Patent GB-1080350-A (GB)
Title: A table for supporting a stack of paper sheets and an office printing or duplicating machine comprising the same
IPC: B65H3/54
Filed: 1964-12-18
Abstract: 1,080,350. Sheet feeding apparatus. AGFA A.G. Dec. 18, 1964 [Dec. 20, 1963], No. 51638/64. Heading B6B. Sheet-separating.-A detachable and collapsible sheet-feeding apparatus for an office printing or duplicating machine comprises a pile table 4, Fig. 1, lateral guides 12 for the pile, and angle members 16b, 16c each engaging a top front corner of the pile, the members 16b, 16c being carried by support arms 15 movably arranged on the guides 12 so that the members 16b, 16c move in a straight line perpendicular to the table. For this purpose, each arm 15 has a pin-and-slot pivotal connection 14, 15a to its guide 12 and also has a pin 18 engaging a cam slot 17 in its guide shaped so as to effect the required movement. If it is desired to move the members 16b, 16c rearwardly to a position where they would not foul the machine if the table 4 were folded upwardly about a pivot 3 to a collapsed position, the pins 18 are engaged with another slot 19. The members 16b, 16c are fixed to strips 16 detachably secured to the arms 15, the ends 16a of the strip resting in their lowest working position on the top edge of a fixed front plate 52 (Fig. 6) having vertical grooves 52a<SP>1</SP> to accommodate the members 16b, 16c. The lateral guides 12 are pivoted at 11 (Fig. 3) so that they can be folded down on to the table but are normally held in raised position by catches 53 (Fig. 5) which are released by the pins 18 when the pins are moved downwardly in the slots 19. Screws 10 (Fig. 3) adjustably secure the guides 12 to a transverse, rod 7 which can be moved axially by rotation of a knob 5 to effect simultaneous adjustment of the guides. The top sheets are separated by an intermittently-rotated friction roller 22 resting on the top sheet and moving it forward until it abuts the corner stops 16b, 16c, the front part of the sheet then buckling and springing over the stops. The roller 22 is carried by arms 23 pivoted about a shaft 24 carrying a drive gear 25 coupled to a gear .27 on the roller spindle. The pressure of the roller 22 on the pile can be adjusted by placing a weight 28 in one of several apertures 23a . . . 23e on the arms 23 or by means of an adjustable torsion spring 31 (Figs. 7,8). Raising and lowering pile tables.-The table 4 is pivoted at 3, Fig. 1, to a support 2 having a pin 2c engaging a part 4a of the table to hold the table horizontal. The support 2 is slidably mounted on the machine frame 1 by pins 2a, 2b engaging slots 1a in the frame. A rack 2d on the support 2 engages a pinion 44 rotated to raise the pile table by a ratchet wheel 42 and a pawl 43, the latter being carried by a lever 39 moved against spring action by a rod 38 engaging an eccentric 37. The throw of the pawl 43 is determined by the engagement of a pin 39b on the lever 39 with one of a series of notches 47a . . . 47d in a member 47 pivoted to a lever 45 engaging a nose 23f on the arms 23 carrying the separating roller 22, the arrangement being such that the throw of the pawl 43 is increased as the roller 22 drops. By means of a finger piece 48a, the pawl 43 and a retaining pawl 48 are released from the pinion 44 thus allowing the table 2, 4 to fall or be moved by a hand wheel to its lowest position for placing a new pile of sheets on the table.