Typewriting machines – Sheet or web – For feeding sheet from stack or pack holder
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-25
2002-07-02
Eickholt, Eugene (Department: 2854)
Typewriting machines
Sheet or web
For feeding sheet from stack or pack holder
C101S232000, C270S058140, C271S293000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06412994
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method of selectively depositing printed sheets fed from a fixed delivery point onto at least three superimposed supports of a group of supports which are adjustable as to height independently of one another. Each support is adapted to be placed, for the deposition of a sheet thereon, with its support surface or the top sheet situated on the support a short fixed distance beneath the delivery point. Printed sheets of a first type can be deposited on at least the bottom support of the group of supports and printed sheets of a second type can be deposited on supports situated above of the group of supports.
A method of this kind is described in Netherlands Patent Application 1006471 filed on Jul. 4, 1997. This patent application describes a printing apparatus in which printed sheets of the first type are formed by sheets printed after activation of the printing apparatus by operation of a button on the printing apparatus. When the operator who locally started the printing apparatus to finish his print job removes the relevant prints from the bottom support, after completion of the print job, the placing of supports thereabove into a deposition position is no longer obstructed by prints situated on the bottom support, and the printing apparatus can again be fully utilised to deposit prints of the second type on supports situated above the bottom support and is, of course, also completely available for depositing prints of the first type on the bottom support.
One consequence of this method is that it does not function efficiently if an operator leaves his finished prints on the bottom support and the bottom support is no longer available, even after removal of prints, for prints for which the printing apparatus has been remotely activated by an operator, for example from a workstation at a distance from the printing apparatus. This will be an obstacle, particularly if in a specific period prints are requested only from workstations at a distance from the printing apparatus, which prints are often not picked up directly after completion.
In this case, it is readily possible that the printing apparatus can no longer be activated when the deposition capacity of the supports situated above the bottom support has been completely utilized and the bottom support remains unused.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus which eliminates the above disadvantages.
To this end, according to the present invention, out of a group of sheets of the second type for deposition, a first part is first deposited on a higher-level support and then a second part is deposited on a support therebeneath. As a result, even if prints are not removed from the associated support directly after completion of a print job, the average deposition capacity remains large, particularly because prints which might be lying on supports situated between the higher-level support and the bottom support do not obstruct the higher-level support being moved into the deposition position.
Preferably, the first part of the group of sheets of the second type contains more sheets than the second part of the group of sheets of the second type. Consequently, a relatively large number of sheets of the second type can be deposited without the interim removal of sheets, because in the initial period of deposition on the higher-level support there is a greater probability that still relatively few sheets are deposited on the bottom support so that the top support can come into a low deposition position to receive a large number of sheets.
In one advantageous embodiment, a portion of sheets for deposition of the first type which are to be distinguished are deposited on the support situated directly above the bottom support. Consequently, printed sheets of the first type printed as an intermediate print job during an interruption of a print job for printing sheets of the same type are deposited on a support especially reserved for this purpose so that they can be readily located.
In a further advantageous method according to the present invention, in a first deposition cycle sheets are deposited selectively on the bottom support and on the top support of the group until at least the number of sheets on the bottom support reaches a height “a” corresponding to one-half the distance between the delivery point and the lowest possible position of the bottom support. In following deposition cycles in each case, sheets are deposited selectively on the bottom support and, counting from the top, on the next free support of the group until at least the number of sheets on the bottom support reaches a height corresponding to the height “a” plus in each case one-half the height of the sheets deposited on the bottom support in the preceding deposition cycle.
One embodiment of a sheet deposition device for performing the method according to the present invention comprises drive means at each support for adjusting the same as to height, and also control means which, in an initialization cycle, on adjustment of the sheet deposition device to the deposition of sheets of the first type, activate the drive means for the supports in order to move the supports situated above the bottom support to a position above the delivery point and the bottom support into its deposition position, at least insofar as there is room for movement for this purpose. On adjustment of the sheet deposition device to the deposition of sheets of the second type, the drive means is activated for the supports to move the top support into its deposition position and the supports situated beneath the top support to directly therebeneath, again insofar as there is room for movement for such purpose. The control means, when a predetermined number of sheets has been delivered on the top support, moves said support to above the delivery point and the support directly therebeneath into its deposition position.
The effect of this embodiment is that on each initialization of this sheet deposition device according to the invention a check is made whether on deposition of sheets of the second type there is still deposition space available on the top support, or such space has been freed by removal, so that in that case deposition on the top support takes place first before proceeding to deposition on the support situated directly therebeneath. This ensures that the deposition space for sheets of the second type is used in an optimum manner.
In a further embodiment of a sheet deposition device according to the present invention, in which the drive means can move a support up and down between the deposition position in which sheets can be deposited on said support and a parking position in which sheet deposition is not possible, each support is provided with detection means for detecting an obstacle in the space directly therebeneath, for example sheets on a support situated directly therebeneath, which detection means delivers a first detection signal when the distance between the support provided with said detection means and an obstacle directly therebeneath is greater than a predetermined amount in order to make the drive means capable of activation.
The effect of this is that the free space between the supports can be restricted to a minimum in order to obtain maximum deposition capacity.
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patent: 1006471 (1997-07-01), None
Eickholt Eugene
Océ Technologies B.V.
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