Document delivery apparatus

Claim 1

IN DELIVERY APPARATUS FOR RECEIVING FLEXIBLE PAPER DOCUMENTS OF VARIOUS LENGTHS BETWEEN A MINIMUM LENGTH L1 AND A MAXIMUM LENGTH L2, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING UPPER AND LOWER COUNTER-ROTATING FEED ROLLERS HAVING RUNNING SURFACE CONTACT IN A PLANE OF TANGENCY, A TRAY DISPOSED BENEATH SAID PLANE OF TANGENCY TO RECEIVE DOCUMENTS PASSED THROUGH SAID FEED ROLLERS, MEANS FOR ENGAGING AND STOPPING THE LEADING EDGES OF DOCUMENTS PASSED THROUGH SAID FEED ROLLERS, A ROTATING STACKING ROLLER FRICTIONALLY ENGAGED WITH THE UPPER MOST DOCUMENT IN THE TRAY AND URGING IT AGAINST SAID STOPPING MEANS, THE DISTANCE D1 BETWEEN SAID FEED ROLLERS AND SAID STACKING ROLLER BEING SUFFICIENTLY SHORT THAT A DOCUMENT OF MINIMUM LENGTH L1 HAS ITS LEADING EDGE ENGAGED WITH THE STACKING ROLLER BEFORE ITS TRAILING EDGE LEAVES SAID FEED ROLLERS, THE DISTANCE D2 BETWEEN SAID STOPPING MEANS AND SAID STACKING ROLLER BEING LESS THAN SAID MINIMUM LENGTH L1, THE DISTANCE D BETWEEN SAID STOPPING MEANS AND SAID FEED ROLLERS BEING LESS THAN THE MAXIMUM DOCUMENT LENGTH L2 AND GREATER THAN THE MINIMUM DOCUMENT LENGTH L1, THE DROOP DISTANCE DD FROM SAID FEED ROLLERS BEING GREATER THAN (D-L1) SO THAT DOCUMENTS ARE RECEIVED SUCCESSIVELY ON TOP OF ONE ANOTHER IN SAID TRAY, AND MEANS FORMING TOOTHLIKE RIDGES ON THE SURFACE OF SAID LOWER FEED ROLLER TO CATCH AND TUCK THE TRAILING EDGES OF DOCUMENTS GREATER IN LENGTH THAN THE DISTANCE D INTO SAID TRAY.