Feeder for feeding document to document imaging system and method for feeding documents

• US 9,079,730 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2011
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Opex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Opex Corporation
• Inventors: Helmlinger, David, Miller, Gary, Chezik, Peter M., DeWitt, Robert R.
• Primary Examiner(s): MORRISON, THOMAS A
• Application Number:
  US13/090,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20110254219A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,547 Days
• Field of Search: 271/3.01, 271/3.06, 271/3.08, 271/110, 271/117, 271/118, 271/121, 271/122, 271/124, 271272-274, 271/314, 271/3.13, 271/167, 271/182, 271/10.01, 271/10.02, 271/10.03, 271/10.1, 271/10.04, 414/795.4
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/00 Sorting according to destination collating the pages of a book B42C1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2220/01 indicating an entity as a function of which control, adjustment or change is performed, i.e. input
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2220/02 indicating an entity which is controlled, adjusted or changed by a control process, i.e. output
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2220/03 indicating an entity which is measured, estimated, evaluated, calculated or determined but which does not constitute an entity which is adjusted or changed by the control process per se
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2220/11 indicating that the input or output entities exclusively relate to machine elements
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/422615 from opposite part-support elements, e.g. operated simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/42262 by acting on surface of outermost articles of the pile, e.g. in nip between pair of belts or rollers
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/5111 Printing; Marking
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/5125 Restoring form
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2408/11 Sorters or machines for sorting articles
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2511/13 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2511/20 Location in space
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2511/30 Numbers, e.g. of windings or rotations
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2511/512 Marks, e.g. invisible to the human eye; Patterns
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2513/512 Starting; Stopping
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2553/30 using acoustic or ultrasonic elements
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/1916 Envelopes and articles of mail
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 29/125 between two sets of rollers
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 29/68 Reducing the speed of articles as they advance
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 29/70 Article bending or stiffening arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 3/047 : separating from the top of a pile
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 3/0669 : Driving devices therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 3/0676 : with two or more separator rollers in the feeding direction
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 3/523 : the retainers positioned over articles separated from the bottom of the pile
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 3/5238 : Retainers of the pad-type, e.g. friction pads
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 3/54 : Pressing or holding devices
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 37/00 : Article or web delivery apparatus incorporating devices for performing specified auxiliary operations incorporating cutting or line-perforating devices B65H35/00
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 5/023 : between a pair of belts forming a transport nip
• 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 5/066 : the articles resting on rollers or balls
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 5/068 : between one or more rollers or balls and stationary pressing, supporting or guiding elements
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 5/26 : Duplicate, alternate, selective, or coacting feeds
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 7/14 : by photoelectric feelers or detectors
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 7/20 : Controlling associated apparatus

Abstract

A method and apparatus for processing documents are provided. The apparatus includes a feeder for receiving a packet of a plurality of documents and separating the documents to serially feed the documents to a scanner. A retard adjacent the feeder is operable in first and second positions. In the first position the retard forms a nip with the feeder so that the retard is operable to impede the progress of one or more documents in the packet while the feeder feeds one of the documents in the packet. In the second position, the retard is spaced apart from the feeder to form a gap between the feeder and the retard. The system further includes a sensor for detecting a characteristic of the documents in a packet indicative of whether the number of documents in the packet exceeds a predetermined threshold. A drive mechanism automatically drives the retard pad between the first and second positions in response to the detected characteristic.

Claims

1. An apparatus for processing documents, comprising:

a feeder operable to receive a packet of a plurality of documents and separate the documents to serially feed the documents away from the feeder;

a generally horizontal transport for receiving a transaction of documents dropped onto a surface of the transport and conveying the transaction of documents toward the feeder;

a pre-singulator disposed between the horizontal transport and the feeder, wherein the pre-singulator comprises an upper roller and a lower roller forming a nip for receiving the documents from the horizontal transport;

a sensor for detecting a characteristic of the transaction indicative of whether the number of documents in the transaction exceeds a predetermined threshold, wherein the threshold is greater than zero;

a selectively actuable brake for selectively braking the forward movement of the lower roller of the pre-singulator in response to the sensor detecting the characteristic of the transaction;

wherein the upper roller continues to drive the transaction forward when the brake is actuated to brake the lower roller, so that the upper roller urges one or more of the documents toward the feeder while the brake brakes the lower roller.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the upper roller is selectively stopped.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the upper roller is selectively stopped in response to the progress of one of the documents in the transaction through the apparatus.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the horizontal transport is selectively stopped while the transaction is in the pre-singulator in response to the sensor detecting a characteristic of the transaction indicative of the number of documents in the transaction exceeding a second threshold that is higher than the first threshold.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising an imaging element operable to receive documents from the feeder and obtain image data for the documents.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 comprising a non-volatile storage medium for storing image data for the documents.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the horizontal transport is configured to receive documents dropped onto the horizontal transport in a generally horizontal orientation and convey the documents on top of the horizontal conveyor toward the pre-singulator.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sensor is positioned adjacent the pre-singulator.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises an ultrasonic detector that uses ultrasound waves emitted from a transmitter and received by a receiver to determine the number of transitions between sheets of papers to evaluate how many documents are in a packet of documents.

10. An apparatus for processing documents, comprising:

a feeder operable to receive a packet of a plurality of documents and separate the documents to serially feed the documents away from the feeder;

a generally horizontal transport for receiving a packet of documents dropped onto a surface of the transport and conveying the packet of documents toward the feeder;

a pre-singulator disposed between the horizontal transport and the feeder, wherein the pre-singulator comprises an upper roller and a lower roller forming a nip for receiving the documents from the horizontal transport;

a sensor for detecting a characteristic of the packet indicative of whether the number of documents in the packet exceeds a predetermined threshold, wherein the threshold is greater than zero;

a selectively actuable brake for selectively braking forward movement of the lower roller of the pre-singulator in response to the sensor detecting the characteristic of the packet indicative of the number of documents in the packet;

wherein the horizontal transport is selectively stopped while the packet is in the pre-singulator in response to the sensor detecting that the number of documents in the packet exceeds a second threshold that is higher than the first threshold.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the upper roller is selectively stopped.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the upper roller is selectively stopped in response to the progress of one of the documents in the packet through the apparatus.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 comprising an imaging element operable to receive documents from the feeder and obtain image data for the documents.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 comprising a non-volatile storage medium for storing image data for the documents.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the horizontal transport is configured to receive documents dropped onto the horizontal transport in a generally horizontal orientation and convey the documents on top of the horizontal conveyor toward the pre-singulator.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the sensor is positioned adjacent the pre-singulator.

17. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the sensor comprises an ultrasonic detector that uses ultrasound waves emitted from a transmitter and received by a receiver to determine the number of transitions between sheets of papers to evaluate how many documents are in a packet of documents.

18. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the upper roller or the lower roller of the pre-singulator is pivotable relative to the opposing upper roller or lower roller to vary the distance between the upper roller and the lower roller in response to the thickness of the packet in the pre-singulator.