Method and device for removing documents from a platen

Claim 1

In an electrostatic copying machine in which precollated documents are to be copied and then removed from a platen and stacked, an improved document handling device comprising: a frame; a cover member positiOned on said frame for holding a stack of documents to be copied, said cover member being adapted for sliding movement on said frame across the platen, said frame being formed with parallel slots contiguous to the platen, said slots extending in a linear path and then bifurcating with a first path which curves upwardly above the platen then linearly across the platen and then downwardly towards the platen and with a second path extending linearly and joining to the first path, said cover member having a plurality of pin members received in said slots whereby upon sliding said cover member in a first direction it moves upwardly above the platen and then downwardly towards the platen contacting a document thereon and upon moving in a reverse direction removes the document from the platen after copying thereof and slides it into a receiving tray on the frame.

Claim 4

A method of copying documents on a copying machine wherein precollated documents are copied from a stack and then removed from the platen and restacked in collated fashion comprising the steps of positioning a stack of documents on a sliding cover adjacent to the platen, removing a first document to be copied and placing it on the platen, sliding the cover over the platen such that the bottom of the cover comes into contact with the document, copying the document, sliding the cover in a reverse direction carrying the document which has been copied with it and depositing it to a stacking area, placing the next document on the top of the platen area and repeating the before mentioned steps until all the documents have been copied.

Claim 5

A method of copying documents on a copying machine wherein precollated documents are copied from a stack and then removed from the platen and restacked in collated fashion comprising the steps of positioning a stack of documents on a sliding cover adjacent to the platen, removing a first document to be copied and placing it on the platen, sliding the cover over the platen such that the bottom of the cover comes into contact with the document, copying the document, sliding the cover in a reverse direction carrying the document which has been copied with it and depositing it to a stacking area, placing the next document on the top of the platen area and repeating the before mentioned steps until all the documents have been copied.