GB1373810A - Sheet feeding apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

1373810 Feeding sheets XEROX CORP 23 Dec 1971 [28 Dec 1970] 59885/71 Heading B8R In a sheet separating device, a pile of sheets 14 is supported on a plate 12 having a contoured surface 76 to deform the sheets of the pile so that the force acting through separating rollers 34 accommodated on apivotable arm 58 remains at right angles to the deformed portion of each sheet that the rollers contact as the pile diminishes and the arm is lowered. At commencement of separation of sheets from a full pile, the arm 58 is nearly horizontal and the topmost sheets are deformed little as a result of the bulk of the pile underneath resting on the contoured plate. As the pile diminishes, however, the arm pivots downwardly but as the lower sheets assume the inclination of the contoured plate the force acting through the rollers remains normal to the deformed surface of each sheet. The roller may firstly be rotated in reverse to free the topmost sheet from snubber tabs 44 and to buckle it against a backstop, then forwardly to separate it and feed it on to rollers (not shown). The tabs may be connected via a hinge 46 and torsion springs to adjustable pile side guides (48), (50), Fig. 2 (not shown). The plate 12 may be of plastics material having neoprene and cork pads thereon, the rollers 34 being rubber covered.