Conveying an essentially sheet-shaped element, in particular, a sheet of printing medium

Abstract

Conveying an essentially sheet-shaped element, in particular, for conveying a sheet of printing medium in a printing machine. The sheet-shaped element is: 1) picked up by at least one rotating conveying component having at least one jaw-shaped receiver for introducing or inserting the leading edge of the sheet-shaped element at a pickup point located in the area of its leading edge; and 2) carried along to a stacking point where it is stacked, whereby the sheet-shaped element is bowed around a rotational radius or a radius of curvature. The sheet-shaped element is held by at least one retaining component located in the area of the jaw-shaped receiver, in particular, proactively, and by force.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An apparatus for conveying an essentially, sheet-shaped element, particularly, for conveying a sheet of printing medium in a printing machine, comprising: at least one rotating conveying component that conveys a sheet-shaped element from a pickup point to a stacking point where it stacks the sheet-shaped element; at least one jaw-shaped receiver for the purpose of holding and carrying along the sheet-shaped element for introducing and inserting the leading edge area of a sheet-shaped element; said at least one jaw-shaped receiver includes at least one fragmentarily present bending mandrel for bending a sheet-shaped element around its rotational radius or radius of curvature while it is being conveyed; and at least one retaining component in the area of said jaw-shaped receiver.  
     
     
         2 . An apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said retaining component is a swivel arm that rotates, along with said conveying component, and can be moved in a direction that is radial with respect to said conveying component's direction of rotation.  
     
     
         3 . An apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein said retaining component swivel arm can be moved by an actuating component that is shaped essentially as an eccentric.  
     
     
         4 . An apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein said actuating component is an eccentric that is located on said conveying component and can rotate around an axis that is parallel to the rotational axis of said conveying component, such that said eccentric, in at least one relative position of said conveying component's rotation, essentially closes said jaw-shaped receiver by said retaining component and in at least one of the other relative positions of rotation, essentially leaves said jaw-shaped receiver open.  
     
     
         5 . An apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein said eccentric is a cam disk that is located on said conveying component.  
     
     
         6 . An apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein said actuating component and said conveying component can be driven to rotate in a predetermined speed ratio, one to another.  
     
     
         7 . An apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein the ratio of the revolutions per minute of said conveying component to that of said actuating component is pre-determined at 1:2.  
     
     
         8 . An apparatus according to  claim 1 , further including at least one shifting component connected to said conveying component, for laterally shifting the sheet-shaped element in the area of the point of deposit to align it to be essentially parallel to the rotational axis of said conveying component.  
     
     
         9 . An apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein said shifting component is connected to said conveying component for forcing a movement as a function of the rotational position of said conveying component.  
     
     
         10 . An apparatus according to  claim 9 , further including a curved track that is stationary, relative to said conveying component, for forcefully shifting said shifting component laterally.  
     
     
         11 . An apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein said shifting component is located next to said retaining component.  
     
     
         12 . An apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein said shifting component is located in the area of the free end of said swivel arm.  
     
     
         13 . An apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein the contact area of said shifting component, vis-à-vis the sheet-shaped element, has a relatively higher frictional resistance than the contact area on said jaw-shaped receiver against which said shifting component presses.  
     
     
         14 . An apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein said conveying component is essentially in the shape of a disk.  
     
     
         15 . An apparatus according to  claim 14 , wherein two or more jaw-shaped receivers are equally arranged around a full 360° of said conveying component disk, and that a retaining component is assigned to each of said jaw-shaped receivers.  
     
     
         16 . An apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said at least one jaw-shaped receiver is a slot or slit.  
     
     
         17 . An apparatus according to  claim 16 , wherein the length of said slot incorporates sufficient clearance for the leading edge of the sheet-shaped element so that there is no danger that such leading edge will bump against the face of the slot.  
     
     
         18 . An apparatus according to  claim 1 , further including, parallel to said conveying component and rotatable with said conveying component, a stacking disk of essentially the same diameter as said conveying component, but, without either a jaw-shaped receiver or a retaining component, said stacking disk serving as a supplemental support and bending component for a sheet-shaped element.  
     
     
         19 . An apparatus according to  claim 1 , further including, in the area of the depositing point, an arresting bar for the leading edge of a sheet-shaped element that is inserted in said jaw-shaped receiver, said arresting bar being stationary, vis-à-vis said conveying component.  
     
     
         20 . An apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein two or more conveying components are provided that are separated carefully from one another.  
     
     
         21 . An apparatus according to  claim 20 , wherein said two conveying components are located in mirror image, relative to a reflective plane that is perpendicular to the rotational axis.