Disclosed herein are systems and devices which transport and stack flexible textile workpieces (e.g., clothing) in a processing line. A proposed stacking device includes a conveyor belt wound through a series of rollers which permit horizontal extension of the conveyor path toward a downstream workstation. The extendable conveyor path allows for easy transferring and stacking of the workpieces at the downstream workstation.

The paper sheet processing device includes a bladed wheel 10, a paper sheet supply/transport unit 30, 100, a stacking tray 50 that holds paper sheets emitted from the bladed wheel one by one in a stacked state, and an extraction area 80. The stacking tray includes a first stacking part 51 that stacks thereon paper sheets being emitted when at a paper sheet stacking position P1, and is rotationally moved to a non-stacking position P2 when a predetermined number of paper sheets are stacked thereon, and a second stacking part 61 that is moved to the paper sheet stacking position to stack paper sheets thereon when being rotated by a predetermined angle from the non-stacking position, and is rotationally moved to the non-stacking position when the predetermined number of paper sheets are stacked thereon.

The paper sheet processing device includes a bladed wheel 10, a paper sheet supply/transport unit 30, 100, a stacking tray 50 that holds paper sheets emitted from the bladed wheel one by one in a stacked state, and an extraction area 80. The stacking tray includes a first stacking part 51 that stacks thereon paper sheets being emitted when at a paper sheet stacking position P1, and is rotationally moved to a non-stacking position P2 when a predetermined number of paper sheets are stacked thereon, and a second stacking part 61 that is moved to the paper sheet stacking position to stack paper sheets thereon when being rotated by a predetermined angle from the non-stacking position, and is rotationally moved to the non-stacking position when the predetermined number of paper sheets are stacked thereon.

An accumulator for an automatic sheet media punching and collating system includes a proximal end, having a shoulder, a distal end, and a moveable collating belt, disposed below the shoulder, extending from the proximal end to the distal end. The collating belt has an upwardly extending lower stop with an accumulating position opposite the shoulder, defining a drop region. The lower stop is configured to contact a lower edge of sheets of media sequentially received at the proximal end, whereby the sheets stop and accumulate in the drop region in a lift in a book order. The collating belt is selectively moveable to discharge the lift as a unit toward the distal end.

Presently disclosed embodiments are directed to a system and method for loading mail trays in a sorter without human intervention. Specifically, the disclosed embodiments utilize an automated mail tray having a bottom plate that is selectively moveable between an elevated position and a lowered position. The automated mail tray may be positioned on a shelf under a corresponding output pocket of a mail stacker, and the bottom plate may be elevated to receive mail product transferred from the output pocket to the automated mail tray. After receiving the mail product on the elevated bottom plate, the bottom plate of the mail tray may be lowered so that the mail product is transferred from the output pocket to a position fully situated in the automated mail tray. The mail tray filled with mail product may then be removed from the shelf and replaced with an empty automated mail tray.

An accumulator for an automatic sheet media punching and collating system includes a proximal end, having a shoulder, a distal end, and a moveable collating belt, disposed below the shoulder, extending from the proximal end to the distal end. The collating belt has an upwardly extending lower stop with an accumulating position opposite the shoulder, defining a drop region. The lower stop is configured to contact a lower edge of sheets of media sequentially received at the proximal end, whereby the sheets stop and accumulate in the drop region in a lift in a book order. The collating belt is selectively moveable to discharge the lift as a unit toward the distal end.

A bundling mechanism creates a sheet bundle including N sheets including an M-th sheet to be included in a k-th booklet and a first sheet to be included in a k+1-th booklet. The k is an integer from 1 to L?1. The M is not a multiple of N. A adhesion mechanism bonds together a preceding sheet and a subsequent sheet stacked at a stacker, except for the M-th sheet to be included in the k-th booklet and the first sheet to be included in the k+1-th booklet.

Postal sorting equipment for sorting flat mailpieces comprises a postal sorting machine, a storage-tray conveyor for conveying open-topped storage trays filled with mailpieces stacked flat, a shuttle-tray conveyor for conveying substantially L-shaped open-fronted shuttle trays, and in which the mailpieces are placed on-edge in stacks, and a tray interchanger suitable for automatically transferring the mailpieces stored flat in an open-topped storage tray to an open-fronted shuttle tray, the feed inlet comprising an unstacker with a fork-shaped magazine with tines, each of which is constituted by a motor-driven belt, the shuttle tray and the fork-shaped magazine being designed so that, by advancing towards the unstacker, the shuttle tray is engaged by the motor-driven belts of the unstacker magazine that come to be inserted under the mailpiece stack disposed on-edge in the shuttle tray, the unstacker magazine including a conveyor section that is mounted to move in elevation under the magazine tines.

Presently disclosed embodiments are directed to a system and method for loading mail trays in a sorter without human intervention. Specifically, the disclosed embodiments utilize an automated mail tray having a bottom plate that is selectively moveable between an elevated position and a lowered position. The automated mail tray may be positioned on a shelf under a corresponding output pocket of a mail stacker, and the bottom plate may be elevated to receive mail product transferred from the output pocket to the automated mail tray. After receiving the mail product on the elevated bottom plate, the bottom plate of the mail tray may be lowered so that the mail product is transferred from the output pocket to a position fully situated in the automated mail tray. The mail tray filled with mail product may then be removed from the shelf and replaced with an empty automated mail tray.

The present invention concerns the high speed packaging of folded paper articles such as tissues, napkins and the like, and more precisely it concerns an apparatus for continuously feeding such articles, arranged in stacked groups(P, P1) coming from folding machines, towards packaging machines, for example with a rotating drum, arranged downstream.