Shingling with controlled force and/or velocity

Device for shingling sheets in seriatim from the top of a stack comprising in combination:

• shingling-type sheet separating means operable to contact the topmost sheet of said stack, said separating means being rotatable in a plane generally parallel to the topmost sheet, and including means to apply a force to the topmost sheet at the center of rotation of said separating means;
• variable-force generating means associated with sheet separating means and operable to apply a variable force with which said sheet separating means engages said stack;
• variable-velocity rotary means operable to rotate said sheet separating means;
• sensor means operable to sense a sheet which has been shingled from said stack;
• and
• controller means responsive to said sensor means and operable to simultaneously adjust the force applied by the force generating means and the rotational velocity of the separating means.

A method for feeding sheets having a wide range of feeding characteristics and weights, said method comprising:

• rotating a rotary shingler in a plane parallel to the stack's top sheet, and with a predetermined velocity relative to a stack of sheets;
• contacting the topmost sheet in the stack with the rotary shingler;
• applying a point-force to the stack at the center of rotation of said rotary shingler;
• applying a force to load the rotary shingler onto the stack;
• increasing the load force and the rotary velocity of said shingler as a function of time;
• and
• retracting the shingler and the point-force from said stack when a sheet is separated from the stack by operation of said shingler.

A sheet handling device for feeding sheets in seriatim from a stack onto a processing station of a utilization apparatus comprising:

• means operable to support a stack of sheets;
• rotary shingler means disposed to contact the stack periodically, and to rotate in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the stack, said rotary shingler being operable to contact the stack with a variable force and velocity;
• force application means associated with said rotary shingler means, said force application means being operable to contact the stack at the center of rotation of said rotary shingler, to impart a constant restraining force so that sheets are shingled at a constant angle from said stack;
• sheet feed means disposed relative to the stack, said sheet feed means being operable to receive a shingled sheet and to reorientate the sheet to conform to a predetermined paper path;
• sheet aligner means disposed within said paper path, said sheet aligner means being operable to align a sheet traversing said path;
• and
• controller means for adjusting the variable force and velocity in timed relation with a predetermined force and velocity profile.