Method and apparatus for forming stacks of printed products supplied in an overlapping flow

A method for forming stacks with printed products supplied in an overlapping flow and conveyed continuously in the direction of a stacking shaft, comprising the steps of:

• continuously conveying printed products on an endless conveyor in an overlapping flow in a horizontal conveying direction toward a stacking shaft;
• forming a main stack of fully overlapped printed products from the overlapping flow from the endless conveyor on a stack support in the stacking shaft, wherein an intermediate element and an auxiliary rake are in idle positions outside of the stacking shaft;
• moving the auxiliary rake horizontally from its idle position outside of the stacking shaft to an end position inside the stacking shaft in the conveying direction and at a non-zero speed that nearly matches the speed of the overlapping flow, the auxiliary rake having a horizontal width less than the width of the stacking shaft, and wherein at the end position of the auxiliary rake the printed products contact and overlap at their leading edge, but form a partial stack separated vertically from the main stack at the trailing edge of printed products;
• lowering the stack support to form an intermediate vertical space below the auxiliary rake between the main stack and the partial stack;
• extending the intermediate element into the intermediate space to an end position in the stacking shaft wherein the intermediate member extends substantially entirely across the entire width of the stack;
• depositing the printed products on the intermediate element or on previously deposited printed products, wherein the partial stack forms on the intermediate element while the auxiliary rake is at the end position inside the stacking shaft;
• conveying away of the main stack from the stacking shaft;
• retracting the auxiliary rake to its idle position;
• thereafter retracting the intermediate element to its idle position outside of the stacking shaft to transfer the partial stack, formed so far, as a new main stack to the stack support.