Collating apparatus and a method for operating such a collating apparatus

Abstract

A collating apparatus (10), in particular for printed products such as brochures, flyers or the like, comprising a collecting section (11) having at least two collecting zones (11a,b) arranged in parallel and working independently of each other, onto which respectively a plurality of products are fed successively and are united lying one on top of the other into a collected product, and at least one further processing section (13, 15) positioned behind the collecting section (11) having at least one further processing apparatus (13a,b; 15a,b). High flexibility during operation is achieved by the arrangement between the collecting section (11) and the at least one further processing section (13, 15) of a distribution apparatus (12), which feeds the collected products arriving from the collecting zones (11a,b) selectively to the at least one further processing apparatus (13a,b, 15a,b).

Claims

1. A collating apparatus (10, 10, 10) for printed products such as brochures, flyers or the like, comprising: a collecting section (11) having at least two collecting zones arranged in parallel and working independently of each other (11a,b), onto which respectively a plurality of products are fed successively and are united lying one on top of the other into a collected product; at least one further processing section (13, 15) positioned behind the collecting section (11) having at least one further processing apparatus (13a,b; 15a,b); and a distribution apparatus (12) arranged between the collecting section (11) and the at least one further processing section (13, 15), the distribution apparatus feeding the collected products arriving from the collecting zones (11a,b) selectively to the at least one further processing apparatus (13a,b; 15a,b), wherein the distribution apparatus comprises a diverter module (12) that links collected product outlets of each of the collecting zones (11a,b) and selectively transfers product streams arriving from the collecting zones (11a,b) into the at least one further processing section (13, 15), wherein the diverter module (12) moves between more than one selectable operating position between the at least two collecting zones.

2. The collating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one further processing section (13, 15) comprises two further processing apparatuses (13a,b; 15a,b) arranged in parallel and working independently of each other, and in that the distribution apparatus (12) feeds the collected products arriving from the collecting zones (11a,b) selectively to one or both further processing apparatuses (13a,b; 15a,b).

3. The collating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the diverter module (12) feeds the collected products arriving from the collecting zones (11a,b) as product streams selectively into one or both of the further processing apparatuses (13a,b; 15a,b).

4. The collating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the diverter module (12) comprises a double switch (12a, 12b), which is able to divide the product streams into partial streams after having been collated.

5. The collating apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the diverter module (12) comprises two partial modules (12a, 12b) connected one after the other, and in that a fixing device is arranged between the partial modules (12a, 12b).

6. The collating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the at least one further processing section (13) comprises, as further processing apparatuses, two fixing devices (13a,b) for fixing the collected products arriving from the collecting zones (11a,b).

7. The collating apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the fixing devices (13a,b) provide the individual collected products with at least one fixing element.

8. The collating apparatus according to claim 6, wherein arranged behind the at least one further processing section (13) is a further processing section (15), which comprises, as further processing apparatuses, two stacking devices (15a,b) allocated to the fixing devices (13a,b).

9. The collating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the collecting zones (11a,b) respectively comprise a revolving conveyor belt (17), on which a plurality of delivery stations (19) for feeding the individual products is arranged one after the other in the direction of feed.

10. A method for the operation of a collating apparatus according to claim 1, the method comprising assembling first and second collected products in the at least two collecting zones (11a,b), and separately processing the first and second collected products in the following at least one further processing section (13, 15).

11. The method for the operation of a collating apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the first and second collected products are assembled in the at least two collecting zones (11a,b), in that the first and second collected products are collated respectively by the distribution apparatus (12) into third collected products, and in that the third collected products are processed further in the following at least one further processing section (13, 15).

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the third collected products are divided up into partial streams in the distribution apparatus (12) for further processing.

13. The collating apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the diverter module (12) moves between three different diverter positions.

14. The collating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the diverter module (12) switches an operating position to produce different collected products from the at least two collecting zones.

15. The collating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the diverter module (12) comprises a first switch module adapted to switch first operating positions to produce different collected products from the at least two collecting zones, and a second switch module adapted to switch second operating positions to selectively transfer the product streams between two further processing apparatuses (13a,b; 15a,b).

16. The collating apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the first switch module switches positions between the collected product outlets of each of the collecting zones (11a,b) to selectively alternate or combine the plurality of products to form two collected products from the collecting section (11).

17. A collating apparatus (10, 10, 10) for printed products such as brochures, flyers or the like, comprising: a collecting section (11) having at least two collecting zones arranged in parallel and working independently of each other (11a,b), onto which respectively a plurality of products are fed successively and are united lying one on top of the other into a collected product; at least one further processing section (13, 15) positioned behind the collecting section (11) having at least one further processing apparatus (13a,b; 15a,b); and a distribution apparatus (12) arranged between the collecting section (11) and the at least one further processing section (13, 15), the distribution apparatus feeding the collected products arriving from the collecting zones (11a,b) selectively to the at least one further processing apparatus (13a,b; 15a,b), wherein the distribution apparatus comprises a diverter module (12) that links collected product outlets of each of the collecting zones (11a,b) and selectively transfers product streams arriving from the collecting zones (11a,b) into the at least one further processing section (13, 15), wherein the diverter module (12) comprises a track switch having more than one operating position, wherein each of the more than one operating position of the diverter module (12) determines a further processing of the collected products.

18. The collating apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the at least one further processing section (13, 15) comprises two further processing apparatuses (13a,b; 15a,b) arranged in parallel and working independently of each other, and in that the distribution apparatus (12) feeds the collected products arriving from the collecting zones (11a,b) selectively to one or both further processing apparatuses (13a,b; 15a,b).

19. A collating apparatus (10, 10, 10) for printed products such as brochures, flyers or the like, comprising: a collecting section (11) having at least two collecting zones arranged in parallel and working independently of each other (11a,b), onto which respectively a plurality of products are fed successively and are united lying one on top of the other into a collected product; at least one further processing section (13, 15) positioned behind the collecting section (11) having at least one further processing apparatus (13a,b; 15a,b); and a distribution apparatus (12) arranged between the collecting section (11) and the at least one further processing section (13, 15), the distribution apparatus feeding the collected products arriving from the collecting zones (11a,b) selectively to the at least one further processing apparatus (13a,b; 15a,b), wherein the distribution apparatus comprises a diverter module (12) that links collected product outlets of each of the collecting zones (11a,b) and selectively transfers product streams arriving from the collecting zones (11a,b) into the at least one further processing section (13, 15), wherein the diverter module (12) switches an operating position to divide the collected products from the at least two collecting zones into more than one product stream for separate processing.

20. The collating apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the at least one further processing section (13, 15) comprises two further processing apparatuses (13a,b; 15a,b) arranged in parallel and working independently of each other, and in that the distribution apparatus (12) feeds the collected products arriving from the collecting zones (11a,b) selectively to one or both further processing apparatuses (13a,b; 15a,b).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention is now explained below in more detail in connection with the drawing on the basis of illustrative embodiments. In the drawing:

(2) FIG. 1 depicts, in the top view from above, a first illustrative embodiment of a collating apparatus according to the invention having two identical collecting zones in a parallel arrangement, a simple diverter module, a fixing device and a stacking device;

(3) FIG. 2 depicts, in the top view from above, a second illustrative embodiment of a collating apparatus according to the invention having two identical collecting zones, fixing devices and stacking devices in a parallel arrangement, as well as a simple diverter module;

(4) FIG. 3 depicts, in the top view from above, a third illustrative embodiment of a collating apparatus according to the invention having two identical collecting zones, fixing devices and stacking devices in a parallel arrangement, as well as a diverter module configured as a double switch;

(5) FIG. 4 depicts, in an enlarged view, a section through a collecting zone in FIGS. 1-3 having two feeding stations;

(6) FIG. 5 depicts, in an enlarged view, a fixing device from the collating apparatus according to FIGS. 1-3; and

(7) FIG. 6 depicts, in an enlarged view, a stacking device from the collating apparatus according to FIGS. 1-3.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(8) A first illustrative embodiment of a collating apparatus according to the invention is depicted in the top view from above in FIG. 1. The collating apparatus 10 in FIG. 1 comprises a collecting section 11 having two collecting zones 11a, 11b of identical construction configured as a mirror image to one another. The collecting zones 11a and 11b, which in FIG. 1 have a direction of feed from left to right, are capable of connection selectively via a diverter module 12 to a further processing section, which in the example has a first further processing apparatus 13b and downstream thereof a second further processing apparatus 15b, which are connected to each other by a conveyor 14b.

(9) Arranged one after the other on the collecting zones 11a,b in the direction of feed are a number (in the illustrated example fifteen) of delivery stations 19 (FIG. 4), which deposit individual printed products flat on the collecting zone, which printed products are then collated into a collected product.

(10) In the example in FIG. 1, the first further processing apparatus 13b is a fixing device, which fixes collected products fed from the collecting zones 11a,b for further handling by wrapping with at least one tape or at least one further printed product. The second further processing apparatus 15b in this case is a stacking device, which gathers the fed collected products into stacks and makes them ready for despatch in the form of a package pallet 16.

(11) The diverter module 12 arranged between the collecting zones 11a,b and the further processing apparatuses can assume and perform various functions. On the one hand, it can unite the collected products from both collecting zones into a third collected product. This can continue to take place for all collected products. It is also conceivable, however, to unite only selected collected products from the one collecting zone with selected collected products from the second collecting zone. However, it is also able to convey selectively the collected products from only one collecting zone for further processing, if the other collecting zone is not in operation or has been paused.

(12) Flexible operation of the apparatus 10 is already possible in this way.

(13) A second illustrative embodiment of a collating apparatus according to the invention is depicted in FIG. 2 in the top view from above, which permits even more operating modes. The collating apparatus 10 in FIG. 2 comprises two production lines 11a, 13a, 14a and 15a and 11b, 13b, 14b and 15b of identical construction configured as a mirror image to one another, which are in mutual contact with one another at a single point via a diverter module 12.

(14) Both production lines are subdivided respectively into a collecting section 11, a first further processing section 13 and a second further processing section 15. The two further processing sections 13 and 15 of the two production lines 11a, 13a, 14a and 15a or 11b, 13b, 14b and 15b are connected respectively by a conveyor 14a or 14b.

(15) Arranged in turn parallel to one another in the collecting section 11 and capable of operation independently of one another are two collecting zones 11a and 11b, which comprise two revolving conveyor belts 17 or comparable conveyor devices positioned close to one another (FIG. 2), for example cam chains, on which compartments or depositing positions, for example, are defined at regular intervals, in which the individual printed products can be deposited for collection. The conveyor belts 17 guide the compartments or depositing positions past the delivery stations 19 arranged one after the other in the direction of feed, where a predetermined printed product is fed to them respectively by a feed device 18 (FIG. 4). Once a single compartment has been moved past all the (active) delivery stations 19, the printed products fed to the delivery stations 19, as already described above, will have been gathered together therein as a collected product, which can then be fed for subsequent further processing.

(16) The feed devices 18 may be comparatively simple separators, for example, to which the respective printed product is fed from the outside by an operative in the form of stacks from a package pallet 16 (FIG. 4), and which then separate the printed products by withdrawing them from the stack and deposit them flat on the conveyor belt of the associated collecting zone 11a,b.

(17) Both collecting zones 11a and 11b, acting independently of one another, although coordinated with one another, dispense at their ends (on the right in FIG. 1) collected products, the further processing of which is then determined by the selectable operating position of the following diverter module 12. The diverter module 12 links the outlets from the two collecting zones 11a and 11b in the manner of a track switch. Fundamentally three different diverter positions are possible in this case. In the first diverter position, the collected products from the lower collecting zone 11a are added upwards to the collected products of the upper collecting zone 11b, so that a third collected product is created from both of these collected products, which is further processed as a collected product.

(18) In the second diverter position, the collected products from the lower collecting zone 11a and from the upper collecting zone 11b are fed separately for further processing and are further processed separately there.

(19) In the third diverter position, the collected products from the upper collecting zone 11b are added downwards to the collected products from the lower collecting zone 11a, so that a fourth collected product is created from both of these collected products, which is further processed as a collected product.

(20) The diverter position in this case can remain constant for a succession of collected products, although it can also be modified or switched selectively during continuing operation, in order to produce different collected products alternately.

(21) This results in an exceptionally flexible and versatile collating system, which operates in parallel in the case of small collected products and can provide high throughputs or complex, large and differing collected products, in return for a comparatively low equipment-related space requirement, by collating two collecting zones disposed adjacent to one another.

(22) In the illustrative embodiment in FIG. 2, the further processing of the collected products in the further processing section 13 in separate further processing apparatuses 13a and 13b again comprises the fixing of the formed collected products with a wrapper, in particular in the form of a wrapped further printed product, or an adhesive tape (Tapefix) fixing element, the fixing elements being fed to the apparatus from the outside in the form of stacks or being drawn from a roll (FIG. 5).

(23) For subsequent further processing in the further processing section 15, the fixed collected products are conveyed onwards via two separate conveyors 14a and 14b to stacking devices 15a and 15b, where the final packing (binding, film wrapping, paletization, etc.) is carried out. The end result is package pallets 16, which can be transported to the distributors.

(24) An even greater degree of flexibility is achieved if, according to the illustrative embodiment depicted in FIG. 3, the collating apparatus 10 comprises a diverter module 12, which is configured as a double switch having two partial modules 12a and 12b arranged one after the other.

(25) Whereas the other parts of the collating apparatus 10 are identical in respect of the arrangement and function of the collating apparatus 10 in FIG. 2, an operating mode can be realized with the help of the partial modules 12a and 12b of the diverter module, in which the collected products from the two collecting zones 11a and 11b are collated by the first partial module 12a in the diverter module 12 into a third collected product, and the product stream from the third collected products is then divided immediately afterwards in the following partial module 12b into two partial streams, which are then processed further separately in the further processing sections 13a, 14a, 15a or 13b, 14b, 15b.

(26) Such an operating mode makes sense, for example, if the stacking devices 15a and 15b only permit limited stack heights. As a result of the division into partial streams, both stacking devices 15a and 15b can then be uniformly loaded without being restricted by the height of the stack.

(27) It is also conceivable in this connection to utilize a fixing device between the two partial modules 12a and 12b, which already undertakes the above-mentioned fixing to the collected products before the division into partial streams.