US 6,109,603 A · Method of and apparatus for processing and stacking printed forms

Abstract

Control apparatus enable the selective injection of individual sheets from channels one or two to collate and combine a stream of sheets in a selected presentation of East/West or West/East mixed multiple forms using both channels one and two to process one particular form, effectively zig-zagging from one channel to the other, and also adapted to control and inject North/South mixed multiples in which all the pages for one form in one channel, but both channels must be controlled to be sure multiple forms from one channel are not processed out of order relative to the other channel. A dual registering stacking interface stages, registers, transports, justifies and stacks forms in which forms are delivered to a side-by-side holding areas known as channels one and two, where they are held stationary and accumulate in a stack or continue feeding as separate forms.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A register located between a form feed apparatus and a sequencer merger apparatus;

said register providing left and right channel control of forms prior to merging said forms into a set such that said channels are independently controllable to place said forms in a stack prior to ejecting said forms to said sequencer merger;
said register using belts to provide transverse registering;
said left channel and said right channel being adapted to receive forms in a left channel staging area and a right channel staging area for edge justifying said forms and transporting said forms;
said left channel staging area and said right channel staging area feeding said forms to a left channel stacking area and a right channel stacking area respectively, said left channel stacking area and said right channel stacking areas being adapted to transport and stack said forms and to selectively release said forms for further processing in a selected order whereby multiple page form injection from either or both channels is enabled.

1 more element

A dual registering stacking interface for injecting sequential forms moving along a paper path axis from an upstream input position to a downstream output position comprising:

a first channel and a second channel, said first channel and second channel being at substantially the same downstream position;
a first staging area associated with said first channel and a second staging area being associated with said second channel;
a first stacking area associated with said first channel and a second stacking area being associated with said second channel, said stacking areas being located downstream of said staging areas;
said staging areas serving to register said forms in a direction substantially perpendicular to said paper path axis;
said stacking areas serving to collect said forms in a selected number and to retain said forms until released to be injected into a further downstream location in a selected number and a selected order between said channels.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method of and apparatus for processing and stacking printed forms

Life of this patent

Method of and apparatus for processing and stacking printed forms

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims13