Abstract: Recirculating feeders, operatively connected to a copier, can operate in collate or noncollate modes, i.e. produce collated or noncollated output copies. In the noncollate mode of operation, the recirculating feeder acts in a similar manner as a conventional document feeder. When an operator places only a single original document in the recirculating feeder and, mistakenly, the feeder and copier are in the collate mode of operation, the apparatus will automatically determine that there is only a single original document in the recirculating feeder and transfer the mode of operation from collate to noncollate.

Abstract: A collating document feeder with a multiple-feed detector for use on a convenience copier. The feeder circulates the document sheets one-after-another for presentation to the copier once, and recirculates the sheets one-after-another for presentation to the copier again, thereby to present the sheets for copying in an order that facilitates collation of the final copies. The multiple-feed detector compares the number of presentations during circulation with the number of presentations during recirculation, to detect the occurrence of multiple feeds. The number of presentations can be determined, for example, by counting the number of exposures, or the number of times document sheets are fed.

Abstract: apparatus is disclosed for automatically rearranging documents in a recirculating feeder when a malfunction, such as a paper jam, has occurred in the feeder or in the copier. The use of a recirculating feeder facilitates the collation of the final copies produced by the copier without the need for a sorter accessory. If a malfunction, such as a paper jam, occurs in the copier, the automatic rearrangement apparatus initiates a feeding sequence in the feeder and causes the feeder to rearrange the original documents until the appropriate document is at the bottom of the stack for continuity in copying by the copier. If a malfunction occurs in the feeder, after the operator corrects the malfunction and replaces the original documents in their initial order in the feeder, the automatic rearrangement apparatus initiates a feeding sequence and rearranges the documents until the appropriate document is at the bottom of the stack for continuity in copying by the copier.