US3669446A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Document feeding apparatus
Assignee: Fujitsu Services Ltd
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Filing: 1970-09-03
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Granted: 1972-06-13
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Expires: 1990-09-03
Abstract
Abstract Document feeding apparatus has provision for supporting a stack of documents above and spaced away from a vacuum feeding drum. A suction shoe is interposed between the stack and the drum and has a depression in that face nearer to the stack. The leading edge of the lowermost document of the stack is attracted into the depression so that it is separated from the stack and a knife is moved into the gap between the attracted edge and the stack to maintain the separation. The suction shoe is then withdrawn to allow the separated edge to move into contact with the vacuum drum which then withdraws the lowermost document completely from the stack. A refinement allows the thickness of document in the depression of the vacuum shoe to be examined in order to detect the separation of more than one document or to detect failure of a document to be separated before the feeding cycle is proceeded with.
Inventors
- 👤 Roman Derc
- 👤 Ronald John Frank Eitel
- 👤 Cecil Bragg
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 21:35
CPC Classifications
B; B62; B62D; B62D7/00; B62D7/02; B62D3/00; B62D3/02; B65; B65H; B65H3/00; B65H3/08; G; G06; G06K; G06K13/00; G06K13/02; G06K13/08; G06K13/10; G06K13/107
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
143 words
Document feeding apparatus including stack means to support a stack of documents; separator means to separate and to move a portion of an outer document of the stack away from the remaining documents in the stack to form a space therebetween; sensing means responsive to the thickness of document moved away from the stack; a knife movable into the space formed between the portion of document moved away from the stack and the remainder of the documents in the stack to retain said portion away from the stack and means responsive to the sensing means sensing a thickness of separated document which differs from the thickness of a single document to withdraw the knife from and move the knife into said space to assist the separator means to separate the portion of only the outermost document from the remaining documents of the stack.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
143 words
Document feeding apparatus including stack means to support a stack of documents; separator means to separate and to move a portion of an outer document of the stack away from the remaining documents in the stack to form a space therebetween; sensing means responsive to the thickness of document moved away from the stack; a knife movable into the space formed between the portion of document moved away from the stack and the remainder of the documents in the stack to retain said portion away from the stack and means responsive to the sensing means sensing a thickness of separated document which differs from the thickness of a single document to withdraw the knife from and move the knife into said space to assist the separator means to separate the portion of only the outermost document from the remaining documents of the stack.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
36 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the separator means includes a suction source; a document engaging shoe connected to the suction source, the shoe being effective to deform the portion to form the space.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
67 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the separator means is movable between an operative position in which it is effective to move the portion away from the stack and a withdrawn position in which the portion is freE to move further from the stack and feeding means effective when the separator means is in its withdrawn position to remove the separated document from the stack.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
25 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 in which the separator means is movable in the plane of the document to be separated from the stack.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
43 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which electromagnetic means are connected to the separator means and to the knife, the electromagnetic means being selectively operable to operate the selector means and the knife to separate the portion of only the outermost document.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-06-13 | 1975-12-13 | 1976-06-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-06-13 | 1979-12-13 | 1980-06-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-06-13 | 1983-12-13 | 1984-06-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |