Articulated document feeder
AssigneeBell & Howell Phillipsburg Company
InventorsJames N. Driscoll, Michael R. Drago
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An articulated document feeder and diverter which allows pivoting and rotation about two mutually perpendicular axis of rotation to thereby allow idle rollers mounted on a pivotable carrier to maintain contact with drive rollers, whether a divert pivoting occurs or not. Compliance members, preferably resilient O-rings mounted on the periphery of the idle rollers, help to absorb unevenness in the contact face between an idle roller and a drive roller/s/.
Claims9
In document feeding apparatus including idle rollers cooperating with drive roller means, said idle rollers spaced along the axis of rotation of the idle rollers and transversely to the document feed direction, the improvement comprising:
- first housing means for supporting a first set of transversely spaced idle rollers, and
- first means, including a pivot bearing, allowing the first housing means and the first set of idle rollers supported thereby to pivot about an axis that is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said first set of idle rollers, and
- drive roller means cooperating with said first set of idle rollers whereby each one of said first set of idle rollers retains a cooperative relationship with the drive roller means despite unevenness in a contact face between an idle roller and the drive roller means, and
- resilient compliance means disposed as to adapt to said unevenness in the contact face.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.