Patent ID: 6978994

Claim:
Device for lateral movement of sheets ( 2 ) during transport thereof to a stacking device ( 11 ) such that the sheets ( 2 ) or stacks ( 2 A, 2 B) of sheets ( 2 ) occupy laterally displaced positions relative to each other in the stacking device ( 11 ), wherein a high-speed printer ( 6 ) is provided for printing the sheets ( 2 ) or at least one continuous web ( 5 ) which is cut to sheets, wherein the device comprises at least one pair of conveyor belts ( 14 ) which are diverging relative to a main transport direction (A) such that they can move sheets ( 2 ) laterally in different lateral directions (B, C) relative to said main transport direction (A), and wherein a gripping and contact maintaining appliance is provided such that the conveyor belts ( 14 ) can grip or engage sheets ( 2 ) and hold them in contact with said conveyor belts ( 14 ) for transport thereby, wherein said gripping and contact maintaining device is a vacuum generating device (V) having vacuum devices ( 12 , 13 ) with vacuum openings ( 17 , 18 , 19 ) located within vacuum holes ( 20 ) in the conveyor belts ( 14 ), and provided to generate a vacuum in said vacuum openings ( 17 , 18 , 19 ) and vacuum holes ( 20 ) so that said conveyor belts ( 14 ) can grip or engage and transport the sheets ( 2 ), and wherein a device for determining which conveyor belt ( 14 ) of the two vacuum devices ( 12 , 13 ) that shall transport the sheets ( 2 ), is a vacuum control device ( 30 ) which controls the vacuum generating device (V) to alternatingly either generate a vacuum in at least one vacuum opening ( 17 , 18 , 19 ) in one of the vacuum devices ( 12 ) or in at least one vacuum opening ( 17 , 18 , 19 ) in the other vacuum device ( 13 ) such that one or more sheets ( 2 ) is/are engaged and transported or fed by one or the other conveyor belt ( 14 ) of said vacuum devices ( 12 , 13 ).