Method and apparatus for the sorting, collecting and stacking of sheet materials

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR SORTING, COLLECTING AND STACKING SHEET MATERIAL COMPRISING: (A) CONVEYOR MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY CONVEYING SHEET MATERIAL ON SHEET AT A TIME, (B) MEANS DEFINING AT LEAST TWO SHEET-COLLECTING BINS ARRANGED IN THE CONVEYING DIRECTION BENEATH SAID CONVEYOR MEANS, (C) SAID CONVEYOR MEANS INCLUDING DOWNWARDLY PIVOTAL CONVEYOR SECTIONS ONE OFFSET UPSTREAM FROM EACH OF SAID BINS FOR FEEDING SHEETS INTO THE UPPER END OF THE DOWNSTREAM ADJACENT ONE OF SAID BINS, (D) A PAIR OF SHEET-RECEIVING MEMBERS EXTENDING IN THE CONVEYING DIRECTION ACROSS THE INTERIOR OF EACH SAID BIN JUST BENEATH THE UPPER END THEREOF FOR RECEIVING SHEETS FROM AN UPSTREAM ADJACENT ONE OF SAID CONVEYOR SECTIONS, (E) SAID RECEIVING MEMBERS EXTENDING IN THE CONVEYING DIRECTION OF SAID CONVEYOR MEANS, (F) AN INSPECTION STATION ALONG SAID CONVEYOR MEANS UPSTREAM FROM SAID BINS FRO INSPECTING SHEETS ON SAID CONVEYOR MEANS, (G) CONTROL MEANS AT SAID INSPECTION STATION FOR PRESELECTING THE ONE OF SAID BINS INTO WHICH EACH SHEET PASSING SAID INSPECTION STATION IS DEPOSITED, (H) SAID CONTROL MEANS INCLUDING MEANS OPERABLE IN RESPONSE TO PRESELECTION OF ONE OF SAID BINS FOR, IN SEQUENCE, PIVOTING DOWNWARDLY THE CONVEYOR SECTION IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE PRESELECTED BIN AND THEN SEPARATING SAID SHEET-RECEIVING MEMBERS WITHIN THE PRESELECTED BIN UPON RECEIPT OF A SHEET FRM THE PRECEDING SAID CONVEYOR SECTION.