Alignment mechanism for processing documents

Claim 1

Alignment mechanism for document processing which transversely and vertically aligns documents to be read, said documents being transported serially at a constant rate comprising: a horizontal tray having a flat floor and a longitudinal edge extending upward from said floor; a plurality of rotating rollers with their axes at an approximately 75° angle to said longitudinal edge and parallel to said floor, each roller extending upward through a slot in said floor and slightly beyond said floor, said rollers urging said documents toward said longitudinal edge and along said edge to an end thereof; a plurality of freely rotating balls horizontally constrained and urged downward, each ball being located above and resting against one of said plurality of rollers with at least one ball associated with each roller for allowing said documents to pass between each roller and its associated ball; a read station for reading characters printed on said documents located adjacent said end of said longitudinal edge; a first and second vertically movable rollers located on both sides of said reading station for guiding said documents past said read station, said first roller being located between said plurality of rollers and said read station; a third and fourth rotating roller located above said first and second rollers, respectively, and moving said documents past said read station; a stationary upper baffle extending from said first roller toward said read station directing each document beneath said read station; a movable lower baffle pivotally connected between said first and second rollers for holding each document against said read station; and a plurality of springs urging said first and second rollers upward to squeeze each document there between.