The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 05, 2006
Filed:
Feb. 06, 2003
Neal J. Middelberg, Apex, NC (US);
Gerard A. Derome, Jr., Cary, NC (US);
Dale R. Curry, Apex, NC (US);
Neal J. Middelberg, Apex, NC (US);
Gerard A. DeRome, Jr., Cary, NC (US);
Dale R. Curry, Apex, NC (US);
Bowe Bell + Howell Company, Durham, NC (US);
Abstract
An apparatus for assembling a plurality of sheet articles into a document includes a plurality of individual sheet input paths along which one or more sheet articles can be advanced, and a central accumulation area for accumulating the sheet articles. The central accumulation area includes a single-level accumulation surface for receiving one or more sheet articles advanced from each individual sheet input path and accumulating the sheet articles in a single stack. The central accumulation area can receive sheet articles from two or more different directions. The sheet articles can optionally be staged for accumulation into subsets prior to advancement to the central accumulation area. The central accumulation area advances the assembled document into an output path.