Sheet laying apparatus

Claim 1

In a sheet laying apparatus having a cutter for cutting sheets from a travelling web, a laying station for receiving the sheets in stacked order, and means for conveying the sheets from the cutter to the laying station, the improvement which comprises a pair of rollers driven at a peripheral velocity at least equal to the travelling velocity of the web, a conveyor driven at a velocity lower than the peripheral velocity of said rollers, and guide means, said pair of rollers being positioned to grip each successive sheet cut from the web and to advance the sheet onto said conveyor, said guide means being positioned to engage the sheet advanced by said rollers and deflect the trailing edge of the sheet toward the conveyor to enable the leading edge of the next following sheet to pass over the trailing edge of the preceding sheet whereby the sheets are placed upon the conveyor in overlapping relation for conveyance thereby to the laying station, at least one of said drive rollers being adjustable for varying the sheet throwing direction, said guide means being adjustable automatically in connection with the drive rollers.