Patent ID: 7416180

Claim:
A paper sheet separation and transfer apparatus comprising: a take-out roller which rotates and contacts a paper sheet at one end of a stack of a plurality of paper sheets, and takes out the paper sheet onto a transfer path; a first separation unit having a first feed roller which contacts the paper sheet taken out onto the transfer path and rotates forward, and a first separation roller which is pressed to the first feed roller through the transfer path, and separates second and following paper sheets taken out together with the first paper sheet by giving a reverse separating force, the first separation roller receiving a force of rotating in a reverse direction relative to the direction in which the paper sheet is transferred; a second separation unit having a second feed roller which contacts the paper sheet passed through the first separation unit and rotates forward, and a second separation roller which is pressed to the second feed roller through the transfer path, and separates second and following paper sheets taken out together with the first paper sheet by giving a reverse separating force, the second separation roller receiving a force of rotating in a reverse direction relative to the direction in which the paper sheet is transferred; a first detector which detects that a preceding paper sheet reaches the second separation unit; and a control unit which rotates the first feed roller in the reverse direction, when the first detector detects that a preceding paper sheet reaches the second separation unit.