Document guide apparatus for pocketing documents
AssigneeNCR Corporation
InventorsBrian E. Ray, Victoria M. Lant, Robert W. Phillips
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus which facilitates the pocketing of documents in a pocket in a business machine like a sorter. As a document is to be pocketed, it is moved along a rib structure (located on a pusher plate) which has a decelerating portion thereon to decelerate the document and to move the document against a side member in the pocket as it approaches a stop member within the pocket to thereby minimize the noise created by the first few documents entering the pocket. A second rib structure positioned near the top edge of the pusher plate engages the leading edge of a document to direct the document against a side wall in the pocket to also minimize the noise mentioned.
Claims12
A document pocketing apparatus comprising:
- an upstream end of said apparatus, a downstream end of said apparatus and a feeding line positioned therebetween;
- a receiving means located at said downstream end for receiving documents to be pocketed;
- feeding means for feeding documents from said upstream end along said feeding line to said receiving means;
- said receiving means comprising:
- a first stationary member against which the leading edges of documents abut when fed into said receiving means;
- a second stationary member which forms one side of a pocket for receiving said documents to be pocketed;
- and
- a pusher plate and means for mounting said pusher plate for movement parallel to and away from said second stationary member to accommodate an increasing stack of documents as documents are pocketed in said receiving means;
- said pusher plate having a rib structure located on a side thereof facing said second stationary member;
- and
- said rib structure having an entry portion and also having a decelerating portion for decelerating the documents being fed into said receiving means prior to the leading edges thereof abutting against said first stationary member and also for moving the documents towards said second stationary member.
A pusher plate for use in a document pocketing apparatus having a pocket in which documents are pocketed, comprising:
- a generally planar member having a leading edge, a trailing edge, an upper edge, and a lower edge with regard to documents being pocketed in said pocket;
- and
- a rib structure positioned on a first side of said planar member;
- said rib structure comprising an entry portion located adjacent to said leading edge, a trailing portion located adjacent to said trailing edge, and a document decelerating portion located between said leading and trailing portions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.