US4146218A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Assignee: Brandt Pra Inc
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Filing: 1977-05-16
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Granted: 1979-03-27
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Expires: 1997-05-16
Abstract
Abstract Apparatus for feeding, separating, counting and stacking documents at high speed.
Inventors
- 👤 Peter J. Loftus
- 👤 John A. DiBlasio
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 10:43
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06K; G06K13/00; G06K13/02; G06K13/16
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
190 words
Apparatus for stacking sheets being fed thereto in seriatum comprising means for moving sheets towards said stacker along a feed path; said stacker comprising a base positioned a spaced distance below said feed path; a stacker plate having its upstream end positioned about said feed path and its downstream end resting upon said base a spaced distance from the upstream end of the base; said plate being curved to include a concave portion and a convex portion confronting the documents to guide the leading edge of documents along its bottom surface downwardly towards the downstream end of the plate to be stacked therebeneath; means for swingably mounting the upstream end of said plate to enable the downstream end to move upwardly as the height of the stack increases; said stacker plate including an end wall for limiting movement of said sheets in the feed direction; said convex portion including at least two sharp bends each forming a vertex which engages the documents as they pass therebeneath to slow sheets down as they move in the feed direction and to stop sheets as they attempt to rebound from said end wall.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
190 words
Apparatus for stacking sheets being fed thereto in seriatum comprising means for moving sheets towards said stacker along a feed path; said stacker comprising a base positioned a spaced distance below said feed path; a stacker plate having its upstream end positioned about said feed path and its downstream end resting upon said base a spaced distance from the upstream end of the base; said plate being curved to include a concave portion and a convex portion confronting the documents to guide the leading edge of documents along its bottom surface downwardly towards the downstream end of the plate to be stacked therebeneath; means for swingably mounting the upstream end of said plate to enable the downstream end to move upwardly as the height of the stack increases; said stacker plate including an end wall for limiting movement of said sheets in the feed direction; said convex portion including at least two sharp bends each forming a vertex which engages the documents as they pass therebeneath to slow sheets down as they move in the feed direction and to stop sheets as they attempt to rebound from said end wall.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
39 words
The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a weight mounted for slidable movement along the upper surface of the plate for adjusting the magnitude of the downward force exerted upon the stack by the downstream end of said plate.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
44 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said mounting means further comprises biasing means for exerting a force on said plate tending to lift the downstream end upwardly from said stack and thereby adjusting the force exerted upon the forming stack by said stacker plate.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
83 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least two sharp bends form a parallel pair of vertices which selectively engage the documents as they pass therebeneath to slow sheets down as they move in the feed direction and to stop sheets as they attempt to rebound from said end wall; the vertex closest to said end wall engaging documents as the stack is small and the vertices removed from the end wall successively engaging the sheets as the stack increases in height.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
42 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said antirebounding means comprises oriented fibre means for allowing sheets passing the fibre means in the feed direction to move substantially unimpeded towards said end wall to halt sheets attempting to rebound from said end wall.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
47 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said antirebounding means comprises a plurality of protrusions extending diagonally downward from the plate downstream end and towards the sheets passing therebeneath; the free ends of said protrusions being substantially sharp to "grab" sheets attempting to rebound from said end wall.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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Cited
GB789015A
Cited
US2916286A
Cited
US2991999A
Cited
DE1181132B
Cited
DE2022565A1
Cited
US3739925A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1982-03-26 | 1982-09-25 | 1983-03-27 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1986-03-26 | 1986-09-25 | 1987-03-27 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1990-03-26 | 1990-09-25 | 1991-03-27 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |