Sheet item handling and stacking apparatus

Claim 1

ITEM HANDLING AND STACKING APPARATUS COMPRISING: (A) MEANS FORMING A STACKING AREA INTO WHICH ITEMS ARE DIRECTED AT HIGH SPEED, (B) MEANS FOR DRIVING ITEMS INTO SAID STACKING AREA, (C) MEANS ADJACENT TO SAID DRIVING MEANS FOR DIRECTING A STREAM OF AIR AT HIGH VELOCITY AT AN ACUTE ANGEL RELATIVE TO SAID ITEMS INTO SAID STACKING AREA, (D) RIGID, STATIONARY GUIDING MEANS ADJACENT TO SAID DRIVING MEANS EXTENDING FROM SAID DRIVING MEANS INTO SAID STACKING AREA ADJACENT TO SAID AIR DIRECTING MEANS AND OPERABLY ASSOCIATED THEREWITH SO THAT EXITING HIGH VELOCITY AIR IS CAUSED TO STRIKE EACH ITEM AT AN ACUTE ANGLE RELATIVE TO THE SURFACE OF SUCH ITEM EFFECTIVE TO INDUCE A BERNOULLI EFFECT BETWEEN SAID GUIDING MEANS AND SAID ITEM WHEREBY A PRESSURE DIFFERENTIAL IS CREATED BETWEEN SAID GUIDING MEANS AND SAID ITEM EFFECTIVE TO PRODUCE A THIN FILM OF AIR BETWEEN SAID ITEM AND SAID GUIDING MEANS SO AS TO CAUSE SAID ITEM TO MOVE ON THE THIN FILM OF AIR MOVING ALONG THE SURFACE OF SAID GUIDING MEANS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY THERETO UNTIL THE ITEM IS BEYOND SAID DRIVING MEANS WHEREUPON SAID AIR DIRECTING MEANS IS EFFECTIVE TO CAUSE SAID HIGH VELOCITY AIR TO STRIKE THE TRAILING EDGE OF SAID ITEM AND THEREBY TO DEFLECT THE TRAILING EDGE OF SAID ITEM THROUGH AN ANGLE RELATIVE TO SAID GUIDING MEANS MOVING SAID TRAILING EDGE OUT OF THE PATH OF THE NEXT SUCCEEDING INCOMING ITEM, AND (E) ROTATABLE MEANS HAVING PORTIONS INTERMITTENTLY ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID ITEMS AS SAID MEANS IS ROTATED, LOCATED ADJACENT A TERMINAL PORTION OF SAID GUIDING MEANS IN SAID STACKING AREA OPERABLY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID RIGID GUIDING MEANS FOR ALIGNING AND REGISTERING SAID ITEMS AS THEY ARE DIRECTED THEREINTO AT HIGH SPEED.