Patent ID: 7703760

Claim:
A method for processing and separating flexible, flat objects during product feed, comprised of: continuously feeding flexible objects to a transfer module in an essentially regular imbricate formation as the flexible objects fluently advance along a guide within said transfer module with leading lower edges of the flexible objects supported on a surface of the guide and with a trailing edge of each flexible object lying over the leading lower edge of a subsequent flexible object; erecting the flexible objects during said product feed along the guide into obliquely standing positions with leading upper edges of the flexible objects exhibiting inclinations opposite to orientations of the flexible objects when initially fed along the guide; and accommodating separation of the flexible objects from the obliquely standing positions with leading upper edges of the flexible objects exhibiting inclinations opposite to orientations of the flexible objects when erecting the flexible objects during said product feed along the guide, in a defined number from the flexible objects remaining supported by the guide; conveying the flexible objects away from the transfer module using a gripper to select a single flexible object or a predetermined number of flexible objects, wherein the erecting step is performed by first accelerating the speed of the flexible objects through the guide and then decelerating the speed of the flexible objects further along the guide.