Reject assembly for sheet material handling apparatus.

摘要

The collator (10) sequentially stitches groups (12) of sheets. The collator (10) includes a support surface which extends past a plurality of hoppers (14) to a stitching station (44). Sheets are sequentally fed from the hoppers (14) to form groups (12) of sheets on the support surface (16). A main conveyor assembly (24) sequentally pushes groups of sheets along the support surface (16) to a reject station (72). Groups of sheets containing more or less than a predetermined number of sheets are rejected at the reject station (72). The groups (12) of sheets containing the predetermined number of sheets are moved to a transfer station (32) where they are engaged by a secondary conveyor assembly (36) which moves them to a stitching station (44).
<??>At the reject station (72), a ramp (84) is movable between a retracted position and an extended position. When the reject ramp (84) is in the retracted position, it cooperates with the main support surface (16) to support a group (12) of sheets containing the predetermined number of sheets as the group moves to the stitching station (44). When the ramp (84) is in the extended position, it projects upwardly from the support surface (16) to the reject conveyor (94). The main conveyor (24) pushes groups (12) of sheets containing more or less than the predetermined number of sheets up the reject ramp (84) to the reject conveyor (94).