Incremental velocity changing apparatus for transporting printed products in a printing press folder

1. A printing press folder comprising:

a pair of cutting cylinders cutting a web at a cutting location to form signatures;

a pair of transport cylinders positively gripping and transporting the signatures, the transport cylinders defining a first nip, the transport cylinders each having a radius of a first length, the first nip and the cutting location being separated by a first distance that is slightly shorter than a length of each of the signatures; and

a pair of acceleration cylinders positively gripping and transporting the signatures, the acceleration cylinders defining a second nip, acceleration cylinders each having a radius of a second length greater than the first length, the pair of transport cylinders receiving and releasing the signatures at a first velocity and the pair of acceleration cylinders receiving the signatures from the pair of transport cylinders and releasing the signatures at a second velocity that is greater than the first velocity, the first nip and the second nip being separated by a distance that is slightly shorter than the length of each of the signatures, such that the transport cylinders release each of the signatures as the acceleration cylinders grip the respective signature and the transport and acceleration cylinders maintain positive control over the signatures during transport; and

a motor rotating the transport cylinders and the acceleration cylinders at a same angular velocity such that transport cylinders have a surface velocity less than a surface velocity of the acceleration cylinders.

2. The printing press folder recited in claim 1 wherein each transport cylinder includes first surface roll segments radially protruding from the respective transport cylinder and engaging signatures at the first nip.

3. The printing press folder recited in claim 2 wherein the first surface roll segments are spaced about each respective transport cylinder such that gaps between segments cause the transport cylinders to release the signatures.

4. The printing press folder recited in claim 2 wherein the first surface roll segments each have a surface length that is slightly shorter than the length of each of the signatures.

5. The printing press folder recited in claim 1 further comprising a pair of second acceleration cylinders positively gripping and transporting the signatures, the second acceleration cylinders defining a third nip, the pair of second acceleration cylinders receiving the signatures from the pair of acceleration cylinders and releasing the signatures at a third velocity that is greater than the second velocity, the second nip and the third nip being separated by a distance that is slightly shorter than the length of each of the signatures, such that the acceleration cylinders release each of the signatures as the second acceleration cylinders grip the respective signature and the acceleration cylinders and second acceleration cylinders maintain positive control over the signatures during transport.

6. A signature transport apparatus comprising:

a pair of first acceleration cylinders positively gripping and transporting signatures, the first acceleration cylinders defining a first nip, each first acceleration cylinder including first surface roll segments radially protruding from the respective first acceleration cylinder and engaging signatures at the first nip; and

a pair of second acceleration cylinders positively gripping and transporting the signatures, the second acceleration cylinders defining a second nip, the pair of first acceleration cylinders receiving signatures at a first velocity and a releasing signatures at a second velocity and the pair of second acceleration cylinders receiving the signatures from the pair of first acceleration cylinders and releasing the signatures at a third velocity, the first nip and the second nip being separated by a distance that is slightly shorter than the length of each of the signatures, such that the first acceleration cylinders release each of the signatures as the second acceleration cylinders grip the respective signature and the first and second acceleration cylinders maintain positive control over the signatures during transport.

7. The signature transport apparatus recited in claim 6 wherein the second velocity is greater than the first velocity and the third velocity is greater than the second velocity.

8. The signature transport apparatus recited in claim 6 wherein the second velocity is less than the first velocity and the third velocity is less than the second velocity.

9. The signature transport apparatus recited in claim 6 wherein the first acceleration cylinders each have a radius of a first length and the second acceleration cylinders each have a radius of a second length greater than the first length.

10. The signature transport apparatus recited in claim 6 further comprising a pair of third acceleration cylinders receiving the signatures from the pair of second acceleration cylinders and releasing the signatures at a fourth velocity.

11. A method for transporting printed products in a printing press folder comprising:

cutting a web with a first cutting pair to create partial cuts in the web;

cutting the web at the partial cuts with a second cutting pair to create a signature;

engaging the signature as the signature travels at a first velocity with a pair of first acceleration cylinders after the web is cut into the signature;

accelerating the signature and releasing the signatures from the pair of first acceleration cylinders at a second velocity;

engaging the signature with a pair of second acceleration cylinders just before the signature is released from the pair of first accelerations cylinder so the first and second acceleration cylinders maintain positive control over the signature; and

accelerating the signature and releasing the signature from the pair of second acceleration cylinders at a third velocity.

12. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein the second velocity is greater than the first velocity and the third velocity is greater than the second velocity.

13. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein the second velocity is less than the first velocity and the third velocity is less than the second velocity.

14. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein the signature is engaged by the pair of second acceleration cylinders as the signature is released from the pair of first acceleration cylinders.