A method and apparatus for automated aerating and handling a sub stack of a stack of rectangular paper sheets where the sub stack is gripped near or at opposed corners of a common edge of the sub stack by means of two robotic grippers (A, B) having two opposed gripping fingers (A1, A2, B1, B2), lifting and rotating the corners in mutually opposite first directions such that the work stack achieves an upwards concave form, gripping the corners by the robotic grippers (A, B), and rotating the grippers in second directions opposite to the first directions such that the upper sheet of the sub stack has a curvature smaller than the bottom sheet of the sub stack, preferably a substantially plane form.

A method and apparatus for automated aerating and handling a sub stack of a stack of rectangular paper sheets where the sub stack is gripped near or at opposed corners of a common edge of the sub stack by means of two robotic grippers (A, B) having two opposed gripping fingers (A1, A2, B1, B2), lifting and rotating the corners in mutually opposite first directions such that the work stack achieves an upwards concave form, gripping the corners by the robotic grippers (A, B), and rotating the grippers in second directions opposite to the first directions such that the upper sheet of the sub stack has a curvature smaller than the bottom sheet of the sub stack, preferably a substantially plane form.

A sheet separation device to open a two-ply sheet includes a rotator; a nipping member disposed opposite the rotator and configured to nip the two-ply sheet with the rotator; a conveyor configured to convey the two-ply sheet between the rotator and the nipping member, and a winding member disposed adjacent to the rotator. The conveyor conveys the two-ply sheet with a bonded portion of the two-ply sheet being an upstream end or a downstream end of the two-ply sheet in a conveyance direction of the two-ply sheet. The winding member winds the two-ply sheet around the rotator, to create a difference in winding circumferential length between the two sheets and separate the two sheets.

A sheet separation device to open a two-ply sheet includes a rotator; a nipping member disposed opposite the rotator and configured to nip the two-ply sheet with the rotator; a conveyor configured to convey the two-ply sheet between the rotator and the nipping member, and a winding member disposed adjacent to the rotator. The conveyor conveys the two-ply sheet with a bonded portion of the two-ply sheet being an upstream end or a downstream end of the two-ply sheet in a conveyance direction of the two-ply sheet. The winding member winds the two-ply sheet around the rotator, to create a difference in winding circumferential length between the two sheets and separate the two sheets.

The present invention provides a denesting apparatus (100, 200), the apparatus comprising: ⋅—one or more closed loop conveying tracks (130, 230), each closed loop conveying track comprising a plurality of sets of one or more de-stacking means (140, 240) movingly configured thereon through one or more de-stacking means moving mechanism (150, 250); ⋅—one or more stacking magazines (120, 220), each adapted to hold a stack of sheets (110, 210) supported thereon; wherein each of the plurality of sets of de-stacking means is adapted to selectively engage an uppermost sheet from at least one of the stacking magazines in any desired order either sequentially and/or simultaneously so as to discharge the picked-up sheets onto an out-feed conveyor (180, 280) in any desired manner either one besides another or otherwise one overlapping the other.

The present invention provides a denesting apparatus (100, 200), the apparatus comprising: ⋅—one or more closed loop conveying tracks (130, 230), each closed loop conveying track comprising a plurality of sets of one or more de-stacking means (140, 240) movingly configured thereon through one or more de-stacking means moving mechanism (150, 250); ⋅—one or more stacking magazines (120, 220), each adapted to hold a stack of sheets (110, 210) supported thereon; wherein each of the plurality of sets of de-stacking means is adapted to selectively engage an uppermost sheet from at least one of the stacking magazines in any desired order either sequentially and/or simultaneously so as to discharge the picked-up sheets onto an out-feed conveyor (180, 280) in any desired manner either one besides another or otherwise one overlapping the other.

A sheet separation device to open a two-ply sheet includes a rotator; a nipping member disposed opposite the rotator and configured to nip the two-ply sheet with the rotator; a conveyor configured to convey the two-ply sheet between the rotator and the nipping member, and a winding member disposed adjacent to the rotator. The conveyor conveys the two-ply sheet with a bonded portion of the two-ply sheet being an upstream end or a downstream end of the two-ply sheet in a conveyance direction of the two-ply sheet. The winding member winds the two-ply sheet around the rotator, to create a difference in winding circumferential length between the two sheets and separate the two sheets.

In accordance with an embodiment, a sheet processing apparatus comprises a decoloring section, a stacking section, an image forming section, a sheet feed roller and a combined roller. The decoloring section carries out a decoloring processing on a sheet. The sheet subjected to the decoloring processing is discharged to the stacking section. The image forming section carries out an image forming processing on the sheet fed from the stacking section. The sheet feed roller feeds a sheet stacked in the stacking section to a conveyance path through which the sheet is fed to the image forming section. The combined roller aligns the sheets to be discharged to the stacking section at a reference position in a conveyance direction in which the sheets are conveyed to the sheet feed roller, and feeds the sheets stacked in the stacking section to the sheet feed roller along the conveyance direction.

In accordance with an embodiment, a sheet processing apparatus comprises a decoloring section, a stacking section, an image forming section, a sheet feed roller and a combined roller. The decoloring section carries out a decoloring processing on a sheet. The sheet subjected to the decoloring processing is discharged to the stacking section. The image forming section carries out an image forming processing on the sheet fed from the stacking section. The sheet feed roller feeds a sheet stacked in the stacking section to a conveyance path through which the sheet is fed to the image forming section. The combined roller aligns the sheets to be discharged to the stacking section at a reference position in a conveyance direction in which the sheets are conveyed to the sheet feed roller, and feeds the sheets stacked in the stacking section to the sheet feed roller along the conveyance direction.

In accordance with an embodiment, a sheet processing apparatus comprises a decoloring section, a stacking section, an image forming section, a sheet feed roller and a combined roller. The decoloring section carries out a decoloring processing on a sheet. The sheet subjected to the decoloring processing is discharged to the stacking section. The image forming section carries out an image forming processing on the sheet fed from the stacking section. The sheet feed roller feeds a sheet stacked in the stacking section to a conveyance path through which the sheet is fed to the image forming section. The combined roller aligns the sheets to be discharged to the stacking section at a reference position in a conveyance direction in which the sheets are conveyed to the sheet feed roller, and feeds the sheets stacked in the stacking section to the sheet feed roller along the conveyance direction.