Document facing method and apparatus

A document handling apparatus for changing the face-up/face-down orientation of a generally rectilinear document having an obverse face and a reverce face, a longitudinal dimension, opposed longitudinal edges and opposed lateral edges, said apparatus comprising at least two substantially similar document folding modules, each of said folding modules comprising a document gripping and advancing portion for engaging the document in a first longitudinal half portion extending from one edge to the center of the longitudinal dimension of the document, with substantially the other longitudinal half portion extending from the center to the other edge of the longitudinal dimension of the document extending outwardly of the gripping and advancing portion, and for advancing the entire document through the folding module;

• and a document folding portion for engaging the document along said other longitudinal half portion of the longitudinal dimension of the document and folding said other longitudinal half portion of the longitudinal dimension of the document to a selected angle relative to its orientation upon entering the module, said at least two document folding modules being aligned in a sequence such that a document passing therethrough will have its face-up/face-down orientation rotated by said selected angle or a multiple thereof;
• and
• wherein said document folding modules are respectively aligned with each other, such that the document gripping and advancing portion of each subsequent module is aligned with the document folding portion of the preceding module for receiving the half of the document which was folded by the document folding portion of the preceding module, such that the respective halves of the document constituting the folded half and the engaged half of the document alternate as the document passes through each subsequent document folding module.

A document facing method for rotating the face-up/face-down orientation of a generally rectilinear document having an obverse face and a reverse face, a longitudinal dimension, opposed longitudinal edges and opposed lateral edges, said method comprising gripping and advancing the document along a first longitudinal half portion extending from one edge to the center of the longitudinal dimension of the document, with substantially the other longitudinal half portion extending from the center to the other edge of the longitudinal dimension of the document extending freely outwardly and folding said freely outwardly extending longitudinal half portion of the longitudinal dimension of the document to a selected angle relative to its orientation upon entering said document folding portion substantially simultaneously with said gripping and advancing;

• repeating said gripping, advancing and folding steps in a predetermined sequence such that a document will have its face-up/face-down orientation rotated by a selected amount after at least two iterations of said gripping, advancing and folding steps;
• and
• wherein said predetermined sequence is such that the gripping and advancing steps of each subsequent iteration are performed upon the half of the document which was folded by folding step of the preceding iteration, such that the respective halves of the document constituting the folded half and the engaged half of the document alternate in each subsequent iteration.