Apparatus for stacking newspapers and the like

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR STACKING NEWSPAPERS AND THE LIKE COMPRISING A FIRST CONVEYOR EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY AND INCLUDING UPPER AND LOWER ENDLESS BELTS FOR ADVANCING A CONTINUOUS STREAM OF OVERLAPPING PAPERS BETWEEN THE FACING PORTIONS OF SAID TWO ENDLESS BELTS TO A DISCHARGE END OF SAID FIRST CONVEYOR, A SECOND CONVEYOR MOUNTED ADJACENT THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID FIRST CONVEYOR AND HAVING AND INCLINED PAPER RECEIVING PORTION FACING SAID DISCHARGE END AND LOCATED AT A LOWER LEVEL SO THAT PAPERS LEAVING SAID DISCHARGE END WILL FALL DOWN ONTO SAID RECEIVING PORTION, SAID SECOND CONVEYOR HAVING A PLURALITY OF STACKING SUPPORTS LOCATED AT SPACED INTERVALS ALONG SAID SECOND CONVEYOR AND INCLUDING PROJECTING MEMBERS TO FROM STACKING POCKETS FOR RECEIVING A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF NEWSPAPERS IN EACH POCKET, SAID PROJECTING MEMBERS HAVING THEIR OUTER ENDS LOCATED TO MOVE ALONG A PATH WHICH PASSES ADJACENT THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID FIRST CONVEYOR AT SUCH A DISTANCE THEREFROM THAT SAID OUTER ENDS WILL ENGAGE THE STREAM OF OVERLAPPING NEWSPAPERS BETWEEN TWO SUCCEEDING PAPERS WHEN THEY ARE STILL HELD BETWEEN SAID TWO BELTS OF SAID FIRST CONVEYOR AND WHILE THEIR LEADING EDGE PORTIONS ARE PROJECTING FREELY OUT FROM SAID DISCHARGE END TO DIVIDE AND DIVERT THE STREAM OF OVERLAPPING NEWSPAPERS TO THE SUCCEEDING STACKING SUPPORT, MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID SECOND CONVEYOR IN A DIRECTION SO THAT ITS INCLINED RECEIVING PORTION WILL MOVE DOWNWARDLY IN SYNCHRONISM WITH THE DRIVE OF SAID FIRST CONVEYOR, AN ACTUATOR BELT MOUNTED PARALLEL WITH SAID RECEIVING PORTION OF SAID SECOND CONVEYOR TO RECEIVE THE LEADING EDGES OF THE NEWSPAPERS AND CARRY THEM ALONG PART OF THE PATH OF SAID SECOND CONVEYOR, SAID ACTUATOR BELT BEING DRIVEN IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS, BUT AT A HIGHER SPEED THAN, SAID SECOND CONVEYOR IN ORDER TO PREVENT THE LEADING EDGES OF THE STACKED PAPERS FROM SLIDING BACK, AND A RECEIVING MEANS MOUNTED IN A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL DIRECTION IN THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF SAID SECOND CONVEYOR TO RECEIVE THE STACKS OF NEWSPAPERS FROM SAID STACKING SUPPORTS.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR STACKING NEWSPAPERS AND THE LIKE COMPRISING A FIRST CONVEYOR EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY AND INCLUDING UPPER AND LOWER ENDLESS BELTS FOR ADVANCING A CONTINUOUS STREAM OF OVERLAPPING PAPERS BETWEEN THE FACING PORTIONS OF SAID TWO ENDLESS BELTS TO A DISCHARGE END OF SAID FIRST CONVEYOR, A SECOND CONVEYOR MOUNTED ADJACENT THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID FIRST CONVEYOR AND HAVING AND INCLINED PAPER RECEIVING PORTION FACING SAID DISCHARGE END AND LOCATED AT A LOWER LEVEL SO THAT PAPERS LEAVING SAID DISCHARGE END WILL FALL DOWN ONTO SAID RECEIVING PORTION, SAID SECOND CONVEYOR HAVING A PLURALITY OF STACKING SUPPORTS LOCATED AT SPACED INTERVALS ALONG SAID SECOND CONVEYOR AND INCLUDING PROJECTING MEMBERS TO FROM STACKING POCKETS FOR RECEIVING A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF NEWSPAPERS IN EACH POCKET, SAID PROJECTING MEMBERS HAVING THEIR OUTER ENDS LOCATED TO MOVE ALONG A PATH WHICH PASSES ADJACENT THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID FIRST CONVEYOR AT SUCH A DISTANCE THEREFROM THAT SAID OUTER ENDS WILL ENGAGE THE STREAM OF OVERLAPPING NEWSPAPERS BETWEEN TWO SUCCEEDING PAPERS WHEN THEY ARE STILL HELD BETWEEN SAID TWO BELTS OF SAID FIRST CONVEYOR AND WHILE THEIR LEADING EDGE PORTIONS ARE PROJECTING FREELY OUT FROM SAID DISCHARGE END TO DIVIDE AND DIVERT THE STREAM OF OVERLAPPING NEWSPAPERS TO THE SUCCEEDING STACKING SUPPORT, MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID SECOND CONVEYOR IN A DIRECTION SO THAT ITS INCLINED RECEIVING PORTION WILL MOVE DOWNWARDLY IN SYNCHRONISM WITH THE DRIVE OF SAID FIRST CONVEYOR, AN ACTUATOR BELT MOUNTED PARALLEL WITH SAID RECEIVING PORTION OF SAID SECOND CONVEYOR TO RECEIVE THE LEADING EDGES OF THE NEWSPAPERS AND CARRY THEM ALONG PART OF THE PATH OF SAID SECOND CONVEYOR, SAID ACTUATOR BELT BEING DRIVEN IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS, BUT AT A HIGHER SPEED THAN, SAID SECOND CONVEYOR IN ORDER TO PREVENT THE LEADING EDGES OF THE STACKED PAPERS FROM SLIDING BACK, AND A RECEIVING MEANS MOUNTED IN A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL DIRECTION IN THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF SAID SECOND CONVEYOR TO RECEIVE THE STACKS OF NEWSPAPERS FROM SAID STACKING SUPPORTS.