Device for transporting and aligning stacks of sheet-shaped print materials

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for transporting and centrally aligning stacks of sheet-shaped materials. According various aspects of the invention, methods and devices are provided for transporting stacks of sheet-shaped print materials in a transport from a location misaligned with a reference axis to another location while aligning a center of a stack thickness with the reference axis.

We claim:  
     
         1 . A method, comprising: 
 transporting stacks of sheet-shaped print materials in a transport from a location misaligned with a reference axis to another location while automatically aligning a center of a stack thickness with the reference axis.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising aligning the stack of sheet-shaped print materials independently of the stack thickness.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the stacks of sheet-shaped print materials are unbound.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising securely moving the stack of sheet-shaped print materials from the first location to the second location.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising securely moving the stack of sheet-shaped print materials collected at a fixed stop to another processing station.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein at the second location one-half of the thickness of the stack of sheet-shaped print materials is disposed on one side of the reference axis and another one-half of the thickness of the stack of sheet-shaped print materials is disposed on another side of the reference axis.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising a carriage in the transport and having a first clamping jaw and a second clamping jaw for gripping the stack of sheet-shaped print material; and 
 comprising always centering the carriage between the first clamping jaw and the second clamping jaw.    
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , the device ( 100 ) takes the stack of sheet-shaped print materials ( 1 ) from a collecting device for sheet-shaped print materials.  
     
     
         9 . An apparatus, comprising: 
 a transport defining a transport path;    a carriage carried in the transport and having a first clamping jaw and a second clamping jaw for gripping a stack of sheet-shaped print material;    a guide along the transport path which guides the carriage from a location wherein the stack of sheet-shaped print material is misaligned with a reference axis to another location wherein a center of a stack thickness is aligned with the reference axis.    
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 9 , wherein the guide is shaped to guide the carriage from the location wherein the stack of sheet-shaped print material is misaligned with the reference axis to the another location wherein the center of the stack thickness is aligned with the reference axis.  
     
     
         11 . The device of  claim 9 , wherein the first clamping jaw and second clamping jaw are oriented to clamp the sheet-shaped print materials vertically between the clamping jaws.  
     
     
         12 . The device of  claim 9 , wherein the first clamping jaw and the second clamping jaw are mutually linked to the carriage by way of a parallelogram.  
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 9 , wherein the first clamping jaw and the second clamping jaw are mutually linked to the carriage by way of a parallelogram configured to always place the carriage centered between the first clamping jaw and the second clamping jaw.  
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 9 , wherein the first and second clamping jaws are mutually linked to the carriage by way of a parallelogram., the transport is open on both sides of the stack of sheet-shaped print materials.  
     
     
         15 . The device of  claim 9 , wherein the first clamping jaw and the second clamping jaw are mutually linked to the carriage by way of a parallelogram, 
 at least one of the clamping jaws being mounted in such that the clamping jaws adapt to stacks of sheet-shaped print materials that do not have uniform thickness.    
     
     
         16 . The device of  claim 9 , comprising a measuring device that measures the stack thickness.  
     
     
         17 . The device of  claim 9 , comprising a protective device that can switch off a clamping movement of the first clamping jaw and the second clamping jaw.  
     
     
         18 . A method, comprising: 
 transporting unbound stacks of sheet-shaped print materials in a transport from a location misaligned with a reference axis to another location while automatically aligning a center of a stack thickness with the reference axis,    wherein at the second location one-half of the thickness of the stack of sheet-shaped print materials is disposed on one side of the reference axis and another one-half of the thickness of the stack of sheet-shaped print materials is disposed on another side of the reference axis.    
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising a carriage in the transport and having a first clamping jaw and a second clamping jaw for gripping the stack of sheet-shaped print material; and 
 comprising always centering the carriage between the first clamping jaw and the second clamping jaw.    
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1 , the device ( 100 ) takes the stack of sheet-shaped print materials ( 1 ) from a collecting device for sheet-shaped print materials.