Sheet separating and feeding apparatus
First Claim
1. An apparatus for feeding and separating individual sheets from a stack of sheets including:
- a first feed roll mounted on a stationary axis adjacent the forward edge of the stack for separating sheets from the stack under normal operating conditions;
a second feed roll mounted on a second axis adjacent said first feed roll, said second axis being movable toward and away from the stack to move said second feed roll toward and away from the stack;
friction surface means associated with said first roll and said second roll, movement of said second roll toward the stack causing an increase in the friction surface area contacting the stack; and
,means for automatically moving said second roll toward said stack when a non-feed condition is encountered during a sheet feed cycle.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A sheet feeding device adapted to separate a single sheet from a stack of sheets and forward the separated sheet away from the stack for subsequent processing. The apparatus includes a feed belt mounted for movement on at least two stationary rolls and a movable roll, the section of the belt between the two stationary rolls being adapted for frictional engagement with retard means forming a sheet feed nip therebetween. A sheet sensor adjacent the retard means and the feed belt is employed to displace the movable roll and the portion of the feed belt mounted thereon into engagement with the sheet stack to increase the feed belt "foot print" when the absence of a sheet is sensed during a feed cycle to increase the feed force on the sheet. The feed mechanism is adapted to operate on the bottom sheet of a sheet stack which is subjected to a flow of pressurized air against the bottom sheet to reduce friction between the bottom sheet and the stack tray and between the bottom sheet and the sheet immediately thereabove.
36 Citations
8 Claims
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1. An apparatus for feeding and separating individual sheets from a stack of sheets including:
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a first feed roll mounted on a stationary axis adjacent the forward edge of the stack for separating sheets from the stack under normal operating conditions; a second feed roll mounted on a second axis adjacent said first feed roll, said second axis being movable toward and away from the stack to move said second feed roll toward and away from the stack; friction surface means associated with said first roll and said second roll, movement of said second roll toward the stack causing an increase in the friction surface area contacting the stack; and
,means for automatically moving said second roll toward said stack when a non-feed condition is encountered during a sheet feed cycle. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 8)
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2. An apparatus for feeding and separating individual sheets from a stack of sheets including:
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an endless sheet feeding and separating belt mounted for sheet feeding engagement with the edge of the stack of sheets, said belt being rotatably mounted on a plurality of rolls, a first one of said rolls being disposed adjacent the edge of the stack to support said belt in contact with the stack, a second one of said rolls being disposed adjacent said first roll, the axis of said second roll being movable toward and away from the stack to force a greater portion of said belt into contact with the stack when said second roll is moved toward the stack, a stationaty retard pad mounted opposite said belt between said first roll and a third one of said rolls, said third roll being disposed on the side of said first roll opposite said second roll, said stationary retard pad being located to depress said belt between said first and third rolls, said belt being formed of a substantially non-stretch material, movement of said second roll toward said stack causing increased tension on said belt to increase the force between said belt and said stationary retard pad to increase the retard action therebetween; and
,means for moving said second roll toward said stack when a non-feed condition is encountered during a sheet feed cycle. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7)
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Specification