SHEET FEEDER

Abstract: A sheet feed mechanism feeds single sheets (10a) from a stack of sheets (10), the mechanism includes a pad support body (20). A plurality of individual sheet engaging pressure pads (50) are mounted on a lower surface (53) of the body (20) by connecting webs (55). The connecting webs (55) have a fore and aft axis in the process direction and bend to permit the individual pads (50) to move in the transverse direction so that the lower friction surface (52) of the pad (50) will conform to a non-planar or curved surface of the sheet (10a) to be fed from the stack of sheets (10).

Description: This invention relates to sheet feeders. Our International Patent Application PCT/US88/04213 (Publication No. WO 89/04804, published on 01.06.1989 describes a sheet feed mechanism which feeds single sheets from a stack by employing a relatively low sheet contact force which prevents marking of soft coated or pressure sensitive sheets. An example of sheets which are soft coated and subject to damage by excessive localised pressure, are the receiver sheets described in U.S. Patent No. 4 399,209. US-A-3 966 160 describes apparatus for advancing a sheet-like piece of material using low and high-friction portions, which together form a continuous cylindrical surface of what is effectively a single element. Under particular conditions of humidity, coated sheets, such as those described in our aforesaid PCT application, may tend to curl, buckle, or assume a wavy shape. Lack of flatness increases the difficulty of properly engaging and feeding the top sheet or the exposed sheet from a stack of such sheets. Conventional sheet feed mechanisms are likely to skip or fail since they tend to lose contact with non-flat sheets. This invention seeks to provide a sheet feed apparatus which is adapted for the feeding of single sheets from a stack of sheets, and in which the sheets may be bowed or curled in a direction transverse to the feed direction, and which may be easily marked or damaged by excessive pressure. In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a sheet feed mechanism for feeding single sheets from the top of a stack of sheets, the mechanism including a support body mounted for movement parallel to the feed direction for the single sheet, characterised in that the support body carries on a lower surface thereof, a plurality of individual pressure pads, each having a friction surface adapted to engage the top sheet, together adapted to move the sheet in said feed direction from the stack, the individual pads being joined to the pad support body by devices which permit the pads to tilt in a direction transverse to the feed direction and which are generally rigid in the feed direction, thereby operatively to cause the friction surfaces to conform to a transversely bowed surface of the sheet. The feed mechanism has a plurality of individual pressure pads, carried on a common pad support body. The individual pads are rigid in the process direction and may be said to be articulated in the embodiment described in detail below with a pivotal or rocking movement on the support body from a co-planar condition in a direction transverse to the sheet feed direction. The pad support body is movable to bring the friction surface of the pads into engagement with the top sheet of a stack of sheets. The articulated mounting of the pads on the pad support body permits controlled transverse tilting or rocking movement of the individual pads with respect to the body, to conform to the surface of the top sheet, but is stiff or rigid in the feed direction. A flexible connector web for each pad has an upper edge attached a lower surface of the support body, and a lower edge attached to the pad. The web permits tilting of the pad in a direction transverse to the feed direction, and prevents pitching of the pad in the process or feed direction. The connector webs have lower edges connected to a pad and upper edges connected to the pad support, and are oriented or positioned with a fore-and-aft orientation parallel to the process direction. The connector webs are flexible in a direction transverse to the process direction and are rigid in the process direction, and permit the pads to conform to bowing or bending of the top sheet in a direction transverse to the feed or process direction. In order that the invention may be more readily understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view, partially broken away, of a sheet feed mechanism according to this invention; Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view through the sheet delivery mechanism taken generally along the line 2--2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a somewhat diagrammatic end view of the sheet feed mechanism looking in the sheet-feeding direction and showing the pads prior to contact with the stack; and Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the pad support body and the articulated pads thereon after contact with the stack. Fig. 1 illustrates a bi-directional feed mechanism in combination with a stack 10 of sheets of paper,, in which the top sheet 10a is separated and delivered from the stack 10. The stack 10 of sheets is mounted on an elevator tray, not shown, and the top sheet 10a is temporarily retained by corner snubbers 12 in a forward feeder. Snubbing and sheet delivery apparatus of conventional construction employing corner snubbers is shown in U. S. Patent No. 3,713,645 issued January 30, 1978, in which a feed wheel causes a top sheet to be buckled forwardly against the snubbers for separation from the second and subsequent sheets in the stack. The present mechanism may be used with other kinds of sheet feeders, such as a shingle feeder, in which a number of sheets are shingled or feathered forwardly from a stack, in a sheet feeder without corner snubbers. Marking of the underlying sheets is avoided by providing a substantial or large area of contact between the feed mechanism and the stack. The feed mechanism moves in translation in a direction parallel to the top sheet 10a and gently urges the top sheet in a feed direction and off the stack. The primary sheet-feeding mechanism includes a friction pad support body 20 mounted on a bi-directional drive. The bi-directional drive includes a pair of transversely oriented shafts 24 and 25, each of which terminates in a spur gear 28 at one end and a spur gear 30 at the other end. The shafts 24 and 25 are parallel to each other and are mounted for concurrent linear motion in a direction parallel to the feed direction of the top sheet 10a, as represented by the arrows 32 and 33. The shafts 24 and 25 extend through access openings in the support body 20, as illustrated in Fig. 2, and provide the means for supporting the pad support body 20 above the stack 10. Thus, as shown in Fig. 2, the forward shaft 25 passes through a narrow, generally vertically oriented slot 35 in the body 20 and forms a relatively close fit with the vertical parallel side walls of the slot 35. The forward shaft 25 is free to move vertically of the slot 35 within the limits of the slot, and acts as a driver for the pad support body 20. The rear shaft 24, on the other hand, passes through a clearance opening 36 in the body 20 so that the body 20 is free to move somewhat with respect to the rear shaft 24. In this manner, the weight of the body 20 may freely rest on the stack 10 during the sheet feeding operation, but when the stack 10 is lowered, the body 20 will be carried on the respective shafts 24 and 25. The extended far ends of the shafts 24 and 25 move in a slot 37 formed in the end plate 38 and the spur gears 28 engage the teeth of stationary rack 40 on the plate 38 alongside the slot 37. The gears 28 may roll along the rack 40 while the shafts are supported at the slot 37. The upper rack 42 is similarly mounted to a side wall 43 and in engagement with the spur gears 30. A lower double-sided rack 44 engages the gears 30 and is slotted at 45 for limited reciprocal movement on guide pins 46 in the direction of the arrows 32 and 33. The lower rack 44 is also in running engagement with a drive spur gear 48 of a gear reduction drive motor 49 which is mounted on the side wall 43. The motor 49 is operated to cause shifting movement of the double-sided rack 44, and through the rack, corresponding movement of the shafts 24, 25, and the body 20 carried thereon. The mechanism delivers sheets from a stack of sheets in which the top sheet has a curl or otherwise is not in flat relation to the body 20. The pad support body 20 is provided with a plurality of individual friction pressure pads 50 attached to the lower surface. Each of the pads 50 has a lower sheet-engaging elastomer friction surface layer 52 thereon for engagement with the top sheet 10a. The pads 50 are mounted to the bottom 53 of the body 20 (Fig. 2) by connector webs 55. The connector webs 55 form flexible connectors for the pads 50 which bend in a direction transverse to the feed direction, and which are very stiff in the process direction. Each web 55 has an upper end which is bonded or attached to the body 20 at the surface 53, and has a lower end which is bonded or attached to the upper surface of one of the pads 50. The pads 50 are normally positioned on the body 20 with their friction surfaces 52 in co-planar relationship and parallel to the stack 10, as shown in Fig. 3. The fore and aft orientation of the flexible connecting web 55, for each of the individual pads 50, is parallel to the direction of movement of the body 20 when feeding sheets in the stack 10. Accordingly, the pressure pads 50 are supported against pitching movement in the feed direction. However, the connecting webs 55 are sufficiently flexible, to permit the pads 50 to conform to the curvature of the sheet surface under the weight of the body 20, as shown in Fig. 4. Thus, when the stack presents to the feed mechanism a sheet surface which is other than coplanar with the surfaces of the pads, the pads may deflect, as shown in Fig. 4, so as to conform to the surface. While Figs. 3 and 4 show a bowed configuration with the concavity facing upwardly, and the bow extending transversely to the feed direction, it will be understood that the bow may be reversed from that shown in Fig. 3 with the high portion at the center, or may be wavy. Preferably three or more pads 50 are employed. In Fig. 1, two pads 50 are at leading or front edges of the body, and one pad is at the rear edge or trailing edge. Bowing or deflection of the stack 10 in a direction parallel to the process direction, as represented by the arrows 32 and 33, is accommodated by the pad support body 20, which can conform or tilt in the feed direction because of the freedom of movement of the body 20 on the support shafts 24 and 25. The webs 50 which connect the pads 50 to the body 20 assure full contact of the friction surfaces 52 when the upper sheet 10 is bowed or curled. The flexible connecting webs 55 provide very stiff support for the pads 50 in the process direction, since it is important that the sheets be fed in a process direction. The ability of the pads 50 to conform to a transverse curl provides full or substantially full contact between the paper feed mechanism and the sheet where there would otherwise be limited contact. In the operation of the mechanism sheet material is loaded in the stack and, in a feeding cycle, the stack is brought into contact with the feed mechanism represented by the body 20 and the friction pads 50. The motor 49 is operated to drive the double-sided rack 44 so as to carry the body 20, on the shafts 24 and 25, in the feed direction 32. In the elevated position of the stack 10, the weight of the body 20, including the articulated pads 50, is carried on the upper surface of the top sheet 10a, with the weight distributed over the area of the pads. The articulated supports in the form of the webs 55 permit the individual pads 50 to deflect from the coplanar relationship as shown in Fig. 3 to a deflected position as shown in Fig. 4 to conform to a bow or curvature of the stack, or of the first sheet in the stack as necessary, to provide full or substantially full feeding contact between the exposed surface of the sheet 10a and the friction surfaces 52. The webs 55 form a relatively stiff and strong beam in the feed direction, and thus the accurate delivery and feeding of the sheet 10a is assured.

Claims: A sheet feed mechanism for feeding single sheets from the top of a stack of sheets, the mechanism including a support body mounted for movement parallel to the feed direction for the single sheet, characterised in that the support body carries on a lower surface thereof, a plurality of individual pressure pads, each having a friction surface adapted to engage the top sheet, together adapted to move the sheet in said feed direction from the stack, the individual pads being joined to the pad support body by devices which permit the pads to tilt in a direction transverse to the feed direction and which are generally rigid in the feed direction, thereby operatively to cause the friction surfaces to conform to a transversely bowed surface of the sheet. A sheet feed mechanism according to Claim 1, further characterised in that said devices comprise flexible connector webs which have upper edges attached to the pad support body and lower edges connected to a pad and having a fore-and-aft orientation parallel to the feed direction. A sheet feed mechanism according to both Claims 1 and 2, further characterised in that at least three said pads are joined to said support by individual said devices.

Inventors: BEERY, JACK
Applicants: THE MEAD CORPORATION
Application year: 1989
Main classification: B65H3
IPC codes: B65H3