Self clearing roller feed assembly for document feed apparatus
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorGeorge Michael Yanker
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed is a rotatably powered roller feed assembly for transporting documents from a stack in a forward feed direction toward utilization apparatus, a clockspring appropriately coupled to the feed assembly for rotatably powering the feed rollers in a direction opposite to the feed direction of rotation in order to drive documents out of, and to therefore clear, the nip point of the roller assembly. The reverse rotation is initiated at the end of each feed cycle by control means, including an optical sensor assembly responsive to a document exiting the nip point, interrupting the powering of the roller assembly in the feed direction.
Claims6
Apparatus for feeding documents from the top of a stack of said documents, said apparatus composing:
- a. a first roller assembly comprising separator and restraint rollers cooperatively communicating with one another at a nip point, and a picker roller translating documents from said stack toward said nip point,
- b. respective shafts associated with said separator, restraint, and picker rollers and mounted for rotation with said rollers;
- c. means adapted to be coupled with said separator roller shaft for rotatably powering said separator roller in a feed direction, thereby to advance documents entering said nip point away from said stock,
- d. spring means coupled with said separator roller shaft for urging said separator roller in a direction of rotation opposite to said feed direction, the torque imparted to said separator roller increasing as said separator roller rotates in said feed direction, and
- e. sensor means responsive to documents exiting said nip point for uncoupling said rotatable powering means from said separator roller shaft, thereby to enable said separator roller to rotate in said opposite direction, whereby documents entering said nip point are driven back toward said stack.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.