Patent ID: 7380790

Claim:
A sheet handling apparatus for feeding a sequential plurality of sheets comprising: a sheet feed path for guiding sheets in a sheet feeding direction through the apparatus: one or more rollers for driving sheets along the sheet feed path: and one or more deflectors located on the sheet feed path, a trailing edge of the deflector being arranged to deflect a trailing edge of a leading sheet to ensure overlap by a following sheet on a predetermined side of the leading sheet. wherein the trailing edge of the deflector is rotated by the predetermined angle when the trailing edge of a sheet is in the passage to thereby deflect the trailing edge out of the sheet feed path, the passage then serving to guide the leading edge of the subsequent sheet directly through the passage along the sheet feed path to overlap with the deflected trailing edge and the trailing edge of the deflector has 180-degree rotational symmetry about a longitudinal axis, the predetermined angle being 180 degrees, so that when the deflector is rotated by the predetermined angle, the passage inlet becomes the passage outlet and the passage outlet becomes the passage inlet.