Abstract: An in-feed magazine apparatus for loading documents includes a magazine feed ramp having one or more document conveyor belts disposed along a bottom surface, the belts being arranged to engage the bottom boundary of the documents. The conveyor belts are configured to effect forward movement of the stack of documents toward a document shingler mechanism along a linear axis defined by forward movement of the conveyor belts. Also included is a backing plate having a lower portion disposed proximal to the conveyor belt, an upper portion disposed vertically upward from the lower portion, and a generally planar face parallel to the plane defined by the face of the documents. An upper and lower sensor sense contact with the front end of the stack of documents while a controller operatively coupled to the upper and the lower sensors determines when the front end of the stack of documents lies in a plane substantially parallel to the face of the backing plate.

Abstract: An in-feed magazine apparatus for loading documents includes a magazine feed ramp having one or more document conveyor belts disposed along a bottom surface, the belts being arranged to engage the bottom boundary of the documents. The conveyer belts are configured to effect forward movement of the stack of documents toward a document shingler mechanism along a linear axis defined by forward movement of the conveyer belts. Also included is a backing plate having a lower portion disposed proximal to the conveyor belt, an upper portion disposed vertically upward from the lower portion, and a generally planar face parallel to the plane defined by the face of the documents. An upper and lower sensor sense contact with the front end of the stack of documents while a controller operatively coupled to the upper and the lower sensors determines when the front end of the stack of documents lies in a plane substantially parallel to the face of the backing plate.

Abstract: A buffered stacking apparatus selectively diverts horizontally disposed documents from a main conveying path, then stacks and transports the documents to replaceable receiving receptacles. The apparatus has a primary horizontal conveyor belt with a lower reach defining a horizontal primary conveying path and at least one secondary conveyor belt having an upper reach which, when the secondary conveyor belt is in a horizontal position, is disposed in a lower juxtaposed relation to the lower reach of the primary conveying belt. The buffered stacking system also selectively effects pivotal movement of the secondary conveyor belt from the horizontal position to a second inclined position wherein the reach of the secondary belt is inclined to the lower reach of the primary conveyor belt. Documents being transported along the primary conveying path are diverted along the inclined reach when the secondary conveying belt is inclined.