inverter and stacker in which the printed sheets are individually registered and rotated for inversion before being released for stacking while partially held in slots in the disks, an integral on-line hole punching system is provided for selectively outputting those sheets with or without a preselected hole pattern. A plurality of laterally repositionable sheet punches are integrally rotatable with the sheet inverter disks and positioned to punch a sheet while that sheet is moving and being individually rotated for inversion by the disks, by engagement of the punches by sheet punch actuators, before that sheet is released for stacking. The sheet punches may be sequentially and/or profiled cam gradually activated as the sheet is rotated to reduce the maximum required sheet punching force.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.