Abstract: An assembly for a fracking sand trailer wherein a door can be positioned to allow a measured flow of sand to exit the assembly. The assembly can be attached to a hopper of a trailer and can stand the weight of heavy loads associated with sand. A trailer with the assembly is also described and utilizes specific construction techniques to lighten the weight of the trailer.

Abstract: A document conveying device includes a document table on which a stack of document sheets is placed; a rotating shaft member detachably provided on a main body of the document conveying device; a feeding member configured to contact and feed a topmost sheet of the stack of document sheets, the feeding member being attached to the rotating shaft member via a driving force transmitting member; a separating unit configured to separate the topmost sheet from one or more sheets that are fed together with the topmost sheet, rotating members rotatably attached to the rotating shaft member; a holding member configured to hold the feeding member and the driving force transmitting member; and a rotating member position restricting unit configured to restrict a position of the rotating members other than the holding member to a given predetermined position with reference to a position of the holding member.

Abstract: A method for separating objects from a stack in a stream of objects, in which the objects are removed from the stack with a removal device, and overlapping objects are separated from one another with a separating device. To achieve reliable separation with a low double removal rate, a plurality of traction devices grip both sides of the removed object and are driven in the transport direction at different forward driving speeds.

Abstract: A card supplying mechanism includes a card stacker with a motor-driven rotatable eccentric cam for sequentially raising and lowering a moving member having an oblique, step-shaped card touching surface. A motor rotates the cam to a position of maximum diameter, thereby lifting vertically-stacked cards with the oblique, step-shaped card touching surface. The motor then drives further to rotate the cam to a position of minimum diameter, thereby separating one end of the cards on an oblique card support surface so as to mutually offset stacked cards. A kick roller then discharges from the stacker a bottommost stacked card. The card supplying mechanism provides a reliable supply of cards by virtue of both improved card separation, and reduced load on the bottommost card that is to be supplied.

Abstract: An apparatus for separating flat products from a pile of flat products, the apparatus including a support and at least one separator for separating a product from a pile of products. The separator is movable with respect to the support and includes a curved surface for contacting an edge of the pile so that a contact point between the separator and the edge of the pile can remain fixed despite adjustments to the penetration depth of the separator.

Abstract: An apparatus for separating a flat product from a pile of flat products includes at least two needles arranged in at least one needle group on a respective needle block. The needle blocks and needle groups are movable from a closing position to an opening position, the needles supporting the bottom of the pile of flat products in the closing position. A respective adjustment device is provided for adjusting the position of each needle group, while a respective individual needle adjustment device may additionally provided for each needle.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for reducing burden in retrieving sheets of material from the bottom of a substantially vertical stack of sheets in a sheet feeder. The apparatus comprises a first convex surface at the bottom half of the stack protruding into one side of the stack for pushing the sheets toward the other side, and a second convex surface on the second side below the first convex surface for pushing the sheets toward the first side. The first and second convex surfaces each provide a counteracting force resisting the downward movement of the stack, and these countering forces have upward vertical components partially countering the downward vertical force due to the weight of the stack.

Abstract: A document feeder employs a lifting lever to lift stacked documents away from a feed roller each time a document is being fed away from the stack. In this way the separation of documents is enhanced, providing a mechanism that more readily accommodates documents of varying shapes, thicknesses, and materials. The feeder uses a motor linked by one-way clutches to feed mechanisms for documents and for labels, stacked separately. The motor is driven in one direction to feed documents and in the other direction to feed labels. A moistener is provided below the paper path, and the moistener is mounted so that it can be slidably removed. When it is removed, feed rollers are permitted to relax and move apart which helps in the clearing of jams.

Abstract: A boxing apparatus having a substantially horizontal conveyor feeds overlapping folded boxes into a upright gravity fed hopper with a bottom gate portion. The boxes are generally aligned axially in the hopper on the gate portion to be individually removed by a suction gripper positioned below the gate portion and which reciprocatingly moves up and down to grab and pull the bottommost folded box in the hopper through the gate portion. The box is opened and articles are fed into said box and said box is closed. The suction gripper having a reciprocating arm which reciprocates up and down to accomplish the reciprocating motion of the suction gripper. A tamper device comprised of a elongate member having a reciprocating stack tamper linked to the reciprocating arm and positioned such that the engagement portion of the tamper device follows the reciprocating motion of the reciprocating arm and translates said motion to the tamper for jogging the stack into alignment preventing hopper jams.

Abstract: A Sheet Feeding System (10) having a reciprocating vacuum shuttle plate (52) includes a knife gate (112) and high-friction rollers 118 and 120 position between the knife gate and an additional conveyor formed by a driven feed roller 94 and an idler feed roller 96. The high-friction rollers form a singulator gap (188) with shoulders 184 of a vacuum-groove (186) on a sheet-engaging surface of the reciprocating shuttle plate. The sheet feeding system includes a transition tray (14) downstream of the additional conveyor for providing a transition to clamps of an endless chain (178). The transition tray comprises an endless conveyor belt (156) with a floating feed roller (160) biased thereagainst. The position of the floating feed roller can be adjusted so as to space it approximately a sheet length from a stationary clamp (176) on the endless chain.

Abstract: An apparatus for successively removing stacked sheets, such as stimulable phosphor sheets used in electron microscopy, from a housing. The stack consists of alternate layers of a first kind and a second kind of sheets. Each sheet of the first kind has a first notch in a first position. Each sheet of the second kind has a second notch in a second position. One edge of the lowermost sheet of the stack is supported on a projection which can be moved along the edge. Thus, the stack is inclined in the housing. The projection is movable from its home position, first and second stop positions aligned with the notches. When the projection is moved to a position registering with the notch on the lowermost sheet, that sheet only is dropped to a position from which it is ejected from the apparatus.

Abstract: Apparatus for feeding boards (10) sequentially in one direction from the base of the stack through a feed gate (11) at the base of a front stack retaining wall (12) comprising a transverse series of perforated reciprocating conveying straps (14) mounted on driven pulleys (15) and interposed between a transverse series of lifting bars (13) with a drive mechanism for lowering and raising the lifting bars (13) sequentially and in synchronization with forwards and rearwards movement respectively of the conveying straps (14). A suction box (17) causes the lowermost board to be held in frictional driving contact with the upper surfaces of conveying straps (14) as the board is conveyed forwards into the nip of a pair of feed rolls (40) of, for example, corrugated board handling machinery.

Abstract: In a sheet feed bench with two parallel sheet feed rails that are adjustable relative to one another and with each having blowing jets on their surfaces facing one another directly above the level of the bench, connected to a common source of compressed air, the sheet feed rails resting on the bench surface are provided with groove-like or notch-like enlargements at the level of the blowing jets. Each of these extend over the entire length of the sheet feeder rails. These enlargements make it possible to position the inner surfaces of the sheet feeder rails so closely and tightly against the longitudinal edges of the stack of sheets that only small amounts of compressed air can escape upward. The formation of an air cushion is improved by this in such a way that the stack height can be more than double without adversely affecting the single-sheet separation.

Abstract: A sheet dispenser for selectively dispensing predetermined numbers of sheets, for example, paper currency of different denominations and having plural input stations each receiving a stack of each bill denomination. A feed roller at each station has a high friction surface portion which engages a bottom sheet and feeds the sheet between the feed roller and a cooperating stripper shoe to assure single sheet feeding. An elongated acceleration belt extends beneath all of the feed rollers. Cooperating acceleration pinch wheels form a nip with the belt for accelerating a sheet entering the nip. A curved resilient guide cooperates with each feed roller to guide sheets passing the stripper shoe toward its associated acceleration nip. The sheets pass along the acceleration belt and outfeed stacker including a stacker wheel to facilitate the formation of a neat stack of sheets. Sensors detect the entry of a sheet into each acceleration nip and to assure proper positioning of the feed roller.

Abstract: A sheet feeder includes a supply tray from which the paper sheets are individually withdrawn from the bottom of the stack. The stack supporting bottom of the tray is inclined relative to a horizontal plane, its angle of inclination being adjustable. The inclination of a supported stack can be adjusted according to stack weight or height. The weight of the sheet stack exerting pressure on stack support and/or the sheet separating device can thereby be controlled such that uniform sheet removal conditions are achieved.

Abstract: This relates to a label separator which is operative to separate a foremost label from a stack of labels in advance of such label being picked by a picker so as to assure that only one label is picked at a time and that the other labels in a stack of labels will not be disturbed. One end or edge portion of a foremost label is displaced relative to the remainder of the stack and after a gap has been formed between the displaced label and the next adjacent label in the stack, a blade enters in between these two labels so as to separate completely the foremost label from the remaining labels in the stack. The apparatus which effects the initial displacement has associated therewith a label support whereby the displaced label remains supported in its original alignment for reception by the picker.

Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus for separating a single sheet from a stack of several sheets having the same non-round shape and the same size. The apparatus comprises a container with a recess for holding the stack, a base located underneath the container having a dispensing opening, a separating element with an aperture for receiving the bottom sheet which is to be separated from the stack. The separating element is located between the container and the base and is essentially a flat disc, the thickness of which is smaller than the thickness of a single sheet of the stack. Structure is provided for the container relative to the separating element on an imaginary axis passing through the recess of the container. The dispensing opening of the base and the aperture of the separating element are capable of separating each bottom sheet from the stack and conveying the separated sheet into the dispensing opening of the base.

Abstract: A sheet magazine supports a stack of limp flexible sheets. The magazine has a bottom with a slot formed therethrough and spaced opposite first and second ends with an end feed gateway at the first end. A mechanical sheet separating and segregating device splits off and segregates each successive bottom-most lift of the stack from the remainder thereof and urges same through the gateway. The sheet separating and segregating device includes a stabber-separator movable toward the first end to support the stack at a selected distance above the bottom of the magazine and a pin extender movable toward the first end into the stack at a selected distance above the stabber-separator for segregating a bottom-most lift of the stack by being interposed in the stack above said lift. The stabber-separator is movable toward the second end of the bottom to a position spaced from the stack, thereby permitting the lift to drop to the bottom, and is movable back toward the first end directly under the pin extender.

Abstract: The corrugated boards contained in a hopper are individually kicked out onto conveyor belts on which each board firmly sticks thereto under suction from below, and are fed to a subsequent processing station, such as a printing station, thereby enabling the individual boards be fed in their right posture to a right place in the processing station.

Abstract: There is described apparatus for selectively feeding leaflets or the like from a stack into or onto rapidly moving articles such as open packages, which apparatus employs a reciprocable vacuum head which removes the leaflets seriatem from the stack and places them between continuously moving belts which transport the leaflets to the articles.

Abstract: A blank feeding device for feeding successive bottom blanks from a stack of blanks into adjacent processing machinery includes a feed table for supporting the stack of blanks thereon; a gate spaced above the feed table and defining an opening therebetween through which the bottom blanks are advanced into adjacent processing machinery; a reciprocating suction feeder beneath the stack for applying suction pressure to the bottom blank during the forward stroke of the suction feeder for advancing the bottom blank through the opening; and an adjustable backstop including a manually pivotable portion in contact with the trailing edge of the blanks in the stack for maintaining a portion of the weight of the stack off the bottom most blank and automatically positionable along the feed table to accommodate different size blanks.

Abstract: A machine for handling corrugated paper blanks and the like is shown having an adjustable back stop means to cooperate with infeed means to regulate the flow of blanks going into the machine to be processed to ensure proper feeding of the blanks serially to the gate to be passed onwardly. The adjustable infeed device is positioned before the infeed gate to control the dropping of the blanks onto the feed table, in a manner to continuously maintain a desired limited number of blanks on the table of the machine in position between the back stop and a front wall means in front of the gate as the blanks are fed one by one from the bottom of the pile through the gate.