Abstract: The lowermost sheet of an upright stack of superposed sheets is removed by a device which has one or more suction heads and is moved against the underside of the lowermost sheet prior to folding one or two marginal portions of such sheet downwardly to separate the marginal portions from the adjacent portions of the next-to-the-lowermost sheet. The device thereupon moves the lowermost sheet downwardly, substantially at right angles to the plane of the next-to-the-lowermost sheet, either into the range of one or more tongs or analogous transfer elements, or directly to the periphery of a rotary turret in a cigarette packing machine. Once the marginal portion or portions of the lowermost sheet are flexed downwardly, the corresponding marginal portion or portions of the next-to-the-lowermost sheet are engaged and held by one or more pivotable retaining members which are disengaged from the sheet as soon as the device returns to its raised position and attracts and supports the next lowermost sheet.

Abstract: Apparatus for successively delivering envelopes from a stack of envelopes arranged on edge on a support to a conveyor belt disposed below one edge of the support. The stack is urged by a driven feeder into engagement with an abutment extending across and slightly above the support adjacent to the support edge and into engagement with a retainer bar spaced above the support by a distance somewhat less than the height of the smallest envelope to be handled. A suction device first engages the leading envelope of the stack to pull it over the abutment and then to pull the lower edge forwardly over a stripper element to ensure that any envelope stuck to the leading envelope is stripped therefrom. Subsequently, the suction device moves downwardly to pull the leading envelope out from under the retainer bar and then releases it to permit it to fall to the conveyor. The driven feeder provides a controlled force for urging the envelopes against the abutment and the retainer bar.

Abstract: A high speed, vacuum-controlled sheet-material separating and feeder system is disclosed which handles a wide range of mixed thicknesses and sizes of envelopes and sheets. The vacuum feeding of this system reduces frictional wear on the feed and separating rollers. The sheets are stacked at one end of the system, and are fed to a first of two vacuum-controlled separator mechanisms. The first separator mechanism is adjusted for thicker sheets of the range. Sheets leaving the first separator are then fed to the second of the two separator mechanisms. The second separator is adjusted for thinner sheets of the range. Sheets leaving the second separator are ejected one at a time, in seriatim, where they then can be fed to other sheet handling equipment for processing.

Abstract: A sheet separation device is disclosed for use in a printing press to facilitate the removal of individual paper sheets from a stack to receive printing. The device is employed in cooperation with a supported stack of paper and a contiguous apparatus for lifting sheets from the stack, as for delivery to a printing station. The sheet separation device includes a bracket affixed to the paper supporting structure and defining an elongated spring chamber which extends parallel to the surface of paper in the stack. A torsion or coil spring is affixed to dwell in the spring chamber. A tab is affixed to the spring and incorporates a flat section which extends parallel to the sheets in the stack of paper. The spring-mounted tab permits the withdrawal of a single sheet from the stack, however, impedes the withdrawal of more than one sheet at a time.

Abstract: Apparatus for picking up a single sheet of semi-rigid material from the top of a stack of such sheets having a device overlying the back end of the stack and holding down that end of the stack, vacuum pick-up shoes to engage the back end of the topmost sheet in the stack, said shoes moving initially to slide the sheet forward from beneath the overlying device and then to lift the back end of the sheet, and a chain conveyor with hooks to engage the raised end of the sheet and feed such sheet into a conveyor for transporting the sheet away from the stack.

Abstract: A sheet separation apparatus for separating one sheet-piece from a stack of sheets by a suction nozzle, characterized in that a vibration nozzle is provided in close proximity to the suction nozzle which sucks and exhausts air in turns at high speed from and to the stacked sheets to such an extent that said suction nozzle is not prevented by said vibration nozzle from sucking the uppermost sheet-piece in order to vibrate said sheet-piece.

Abstract: Battery plate elements and separator elements are maintained in hopper type sources along opposite sides of a conveyor, and with pivotally swingable vacuum pickup heads serving to withdraw plates and separators from their sources and to deposit them onto a conveyor, with a plurality of plates or separators being withdrawn simultaneously, and with the conveyor being indexed from withdrawal station to withdrawal station for stacking of plates and separators one upon the other, alternately, whereby at any given time a plurality of plate-and-separator sandwiches are being formed, but in different progressive stages. A number of source stations may be deactivated, depending upon the number of plates and separators desired in any given sandwich. Capability is also provided for various size adjustments for handling different sized plates and separators. Particularly novel vacuum operated pickup technique is employed.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device includes an elevator table for supporting a stack of sheets and a front sheet vacuum head for lifting and presenting the front edge portion of the top sheet to feed rolls. A rear sheet separator includes a pivoted vacuum shoe having a curved, vacuumized face for lifting the rear edge portion of the top sheet prior to directing a rear air jet forwardly between the top upper sheet and the underlying sheet, and prior to feeding of the sheet. A rearwardly directed air jet at the front of the stack cooperates with the rear jet to provide an air cushion beneath the top sheet. The rear sheet separator shoe is mounted on upper and lower links which are actuated by an air cylinder to roll the vacuum shoe along the sheet as the shoe lifts the top sheet.

Abstract: In the arrangement, a batch or stack of vertically oriented recording media sheets is supported on edge on a horizontal vibrating table which is vibrated by a vibrating conveyor and the sheets are advanced singly, starting with the leading or frontmost sheet, through a separating slot between a pair of endless belts constituting a transporting arrangement. A first rotating suction drum is mounted at the rear end of the vibrating table and is formed with circumferentially spaced suction bores for operative relation with a rotary slide valve to connect the suction bores intermittently to a suction system. A second rotating suction drum is arranged within the range of the separating slot and serves as a separating drum, and a hold-back suction drum is also arranged within the range of the separating slot and serves as a hold-back device, the hold-back suction drum having the same design as the first rotating suction drum.

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: Corrugated cardboard sheets are drawn individually from the bottom of a stack by two perforated, continuous belts downwardly bounding a receptacle space which is bounded in a forward direction by a gate. The front part of each belt under the receptacle space travels over a suction box while the rear part may be shifted between an operative position in which the front and rear parts are longitudinally aligned and an idling position in which the rear part is offset from the operative position downward and outward of the receptacle space.