The Mead Corporation

Harley F Bean

Daniel T Noonan

A paper handling system is used in combination with a duplicator of the type having a printing station and means for conveying printed sheets from the printing station. The paper handling system includes a gravity feed accumulator for receiving sheets from the sheet conveying means and collecting them in a set, a finishing station positioned at the lower level of the accumulator for receiving collected sets from the accumulator and including a stapling device for binding together the sheets of the set, an elevator which communicates with the finishing station to receive bound pamphlets therefrom, and a stacking device which is positioned above the finishing station and communicates with the elevator for receiving pamphlets and arranging them in a stack. The stacking device includes an upper level stacking station, a discharge station located beneath the stacking station, and a movable tray which is capable of being indexed between the upper level and the discharge station. The discharge station includes a discharge conveyor which transports the offset stack of sets of sheets from the tray to a shelf positioned at an optimum height above the floor of the work area within which the paper handling system is located.

Paper handling system

An offset stacker includes a frame and a movable tray which reciprocates within the frame between an upper stacking station and a lower discharge station. Sets of sheets or bound pamphlets are fed onto the tray and are urged against a fixed wall by a plurality of short patter fingers. A plurality of movable jogger arms is rotated onto the first set and the tray is indexed downwardly so that it may receive a second set which is urged against the jogger arms by a plurality of long patter fingers. The second set is offset from the first and held in position by a plurality of fingers while a third set of sheets is placed upon the second set and urged against the fixed wall by the plurality of short patter fingers. After collecting the sets into an offset stack, the tray is indexed downwardly to the discharging station where a conveyor device removes the offset stack of sets from the tray and presents it for removal from the stacker.

Offset stacker and method

An accumulator is used with a duplicating device such as a duplicating machine having an upper level conveyor for transporting single sheets of paper and a lower level working area for processing the sheets and includes a frame positioned at an angle to the horizontal which receives single sheets from the upper level conveyor, a gate bracket communicating with the frame, a gate extending across the gate bracket and rotatably mounted thereto, upper and lower front pinch rollers positioned in front of the gate, and upper and lower rearward rollers. The upper front and rearward rollers are connected by a linkage so that they are maintained at the same distance above their respective lower rollers when the front pinch rollers engage a set of sheets. Single sheets accumulate in a set against the gate and are held together by the upper and lower front pinch rollers. The gate opens and the front pinch rollers propel the set of sheets between the rearward rollers to the working area.

Growing community of inventors

Grapevine, TX, United States of America

Harley F Bean