Method and apparatus for separating a stream of spaced documents into discrete groups
AssigneeEnergy Saving Products and Sales Corporation
InventorRichard P. Lamothe
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Documents are fed in a stream through the first station of a machine that senses the last page of each document along alternative paths in order to accumulate the groups in a staggered stack on a vertically adjustable elevator. When this staggered stack reaches a predetermined number (N) the elevator drops down to off load the stack onto a takeaway conveyor. The documents continue to be accumulated at the second station on a reciprocating support surface that redeposits these additional documents on the elevator when the elevator returns to a raised position and the support surface is retracted.
Claims17
A method for grouping documents fed in a stream of end to end documents of similar size, said method comprising:
- accumulating a predetermined number of documents defining a first group of documents on a vertically movable elevator,
- shifting a second predetermined number of documents laterally as they move downstream onto the elevator,
- lowering the elevator gradually to accommodate a plurality (N) of alternately staggered document groups thereon,
- unloading the (N) staggered document groups from the elevator,
- receiving additional documents on a horizontally movable support surface above the downwardly moving elevator,
- moving the elevator into nesting relationship with the support surface by providing the support surface in the form of spaced pins that are receivable in grooves defined in the elevator, and
- retracting the support surface, and repeating the above-enumerated steps.
Apparatus for handling at least one stream of documents fed downstream in spaced end-to-end relationship, said apparatus comprising a first station for receiving the documents and ascertaining which document is the last document in a group of documents,
- a second station downstream of the first station and having an elevator for accumulating the documents thereon,
- said first station having a primary document path for passing documents from a first group onto said elevator where the documents reside in a first orientation,
- said first station having a secondary document path for laterally shifting documents from another group of documents so that the shifted groups are oriented in offset relationship to those in the first of said groups on said elevator, and document diverting means at the upstream end of said first station for selectively directing into said secondary path those documents following that document which was ascertained to be the last document in said first group;
- and
- wherein said first station defines paths for side-by-side streams of documents, and wherein each of said side-by-side streams of documents includes primary and secondary paths for shifting alternate groups laterally to provide different orientations for these document groups on said elevator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.