Papermaking machine

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING A PILE OF LIGHT, FLEXIBLE SHEET MATERIAL COMPRISING A VERTICALLY MOVABLE FRAME, A RELATIVELY THIN TABLE MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME IN LONGITUDINALLY MOVABLE RELATION, A ROLLER MOUNTED ALONG A TRANSVERSE EDGE OF SAID TABLE AND ADAPTED TO ROTATE WITH A CIRCUMFERENTIAL SPEED RELATIVE TO THE TABLE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE SPEED OF LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT OF THE TABLE AND WITH THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE ROLLER MOVING OPPOSITELY TO THE DIRECTION OF SUCH LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT, A PILE-ALIGNING STOP MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME ADJACENT THE END THEREOF TOWARD WHICH SAID ROLLER IS MOUNTED, SAID STOP HAVING BIASED PORTION ADAPTED TO LIFT THE STOP UPON SAID PORTIONS BEING ENGAGED BY THE ROLLER, MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY MOVING SAID FRAME VERTICALLY AND SAID TABLE LONGITUDINALLY, AND MEANS FOR RESISTABLY FORCING SAID STOP TOWARD THE TABLE UPON INITIAL MOVEMENT OF THE TABLE TOWARD THE STOP, WHEREBY SAID ROLLER WILL PROPEL A PILE OF SHEET MATERIAL BETWEEN A POSITION OFF THE TABLE AND A POSITION ON THE TABLE WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL MOVEMENT OF THE PILE IN THE LONGITUDINAL AND LATERAL DIRECTIONS, SAID STOP SERVING TO MAINTAIN THE VERTICAL ALIGNMENT OF THE SHEETS.