Corrugated fang for multi media feeder

Abstract: An apparatus for feeding individual sheets from the bottom of a sheet stack. The sheet stack is placed in the paper tray (102) with the lead edge abutting the sheet feeding apparatus. The face of the stack rests against the main fang (90). As a nudger (74) forwards the sheets from the bottom of the stack to a position under the main fang, further sheet separation occurs as the lead edges of the sheets strike a corrugated fang (92) located between the main fang and the retard roll (80). The corrugated portion of the fang causes the sheets to be shingled out permitting a single sheet to pass under the retard roll and to be advanced by the feed roll.

Description: This invention relates generally to a bottom feed sheet feeding system, and more particularly concerns an improved sheet separator for preventing multi-sheet feeding from the bottom of a stack of sheets in a feeder for original documents and/or copy sheets for use in an electrophotographic printing machine. In a commercial printing machine of the foregoing type, a sheet misfeed or multi-fed sheets can seriously impair the operation of the machine. It is advantageous in many of today's machines to provide for the in seriatim feeding of sheets from the bottom of the stack. This is useful in both recirculating document handlers for original sheets and to enable replenishment of copy sheets without interrupting machine operation for copy sheets. Due to the inherent problems of feeding from the bottom of the paper stack, many devices have been developed to attempt to alleviate the problems and prevent multi-fed sheets. Three typical problems encountered in bottom feeding sheets from a stack include (1) separating a sheet or sheets from the stack; (2) queuing the separated sheets into an order corresponding to their order in the stack; and (3) advancing the queued sheets into the sheet processing system served by the feeding device. The present invention improves over past systems by separating multi-feeds simply, quickly and effectively. US-A-4,327,904 discloses an apparatus for selectively increasing the effective frictional force between a retard member and a feed member by making both members from conductive elastomers and providing a source of electrical potential to produce electrical potential between them. A sensor located downstream of the retard member will sense a multi-feed between the pad and retard member and effect the production of electrical potential to increase the friction between the two members. US-A-3,941,373 describes a sheet feeding device adapted to separate a single sheet from the top of a stack and utilizes a feed belt disposed adjacent to one edge of the stack and a floating gate means biased into engagement with the feed belt to provide a forward stop for the sheet stack. The top sheet is frictionally engaged by the belt and the floating biased gate means prevents multiple sheets passing through the feeding means. US-A-3,768,803 describes a top feeding device in which a feed belt is positioned against a curved retard means forming a sheet queuing throat. The belt contacts a stack of sheets near its edge and separates the sheets from the stack into the throat. The throat aligns the sheets and the belt advances the queued sheets onto the sheet handling system being served. US-A-3,469,834 again describes a top of stack sheet feeding device in which sheets are advanced into a wrap formed between a stationary retarding roll or abutment member and a moving belt surface. Multiple sheets are separated due to frictional contact with the abutment member. Published international application WO 92/01618 discloses a coupon dispenser, including means for supporting a stack of sheets, means for advancing sheets from the stack, and means for queuing and separating sheets being advanced by said advancing means. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sheet feeding apparatus adapted to advance sheets from a stack of sheets, comprising: means for supporting the stack of sheets; means, mounted adjacent said support means, for advancing sheets from the stack; and means for queuing and separating sheets being advanced by said advancing means from the stack, characterised in that the queuing and separating means comprises a substantially planar member adapted to engage a lead edge of one or more of the sheets at one side of the stack so as to initially separate a plurality of sheets at the other side of the stack from the sheet(s) at said one side, a corrugated member extending from one end of the said planar member and adapted to engage said plurality of sheets at said other side of the stack, and a retard member having a substantially arcuate surface cooperating with a portion of said corrugated member. Pursuant to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrophotographic printing machine incorporating the above-mentioned sheet feeding apparatus. Pursuant to still another aspect of the present invention, the sheet feeding apparatus comprises a module sheet feeding machine adapted to be removably positioned adjacent a sheet inlet of a printing machine, the advancing means being adapted for advancing sheets from the stack to the sheet inlet of the printing machine. Other features of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and upon reference to the drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a plan view of the sheet separating device of the present invention; and Figure 2 is an elevational view taken along the line A-A of Figure 1 in the direction of the arrows; and Figure 3 is an end view of the sheet separating device of the present invention. Although the apparatus for feeding and separating sheets is particularly well adapted for use in an electrophotographic printing machine, it should become evident from the following discussion that it is equally well suited for use in a wide variety of machines and is not necessarily limited in this application to the particular embodiment shown herein. Since the practice of electrophotographic printing is well known in the art, the various processing stations for producing a print of document image data have been omitted from the present disclosure. Fig. 1 illustrates a plan view of the paper tray and sheet feeding apparatus indicated generally by the reference numeral 60. A sheet stack 100 to be fed into the machine is initially placed in the support tray 102. The lead edge, 104 of the sheet stack 100 rests against the main fang 90 of the sheet feeding apparatus 60. In the preferred embodiment, the main fang 90 is a substantially planar member approximately 70 mm square. There is a small finger 91 located at the bottom center of the main fang 90, which is an integral part of the main fang, which finger 91 is approximately 10 mm wide by 5 mm high. The main fang 90 is mounted so that there is a space of approximately 5 mm between the bottom of the fang finger 91 and the top surface of the sheet support tray 102. A nudger 74 is located in the bottom of the support tray 102 and in combination with the feed roll 70 provides a transport means between the support tray 102 and the input portion of the electrophotographic printing machine generally indicated by the reference numeral 30. The nudger 74 is a substantially square cornered roll which rotates and contacts the bottom of the sheet stack 100. A ribbed, frictional retard roll 80 is located between the support tray 102 and the machine input 30. The retard roll 80 is mounted so that it rests upon the feed roll 70. In operation, the retard roll 80 rotates so that its tangential direction is in the opposite direction of that of the feed roll 70. When a single sheet enters the nip 82 between the feed roll 70 and the retard roll 80, the frictional force exerted on the sheet by the feed roll 70 is greater than the tangential frictional force exerted by the retard roll 80 so the sheet is forwarded to the machine input 30. If multiple sheets enter the nip 82 between the retard roll 80 and feed roll 70, the frictional force between the sheets is less than that exerted by the retard roll 80 and only the bottommost sheet, which is driven by the greater frictional force of the feed roll 70 is forwarded to the machine input 30. Any other sheets are held back by the retard roll 80 until they are driven toward the machine input 30 by the greater force of the feed roll 70. The corrugated fang 92 of the present invention is attached to the main fang 90 on the side of the main fang 90, opposite the lead sheet edge 104 of the stack 100. The corrugated fang 92 extends from the main fang 90 and straddles the retard roll 80. The operation of the corrugated fang 92 can best be illustrated by reference to Fig. 2. As can be seen in Fig. 2, the corrugated fang 92 is essentially a squared off, J-shaped member which is affixed to the side of the main fang 90 which does not contact the paper stack 100. The portion of the corrugated fang 92 which extends below the finger of the main fang 90 has stepped ridges formed horizontally across the face of the corrugated fang 92. The fang then extends beyond and straddles the retard roll 80. In the preferred embodiment, the corrugated fang 92 is approximately 50 mm wide. In Fig. 2, as the nudger 74 rotates in the direction of arrow 72, the entire sheet stack 100 initially has the lead edge 104 of the sheets come into contact with the main fang 90. The irregular shape of the nudger also acts to fluff and separate the sheets on the bottom of the stack 100 as it rotates. The main fang 90 acts as a queuing device and allows only a small number of sheets 200 from the bottom of the stack 100 to be forwarded toward the machine input 30. As the sheets 200 continue in the direction of arrow 73, the lead edges 204, 206, 208 in turn contact the separating points 94, 96, 98 of the corrugated fang 92, further separating and shingling the group of sheets 200. The corrugated fang 92 is free to flex upward to a limited extent to avoid wedging of the sheets 200. Final sheet separation occurs as sheets 202, 210 reach the retard roll 80 which, as is explained previously, due to the higher coefficient of friction of the retard roll 80 to a sheet than a sheet to a sheet, prevents all but a single sheet 202 from being forwarded between the retard roll 80 and feed roll 70 to the machine input 30. Each subsequent sheet is separated in a like manner and individually fed to the machine input 30. The configuration of the main fang 90 can be seen most clearly in Fig. 3. The small finger 91 located at the bottom center of the main fang 90 and the resulting clearance between the bottom of the small finger 91 and the sheet support tray 102 is clearly illustrated. The multiple steps 94, 96, 98 of the corrugated fang 92 are shown between the main fang 90 and the retard roll 80. The corrugated fang 92 is preferably constructed of a non-elastomer, low-coefficient of friction material such as stainless steel, to prevent stubbing of, and damage to, the lead edges of the sheets and to allow each sheet to be forwarded in seriatim as it clears each separation point. Although not illustrated, it is also apparent that the separating device can be utilized to feed from the bottom of the stack in a recirculating document handler. It is further evident that the device can be adapted to separate the topmost sheet from a stack in a like manner so as to be adaptable to top feeding sheet handling devices. In recapitulation, there is provided a device for feeding individual sheets from the bottom of a sheet stack. The sheet stack is placed in the paper tray with the lead edge abutting the sheet feeding device. The face of the stack rests against the main fang which acts as an initial queuing device. As the nudger forwards the sheets from the bottom of the stack under the main fang, further sheet separation occurs as the lead edges of the sheets strike the separation points of the corrugated fang located between the main fang and the retard roll. The corrugated portion of the fang causes the sheets to be shingled out individually and only a single sheet is allowed to pass under the retard roll and to be fed by the feed roll into the machine.

Claims: A sheet feeding apparatus adapted to advance sheets (202) from a stack (100) of sheets, comprising: means (102) for supporting the stack (100) of sheets; means (74,70), mounted adjacent said support means (102), for advancing sheets (202) from the stack (100); and means (90-98,80) for queuing and separating sheets (202) being advanced by said advancing means (74,70) from the stack, characterised in that the queuing and separating means (90-98,80) comprises a substantially planar member (90) adapted to engage a lead edge (104) of one or more of the sheets at one side of the stack (100) so as to initially separate a plurality (200) of sheets at the other side of the stack from the sheet(s) at said one side, a corrugated member (92) extending from one end of the said planar member (90) and adapted to engage said plurality of sheets (200) at said other side of the stack, and a retard member (80) having a substantially arcuate surface cooperating with a portion of said corrugated member (92). The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said advancing means (74,70) advances successive bottommost sheets (202) from the stack (100) being supported by said support means (102). An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said sheet advancing means (74,70) comprises a nudger (74) adapted to engage successive bottommost sheets (202) of the stack (100) being supported on said support means (102). The apparatus of any of the preceding claims, wherein the sheet (202) being advanced is a copy sheet. The apparatus of any of the preceding claims, wherein the sheet (202) being advanced is an original document. A module sheet feeding apparatus comprising a sheet feeding apparatus according to any preceding claims and adapted to be removably positioned adjacent a sheet inlet (30) of a printing machine, said advancing means being adapted for advancing sheets from the stack (100) to the sheet inlet (30). An electrophotographic printing machine of the type in which a sheet is advanced from a sheet stack, incorporating a sheet feeding apparatus according to any of the preceding claims.

Inventors: SHERIDAN KEVIN M, SHERIDAN, KEVIN M.
Applicants: XEROX CORP, XEROX CORPORATION
Application year: 1993
Main classification: B65H3
IPC codes: B65H3