Sheet conveying apparatus

Claim 1

A SHEET CONVEYING APPARATUS COMPRISING AN ELONGATED FLEXIBLE CARRIER MOVING CONTINUOUSLY ALONG A PATH WHICH INCLUDES A PORTION OF RELATIVELY SMALL CURVATURE FOLLOWED, IN THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF SAID CARRIER, BY A PORTION OF RELATIVELY LARGER CURVATURE; A PLURALITY OF GRIPPING ELEMENTS SECURED TO SAID CARRIER AT LOCATIONS SPACED ALONG THE LATTER, EACH GRIPPING ELEMENT HAVING A CLOSED POSITION IN WHICH IT GRIPS A SHEET TO BE CONVEYED AND AN OPEN POSITION IN WHICH ITS GRIP ON THE SHEET IS RELEASED, EACH GRIPPING ELEMENT BEING NORMALLY IN ITS CLOSED POSITION DURING MOVEMENT ALONG SAID SMALL CURVATURE PORTION AND BEING IN ITS OPEN POSITION DURING MOVEMENT ALONG SAID LARGE CURVATURE PORTION; FIRST SHEET RECEIVING MEANS LOCATED ADJACENT AND BENEATH SAID LARGER CURVATURE PORTION TO RECEIVE THE CONVEYED SHEETS WHICH ARE RELEASED UPON OPENING OF THE GRIPPING ELEMENTS AT SAID LARGE CURVATURE PORTION; ADDITIONAL SHEET RECEIVING MEANS AT LEAST AT ONE LOCATION ADJACENT AND BENEATH SAID SMALL CURVATURE PORTION IN ADVANCE OF SAID FIRST SHEET RECEIVING MEANS; AND MEANS OPERATIVE TO OPEN SELECTED ONES OF SAID GRIPPING ELEMENTS SEPARATED BY OTHERS OF SAID ELEMENTS AS SAID SELECTED ELEMENTS PASS SAID LOCATING OF THE ADDITIONAL SHEET RECEIVING MEANS, AND TO CAUSE THE SHEET CON VEYED BY EACH OF SAID SELECTED ELEMENTS SO OPENED TO REMAIN AT SAID LOCATION AND BE DEPOSITED DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID PATH INTO SAID ADDITIONAL SHEET RECEIVING MEANS.