Patent GB-979410-A (GB)
Title: Improved apparatus for stacking forms
IPC: G06K13/12
Filed: 1961-09-29
Abstract: 979,410. Delivery sheets. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. Sept. 29, 1961 [Oct. 3, 1960], No. 35312/61. Heading B6H. [Also in Division G4] Record cards or the like are delivered from a computer or other machine and are stacked in pockets P, P<SP>1</SP> and MP. Cards C, C<SP>1</SP> are fed into the stacking device from different directions, the cards C being stacked selectively in either of the pockets P or the pocket MP and the cards C<SP>1</SP> being stacked in either of the pockets P<SP>1</SP> or the pocket MP. The stacking device comprises three pairs of feed rollers 12 and three similar pairs 13 all mounted on a back plate 10. The extreme right-hand pair of rollers 12, Fig. 1, has associated with it a pair of guides 26, 27 also mounted on the plate 10 and defining a passage along which cards are fed to one of the pockets P, a portion 29 of the guide 27 being bent so as to form a recess in the passage. Similar guides are associated with the middle pair of rollers 12 and with the two left-hand pairs of rollers 13. The right-hand pair of rollers 13 and left-hand pair of rollers 12 have a V-shaped deflector 16 positioned between them which has guidesurfaces 14, 15 co-operating with guides 40, 41 respectively. The guides 40, 41 converge and beyond the lower end of the deflector 16 form between them a passageway similar to the lower half of the passageway between the guides 26, 27 and leading to the pocket MP. The cards C, C<SP>1</SP> are fed between the rollers 12, 13 respectively and are either deflected by switches 25 actuated by solenoids 20-23 into one or other of the pockets P, P<SP>1</SP> or allowed to pass over the switches into engagement with the deflector 16 which directs them into the pocket MP. In order that the cards in pocket MP may all face in the same direction when stacked the cards C<SP>1</SP> are fed by a pair of rollers 18 round a semicircular deflector 17 which inverts them in relation to the cards C. Once a card has entered a passageway between a pair of guides such as 26, 27 it is fed downwards by feed rollers 47, at the same speed as it is fed by the rollers 12. At the lower ends of the guides is arranged an endless belt 51 passing round a vertical driven roller 52 and a roller 53, and a vertical driven roller 54 which bears against the belt 51, all of which rollers are mounted on a baseplate 11. When the trailing edge of a card has passed between the rollers 47 it is carried laterally by its own resilience into the recess formed by the guide part 29; this prevents the possibility of closely following card's being stacked out of order. The leading end of the card is then gripped in the nip between the belt 51 and the roller 54 which are driven at a slower speed than the rollers 47 and carry the cards in overlapped formation in a path at an obtuse angle to their former direction of movement, towards the pocket P. The belt 51 and roller 54 give the card curvature about a vertical axis to stiffen it in contact with rear surface 30 of the vertical guide. The back plate 10 and the baseplate 11 are secured together at an obtuse angle such as 105 degrees. The cards will not have their lower edges parallel to plate 11 when they reach the belt 51 and roller 54 and in order to bring them into the desired position a flange 70 is provided on the roller 52 and a reduced diameter portion 71 is provided on the roller 54. When the flange 70 engages the card it drives the upper portion at a slightly higher speed than the lower portion and swings it into the desired position. As the card leaves the nip between the belt 51 and the roller 54 it engages a curved portion of a rear wall 60 of the pocket P and is deflected by a leaf-spring 61 thereon into contact with a front wall 62 or with the side face of a stack formed against the front wall 62. As the stack in the pocket grows the wall 62 moves horizontally against a spring bias. Cards in the pocket are jogged by a jogger (not shown) of known type.