Gripper conveyor delivery

1. A signature transport device comprising:

a saddle conveyor for transporting signatures;

an escalator tucker for lifting the signatures off the saddle conveyor; and

a linear gripper conveyor located adjacent to the escalator tucker and having a plurality of grippers for gripping the signatures;

the linear gripper conveyor having a velocity component that is equal to or greater than a velocity component of the escalator tucker when the signatures are gripped from the escalator tucker.

2. The signature transport device as recited in claim 1 wherein the velocity of the gripper conveyor is greater than the velocity of the escalator tucker.

3. The signature transport device as recited in claim 1 wherein the velocity component of the linear gripper conveyor is a horizontal velocity component and the velocity component of the escalator tucker is a horizontal velocity component.

4. The signature transport device as recited in claim 1 wherein the linear gripper conveyor includes at least ten grippers.

5. The signature transport device as recited in claim 1 wherein at least one gripper rotates to change the orientation of a signature being gripped.

6. The signature transport device as recited in claim 5 wherein the signature is rotated 90 degrees.

7. The signature transport device as recited in claim 1 wherein the escalator tucker is inclined with respect to the saddle conveyor and a segment of linear gripper conveyor is inclined with respect to the saddle conveyor.

8. The signature transport device as recited in claim 7 wherein the escalator tucker and the segment of the linear gripper conveyor are inclined at a same angle.

9. The signature transport device as recited in claim 7 wherein the escalator tucker and linear gripper conveyor are parallel to each other when the gripper is gripping a signature lifted by the escalator tucker.

10. The signature transport device as recited in claim 7 wherein the escalator tucker and linear gripper conveyor are inclined at most by an angle of 15°.

11. The signature transport device as recited in claim 1 wherein the linear gripper conveyor includes a reconfigurable geometry.

12. The signature transport device as recited in claim 11 wherein the linear gripper conveyor is configured to deliver signatures at a desired pitch.

13. The signature transport device as recited in claim 11 wherein the linear gripper conveyor is configured to deliver signatures having a velocity different from the velocity of the signatures during gripping from the escalator tucker.

14. The signature transport device as recited in claim 11 wherein the linear gripper conveyor is configured to deliver signatures at a desired angle.

15. The signature transport device as recited in claim 1 wherein the linear gripper conveyor directly delivers signatures to a trimmer, a drop off station or an infeed downstream from the escalator tucker.

16. A method for transporting signatures comprising the steps of:

conveying signatures in a first direction on a saddle conveyor;

lifting signatures off the saddle conveyor in a second direction using an escalator tucker;

gripping signatures from the escalator tucker with grippers mounted on a linear gripper conveyor so a velocity component of the signatures remains at least constant; and

transporting the signatures in at least a third direction.

17. The method as recited in claim 16 further comprising the step of rotating the signatures on the linear gripper conveyor.

18. The method as recited in claim 16 further comprising the step of delivering the signatures to a trimmer, drop off station or an infeed directly.

19. The method as recited in claim 16 further comprising the step of changing the pitch or velocity of the signatures downstream from the escalator tucker.

20. The method as recited in claim 16 further comprising the step of configuring a geometry of the linear gripper conveyor to change delivery options or delivery characteristics.