Interface Device for Transporting and Repositioning Sheets

Abstract

A first and a second article are disposed in lateral relation to one another in a first plane. Each article is grasped and rotated ninety degrees (90°) into a second plane and the articles follow a linear path of travel in parallel relation to one another. The articles are then brought into abutting relation to one another by a first and second set of elongate O rings disposed in converging relation to one another. After being brought together, the articles are again rotated ninety degrees (90°). They are then delivered to a conveyor with one of the articles disposed in overlying relation to the other and both of the articles disposed in the first plane. The conveyor carries the articles to a discharge station.

1 . An apparatus for transporting and rearranging sheets from a side-by-side position to an overlapped position, the apparatus comprising:
 an input transport arranged to transport a pair of side-by-side horizontal sheets in a first direction;   a first twisted transport positioned downstream of the input transport and arranged to receive a first sheet of the pair of side-by-side horizontal sheets, and to transport the first sheet substantially in the first direction while turning the first sheet into a substantially vertical position;   a second twisted transport positioned downstream of the input transport, next to the first twisted transport, and arranged to receive a second sheet of the pair of side-by-side horizontal sheets, and to transport the second sheet substantially in the first direction while turning the second sheet into a substantially vertical position;   a merging arrangement arranged to converge the substantially vertical first and second sheets from the first and second twisted transports into an overlapped position; and   a third twisted transport arranged to receive the overlapped first and second vertical sheets and to turn them into a substantially horizontal position   
   
   
       2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the twisted transports and the merging arrangement all operate to transport the sheets in substantially the first direction. 
   
   
       3 . The apparatus of  claim 2  wherein the first direction includes an incline and the substantially vertical and horizontal positions are normalized to the incline. 
   
   
       4 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising an output transport downstream of the third twisted transport and arranged to transport the overlapped first and second horizontal sheets in substantially the first direction. 
   
   
       5 . The apparatus of  claim 4  wherein the output transport is controllable to operate at different speeds so as to control spacing of consecutive sets of first and second sheets on the output transport. 
   
   
       6 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the first and second twisted transports are comprised of twisted belt transports. 
   
   
       7 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the merging arrangement is comprised of downstream portions of the first and second twisted transports that are angled to converge towards each other. 
   
   
       8 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the merging arrangement is comprised of:
 a first confronting O-ring transport positioned to receive the substantially vertical first sheet from the first twisted transport;   a second confronting O-ring transport positioned to receive the substantially vertical second sheet from the second twisted transport; and   wherein the first and second O-ring transports are angled towards each other so as to converge at a common output point, where the first and second sheets are overlapped with one another.   
   
   
       9 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein any of the first, second, or third twisted transports are reconfigurable to be twisted 90 degrees in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. 
   
   
       10 . The apparatus of  claim 9  wherein the first and second twisted transports are twisted in a rotational direction and the third twisted transport is also twisted in a same rotational direction so that the first and second sheets are turned over by the apparatus. 
   
   
       11 . The apparatus of  claim 9  wherein the first and second twisted transports are twisted in a rotational direction and the third twisted transport is twisted in an opposite rotational direction so that the first and second sheets are not turned over by the apparatus. 
   
   
       12 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the apparatus has a first mode of operation whereby the first and second sheets are processed simultaneously and are merged, and a second mode of operation whereby only the first or the second sheet is processed at a given time, and wherein said second mode does not include merging of first and second sheets, and the apparatus can be selectively set to either of the first or second modes. 
   
   
       13 . A method for transporting and rearranging sheets from a side-by-side position to an overlapped position, the method comprising:
 transporting a pair of side-by-side horizontal sheets in a first direction, the pair including a first sheet and a second sheet;   transporting the first sheet substantially in the first direction while turning the first sheet into a substantially vertical position;   independently of the first sheet, transporting the second sheet substantially in the first direction while turning the second sheet into the substantially vertical position;   converging the substantially vertical first and second sheets into an overlapped position, while transporting the sheets at converging angles that are substantially in the first direction; and   receiving the overlapped first and second substantially vertical sheets and turning them together into a substantially horizontal position while transporting them substantially in the first direction.   
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 13  further comprising transporting the overlapped first and second horizontal sheets in substantially the first direction. 
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the first direction includes an incline and the substantially vertical and horizontal positions are normalized to the incline. 
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the steps of turning the sheets are accomplished by use of twisted belt transports. 
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the steps of turning the sheets can be done in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. 
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 17  wherein the steps of independently turning the first and second sheets is carried out in a rotational direction and the step of turning the overlapped first and second sheets together is also carried out in a same rotational direction so that the first and second sheets are turned over by the method. 
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 17  wherein the steps of independently turning the first and second sheets is carried out in a rotational direction and the step of turning the overlapped first and second sheets together is carried out in an opposite rotational direction so that the first and second sheets are not turned over by the method.