Feeding mechanism for documents or the like

Claim 1

A CYCLICALLY OPERATED FEEDING MECHANISM FOR DOCUMENTS COMPRISING: AN UPPER AND A LOWER ROLLER DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO ONE ANOTHER FOR FEEDING A DOCUMENT THEREBETWEEN; DRIVE MEANS COUPLED TO AT LEAST ONE OF SAID ROLLERS FOR CAUSING A DOCUMENT SUPPLIED TO THE PARTING LINE BETWEEN SAID ROLLERS TO BE FED THROUGH THE ROLLERS; A DEPOSITORY FOR RECEIVING DOCUMENTS FED THROUGH THE ROLLERS DISPOSED BEHIND SAID ROLLERS AT AN ELEVATION BELOW THE PARTING LINE BETWEEN SAID ROLLERS WHEREBY SEQUENTIALLY FED DOCUMENTS COME TO REST STACKED ON ONE ANOTHER; A RETAINING MEANS ADAPTED TO ENGAGE A FACE PORTION OF THE TOPMOST DOCUMENT ON THE DEPOSITORY TO MAINTAIN THE LATTER DOCUMENT IN SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT CONDITION; MEANS MOUNTING SAID RETAINING MEANS FOR ROCKING MOTION ABOUT AN AXIS WHICH IS DISPOSED ABOVE SAID PARTING LINE AND CAUSING THE RETAINING MEANS TO BE INCLINED AWAY FROM THE ROLLERS TOWARD SAID DEPOSITORY WHEREBY THE LOWER END OF SAID RETAINING MEANS IS ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE TOPMOST DOCUMENT; FURTHER MEANS COUPLED TO AT LEAST ONE OF SAID ROLLERS AND SAID RETAINING MEANS FOR CYCLICALLY ROCKING SAID RETAINING MEANS ABOUT SAID AXIS TO FREE SAID RETAINING MEANS FROM ENGAGEMENT WITH THE TOPMOST DOCUMENT TO ENABLE A SUBSEQUENT DOCUMENT FED THROUGH SAID ROLLERS TO ASSUME THE TOPMOST POSITION ON THE STACK, AND SAID FURTHER MEANS RETURNING THE RETAINING MEANS TO ITS PREVIOUS POSITION FOR ENGAGING A FACE PORTION OF SAID SUBSEQUENT DOCUMENT AFTER THE LATTER DOCUMENT HAS ASSUMED THE TOPMOST POSITION.