Sheet material handling apparatus

Claim 1

An apparatus comprising a plurality of hoppers for holding sheet material, first conveyor means defining a plurallity of collating spaces movable past each of said hoppers in turn, feed means for feeding sheet material from each of said hoppers to each of said collating spaces in turns during movement of said collating spaces past said hoppers to sequentially form sheet material assemblages at each of said collating spaces, and second conveyor means for sequentialy gripping the sheet material assemblages being transported by said first conveyor means and conveying the gripped sheet material assemblages away from said collating spaces, said second conveyor means including a plurality of gripper means each of which is operable from an open condition to a closed condition to clampingly grip a sheet material assemblage which is at least partially disposed in one of said collating spaces, said first conveyor means including means for enabling the sheet material assemblages to drop downwardly from each of said collating spaces in turn upon sequential movement of the collating spaces to a first location, said second conveyor means including means for moving each of said plurality of gripper means in turn beneath said first conveyor means at the first location with each of said gripper means being movable into alignment with a respective collating space at least along a portion of the path of movement of the gripper along the first location and in the open condition and opening upwardly at the beginning of the first location to enable sheet material assemblages to sequentially drop downwardly into said gripper means, and said second conveyor means including means for operating each of said gripper means in turn from the open condition to the closed condition to clamping grip the lower portion of the sheet material assemblage at the first location while the upper portion of the sheet material assemblage is disposed in a respective collating space in said first conveyor means.

Claim 2

An apparatus comprising a plurality of hoppers for holding sheet material, first conveyor means defining a plurallity of collating spaces movable past each of said hoppers in turn, feed means for feeding sheet material from each of said hoppers to each of said collating spaces in turns during movement of said collating spaces past said hoppers to sequentially form sheet material assemblages at each of said collating spaces, and second conveyor means for sequentialy gripping the sheet material assemblages being transported by said first conveyor means and conveying the gripped sheet material assemblages away from said collating spaces, said second conveyor means including a plurality of gripper means each of which is operable from an open condition to a closed condition to clampingly grip a sheet material assemblage which is at least partially disposed in one of said collating spaces, said first conveyor means including means for enabling the sheet material assemblages to drop downwardly from each of said collating spaces in turn upon sequential movement of the collating spaces to a first location, said second conveyor means including means for moving each of said plurality of gripper means in turn beneath said first conveyor means at the first location with each of said gripper means being movable into alignment with a respective collating space at least along a portion of the path of movement of the gripper along the first location and in the open condition and opening upwardly at the beginning of the first location to enable sheet material assemblages to sequentially drop downwardly into said gripper means, and said second conveyor means including means for operating each of said gripper means in turn from the open condition to the closed condition to clamping grip the lower portion of the sheet material assemblage at the first location while the upper portion of the sheet material assemblage is disposed in a respective collating space in said first conveyor means.

Claim 6

An apparatus comprising a plurality of hoppers for holding sheet material, said hoppers being diposed in a circular array, a plurality of pockets disposed in a circular array beneath the circular array of hoppers, each of said pockets having a lower end portion which is operable between open and closed conditions, means for moving each of said pockets along a circular path coextensive with the circular array of pockets in turn past said hoppers with the lower end portions of said pockets in the closed condition, feed means for feeding sheet material from said hoppers into said pockets as said pockets move past said hoppers to form sheet material assemblages in said pockets, a gripper conveyor for sequentially gripping the sheet material assemblages transported by said pockets and conveying the gripped material assemblages away from said pockets, said gripper conveyor comprising a plurality of grippers operable from an open condition to a closed condition, means for sequentially moving grippers beneath said circular array of pockets along at least a partially arcuate path coextensive with said circular path of movement of said pockets with said grippers in the open condition and in an orientation in which said grippers open upwardly, means for opening the lower end portions of said pockets in turn to drop the sheet material assemblages downwardly into said upwardly opening grippers, and means for operating each of said grippers in turn from the open condition to the closed condition to clampingly engage lower end portions of sheet material assemblages dropped from each of said pockets.

Claim 7

An apparatus comprising a plurality of hoppers for holding sheet material, said hoppers being diposed in a circular array, a plurality of pockets disposed in a circular array beneath the circular array of hoppers, each of said pockets having a lower end portion which is operable between open and closed conditions, means for moving each of said pockets along a circular path coextensive with the circular array of pockets in turn past said hoppers with the lower end portions of said pockets in the closed condition, feed means for feeding sheet material from said hoppers into said pockets as said pockets move past said hoppers to form sheet material assemblages in said pockets, a gripper conveyor for sequentially gripping the sheet material assemblages transported by said pockets and conveying the gripped material assemblages away from said pockets, said gripper conveyor comprising a plurality of grippers operable from an open condition to a closed condition, means for sequentially moving grippers beneath said circular array of pockets along at least a partially arcuate path coextensive with said circular path of movement of said pockets with said grippers in the open condition and in an orientation in which said grippers open upwardly, means for opening the lower end portions of said pockets in turn to drop the sheet material assemblages downwardly into said upwardly opening grippers, and means for operating each of said grippers in turn from the open condition to the closed condition to clampingly engage lower end portions of sheet material assemblages dropped from each of said pockets.