Apparatus for acting in turn on sheets in a pile thereof

Claim 1

IN APPARATUS FOR EXAMINING A STACK OF DOCUMENTS HELD TOGETHER AT ONE ZONE AND FREE OF EACH OTHER AT PORTIONS, THE COMBINATION OF MECHANISM OPERATING IN SUCCESSIVE CYCLES TO SEPARATE SAID PORTIONS OF THE DOCUMENTS SUCCESSIVELY IN TURN, AND INCLUDING COUNTING MECHANISM FOR THE DOCUMENTS AND DOCUMENT-SENSING MEANS RESPONSIVE, WHEN OPERATIVE, TO A PREDETERMINED PROPERTY OF A DOCUMENT TO PROVIDE A SIGNAL; SAID MECHANISM INCLUDING SUCTION-SEPARATOR MEANS, SEPARATION-INCREASING MEANS, AND A CONTROL FOR SAID DOCUMENT-SENSING MEANS; SAID SUCTIONSEPARATOR MEANS HAVING A ROTATABLE PART FOR LOCATION OPPOSITE THE FREE PORTIONS OF THE DOCUMENTS OF THE STACK AND FOR ACTUATION DURING EACH CYCLE OF THE MECHANISM TO INITIATE SEPARATION OF THE DOCUMENTS; SAID SEPARATION-INCREASING MEANS FUNCTIONING TO THE EXTENT OF INCREASING SEPARATION OF THE PORTIONS BY SAID SEPARATOR MEANS TO ENABLE SENSING OF THE DOCUMENTS BY THE DOCUMENT-SENSING MEANS AT A PREDETERMINED POINT IN THE CYCLE AND BEING OPERABLE ORBITALLY IN A PATH WHICH PASSES BETWEEN THE INITIAL POSITION OF SEPARATION OF THE PORTIONS FROM THE STACK AND THE AXIS OF SAID ROTATABLE PART, SAID PATH BEING ALSO AROUND AND ECCENTRIC WITH RESPECT TO THE SAID AXIS OF SAID ROTATABLE PART; AND SAID CONTROL RENDERING SAID DOCUMENT-SENSING MEANS OPERATIVE AT THE PREDETERMINED POINT IN THE CYCLE AT WHICH THE SEPARATED PORTION LIES ADJACENT THE DOCUMENTSENSING MEANS.