Claims
- 1. A right-angle sheet stager apparatus for merging multiple input sheet streams into a single output sheet stream, the apparatus comprising:
(a) a plurality of input channels, each input channel including a transport surface for transporting sheets and a staging surface for staging sheets, each staging surface disposed downstream of its corresponding transport surface and one of the staging surfaces disposed at an elevation different from an elevation of one of the other staging surfaces; and (b) an output channel including an output surface, the output channel oriented in a substantially right-angle relation with respect to the input channels and communicating with the input channels at a merger location.
- 2. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a plurality of transitional members, each transitional member interposed between one of the transport surfaces and a corresponding one of the staging surfaces.
- 3. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein each transitional member includes an elongate edge transversely disposed with respect to a direction of sheet travel along the input channel.
- 4. The apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the elongate edge of one of the transitional members is disposed at an elevation greater than the elevation of its corresponding staging surface.
- 5. The apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the elongate edge of one of the transitional members is disposed at an elevation greater than an elevation of its corresponding transport surface.
- 6. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein each transport surface is disposed in adjacent relation to the other transport surfaces.
- 7. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein each staging surface is disposed in a stepped relation to the other staging surfaces.
- 8. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein one of the transport surfaces has an average elevation different from an average elevation of one of the other transport surfaces.
- 9. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein one of the transport surfaces has an average elevation different from the elevation of its corresponding staging surface.
- 10. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a plurality of transport drive mechanisms for advancing sheets across the transport surfaces to the staging surfaces, wherein each transport drive mechanism is operatively disposed at a corresponding one of the transport surfaces.
- 11. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein each transport drive mechanism includes a roller disposed below an opening of the corresponding transport surface.
- 12. The apparatus according to claim 11 further comprising a plurality of actuators for urging sheets residing on the transport surfaces against the transport drive mechanisms, wherein each actuator is operatively disposed above the opening of the corresponding transport surface.
- 13. The apparatus according to claim 12 wherein each actuator includes a reciprocative solenoid.
- 14. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein each transport drive mechanism is in electrical communication with an electronic control device.
- 15. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a plurality of pairs of transport nip rollers, each pair of transport nip rollers including an upper roller disposed above the transport surface and a lower roller disposed below the transport surface.
- 16. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein each transport surface includes a sensor in electrical communication with an electronic control device and adapted to indicate the presence of a sheet on the transport surface.
- 17. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a plurality of stop members, each stop member disposed proximate to an end of a corresponding one of the staging surfaces opposite to its corresponding transport surface.
- 18. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a plurality of staging drive mechanisms for advancing sheets across the staging surfaces to the output channel, each staging drive mechanism operatively disposed at a corresponding one of the staging surfaces.
- 19. The apparatus according to claim 18 wherein each staging drive mechanism includes a roller disposed below an opening of the corresponding staging surface.
- 20. The apparatus according to claim 19 further comprising a plurality of actuators for urging sheets residing on the staging surfaces against the staging drive mechanisms, each actuator operatively disposed above the opening of the corresponding staging surface.
- 21. The apparatus according to claim 20 wherein each actuator includes a reciprocative solenoid.
- 22. The apparatus according to claim 18 wherein each staging drive mechanism is in electrical communication with an electronic control device.
- 23. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein each staging surface includes a pair of take-away nip rollers disposed proximate to a leading edge of the staging surface, each pair of take-away nip rollers including an upper roller disposed above the staging surface and a lower roller disposed below the staging surface.
- 24. The apparatus according to claim 23 wherein each staging surface includes at least two pairs of take-away nip rollers, and the lower roller of one of the pairs of take-away nip rollers rotates on the same axle and at the same rotational velocity as the lower roller of the other pair of take-away nip rollers.
- 25. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein each staging surface includes a sensor in electrical communication with an electronic control device and adapted to indicate the presence of a sheet on the staging surface.
- 26. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a plurality of post-staging surfaces, each post-staging surface interposed between one of the staging surfaces and the merger location.
- 27. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the output surface includes a pair of exit rollers including an upper roller disposed above the output surface and a lower roller disposed below the output surface.
- 28. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the output surface includes a sensor in electrical communication with an electronic control device and adapted to indicate the presence of a sheet on the output surface.
- 29. A right-angle sheet stager apparatus for merging multiple input sheet streams into a single output sheet stream, the apparatus comprising:
(a) a plurality of input channels, each input channel including a transport surface, a staging surface and a transitional member interposed between the transport surface and the staging surface, each staging surface disposed downstream of its corresponding transport surface, wherein one of the transitional members includes an upper surface disposed at an elevation greater than an elevation of its corresponding staging surface; and (b) an output channel including an output surface, the output channel oriented in a right-angle relation with respect to the input channels and communicating with the input channels at a merger location.
- 30. The apparatus according to claim 29 wherein one of the transport surfaces is disposed at an elevation greater than the elevation of its corresponding staging surface.
- 31. The apparatus according to claim 29 wherein an upper surface of one of the transitional members is greater than an elevation of its corresponding transport surface.
- 32. A right-angle sheet stager apparatus for merging multiple input sheet streams into a single output sheet stream, the sheet stager apparatus comprising:
(a) an inside input path including an inside transport surface and an inside staging surface, the inside staging surface having an elevation and communicating with the inside transport surface at an inside interface location, the inside interface location including an upper surface having an elevation greater than the elevation of the inside staging surface; (b) an outside input path including an outside transport surface and an outside staging surface communicating with the outside transport surface at an outside interface location, the outside staging surface having an elevation different from the elevation of the inside staging surface, the outside interface location including an upper surface having an elevation greater than the elevation of the outside staging surface; and (c) an output path including an output surface, the output path oriented in a right-angle relation with respect to the inside and outside input paths and communicating with the inside and outside input paths at a merger location.
- 33. The apparatus according to claim 32 wherein the inside transport surface has an elevation greater than the elevation of the inside staging surface and the outside transport surface has an elevation greater than the elevation of the outside staging surface.
- 34. The apparatus according to claim 32 wherein the elevation of the upper surface of the inside interface location is greater than an elevation of the inside transport surface and the elevation of the upper surface of the outside interface location is greater than an elevation of the outside transport surface.
- 35. A right-angle sheet stager apparatus for merging multiple input sheet streams into a single output sheet stream comprising:
(a) a plurality of means for transporting a plurality of sheet streams along a plurality of different respective input paths; (b) a plurality of means for staging sheets of the respective sheet streams, each staging means communicating with a corresponding one of the transporting means at a transitional location disposed between each staging means and corresponding transporting means, wherein the sheets are staged in each staging means at an elevation different than an elevation of the other staging means; and (c) means for directing sheets received and staged at the plurality of staging means into a single output sheet stream along an output path, wherein the output path is substantially perpendicular to each of the plurality of input paths.
- 36. The apparatus according to claim 35 wherein the sheets received by each staging means are staged in the staging means at an elevation lower than an elevation of the corresponding transitional location.
- 37. A right-angle sheet stager apparatus for merging multiple input sheet streams into a single output sheet stream, the right angle sheet stager apparatus comprising:
(a) a plurality of input channels, each input channel including an input surface and terminating at a staging surface; (b) an output channel including an output surface, the output channel oriented in a substantially right-angle relation with respect to the input channels and communicating with the input channels at a merger location; and (c) means for driving a first sheet staged on one of the staging surfaces toward the output channel after a second sheet being fed into the staging surface from its corresponding input surface has moved into an overlapping relation with the first sheet.
- 38. A right-angle sheet stager apparatus for merging multiple input sheet streams into a single output sheet stream, the right angle sheet stager apparatus comprising:
(a) a plurality of input channels, each input channel including an input surface and terminating at a staging surface; (b) an output channel including an output surface, the output channel oriented in a substantially right-angle relation with respect to the input channels and communicating with the input channels at a merger location; and (c) means for driving a first sheet received at the merger location from a first one of the staging surfaces along the output surface after a second sheet received from a second one of the staging surfaces has moved into an overlapping relation with the first sheet.
- 39. A right-angle sheet stager apparatus comprising:
(a) an input channel including a transport surface and a staging surface, the transport surface communicating with the staging surface at a transitional member interposed between the transport surface and the staging surface, the transitional member having an upper surface disposed at an elevation greater than an elevation of the staging surface; and (b) an output channel oriented in a substantially right-angle relation with respect to the input channel.
- 40. A document handling apparatus comprising:
(a) an input path structure including an input surface and a first document moving device disposed in operative engagement with the input surface; (b) an output path structure oriented perpendicularly with respect to the input path structure and including an output surface; and (c) a staging and document turning assembly interposed between the input path structure and the output path structure and including a staging surface and a second document moving device, wherein the staging surface defines an interface between the input surface and the output surface, and the second document moving device is disposed in operative engagement with the staging surface and is oriented perpendicularly with respect to the first document moving device.
- 41. A method for merging multiple input sheet streams into a single output sheet stream oriented at a right angle with respect to the input sheet streams comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a staging area including a plurality of staging surfaces disposed at different elevations; (b) feeding a plurality of sheets in a plurality of input sheet streams into the staging area, wherein the sheets of each input sheet stream are transported onto a corresponding one of the staging surfaces; (c) providing a sheet outfeed area including an output surface in communication with each of the staging surfaces; (d) staging a first sheet on a first one of the staging surfaces; (e) bringing the first sheet into contact with a sheet driving mechanism; (f) activating the sheet driving mechanism to transport the first sheet towards the outfeed area; and (g) permitting a second sheet to enter the first staging surface and to overlap with the first sheet prior to transportation of the entire first sheet out of the staging area.
- 42. The method according to claim 41 comprising the step of permitting a plurality of sheets to enter the first staging surface and accumulate thereon prior to transportation of the first sheet out of the staging area.
- 43. The method according to claim 41 comprising the steps of staging a third sheet on a second one of the staging surfaces, causing the first sheet and the third sheet to merge into a single output sheet stream at a merger location disposed downstream of the staging area, and permitting the first and third sheets to enter into an overlapping relation at the merger location.
- 44. The method according to claim 41 comprising the steps of causing the first sheet and the second sheet to merge into a single output sheet stream at a merger location disposed downstream of the staging area, and permitting the first and second sheets to enter into an overlapping relation at the merger location.
- 45. A method for merging multiple input sheet streams into a single output sheet stream oriented at a right angle with respect to the input sheet streams comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a staging area including a plurality of staging surfaces disposed at different elevations, wherein each staging surface includes a sheet driving element operatively associated therewith; (b) feeding a plurality of sheets in a plurality of input sheet streams into the staging area, wherein the sheets of each input sheet stream are transported onto a corresponding one of the staging surfaces; (c) providing a sheet outfeed area including an output surface in communication with each of the staging surfaces; (d) staging a first sheet on a first one of the staging surfaces; (e) staging a second sheet on a second one of the staging surfaces; (f) bringing the first sheet into contact with the sheet driving element of the first staging surface; (g) bringing the second sheet into contact with the sheet driving element of the second staging surface; (h) activating the sheet driving element of the first staging surface to transport the first sheet towards the outfeed area in a direction substantially perpendicular to at least one of the input sheet streams; and (i) activating the sheet driving element of the second staging surface to transport the second sheet towards the outfeed area in a direction substantially perpendicular to at least one of the input sheet streams.
- 46. The method according to claim 46 comprising the step of causing a subsequent sheet to enter the first staging surface and to overlap with the first sheet prior to transportation of the first sheet out of the staging surface.
- 47. The method according to claim 46 comprising the step of permitting a plurality of sheets to enter the first staging surface and accumulate thereon prior to transportation of the first sheet out of the staging area.
- 48. The method according to claim 45 comprising the step of merging the first and second sheets into a single output sheet stream at a merger location.
- 49. The method according to claim 48 comprising the step of permitting the first and second sheets to overlap at the merger location.
- 50. The method according to claim 49 comprising the steps of transporting a third sheet from the first staging surface towards the ouffeed area, transporting a fourth sheet from the second staging surface towards the outfeed area, merging the third and fourth sheets at the merger location, and permitting the third and fourth sheets to overlap at the merger location.
- 51. The method according to claim 45 comprising the steps of transporting a third sheet from the first staging surface towards the outfeed area, merging the second and third sheets at the merger location, and permitting the second and third sheets to overlap at the merger location.
- 52. The method according to claim 45 comprising the steps of transporting a third sheet from the first staging surface towards the outfeed area, transporting a fourth sheet from the second staging surface towards the outfeed area, merging the third and fourth sheets at the merger location, and permitting the third and fourth sheets to overlap at the merger location.
- 53. The method according to claim 45 comprising the steps of transporting a third sheet from the first staging surface towards the ouffeed area, merging the first and third sheets at the merger location, and permitting the first and third sheets to overlap at the merger location.
- 54. The method according to claim 53 comprising the steps of transporting a fourth sheet from the second staging surface towards the outfeed area, merging the second and fourth sheets at the merger location, and permitting the second and fourth sheets to overlap at the merger location.
PRIORITY APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/166,434 filed on Nov. 19, 1999 and further claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 601167,052 filed Nov. 22, 1999.
Provisional Applications (2)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60166434 |
Nov 1999 |
US |
|
60167052 |
Nov 1999 |
US |
Divisions (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09568876 |
May 2000 |
US |
Child |
10075771 |
Feb 2002 |
US |