Patent ID: 8727341

Claim:
Flat item feeding apparatus ( 10 ) having: a delivering section ( 12 ) for receiving a batch of flat items stacked-on edge on a transport surface ( 24 , 26 a , 26 b ); a singulating section ( 14 ) for extracting the items one by one and transferring them downstream; said delivering section comprising: a transport device ( 22 ) for conveying said stacked on edge flat items towards said singulating section, a pushing device ( 30 ) supported above said transport surface for jogging said stacked on edge flat items during said conveying toward the singulating section, said transport device further comprises: at least one endless belt ( 26 a , 26 b ) protruding a transport deck ( 24 ) within a determined conveying zone B of length d of said delivering section and separated a determined distance d2 from an axis of a downstream pulley ( 29 a , 29 b ) and separated a determined distance d1 from an axis of an upstream pulley ( 27 a , 27 b ), the distances d1 and d2 respectively defining determined conveying zone A, C in which said at least one endless belt remains below said transport deck, the apparatus being characterized in that a supporting plate ( 28 ) is disposed under the determined conveying zone B and in that the upstream pulley and the downstream pulley are both located under said transport deck, the axis of the upstream pulley and the axis of the downstream pulley at two different vertical levels for tensioning and maintaining said at least one endless belt against the supporting plate, wherein the supporting plate which defines the conveying zone B is entirely between the axis of the downstream pulley and the axis of the upstream pulley when looking at the top of the transport deck.