Patent ID: 7918444

Claim:
A media handling device, comprising: a media input mechanism for lifting a stack of media sheets upward in a vertical rectilinear direction to move an upper portion of the stack to a predetermined elevation at which successive uppermost sheets of the stack are positioned for repetitive removal from the stack in a predetermined transverse direction relative to the vertical rectilinear direction; a media restraint dam positioned adjacent to the upper portion of the stack generally downstream thereof relative to the predetermined transverse direction; and a media shingling mechanism positioned adjacent to the upper portion of the stack and spaced apart from and in an opposing relationship to said media restraint dam relative to the upper portion of the stack such that the upper portion of the stack is positioned between said media shingling mechanism and said media restraint dam, said media shingling mechanism including a rotatable roller actuator mounted for undergoing rotation about a stationary axis in response to upward moving contact by successive sheets in the upper portion of the stack against a peripheral segment of said rotatable roller actuator as the stack is moved vertically upward toward said media shingling mechanism such that the counterclockwise rotation of said rotatable roller actuator and upward movement in the vertical rectilinear direction of the upper portion of the stack produces a lateral displacement of successive sheets toward said media restraint dam so as to produce a shingling of the successive sheets of the upper portion of the stack relative to one another that thereby provides a substantially uniform inter-page gap between successive sheets for enabling a substantially consistent repetitive removal of successive uppermost sheets from the stack, said media shingling mechanism further including at least one stationary guide member mounted adjacent to said rotatable roller actuator and to the upper portion of the stack for preventing any one of the sheets in the upper portion of the stack from clinging to said rotatable roller actuator past an approximate three o'clock position of the rotation of said rotatable roller actuator.