Bottom sheet feeder using separation belt and retard pad

Claim 1

Sheet feeding apparatus for feeding and separating individual sheets from a stack of sheets comprising an endless sheet separation belt including a section carried in the direction of feed by at least three belt support means, said first belt support means positioned a distance from the edge of the stack and the second positioned opposite the stack near said edge with the first and second belt support means locating the belt between them for feeding engagement with said stack of sheets, retard means including a fixedly mounted friction pad positioned adjacent said stack edge between second and third belt support means and biased against the belt to form a sheet queuing throat, and an infeed chute adjacent said retard means and angled relative to the stack to slope the sides of the stack to create a normal force between the stack and a region of the belt adjacent the second belt support means, said retard means and said infeed chute being carried by a cantilever member fixedly mounted to bias the retard means and belt against one another, said cantilever member extending over the stack of sheets and including a weight pivotally coupled thereto for exerting a force on the last few sheets in the stack requiring a simulation of stack weight for feeding engagement with the separation belt.