High speed signature gathering machine

Claim 1

A SIGNATURE GATHERING MACHINE INCLUDING A SERIES OF FIRST MEANS FOR FEEDING SIGNATURES AUTOMATICALLY AND CONTINUOUSLY ONE AFTER ANOTHER, A SERIES OF INTERSPACED CONSTANTLY TRAVELING SECOND MEANS EXTENDING ALONG THE SERIES OF FIRST MEANS FOR ENGAGING THE SIGNATURES FED THEREBY WITH EACH SECOND MEANS MOVING FROM EACH OF THE FIRST MEANS TO THE NEXT OF THE FIRST MEANS TO ACCUMULATE SIGNATURES, SAID SECOND MEANS BEING INTERSPACED A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE, AND MEANS FOR MECHANICALLY INTERGEARING THE TWO SERIES OVER A RANGE OF INFINITELY DIFFERING ANGULAR RELATIONS SO THAT THE FIRST MEANS ARE TIMED TO FEED THE SIGNATURES TO THE SECOND MEANS WHEN THE LATTER ARE INTERSPACED A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE AND INCLUDING FOR EACH OF THE FIRST MEANS A CLUTCH FOR DISENGAGING AND RE-ENGAGING EACH FIRST MEANS WITH RESPECT TO ITS INTERGEARING WITH THE SECOND MEANS SERIES, SO THAT EACH FIRST MEANS MAY BE RETIMED INDIVIDUALLY TO FEED SIGNATURES FOR SUBSTANTIALLY IMMEDIATE ENGAGEMENT THEREOF BY EACH SECOND MEANS REGARDLESS OF THE LATTER''S EXACT INTERSPACING.