Sheet feeding apparatus

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR REMOVING SHEETS ONE BY ONE FROM THE FRONT OF A STACK OF SHEETS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A CONTINUOUSLY ROTATING FEEDING DRUM, THE AXIS OF WHICH IS IN FIXED POSITION AND THE CYLINDRICAL PERIPHERY OF WHICH IS PROVIDED WITH A CIRCULAR GROOVE, MEANS FOR CARRYING SAID STACK OF SHEETS AND URGING IT TOWARDS SAID DRUM IN SUCH MANNER AS TO BRING THE FRONT SHEET OF THE STACK IN A FIXED PLANE WHICH IS TANGENT TO SAID CYLINDRICAL PERIPHERY OF THE DRUM SUBSTANTIALLY ALONG THE LEADING EDGE OF SAID FRONT SHEET, MEANS FOR PERMANENTLY CREATING A LOW AIR PRESSURE ALONG THE FRONT FACE OF SAID FRONT SHEET IN THE VICINITY OF ITS LEADING EDGE, A STATIONARY AIR BLOWING NOZZLE SO POSITIONED AS TO DIRECT A JET OF AIR TOWARDS THE CYLINDRICAL PERIPHERY OF THE DRUM IN THE VICINITY OF THE LEADING EDGE OF THE FRONT SHEET, A GRIPPER ROCKINGLY MOUNTED TO SWING INTO AND OUT OF SAID CIRCULAR GROOVE OF THE DRUM, SAID GRIPPER IN ITS SPACED POSITION OUT OF SAID GROOVE, PRESSING THE LEADING EDGE OF SAID FRONT SHEET AGAINST THE STACK AND KEEPING SAID EDGE OUT OF CONTACT WITH SAID DRUM, WHEREAS SAID GRIPPER IN ITS RETRACTED POSITION INSIDE SAID GROOVE DOES NOT KEEP SAID EDGE OF SAID FRONT SHEET OUT OF CONTACT WITH SAID DRUM, WHEREBY THE LEADING EDGE OF SAID FRONT SHEET IS DRAWN AWAY FROM THE STACK, AS SOON AS SAID GRIPPER SWINGS INTO THE CIRCULAR GROOVE, BY VIRTUE OF THE LOW AIR PRESSURE EXISTING ALONG THE FRONT FACE OF SAID FRONT SHEET, WHILE THE NEXT SHEET OF THE STACK IS KEPT SEPARATED FROM THE FRONT SHEET BY THE AIR BLOWN FROM SAID AIR BLOWING NOZZLE.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR REMOVING SHEETS ONE BY ONE FROM THE FRONT OF A STACK OF SHEETS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A CONTINUOUSLY ROTATING FEEDING DRUM, THE AXIS OF WHICH IS IN FIXED POSITION AND THE CYLINDRICAL PERIPHERY OF WHICH IS PROVIDED WITH A CIRCULAR GROOVE, MEANS FOR CARRYING SAID STACK OF SHEETS AND URGING IT TOWARDS SAID DRUM IN SUCH MANNER AS TO BRING THE FRONT SHEET OF THE STACK IN A FIXED PLANE WHICH IS TANGENT TO SAID CYLINDRICAL PERIPHERY OF THE DRUM SUBSTANTIALLY ALONG THE LEADING EDGE OF SAID FRONT SHEET, MEANS FOR PERMANENTLY CREATING A LOW AIR PRESSURE ALONG THE FRONT FACE OF SAID FRONT SHEET IN THE VICINITY OF ITS LEADING EDGE, A STATIONARY AIR BLOWING NOZZLE SO POSITIONED AS TO DIRECT A JET OF AIR TOWARDS THE CYLINDRICAL PERIPHERY OF THE DRUM IN THE VICINITY OF THE LEADING EDGE OF THE FRONT SHEET, A GRIPPER ROCKINGLY MOUNTED TO SWING INTO AND OUT OF SAID CIRCULAR GROOVE OF THE DRUM, SAID GRIPPER IN ITS SPACED POSITION OUT OF SAID GROOVE, PRESSING THE LEADING EDGE OF SAID FRONT SHEET AGAINST THE STACK AND KEEPING SAID EDGE OUT OF CONTACT WITH SAID DRUM, WHEREAS SAID GRIPPER IN ITS RETRACTED POSITION INSIDE SAID GROOVE DOES NOT KEEP SAID EDGE OF SAID FRONT SHEET OUT OF CONTACT WITH SAID DRUM, WHEREBY THE LEADING EDGE OF SAID FRONT SHEET IS DRAWN AWAY FROM THE STACK, AS SOON AS SAID GRIPPER SWINGS INTO THE CIRCULAR GROOVE, BY VIRTUE OF THE LOW AIR PRESSURE EXISTING ALONG THE FRONT FACE OF SAID FRONT SHEET, WHILE THE NEXT SHEET OF THE STACK IS KEPT SEPARATED FROM THE FRONT SHEET BY THE AIR BLOWN FROM SAID AIR BLOWING NOZZLE.