Abstract: A multifeed detection system is disclosed that includes a drag roll which is in contact with and loaded against a driven feed belt. A slip clutch applies a torque to the drag roll. The drag roll is in synchronism with a constant speed motor that drives the feed belt. A double sheet entering the nip between the drag roll and the feed belt will cause the drag roll to hesitate with the hesitation being detected by a sensor that activates shut-down of the feeding system.

Abstract: Apparatus for feeding flat items comprising a rotatable body, a drive member having a drive surface for drivingly contacting the surface of an item, said body and said member defining therebetween a nip, and respective surface portions of the body and the member at the nip being movable only in directions extending askew of one another with a skew angle such that the body surface portion frictionally resists the passage of an item through the nip.

Abstract: A combination sheet-feed and utilization machine wherein the sheet feeder comprises an endless belt, or series of belts. The belt is driven in a path which is normally out of contact with a paper sheet stack and when a sheet is to be fed, the run of the belt between end supports is distended toward the sheet stack until contact is made and frictional engagement picks up the top sheet and begins it on its feed path. A retard mechanism prevents double feeding. The feed cycle is initiated by whatever means is convenient for the particular use, such as manual feed button or a machine cycle controller requesting another master, for example. The sheet travels to the utilization device, whatever type is being supplied, and when the sheet arrives at the utilization device in-feed, it triggers a sensor to initiate a circuit which ends the paper feed cycle and begins the utilization device cycle to pick up the paper from the feeder.

Abstract: A paper feeder is disclosed comprising a corner separator located on a paper tray on which a plurality of sheets are disposed in a stack and are fed one by one by means of a feed roller. The paper feeder is also provided with a second paper separator which operates, in the event of failure of paper separation by the corner separator to which results in a plurality of sheets being simultaneously fed from the paper tray, to separate the plurality of sheets into single sheets, thus assuring that the sheets are reliably fed into a sheet processing apparatus one by one. The second separator comprises an endless, sheet conveying belt which is disposed above a sheet passageway which connects the paper tray and the sheet processing apparatus, the belt cooperating with a frictional member which is disposed below the sheet passageway in opposing relationship with the sheet conveying belt.

Abstract: A cassette type sheet handling mechanism for a reproduction machine wherein the sheet separator utilized to remove sheets singly from the cassette has a portion thereof permanently mounted in the cassette for removal from the machine when the cassette is removed therefrom, the bottom of the cassette being pivotally mounted and biased in a direction toward the sheet separator to maintain the top sheet in the stack against the sheet separator.

Abstract: A drive roller and a driven, braked, retard roller are juxtaposedly positioned along the path of documents being transported beyond a document feeding mechanism to provide passage of only one document at a time. The retard roller is carried on an arm which is swingable on a pivot and lightly spring loaded against the drive roller, such arm being placed and positioned at a certain angle rearward of a line extending perpendicular from the document, this angle being larger than the friction angle of document against document, but smaller than the friction angle of document against roller. A single document will pass between the rollers with both rollers rolling at the same speed, whereas when two documents attempt to pass between the rollers at the same time the second document will be retarded by the retard (braked) roller.

Abstract: A stack elevating apparatus for a sheet feeder. A tray for supporting a stack of sheets is arranged for movement between at least one elevated position and a lowered position. The tray is arranged to descend to the lower position by gravity. An inertial force is provided for controlling the rate of descent of the tray. In one embodiment the inertial force is provided by an inertial member which is arranged to rotate in response to the descent of the tray and for continued rotation after the tray has stopped. In another embodiment a system is provided for amplifying the inertial force provided by the inertial member. A selectively engageable friction drive system for elevating the tray forms yet another embodiment.

Abstract: A sheet feeder apparatus having a deformable separator belt and an indexable retard roller includes a device for setting the proper depth of penetration of the retard roller into the deformable belt in the form of a flat surface on the periphery of the roller. In use, a deformable separator belt is placed in the sheet feeder over the flat surface of and adjacent to the retard roller. The proer penetration depth of the retard roller into the deformable belt is subsequently set by indexing the retard roller to present a non-flat surface adjacent the deformable belt.

Abstract: A sensor arrangement is provided for sensing the position of an edge of a fed sheet adjacent a front stop. Timing circuitry responsive to the sensor arrangement is used to time a reference time interval from the sensing of the edge. The timing circuitry is coupled to a sheet feeder and is capable of stopping the sheet feeder upon the expiration of the reference time interval. The reference time interval is selected to be sufficiently long to allow the sheet feeder when feeding a sheet to form a buckle in the sheet. The reference time interval is adjustable to provide adjustability of the height of the buckle.

Abstract: A hopper mechanism comprising a hopper front panel and a back shoe horizontally sideable with respect to a hopper base together forming a hopper into which a horizontal deck of document cards may be placed; a belt extending around a pick roll moveable through the front panel for picking an end card in the hopper and driving it downwardly through a throat gap disposed in the hopper base; a relatively large diameter roll supporting the belt and forming a nip with the belt into which the picked document card moves from the throat gap for reversing the direction of movement of the card from vertical to horizontal; a registration arm swingable by the card as it passes out from engagement with the large diameter roll and belt for sensing the position of the card; and a reversely rotating roll coacting with a roller carried by the registration arm for moving the card backwardly, after the card has cleared the registration arm, into contact with a card abutting registration edge of the arm for providing a registered

Abstract: A friction retard sheet feeding apparatus including a feed member for engaging a stack of sheets and a retard member having a friction surface arranged in nipped engagement with the feed member. The sheets are supported in a stack configuration upon an elevator arranged for movement between an elevated position for sheet feeding and a lowered position. Drives are provided to raise the elevator. An incrementing apparatus is provided for advancing the retard member relative to the feed member in response to the operation of the drives for elevating the stack.

Abstract: A copying apparatus with a document copying platen, including a substantially uniformly light reflective platen cover for holding documents against the platen, and including document drive wheels having light reflective constant width surfaces partially extendable through fixed apertures in the platen cover towards the platen. The fixed apertures in the platen cover are wider than the drive wheels to allow their limited transverse movement. Light reflective shields having an aperture the same width as the wheels are mounted in the platen cover so that each wheel extends through a light shield aperture with each light shield closely fitted to both sides of a wheel. Each light shield is movable transversely together with its wheel, but each light shield constantly overlies its fixed aperture in the platen cover irrespective of this transverse movement to constantly present a substantially uninterrupted light reflective surface over the platen together with the wheel.

Abstract: A device for feeding letter mail and the like from a stack of such non-uniform sheet-like articles for individual workpiece processing wherein a plurality of friction feeders define a path for the transfer of mail from the stack and are driven in a pulsing mode interdependently under the control of photoelectric cells to facilitate the automatic separation of workpiece doubles.

Abstract: The specification discloses an apparatus for separating and counting cloth piece items such as shop towels, diapers, napkins, massage towels, etc. The apparatus comprises a mechanical separator including steeply inclined conveyor means having a plurality of lanes of pegs for separating the piece items from a batch or load into a plurality of different lanes or channels; a sensor or detector for each lane for sensing individual piece items in the lanes; and a counter for counting the total number of piece items sensed by all of the sensors.In the preferred embodiment, the separator comprises a forward and rearward steeply inclined conveyor, each including endless belt means having a plurality of lanes of spaced pegs driven upward and an oppositely driven finned roller located above each conveyor. The sensors are located at the crest of the rearward conveyor for detecting individual piece items in each of its lanes.

Abstract: A signature feeder with a stack-supporting conveyor for moving a stack of signatures to a dispensing location. A pick-up conveyor engages the stack and positions the signatures in an imbricated stream and a guide member directs them to a deposit location where the signatures are again placed into a stack from whence they are dispensed to a feeder mechanism. Sensors are disposed at the forward face of the stack and also at the deposit location, and the sensors are connected to electric motors which in turn drive either the stack-supporting conveyor or the pick-up conveyor.

Abstract: In an apparatus for forwarding flat items individually from a stack, a withdrawing mechanism forwards the items in succession into the gripping zone of a feed mechanism for further conveyance. Between the withdrawing mechanism and the feed mechanism there is situated a sensor which is connected to a control circuit controlling the operation of the withdrawing mechanism. The location of the sensor determines a standby position for each item. The control circuit causes operation of the withdrawing mechanism only when either the sensor senses no item present or the sensor senses the presence of an item and there is applied a call signal to the control circuit. Each item is first forwarded by the withdrawing mechanism from the stack to the standby position and is advanced by the withdrawing mechanism from the standby position into the gripping zone of the feed mechanism only when the call signal is applied to the control circuit.

Abstract: A sheet separating device for mechanically feeding single sheets from a magazine having a stack of intermixed sheets of different thicknesses. The apparatus includes a conveyor assembly having an endless belt provided with integral feed pads for successively contacting and transporting sheets from the stack. A feed limiting barrier directs movement of the sheets toward a pair of discharge rollers which rotate in a direction for advancing the movement of the sheets. A separator roller mounted in confronting, overlapping relationship with the discharge rollers rotates in a direction opposing forward movement of the sheets to prevent passage of more than one sheet between the separator and discharge rollers. The conveyor assembly is spring-biased and swingably displaceable with respect to the separator roller for variable clearance in order to accommodate sheets of different thicknesses. Additionally, the discharge rollers are urged into contact with idler rollers to automatically compensate for wear.

Abstract: A sheet feeding and separating apparatus is provided for separating individual sheets from a stack. The apparatus includes sheet feeding means and retard means engaging the feeding means to form a nip for sheet advancement therebetween. A means is provided for adjusting the nip force between the retard means and the feeding means which is responsive to the direction in which a sheet is being advanced. A first nip force is provided when a sheet is advanced in a first direction and a second and different nip force is provided when the sheet is advanced in a different direction.

Abstract: An automatic x-ray film loader is provided with film transports for moving the film to or from an exposure station that automatically correct improperly aligned sheets of film. The speed of at least one of the transports is automatically adjusted so that sheets are transferred from one transport to another smoothly and evenly. A simplified system for clamping the sheets of film between two intensifier plates and for moving one of these plates so that sheets of film can be fed to or moved away from the plates is also provided.

Abstract: Sheets fed from a supply in a reproducing machine are forwarded against a movable stop and buckled. A chute forming member movable with the stop provides space for buckling when the stop is blocking sheet movement and aids in flattening the buckle when the stop is not blocking sheet movement. In one embodiment the supply consists of two separate sheet stacks. Sheets fed from one of these stacks to the stop are buckled in one direction and sheets fed from the other stack are buckled in the opposite direction. Cantilevered buckle flattening elements disposed adjacent the buckle aid in flattening the buckle when the stop is moved from the sheet blocking position.

Abstract: Document transport apparatus in a document reader sorter is provided with a vacuum assisted friction feeder for picking documents one at a time from a document hopper and for advancing the documents at high speed along a document transport guideway to the control of a transport burst roller, the picking of the documents from the hopper by an apertured friction feed belt being assisted and facilitated by a low pressure vacuum directed upon a linearly disposed section thereof adjacent the hopper, and the high speed advancement of the documents into and along the document guideway to the control of the transport burst roller being assisted and facilitated by a high pressure vacuum directed upon a curvilinear section of the apertured belt cooperably disposed relative to the apertured circumference of a drive pulley, said high pressure vacuum being effective to lock the picked documents and particularly the leading edges thereof to the feed belt for an accelerated feeding thereof, said accelerated feeding of the d

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus for use in feeding sheets in an electrostatographic reproducing machine includes a sheet stack support drawer movable between an extended position and an operative position. A pivotally mounted belt separator and retard member move with the drawer and in the extended position are elevated relative to the bottom of the drawer. A pivotally mounted loading baffle moves to a raised position when the drawer is extended to locate the front edge of the stack and retracts when the drawer is moved to the operative position. A sensing arrangement is provided to sense both the presence of sheets on the drawer and engagement of the drive within the machine with the sheet separator when the drawer is moved to operative position. A guide arrangement is provided for flattening curled edges of sheets as they are fed along a path from the sheet feed apparatus.

Abstract: Disclosed is a document handler and feeder device for performing high speed separating and transporting of documents, such as business forms. The document handling unit is equipped with friction type feed rollers and a lipped contour plate over which documents must pass. The feed rollers contact and transport a foremost document from a gravity-feed document hopper. High speed tracking belts are mounted over grooves or tracks, which extend along a track plate and through the lip of the contour plate. The feed rolls force the leading edge of the foremost document into the lip where the document engages the bottom side of the belts so that it is nipped between the belts and the contour plate causing the document to move into the tracking grooves. In order to provide ready access to the tracking plate area, the entire tracking belt drive assembly is pivotable upwards about a pivot pin located adjacent the feed roller shaft.

Abstract: A letter feeder including a pair of belts mounted perpendicular to each other for transporting letters positioned thereon, a rotating brush roller and a control assembly both selectively movable to a position to stop a letter being transported by the belts and to separate double letters a selectively operated stop member for controlling the movement of letters from the feeder and a plurality of sensing members for selectively operating the brush roller, the control assembly and the stop member.

Abstract: The web or sheet feeding apparatus of a reprographic machine consists of first and second sets of endless bands respectively trained over co-operating pairs of driven and driving rollers. These rollers are arranged so that adjacent reaches of the bands of the two sets extend parallel to each other to define a passageway along which web or sheets are fed by the moving bands. One or more micro-switches controlling the operation of the apparatus are mounted between adjacent passage-defining reaches of bands of the first set and have actuating arms which extend into the passageway for actuation by the web or sheets. To accommodate these actuating arms, the passage-defining reaches of the bands of the second set adjacent the micro-switches are passed below spindles so as to deflect these reaches away from the micro-switches. The passage-defining reaches of the other bands of the second set pass between the spindles and the adjacent reaches of the bands of the first set and so are not deflected.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device adapted to separate a single sheet from a stack of sheets and forward the separated sheet away from the stack for subsequent processing. The apparatus includes a feed belt disposed adjacent one edge of the stack for contact with the lead edge of the top sheet in the stack to separate the sheet therefrom. Gate means biased into engagement with the feed belt provide a forward stop for the sheet stack, actuation of the feed belt causing the top sheet in the stack to be forced between the low friction upper surface of the gate means and the feed belt to move the top sheet off from the stack, the biased gate means preventing passage of multiple sheets by the feed means.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device adapted to separate a single sheet from a stack of sheets and forward the separated sheet away from the stack for subsequent processing. The device is adapted to side-register the sheet as it is being drawn from the stack and to front-register the sheet by means of the sheet-forwarding mechanism of the sheet feeding device.