High performance sheet-feeder mechanism
AssigneeGrapha-Holding AG
InventorGunther Schick
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A feeder mechanism for feeding single sheets, folios or multiple-ply material of paper or the like to subsequent processing machinery. A stack of sheets is partially tilted and edge portions of the front sheet are grasped and bent over by alternately approaching suction devices. While one of the suction devices engages the edge portion of one sheet, the previously detached sheet is being engaged by a conveyor wheel which pulls it completely from the stack.
Claims6
A sheet feeder apparatus, comprising receiver means for holding a supply of overlapping flexible sheets which include a foremost sheet having an edge portion that is exposed at one side thereof and a plurality of next-following sheets each having an edge portion which faces the edge portion of the preceding sheet;
- a plurality of staggered suction-operated sheet withdrawing devices;
- means for moving successive devices along discrete paths having sections extending along said edge portions of the foremost and next-following sheets of said supply so that a preceding device engages and deflects said edge portion of the foremost sheet away from the edge portion of the immediately following sheet and the oncoming device engages and deflects the thus exposed edge portion of the immediately following sheet, said moving means including discrete supports for said devices and means for articulately coupling said devices to the respective supports so that each device can lie substantially flush against the edge portion of the adjacent sheet during movement along said section of the respective path;
- and conveyor means including means for engaging the deflected edge portions of successive sheets and for transporting such sheets away from said supply.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.