Eastman-kodak Company

Volker Koenig

Franz Allmendinger

Peter Schmidt

A carrier (2) of an apparatus (1) is pivotably mounted on a shaft (6) and can be moved by means of a stepper motor (34) via a cable (40). Apparatus (1) is positioned above tray surface (29) of storage container (28) and has a motor-driven impeller (27) and motor-driven separating fingers (25, 26). Driving motors (7 and 13, respectively) and their appropriate drawing means (12 and 20, 24 respectively) for impeller (27) and for separating fingers (25, 26) respectively are arranged on carrier (2). The sheets are individually arranged on top of one another to form a stack on tray surface (29) and are aligned by impeller (27) on front stopping edge (41), while separating fingers (25, 26) serve to temporarily retain subsequently arriving sheets as long as the finished stack of sheets still lies on tray surface (29). Apparatus (1) is guided via a device for measuring the height of the stack of sheets into a position with respect to the upper side of the stack such that impeller (27) and separating fingers (25, 26) are always correctly positioned for operation with respect to the upper side of the stack whatever the height of the stack. The apparatus can also be moved by stepper motor (24) into raised positions regardless of the height of the stack of sheets.

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Ebersbach, Germany

Volker Koenig