Self-energized sheet transferring apparatus

Claim 1

A SHEET TRANSFERRING APPARATUS COMPRISING, A ROTARY DRUM, A PLURALITY OF RESILIENT GRIPPER FINGERS CARRIED BY SAID ROTARY DRUM AND SPACED ABOUT ITS PERIPHERY, EACH GRIPPER FINGER ARRANGED TO BE OPERATIVE AT A SHEET RECEIVING POSITION OF SAID ROTARY DRUM, CAM MEANS PRESSING AN OPERATIVE GRIPPER FINGER TOWARD SAID PERIPHERY FOR RECEIVING AND SIMULTANEOUSLY GRIPPING A FREELY MOVING SHEET DELIVERED FROM A FEEDING PATH, PERMANENT MAGNET MEANS DETENTING SAID ROTARY DRUM IN SUCCESSIVE SHEET RECEIVING POSITIONS, A SINGLE ELONGATED GUIDE PLATE ALONG THE FEEDING PATH FOR DIRECTING A SHEET INTO THE GRIP OF AN OPERATIVE GRIPPER FINGER AND SAID PERIPHERY, ONE END OF SAID GUIDE PLATE HAVING A PLANAR SHEET GUIDE SURFACE TANGENT TO THE PERIPHERY OF SAID ROTARY DRUM, THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID GUIDE PLATE HAVING A CURVATURE TRANSVERSE TO THE DIRECTION OF SHEET FEEDING PROVIDING A CURVED SHEET GUIDE SURFACE MERGING WITH SAID PLANAR SHEET GUIDE SURFACE, MEANS FORMING A CURVED SHEET GUIDEWAY FOR BOWING A SHEET TRANSVERSELY TO THE DIRECTION OF SHEET FEEDING AND CONFORMING SUBSTANTIALLY IN CURVATURE TO SAID CURVED SHEET GUIDE SURFACE AND IN LINE THEREWITH, MEANS FOR FEEDING A SHEET THROUGH SAID CURVED SHEET GUIDEWAY TO SAID GUIDE PLATE SO THAT THE SHEET WILL RIDE SUCCESSIVELY AGAINST SAID CURVED SHEET GUIDE SURFACE AND SAID PLANAR SHEET GUIDE SURFACE UNTIL IT IS IN FREE FLIGHT AND ENTERS THE GRIP OF SAID OPERATIVE GRIPPER FINGER AND PERIPHERY, MEANS MOUNTING SAID ROTARY DRUM IN SUCH MANNER THAT THE LATTER WILL BE ROTATED, BY THE ENERGY OF SAID SHEET UPON IMPACT OF THE SHEET WITH SAID OPERATIVE GRIPPER FINGER AND PERIPHERY, TO THE NEXT SUCCESSIVE SHEET RECEIVING POSITION, AND MEANS AT SAID LAST MENTIONED SHEET RECEIVING POSITION FOR STRIPPING THE SHEET FROM SAID OPERATIVE GRIPPER FINGER AND PERIPHERY, AND WHEREIN THE ENERGY IMPARTED TO SAID ROTARY DRUM BY SAID SHEET IS SUFFICIENT TO OVERCOME THE DETENTING FORCE OF SAID PERMANENT MAGNET MEANS.