Method of, and apparatus for, processing a moving, printed material web

Abstract

A method and apparatus of moving printed material web includes two processing arrangements arranged one above the other that are optional in operation. A material web is processed either in the upper, first processing arrangement or in the lower, second processing arrangement. In the processing section belonging to the first processing arrangement, the material web is folded about a line parallel to its advancement direction. In the processing section belonging to the second processing arrangement, the material web is separated, along a line parallel to its advancement direction, into two material-web strands, which are then positioned one above the other. The two processing sections having in common a pair of braking rollers and a pair of drawing rollers and also a longitudinal-cutter.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for processing a printed material web moving in an advancement direction, the apparatus comprising:
 a first processing arrangement and a second processing arrangement arranged one above the other having a common entry for the material web which is to be processed, wherein the material web is fed from the entry to at least one of the first processing arrangement and the second processing arrangement, the first processing arrangement is arranged to fold the material web about a line parallel to the advancement direction of the material web and the second processing arrangement is arranged to separate the material web into at least two material-web strands by longitudinal cutting along at least one line parallel to the advancement direction, and then to position the material-web strands one above the other.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein an upper processing arrangement of the first processing arrangement and the second processing arrangement can be displaced to the side, as seen in respect to the advancement direction, relative to a lower processing arrangement. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the first processing arrangement includes a folding mechanism of roof-like design and via which the material web is guided under tensile stressing. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the second processing arrangement has a longitudinal-cutting unit for the longitudinal cutting of the material web and also has angle bars which are arranged downstream of the longitudinal-cutting unit and via which a material-web strand is guided. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the first processing arrangement has a scoring unit, which is arranged upstream of the folding mechanism for scoring the material web along a predetermined folding line, and a perforating unit, which is arranged upstream of the folding mechanism for perforating the material web along the envisaged folding line and for applying longitudinal perforations at a distance apart from the predetermined folding line. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein transporting rollers are arranged upstream and downstream of the folding mechanism to produce the tensile stressing.