Controlled slip paper separator

Claim 1

Apparatus for feeding sheets one at a time from a stack of sheets wherein sheet picking and feeding means are employed for moving at least one sheet from said stack and separating means are employed for receiving sheets from said picking and feeding means and rejecting all but one sheet, said separator means comprising: a positively driven separator roll; a retard roll located in contact with said separator roll to form a nip therewith; a first pulley rigidly connected to the shaft of said separator roll; a second pulley rigidly connected to the shaft of said retard roll; and a continuous garter spring means situated around said first and said second pulleys for allowing said retard roll to rotate in a first direction under the influence of said separator roll due to slippage between said garter spring and at least one of said pulleys, and for driving said retard roll in a second direction when multiple sheets are in said nip, when slippage occurs between said multiple sheets, and when slippage does not occur between said garter spring and the two pulleys.