EP0043262B1 - Apparatus for bottom feeding articles from a stack - Google Patents
Apparatus for bottom feeding articles from a stack Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0043262B1 EP0043262B1 EP19810302913 EP81302913A EP0043262B1 EP 0043262 B1 EP0043262 B1 EP 0043262B1 EP 19810302913 EP19810302913 EP 19810302913 EP 81302913 A EP81302913 A EP 81302913A EP 0043262 B1 EP0043262 B1 EP 0043262B1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- articles
- stack
- feed belt
- normal force
- article
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
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Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H3/00—Separating articles from piles
- B65H3/46—Supplementary devices or measures to assist separation or prevent double feed
- B65H3/52—Friction retainers acting on under or rear side of article being separated
- B65H3/5207—Non-driven retainers, e.g. movable retainers being moved by the motion of the article
- B65H3/523—Non-driven retainers, e.g. movable retainers being moved by the motion of the article the retainers positioned over articles separated from the bottom of the pile
- B65H3/5238—Retainers of the pad-type, e.g. friction pads
Definitions
- the invention relates to apparatus for bottom feeding articles, such as sheets of paper, envelopes or magazines, from a stack of unseparated such articles, as specified in the first portion of claim 1.
- the invention is concerned with a normal force applicator for such apparatus which ensures a reliable feed to an article separator of the apparatus.
- the article separator may be, for example, a conventional friction retard device using a friction retard pad. The individual article thus separated is fed to the next processing station.
- bottom feeder to feed articles serially from an unseparated stack of articles can be used, for example, to feed sheets of paper serially to a printer or copier, or to feed envelopes to a printer or labeler.
- One aspect common to all bottom feeders is the difficulty experienced in reliably driving and feeding but one article from the set of stacked articles.
- the reliability of bottom feeders can be affected by variations in the height of the stack of articles. For example, where only a few lightweight articles, such as sheets of thin paper, are in the stack, there may not be enough weight, that is, normal force, on the stack to make the feeder work properly. To alleviate such problems, a normal force applicator can be used.
- normal force applicators are designed to press down on the top of the stack of articles to hold the stack down and to provide sufficient engagement force between the bottommost article of the stack of articles and the bottom feeder.
- the normal force applicators can be a weighted or spring-loaded plate, bail bar or the like.
- One problem with such normal force applicators is that they must be removed or lifted out of the way before more articles can be added to the top of the stack. Also, where the stack is relatively large, a larger force may be required where the force is applied through the entire stack to ensure proper feeder operation.
- US-A-3 838 851 discloses a bottom sheet feeder using as a normal force applicator a heavy spring-biased large-diameter idler roller resting on the top of a stack of sheets to be fed.
- the upright face of a support for a retard member holds most of the stack in place, permitting the bottom few sheets to become shingled and then fed seriatim through the gap between the retard member and a cylindrical feed roller or a feed belt, respectively.
- the Kolibas device inevitably removes the downward bias every time fresh sheets are added to the stack, thus interfering with the smooth feeding of sheets from the stack.
- the present invention aims at overcoming this problem by the features specified in the characterising portion of claim 1.
- the normal force applicator roller is caused to bear on only the lowermost few sheets of the stack, so that sheet-feeding is not affected by the addition of sheets to, or extraction of sheets from, that part of the stack which extends above the region of contact between the stack and the normal force applicator roller.
- an input tray 1 is provided on which a stack of articles 3 (see Figure 3) is provided.
- the stack of articles 3 may be, for example, a stack of paper or envelopes or any suitable article that it is desired to feed serially to a work station.
- Protruding through a slot 9 in the input tray 1 in feeding relationship to the stack of articles 3 is driven feed belt 5.
- Driven feed belt 5 is driven in the direction shown by the arrows (see Figures 2 and 3) by driven feed belt pulleys 7.
- the means for driving driven feed belt pulleys 7 is not shown although obviously one of the driven feed belt pulleys 7 could be, for example, mounted on the shaft of a motor; or, as another example, the driven feed belt 5 could be driven by frictional contact with a third pulley, and pulleys 7 would not be driven.
- the normal force applicator generally designated as 11 includes a roller support frame 13, which is connected by bolts 15 to base 17.
- Roller support frame 13 has formed therein slot 19 (see Figure 4) and aperture 21, both of which traverse the complete height of roller support frame 13 as shown in Figure 2.
- Slot 19 acts as a guide for normal force applicator roller support 23, which is mounted for slidable movement in the space defined by slot 19 and base 17 when it is attached to base 17.
- Normal force applicator roller support 23 has formed thereon roller support arms 25 (see Figure 1) between which normal force applicator roller 27 is mounted for rotation. Normal force applicator roller support 23 is urged downwardly against driven feed belt 5 by normal force applicator spring 29 to form a rolling nip 28 therewith.
- Friction retard pad support frame 39 has a depression or slot 41 and an aperture 43 formed therein. Friction retard pad support frame 39 is bolted by bolt means (not shown) to base 17. Friction retard pad support 45 is mounted for sliding motion in the space formed by slot 41 when it is attached to base 17. Attached to the bottom of friction retard pad support 45 is friction retard pad 47. Friction retard pad 47 is urged downward into contact with driven feed belt 5 by friction retard pad spring 49, which is held in aperture 43 of friction retard pad support 39 by shoulder 51.
- Normal force applicator spring 29 urges normal force applicator roller 27 downward against the top of the articles present (usually two or three) in the rolling nip 28 formed by normal force applicator roller 27 and driven feed belt 5.
- the normal force applicator spring 29 is adjusted so that it will allow a few articles to be brought into nip 28 under the influence of a moving feed belt 5.
- the coefficient of friction between driven belt 5 and the bottom article of the stack of articles 3 and the rolling motion of normal force applicator roller 27 causes two or more articles from the stack of articles 3 to be drawn into the rolling nip 28 formed between normal force applicator roller 27 and driven feed belt 5.
- normal force applicator roller 27 Since normal force applicator roller 27 is pressed against only a few of the bottom articles in the stack of articles 3, very little force is required to ensure feed of an article, even an article whose leading edge may not lie flat. Similarly, since normal force applicator roller 27 applies a force to only a few of the bottom articles in a stack of articles 3, the top of the stack of articles 3 is unencumbered allowing the addition of more articles to the stack of articles 3 even while the feeder is operating. The articles in the stack of articles 3, which are moved into the rolling nip 28 formed between normal force applicator roller 27 and driven feed belt 5 by the movement of driven feed belt 5, are then brought into contact with friction retard pad 47.
- the coefficient of friction between driven feed belt 5 and the bottom article of the stack of articles 3 is chosen to be higher than the coefficient of friction between friction retard pad 47 and the same article so that the article can be moved between the friction retard pad 47 and driven feed belt 5 when driven feed belt 5 is operating.
- the friction retard pad 47 applies sufficient force to block the feed of the article next above the bottom article causing the friction retard pad 47 to act as an article separator.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Sheets, Magazines, And Separation Thereof (AREA)
Description
- The invention relates to apparatus for bottom feeding articles, such as sheets of paper, envelopes or magazines, from a stack of unseparated such articles, as specified in the first portion of claim 1. Specifically, the invention is concerned with a normal force applicator for such apparatus which ensures a reliable feed to an article separator of the apparatus. The article separator may be, for example, a conventional friction retard device using a friction retard pad. The individual article thus separated is fed to the next processing station.
- There are numerous applications in which a bottom feeder to feed articles serially from an unseparated stack of articles can be used, for example, to feed sheets of paper serially to a printer or copier, or to feed envelopes to a printer or labeler. Obviously, many more examples could be given. One aspect common to all bottom feeders is the difficulty experienced in reliably driving and feeding but one article from the set of stacked articles. The reliability of bottom feeders can be affected by variations in the height of the stack of articles. For example, where only a few lightweight articles, such as sheets of thin paper, are in the stack, there may not be enough weight, that is, normal force, on the stack to make the feeder work properly. To alleviate such problems, a normal force applicator can be used.
- Conventional normal force applicators are designed to press down on the top of the stack of articles to hold the stack down and to provide sufficient engagement force between the bottommost article of the stack of articles and the bottom feeder. The normal force applicators can be a weighted or spring-loaded plate, bail bar or the like. One problem with such normal force applicators is that they must be removed or lifted out of the way before more articles can be added to the top of the stack. Also, where the stack is relatively large, a larger force may be required where the force is applied through the entire stack to ensure proper feeder operation.
- US-A-3 838 851 (Kolibas) discloses a bottom sheet feeder using as a normal force applicator a heavy spring-biased large-diameter idler roller resting on the top of a stack of sheets to be fed. The upright face of a support for a retard member holds most of the stack in place, permitting the bottom few sheets to become shingled and then fed seriatim through the gap between the retard member and a cylindrical feed roller or a feed belt, respectively. Bearing as it does on the top sheet of the stack, the Kolibas device inevitably removes the downward bias every time fresh sheets are added to the stack, thus interfering with the smooth feeding of sheets from the stack.
- The present invention aims at overcoming this problem by the features specified in the characterising portion of claim 1. Thus, the normal force applicator roller is caused to bear on only the lowermost few sheets of the stack, so that sheet-feeding is not affected by the addition of sheets to, or extraction of sheets from, that part of the stack which extends above the region of contact between the stack and the normal force applicator roller.
- One way of carrying out the invention is described in detail below with reference to drawings, which illustrate only one specific embodiment, in which:
- Figure 1 is an end view looking into the normal force applicator from the direction of article input.
- Figure 2 is a side-sectional view of the normal force applicator of this invention taken along lines 2-2 of Figure 1 and in addition shows a typical friction retard separator.
- Figure 3 is a partial side-sectional view of the normal force applicator of this invention, which shows how the normal force applicator interacts with the stack of articles to be fed, the feed belt and the friction retard assembly.
- Figure 4 is a top view of the frame for the normal force applicator of this invention.
- Figure 5 is a top view of the friction retard pad support frame for use with the present invention.
- Referring now to the Figures, an input tray 1 is provided on which a stack of articles 3 (see Figure 3) is provided. The stack of
articles 3 may be, for example, a stack of paper or envelopes or any suitable article that it is desired to feed serially to a work station. Protruding through a slot 9 in the input tray 1 in feeding relationship to the stack ofarticles 3 is drivenfeed belt 5.Driven feed belt 5 is driven in the direction shown by the arrows (see Figures 2 and 3) by drivenfeed belt pulleys 7. The means for driving drivenfeed belt pulleys 7 is not shown although obviously one of the drivenfeed belt pulleys 7 could be, for example, mounted on the shaft of a motor; or, as another example, the drivenfeed belt 5 could be driven by frictional contact with a third pulley, andpulleys 7 would not be driven. - The normal force applicator generally designated as 11 includes a
roller support frame 13, which is connected bybolts 15 tobase 17.Roller support frame 13 has formed therein slot 19 (see Figure 4) andaperture 21, both of which traverse the complete height ofroller support frame 13 as shown in Figure 2.Slot 19 acts as a guide for normal forceapplicator roller support 23, which is mounted for slidable movement in the space defined byslot 19 andbase 17 when it is attached tobase 17. Normal forceapplicator roller support 23 has formed thereon roller support arms 25 (see Figure 1) between which normalforce applicator roller 27 is mounted for rotation. Normal forceapplicator roller support 23 is urged downwardly against drivenfeed belt 5 by normalforce applicator spring 29 to form a rollingnip 28 therewith. Normalforce applicator spring 29 in this instance is attached topin 31 inslot 33 on normal forceapplicator roller support 23 and topin 35 inslot 37 onroller support frame 13. Also attached tobase 17 is separator generally designated as 16, which in this instance comprises friction retard pad support frame 39 (see Figure 5). Friction retardpad support frame 39 has a depression orslot 41 and anaperture 43 formed therein. Friction retardpad support frame 39 is bolted by bolt means (not shown) tobase 17. Frictionretard pad support 45 is mounted for sliding motion in the space formed byslot 41 when it is attached tobase 17. Attached to the bottom of frictionretard pad support 45 isfriction retard pad 47.Friction retard pad 47 is urged downward into contact with drivenfeed belt 5 by frictionretard pad spring 49, which is held inaperture 43 of frictionretard pad support 39 byshoulder 51. - In operation a stack of
articles 3 is placed in input tray 1. Article guide means 53 (see Figure 3) is positioned such that none of the articles can rest above acenterline 55 of the normal force applicator roller drawn parallel to the direction of feed of the articles. This encourages the articles to be drawn into therolling nip 28 formed between normalforce applicator roller 27 and drivenfeed belt 5. When it is desired to feed an article, the drivenfeed belt 5 is driven by means (not shown) in the direction of travel of the fed articles as shown by arrow 59 (see Figure 3). The movement of drivenfeed belt 5 in the direction shown by the arrow 57 (see Figure 3) causes normalforce applicator roller 27 to turn in the direction shown by arrow 61 (see Figure 3). Normalforce applicator spring 29 urges normalforce applicator roller 27 downward against the top of the articles present (usually two or three) in therolling nip 28 formed by normalforce applicator roller 27 and drivenfeed belt 5. The normalforce applicator spring 29 is adjusted so that it will allow a few articles to be brought intonip 28 under the influence of a movingfeed belt 5. The coefficient of friction between drivenbelt 5 and the bottom article of the stack ofarticles 3 and the rolling motion of normalforce applicator roller 27 causes two or more articles from the stack ofarticles 3 to be drawn into therolling nip 28 formed between normalforce applicator roller 27 and drivenfeed belt 5. Since normalforce applicator roller 27 is pressed against only a few of the bottom articles in the stack ofarticles 3, very little force is required to ensure feed of an article, even an article whose leading edge may not lie flat. Similarly, since normalforce applicator roller 27 applies a force to only a few of the bottom articles in a stack ofarticles 3, the top of the stack ofarticles 3 is unencumbered allowing the addition of more articles to the stack ofarticles 3 even while the feeder is operating. The articles in the stack ofarticles 3, which are moved into therolling nip 28 formed between normalforce applicator roller 27 and drivenfeed belt 5 by the movement of drivenfeed belt 5, are then brought into contact withfriction retard pad 47. The coefficient of friction between drivenfeed belt 5 and the bottom article of the stack ofarticles 3 is chosen to be higher than the coefficient of friction betweenfriction retard pad 47 and the same article so that the article can be moved between thefriction retard pad 47 and drivenfeed belt 5 when drivenfeed belt 5 is operating. Thefriction retard pad 47 applies sufficient force to block the feed of the article next above the bottom article causing thefriction retard pad 47 to act as an article separator. - Other types of separators may also be used with the present normal force applicator concept. It has been found that the present normal force applicator will operate reliably feeding ordinary sheets of paper or envelopes with no adjustments being required. Also, typically only 100 to 150 grams of force are required for a normal force applicator roller measuring about 1/4 inch in diameter and about 3/8 inch in length.
Claims (4)
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US16383480A | 1980-06-27 | 1980-06-27 | |
US163834 | 1980-06-27 |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0043262A1 EP0043262A1 (en) | 1982-01-06 |
EP0043262B1 true EP0043262B1 (en) | 1985-01-23 |
Family
ID=22591782
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP19810302913 Expired EP0043262B1 (en) | 1980-06-27 | 1981-06-26 | Apparatus for bottom feeding articles from a stack |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0043262B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JPS5727843A (en) |
CA (1) | CA1156274A (en) |
DE (1) | DE3168460D1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB8502572D0 (en) * | 1985-02-01 | 1985-03-06 | Ofrex Group Plc | Sheet feeding mechanism |
JP2657918B2 (en) * | 1987-12-02 | 1997-09-30 | 株式会社タイトー | Card issuing device |
GB0129095D0 (en) * | 2001-12-05 | 2002-01-23 | Pueschel Johannes | Sheet feeding apparatus |
US9567173B2 (en) | 2011-11-16 | 2017-02-14 | Creasestream Llp | Sheet feeders |
Family Cites Families (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3838851A (en) * | 1972-02-22 | 1974-10-01 | Addressograph Multigraph | Bottom sheet feeder |
US3984659A (en) * | 1972-05-08 | 1976-10-05 | Ball Computer Products, Inc. | Apparatus for feeding sheet material from the bottom of a stack |
US3970298A (en) * | 1975-06-05 | 1976-07-20 | Pitney-Bowes, Inc. | Mixed thickness sheet separator and feeder |
US4014537A (en) * | 1975-11-28 | 1977-03-29 | Xerox Corporation | Air floatation bottom feeder |
FI781640A (en) * | 1977-06-10 | 1978-12-11 | Joensas Inter Marketing | ARKSEPARERINGS- OCH MATNINGSANORDNING |
-
1981
- 1981-05-01 CA CA000376696A patent/CA1156274A/en not_active Expired
- 1981-06-22 JP JP9540681A patent/JPS5727843A/en active Pending
- 1981-06-26 DE DE8181302913T patent/DE3168460D1/en not_active Expired
- 1981-06-26 EP EP19810302913 patent/EP0043262B1/en not_active Expired
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
DE3168460D1 (en) | 1985-03-07 |
CA1156274A (en) | 1983-11-01 |
EP0043262A1 (en) | 1982-01-06 |
JPS5727843A (en) | 1982-02-15 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
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PUAI | Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase |
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