Abstract: A friction retard feeder adapted to feed sheets from a stack into a paper path located in a horizontal plane includes a tray which holds a stack of sheets at an angle of between 15.degree. and 20.degree. with respect to the paper path. A paddle wheel having a plurality of blades is positioned a predetermined distance in front of sheets stacked in the tray so that as the paddle wheel is rotated the blades in a first position strike the top sheet in the stack in a plane parallel to the top of the stack and separates it from the remaining sheets in the stack. Continued rotation of the paddle wheel causes the blades to deflect downward in front of the stack and thereby inhibit movement of sheets other than the top sheet from the stack. The tray also includes a high friction surfaced pad that cooperates with the paddle wheel in order to enhance the feeding of sheets near the bottom of the tray.

Abstract: A paddle wheel feeder includes a paddle wheel having a foam hub with at least three blades molded therein. The paddle wheel is mounted to be rotatably driven by a shaft having a Geneva mechanism attached thereto which causes the paddle wheel to stop just before one of the blades contacts the top sheet in a stack and then accelerate to drive the sheet forward. For normal force optimization, internal springs are located inside each paddle of the wheel is one embodiment and a thick bladed foam paddle wheel is utilized in another embodiment with each blade having a coating of high friction material.

Abstract: The device has a feed roller with a high friction rubber segment which picks notes one at a time for each roller revolution or cycle. A counter-rotating separator roller normally prevents picking doubles. A cooperative doubles detector detects doubles when picked and returns the doubles to the note supply stack. The picker mechanism has a biasing lever which holds the note stack out of contact with the feed roller against stack pressure until the friction segment is in note separating and picking position.

Abstract: An apparatus for feeding individual substrates from the top of a stack of substrates includes a paddle wheel having a hub with a plurality of blades attached thereto. The paddle wheel is positioned in driving relation to the substrate stack. As the paddle wheel is rotated, the blades come in contact with a spiral track which retards the motion of the blade tips through controlled bending and thereby stores potential energy in the blades. Continued rotation of the paddle wheel allows the blades to spring forward from the track just prior to or during substrate contact thereby changing the potential energy of the blades into kinetic energy. The sudden acceleration of the blades due to the change from potential to kinetic energy causes an increase in inertial separation of the top substrate in the stack from the remainder of the stack.

Abstract: A feed arrangement for transporting a record carrier around and in intimate contact with a printing platen in a printer. The feed arrangement includes a rotatable guiding member in the form of a paddle wheel having a number of resilient blades mounted in interference relationship to the platen. The guiding member serves to capture the leading edge of the record carrier and redirect it toward and then urge it into intimate contact with the platen.

Abstract: Device for separating and feeding sheets in seriatim from a stack to a processing station. The device includes a pin which periodically contacts and forms a pivot point on the stack. A rotary wave generator is disposed to rotate about the pivot point. The rotary wave generator periodically contacts a topmost sheet in the stack and shingles (that is separates) the sheet from the stack. The shingled sheet is fed into a paper sheet aligner and into the processing station. A variable or ramped force and/or a variable velocity is applied to the shingler. The force and/or velocity begins at a relatively low value and increases until a sheet is sensed downstream from the stack. This enables the feeding of a wide range of paper types and weights.

Abstract: An apparatus for feeding individual substrates from the top of a stack of substrates upon demand includes a first paddle wheel mounted above the substrate stack and adapted to forward a substrate from the stack in a predetermined direction and a second paddle wheel downstream from the first paddle wheel that is adapted to continue movement of the substrate in the predetermined direction. A friction retard roller is positioned opposite to and forms a nip with the second paddle wheel in order to inhibit multi-feeding of substrates. A second embodiment includes a single paddle wheel that acts in combination with a high friction surfaced guide member to feed substrates individually from a stack.

Abstract: An apparatus for feeding individual substrates from the top of a stack upon demand includes an air nozzle that directs air along the bottom surface of an airfoil located above the front end of the stack. The combined effect of air pressure from the nozzle and the shape of the airfoil serves to lift the leading edge of the top sheet in the stack above a restraining member. A paddle wheel drives the separated sheet away from the stack.

Abstract: A direct control paddle wheel apparatus for document corner registration includes a paddle wheel with multiple blades that drive a document into registration with intersecting walls. The blades, as they rotate, are channeled in a direction plate or in the alternative along the surface of an interference barrier and, as a consequence, drive a document from side to side, as well as straight ahead depending on the shape of the plate or barrier.

Abstract: Sheet feeding apparatus including a cylindrical tube mounted above a stack of documents for separating individual documents from the stack. The cylindrical tube houses a rotatably mounted shaft to which are secured a series of spaced beater and turbine blades respectively. The cylindrical tube defines a series of apertures along its bottom surface which are aligned with the beater blades and allow the beater blades to extend outwardly into contact with a separated sheet. At one end of this cylindrical tube is coupled a vacuum source which when energized rotates the turbine blades and reduces the pressure inside the tube. Accordingly, a single sheet is first separated from the top of the stack by attraction toward the reduced pressure inside the tube and once separated is driven away from the stack by the beater blades mounted to the rotating shaft.

Abstract: A roll-wave sheet separator is provided which comprises a sheet support for supporting a stack of sheets and a sheet separator mounted adjacent to the stack which comprise a rotatable shaft having a helical peripheral thread coaxial with the shaft, and a follower rotatable around the shaft which follows the helical thread to move along the shaft axis. The follower supports at least one circular element which is preferably freely rotatable. The apparatus further includes a motor for rotating the shaft in one direction to drive the follower and its supported circular elements against the surface of the outermost sheet in the stack so that rotation of the circular element against the uppermost sheet in the stack will shingle that sheet from the stack. A brake is provided for abruptly stopping the rotation of the shaft whereby the follower and its supported element will then move back along the shaft out of engagement with the sheet surface.

Abstract: A roll-wave sheet separator is provided for simultaneously separating sheets from two stacks in opposite sheet feed directions. The separator comprises a sheet support for supporting a first and a second stack of sheets and a sheet separator mounted adjacent to the stacks comprising a rotatable shaft having a first coaxial helical peripheral thread formed along a portion of the shaft near the first stack and a second coaxial helical peripheral thread formed along another portion of the shaft near the second stack and having a direction opposite to that of the first thread. First and second followers which are rotatable about the axis of the shaft, respectively follow said first and second threads.

Abstract: An improved apparatus for reverse buckle feeding of sheets seriatim from a sheet supply stack. The sheet feeding apparatus includes a feed roller, mounted for rotation about a longitudinal axis. The feed roller has a frictional sheet feeding peripheral surface in juxtaposition with one of the sheets of such stack. A second roller is mounted for rotation within the feed roller about a second axis which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the feed roller. The second roller has a frictional sheet engaging peripheral surface, a portion of which extends through an opening in the peripheral surface of the feed roller radially beyond such surface. The second roller acts to urge the engaged sheet in the direction opposite to the feed direction.

Abstract: An improved apparatus for successively separating and feeding sheets from a stack of sheets is disclosed. A wave generator wheel, rotating in a plane generally parallel to the stack, and about a tiltable axis generally perpendicular to the stack, is tiltable in a first direction to contact the stack for shingling the stack, and in a second direction to contact the stack for restoring the stack to its unshingled state. Sheets in a stack are driven forward or rearward by simply tilting the rotating wheel. The wave generator wheel is used to first drive the stack's top sheet away from a feed nip, and to then drive the stack's top sheet into the feed nip.

Abstract: In a bottle labeller of the type having a rotating discharge roller with an extending finger that withdraws a label from a magazine, the discharge roller contains a piston in which the finger is carried by a complimentary shape of a slot in the piston with the base of the finger. The piston moves in a cylindrical bore both axially and rotatably to retract the finger from extended position into the roller when a bottle detecting system discovers an interruption in the flow of bottles to the labeller. The detecting system directs pressurized air to the roller, forcing the piston to move in the bore and retract the finger when an interruption is discovered.

Abstract: A multibin, cut-sheet xerographic copier capable of operating in a simplex or a duplex mode, wherein sheets are fed from a selected sheet stack, one at a time, to the copier's transfer station, by a sheet feeding structure which includes a resilient combing wheel. The combing wheel is of a unique resilient construction, such that it exhibits a spring rate and damping factor which minimizes acoustical noise and enhances reliable, repeatable shingling of the top sheet of a stack to a closable sheet drive nip.

Abstract: An air floatation bottom feeder employing a whip or paddle/impact feeder to positively separate single sheets from the bottom of the sheet stack and prevent multifeeds or mis-feeds, the air floatation feature being utilized to provide air bearings above and below the sheet being fed while at the same time, a portion of the air floatation jets which are canted move the bottom sheet toward side and rear registration edges for accurate positioning of the sheet.

Abstract: A labelling device having a main body member mounted on its frame for rotation about a central axis. The device includes a labelling station, a glue applicator station and a label applicator station circumferentially spaced about a central axis. At least one arm member is slidably mounted on the main body member and projects radially from the central axis. A head is pivotally mounted on each arm for movement about a secondary axis parallel to the central axis. The head has an outer surface which is curved in the plane of rotation of the head about the central axis and is rotatable with the main body with the outer surface disposed in a path passing through the label storage, glue applicator and label applicator stations. The outer surface of the head has a leading edge disposed in the direction of rotation of the main body and a trailing edge disposed in the opposite direction.

Abstract: A buckling type paper sheet feeding mechanism wherein the top sheet of a stack is separated from the underlying sheet by first driving the front sheet edge in a rearward direction against a rear restraint, causing the top sheet to buckle, and then reversing the direction of sheet drive, causing the top sheet to be fed in a forward direction over a front stack edge restraining or hold-down means. The top sheet is moved rearward by a variable force means which provides a progressively increasing buckling force, to thereby ensure reliable feed of paper of varying types, weights and humidity content, while at the same time minimizing the possibility of double sheet feed. A variable position rear restraint moves rearward, in synchronism with operation of the variable force means, to increase the column length of the top sheet as the buckling force increases.

Abstract: A neat arrangement such as a pack of bills or like sheets to be counted is placed on one of their longitudinal edges in a sheet stand formed on the top of the casing of a sheet counting apparatus. An infeed mechanism comprising first and second infeed rolls frictionally feed the sheets one by one into the apparatus. A pair of sensing rolls are mounted under the second infeed rolls for sensing the passage thereover of each sheet thus fed into the apparatus and hence for actuating a counter switch. The thus counted sheets are successively loaded on a conveyor mechanism at one end thereof and are thereby transported toward the other end, where the successive counted sheets are stacked for recovery purposes. The apparatus further comprises an adjusting mechanism for adjusting the position of the sheets in the sheet stand and in the recovery mechanism according to their size and a stop motion mechanism for instantly terminating the infeeding operation of the sheets.

Abstract: Apparatus for feeding individual sheets from a hopper, including a rotating prefeed member positioned near the exit end of the hopper and having projections for repeatedly beating the next sheet to be fed from the stack of sheets, to help separate the sheets and to urge the next sheet out of the hopper.