Abstract:
An arrangement for forming a third stream of at least one first and one second stream of identical printed products has a first transport device synchronously conveying in a first conveying direction the first and second streams adjacent to one another. A second transport device is arranged downstream of the first transport device and has a second conveying direction substantially transverse to the first conveying direction of the first transport device. The first and second transport devices form steps transporting the printed products in a cascade fashion and combining the first and second streams to a common third stream.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to an arrangement forming a third stream out of a first stream and a second stream of printed products. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Such arrangements are known for processing so-called double-up products. Such double-up products are formed, for example, by means of a gather-stitcher and, in general, are also stitched by it. In a cutting machine, also referred to as a trimmer, these double-up products are trimmed with the spine or back leading. In this way, out of each double-up product two printed products are produced which are trimmed on three sides. Downstream of the cutting machine, the trimmed printed products are conveyed in two synchronously moving streams. For further processing of the printed products, these two streams are supplied to a processing machine, respectively. These machines are, in particular, stackers, for forming packets, or winding devices. In the stackers, the printed products are stacked atop one another as is known in the art. By means of the winding devices, the streams are converted to imbricated streams and these are wound to rolls by means of winding straps. These rolls can be stored and unwound at a desired point in time. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide an arrangement of the aforementioned kind which simplifies processing of double streams and, in particular, processing of double-up products. Despite of this, a comparatively high output is to be provided. 
     In accordance with the present invention, this is achieved in that a second transport device is arranged downstream of the first transport device, which is conveying-effective in a direction substantially transverse to the conveying direction of the first transport device, and in that the two transport devices provide steps where the printed products can be conveyed in a cascade fashion and with which the first and second streams are combined to a common third stream on the second transport device. 
     According to the arrangement of the present invention, the two streams are combined to a common stream. This is achieved by means of steps where the printed products are conveyed in a cascade-like fashion. The technical term for such steps or cascade-like conveying paths is “bumpturn”. They are generally known in the printed products industry and are functionally reliable as well as controllable without great configurational expenditure. Since only one stream must be further processed accordingly, it is only necessary to provide a single further processing machine to which this stream is then supplied. In this way, the processing sequence can be simplified and costs can be saved. For example, the printed products can be combined in a single stacker to packets or can be rolled onto a single winding roller. 
     When, according to a further embodiment of the invention, the arrangement is configured such that the common third stream is an imbricated stream, it can be wound to a roll. The output of the device according to the invention is at least comparable to that of known devices of this kind. For products of a format DIN A5 (German industrial standard), it is easily possible to process two times 13,000 copies per hour. 
    
    
     Further advantageous features can be taken form the dependent claims, the following description, and the drawing. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     In the drawing: 
     FIG. 1 shows schematically a perspective partial view of the arrangement according to the invention; 
     FIG. 2 shows a plan view onto the arrangement according to the invention; 
     FIG. 3 shows schematically how a common stream is formed of two streams. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     According to FIG. 2, the arrangement has substantially a first transport device  1 , a second transport device  2 , a gather-stitcher  18  as well as a cutting machine  5 . In the gather-stitcher  18 , which is only schematically indicated and is of a conventional design, the so-called double-up products  13  are processed and their spine  21  is preferably stitched by a conventional stitcher (not illustrated). The double-up products  13  are printed with information A and B for two printed products  3  and  4 . A and B are conventionally identical and symmetrical. 
     The double-up products  13  formed in the gather-stitcher  18  are then transferred to the first transport device  1  on which they are transported in the direction of arrow  14  with their spine  21  leading and are supplied to a cutting device  5 , also referred to as trimmer. This cutting device  5  has a front cutting device  6  and two lateral knives  8 ,  10  as well as a central cutting knife  9 ; it also has stops which are not illustrated here. The double-up products  13  are trimmed by the cutting device  5  at the sides and also parallel to the spine  21 . By means of the central cutting knife  9  the double-up products  13  are separated along the dashed line T. After having passed through the cutting device  5 , printed products  3  and  4 , for example, brochures, magazines and the like, are present which are trimmed on three sides and which are gather-stitched. The printed products  3  and  4  are transported with their spine  24  leading. The cut front  22  is thus in the trailing position and the lateral cuts  23  extend parallel to the conveying direction according to arrow  14 . 
     The printed products  3  form a first stream S 1  and the printed products  4  form a second stream S 2 . Both streams S 1 , S 2  move preferably synchronously with one another and, as illustrated, the printed products  3  and  4  are spaced in the conveying direction from one another, respectively. 
     The transport device  1  comprises a transport member  15 , shown in FIG. 1, downstream of the cutting device  5 , wherein the transport member  15  can be, for example, an endless belt. The transport of the two streams ends at a forward edge  7 . 
     Downstream of the edge  7 , the second transport device  2  is arranged transverse to the conveying direction according to arrow  14 . It has a conveying direction which, according to arrow  25 , is substantially transverse to the conveying direction  14  of the transport device  1 . The transport device  2  comprises two conveying sections in the form of a first transport member  2   a  as well as a second transport member  2   b.  These transport members  2   a,    2   b  are formed, for example, by a transport belt  16  and a transport belt  17 . However, in principle, other transport members are also possible. The two transport members  2   a  and  2   b  are driven by a separate controlled drive  19  and  20 , respectively. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the first transport member  2   a  is positioned slightly underneath and in front of the edge  7  and the second transport member  2   b  is positioned underneath a forward edge  26  of the first transport member  2   a.  The transition of the first transport device  1  to the second transport device  2  thus forms a first step, and a second step is formed between the transport member  2   a  and the transport member  2   b.  Since the two transport members  2   a  and  2   b  are vertically staggered or displaced relative to one another, a double step according to W 1  plus W 3  is formed for the stream S 1 . The stream S 2  is guided via the step W 2 , which corresponds to the sum of the drop heights of the steps W 1  and W 3 , onto the transport member  2   b.  The printed products  3  of the stream S 1 , coming from the first transport member  2   a,  also reach the second transport member  2   b  after passing step W 1  and the additional step W 3 . 
     The conveying speed of the streams S 1 , S 2  is identified with arrow V 1 , the speed of the transport member  2   a  with V 2 , and the speed of the imbricated stream S 3  with V 3 . On the first transport member  2   a  the printed products  3  are changed from the speed V 1  to the speed V 2 . The printed products  4  are changed from the speed V 1  to the speed V 3  of the transport member  2   b.  The speed V 2  acts in the same direction as the speed V 3  but its absolute value is substantially higher, preferably approximately twice as high. 
     The steps W 1  to W 3  are configured such that the two streams S 1  and S 2  are combined to a common stream S 3 . The stream S 3  is preferably, but not mandatorily, an imbricated stream. For generating a substantially aligned conveying stream on the conveying member  2   b,  adjustable stops  100 ,  101  are arranged thereon as on the upstream conveying member  2   a,  wherein the stops are preferably adjustable with respect to different sizes of the printed products. 
     In the following, with the aid of FIGS. 3 a  to  3   h,  the formation of a common stream S 3  will be explained. 
     FIG. 3 a  shows schematically the first transport device  1  and the two transport members  2   a  and  2   b  of the second transport device  2 . On the second transport device  2  no printed products are present yet. On the first transport device  1  a first stream S 1  with printed products  3  and a second stream S 2  with printed products  4  are conveyed, as explained above. When a printed product  3  as well as a printed product  4  reach the edge  7  (FIG.  2 ), they reach via the steps W 1  and W 2 , respectively, the second transport device  2 . The printed product  3  reaches the first transport member  2   a  and the printed product  4  the transport member  2   b.  FIG. 3 b  shows the situation where the printed product  3  is positioned on the first transport member  2   a  and the printed product  4  on the second transport member  2   b.  The printed product  3  has the speed V 2  and the printed product  4  has been changed to the speed V 3 . The speed V 2  is significantly higher with regard to its absolute value, for example, twice as high as the speed V 3 . Via the step W 3  the printed product  3  is conveyed onto the second transport member  2   b.  As a result of the higher speed V 2  the printed product  3  is pushed on top of the printed product  4  and is positioned thereon at an imbricated spacing D, illustrated in FIG. 3 h.    
     At the same time, the following printed products  3 ′ and  4 ′ arrive at the edge  7  and reach via steps W 1  and W 2 , respectively, the second transport device  2 . The printed product  4 ′ is placed with an imbricated spacing D onto the printed product  3  and the printed product  3 ′ is placed onto the printed product  4 ′, also at the imbricated spacing D. In this way, on the transport member  2   b  a third stream S 3  is formed which is an imbricated flow with the imbricated spacing D. The process is repeated for each of the product pairs arriving at the edge  7 . The printed products deposited onto the transport member  2   b  are, of course, continuously conveyed at the speed V 3  in the transport direction of the arrow  25 . The lines L 1  to L 4  in FIGS. 3 b  to  3   h  connect the edges of the same product and serve only for understanding the processing sequence. 
     As has been explained above, the two transport members  2   a  and  2   b  are driven independent from one another in the same transport direction by controllable drives  19  and  20 , respectively. By adjusting the speed V 2  and V 3 , an optimal imbricated flow S 3  can be adjusted. 
     Downstream of the transport member  2   b,  according to FIG. 2, a third transport device  11  is arranged which has, for example, also an endless transport belt and a stop  12  against which the products of the third stream S 3  are conveyed. This stop  12  effects turning of the stream by 90 degrees wherein the arriving imbricated stream S 3  is transformed into a further imbricated flow S 4 . In this imbricated flow S 4  the spines  24  are again arranged in a leading position with respect to the conveying direction as in the first transport device  1 . The conveying direction of S 4  is illustrated in FIG. 2 by the arrow  28  and is thus substantially parallel to the conveying direction of the first transport device  1 . 
     The imbricated flow S 4  is, for example, supplied to a winding device  27 , indicated only schematically in FIG. 2, where the printed products  3  and  4  are wound in an imbricated stream and secured by straps  29 . The printed products  3  and  4  in the streams S 3  or S 4  can advantageously be provided with addresses by means of an addressing device (not illustrated). Advantageous in this connection is that the printed products  3  and  4  have a defined sequence. However, the printed products  3  and  4  of the stream S 4  can also be supplied to a stacker, not illustrated, or a different device for forming packets. The arrangement according to the invention has the additional advantage that top quality packets and standard packets can be formed in any suitable sequence. The stream S 4  is preferably an imbricated stream. Conceivable is also a configuration in which the stream S 4  is a product stream in which the sequential printed products  3  and  4  do not overlap. Basically, it is also possible to already supply the stream S 3  to a further processing device, for example, a stacker or a winding device. The stream S 3  can, in principle, also be a stream in which the sequential printed products  3  and  4  do not overlap. 
     While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the inventive principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.