Apparatus for handling superposed sheets

Claim 1

A SHEET TRANSPORT DEVICE INCLUDING A FRAME, A PAIR OF BELT SHAFTS JOURNALED ON SAID FRAME IN SPACED RELATION TO EACH OTHER, ENDLESS BELTS CARRIED BY SAID BELT SHAFTS AND DRIVEN THEREBY TO PROVIDE UPPER AND LOWER RUNS THEREOF. VACUUM SUCTION MEANS MOUNTED IN SAID FRAME AND POSITIONED ADJACENT THE LOWER RUNS OF SAID BELTS FOR HOLDING SHEETS TO THE LOWER SURFACE OF THE LOWER RUNS DURING TRANSPORT OF THE SHEETS, A DEFLECTING DEVICE MOUNTED IN THE FRAME AND ADAPTED WHEN ACTUATED TO EXTEND BETWEEN THE LOWER RUNS OF SAID BELTS FOR DEFLECTING THE SHEETS AWAY FROM THE TRANSPORT DEVICE, AND A MULTIPLE SHEET DETECTING APPARATUS OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID DEFLECTING DEVICE AND POSITIONED ADJACENT SAID BELTS TO SENSE THE FEEDING OF MULTIPLE SHEETS BY THE BELTS AND PRODUCE ACTUATION OF SAID DEFLECTING DEVICE IN RESPONSE TO THE PRESENCE OF MULTIPLE SHEETS, SAID MULTIPLE SHEET DETECTING APPARATUS INCLUDING A BASE, A SHAFT SECURED TO SAID BASE, A FOLLOWER ARM PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT, SAID FOLLOWER ARM HAVING A LEVER PORTION AND AN ARM PORTION, GAUGE MEANS ON SAID ARM PORTION IN POSITION TO COOPERATE WITH A PORTION OF ONE BELT SHAFT TO SENSE THE THICKNESS OF SHEETS FORWARDED THEREBETWEEN, BIAS MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID FOLLOWER ARM TO NORMALLY BIAS SAID GAUGE MEANS INTO COOPERATING RELATION WITH SAID BELT SHAFT, A SWITCH, AN ACTUATOR ARM JOURNALED ON SAID SHAFT AND POSITIONED TO ACTUATE SAID SWITCH, AND MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID ACTUATOR ARM TO NORMALLY BIAS SAID ACTUATOR ARM INTO CONTACT WITH SAID SWITCH TO ACTUATE SAID SWITCH, SAID ACTUATOR ARM HAVING A PORTION POSITIONED IN INTERFERENCE RELATION TO SAID LEVER PORTION OF SAID FOLLOWER ARM WHEREBY SAID ACTUATOR ARM IS MOVABLY HELD OUT OF ACTUATING CONTACT WITH SAID SWITCH.