Abstract: An apparatus for feeding documents from a stack of documents, in single file, into a document track, with the apparatus employing an endless belt. The endless belt is mounted on a drive roller and an idler roller to provide a linear portion of the belt which is parallel to the first document to be fed from the stack. The apparatus also includes a retard mechanism which includes a first portion to engage the documents in the stack and also includes a second portion which is parallel to the linear portion of the endless belt and is biased towards the linear portion by a tension spring. The endless belt is made of a material which is designed to wear instead of "glazing" which provides for a positive feed. The endless belt and the retard member are designed to be replaced by an operator of the terminal in which the apparatus is located so as to avoid a service call by a maintenance person.

Abstract: An apparatus for feeding documents from a stack of documents, in single file, into a document track, with the apparatus employing an endless belt. The endless belt is mounted on a drive roller and an idler roller to provide a linear portion of the belt which is parallel to the first document to be fed from the stack. The apparatus also includes a retard mechanism which includes a first portion to engage the documents in the stack and also includes a second portion which is parallel to the linear portion of the endless belt and is biased towards the linear portion by a tension spring. The endless belt is made of a material which is designed to wear instead of "glazing" which provides for a positive feed. The endless belt and the retard member are designed to be replaced by an operator of the terminal in which the apparatus is located so as to avoid a service call by a maintenance person.

Abstract: A document transport apparatus which also provides for the quick release of a jammed document to facilitate its removal from the associated document track. First and second pinch rollers are mounted on a planar member which is moved, resiliently, into engagement with their associated first and second drive rollers. Slotted mounting members are used to mount the opposed ends of the planar member to one upstanding wall of the document track and to enable the planar member to move in a plane which is parallel to the document feeding direction. An operating lever is used to move the planar members with the pinch rollers thereon between engaged and disengaged positions with regard to associated drive rollers.

Abstract: A thermal printing apparatus is disclosed in which ribbon advancing mechanism including a supply spool and a take-up spool operated by a stepping motor is disclosed. Mechanism is provided for reversing the direction in which the take-up spool is driven by a specified amount during the printing cycle, in order to provide ribbon slack, so as to avoid smudging of the transferred ink on the receiving document and possible ribbon breakage during printing. The circumference of the accumulated ribbon on the take-up spool at any given time is considered in determining the number of steps and the step rate of the stepping motor in the reverse direction which must be taken in order to produce the desired amount of ribbon slack and slack take-up.