US3602369A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus for automatically reading and sorting documents
Assignee: Olivetti SpA
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Filing: 1969-07-22
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Granted: 1971-08-31
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Expires: 1989-07-22
Abstract
Abstract An apparatus for the automatic reading and sorting of documents carrying readable data printed thereon. A feed device consisting of a stripping belt frictionally engages one face of the document which is at the front of a bundle of documents located on an oscillating platform for removing the front document from the bundle, and a rejection band frictionally engages the other face of the separated document to hold back the superposed documents when more than one document is separated from the bundle. The stripped documents are then conveyed along an accelerating and aligning path, where cooperating rollers urge the documents into contact with an aligning surface, the spindles of these rollers having normally an oblique position which can be varied manually by the operator. Subsequently the documents are fed past a reading head, which on the basis of the data picked up from each document controls a sorting means for routing the documents into different collecting pockets.
Inventors
- 👤 Francesco Bernardis
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 23:00
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F7/00; G06F7/06
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
317 words
Apparatus for automatically reading and sorting documents comprising a loading container for holding a bundle of documents, said container comprising a substantially horizontal platform for engaging one edge of the documents in said bundle and being mounted on flexible supports, a fixed sideplate perpendicular to said platform and engaging another edge of the documents of said bundle, a movable thrust plate substantially perpendicular to said platform and to said sideplate and biased with constant thrust in a direction parallel to said sideplate for engaging the back of said bundle, a fixed front plate positioned opposed relationship to said thrust plate for engaging the front of said bundle and opposing the action of said thrust plate, a feed device for separating and conveying along a given path the document that is at the front of said bundle, said feed device comprising a driven belt stretched between rollers adjacent to said loading container for frictionally engaging one face of said front document, said stripping belt passing over said front plate and being interposed between said front plate and said front document whereby said front plate backs said stripping belt, said feed device further including a normally stationary rejection band disposed along said path downstream of said stripping belt for frictionally engaging the other face of said front document to hold back the superimposed documents when more than one document is separated from said bundle, a reading device for reading the data on said documents positioned along said path downstream of said feeding means, selectively operable sorting means controlled by said reading device according to the data read from said documents for routing said documents into collecting pockets located at the end of said path, and means for vibrating said platform in a direcTion perpendicular to the plane of frictional engagement between said stripping belt and said front document to facilitate the separation of said front document from said bundle.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
317 words
Apparatus for automatically reading and sorting documents comprising a loading container for holding a bundle of documents, said container comprising a substantially horizontal platform for engaging one edge of the documents in said bundle and being mounted on flexible supports, a fixed sideplate perpendicular to said platform and engaging another edge of the documents of said bundle, a movable thrust plate substantially perpendicular to said platform and to said sideplate and biased with constant thrust in a direction parallel to said sideplate for engaging the back of said bundle, a fixed front plate positioned opposed relationship to said thrust plate for engaging the front of said bundle and opposing the action of said thrust plate, a feed device for separating and conveying along a given path the document that is at the front of said bundle, said feed device comprising a driven belt stretched between rollers adjacent to said loading container for frictionally engaging one face of said front document, said stripping belt passing over said front plate and being interposed between said front plate and said front document whereby said front plate backs said stripping belt, said feed device further including a normally stationary rejection band disposed along said path downstream of said stripping belt for frictionally engaging the other face of said front document to hold back the superimposed documents when more than one document is separated from said bundle, a reading device for reading the data on said documents positioned along said path downstream of said feeding means, selectively operable sorting means controlled by said reading device according to the data read from said documents for routing said documents into collecting pockets located at the end of said path, and means for vibrating said platform in a direcTion perpendicular to the plane of frictional engagement between said stripping belt and said front document to facilitate the separation of said front document from said bundle.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
50 words
Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rejection band is normally fixed and stretched between two winding spools, said spools being manually windable moving an unutilized portion of said rejection band from one of said spools and winding a worn portion of said band on the other of said spools.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
152 words
Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said feed device includes first means for accelerating the documents along an initial portion of the path and second means acting on the documents for urging them transversely of the path against an aligning surface, said first and second means simultaneously frictionally engaging the opposite faces respectively of each of the conveyed documents, said second means comprising aligning rollers pivotable about an axis perpendicular to their axis of rotation and normally biased toward a predetermined oblique position with respect to said path, whereby, under the action of said rollers the documents are moved toward said aligning surface and after the edge of the document has come into contact with said aligning surface, said rollers pivot to a position parallel to said path, said second means further including a slider controllable by the operator for adjusting the normal angle of said rollers with respect to said path.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
92 words
Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said feed device operates step-by-step to supply one document at a time, the movement of said stripping belt being commanded by a motor selectively coupled to said stripping belt through a friction clutch, said clutch being engaged and disengaged in response to a photoelectric system located downstream of said rejection band in said path and sensing the passage of a predetermined edge of the conveyed document, whereby when said clutch is disengaged said stripping belt is not driven by said motor and does not feed documents.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
71 words
Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of said collecting pockets is defined laterally by a slidable plate urged against the documents received in said pocket, and is defined at the bottom by a movable baseplate supported by a belt mounted around pulleys, means being provided for manually shifting of said baseplate in order to vary the depth of the collecting pockets in accordance with the longitudinal dimension of the documents.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-08-30 | 1975-03-01 | 1975-08-31 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-08-30 | 1979-03-01 | 1979-08-31 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-08-30 | 1983-03-01 | 1983-08-31 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |