Device for registering the rear edges of the sheets in sheet delivery mechanisms for printing machines

Claim 1

In a delivery mechanism for a sheet fed printing press the combination comprising a main frame, a delivery station within said frame, a chain type conveyor having grippers for engaging the leading edges of successive sheets for transporting the sheets into the delivery station, means at the delivery station for releasing the sheets so that they settle downwardly one by one, a main pile board for normally receiving the sheets, means for supporting the main pile board in an upraised position and for progressively lowering the board as the sheets accumulate thereon, a rear edge guide in the form of a traverse member for positioning the rear edges of the downwardly settling sheets, a brake assembly at the delivery station for engaging the trailing edges of the sheets for decelerating the sheets, the brake assembly being horizontally adjustable to accommodate sheets of different length, an intermediate stacking mechanism having a horizontal frame and having an intermediate pile receiver, the intermediate pile receiver being movable horizontally on the frame between an out-of-the-way position and an interposed receiving position in the path of downward settling movement of the sheets for receiving the sheets during the time that a filled pile board is removed and replaced by an empty one, the traverse member having a suspension linkage for vertically suspending the same from the brake assembly for horizontal adjusting movement in unison therewith, means for locking the ends of the traverse member to the frame of the intermediate stacking mechanism for positively holding the traverse member in its horizontally adjusted position, the frame of the intermediate stacking mechanism being vertically adjustable with respect to the main frame, the suspension linkage being vertically extensible so that the traverse member may follow the vertical movement of the frame of the intermediate stacking mechanism enabling the traverse member to serve as a positively positioned rear edge guide for both (a) the sheets which are deposited to form an intermediate pile and (b) the sheets which are subsequently deposited thereon to form a main pile with the result that all of the sheets in the main pile are in precise register.