Unloading mechanism for sheethandling multideck conveyer

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION WITH A MULTIDECK CONVEYOR HAVING STACKED POWER-DRIVEN CONVEYOR DECKS OPERABLE TO MOVE SHEETS FORWARDLY IN PATHS STACKED ONE OVER ANOTHER WITH SAID SHEETS TRAVELING AT A GIVEN SPEED, APPARATUS FOR UNLOADING THE SHEETS FROM THE DISCHARGE ENDS OF THE DECKS OF THE MULTIDECK CONVEYOR COMPRISING A POWER-DRIVEN SPEED-UP CONVEYOR SECTION FOR EACH DECK DISPOSED IN RECEIVING RELATION TO THE DECK AND OPERABLE TO TRANSPORT THE SHEETS FORWARDLY FROM THE DISCHARGE END OF THE DECK AT A SPEED WHICH IS FASTER THAN THE SPEED AT WHICH THE SHEETS TRAVEL ON THE CONVEYOR DECK, POSITIONING MEANS FOR EACH SPEED-UP CONVEYOR SECTION OPERABLE TO HALT SHEETS ON THE SPEED-UP CONVEYER SECTION AND POSITION THE LEAD ENDS OF SUCH SHEETS, AN OFF-BEARING CONVEYOR CONSTRUCTED TO TRANSPORT SHEETS ALONG A PATH EXTENDING TO ONE SIDE OF THE VARIOUS SPEED-UP CONVEYOR SECTIONS, AND INTERMITTENTLY OPERATED CLEARING CONVEYOR MECHANISM FOR EACH SPEED-UP CONVEYOR SECTION OPERABLE WHEN ACTUATED TO SHIFT SHEETS LATERALLY FROM THE SPEED-UP CONVEYOR SECTION IN APPROXIMATELY THE RELATIVE POSITION THEY HAVE AFTER POSITIONING BY SAID POSITIONING MEANS AND TO TRANSPORT SUCH SHEETS IN THIS APPROXIMATE RELATIVE POSITION ONTO SAID OFF-BEARING CONVEYOR.