Apparatus for gathering and singularizing stacks of paper sheets or the like

摘要

Apparatus for converting successive groups of neighboring stacks of paper sheets into a row of spaced-apart equidistant stacks has a first transporting unit which receives at intervals groups of stacks from a maker and advances successive groups at intervals lengthwise so that the neighboring groups are separated by gaps. The first transporting unit is followed by a second transporting unit having a series of gathering conveyors which are driven at a relatively low constant speed and some of which can be driven at intervals at a higher second speed to thus cooperate with the first transporting unit, whose speed can be varied between zero speed and the second speed, in order to eliminate gaps between successive groups and to form a composite group of immediately adjacent stacks. Such composite group is broken down into a row of spaced-apart equidistant stacks by several singularizing conveyors of a third transporting unit which receives successive stacks from the foremost gathering conveyor of the second unit and successive conveyors of which are driven at higher speeds to increase the clearances between successive stacks of the row to a desired value in stepwise fashion.