Device for uniting a residual pile of sheets and a main pile of sheets

Abstract

A device for uniting a residual and a main pile of sheets in a pile zone of a sheet feeder to form an aggregate pile wherein an uppermost sheet of the main pile has been brought into contact with a lowermost sheet of the residual pile, includes a rake for underpinning and carrying the residual pile during given phases of a process for uniting the piles, the rake having mutually parallel, horizontal lattice bars. Also included are a displacement device for carrying and displacing the rake, horizontally in longitudinal direction of the lattice bars between a first position outside the pile zone and a second position inside the pile zone, wherein the residual pile is underpinned by the rake, a device disposed in the pile zone for supporting respective ends of the lattice bars projecting beyond the residual pile, and a lifting device carrying the displacement device for lowering the rake into a lower position and for raising the rake into an upper position. The lifting device has a horizontally disposed cross-member arrangement holding the displacement device and being oriented transversely to the lattice bars, and a lifting cradle having vertically extending guideways, a first and a second end of the cross-member arrangement being guidable by the guideways. The lifting cradle is constituted by a gantry disposed outside the pile zone, and includes a pair of columns respectively formed of a hollow section, and a compensation device including a respective counterweight dipping into the hollow section.