Friction sheet feeding machine with reversible driven retard roller

• US 6,932,338 B1
• Filed: 10/30/2003
• Issued: 08/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thiele Technologies, Inc. (Barry-Wehmiller Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Streamfeeder LLC (Barry-Wehmiller Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Bergman, Perry D., Popejoy, William L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bollinger, David H.
• Application Number:
  US10/696,951
• Time in Patent Office: 663 Days
• Field of Search: 271/122, 271/124, 271/125, 271/35, 271/138
• US Class Current: 271/122
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/42322 from bottom of the pile
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2403/00 Power transmission; Driving means
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2513/41 Direction of movement
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 3/042 separating from the bottom of the pile
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 3/5284 Retainers of the roller type, e.g. rollers

Abstract

A friction sheet feeding machine having (i) a tray for holding a stack of sheets, (ii) a driven friction feed roller for contacting a downward facing major surface of a lowermost sheet in a stack retained within the tray and pulling the lowermost sheet in a machine direction from underneath the stack, (iii) a reversibly driven friction retard roller vertically spaced in parallel relationship above the friction feed roller for contacting a leading edge and any exposed upward facing major surface of a sheet immediately overly the lowermost sheet so as to retard advancement of the overlying sheet, (iv) a first motor operably connected to the friction feed roller for driving the friction feed roller, and (v) a second motor operably connected to the friction retard roller for driving the friction retard roller, wherein the first and second motors are operably associated such that the second motor is operational only when the first motor is operated.

Claims

1. A friction sheet feeding machine, comprising:

(a) a tray effective for holding a stack of sheets with a lowermost sheet,

(b) a driven friction feed roller configured and arranged for pulling the lowermost sheet in a machine direction from underneath the stack,

(c) a driven friction retard roller above the friction feed roller for contacting a leading edge and any exposed upward facing major surface of a sheet immediately overlying the lowermost sheet so as to retard advancement of the overlying sheet, wherein driven rotation of the friction retard roller is reversible as between a concurrent direction relative to the friction feed roller when in a first state and a countercurrent direction relative to the friction feed roller when in a second state,

(d) a first motor operably connected to the friction feed roller for driving the friction feed roller, and

(e) a second motor operably connected to the friction retard roller for driving friction retard roller,

(f) wherein the first and second motors are operably associated wherein the second motor is operational only when the first motor is operated.

2. The machine of claim 1 wherein the machine further comprises a switch for electrically switching the driven rotational direction of the friction retard roller as between the first state and the second state.

3. The machine of claim 1 further comprising a support fame wherein the tray, the driven friction feed roller and the driven friction retard roller are each attached to the frame with the driven friction retard roller releasably connected to the frame.