Diverter mechanism

Claim 1

A cut sheet handling system comprising a pair of sheet feeding tapes guided for movement in a closed path, means for guiding the tapes in converging paths to receive the cut sheets seriatim and then guiding the tapes in side-by-side relation along a sheet feeding span and then guiding the tapes in diverging paths to release the sheets, a guide having a tapered upstream end interposed between the diverging paths of the sheet feeding tapes, a pair of concave diverging sheet guiding surfaces on the guide extending in diverging paths from the tapered upstream end thereof, rotary guide rolls having their outer convex surfaces adjacent and spaced apart from each of the guiding surfaces to guide each of the tapes in closely spaced apart relation to the guiding surfaces to define a sheet feeding channel therebetween, rotary diverters mounted coaxially with the tape guiding rollers and having raised cam surfaces which cooperate with the more remote tapes to define converging surfaces to guide the leading ends of the sheets past the upstream tapered end of the guide and into the channel defined by the more remote tape and the adjacent guiding surface, the upstream end of the guide and the raised cam surfaces intermeshing to permit the cam surfaces to recess beneath the guiding surfaces after guiding the leading ends of the sheets thereto, thereby releasing the leading end of the sheet within the appropriate channel, the circumferential length of each raised cam surface permitting it and the cooperating more remote tape to guide and support each sheet upstream of the tapered end of the guide through a substantial length of the sheet so that the portion of the sheet upstream of the leading end will not whip or be damaged or be permitted to enter the wrong path.