Sheet feed mechanism

Claim 1

IN A SHEET FEEDING APPARATUS HAVING A PAIR OF CONVEYOR CHAINS ADAPTED TO TRANSPORT A SHEET GRIPPER DEVICE FROM A SHEET RECEIVING STATION TO A SHEET DELIVERY STATION, WHEREIN THE SHEET GRRIPPING DEVICE INCLUDES A GRIPPER BAR SECURED TO SAID CONVEYOR CHAINS TRANSVERSELY THEREBETWEEN, A SHEET GRIPPER JAW PORTION ON SAIGRIPPER BAR SERVING AS A COMMON LOWER GRRIPPER JAW, AND APERTURES AND ELONGATED SLOTS THEREIN POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID GRIPPER JAW PORTION AND THE LEADING EDGE OF SAID GRIPPER BAR AS DETERMINED BY ITS DIRECTION OF TRAVEL AS CONVEYED BY SAID CONVEYOR CHAINS, A PLURALITY OF PINS SECURED TO THE LEADING EDGE OF SAID GRIPPER BAR, A PLURALITY OF GRIPPERS PIVOTABLY SECURED TO SAID PINS ON SAID GRIPPER BAR, EACH OF SAID GRIPPERS HAVING A CENTRALLY LOCATED DEPENDING TANG PORTION TERMINATING IN A CURVED-LIP PORTION, SAI D DEPENDING TANG PORTION EXTENDING THROUGH ONE OF SAID ELONGATED SLOTS, JAW PORTIONS POSITIONED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID DEPENDING CENTRAL TANG PORTION ADAPTED TO COOPERATE WITH SAID COMMON LOWER GRIPPER JAW TO GRIP THE LEADING EDGE OF A SHET THEREBETWEEN, A PLURALITY OF SPRINGS, EACH OF SAID SPRINGS BEING FORMED WITH A CENTRAL PORTION, COILED PORTIONNS ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE CENTTRAL PORTION AND WITH BENTT ARMS AT OPPOSITE EXTREMITIES THEREOF, EACH OF SAID SPRINGS BEING MOUNTED WITH ITS COILED PORTIONS ENCIRCLING A PIN ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE GRIPPER WITH WHIC IT COOPERATES AND WITH THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THESPRING ENGAGING THE CURVED-LIP PORTION OF THE GRIPPER AND WITH THE BENT ARM PORTIONS EXTENDING THROUGH APERTURES IN THE SHEET GRIPPER JAW PORTION TO ENGAGE THE UNDERSIDE OF THE GRIPPER BAR TO NORMALLY BIAS THE GRIPPERS INTO COOPERATING RELATION WITH THE LOWE GRIPPER JAW, AND SAID DEPENDING TANG PORTION BEING ADAPTED TO BE ACTUATED BY CAMS LOCATED ADJACENT AND BETWEEN SAID CONVEYOR CHAINS AT SAID SHEET RECEIVING STATION AND SAID SHEET DELIVERY STATION.