Patent ID: 8684352

Claim:
A sheet inverter for inverting sheets in a printing machine, said sheet inverter comprising: a first pair of spaced apart rollers having a first endless belt entrained thereabout in a figure eight configuration such that the first endless belt has a 180Â° twist in each section extending between said first pair of rollers; a second pair of spaced apart rollers having a second endless belt entrained thereabout in a figure eight configuration such that the second endless belt has a 180Â° twist in each section extending between said second pair of rollers, said first and second pairs of rollers being arranged adjacent to each other such that one section of said first endless belt and one section of said second endless belt, each having said 180Â° twist, contact each other to form a transport path therebetween, said transport path having a 180Â° twist, said twist of the transport path imparting a central portion of a sheet, which is sandwiched between the belts, to turn over by 180Â° by following the twist in the transport path while the sheet is transported there along through the inverter; and at least one guide unit, said guide unit being arranged to provide guidance to a first lateral portion of a sheet while it is transported along the transport path through the inverter, said guide unit has a turning section, which crosses over the transport path from one side to an opposite side thereof and which is arranged to guide the first lateral portion of said sheet to turn and move over the transport path by imparting a turning movement to the first lateral portion of the sheet, the imparted turning motion having a substantially higher angular rate than a turning motion imparted by the twist in the respective section of the transport path.