Method or apparatus for bringing in a logical array, a plurality of sheets, or webs of a flexible material in accordance with recognizable indicia thereon or other characteristics distinguishing one sheet or web from another.
(1) Note. Included herein is a sheet or web material associating combined with printing, cutting, securing, wrapping, or merely opening folded sheets.
(2) Note. For purpose of facilitating the definition of the subclasses, the following discussion and definition of terms used is presented. A "sheet" is a thin, usually flexible object having length and width dimensions. The boundary of these dimensions are the "edge" of the sheet. The sheet is moving along a direction of travel, and the term "side-edge" is applied to those edges which are generally parallel to the direction of travel. A "web" is a sheet having indefinite length and a definite width. The term "positioning" may
include the act of partially turning the sheet about an axis that passes through the surface of the sheet so that an edge thereof is accurately aligned if that edge was previously misaligned.
LINES WITH OTHER CLASSES
The following line was established after a discussion with the examiners representing Classes 270 and 271:
In Class 270, the apparatus for the sheet-material associating includes a mechanism to place the sheets from plural sources into an operational specified association onto or against a surface which then groups the sheets in said specified association or to place the sheets in specified association. The delivery of the sheets to a stack from the plural sources requires a specific order of associating the sheets other than mere random stacking. Class 270 accepts putting the sheets in a logical array or placing the sheets in the associated stack in order to perform the operation on the sheets.
In Class 271, a separation of an individual sheet from a stack of sheets considered proper even if no specific feeding of the sheets for an operation is disclosed. In Class 271, a sheet feeding or delivering means combines or places the sheets (a) adjacent to or on top of each other in a random order, or (b) to perform the operation on individually fed sheets.
REFERENCES TO OTHER CLASSESSEE OR SEARCH CLASS
399, Electrophotography,
16+, and 361+ for document handling (e.g., feeding or delivering sheet medium (i.e., originals or copies) within an electrophotos:graphic device).
493, Manufacturing Container or Tube From Paper; or Other Manufacturing From a Sheet or Web,