Paper feeder comprising a selectively drivable resilient body in frictional contact with a feed roller

• US 4,105,199 A
• Filed: 12/20/1976
• Issued: 08/08/1978
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nippon Electric Company Limited (NEC Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nippon Electric Company Limited (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: Tsuchiya, Keiji, Takahashi, Katuo, Kubota, Junjiro, Sato, Kazukiyo
• Primary Examiner(s): Stoner, Jr., Bruce H.
• Application Number:
  US05/752,952
• Time in Patent Office: 596 Days
• Field of Search: 271/122, 271/125, 271/172, 271/272, 271/34, 271/35, 192/51
• US Class Current: 271/122
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 3/063 separating from the bottom of pile B65H3/0615, B65H3/0623 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 3/5292 Retainers of the belt type, e.g. belts
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 5/025 between belts and rotary means, e.g. rollers, drums, cylinders or balls, forming a transport nip
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 5/224 by suction belts B65H11/005 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 7/12 responsive to double feed or separation

Abstract

A paper feeder comprises a controllably drivable resilient body in frictional contact with a feed roller. A preliminary feeder is provided for supplying a sheet of paper towards an area of the frictional contact from a stack of paper. The roller is driven in a first sense of rotation to feed the supplied paper away from the preliminary feeder. The resilient body is usually driven in a second sense towards the preliminary feeder at the frictional contact area and selectively set free on feeding a thin or flexible sheet. The resilient body may further be driven in the first sense on feeding either a thin or flexible sheet or a ground sheet on which another sheet of paper is attached.

Claims

1. A paper feeder for feeding various types of sheets of paper, one at a time, from a platform to a utilization device, said feeder comprising a feed roller rotatable around a fixed axis, first drive means for driving said roller in a first sense of rotation, a resilient body movable along a circumferential area of said feed roller in frictional contact therewith, second drive means for controllably driving said resilient body when operatively coupled thereto, and manually operable selection means for selectively operably coupling said second drive means and said resilient body in a first state to positively drive said resilient body in a second sense at said area when said sheet is of a predetermined nature and for selectively operably decoupling said second drive means and said resilient body when said sheet of paper is of a different nature, said first sense being a sense of feeding said sheet from said platform to said utilization device, said second sense being a reversed sense, wherein said manually operable means is further operative for selectively operably coupling said second drive means and said resilient body in a second state to positively drive said resilient body in said first sense at said area when said sheet comprises a ground sheet and another sheet attached thereto.

2. A paper feeder as claimed in claim 1 wherein said manual means comprises a clutch having forward, reverse and neutral positions.

3. A paper feeder as claimed in claim 1 wherein said resilient body is at least one endless belt.