Patent ID: 8123222

Claim:
A conveyance system for conveying and diverting sheet material along a feed path, comprising: a diverter having at least one sidewall structure defining an internal chamber in fluid communication with the pressure source and adapted for rotation about an axis, the sidewall structure having a compliant interface surface for conveying sheet material along the feed path and a plurality of orifices effecting fluid communication between the compliant interface surface and the internal chamber, a means for developing a pressure differential across the sheet material through the orifices to urge an interface surface of the sheet material against the compliant interface surface of the diverter, the compliant interface surface conforming to at least a portion of the sheet material interface surface to augment the pressure differential developed by the pressure differential means, the compliant interface surface is defined by an array of flexible rubber tubes, each tube projecting radially from an orifice of the diverter sidewall and in fluid communication with the internal chamber of the diverter; a means for driving the diverter about the rotational axis from a first to a second rotational position; and a controller operative to control the pressure differential developed by the pressure differential means such that, in the first rotation position, the sheet material is secured against the compliant interface surface and, in the second rotational position, the sheet material is released from the compliant interface surface.