The invention relates to a sorting conveyor having pivotally mounted flaps for sorting articles into sorting outlets as a function of a sorting indication affixed to each of the articles. The conveyor includes a monitoring and control unit designed to cause each flap to pivot between a closed position in which the flap forms a conveyor portion suitable for conveying an article in a certain conveying direction and an open position in which the flap interrupts conveying of an article on the conveyor to deflect it towards an appropriate sorting outlet. The monitoring and control unit is also arranged to retrieve thickness data from a memory giving a certain thickness for the article to be deflected, and to respond by causing the flap to pivot into an open position through a certain opening amplitude determined as a function of the thickness data about the article that is to be deflected.

The invention relates to a sorting conveyor having pivotally mounted flaps for sorting articles into sorting outlets as a function of a sorting indication affixed to each of the articles. The conveyor includes a monitoring and control unit designed to cause each flap to pivot between a closed position in which the flap forms a conveyor portion suitable for conveying an article in a certain conveying direction and an open position in which the flap interrupts conveying of an article on the conveyor to deflect it towards an appropriate sorting outlet. The monitoring and control unit is also arranged to retrieve thickness data from a memory giving a certain thickness for the article to be deflected, and to respond by causing the flap to pivot into an open position through a certain opening amplitude determined as a function of the thickness data about the article that is to be deflected.

A device for conveying and transferring flexible, flat objects with a gripper conveyor including a plurality of grippers that are movable along a conveying path in a conveying direction, and further with a conveying-way device that forms a conveying rest that, in a transfer region, is arranged below the conveying path such that objects that are released from grippers in the transfer region are deposited onto the conveying rest. The device includes a pressing circulatory device that acts upon the transfer region and has a plurality of outwardly directed pressing arms. The pressing circulatory device is designed, in the transfer region, to press the objects to be transferred with the pressing arms onto the conveying rest such that the objects can be deposited onto the conveying rest in a guided and controlled manner.

A device for conveying and transferring flexible, flat objects with a gripper conveyor including a plurality of grippers that are movable along a conveying path in a conveying direction, and further with a conveying-way device that forms a conveying rest that, in a transfer region, is arranged below the conveying path such that objects that are released from grippers in the transfer region are deposited onto the conveying rest. The device includes a pressing circulatory device that acts upon the transfer region and has a plurality of outwardly directed pressing arms. The pressing circulatory device is designed, in the transfer region, to press the objects to be transferred with the pressing arms onto the conveying rest such that the objects can be deposited onto the conveying rest in a guided and controlled manner.

A stretching roller for stretching an intermediate transfer belt is tiltably disposed, and includes a sliding ring unrotatably disposed at both axial ends of a roller portion. The intermediate transfer belt winds and slidably rotates around the sliding ring. The sliding ring has a tapered portion inclined so that the outer diameter increases toward the axial end side of the stretching roller. The tapered portion is formed so that the inclination angle with respect to the central axis of the stretching roller differs at least in part in the circumferential direction.

The invention relates to a sheet depositing arrangement. The sheet depositing arrangement comprises at least one sheet depositing apparatus having a sheet stacking chamber for creating a sheet stack, and a sheet extraction device which in turn has a sheet transporting means that is drivable in a direction of circulation, a sheet delivery region for delivering the sheets to be stacked to the sheet stacking chamber, a sheet stacking region, provided downstream of the sheet delivery region, for stacking the sheets to be stacked into the sheet stacking chamber, and a return region, provided downstream of the sheet stacking region. Furthermore, the sheet depositing apparatus has a sheet retaining device with at least one sheet retaining element, arranged adjacent to the sheet stacking region, for preventing at least one sheet to be stacked from being drawn into the sheet extraction device from the sheet stacking chamber by the sheet transporting means.

A sheet conveying system includes an upstream conveyor section having an endless first conveyor belt movable in a first conveying direction x and extending in a first lateral direction z, the first conveying direction x and the first lateral direction z defining a first conveying plane xz; and a downstream conveyor section having an endless second conveyor belt that adjoins the first conveyor belt and is movable in a second conveying direction x and extends in a second lateral direction z, the second conveying direction x and the second lateral direction z defining a second conveying plane xz. The conveyor sections are adapted to hold the sheets slip-free on the first and second conveyor belts. The second conveyor belt has a shear compliance in the second conveying plane xz that is larger than the shear compliance of the first conveyor belt in the first conveying plane xz.

A sheet conveying system includes an upstream conveyor section having an endless first conveyor belt movable in a first conveying direction x and extending in a first lateral direction z, the first conveying direction x and the first lateral direction z defining a first conveying plane xz; and a downstream conveyor section having an endless second conveyor belt that adjoins the first conveyor belt and is movable in a second conveying direction x and extends in a second lateral direction z, the second conveying direction x and the second lateral direction z defining a second conveying plane xz. The conveyor sections are adapted to hold the sheets slip-free on the first and second conveyor belts. The second conveyor belt has a shear compliance in the second conveying plane xz that is larger than the shear compliance of the first conveyor belt in the first conveying plane xz.

Feed apparatus for feeding flat articles to a bin carrousel having bins that circulate around a loop in a certain direction comprises a flat conveyor in which the articles are moved in series and as laid flat, and a platform carrousel having tipper platforms each of which is suitable for tilting between a horizontal position and an inclined position and that circulate around a loop in such a manner as to be synchronized with the bin conveyor and in the same direction.

Feed apparatus for feeding flat articles to a bin carrousel having bins that circulate around a loop in a certain direction comprises a flat conveyor in which the articles are moved in series and as laid flat, and a platform carrousel having tipper platforms each of which is suitable for tilting between a horizontal position and an inclined position and that circulate around a loop in such a manner as to be synchronized with the bin conveyor and in the same direction.