Automatic sampler for multiplex sheet handling apparatus

Claim 1

AUTOMATIC SHEET DIVERTING MEANS FOR MULTIPLEXING SHEET HANDLING APPARATUS HAVING A PLURALITY OF STREAMS OF SHEETS MOVING IN SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATION IN A GIVEN DIRECTION, THE SHEETS IN EACH STREAM BEING OF THE SAME LENGTH AND THE SHEETS OF THE DIFFERENT STREAMS BEING OF DIFFERENT LENGTHS, MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY DIVERTING SHEETS IN SAID STREAMS FOR THEIR NORMAL PATH OF MOVEMENT, A PLURALITY OF TIMING MEANS OPERATIVELY CORRELATED RESPECTIVELY TO THE STREAMS, SAID TIMING MEANS EACH INCLUDING CONTROL MEANS PERIODICALLY RENDERED OPERATIVE IN TIMED RELATION TO MOVEMENT OF SHEETS IN THE RESPECTIVE STREAM FOR SENSING THE TIME AT WHICH THE LEADING EDGE OF EACH SHEET IN THE RESPECTIVE STREAM WILL APPROACH SAID SHEET DIVERTING MEANS, AND ACTUATING MEANS FOR SAID SHEET DIVERTING MEANS CONTROLLED BY SAID CONTROL MEANS AND CONDITIONED THEREBY FOR ACTUATION WHEN THE CONTROL MEANS OF ALL THE TIMING MEANS SENSE A TIME AT WHICH THE LEADING EDGES OF SHEETS IN ALL OF SAID STREAMS WILL APPROXIMATELY SIMULTANEOUSLY APPROACH SAID SHEET DIVERTING MEANS.