High speed document handler

A document handler comprising:

• a document stack hopper means defining a hopper-plate surface for supporting documents in said hopper and further including a lipped contour plate defining a lip surface adjacent to said hopper-plate surface but rising with substantial abruptness from said hopper-plate surface, to form a barrier surface which documents fed from said hopper-plate surface must climb, said lip surface forming a fillet or concave junction with said hopper-plate surface;
• and
• feed means situated adjacent said contour plate at said lip surface for engaging a document from a stack on said hopper-plate surface;
• driving said document toward said lip surface;
• and driving said document over the lip surface on said contour plate.

A document handler comprising:

• a document hopper forming a hopper surface for supporting documents to be fed;
• a means forming a receiving surface;
• a lipped contour plate located between said document hopper and said receiving surface means and forming a lip surface adjacent to said hopper surface but rising with substantial abruptness from said hopper surface to said receiving surface, thereby forming a barrier surface which documents fed from said hopper surface to said receiving surface must climb, said lip surface forming a fillet or concave junction with said hopper plate surface;
• feed roller means having a feed roller thereon for engaging the foremost document of a stack thereof located in said document hopper and delivering said foremost document over said lip surface to said receiving surface;
• and
• means for adjusting said roller means fore and aft in a direction substantially parallel to the plane of said hopper surface to adjust the force with which the document to be fed engages the lip surface on said contour plate.

In a document handling apparatus having a first surface over which documents travel to a lipped contour plate defining a lip surface adjacent to said first surface but rising smoothly with substantial abruptness from first surface to a tracking plate surface, thereby forming a barrier surface which documents fed from said first surface to said tracking plate surface must climb, said lip surface having at least one groove therein, and a tracking plate for forming said tracking plate surface, said tracking plate surface having a tracking plate groove therein;

• the method of transporting a document comprising the steps of:
• initially moving said document toward said groove in said lip surface at a first accelerating speed;
• bending said document over said lip on said contour plate and distorting said document into said groove in said lip surface;
• completing motion of said document over said lip surface at a higher speed;
• and
• distorting said document into said groove on said tracking plate while moving said document therealong at yet a higher speed.