Self-adjusting interlock actuator for a hinged cover

An apparatus comprising:

• a document processing system including a feeder stage and a transport stage;
• the feeder stage including a hopper assembly and a feeder wherein the feeder acts to feed documents singly, in order, from a stack of documents in the hopper assembly;
• the transport stage being downstream of the feeder stage for receiving the fed documents;
• the document processing system including a plurality of machine elements;
• a hinged operator-access cover which protects operators from at least one machine element and cooperates with an interlock switch to disable the at least one machine element when the cover is opened;
• a self-adjusting interlock actuator assembly composed of a cover hinge attaching the cover to the system and defining a hinge axis for the cover, a pivoting switch actuator having a pivot axis with respect to the system, and a spring means connecting the cover hinge to the pivoting switch actuator;
• wherein the spring means is arranged such that the pivoting switch actuator is driven by the cover hinge via the spring means to actuate the interlock switch when the cover is closed, whereby rotating the cover hinge about the hinge axis causes the pivoting switch actuator to rotate about the pivot axis thereby causing the pivoting switch actuator to actuate the interlock switch.