U.S. patent number 3,908,982 [Application Number 05/465,668] was granted by the patent office on 1975-09-30 for infeed mechanism for sheet processing apparatus.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Glory Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha. Invention is credited to Masahiro Abe.
United States Patent |
3,908,982 |
Abe |
September 30, 1975 |
Infeed mechanism for sheet processing apparatus
Abstract
For successively feeding bills or like sheets of paper into
counting or like processing apparatus, first and second takeout
rollers are rotatably mounted in parallel spaced relationship
adjacent both lateral edges, respectively, of the sheets supported
in position on the apparatus in neat arrangement. The entire
circumferential surface of the first takeout roller is capable of
frictional contact with the foremost one of the sheets, whereas
only a portion of the circumferential surface of the second takeout
roller is capable of frictional contact with the foremost sheet.
The rotations of the first and second takeout rollers are
interrelated in such a manner that the first takeout roller is
caused to rotate in frictional contact with the foremost sheet to
shift the same toward the second takeout roller before the said
circumferential portion of the constantly rotating second takeout
roller moves into frictional contact with the foremost sheet. Thus,
each foremost one of the sheets, initially shifted slightly toward
the second takeout roller by the first takeout roller, is
succeedingly fed completely into the apparatus by the second
takeout roller.
Inventors: |
Abe; Masahiro (Himeji,
JA) |
Assignee: |
Glory Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
(JA)
|
Family
ID: |
12896806 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/465,668 |
Filed: |
April 30, 1974 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
May 10, 1973 [JA] |
|
|
48-51793 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
271/21; 271/114;
271/119 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65H
3/0661 (20130101); B65H 3/0676 (20130101); B65H
2701/1912 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65H
3/06 (20060101); B65H 003/06 () |
Field of
Search: |
;271/21,22,23,119,120,114,10 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Blunk; Evon C.
Assistant Examiner: Stoner, Jr.; Bruce H.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Wenderoth, Lind & Ponack
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. In a sheet processing apparatus wherein sheets held in neat
arrangement are successively fed into the apparatus for counting,
identifying or like purposes, an infeed mechanism comprising:
a first takeout roller rotatably supported adjacent one edge of the
neat arrangement of sheets for frictional contact with each
foremost sheet thereof;
at least one second takeout roller rotatably supported adjacent the
opposite edge of the neat arrangement of sheets in parallel spaced
relationship to said first takeout roller and including a
circumferential portion adapted for frictional contact with each
foremost one of the sheets at prescribed time intervals, said
second takeout roller being maintained in constant rotation during
operation of the apparatus; and
drive means operatively positioned for imparting the rotation of
said second takeout roller to said first takeout roller at
prescribed time intervals such that each foremost one of the sheets
is thereby frictionally caused to shift relative to the rest of the
sheets toward said second takeout roller before said
circumferential portion of said second takeout roller moves into
frictional contact with the foremost sheet, the rotation of said
first takeout roller being suspended when the shifted foremost
sheet is released therefrom, said drive means comprising a cam
roller rotatably supported in coaxial relationship to said second
takeout roller for simultaneous rotation therewith and having a
circumferential portion of increased radius, and a transmission
roller rotatably supported between said cam roller and said first
takeout roller, whereby the rotation of said second takeout roller
is frictionally conveyed to said first takeout roller only when
said circumferential portion of said cam roller is in contact with
said transmission roller, each foremost sheet initially shifted
toward said second takeout roller by said first takeout roller
being then fed into the apparatus by said circumferential portion
of said second takeout roller.
2. The infeed mechanism as recited in claim 1, further including
brake means for forcibly arresting the rotation of said first
takeout roller at the moment when the transmission of rotation to
said first takeout roller by said drive means is suspended.
3. The infeed mechanism as recited in claim 2, wherein said brake
means comprises a braking roller rotatably supported in coaxial
relationship to said second takeout roller for simultaneous
rotation therewith, said braking roller having a circumferential
portion of increased radius, an arm pivotally supported between
said braking roller and said first takeout roller, a follower
roller rotatably mounted on the free end of said arm and held in
contact with said braking roller, and a brake element mounted
intermediate between both ends of said arm, said brake element
being urged into contact with said takeout roller only when said
circumferential portion of said braking roller is in contact with
said follower roller.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to apparatus for counting,
identifying, or otherwise processing bills, bank notes, security
papers, cards or like sheets of paper (hereinafter referred to
simply as sheets). More specifically, the invention deals with an
infeed mechanism for use with such apparatus (hereinafter referred
to as sheet processing apparatus).
There are two well known types of infeed mechanism for the sheet
processing apparatus under consideration, one utilizing suction
exerted through a movable suction head, and the other utilizing
friction exerted by one or more rollers. The suction-type infeed
mechanism is disadvantageous in that it makes the overall apparatus
inconveniently bulky and complex in construction because there must
be incorporated therein a vacuum pump or the like and a mechanism
for causing the desired motion of the suction head.
While the friction-type infeed mechanism is far simpler in
configuration, it has its own drawback in connection with its
operation. In the sheet processing apparatus now under
consideration, it is of absolute necessity that the sheets to be
processed be fed into the apparatus one by one. Correct results of
sheet processing are unobtainable in the event two or more sheets
are fed simultaneously into the apparatus. Heretofore, such
erroneous feeding operation has been caused more often by the
friction-type infeed mechanism than by the suction-type
mechanism.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved
friction-tyype infeed mechanism for the above described sheet
processing apparatus whereby sheets to be processed can unfailingly
be fed one by one into the apparatus, so that the reliability of
the apparatus is greatly enhanced.
Another object of the invention is to provide, in the sheet
processing apparatus described, an infeed mechanism of extremely
simple, inexpensive and compact construction which can easily be
incorporated in the apparatus without any major alternaion of its
existing parts.
A further object of the invention is to provide, in the sheet
processing apparatus described, an infeed mechanism comprising
first and second takeout rollers which operate in such an
interrelated fashion that the foremost one of the sheets supported
in position on the apparatus in neat arrangement is first partly
separated from the rest of the sheets and is then fed completely
into the apparatus.
A further object of the invention is to provide, in the sheet
processing apparatus described, an infeed mechanism wherein the
first takeout roller is utilized not only to partly separate the
foremost sheet from the rest of the sheets but to retain the next
foremost sheet in position while the first mentioned sheet is being
further fed into the apparatus by the second takeout roller.
A still further object of the invention is to provide, in the sheet
processing apparatus described, an infeed mechanism including brake
means for forcibly arresting the rotation of the first takeout
roller at the instant the foremost sheet is released thereform upon
being partly separated from the rest of the sheets, so that the
next foremost sheet is positively retained in position while the
first mentioned sheet is being further fed into the apparatus by
the second takeout roller.
According to this invention, summarized in its perhaps broadest
aspects, there is provided an infeed mechanism for sheet processing
apparatus of the type described comprising a first takeout roller
rotatably supported adjacent one edge of sheets neatly arranged in
position on the apparatus for frictional contact with the foremost
one thereof, and at least one second takeout roller rotatably
supported adjacent the opposite edge of the sheets in parallel
spaced relationship to the first takeout roller and including a
circumferential portion adapted for frictional contact with the
foremost sheet at prescribed time intervals. The first takeout
roller is caused to rotate in frictional contact with the foremost
sheet to shift the same toward the second takeout roller before the
circumferential portion of the second takeout roller moves into
frictional contact with the foremost sheet, so that each foremost
sheet initially shifted toward the second takeout roller by the
first takeout roller is thereafter fed completely into the
apparatus by the circumferential portion of the second takeout
roller.
The features which are believed to be novel and characteristic of
this invention are set forth with particularity in the appended
claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction
and mode of operation, together with the further objects and
advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following
description of several preferred embodiments taken in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters
denote corresponding parts of the several views.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of one
example of a sheet processing apparatus incorporating the novel
concepts of this invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the same sheet processing
apparatus with a part of the casing removed to reveal some of the
internal construction;
FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a side elevational view schematically illustrating an
example of the infeed mechanism according to this invention;
FIG. 5 is a similar view schematically illustrating another
preferred embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 6(a), 6(b) and 6(c) are similar views schematically
illustrating a further preferred embodiment of the invention;
FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b) also are similar views schematically
illustrating a further preferred embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a further, and more specific,
preferred embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of the configuration of FIG.
8;
FIGS. 10(9) through 10(c) are views similar to FIG. 8 illustrating
sequential steps in the operation of the infeed mechanism of FIG.
8;
FIG. 11 is a diagram explanatory of the relationship between the
angular positions of projections on the circumferential parts of a
second takeout roller, drive roller and braking roller in the
infeed mechanism of FIG. 8; and
FIG. 12 is a side elevational view schematically illustrating a
possible modification of the infeed mechanism according to the
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The fundamental concepts of this invention are best embodied in the
configurations of FIGS. 4 and 5. As seen in the drawings, first and
second takeout rollers 1 and 2 are rotatably mounted in parallel
spaced relationship to each other adjacent both lateral edges,
respectively, of a neat arrangement of sheets P to be processed.
The first takeout roller 1 is of perfectly cylindrical shape, and
its entire circumferential surface is capable of frictional contact
with the foremost one of the sheets P. The second takeout roller 2
is of cylindrical shape with an arcuate projection 2a arranged
longitudinally on its circumference, and only this arcuate
projection 2a of the second takeout roller is capable of frictional
contact with the foremost one of the sheets P. The first takeout
roller 1 rotates at regular time intervals, and the second takeout
roller 2 rotates continuously, in the directions of the arrows
indicated respectively in the drawings.
In the configuration shown in FIG. 4, the first takeout roller 1 is
set in rotation before the arcuate projection 2a of the constantly
rotating second takeout roller moves into contact with the foremost
one of the sheets P, so that the foremost sheet becomes partly
folded about its approximately central longitudinal axis and hence
partly separated from the rest of the sheets. The rotation of the
first takeout roller is suspended when the upper edge of the
foremost sheet is released therefrom by shifting downwardly.
The configuration shown in FIG. 5 is such that when the foremost
sheet becomes partly separated from the rest of the sheets as above
stated, the first takeout roller 1 is caused to move away from the
sheets P as indicated by the arrow X in the drawing.
FIGS. 6(a) to 6(c) illustrate another preferred embodiment of the
invention, in which a cam roller 3 is mounted coaxially with the
second takeout roller 2 for simultaneous rotation therewith. The
cam roller 3 carries an arcuate projection 3a on its circumference,
and this projection 3a is displaced a predetermined angle from the
projection 2a on the second takeout roller 2, as later described
with reference to FIG. 11. The rollers 2 and 3 are held in constant
rotation during the operation of the apparatus.
A transmission roller 4 is rotatably mounted between the first
takeout roller 1 and the cam roller 3 for frictional contact with
the circumference of the former and with the arcuate projections 3a
of the latter. An idler roller 5 is further rotatably mounted under
the second takeout roller 2 for frictional contact with its arcuate
projection 2a.
In the operation of the arrangement shown in FIGS. 6(a) - 6(c), the
first takeout roller 1 is set in rotation via the transmission
roller 4 as the arcuate projection 3a on the constantly rotating
cam roller 3 moves into frictional contact with the roller 4, as
will be seen from FIG. 6(a). The rotation of the first takeout
roller 1 thus initiated is maintained as long as the transmission
roller 4 is held in frictional contact with arcuate projection 3a
on the cam roller 3. By the rotation of the first roller 1, the
foremost one of the sheets P becomes partly folded about its
approximately central longitudinal axis as its upper edge slides
downwardly by friction exerted by the first takeout roller.
Successively, the arcuate projection 2a on the second takeout
roller 2 moves into frictional contact with the foremost sheet
partly separated from the rest of the sheets by the first takeout
roller 1, thereby feeding the foremost sheet down to the idler
roller 5. The arcuate projection 2a on the second takeout roller 2
and the idler roller 5 thereafter cooperate to carry the foremost
sheet away from the rest of the sheets, as illustrated in FIGS.
6(b) and 6(c).
The above procedure is repeated as the arcuate projection 3a on the
cam roller 3 again moves into frictional contact with the
transmission roller 4 to resume the rotation of the first takeout
roller 1. In this manner each foremost sheet is successively
carried away from the rest of the stack. It will be apparent that
the first takeout roller 1 and the transmission roller 4 are both
held out of rotation while each foremost sheet is being transported
by the second takeout roller 2 and the idler roller 5, and that the
first takeout roller is set in rotation via the transmission roller
to partly separate the next sheet from the rest of the stack when
the preceding sheet has completely been carried away therefrom.
Such intermittent rotation of the first takeout roller 1 is
effected by the cam roller 3 in cooperation with the transmission
roller 4, so that the sheets P can be unfailingly fed one by one
into the sheet processing apparatus.
FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b) illustrate a slight modification of the FIG.
6(a) - 6(c) embodiment, in which the cam roller 3 of the preceding
embodiment is replaced by drive roller 6 of ordinary cylindrical
shape which is held in continuous frictional contact with the
transmission roller 4. Although the first takeout roller 1 is thus
held in constant rotation, the same is not held in constant contact
with the sheets P. Instead, the first takeout roller 1 is supported
so as to be swingable about the axis of the transmission roller 4
and is held away from the sheets P while each foremost sheet is
being carried away from the rest of the stack by the second takeout
roller 2 and the idler roller 5.
The swinging motion of the first takeout roller 1 about the axis of
the transmission roller 4 is timed with the rotation of the second
takeout roller 2, in such a way that the first takeout roller
retracts away from the sheets P when the arcuate projection 2a on
the second takeout roller moves into frictional contact with the
partly separated foremost sheet, as represented in FIG. 7(a). When
this sheet is completely carried away from the rest of the sheets
by the second takeout roller 2 in cooperation with the idler roller
5, the first takeout roller 1 is swung back into frictional contact
with the next foremost sheet, as will be seen from FIG. 7(b). Such
swinging motion of the first takeout roller 1 can be effected as by
a crank mechanism associated with the rotation of the second
takeout roller 2 and the drive roller 6.
It will be seen from the foregoing description that in all the
embodiments of the invention so far disclosed, each foremost sheet
is partly separated from the rest of the stack by the first takeout
roller 1 before the second takeout roller 2 becomes operative to
feed the sheet into the apparatus. In this manner, each foremost
sheet can be fed into the apparatus with minimum frictional
resistance offered by the next sheet, so that the sheets can be
smoothly fed into the apparatus one by one.
FIGS. 8 to 10 illustrate a further preferred, and more specific,
embodiment of the invention in which a brake mechanism is provided
to arrest the rotation of the first takeout roller 1 at the instant
each foremost sheet is partly separated from the rest of the sheets
and released from the first takeout roller. It is possible in this
way to preclude any possibility of simultaneously feeding two
successive sheet into the apparatus by the inertial rotation of the
first takeout roller 1.
As best illustrated in FIG. 8, a pair of longitudinally spaced
second takeout rollers 2 are fixedly mounted on a rotatable shaft 7
which is caused to rotate in the direction of the arrow in the
drawing. A gate roller 8 is also fixedly mounted on the rotatable
shaft 7 between the pair of takeout rollers 2. Further fixedly
mounted on the rotatable shaft 7 adjacent one end thereof are a
drive roller 9 and a braking roller 10. The rotation of the drive
roller 9 is frictionally conveyed to the transmission roller 4 and
thence to another transmission roller 11 fixedly mounted on the
same rotatable shaft 1a as the first takeout roller 1, so that the
first takeout roller is caused to rotate in the direction of the
arrow in the drawing. The idler roller 5 is rotatably mounted under
the second takeout roller 2 for cooperation therewith in the manner
previously set forth.
As will be seen from FIGS. 8 and 9, each of the second takeout
rollers 2 has the aforesaid arcuate projection 2a on its
circumference, the circumferential length of which is slightly
shorter than the width of each sheet to be fed into the apparatus.
Typically, the arcuate projection 2a may take the form of a sheet
of rubber or like material capable of frictional contact with the
surface of each sheet, such sheet of rubber or the like being
cemented onto the circumference of each second takeout roller 2.
Thus, the projection 2a on each second takeout roller 2 first
engages each foremost sheet at its leading edge 2b and feeds the
sheet into the apparatus as long as the projection remains in
contact with the idler roller 5.
Referring again to FIG. 8, the drive roller 9 fixedly mounted on
the rotatable shaft 7 also has an arcuate projection 9a on its
circumference. The leading edge of this projection 9a is disposed
in the same angular position as the leading edge 2b of the
projection 2a on each second takeout roller 2, and the trailing
edge of the projection 9a is disposed in the angular position such
that the upper edge of each foremost sheet is released from the
first takeout roller 1. The first takeout roller 1 is held in
rotation only when the projection 9a on the drive roller 9 is in
frictional contact with the transmission roller 4.
Also as best seen in FIG. 8, the aforesaid braking roller 10
fixedly mounted on the rotatable shaft 7 has an arcuate
circumferential projection 10a which is completely reversed in its
angular relationship with respect to the projection 9a on the drive
roller 9. A follower roller 12 to be actuated by the braking roller
10 is rotatably supported on the free end of an arm 14 which is
pivoted at the other end thereof on the shaft 13 rotatably
supporting the transmission roller 4. A brake element 15 which may
be in the form of a roll as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 is supported
intermediate both ends of the arm 14. Hence, each time the
projection 10a on the braking roller 10 moves into contact with the
follower roller 12, the arm 14 turns clockwise, as viewed in FIG.
9, thereby urging the brake element 15 into contact with the first
takeout roller 1 and hence preventing the same from making any
inertial rotation. The angular relationship between the projections
on the second takeout rollers 2, the drive roller 9 and the braking
roller 10 will be apparent from FIG. 11. It will be apparent that
the brake element 15 may not necessarily be in the form of a roll
as in the drawings but may take the form of, say, a projection
formed integral with the arm 14.
The aforesaid gate roller 8 rotatably mounted between the pair of
second takeout rollers 2 is adapted to define a narrow gap between
its circumference and the opposed edge of the bottom plate 16 on
which the sheets P are mounted in neat arrangement. This gap is
such that only one sheet is permitted to pass therethrough at any
given time. In this particular embodiment of the invention, a sheet
of rubber or the like is cemented onto the circumference of this
gate roller 8 in the same angular relationship to the arcuate
projections 2a on the second takeout rollers 2, as indicated at 8a
in FIG. 8, so that the gate roller also takes part in frictionally
carrying each foremost sheet away from the rest of the sheets
P.
As seen in FIG. 2, the aforesaid bottom member 16 is supported so
as to be movable toward and away from the gate roller 8 as directed
by pins 17 slidably received in their respective slots 18 and is
further energized by a spring 19. Hence, by revolving an adjusting
screw 20, the bottom member 16 will move relative to a stationary
support 21, thereby adjustably varying the width of the gap in
accordance with the thickness of each sheet to be processed.
In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 8 to 10,
the arcuate projection 2a on each second takeout roller 2 can be
made substantially equal to the other circumferential portion of
the second takeout roller, with the leading edge 2b of the
projection formed by slightly reducing the radius of the second
takeout roller itself. It is possible in this manner to feed the
lower edge of each foremost sheet into the gap between the second
takeout rollers 2 and the opposed edge of the bottom member 16.
The mechanism shown in FIGS. 8 through 10 is to be incorporated in
the sheet processing apparatus as illustrated in FIG. 3. The sheets
P to be processed are neatly accommodated in a space 23 having the
bottom member 16 and are resiliently urged toward the first and
second takeout rollers 1 and 2 by a sloping back plate 22 fixedly
supported by a movable bracket 24. A guide 25 of U-shaped cross
section which is formed substantially integral with the bracket 24
is movably supported by guide rollers 27 and 28 which are assumed
to be rotatably supported in their respective positions by the
frame 26 of the apparatus. The guide 25 is energized in the right
hand direction, as viewed in FIG. 3, by a spring 29, so that the
sheets p are resiliently urged toward the first and second takeout
rollers as previously mentioned.
Further with reference to FIG. 3, a microswitch 30 is actuated by
an integral projection 31 of the guide 25 when the back plate 22 is
manually moved back to its fully retracted position to load the
sheets P in the space 23. The microswitch 30 may be utilized, for
example, for resetting a sheet counter or the like. A sheet
counting switch mechanism 32 is acutated each time the idler roller
5 is displaced, that is, each time a sheet is fed between the idler
roller and the projection 2a of the second takeout rollers 2.
Another switch mechanism 33 is actuated when two sheets are fed
simultaneously into the apparatus. The reference numeral 34
designates a space in which processed sheets are successively
recovered by a conveyor mechanism 35 in cooperation with toothed
rollers or wheels 36.
In the operation of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the
sheets P to be processed are accommodated in the space 23 and are
urged by the sloping back plate 22 into contact at least with the
first takeout roller 1. As the entire sheet processing apparatus is
succeedingly set in operation to impart rotation to the shaft 7,
the first takeout roller 1 is caused to rotate in the arrow marked
direction before the leading edge 2b of the projection 2a on each
of the second takeout rollers 2 turns into contact with the
foremost sheet, because then the projection 9a on the drive roller
9 is in frictional contact with the transmission roller 4. The
foremost sheet is thus slightly shifted downwardly by the first
takeout roller 1, as illustrated in FIG. 10(a), and is further
carried downwardly as the leading edges 2b of the projections 2a on
the second takeout rollers 2 frictionally engage the sheet.
When the foremost sheet moves out of frictional contact with the
first takeout roller 1, the projection 9a on the drive roller 9
moves out of frictional contact with the transmission roller 4, so
that power transmission to the first takeout roller 1 is now
suspended. Simultaneously, the follower roller 12 rides over the
projection 10a on the braking roller 10, so that the brake element
15 carried by the arm 14 is forced into contact with the first
takeout roller 1, thereby preventing its inertial rotation. The
first takeout roller 1, now out of rotation as aforesaid, is thus
held in frictional contact with the next sheet to retain the same
in position against the motion of the first mentioned sheet
shifting downward in sliding contact therewith.
The foremost sheet being thus conveyed downwardly in frictional
contact with the projections 2a on the second takeout rollers 2
becomes succeedingly caught between the second takeout rollers and
the idler roller 5 and is then transported by the conveyor
mechanism 35 toward the aforementioned space 34 for recovery, as
will be seen from FIGS. 10(b) and 10(c). In the meantime, the idler
roller 5 is displaced downwardly a distance corresponding to the
thickness of each sheet traveling thereover, so that the sheet
counting switch mechanism 32 is actuated in accordance with the
prior art.
When the foremost sheet is thus completely fed into the apparatus,
the projection 10a on the braking roller 10 turns out of contact
with the follower roller 12, causing the arm 14 to swing
counterclockwise, as viewed in FIGS. 9 and 10, so that the brake
element 15 moves out of contact with the first takeout roller 1.
Simultaneously, the projection 9a on the drive roller 9 comes into
frictional contact with the transmission roller 4 to set the first
takeout roller 1 in rotation again and hence to initiate the
feeding motion of the next sheet. The foregoing procedure is
thereafter repeated to feed the successive sheets P into the
apparatus.
It may be noted that if the leading edge 2b of the projection 2a on
each of the second takeout rollers 2 is made substantially flush
with the other circumferential portion of the second takeout roller
as shown in FIG. 10, each foremost sheet can be fed smoothly into
the narrow spacing between the gate roller 8 and the opposed edge
of the bottom member 16 without being obstructed by the second
takeout rollers. Simultaneously feeding of two sheets can thus be
positively prevented.
While in all the preceding embodiments of the invention the sheets
P to be processed are arranged so as to stand on one of their
lateral edges, it will be apparent that other arrangements are
possible within the scope of this invention. For example, as
illustrated in FIG. 12, the sheets P may be stacked one upon the
other, with the first and second takeout rollers 1 and 2 rotatably
supported over the stack of sheets. In the configuration of FIG. 12
the second takeout rollers 2 may not necessarily be provided with
the arcuate projections as in the preceding examples.
It is particularly noteworthy in connection with the embodiment
shown in FIGS. 8 to 10 that since the rotation of the first takeout
roller 1 is forcibly arrested at the instant each foremost sheet is
released therefrom by shifting toward the second takeout rollers 2,
the first takeout roller is effective to frictionally retain the
next sheet in position during the feeding motion of the foremost
sheet. Any possibility of two sheets being fed simultaneously into
the apparatus is this substantially eliminated, so that the
reliability of the sheet processing apparatus equipped with the
roller-type infeed mechanism according to this invention is greatly
enhanced.
While the infeed mechanism for sheet processing apparatus according
to this invention has been shown and described hereinbefore in
terms of several preferred embodiments thereof, it is to be clearly
understood that the invention itself is not to be restricted by the
exact showing of the drawings or the description thereof. For
example, the counting means, recovery means, and so forth of the
apparatus shown in the drawings are meant only to illustrate the
invention, the utility of the infeed mechanism according to the
invention being not limited to this type of sheet processing
apparatus. It is therefore appropriate that the invention be
construed broadly.
* * * * *