Patent ID: 7404553

Claim:
A method for separation of sheets of a medium for feeding to a machine, wherein the sheets are kept in a stack for feeding to the machine in a feed direction, the method comprising: advancing the top sheet of the stack in the feed direction further than the following sheet on the stack such that the top sheet interacts with a lifting system; after advancing the top sheet in the feed direction further than the following sheet, the lifting system lifting a front edge of the top sheet of the stack from the following sheet on the stack, wherein a significant non-edge portion of a bottom surface of the top sheet remains in contact with a top surface of the following sheet; moving at least one elongated separator from a front side of the stack facing the feed direction into a gap formed between the lifted edge of the top sheet and the corresponding edge of the following sheet; and moving the separator in the opposite direction of the feed direction between the top sheet and the following sheet in order to substantially separate the bottom surface of the top sheet from the top surface of the following sheet.