GB770244A - Record card feeding means - Google Patents

Abstract

770,244. Feeding cards. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. April 26, 1955 [May 21, 1954], No. 11992/55. Class 117 [Also in Group XIX] A card feeding mechanism for feeding cards one at a time from the bottom of a stack in a hopper 12 comprises a card feed head 36 having on its upper surface a card feed knife 41 for engagement with the rear edge of each card in turn, an oscillating rocker arm 45 mounted for pivotal movement about an axis disposed below the hopper and means for securing the feed head to the arm. The hopper consists of a front wall 16, a bottom wall 17, side walls 19 and a rear guide 21. The front and bottom walls are gapped to receive forwarding rollers 26, 27 moving at approximately the same speed as the maximum speed of the feed head. A central throat knife 23 on the front wall co-operates with a supporting roller 24 so that as the lowermost card is advanced it is lifted by the roller 24 into the dotted line position shown and passes under the knife 23. All cards above the lowermost are kept back by the knife. In the form described two feed heads are provided each moving arcuately in gaps 35 in the edges of the bottom wall 17. To the end block 44 of each arm 45 a head block 37 is attached by means of a screw stud 43. The knife 41 is formed on an element 52 attached to the block 37. The centre of the axle 47 is displaced slightly inwardly of a vertical line from the rear edge of the stack. The head is shown in its rearward position, the rear ends of the cards in the stack being supported, when the head is in this position, on the surface 39 of the head. The arms 45 are cam actuated so that the head accelerates from its rearward position of rest and rapidly achieves its maximum velocity. The bottom card is therefore engaged by the knife 41 without impact and moved quickly to the bite between rollers 26, 27. During the feed and return movements of the head, the remainder of the stack is supported on the upper surface 53 of the knife element. The gaps 35 in the bottom wall 17 are kept substantially closed by the block 44 and the feeding head to avoid the possibility of the operator's fingers entering these gaps when replenishing the card stack. The feed head 37 is rotatable on the stud 43 so that the angle of the knife is automatically adjusted to the surface of the lowermost card. This compensates for warped or curled cards.