No-counter sorter-stacker

Claim 1

In a sorting-stacking apparatus having a plurality of successive stations for receiving sheets of paper or the like and sheet distributing means including a sheet deflector movable along said stations for inserting the sheets into said stations and adapted to receive the sheets from a supply capable of feeding a flow of sheets along a path to the distributing means with a time spacing between each successive sheet being at a predetermined generally uniform first time interval, the improvement comprising: control means for said sheet deflector for directing the insertion of the sheets into predetermined stations, said control means including means operative during said flow of sheets for detecting a second time interval after passage of a sheet greater than said first time interval and in response to said detection directing the insertion of the next sheet into a different station; said control means including means for directing the insertion of all of a run of sheets into one station for stacking a plurality of sheets into said station before inserting a sheet into a subsequent station; and stack control means responsive to said means for detecting said second time interval for directing the insertion of the sheets after said second time interval into the next successive station; said control means including means for directing the insertion of individual sheets into successive stations starting with an initial station and sort control means responsive to said means for detecting said second time interval for directing the insertion of the next sheet after said second time interval into said initial station; and manually operable switch means for selectively actuating said stack or sort control means.