Sheet feeding means

Claim 1

IN EQUIPMENT FOR SUCCESSIVELY FEEDING THE BOTTOM SHEET OF A STACK OF SAID SHEETS ALONG A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL FEED PATH TO ADDITIONAL APPARATUS POSITIONED FORWARD OF SAID EQUIPMENT; SIDE GUIDES ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID PATH FOR MAINTAINING THE STACK IN POSITION TRANSVERSE TO SAID PATH, REAR GAUGE MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID STACK AT THE REAR THEREOF, A FEED SLAT FOR SUPPORTING SAID STACK AT THE FRONT THEREOF, FRONT GAUGE MEANS POSITIONED ABOVE SAID SLAT TO DEFINE A SPACE BETWEEN THE LOWER END OF SAID GAUGE MEANS AND SAID SLAT EQUAL TO SLIGHTLY MORE THAN THE THICKNESS OF ONE SHEET AND LESS THAN THE THICKNESS OF TWO SHEETS, FIRST MEANS FOR RECIPROCATING SAID SLAT ALONG THE SAME PATH FOR FORWARD AND REARWARD MOVEMENT ALONG SAID FEED PATH, SAID SLAT HAVING A PLURALITY OF APERTURES IN THE TOP SURFACE THEREOF, SAID APERTURES BEING POSITIONED AT SAID FRONT GAUGE WHEN SAID SLAT IS IN ITS MOST REARWARD POSITION, MEANS FOR APPLYING SUCTION AT SAID APERTURES WHILE SAID SLAT IS MOVING FORWARD FROM ITS MOST REARWARD POSITION; A ROLLER MEANS INCLUDING OPPOSED UPPER AND LOWER ROLLERS WITH THE LOWER ROLLER BEING CONSTRUCTED OF A PLURALITY OF AXIALLY SPACED WHEELS, SAID UPPER ROLLER INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF AXIALLY SPACED WHEEL-LIKE FIRST PORTIONS AND A PLURALITY OF AXIALLY SPACED WHEEL-LIKE SECOND PORTIONS INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID FIRST PORTIONS, SAID FIRST AND SAID SECOND PORTIONS BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL DIAMETERS, SAID SLAT INCLUDING FORWARDLY EXTENDING ARMS MOVABLE BETWEEN SAID WHEELS FOR DELIVERY OF SAID SHEETS TO THE NIP FORMED BY SAID WHEELS AND SAID FIRST PORTIONS, AND MEANS FOR DRIVING OF SAID ROLLER MEANS FOR TRANSFER OF SHEETS BY SAID ROLLER MEANS TO THE ADDITIONAL APPARATUS, SAID SECOND PORTIONS POSITIONED ABOVE AND CONFRONTING SAID ARMS WHEN SAID ARMS ARE POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID WHEELS TO ENGAGE SHEETS BEING DELIVERED BY SAID SLAT, SAID ARMS HAVING TOP SURFACES COPLANAR WITH THE UPPER PERIPHERAL SURFACES OF SAID WHEELS AND COOPERATING THEREWITH TO FORM AN EXTENSIVE SURFACE OPPOSITE SAID UPPER ROLLER WHEN SHEETS DELIVERED TO SAID NIP ARE ENGAGED BY SAID ROLLER MEANS.