Document feed device with pin tractor assembly

A document feed device for feeding a sheet of material having longitudinally spaced perforations, comprising:

• a frame;
• a feed shaft supported by the frame, said feed shaft defining an axis;
• a platen having a cylindrical surface, said platen being rotatable around the shaft axis;
• a paper guide member located under the platen in close vicinity to the platen so as to define a path between the platen and the paper guide member, through which the sheet of material is passed;
• a pin tractor member rotatable with the feed shaft and slidable along the axis of the shaft, said pin tractor member having substantially the same diameter as that of the platen and including a sleeve portion which projects along the axis of the shaft;
• a number of feed pins radially distributed along the axis of the shaft inside the pin tractor member and individually engaging the perforations of the sheet of material;
• a body member supported by the sleeve portion of the pin tractor member for joint axial movement of the body member with the pin tractor member and rotation of the body member relative to the pin tractor member;
• and
• axial guide means for guiding the body member together with the pin tractor member to move along the axis of the shaft, said guide means including a first portion extending radially from the body member and a second portion mounted on the paper guide member, with the first portion being slidably engaged with the second portion so as to slide along the axis of the shaft, said first portion including a pair of projecting bars formed integrally on the body member for elastic deformation and spaced parallel to each other so as to define an engaging space portion therebetween, and said second portion including a guide rail formed integrally on the paper guide member to slidably engage with the paired projecting bars.