Patent ID: 8430400
Filing Date: 2013-04-30
Classification: B65H

Abstract:
1. A system for feeding and rotating sheets transported in a downstream direction between a source of sheets and a utilization device comprising: a feed table interconnecting the source of sheets and the utilization device, the feed table including a plurality of rotating drive elements positioned at predetermined spacing along the feed table in the downstream direction; a plurality of actuable nip rollers that selectively engage with respective drive elements to form a respective drive nip therebetween and disengage from the drive elements to define a clearance therebetween; a rotator disk assembly including a rotating driven disk and opposing pressure disk that selectively engages the driven disk and disengages from the driven disk to provide clearance therebetween, the driven disk and the pressure disk each being located on a common rotational axis perpendicular to a plane of the feed table and the rotator disk assembly being located on the feed table between a plurality of the sets of drive elements upstream and a plurality of the sets of drive elements downstream of the driven disk; further comprising a controller that selectively disengages predetermined nip rollers adjacent to sheets to provide clearance for sheets as sheets are driven at a differential speed with respect to a drive speed provided by the plurality of rotating drive elements and engages the predetermined nip rollers adjacent to sheets when sheets are to be maintained in alignment on the feed table and driven along the feed table at the drive speed provided by the drive elements; wherein the controller selectively disengages at least some of the predetermined nip rollers adjacent to the rotator disk assembly to provide clearance for each of the sheets as the sheets are engaged by the pressure disk and rotated by the driven disk; wherein the controller selectively engages at least some of the predetermined nip rollers adjacent to the rotator disk assembly and disengages the pressure disk to provide a clearance after each of the sheets is rotated by the driven disk so as to transport each of the sheets downstream; and wherein the controller selectively disengages at least some of the predetermined nip rollers adjacent to an upstream end of the feed table when each of the sheets enters the feed table from the source at a source feed rate and engages at least some of the predetermined nip rollers adjacent to the upstream end when each of the sheets is stopped by the source on the upstream end to thereby engage and drive each of the sheets.