Patent ID: 6349933
Filing Date: 2002-02-26
Classification: B65H

Abstract:
A method for stacking generally rectangular sheets in a substantially horizontal stack of generally vertically disposed sheets, said method comprising the steps of:conveying said sheets in consecutive shingled order along a generally horizontal conveyor path, causing said sheets to successively pass from said generally horizontal conveyor path to a downstream conveyor path along which said sheets are progressively rotated to positions inclined relative to horizontal as the sheets reach a downstream end of said downstream conveyor path, causing said sheets to successively pass from said downstream conveyor path to a conveyor path operative to continue travel of said sheets in an upwardly directed path coincident with their direction of travel at the downstream end of the downstream conveyor path, stopping a first predetermined number of consecutive sheets in succession at a first predetermined position during travel along said upwardly directed path and causing said first predetermined number of consecutive sheets to be progressively moved generally horizontally after being stopped at said first predetermined position, causing at least one sheet traveling immediately behind said first predetermined number of sheets to be stopped at a second predetermined position so that an upper edge of said at least one sheet behind said predetermined number of sheets extends above the upper edges of at least the last of said first predetermined number of sheets, and causing said at least one sheet to be moved generally horizontally immediately behind said first predetermined number of sheets so as to create a physical demarcation between the last of said first predetermined number of sheets and said at least one sheet to thereby enable an operator to readily manually grasp said predetermined number of sheets for separation and removal from said sheets immediately behind said first predetermined number of sheets.