Paper feeder having hard nip and flexible nip

• US 20080157458A1
• Filed: 12/28/2006
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DMT Solutions Global Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Inventors: Werner, Todd C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,726,643 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 271/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/42322 from bottom of the pile
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/5122 Corrugating; Stiffening
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2404/264 Arrangement of side-by-side belts
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/1916 Envelopes and articles of mail
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 3/04 Endless-belt separators
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 3/5284 Retainers of the roller type, e.g. rollers

Abstract

A friction feeder apparatus for handling sheets of paper of differing thicknesses includes a first plurality of laterally spaced apart transport belts positioned in underlying relation to the paper and a second plurality of laterally spaced apart separator wheels positioned in overlying relation to the paper. The transport belts are staggered with respect to the separator wheels. A sheet of paper passing through the feeder apparatus is undeflected from the top as it encounters the transport belts and is unsupported from the bottom as it encounters the separator wheels so that the sheet of paper is not held flat as it passes through the feeder but instead is forced into a wave-like, sinusoidal-like shape. In a first embodiment, the separator wheels are downstream of a fixed nip roller and in a second embodiment, the separator wheels are upstream of the fixed nip roller.

Claims

1. A friction feeder apparatus for handling paper of differing thicknesses, comprising:

a pair of laterally spaced apart transport belts positioned in underlying relation to said paper;

a separator wheel positioned between the transport belts of said pair of transport belts, said separator wheel being adjustably positionable in the upstream and downstream directions relative to the transport belts;

whereby a sheet of paper passing through said sheet feeder apparatus is unsupported from the bottom as it encounters the pair of transport belts and is unsupported from the top as it encounters said separator wheel so that said sheet of paper is forced into a wave-like, sinusoidal-like shape.

2. The friction feeder apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a hard nip roller positioned between said pair of transport belts;

said separator wheel being adjustably positioned downstream with respect to said hard nip roller.

3. The friction feeder apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a hard nip roller positioned between said pair of transport belts;

said separator wheel being adjustably positioned upstream with respect to said hard nip roller.

4. The friction feeder apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

said pair of transport belts and said separator wheel being mounted on a belt carriage;

a frame having a first arm and a second arm disposed in parallel, laterally spaced apart relation to one another;

said belt carriage being slideably and removably mounted between said first and second arms;

whereby said belt carriage and said frame are arranged so that replacing a worn belt carriage is accomplished quickly by sliding said worn belt carriage out of said frame and sliding a new belt carriage into said frame.

5. A friction feeder apparatus, comprising:

a belt carriage;

a pair of transport belts mounted on said belt carriage;

a separator wheel mounted on said belt carriage in staggered relation to a first and second transport belt of said pair of transport belts;

a frame having a first arm and a second arm disposed parallel, laterally spaced apart relation to one another;

said belt carriage having a first end slideably engaged to said first arm and a second end slideably engaged to said second arm;

whereby said belt carriage and said frame are arranged so that replacing a worn belt carriage is accomplished quickly by sliding first and second ends of a worn belt carriage out of engagement with said first and second arms, respectively, and sliding opposite ends of a new belt carriage into said frame.

6. A friction feeder apparatus for handling paper of differing thicknesses, comprising:

a first pair of laterally spaced apart transport belts positioned in underlying relation to said paper;

a second pair of laterally spaced apart transport belts positioned in underlying relation to said paper;

said first and second pair of transport belts being laterally spaced apart from one another;

a first separator wheel adjustably positioned between the transport belts of said first pair of transport belts, said first separator wheel being adjustably positionable in the upstream and downstream directions relative to the transport belts;

a second separator wheel adjustably positioned between the transport belts of said second pair of transport belts, said second separator wheel being adjustably positionable in the upstream and downstream directions relative to the transport belts;

whereby a sheet of paper passing through said sheet feeder apparatus is unsupported from the bottom as it encounters the first and second pair of transport belts and is unsupported from the top as it encounters said first and second separator wheels so that said sheet of paper is forced into a wave-like, sinusoidal-like shape.

7. The friction feeder apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

a hard nip roller positioned between said first pair of transport belts and said second pair of transport belts;

said first and second separator wheels being positioned downstream with respect to said hard nip roller.

8. The friction feeder apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

a hard nip roller positioned between said first pair of transport belts and said second pair of transport belts;

said first and second separator wheels being positioned upstream with respect to said hard nip roller.

9. The friction feeder apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

said first pair of transport belts, said second pair of transport belts, said first separator wheel and said second separator wheel being mounted on a belt carriage;

a frame having a first arm and a second arm disposed in parallel, laterally spaced apart relation to one another;

said belt carriage being slideably and removably mounted between said first and second arms;

whereby replacing a worn belt carriage is accomplished quickly by sliding said worn belt carriage out of said frame and sliding a new belt carriage into said frame.

10. A friction feeder apparatus, comprising:

a belt carriage;

a first pair of transport belts mounted on said belt carriage;

a second pair of transport belts mounted on said belt carriage, said first and second pair of belt transports being disposed in laterally spaced apart relation to one another;

a first separator wheel mounted on said belt carriage in staggered relation to a first and second transport belt of said first pair of transport belts;

a second separator wheel mounted on said belt carriage in staggered relation to a first and second transport belt of said second pair of transport belts;

a frame having a first arm and a second arm disposed parallel, laterally spaced apart relation to one another;

said belt carriage having a first end slideably engaged to said first arm and a second end slideably engaged to said second arm;

whereby replacing a worn belt carriage is accomplished quickly by sliding first and second ends of a worn belt carriage out of engagement with said first and second arms, respectively, and sliding opposite ends of a new belt carriage into said frame.