Method and apparatus for opening printed products which have been folded off-center

摘要

Printed products to be opened are held at their folded or spine edge and, with their open or fan edge located opposite to this folded edge, are fed forward with their fan edge leading into an opening or spreading device or apparatus. A lower portion of the printed products possesses a leading edge section or marginal lap section due to an off-center fold. Circulatingly driven grippers or clamps grip this lower portion of the printed products in the region of the leading edge section and guide it along a downwardly and backwardly curved path. The printed products are simultaneously further transported or conveyed by means of feeders or feeding devices. Both portions of each printed product (i.e. the upper and the lower portions) are thus separated from one another. A collating conveyor of a collating drum or cylinder can be inserted into the opening thus formed between both product portions. Such a collating drum or cylinder may possess a plurality of circulatingly driven collating conveyors.