Apparatus and process for stacking printed material with alternating edge orientation

Abstract

A disk stacker system for delivering selectively inverted substrate assemblies into a receiving tray. By alternating inverted with non-inverted substrate assemblies or otherwise grouping inverted and non-inverted substrate assemblies, handling of folded printed material is made more efficient and packing of the folded printed material is made more dense and efficient. The disk stacker system operates by delivering selected substrate assemblies directly to the output tray and bypassing the disk stacker inverting apparatus and by delivering other substrate assemblies to the disk stacker apparatus for inversion prior to delivery to the output tray.

1 . A disk stacker system for selectively inverting substrate assemblies, comprising: 
 a rotatable disk stacker having a slot for receiving a compiled assembly of substrates;    a tray for receiving a plurality of substrate assemblies; and    an apparatus for feeding the substrate assembly, said feeding apparatus having a first mode and a second mode wherein, in the first mode, said apparatus cooperates with the rotatable disk to feed the substrate assembly into the receiving slot of the rotatable disk stacker and, in the second mode, said apparatus feeds the substrate assembly to the tray without feeding the substrate assembly to the receiving slot of the rotatable disk stacker;    wherein, in the first mode, after the substrate assembly is fed into the receiving slot of the rotatable disk stacker, the rotatable disk stacker rotates with the substrate assembly in its receiving slot and deposits the substrate assembly onto the tray in an inverted orientation; and    wherein, in the second mode wherein the substrate assembly is fed to the tray without entering the receiving slot, the substrate assembly is delivered to the tray in an un-inverted orientation.    
     
     
         2 . The disk stacker system of  claim 1 , wherein the feeding apparatus comprises a first channel for bypassing the rotatable disk stacker and a second channel for feeding the substrate assembly to the slot of the rotatable disk stacker.  
     
     
         3 . The disk stacker system of  claim 1 , further comprising a diverter gate having a first position wherein the first mode is selected and a second position wherein the second mode is selected.  
     
     
         4 . The disk stacker system of  claim 3 , wherein the feeding apparatus comprises a single channel and wherein the diverter gate operates in the first mode by diverting the substrate assembly into the receiving slot of the rotatable disk.  
     
     
         5 . The disk stacker system of  claim 3 , wherein: 
 the feeding apparatus comprises a first a second channel for feeding the substrate assembly to the slot of the rotatable disk stacker channel and a second channel for bypassing the rotatable disk stacker; and    the first position of the diverter gate guides the substrate assembly to the first channel and the second position of the diverter gate guides the substrate assembly to the second channel.    
     
     
         6 . The disk stacker system of  claim 1 , wherein the first mode operates by rotating the receiving slot of the rotatable disk stacker to intercept the substrate assembly within the feeding apparatus.  
     
     
         7 . The disk stacker system of  claim 1 , wherein the rotatable disk stacker comprises a plurality of receiving slots.  
     
     
         8 . The disk stacker system of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate assembly has a thickness and wherein the feeding apparatus further comprises: 
 a slidably mounted drive wheel for contacting the substrate assembly and urging the substrate assembly toward the tray, said drive wheel being free to slide within its mount to accommodate the thickness of the substrate assembly; and    a bias mechanism urging the drive wheel into contact with the substrate assembly as the drive wheel urges the substrate assembly toward the tray.    
     
     
         9 . The disk stacker system of  claim 8 , further comprising a first slidably mounted drive wheel positioned proximate to the entrance to the feeding apparatus and a second slidably mounted drive wheel positioned proximate to the exit from the feeding apparatus.  
     
     
         10 . The disk stacker system of  claim 1 , further comprising a sensor for detecting the leading edge of the substrate assembly.  
     
     
         11 . The disk stacker system of  claim 1 , further comprising a sensor for detecting the trailing edge of the substrate assembly.  
     
     
         12 . The disk stacker system of  claim 1 , further comprising a bailing mechanism for guiding the substrate assembly onto the tray.  
     
     
         13 . A printer system for printing and compiling a substrate assembly, said printer comprising: 
 a rotatable disk stacker having a slot for receiving a compiled assembly of substrates;    a tray for receiving a plurality of substrate assemblies; and    an apparatus for feeding the substrate assembly, said feeding apparatus having a first mode and a second mode wherein, in the first mode, said apparatus cooperates with the rotatable disk to feed the substrate assembly into the receiving slot of the rotatable disk stacker and, in the second mode, said apparatus feeds the substrate assembly to the tray without feeding the substrate assembly to the receiving slot of the rotatable disk stacker;    wherein, in the first mode, after the substrate assembly is fed into the receiving slot of the rotatable disk stacker, the rotatable disk stacker rotates with the substrate assembly in its receiving slot and deposits the substrate assembly onto the tray in an inverted orientation; and    wherein, in the second mode wherein the substrate assembly is fed to the tray without entering the receiving slot, the substrate assembly is delivered to the tray in an non-inverted orientation.    
     
     
         14 . The printer system of  claim 13 , wherein the feeding apparatus comprises a first channel for bypassing the rotatable disk stacker and a second channel for feeding the substrate assembly to the slot of the rotatable disk stacker.  
     
     
         15 . The printer system of  claim 13 , further comprising a diverter gate having a first position wherein the first mode is selected and a second position wherein the second mode is selected.  
     
     
         16 . The printer system of  claim 15 , wherein the feeding apparatus comprises a single channel and wherein the diverter gate operates in the first mode by diverting the substrate assembly into the receiving slot of the rotatable disk.  
     
     
         17 . The printer system of  claim 15 , wherein: 
 the feeding apparatus comprises a first a second channel for feeding the substrate assembly to the slot of the rotatable disk stacker channel and a second channel for bypassing the rotatable disk stacker; and    the first position of the diverter gate guides the substrate assembly to the first channel and the second position of the diverter gate guides the substrate assembly to the second channel.    
     
     
         18 . The printer system of  claim 13 , wherein the first mode operates by rotating the receiving slot of the rotatable disk stacker to intercept the substrate assembly within the feeding apparatus.  
     
     
         19 . The printer system of  claim 13 , wherein the rotatable disk stacker comprises a plurality of receiving slots.  
     
     
         20 . The printer system of  claim 13 , wherein the substrate assembly has a thickness and wherein the feeding apparatus further comprises: 
 a slidably mounted drive wheel for contacting the substrate assembly and urging the substrate assembly toward the tray, said drive wheel being free to slide within its mount to accommodate the thickness of the substrate assembly; and    a bias mechanism urging the drive wheel into contact with the substrate assembly as the drive wheel urges the substrate assembly toward the tray.    
     
     
         21 . The printer system of  claim 13 , further comprising a sensor for detecting the leading edge of the substrate assembly.  
     
     
         22 . The printer system of  claim 13 , wherein the printer comprises an electrophotographic printer.  
     
     
         23 . A process for selectively inverting substrate assemblies, comprising: 
 feeding a substrate assembly to a rotatable disk stacker system;    selecting between a first and a second mode, wherein the first mode comprises feeding the substrate assembly into a receiving slot of the rotatable disk stacker and the second mode comprises feeding the substrate assembly to a tray without feeding the substrate assembly to the receiving slot of the rotatable disk stacker; and    wherein the first mode further comprises rotating the rotatable disk stacker with the substrate assembly in its slot and depositing the substrate assembly onto the tray in an inverted orientation.    
     
     
         24 . The process of  claim 23 , wherein the first mode and the second mode are alternately selected for successive substrate assemblies.  
     
     
         25 . The process of  claim 23 , wherein the first mode is selected for a first grouping of successive substrate assemblies and the second mode is selected for a second grouping of successive substrate assemblies.