Patent GB-848023-A (GB)
Title: Improvements relating to document feeding machine
Inventor: RIVES WILLIAM H
IPC: B65H3/52
Filed: 1957-10-22
Abstract: 848,023. Feeding sheets. UNIVERSAL BUSINESS MACHINES Inc. Oct. 22, 1957, No. 32977/57. Class 100(1) Sheet-separators; feed rollers:-In apparatus for separating sheets from a pile and including means for ensuring that only one sheet is separated at each operation, the sheets 1, such as cheques, vouchers, or paper money, are separated sequentially from the top of a pile by a rubber &c. roller 3 on a belt-driven shaft 4 mounted in a housing 6 secured on a shaft 9 which can be rocked in bearings in frame members 10a, 10b. When the shaft 9 is rocked about its axis, the rotating roller 3 is swung about that axis either into contact with the top sheet of the pile or away therefrom. Each separated sheet is fed to a pair of steel rollers 11a, 11b on a beltdriven shaft 11 mounted in fixed bearings and rotating in the same direction as the roller 3. A rubber &c. roller 12 co-operates with the rollers 11a, 11b and buckles the sheet, and is driven in the same direction as the latter rollers so that it tends to return the sheet to the pile: the roller 12 thus prevents two superposed sheets being separated from the pile. The shaft 13 of the roller 12 is belt-driven, and is mounted in a housing 15 which is pivoted by spigots 18a in a fixed frame 18, whereby, when the housing is rocked about the spigots, the roller 12 can be moved towards or away from the rollers 11a, 11b. The raising and lowering of the rollers 3 and 12 is controlled from a keyboard control 32 which can energise a solenoid 30 to cause a power-driven clutch 28 to rotate a shaft 31 through one complete revolution. A cam 34 on the shaft 31 is adapted to rock a lever 46 which is connected to the housing 15. A second cam 33 on the shaft 31 is adapted to rock a lever 41, pivoted at 41a, which is connected by a link 39a to an arm 39 freely mounted on the shaft 9. The arm 39 overlies a lateral projection on an arm 35, secured to the shaft 9, which is urged upwardly by a spring 38 so that the roller 3 is urged towards the pile of sheets 1. The spring 38 keeps the follower 43 on the lever 41 in contact with the cam 33 and, on rotation of the cam, causes the lever 41 to turn the arm 39 and shaft 9 in a counterclockwise direction to press the roller 3 on the sheet pile: further rotation of the cam causes the shaft 9 to turn clockwise to raise the roller 3. An adjustment screw 40 can alter the relative positions of the arms 35, 39, and therefore vary the amount of time that the roller 3 is in contact with the sheet pile. Pile tables:-The pile of sheets 1 is contained within a box (not shown), has a transparent hold-down plate 2 resting on top and cut away at 2a to allow access to the separator roller 3, and rests on a platform la which is raised automatically by known mechanism 21 controlled by a switch 22 actuated by a feeler finger 23 adapted to engage the plate 2. The finger 23 is carried by a rotatable disc 24a which is urged in a direction to press the finger on the pile plate 2 by a spring 25 attached to the end of the rocker lever 41. The movements of the lever 41 are arranged so that the tension of the spring 25 is relieved, and the pressure of the finger 23 on the top of the sheet pile relaxed, when the roller 3 is lowered on top of the sheet pile for sheet separation. The shaft 9 may be rotated by a hand-lever 27 to lift the roller 3 through about 90 degrees to allow the sheet pile to be replenished: the feeler 23 is also raised during this operation by means of an arm 48 secured to the shaft and having a pin 50 engaging an arcuate slot in a sector plate 47 secured on the shaft 9 and connected by a spring 51 to the feeler disc 24a.