US2133259A - Machine for separating, counting and delivering sheet material - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 11, 1938. 0-. E. WCLFF I 2,133,259

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING; COUNTING, AND DELIVERING SHEET MATERIAL File d'June 7, 1937 l6Sheets-Sheet1 T M S v 3 N N w 0 I F (Q Q '3 ATTORN EY o. E. WOLFF 2,133,259

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING, COUNTING, AND DELIVERING SHEET MATERIAL .Oct. 11, 1938.

Filed June '7, 1937 16 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Oct. 11, 1938.

o. E. WOLFF 2,133,259

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING, COUNTING, AND DELIVERING SHEET MATERIAL Filed June '7, 1957 16 Sheets-Sheet I5 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Oct. 11, 1938. o. E. WOLFF 2,133,259 MACHINE FOR SEPARATING, COUNTING, AND DELIVERING SHEET MATERIAL Filed June 7, 1957 16 Sheets-Sheet 4 \l 1 I I I I /35: I I I l I I I I I I I I l I I4 I I II I a I I l I I L I I I I I II I I I I I I II I 1 LI I I I i II 1 Il/67 II II I r\ we \1 k l ATTORNEY Oct. 11, 1938. O WQLFFI 2,133,259

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING, COUNTING, AND DELIVERING SHEET MATERIAL Filed June 7, 1937 16 Sheets-Sheet 5 3 F/G.7 H6 F 9 7 302 ATTORNEY 0. E. WOLFF Oct. 11, 1938.

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING, COUNTING, AND DELIVERING SHEET MATERIAL 16 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed June 7, 1937 ATTORNEY Oct. 11, 1938. O WOLFF 2,133,259

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING, COUNTING, AND DELIVERING SHEET MATERIAL Filed June '7, 1937 16 Sheets-Sheet 7 H615 H6 86 as I 5 q F 50 m L\ ATTORNEY Oct. 11, 1938. o. E. WOLFF 2,133,259

COUNTING, AND DELIVERING SHEET MATERIAL Filed June 7, 1957 16 Sheets-Sheet 8 MACHINE FOR SEPARATING,

1 6.23 F-IG.Z4

INVENTOR ATTORNEY Oct. 11, 1938. o. E, WOLFF 2,133,259

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING, COUNTING, AND DELIVERING SHEET MATERIAL Filed June '7, 1937 16 Sheets-Sheet 9 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Oct. 11, 1938. O WOLFF 2,133,259

'MACHINE FOR SEPARATING, COUNTING, AND DELIVERING SHEET MATERIAL Filed June 7, 1957 16 Sheets-Sheet 10 b INVENTOR ATTORNEY Oct-.11, 1938. o. E. WOLFF 2,133,259

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING, COUNTING, AND DELIVERING SHEET MATERIAL Filed June 7, 1957 16 Sheets-Sheet 11 FIG.J5

INVENTOR ATTORN EY Oct. 11, 1938. o, wo 2,133,259

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING, COUNTING, AND DELIVERING SHEET MATERIAL Filed June 7, 1937 16 Sheets-Sheet 12 9 I 74 FIG.

QINVENTOR ATTORNEY O. E. WOLFF Oct. 11, 1938.

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING, COUNTING, AND DELIVERING SHEET MATERIAL Filed June '7, 1937 16 Shee'ts-Sheet l3 INVENTORV ATTORN EY Oct. 11, 1938. Q wo 2,133,259

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING, COUNTING, AND DELIVERING SHEET MATERIAL Filed June '7, 1937 16 Sheets-Sheet 14 INVENTOR yzzi QhW ATTORNEY 0. E. WOLFF Oct 11, 1938.

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING, COUNTING, AND DELIVERING SHEET MATERIAL Filed June 7, 1937 16 Sheets-Sheet 15 ATTORNEY Oct. 11, 1938. Q WOLFF 2,133,259

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING, COUNTING, AND DELIVERING SHEET MATERIAL Filed June 7, 1937 16 Sheets-Sheet 16 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented 11, 1938 UNITED STATES MACHINE FOB SEPARATING, COUNTING AND DELIVERING SHEET MATERIAL Otto Edward Wolff, Arlington, Macs. Paul 8. Bauer, Belmont, Mast;

R. 8. Bauer Application June 7, 1937, Serial No. 146,798 33 Claims. (01. 270 -2) The present invention relates to means for handling sheet material, and more particularly such sheet material as newspapers and periodicals.

As the newspapers, for example, are delivered from the press, they are collected into bundles containing the proper number to be forwarded to the various newsdealers, and the bundles are then usually wrapped in preaddressed wrappers. These operations have heretofore been performed partly or wholly by hand.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new machine for automatically performing several or all of the various operations of separating the newspapers or other sheet material, counting them out, and delivering the counted objects.

A further object is to provide novel mechanism for performing any or all of the above-described operations.

The present invention relates also to counting machines, and more particularly to machines for counting newspapers or other sheets, particu-' larly when fed in lapped relation from one point to another.

It is desirable, in newspaper printing, to count the number of papers actually reaching the mailing room from the press room. Such proposals as have heretofore been made for automatically counting the newspapers, in the condition that they reach the press room, have not, however, proved satisfactory, so that they are still counted by human attendants. This is inaccurate and relatively slow.

Another object of the invention, therefore, is to provide a new and improved counter for sheets, like newspapers, particularly when the sheets are fed in lapped relation.

With this end in view, a feature of the invention, if the sheets are fairly regularly spaced-and positioned, resides in the use of a simple finger or other contact member that-is positioned at a predetermined point and is arranged to ride over the lapped sheets, as they are fed under it by the conveyor. The finger controls a contact member or members to control an electric circuit for operating a counter. This control may, for-example, be effected through a relay for a counter magnet.

A further object of the invention is to ensure that each sheet passing along the conveyor shall actuate the counting mechanism.

To the attainment of this end. a feature of the invention resides in a novel mechanism comprising two fingers, instead of only one, so designed as to follow one upon the other, the differential movement between them controlling accurately the operation of the counter.

A further feature resides in the use of a novel,

magnetic control for a high-speed counter, in-

- returned newspapers,

volving the use of a contact device to operate the magnetic counter.

Another object is to provide a novel machine the purpose of which is to permit the grouping or stacking of a predetermined numberof the oblects.

Still another object is to, provide, a counter in conjunction with a-selecting device.

The present'invention relates also to sheeti'eeding-and-counting machines, and more particularly to machines for counting sheets or bundles of sheets. This feature of the invention has particular application to the counting of newspapers, either as they come from the press, or magazines and the like, but is applicable also to other articles, like paper sheets.

Another object is to provide a novel mechanism for accumulating a stack of sheetsfrom below the stack.

Other and further objects will be explained hereinafter, and will be particularly pointed out in the appended'claims.

The invention will now be explained in connection with the accompanying drawings. in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation, looking from the rear side ofthe preferred machine; with parts broken away, and other parts in dotted lines, for clearness, and with the cover of the control box removed to show the master commutator, and showing the power drives from the motor to the various mechanisms, and the relative positions of the controlling relays;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section taken upon the line 2 -2 of Fig. '3, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken upon the line 33 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken upon the line 4-4 of Fig. 5, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken upon the line 5-5 of Fig. 4, looking downward in the di rection of the arrows; 1

Fig. 6 is a vertical section, taken upon the, line 8-6 of Fig. 2 or Fig. 8, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 7 is a vertical section, taken upon. the line 1-1 of Fig. 6, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 8 is a vertical section, taken upon the line 88 of Fig. 6, looking in thedirection of the arrows: i

Fig. 9 is a vertical section, 9-9 of Fig. 6, looking in the rows;

Fig. 10 is a vertical section. taken upon the line taken upon the line direction of-the ar- Fig. 13 is a similarsection. looking towardjhe 7 right;

Fig. 14 is a vertica s'ceioh, taken upon the line l4l4 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, a part ofthe collar being broken away for clearness;

Fig. 15 is a section, taken upon the line IS-I 5" of Fig. 14', looking in" the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 16 is a vertical section, taken upon the line l6-l6-of Fig. 17, looking in the direction of thearrows, the cover of the contact box'being removed;

Fig. 1'7 is a section taken upon the line l'l-I| of Fig. 5,- looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 18 is a view, corresponding to Fig. 8, of a modified form of a separator;

Fig. 19.is a section, taken upon the line lB-IS of Fig. 5, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 20 is a section, taken upon the line 2020 of Fig. 19, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 21 is a section, taken upon the line 2|-2| of Fig. 19, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 22 is an end view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 19, as viewed from the right-hand side;

Figs. 23 and 24 are sections, taken upon the lines 23-23 and 24-24, respectively, oi! Fig. 25, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 25 is a plan view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2'7;

Fig. 26 is a corresponding end view;

Fig. 27 is an elevation of the control drum shown in the control box of Fig. 1, partly in section and partly broken away;

Fig. 28 is a section, taken upon the line 2828 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows, the counting fingers being shown in end view, and resting against the supporting plate;

Fig. 29 is a section taken upon the line 2929 01' Fig. 28, looking in the direction of the arrows, the view being thus taken from the side, and as though the cover of the contact box were removed, the contact fingers being still shown resting against the supporting plate;

Figs. 30, 31, 32 and 33 are views corresponding to Fig. 29, showing the contact fingers in different positions;

Fig. 34 is a wiring diagram with the parts of the machine positioned in their approximate locations on the machine;

Fig. 35 is a corresponding, simplified wiring diagram;

Fig. 36 is a view, showing a modification of the stack-feeding mechanism shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 37 is a corresponding view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2;

Figs. 38 and 39 are further modifications;

Fig. 40 is a section of a modified magazine, the section being taken upon the line 404II of Fig. 41, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 41 is a section taken upon the line 4 i-4l of Fig. 40, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 42 is a view corresponding to Fig. 41, showing the magazine raised and turned a one-quarter revolution;

Fig. 43 is a diagrammatic view corresponding to Fig. 13, but upon a small scale;

Figs. 44 to 50, inclusive, are similar views, showing the parts in diiferent positions;

where they become temporarily stacked. The ,right-hand ends (as shown in Fig. 2) of the in- 'Figitileis.aziragmentary elevation of the upper int-madam theQdiSchargepOrtion of the machine shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 52 is a similar view, showing the stack of sheets as it is being released; and

Fig. 53j'i s ;'ari' exploded perspective, upon a larger scale,"of parts of the mechanism shown at the right of Fig; 6.,

.4i,plurality of newspapers 2 are shown in Fig. 2

;=;i n lapped relation, upon inclined conveyor belts 4 by which they are delivered into a hopper 6 clined conveyor belts 4 maybe disposed adjacent to a newspaper press (not shown), or a stack fore, to avoid circumlocution of language, be often employed in the specification and the claims, in this generic sense, except where the context or the state of the art requires otherwise.

The left-hand ends of the conveyor belts 4 are shown in Fig. 2 disposed at the right-hand end of the bottom of the hopper 6. As the first newspaper 2 is delivered by the conveyor belts 4 into the hopper 6, therefore, it is carried by horizontally disposed, continuously traveling belts 8, at the bottom of the hopper 6, forward, or toward the left, as viewed in Figs. 2 and 8. The second news paper2 is similarlycarried forward, to the left, on top of the first newspaper 2. The third newspaper 2 is similarly carried forward, to the left, on top of the second newspaper, and so on.

The forward, or left-hand (as viewed in the said Figs. 2 and 8) ends of those newspapers 2 that are disposed above the lowermost newspaper or newspapers soon engage a vertically disposed, shield wall l0 that prevents their further progress. The newspapers 2 thus become accumulated in the hopper 6, each on top of its next-lower neighbor, in the form of a stack, the weight of which serves to press the lowermost newspaper 2 against the said horizontally disposed belts 8, at the bottom of the hopper 6.

It is desirable that the pressure of the newspapers against the conveyor belts 8 caused by their own weight be not too great; particularly as it is desired to lift this stack from time to time, I

as will be explained more fully hereinafter. To relieve the pressure, therefore, only part of the newspapers in the hopper 6, above a predetermined height, are permitted to exert their full weight upon the newspapers beneath. This result may be effected in any desired way. According to the illustrated embodiment, the lefthand end l2 (as viewed in Figs. 2 and 8) of a wall i4 is disposed near the upperend of the vertically disposed shield wall I0,-at a point a little higher than the lowest pointof the inclined conveyor belts 4. vThe wall |'4;;is .showninclining toward the right, substantially parallel, and oppo sitely disposed, to the said'inclined conveyor belts 4. Above the point I2, therefore, the newspapers will become collectedin, the hopper 6 in an inclined stack between the wall; i4 of the hopper 6 and the inclined belts 4.- Y,

The lower terminal portion of the vertically disposed. shield wall I0 terminates in a finger I6,

disposed very close to the horizontally disposed conveyor belts 8, but raised slightly thereabove, so as to provide a space through which the conveyor belts 8 may feed the lowermost newspaper 2 out of the hopper 8, into the space outside, to the left of the hopper, as shown in Fig. 2. The finger I8 may be constituted ofan integral portion of the vertically disposed shield wall I0, extending continuously downward, and bent or inclined smoothly forward in the direction of travel of the conveyor belts 8. The shield wall I 8 is vertically adjustable to regulate the said space between the finger I8 and the belt 8. It is usually preferred to have only one newspaper at a time pass under the extremity I8 of the finger I8. To effect this result, the space near the belt conveyor 8, under the extremity I8 of the finger I8, should be adjusted so as to be less than the thickness of two newspapers, so that the second newspaper from the bottom shall be caught by the sloping, inner wall of the inclined finger I8, as illustrated more particularly in Fig. 2. If desired, of course, the position of the finger I8 may be adjusted high enough so as to permit more than one paper to pass its extremity I8, particularly where it is desired to feed the papers overlapped. The belts 8 and the projecting finger I8 of the shield III, or either of them, are suiliciently flexible to accommodate themselves to the papers 2 as these papers are carried between them. The flexing of the belts 8 under the finger I8 is illustrated in Fig. 18.

The adjustability of the finger I8 to control the separate feeding of the papers passing thereunder, or their number so passing, may be effected in any desired manner. As illustrated more particularly in Figs. 2, 6, 8 and 18, the preferred mechanism for adjusting the position of the finger I8 comprises two eccentrics 28 disposed between two pairs of lugs 22 and 24 that extend horizontally out from the vertically disposed, shield wall ill, at the extreme ends thereof. though they may extend throughout the length of the shield. The eccentrics 20 are pivoted about a shaft 25 to which is fastened an adjusting handle 28 that is positioned outside the side frame I85 of the machine. By turning the handie 28, therefore, about the axis of the shaft 28, the eccentrics 28 will be caused to turn, engaging the lugs 22 and 28, and thus raising and lowering the vertically disposed shield wall III and the finger I8 at its lower end. The shield wall I8 will be guided in such vertical movement by ways 29 in the side frames I88 and I81 of the machine. The eccentrics 28 may be maintained in adjusted position by means of a spring-pressed pin 28 on the handle 28, that may be caused to enter any of a plurality of index openings 30 (Figs. 1 and 8) disposed for difl'erent settings of the shield I8,

along a circular are about the axis of the shaft 25. The shield I8 need not, of course, be a continuous wall; it may be replaced by suitably arranged fingers or guides.

The newspaper or newspapers are passed out of the hopper 8, under the finger I8, by the same conveyor belts 8 before described; and to this end, they extend forward, to the left of the vertically disposedshield wall III, a considerable distance beyond the confines of the hopper 8. Because of the higher coefllcient of friction between newspaper stock and the material of which the belts 8 are constituted, than between the newspapers 2 themselves, the belts have no difficulty in moving the lowest paper 2 in the hopper 8 out from under the others. The belts pass over pulleys 32 and 34, the former adjacent to the lower end of the inclined conveyor belts 4, at the righthand end of the hopper 8, and the latter far to the left of the hopper 8. They pass aisoover an idler roll 33, shown just to the right of the shield Ill. The number of belts 8 passing over the pulleys 32 and 38 is shown in Fig. 3 as four, with spaces between them through which are visible the hereinafter-mentioned table supports I88. The right-hand pulley 32 is provided with a plu rality of projections 35 for agitating the rear ends of the papers 2 in the hopper 8, as it revolves, thus eliminating the tendency of the papers 2 sticking together in the hopper 8, and also tending to drive the lowest paper 2 to the left, toward the shield III. The agitator 35 need not, however, be attached to one of the conveyor pulleys, since it may be separately driven.

If more than one paper (or the desired other number of papers) should tend to feed past the shield I0, they will become separated by a separating roll 38 under which the belts 8 pass at an intermediate point, a little to the left of the finger I8. This is effected by fiexibly pressing the separating roll 38 against the belts 8 and an idler roll 38 under the belts 8. The advancing, forward end of each newspaper, just after the paper travels out of the hopper 8, is thus pressed between the spring-pressed roll 38 and the roll 38 and the belts 8, and the newspaper continues to be so engaged as it continues its forward travel, to the left. The sheets thus travel between the conveyor 8 and the roll 38 below and the roll 38 above, as they leave the hopper. By'operating the separating roll 38 in the same direction as the direction of travel of the belts 8, but at a surface speed lower than the speed of travel of the feed belts 8, and by suitably adjusting the pressure of its spring 40, the papers will become sloweddown and dragged back, effecting their separation, and ensuring that the front edge of any particular paper 2 shall be behind the front edge of the next preceding paper 2 a sumcient distance to permit separate counting of the papers by a counting finger H or counting fingers 44 and 88, ashereinafter explained. They may be entirely separated from eachother, with a space 82 between each two newspapers 2, as illustrated in Fig. 2, or they may become overlapped, as illustrated in Figs. 30 to 32. depending upo the adjustment and the drive.

If the papers 2 were all of equal thickness, and if there were no irregularities or other sources of like error, and particularly if the papers 2 were not overlapped, one counting finger 48 would ordinarily sufllce. In the illustrated machine, the counting fingers and are not laterally separated, in 'adirection at right angles to the line of feed, but are substantially exactly alined with each other in the line of feed, between two adjacent belts 8.

If the shield III itself operates eifectively to separate the papers 2, the roll 38 may either run idly, or it may be driven at the same speed as the feed belts 8. In that event, as the sheets at the bottom of the hopper 8 are separated from the stack and carried by the conveyor belts 8 through the space under the inclined finger I8 of the shield Iii, the roll 38 will merely hold the paper 2 under it against the belts8 and the roll 38 to insure its being drawn out. A deflector or guide plate (not shown) may be used to prevent the upper sheets, if overlapped, from becoming lifted by the roll 88.

; When the newspapers 2 have'an extraordinary 7 tendency to stick together, as when under the influence of static electricity, they may be separated by the use of horizontally disposed belts 48, mounted over pulleys 66 and 62, and disposed in contact with the belts 8, as shown in Fig. 18, or a series of rolls may be employed. The pulleys 56 and 62 are mounted upon horizontally disposed arms 64 that are intermediately supported at 56 by a supporting member "6. The pulley 66 occupies the position occupied by the roll 88, as previously described, directly over the roll 36, and the pulley 62 is disposed to the left thereof, as viewed in Figs. 2 and 18. One of the pulleys 56 and 52 may be positively actuated so as to cause the lower level of the belts 48 to travel to the left, in the same direction, indicated by the arrow, as the direction of travel of the belts 8, though not necessarily at the same speed.

After the papers have thus been caused to travel from the conveyor belts 4 into the hopper 6, and from the hopper 6 between the rolls 36 and 38, they are next counted. To this end, the counting finger 44 is illustrated in Fig. 2, above the left-hand portion of the belts 6, and to the left of the roll 88. As the newspaper 2 advances from between the rolls 86 and 38 in Fig. 2, its forward, folded edge I engages this counting finger 44. As soon as the paper has traveled beyond the position occupied by the counting finger 44, this finger falls into the space 42 between the successive papers 2. Each raising and lowering of the counting finger 44 will result in registering a count, as will be hereinafter explained, to indicate that another newspaper 2 has been conveyed by the conveyor belts 8 from the hopper 6 to outside the hopper. A similar operation takes place when the sheets traveling under the counting finger 44 are overlapped, as before described; though there is no space 42 into which the counting finger may drop, there is a difference in height between different parts of the overlapped papers that produces the same raising and lowering of the counting finger 44. The additional counting finger 46, spaced from the counting finger 44 in the line of feed, may, however, be employed, particularly with overlapped newspapers, the operation of one counting finger following upon the operation of the other. When the additional countingfinger 46 is employed, it operates, like the counting finger 44, to engage the sheets that travel under it; but the count is registered in response to the differential, up-and-down movement of both counting fingers 44 and 46 together, and not in response to the movement of one counting finger only, as will hereinafter be explained, thus effecting a more accurate control of the counter mechanism.

The belt conveyor 8, the shield wall I6, the separating member 88 or 48, and the counting fingers 44 and 46, are disposed at the bottom of the machine, the newspapers 2 traveling therethrough from right to left, as viewed in Fig. 2. The papers 2 are then transferred to the upper portion of the machine by meansof vertically disposed, continuously traveling lift, conveyor belts 66 and 62. The conveyors 8 and 66 may, of course, be in the form of a single ,conveyor. After the papers have thus been raised by the belts 66 and 62, they are again carried through the machine, but from left to right. This enables lapped papers to be in the correct position to be stacked from beneath. The forward edges 1 of the newspapers are practically parallel at all times, the papers 2 being fed quite regularly in this machine.

The conveyor belts 66 pass over two large pulleys 64 and 66 and a smaller pulley'68. The pulley 66 is disposed vertically above the pulley 64. The conveyor belts 62 pass over three pulleys 16, I2 and 14. The lower surface of the pulley 64 is disposed substantially on the same level as the upper reach of the conveyor belts 8, and the pulley I6 is disposed below and to one side of the pulley 64. Thenewspapers 2 thus travel horizontally into the bite between the conveyor belts 66 and 62, and are turned upward, around the large pulley 64, toward the pulleys 66 and 12. The pulleys 68 and 14, however, are situated to the right of, and above, the pulleys 66 and 12, the pulley 14 being disposed a little to the left of the pulley 68. The upper portions of the belt conveyors 66 and 62, therefore, are disposed below, and at an upward incline to, the bottom of a magazine 18, so as to convey the newspapers successively to the right, after they leave the pulley 66, at an upward incline, toward the pulleys 68 and 14.

Horizontally disposed, continuously traveling. conveyor stacking belts 86 at the bottom of the magazine 18 pass over horizontally alined pulleys 82 and 84 at the bottom of the magazine 18. The pulley 82 is disposed on the same shaft as, so as to be coaxial with, the pulley 68, under the magazine 18. It is not essential that the belts 8 or 66 be horizontal-they may be inclined under the hopper 6 or the magazine 18 at an angle.

The papers are thus carried toward a predetermined point of the bottom of the magazine 18, just above the pulley 82, and under the bent portions 92 at the left of a hold-down weight or weights 16, or under the rearward projecting ends of the newspapers 2 in the magazine 18, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 36 to 39.

The function of the weight 16 is to press the lowest paper 2 against the conveyor belts 86. This function is not needed in the hopper 6, because of the weight of the papers 2 that are fed in from above the stack. In the magazine 18, however, the papers are fed in by the conveyors 66 and 62 from below.

As the first paper 2 is delivered by the conveyor belts 66 and 62, between the pulleys 14 and 82, it travels at the said upward incline, above the said pulleys 68 and 62, the pulley 82 thus serving as a uide roll.

The front edge I of the first newspaper 2 is first gripped between the body portion of the hold-down weight 16, at the point where it joins the bent portion 82, and the portions of the belts 86 immediately beneath. The said front edge I is then dragged in by the conveyor belts 86, under the said bent end 92 of the hold-down weight l6.

The pulley84 is disposed beyond the magazine 18, to the right thereof, as viewed in Fig. 2, so that the belt conveyor 86 would carry the papers in the magazine 18 beyond, and to the right of, the magazine 18 on to a table I46, were it not for stops 86 that project upward between the stacker belts 86 to engage the forward end of the lower paper or papers 2 in the magazine 18 and limit its or their further progress. The stops 86 need not project very high, since it is quite sufficient to restrain the travel of only the bottom paper 2 in the magazine I8.

As the newspapers 2 continue to be successively advanced by the belt conveyors 66 and 62, the forward end I of each next-following newspaper, as it leaves between the pulleys l4 and 82, enters into the magazine 18 at a point between the pulley 82 and under the rear end of the news-

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