Document feed mechanism

Claim 1

A DOCUMENT FEED MECHANISM FOR CONVEYING A DOCUMENT FROM A DOCUMENT FEEDING STATION THROUGH A COPYING STATION TO A DOCUMENT DISCHARGE STATION, THE DOCUMENT FEED MECHANISM INCLUDING A CYLINDER JOURNALED FOR ROTATION, SAID CYLINDER HAVING APERTURES IN THE PERIPHERAL SURFACE THEREOF, DOCUMENT GRIPPER MEANS CARRIED BY SAID CYLINDER, SAID DOCUMENT GRIPPER MEANS INCLUDING A ROCK SHAFT JOURNALED IN SAID CYLINDER AND EXTENDING OUT FROM OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF, SAID ROCK SHAFT BEING POSITIONED PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF SAID CYLINDER, GRIPPER FINGERS SECURED AT ONE END IN SPACED RELATION ON SAID ROCK SHAFT AND POSITIONED TO HAVE THE FREE END OF EACH GRIPPER FINGER EXTENDING THROUGH AN APERTURE IN THE PERIPHERAL SURFACE OF THE CYLINDER WHEREBY THE FREE END OF THE GRIPPER FINGERS ARE IN POSITION TO COOPERATE WITH THE PERIPHERAL SURFACE OF SAID CYLINDER TO ENGAGE THE LEADING EDGE OF A DOCUMENT, A LEVER CONNECTED TO ONE END OF SAID ROCK SHAFT, A CAM LEVER CONNECTED TO THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID ROCK SHAFT, SPRING MEANS ATTACHED TO SAID CYLINDER AND CONNECTED TO SAID LEVER FOR NORMALLY BIASING SAID GRIPPER FINGERS INTO COOPERATING RELATION WITH SAID CYLINDER, A DOCUMENT SEPARATOR LOOSELY MOUNTED ON SAID ROCK SHAFT FOR NORMALLY FREE SWINGING MOVEMENT THEREON, SAID DOCUMENT SEPARATOR HAVING AT LEAST ONE EJECTOR THEREON, SAID DOCUMENT SEPARATOR BEING POSITIONED ADJACENT TO AT LEAST ONE OF SAID GRIPPER FINGERS WHEREBY THE FREE SWINGING MOVEMENT OF SAID DOCUMENT SEPARATOR IS RESTRAINED BY THE GRIPPER FINGER WHEN THE GRIPPER FINGER IS IN THE CLOSED POSITION AND WHEREBY, THE FREE SWINGING, THE EJECTOR ON SAID DOCUMENT SEPARATOR WILL EXTEND THROUGH AN APERTURE IN THE PERIPHERAL SURFACE OF THE CYLINDER TO PUSH A DOCUMENT FROM SAID CYLINDER WHEN RELEASED BY SAID GRIPPER FINGERS, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID CYLINDER IN A PATH THROUGH A DOCUMENT FEEDING STATION, A COPYING STATION AND A DOCUMENT DISCHARGE STATION, MEANS TO HOLD AND ALIGN A DOCUMENT TANGENTIALLY TO SAID CYLINDER, SAID MEANS BEING LOCATED AT SAID DOCUMENT FEEDING STATION ADJACENT SAID CYLINDER, INTERPOSER MEANS MOVABLY POSITIONED ADJACENT SAID CYLINDER FOR MOVEMENT FROM A FIRST POSITION IN WHICH SAID INTERPOSER MEANS IS IN OPERATIVE RELATION TO SAID CAM LEVER TO OPEN SAID GRIPPER FINGERS AS THEY ARE ADVANCED THROUGH SAID DOCUMENT DISCHARGE STATION AND TO A SECOND POSITION IN WHICH SAID INTERPOSER MEANS IS OUT OF OPERATIVE RELATION TO SAID CAM LEVER, AND GRIPPER ACTUATOR MEANS POSITIONED ADJACENT SAID CYLINDER IN INTERFERENCE RELATIIOSHIP TO SAID CAM LEVER WHEN SAID GRIPPER FINGERS ARE IN AN OPEN POSITION TO CLOSE SAID GRIPPER FINGERS AS THEY ARE ADVANCED ADJACENT SAID DOCUMENT FEEDING STATION.