Device for feeding stacks of books of the like to the cutting station of a machine

Claim 1

IN A DEVICE FOR FEEDING STACKS OF BOOKS OR THE LIKE TO A STATION WHERE THE STACKS WILL BE OPERATED UPON, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING, A CONVEYOR MEANS FOR CONVEYING THE STACKS TO A STOP MEANS; A STOP MEANS FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON SAID DEVICE FOR HALTING MOVEMENT OF THE STACKS BEING CONVEYED BY SAID CONVEYOR MEANS; SAID STOP MEANS HAVING AN END PAST WHICH SAID STACKS ARE MOVED TO PROCEED TO THE STATION; AN OPERATING MECHANISM HAVING A ROTATABLE SHAFT; THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING, A RAM FOR BEING MOVED INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH EACH STACK WHEN THE STACK IS IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID STOP; SAID RAM MOVING THE STACK PAST SAID END OF SAID STOP MEANS; A GRIPPER DEVICE IN OPPOSED RELATIONSHIP TO SAID RAM, WHEREBY MOVEMENT OF SAID RAM TOWARD SAID GRIPPER DEVICE TRAPS AND SECURES THE STACK THEREBETWEEN; A CAM DEVICE CONNECTED WITH SAID RAM FOR ALTERNATELY HOLDING SAME IN A FIRST POSITION WHERE SAID RAM IS IN ENGAGEMENT WITH A STACK AND IN A SECOND POSITION WHERE SAID RAM IS DISENGAGED FROM ANY STACK; SAID CAM DEVICE BEING CONNECTED TO SAID SHAFT OF SAID OPERATING MECHANISM; A FEED TROLLEY CONNECTED WITH SAID RAM AND WITH SAID GRIPPER DEVICE FOR MOVING BOTH IN A FIRST DIRECTION TO MOVE THE STACK ENGAGED BY SAID RAM AND SAID GRIPPER DEVICE TOWARD THE STATION, AND IN A RECOVERY DIRECTION OPPOSITE SAID FIRST DIRECTION; AND A TIMING MECHANISM FOR COORDINATING THE MOVEMENT OF SAID CAM DEVICE AND SAID TROLLEY, WHEREBY SAID RAM IS MOVED INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH A STACK WHEN SAID TROLLEY IS MOVING IN SAID FIRST DIRECTION AND SAID RAM IS MOVED OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH ANY STACK WHEN SAID TROLLEY IS MOVING IN SAID RECOVERY DIRECTION.