Pin feed tray

Claim 2

A pin feed tray for mounting on a duplicator to feed paper one sheet at a time to the duplicator comprising: a substantially stationarily mounted feed table; a pair of side guides mounted on said feed table for laterally locating a stack of paper sheets; a pair of vertical toothed guide slots disposed adjacent the leading edge of said table; a horizontal rod disposed in said guide slots adjacent said leading edge of said table, said rod having splined portions that engage said teeth in said guide slots for vertical movement within said slots; and a pair of pins carried by said horizontal rod and mounted for vertical sliding movement along said guide slots with said rod and disposed such that they overlie the leading corners of said stack of sheets.

Claim 3

The pin feed tray set forth in claim 1 further comprising spring means for biasing said rod to its lowest position in said slots and a manually operable rotatable lifter for engaging said rod and raising said pins when said lifter is rotated upwardly.

Claim 4

The pin feed tray set forth in claim 2 wherein said lifter includes front stop means for positioning said paper stack longitudinally when said lifter is in its raised position.

Claim 5

A sheet separating mechanism for use with a duplicator that comprises: a substantially stationary feed table; a pair of side guides for laterally positioning a stack of paper sheets; a pair of guide means including vertical slots disposed beyond the leading edge of said table; a rod having splined portions passing through said slots for vertical movement therein, said splined portions being adapted to be engaged within said vertical slots for vertically positioning said rod relative to said feed table; a pair of pin separators mounted on said rod and in said slots for vertical movement with said rod, said separators being disposed to overlie the leading edges of said stack of paper sheets; and a manually operable lifter that is rotatable from a position below said stack to a raised position, said lifter including a first portion that engages and slides along said rod to raise said rod and pins and including a second portion which is a front stop for longitudinally positioning said stack when said lifter is in its fully raised position.

Claim 6

A sheet separating mechanism for use with a duplicator that comprises: a substantially stationary feed table; a pair of side guides for laterally positioning a stack of paper sheets; a pair of guide means including vertical slots disposed beyond the leading edge of said table; a rod having splined portions passing through said slots for vertical movement therein, said splined portions being adapted to be engaged within said vertical slots for vertically positioning said rod relative to said feed table; a pair of pin separators mounted on said rod and in said slots for vertical movement with said rod, said separators being disposed to overlie the leading edges of said stack of paper sheets; and a manually operable lifter that is rotatable from a position below said stack to a raised position, said lifter including a first portion that engages and slides along said rod to raise said rod and pins and including a second portion which is a front stop for longitudinally positioning said stack when said lifter is in its fully raised position.

Claim 7

A pin feed tray comprising: a substantially stationarily mounted feed table; a pair of side guides mounted on said table for lateral movement toward and away from each other; a pair of vertical toothed slots mounted for movement with said side guides; a horizontal rod passing through said slots having splines engaging said teeth such that said rod may move vertically in said slots and cannot tip from the horizontal; a pair of pin separators mounted for lateral sliding movement along said rod and for vertical sliding movement within said slots as said rod is moved vertically within said slots, said pins being disposed such that they overlie the leading corners of a stack of paper sheets on said tray.

Claim 8

A pin feed tray comprising: a substantially stationarily mounted feed table; a pair of side guides mounted on said table for lateral movement toward and away from each other; a pair of vertical toothed slots mounted for movement with said side guides; a horizontal rod passing through said slots having splines engaging said teeth such that said rod may move vertically in said slots and cannot tip from the horizontal; a pair of pin separators mounted for lateral sliding movement along said rod and for vertical sliding movement within said slots as said rod is moved vertically within said slots, said pins being disposed such that they overlie the leading corners of a stack of paper sheets on said tray.

Claim 9

The pin feed tray set forth in claim 5 further comprising spring means for biasing said rod downwardly and manually operable lifter means for engaging said rod and lifting said pins to permit placement of a stack of paper sheets on said tray.

Claim 10

The pin feed tray set forth in claim 5 further comprising spring means for biasing said side guide to a position of closest proximity and manually operable means for separating said side guides to permit placement of a stack of paper sheets therebetween.

Claim 11

The pin feed tray set forth in claim 7 further comprising spring means for biasing said rod downwardly and manually operable lifter means for engaging said rod and lifting said pins to permit placement of a stack of paper sheets on said tray.