Delivery device of piled corrugated fiberboard boxes

Claim 1

A delivery device for delivering stacked sheets of sheet materials singly, the device comprising: a hopper for receiving and holding a stack of sheets of sheet material; a front portion attached to said hopper at the front thereof, said front portion being vertically adjustable and receiving and guiding front edges of stacked sheets; a rear sheet guide attached to said hopper at the rear thereof, said rear sheet guide being vertically adjustable and receiving and guiding rear edges of stacked sheets; a front sheet receiver attached to said hopper at the lower front thereof, said front sheet receiver receiving, guiding and supporting the front edges of the stacked sheets, said front sheet receiver being disposed below a lower edge of said front portion; a rear sheet receiver attached at a fixed position to said hopper at the lower rear thereof, said rear sheet receiver being vertically adjustable and receiving, guiding and supporting rear edges of stacked sheets; a reciprocally movable kicker attached to said hopper at the lower rear thereof, said kicker being vertically adjustable and being disposed below a lower edge of said rear sheet guide and substantially rearwardly of said rear sheet receiver, said kicker reciprocating forwardly and rearwardly for pushing a lowermost sheet of the stacked sheets forwardly; said rear sheet receiver being higher than said front sheet receiver, said sheet receivers holding the stacked sheets in a forwardly and downwardly oriented position; and said rear sheet guide, said kicker, and said rear sheet receiver being respectively vertically adjusted according to the thickness of the sheets being handled, such that said kicker contacts substantially the entire thickness of the lowermost sheet of the stacked sheets when pushing the lowermost sheet.