Apparatus for conveying piece articles,particularly stacks of newspapers,in perpendicular directions

Claim 1

An apparatus for conveying stacks of newspapers and the like in mutually perpendicular directions comprising in combination: a rollerway for conveying the stacks therealong in a first direction; a series of rotatable rollers of said rollerway disposed relative to one another to define a series of clearance spaces between each adjoining one of said rollers; a plurality of rotatable driving shafts disposed under said rollerway so that the axis of rotation of each shaft is perpendicular to the axes of rotation of said rollers; a plurality of discs fixedly mounted on each of said driving shafts and disposed along the shafts such that respective ones of said discs on respective ones of said shafts are successively interposed in said clearance spaces, the discs on adjoining shafts overlapping one another in respective ones of said clearance spaces to define a checkered-pattern disposition of discs on said rollerway, each of said discs having a segment-shaped cutaway portion whose surface is lower than the top generatrix of said rollers so that the stacks may move unimpeded along said rollers in said first direction; stop means adjustably disposed immediately rearwardly of said checkered-pattern disposition of discs fOr preventing movement of the stacks at a zone of deflection of the stacks, which zone defines a position on said rollerway when the stacks, from being conveyed in said first direction, are stopped by said stop means and deflected to move in a succeeding direction selectable from the two directions perpendicular to said first direction; said stop means being pivoted in a vertical plane to be hideably disposed in grooved portions provided in said rollers to permit uninterrupted passage of the stacks beyond said stop means in said first direction; pickup means operatively associated with said stop means for determining the position of the stacks at said zone of deflection and providing a response output representative thereof; selectably-directional driving means operatively responsive to said response output for rotating said driving shafts with the discs in selectably respective predetermined opposed directions whereby when said stack is to be deflected in said zone of deflection said stop means stops said stacks therein and said pickup means provides said output response to said driving means whereupon said discs are rotated on said shafts in a predetermined direction to cause deflection of the stacks from movement in said first direction to movement in a second direction selected from the two directions perpendicular to said first direction depending upon said predetermined direction of rotation of the shafts by said selectablydirectional driving means.

Claim 2

An apparatus for conveying stacks of newspapers and the like in mutually perpendicular directions comprising in combination: a rollerway for conveying the stacks therealong in a first direction; a series of rotatable rollers of said rollerway disposed relative to one another to define a series of clearance spaces between each adjoining one of said rollers; a plurality of rotatable driving shafts disposed under said rollerway so that the axis of rotation of each shaft is perpendicular to the axes of rotation of said rollers; a plurality of discs fixedly mounted on each of said driving shafts and disposed along the shafts such that respective ones of said discs on respective ones of said shafts are successively interposed in said clearance spaces, the discs on adjoining shafts overlapping one another in respective ones of said clearance spaces to define a checkered-pattern disposition of discs on said rollerway, each of said discs having a segment-shaped cutaway portion whose surface is lower than the top generatrix of said rollers so that the stacks may move unimpeded along said rollers in said first direction; stop means adjustably disposed immediately rearwardly of said checkered-pattern disposition of discs fOr preventing movement of the stacks at a zone of deflection of the stacks, which zone defines a position on said rollerway when the stacks, from being conveyed in said first direction, are stopped by said stop means and deflected to move in a succeeding direction selectable from the two directions perpendicular to said first direction; said stop means being pivoted in a vertical plane to be hideably disposed in grooved portions provided in said rollers to permit uninterrupted passage of the stacks beyond said stop means in said first direction; pickup means operatively associated with said stop means for determining the position of the stacks at said zone of deflection and providing a response output representative thereof; selectably-directional driving means operatively responsive to said response output for rotating said driving shafts with the discs in selectably respective predetermined opposed directions whereby when said stack is to be deflected in said zone of deflection said stop means stops said stacks therein and said pickup means provides said output response to said driving means whereupon said discs are rotated on said shafts in a predetermined direction to cause deflection of the stacks from movement in said first direction to movement in a second direction selected from the two directions perpendicular to said first direction depending upon said predetermined direction of rotation of the shafts by said selectablydirectional driving means.