Patent ID: 6712357
Filing Date: 2004-03-30
Classification: B65H

Abstract:
In a document handling system in which individual documents are moved with an entrance transport toward a processing station, the entrance transport including a drive roller element and a pinch roller element, wherein the system further includes a capstan element downsstream of the entrance transport and an edge sensor for detecting document edges wherein the capstan element is controlled to decelerate a document to stop the document at a desired stop position for processing and subsequently accelerate the document toward an exit transport, an apparatus for providing pinch force control to the entrance transport, the apparatus comprising:a pinch force relief mechanism coupled to the pinch roller element and positionable between a pinch force mode and a non-pinch force mode; and a control element for controlling actuation of the pinch force relief mechanism between the pinch force mode and the non-pinch force mode, wherein the pinch force mode positions the pinch roller element such that a pinch force is exerted on a document and wherein the non-pinch force mode displaces the pinch roller element such that no pinch force is exerted on the document and wherein the control element is programmed to determine whether the stopped document would still engage the entrance transport, and if so, upon detecting the document with the edge sensor, momentarily displacing the pinch roller element to prevent the pinch force from being exerted on the document while the document is stopped.