Patent ID: 6575454
Filing Date: 2003-06-10
Classification: B65H

Abstract:
A high capacity sheet feeder comprising:a feed table capable of holding a plurality of sheets edgewise thereon for feeding one sheet at a time to a singulator assembly; motor driven creeper belts communicating through said feed table for controllably advancing the sheets; an upper edge guide assembly being adjustably spaced from the feed table a distance to communicate with upper edges of sheets stacked on said feed table to facilitate the singulating of the sheets from the stack of sheets; a singulator assembly for drawing lead sheets from the stack of sheets one by one; wherein, starting with the first element to contact the upper edges of the advancing stack of sheets, the upper edge guide assembly comprises: at least one support wedge; a flexible finger extending from the wedge and being more flexible than the support wedge; wherein the support wedge retains the major weight of the stack of sheets, the finger retains a lesser weight of the stack of sheets than the wedge, thereby facilitating the drawing of only one sheet at a time by reducing the drag or friction caused by the weight of the stack of sheets on the lead sheets being drawn one at a time by the singulator assembly.