Foldable-sheet processing systems

Claim 2

A continuous automatic print system for making prints and for folding the prints comprising a printing machine for making prints of different sizes, having an exit opening for the prints, a print folding machine having means for folding the prints, irrespective of size, into packets of uniform size, said folding means including a plurality of selectively operable folding units; conveyor means for conveying the prints from the exit opening of the printing machine to said folding machine along a conveying path, means for sensing print size along said conveying path in advance of any of said folding units, and means coupled with a plurality of said folding units and operated by the sensing means to selectively actuate said folding units so as to fold successive prints irrespective of size into packets of uniform size.

Claim 3

A continuous automatic print system in accordance with claim 1 in which said print size sensing means comprises a plurality of photo-electric scanners spaced apart transversely of said conveyor means.

Claim 4

A system in accordance with claim 1 and further including automatic means for stopping said conveyor means after a predetermined time following the feeding of a print thereto if a succeeding print has not by then reached the conveyor means.

Claim 5

A system in accordance with claim 3 with an adjustable timer.

Claim 6

A system in accordance with claim 4 and further including a print sensing device associated with said timer adapted to start said conveyor means after the timer has timed out when a print is next delivered to the conveyor means.

Claim 7

An automatic sheet-processing system having conveyor means establishing a sheet feed path and adapted to handle an intermix of foldable flexible sheets of different sizes, successively, including sheet folding apparatus having an entrance and having, at its entrance, sheet receiving means for successively receiving sheets of different sizes, and having, in the feed path downstream of said receiving means, means for folding sheets irrespective of size, into packets of uniform standardized length and width dimensions, the folding means including a plurality of selectively operable folding units; the conveyor means including feed mechanism in advance of said sheet receiving means for aligning successive sheets of different sizes and for feeding them to said receiving means of the folding apparatus; and sensing means establishing a sensing zone located along the sheet feed path in advance of said sheet receiving means, the sensing means being coupled with a plurality of said folding units and responsive to sheets of different sizes as they are successively fed through said sensing zone past said sensing means to the sheet receiving means to selectively subject the sheets to the action of one or more folding units of said folding apparatus to fold successive sheets, irrespective of size, into such packets of uniform standardized length and width dimensions.

Claim 8

An automatic sheet-processing system having conveyor means establishing a sheet feed path and adapted to handle an intermix of foldable flexible sheets of different sizes, successively, including sheet folding apparatus having an entrance and having, at its entrance, sheet receiving means for successively receiving sheets of different sizes, and having, in the feed path downstream of said receiving means, means for folding sheets irrespective of size, into packets of uniform standardized length and width dimensions, the folding means including a plurality of selectively operable folding units; the conveyor means including feed mechanism in advance of said sheet receiving means for aligning successive sheets of different sizes and for feeding them to said receiving means of the folding apparatus; and sensing means establishing a sensing zone located along the sheet feed path in advance of said sheet receiving means, the sensing means being coupled with a plurality of said folding units and responsive to sheets of different sizes as they are successively fed through said sensing zone past said sensing means to the sheet receiving means to selectively subject the sheets to the action of one or more folding units of said folding apparatus to fold successive sheets, irrespective of size, into such packets of uniform standardized length and width dimensions.

Claim 9

The system of claim 6, having sheet-printing equipment operative to deliver feed printed sheets of different sizes, for folding by said folding apparatus.

Claim 10

The system of claim 7, wherein the sheet-printing equipment acts as part of the conveyor means for transporting the printed sheets from said printing equipment, through said sensing zone, to the sheet-receiving means of the folding apparatus.

Claim 11

The system of claim 8 with means for coordinating the operation of said printing equipment and said conveyor.

Claim 12

The system of claim 8 having independently-operatable controls for said printing equipment, said conveyor and said folding apparatus.

Claim 13

The system of claim 10 with means for coordinating said independently-operatable controls.

Claim 14

The system of claim 6 having independently-operatable controls for said feed mechanism and said folding apparatus.

Claim 15

The system of claim 12 with another control for riding over said independently-operatable controls.

Claim 16

The system of claim 6 with means for coordinating the operation of said feed mechanism and said folding apparatus.

Claim 17

In a system employing apparatus for printing sheets from reproducibles of different categories and also employing labelling means and sheet-folding mechanism, the method of processing foldable sheets of varying proportions, which includes: successively printing the sheets from such reproducibles and indexing each sheet, as printed, in accordance with the category of the reproducible from which it was made, passing the printed and indexed sheets successively through a sheet-scanning zone to a sheet-folding work station, utilizing the presence of a sheet in said zone to program the operation of the sheet-folding mechanism in accordance with the proportions of the particular sheet as determined in said scanning zone, so as to produce printed and folded sheet packets of uniform predetermined length and width regardless of the initial proportions of the successively printed sheets, also scanning such sheet as to its index and utilizing its index to activate the sheet labelling means to impose on the sheet a legend consistent with the category index.

Claim 18

In a system employing apparatus for printing sheets from reproducibles of different categories and also employing labelling means and sheet-folding mechanism, the method of processing foldable sheets of varying proportions, which includes: successively printing the sheets from such reproducibles and indexing each sheet, as printed, in accordance with the category of the reproducible from which it was made, passing the printed and indexed sheets successively through a sheet-scanning zone to a sheet-folding work station, utilizing the presence of a sheet in said zone to program the operation of the sheet-folding mechanism in accordance with the proportions of the particular sheet as determined in said scanning zone, so as to produce printed and folded sheet packets of uniform predetermined length and width regardless of the initial proportions of the successively printed sheets, also scanning such sheet as to its index and utilizing its index to activate the sheet labelling means to impose on the sheet a legend consistent with the category index.

Claim 21

A continuous automatic print system for making prints varying in size, for applying various information thereto, and for folding the prints into packets of a predetermined size; comprising a printing machine having a feed entrance for print paper and a reproducible and having an exit opening for the prints; a print folding machine; automatic conveyor means for feeding prints from the exit opening of the printing machine to said folding machine; information applying mechanism associated with said conveyor means for applying selectively different information on different prints; said print folding machine having a plurality of selectable folding units for folding prints of various sizes to a predetermined size; means for automatically actuating said applying mechanism to apply the selected information on different prints; and selector means for automatically actuating said selectable folding units of the folding machine in accordance with the size of print being processed.

Claim 22

A continuous automatic print system for making prints varying in size, for applying various information thereto, and for folding the prints into packets of a predetermined size; comprising a printing machine having a feed entrance for print paper and a reproducible and having an exit opening for the prints; a print folding machine; automatic conveyor means for feeding prints from the exit opening of the printing machine to said folding machine; information applying mechanism associated with said conveyor means for applying selectively different information on different prints; said print folding machine having a plurality of selectable folding units for folding prints of various sizes to a predetermined size; means for automatically actuating said applying mechanism to apply the selected information on different prints; and selector means for automatically actuating said selectable folding units of the folding machine in accordance with the size of print being processed.

Claim 23

The system of claim 17 having scanning means for scanning the prints to selectively actuate said folding units.

Claim 24

A system in accordance with claim 18 and further including means for holding a print at rest at least during the application of information on the print.

Claim 25

A system in accordance with claim 19 and further including means for releasing said holding means automatically after completion of the said application of information.