Sheet feeding process
AssigneeThe Mead Corporation
InventorPaul F. Nzei
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention provides a process for feeding transparency sheets having a soft coating thereon from a tray of such sheets. The transparency sheets are interleaved with plain paper separator sheets in a tray so that at the front end of the tray, the ends of the plain paper separator sheets extend beyond the ends of the transparency sheets. A sheet feed means positioned adjacent the front end of the tray engages the extended end of the first of the plain paper separator sheets in the tray. At start up, the sheet feed means does not engage the transparency sheets. The sheet feed means moves the engaged plain paper separator sheet from the tray wherein the movement of the engaged plain paper separator sheet moves the adjacent transparency sheet from the tray.
Claims5
A sheet feed mechanism comprising:
- a tray having a front end in the feed direction and containing transparency sheets interleaved with plain paper separator sheets to form a stack of such sheets in which the ends of said plain paper separator sheets extend in said stack at said front end beyond the ends of said transparency sheets;
- sheet feed means positioned adjacent said front end of said tray;
- said sheet feed means having a sheet-engaging portion positioned exclusively in engagement with the extended portion of the first plain paper separator sheet of said stack of sheets in said tray;
- and
- said feed means operable to dispense said first plain paper separator sheet from said stack of sheets and carry a said transparency sheet therewith as a unit.
The method of feeding sheets of transparency material in which said sheets have an easily damaged soft coating thereon, comprising the steps of:
- interleaving said transparency sheets with plain paper separator sheets in a feed tray to form a stack of said sheets and positioning the plain paper sheets to extend outwardly of the transparency sheets in said stack, so that exposed portions of the separator sheets are engageable by a sheet feed mechanism without engaging the transparency sheets, and
- exclusively engaging said exposed plain paper separator sheet portions by a paper feed mechanism and causing movement of the engaged sheet in a feed direction, thereby carrying the associated transparency sheet therewith as a unit.
A sheet feed mechanism for dispensing soft coated transparency sheets interleaved with plain paper separator sheets from a stack of such sheets in a tray for protecting said transparency sheets against damage by the feed mechanism, comprising:
- discrete portions of said plain paper separator sheets extending in said stack beyond a terminal edge of said associated transparency sheets,
- sheet feed means having a sheet-engaging portion positioned for exclusively engaging said plain paper separator sheet discrete extended portions without engaging the associated said transparency sheet,
- said sheet feed means being operable to dispense the engaged said plain paper separator sheet from said stack and the associated sadi transparency sheet as a unit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.