Apparatus for stacking signatures or the like

Claim 1

An apparatus for stacking signatures comprising: a guide plate for stacking signatures which has a predetermined angle of inclination; a conveyor for successively loading signatures onto the starting end of said guide plate from the upper side of the latter; a first support member gradually lowering through a section from the signature loading position to an intermediary position while supporting the foremost end of a stack of signatures which are being stacked on said guide plate; a second support member moving through a section from said intermediary position to an unloading position while supporting, in place of said first support member, the foremost end of said stack which has been transported to said intermediary position while being supported by said first support member; and a third support member moving through the entire section from said loading position to said unloading position while supporting the rearmost end of the stack of signatures loaded onto said guide plate.

Claim 2

An apparatus for stacking signatures comprising: a guide plate for stacking signatures which has a predetermined angle of inclination; a conveyor for successively loading signatures onto the starting end of said guide plate from the upper side of the latter; a first support member gradually lowering through a section from the signature loading position to an intermediary position while supporting the foremost end of a stack of signatures which are being stacked on said guide plate; a second support member moving through a section from said intermediary position to an unloading position while supporting, in place of said first support member, the foremost end of said stack which has been transported to said intermediary position while being supported by said first support member; and a third support member moving through the entire section from said loading position to said unloading position while supporting the rearmost end of the stack of signatures loaded onto said guide plate.

Claim 3

An apparatus for stacking signatures comprising: a guide plate for stacking signatures which has a predetermined angle of inclination; a conveyor for successively loading signatures onto the starting end of said guide plate from the upper side of the latter; a first support member gradually lowering through a section from the signature loading position to an intermediary position while supporting the foremost end of a stack of signatures which are being stacked on said guide plate; a second support member moving through a section from said intermediary position to an unloading position while supporting, in place of said first support member, the foremost end of said stack which has been transported to said intermediary position while being supported by said first support member; a third support member moving through the entire section from said loading position to said unloading position while supporting the rearmost end of the stack of signatures loaded onto said guide plate; and an oscillating plate for correcting any irregularity in alignment of the upper end edges of signatures, said oscillating plate being provided above said guide plate and at a position which is spaced apart from the starting end of said guide plate at a distance corresponding to the length of the signatures.

Claim 4

An apparatus for stacking signatures comprising: a guide plate for stacking signatures which has a predetermined angle of inclination; a conveyor for successively loading signatures onto the starting end of said guide plate from the upper side of the latter; a first support member gradually lowering through a section from the signature loading position to an intermediary position while supporting the foremost end of a stack of signatures which are being stacked on said guide plate; a second support member moving through a section from said intermediary position to an unloading position while supporting, in place of said first support member, the foremost end of said stack which has been transported to said intermediary position while being supported by said first support member; a third support member moving through the entire section from said loading position to said unloading position while supporting the rearmost end of the stack of signatures loaded onto said guide plate; and an oscillating plate for correcting any irregularity in alignment of the upper end edges of signatures, said oscillating plate being provided above said guide plate and at a position which is spaced apart from the starting end of said guide plate at a distance corresponding to the length of the signatures.

Claim 5

An apparatus for stacking signatures comprising: a guide plate for stacking signatures which has a predetermined angle of inclination; a conveyor for successively loading signatures onto the starting end of said guide plate from the upper side of the latter; a first support member gradually lowering through a section from the signature loading position to an intermediary position while supporting the foremost end of a stack of signatures which are being stacked on said guide plate; a second support member moving through a section from said intermediary position to an unloading position while supporting, in place of said first support member, the foremost end of said stack which has been transported to said intermediary position while being supported by said first support member; a third support member moving through the entire section from said loading position to said unloading position while supporting the rearmost end of the stack of signatures loaded onto said guide plate; and means for correcting interruption of a stream of signatures, said means including a photoelectric conversion type detector involving a beam of light crossing said conveyor, a vertically movable conveyor-carrying pulley disposed immediately before said detector and adapted to push up the signature loading path when said light beam is detected by said detector and to return to its initial position when said light beam is intercepted, and downstream conveyor control means which are suspended all together when said light beam is detected by said detector and which are restarted when said light beam is intercepted.

Claim 6

An apparatus for stacking signatures comprising: a guide plate for stacking signatures which has a predetermined angle of inclination; a conveyor for successively loading signatures onto the starting end of said guide plate from the upper side of the latter; a first support member gradually lowering through a section from the signature loading position to an intermediary position while supporting the foremost end of a stack of signatures which are being stacked on said guide plate; a second support member moving through a section from said intermediary position to an unloading position while supporting, in place of said first support member, the foremost end of said stack which has been transported to said intermediary position while being supported by said first support member; a third support member moving through the entire section from said loading position to said unloading position while supporting the rearmost end of the stack of signatures loaded onto said guide plate; and means for correcting interruption of a stream of signatures, said means including a photoelectric conversion type detector involving a beam of light crossing said conveyor, a vertically movable conveyor-carrying pulley disposed immediately before said detector and adapted to push up the signature loading path when said light beam is detected by said detector and to return to its initial position when said light beam is intercepted, and downstream conveyor control means which are suspended all together when said light beam is detected by said detector and which are restarted when said light beam is intercepted.

Claim 7

An apparatus for stacking signatures comprising: a guide plate for stacking signatures which has a predetermined angle of inclination; a conveyor for successively loading signatures onto the starting end of said guide plate from the upper side of the latter; a first support member gradually lowering through a section from the signature loading position to an intermediary position while supporting the foremost end of a stack of signatures which are being stacked on said guide plate; a second support member moving through a section from said intermediary position to an unloading position while supporting, in place of said first support member, the foremost end of said stack which has been transported to said intermediary position while being supported by said first support member; a third support member moving through the entire section from said loading position to said unloading position while supporting the rearmost end of the stack of signatures loaded onto said guide plate; and a signature stream dividing mechanism including a conveyor intermediating pulley provided at a point of bending of said conveyor from a horizontal section to an obliquely downward section, a dividing plate provided so as to be able to extend obliquely downward into a gap between the leading end edge of a signature and the upper surface of a preceding signature, said gap being produced when said leading end edge of the former signature is separated from the upper surface of the latter signature at the position of said pulley, an accumulating plate provided above said intermediating pulley, and a succeeding signature stream lifting member provided immediately before and below said intermediating pulley.

Claim 8

An apparatus for stacking signatures comprising: a guide plate for stacking signatures which has a predetermined angle of inclination; a conveyor for successively loading signatures onto the starting end of said guide plate from the upper side of the latter; a first support member gradually lowering through a section from the signature loading position to an intermediary position while supporting the foremost end of a stack of signatures which are being stacked on said guide plate; a second support member moving through a section from said intermediary position to an unloading position while supporting, in place of said first support member, the foremost end of said stack which has been transported to said intermediary position while being supported by said first support member; a third support member moving through the entire section from said loading position to said unloading position while supporting the rearmost end of the stack of signatures loaded onto said guide plate; and a signature stream dividing mechanism including a conveyor intermediating pulley provided at a point of bending of said conveyor from a horizontal section to an obliquely downward section, a dividing plate provided so as to be able to extend obliquely downward into a gap between the leading end edge of a signature and the upper surface of a preceding signature, said gap being produced when said leading end edge of the former signature is separated from the upper surface of the latter signature at the position of said pulley, an accumulating plate provided above said intermediating pulley, and a succeeding signature stream lifting member provided immediately before and below said intermediating pulley.

Claim 9

An apparatus for stacking signatures comprising: a guide plate for stacking signatures which has a predetermined angle of inclination; a conveyor for successively loading signatures onto the starting end of said guide plate from the upper side of the latter; a first support member gradually lowering through a section from the signature loading position to an intermediary position while supporting the foremost end of a stack of signatures which are being stacked on said guide plate; a second support member moving through a section from said intermediary position to an unloading position while supporting, in place of said first support member, the foremost end of said stack which has been transported to said intermediary position while being supported by said first support member; a third support member moving through the entire section from said loading position to said unloading position while supporting the rearmost end of the stack of signatures loaded onto said guide plate; and panel supply means including a mechanism for supplying panels one by one to a panel supply position from a position directly thereabove, said panel supply position being defined by that position in the signature stack unloading position on said guide plate which is coincident with the rearmost end of the completed stack of signatures, a front panel insertion notch the upper end of which is open and which is provided in said second support member, a rear panel insertion auxiliary plate which is able to lower to the panel supply position on said guide plate, and a supply means arranged such that the front panel is inserted into said notch in said second support member moved to and stopped at said panel supply position and said panel is drawn out of said notch by retracting said second support member to the outside of said guide plate at the signature stack unloading position and thereby brought into contact with the front end of the stack of signatures, while the rear panel is brought into contact with the rear end of the stack of signatures by retracting said third support member to the outside of said guide plate.

Claim 10

An apparatus for stacking signatures comprising: a guide plate for stacking signatures which has a predetermined angle of inclination; a conveyor for successively loading signatures onto the starting end of said guide plate from the upper side of the latter; a first support member gradually lowering through a section from the signature loading position to an intermediary position while supporting the foremost end of a stack of signatures which are being stacked on said guide plate; a second support member moving through a section from said intermediary position to an unloading position while supporting, in place of said first support member, the foremost end of said stack which has been transported to said intermediary position while being supported by said first support member; a third support member moving through the entire section from said loading position to said unloading position while supporting the rearmost end of the stack of signatures loaded onto said guide plate; and panel supply means including a mechanism for supplying panels one by one to a panel supply position from a position directly thereabove, said panel supply position being defined by that position in the signature stack unloading position on said guide plate which is coincident with the rearmost end of the completed stack of signatures, a front panel insertion notch the upper end of which is open and which is provided in said second support member, a rear panel insertion auxiliary plate which is able to lower to the panel supply position on said guide plate, and a supply means arranged such that the front panel is inserted into said notch in said second support member moved to and stopped at said panel supply position and said panel is drawn out of said notch by retracting said second support member to the outside of said guide plate at the signature stack unloading position and thereby brought into contact with the front end of the stack of signatures, while the rear panel is brought into contact with the rear end of the stack of signatures by retracting said third support member to the outside of said guide plate.

Claim 11

An apparatus for stacking signatures comprising: a guide plate for stacking signatures which has a predetermined angle of inclination; a conveyor for successively loading signatures onto the starting end of said guide plate from the upper side of the latter; a first support member gradually lowering through a section from the signature loading position to an intermediary position while supporting the foremost end of a stack of signatures which are being stacked on said guide plate; a second support member moving through a section from said intermediary position to an unloading position while supporting, in place of said first support member, the foremost end of said stack which has been transported to said intermediary position while being supported by said first support member; a third support member moving through the entire section from said loading position to said unloading position while supporting the rearmost end of the stack of signatures loaded onto said guide plate; panel supply means including a mechanism for supplying panels one by one to a panel supply position from a position directly thereabove, said panel supply position being defined by that position in the signature stack unloading position on said guide plate which is coincident with the rearmost end of the completed stack of signatures, a front panel insertion notch the upper end of which is open and which is provided in said second support member, a rear panel insertion auxiliary plate which is able to lower to the panel supply position on said guide plate, and a supply means arranged such that the front panel is inserted into said notch in said second support member moved to and stopped at said panel supply position and said panel is drawn out of said notch by retracting said second support member to the outside of said guide plate at the signature stack unloading position and thereby brought into contact with the front end of the stack of signatures, while the rear panel is brought into contact with the rear end of the stack of signatures by retracting said third support member to the outside of said guide plate; a pusher plate for unloading the completed stack of signatures from a position to the side of the signature stack unloading position on said guide plate to a position directly below a banding arch; a compressing mechanism for longitudinally compressing the stack of signatures directly below said arch; and a binding machine which bands the compressed stack of signatures.

Claim 12

An apparatus for stacking signatures comprising: a guide plate for stacking signatures which has a predetermined angle of inclination; a conveyor for successively loading signatures onto the starting end of said guide plate from the upper side of the latter; a first support member gradually lowering through a section from the signature loading position to an intermediary position while supporting the foremost end of a stack of signatures which are being stacked on said guide plate; a second support member moving through a section from said intermediary position to an unloading position while supporting, in place of said first support member, the foremost end of said stack which has been transported to said intermediary position while being supported by said first support member; a third support member moving through the entire section from said loading position to said unloading position while supporting the rearmost end of the stack of signatures loaded onto said guide plate; panel supply means including a mechanism for supplying panels one by one to a panel supply position from a position directly thereabove, said panel supply position being defined by that position in the signature stack unloading position on said guide plate which is coincident with the rearmost end of the completed stack of signatures, a front panel insertion notch the upper end of which is open and which is provided in said second support member, a rear panel insertion auxiliary plate which is able to lower to the panel supply position on said guide plate, and a supply means arranged such that the front panel is inserted into said notch in said second support member moved to and stopped at said panel supply position and said panel is drawn out of said notch by retracting said second support member to the outside of said guide plate at the signature stack unloading position and thereby brought into contact with the front end of the stack of signatures, while the rear panel is brought into contact with the rear end of the stack of signatures by retracting said third support member to the outside of said guide plate; a pusher plate for unloading the completed stack of signatures from a position to the side of the signature stack unloading position on said guide plate to a position directly below a banding arch; a compressing mechanism for longitudinally compressing the stack of signatures directly below said arch; and a binding machine which bands the compressed stack of signatures.

Claim 13

An apparatus for stacking signatures comprising: a guide plate onto which signatures are vertically loaded one by one from a stream of signatures transported in such a manner that the signatures overlap one another at a predetermined pitch and on which the loaded signatures are stacked horizontally; a front retainer for supporting the front end of the stack of signatures; a pair of conveyors adapted to sandwich a succeeding signature from the front and rear sides thereof and load it onto said guide plate in the sandwiched state along the rear end of the stack of signatures; an oscillating member supporting either one or both of said conveyors so as to be movable backward againt force; a transducer for converting an amount of mechanical backward movement of either one or both of said conveyors into an electrical amount; and a drive means which is supplied with the electrically converted value and transmits an amount of mechanical forward movement corresponding thereto to said front retainer.

Claim 14

An apparatus for stacking signatures comprising: a guide plate onto which signatures are vertically loaded one by one from a stream of signatures transported in such a manner that the signatures overlap one another at a predetermined pitch and on which the loaded signatures are stacked horizontally; a front retainer for supporting the front end of the stack of signatures; a pair of conveyors adapted to sandwich a succeeding signature from the front and rear sides thereof and load it onto said guide plate in the sandwiched state along the rear end of the stack of signatures; an oscillating member supporting either one or both of said conveyors so as to be movable backward againt force; a transducer for converting an amount of mechanical backward movement of either one or both of said conveyors into an electrical amount; and a drive means which is supplied with the electrically converted value and transmits an amount of mechanical forward movement corresponding thereto to said front retainer.

Claim 29

An apparatus according to either one of claims 18 and 19, wherein there are a pair of support members which are provided so as to come into contact with two lateral edge portions, respectively, of the front end of said stack of signatures.

Claim 30

An apparatus according to either one of claims 18 and 19, wherein said biasing means and said advancing and retracting means are arranged so as to constitute either an orthogonal coordinate system or an oblique coordinate system and respectively activated by two independent actuators.

Claim 31

An apparatus according to either one of claims 18 and 19, wherein said biasing means and said advancing and retracting means are arranged so as to constitute a polar coordinate system and activated by a single common actuator.