Shearing line, single sheet classifier

Claim 1

IN APPARATUS FOR CLASSIFYING SHEET MATERIAL MOVING AT HIGH SPEED INCLUDING SHEAR MEANS FOR CUTTING SAID SHEET MATERIAL FROM A STRIP IN PREDETERMINED LENGTHS, AND DEFLECTING MEANS FOR SORTING THE SHEET MATERIAL IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SHEETS, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING, A DETECTOR DISPOSED TO RESPOND TO A CHARACTERISTIC IN SAID MATERIAL WHILE IN STRIP FORM, FIRST MEANS PRODUCING SIGNALS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE STRIP FROM SAID DETECTOR TOWARD THE SHEAR MEANS, SECOND MEANS PRODUCING SIGNALS REPRESENTATIVE OF OPERATION OF THE SHEAR MEANS, MEANS FOR DETERMINING FROM SAID SIGNALS WHICH SHEET TO BE SUBSEQUENTLY CUT FROM THE STRIP IS BEING INSPECTED BY SAID DETECTOR AT ANY GIVEN INSTANT AND THEREBY AT THE TIME A GIVEN CHARACTERISTIC IN THE STRIP IS SIGNALED BY SAID DETECTOR DETERMINING WHICH SHEET TO BE SUBSEQUENTLY CUT FROM THE STRIP HAS SAID CHARACTERISTIC, FIRST MEMORY MEANS OPERATED BY SAID SIGNALS FOR REMEMBERING THE LOCATION OF THE SHEET HAVING THE CHARACTERISTIC IN ITS PASSAGE THROUGH THE SHEAR MEANS, THIRD MEANS PRODUCING SIGNALS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE SHEARED SHEETS AWAY FROM SAID SHEAT MEANS, SECOND MEMORY MEANS CONNECTING TO SAID FIRST MEMORY MEANS FOR FOLLOWING THE LOCATION OF THE SHEET HAVING THE CHARACTERISTIC IN ITS PASSAGE FROM THE SHEAR TO THE DEFLECTING MEANS, MEANS FOR DETERMINING FROM SAID FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD MEANS THE NUMBER OF SHEETS BETWEEN THE SHEAR MEANS AND DEFLECTING MEANS FOR CONTROLLING SAID SECOND MEMORY MEANS, AND MEANS OPERATED BY SAID SECOND MEMORY MEANS FOR OPERATING SAID DEFLECTING MEANS TO CLASSIFY SHEETS HAVING THE CHARACTERISTIC FROM SHEETS THAT DO NOT HAVE THE CHARACTERISTIC.