Patent ID: 6050563
Filing Date: 2000-04-18
Classification: B65H

Abstract:
An apparatus for feeding sheet articles from the bottom of a stack of such articles comprising:(a) a frame including(i) first and second box-like housings placed in parallel, spaced-apart relation on opposite sides of the longitudinal path, each of said housings having a housing side plate extending vertically upward there from;(ii) a plurality of spacer rods affixed to and extending between the housing side plates for maintaining the spaced-apart relation between said first and second housings;(iii) first and second bearing support plates respectively contained within the first and second box-like housings, said first and second bearing support plates each having a first vertically oriented slot formed therein for containing a first set of sliding bearing blocks; and(iv) biasing means operatively disposed in the first vertically oriented slots of the first and second bearing support plates and cooperating with the first set of sliding bearing blocks for urging the first set of sliding bearing blocks in a downward direction within the first vertically oriented slots;(b) an endless feed belt and feed belt drive structure supported by said frame for driving an upper flight of the endless feed belt in a forward direction along a fixed, longitudinal path at a first speed;(c) a hopper disposed above said upper flight for holding a stack of sheet articles such that a lowermost sheet article in the stack is engaged by the upper flight of the endless feed belt;(d) a first rotatable shaft extending transverse to the longitudinal path and supporting at least one stripper wheel thereon, a periphery of the stripper wheel being adjustably spaced from the upper flight of the endless feed belt to define a gap through which the lowermost sheet article in the stack may pass, opposed ends of the first rotatable shaft journaled in the first set of sliding bearing blocks; and(e) means for continuously rotating the first rotatable shaft when the endless feed belt is being driven and with the periphery of the stripper wheel moving in a direction opposite to the forward direction at the gap and at a speed that is a predetermined small fraction of the first speed at which the endless feed belt is being driven, the at least one stripper wheel cooperating with the sheet articles in the stack above the lowermost sheet article to inhibit their entry into the gap as the lowermost sheet article passes through the gap.