Multiple sheet indicator apparatus and method

Claim 1

Apparatus for indicating the thickness of sheets moving in a sheet path, which sheets may be overlapped, skewed, or folded, comprising: a plurality of fingers which contact said sheets in a plurality of locations in the sheet path; a body interconnecting said fingers; a target surface plane responsive to the sheet thicknesses contacted by each of said plurality of fingers, said plane exhibiting a displacement from a reference position indicative of the thicknesses contacted by each of said fingers; and signal generating means generating signals according to the displacement of said plane.

Claim 16

A method for dispensing sheets individually from a sheet dispensing machine, in which machine a plurality of sheets generally travel individually and aligned in a sheet path to a sheet dispensing station, but which sheets may be skewed or overlapped with other sheets, comprising the steps of: moving said sheets in a first direction in the sheet path; applying to said sheets a means for separating and aligning said sheets; sensing sheet thickness at a plurality of locations traverse of the sheet path; generating a first signal indicative of the thickness sensed at each of said locations; comparing said first signal to a reference signal, said signals having a predetermined relationship when a sheet is aligned in the sheet path and not overlapped with said other sheets; delivering said sheet to the sheet dispensing station in response to said signals having the predetermined relationship; moving said sheets in a second direction in the sheet path opposite said first direction beyond said separating and aligning means in response to said signals not having the predetermined relationship; whereby said method steps are repeated until said sheet is delivered at the sheet dispersing station.

Claim 17

A method for dispensing sheets individually from a sheet dispensing machine, in which machine a plurality of sheets generally travel individually and aligned in a sheet path to a sheet dispensing station, but which sheets may be skewed or overlapped with other sheets, comprising the steps of: moving said sheets in a first direction in the sheet path; applying to said sheets a means for separating and aligning said sheets; sensing sheet thickness at a plurality of locations traverse of the sheet path; generating a first signal indicative of the thickness sensed at each of said locations; comparing said first signal to a reference signal, said signals having a predetermined relationship when a sheet is aligned in the sheet path and not overlapped with said other sheets; delivering said sheet to the sheet dispensing station in response to said signals having the predetermined relationship; moving said sheets in a second direction in the sheet path opposite said first direction beyond said separating and aligning means in response to said signals not having the predetermined relationship; whereby said method steps are repeated until said sheet is delivered at the sheet dispersing station.

Claim 18

A method for identifying a sheet as a regular single sheet for dispense from a sheet dispensing machine which sheet may be skewed, said sheet having a width and a thickness, comprising the steps of: moving said sheet on movement means in a sheet path; sensing sheet thickness at a first location and a second location traverse of the sheet path, said first and second locations spaced a first distance; generating a first signal in response to sensing said sheet thickness at one of said locations and generating a second signal in response to sensing said sheet thickness at both of said locations; measuring a second distance traveled by said movement means between first generation of said first signal and first generation of said second signal; calculating from said first and second distances an angle said sheet is skewed in the sheet path; calculating a third distance from said width and said angle, over which said second signal is expected to be generated; measuring a fourth distance traveled by said movement means over which said second signal is generated; and comparing said fourth distance to said third distance, whereby said sheet is identified when said third and fourth distances are equal.

Claim 19

A method for identifying a sheet as a regular single sheet for dispense from a sheet dispensing machine which sheet may be skewed, said sheet having a width and a thickness, comprising the steps of: moving said sheet on movement means in a sheet path; sensing sheet thickness at a first location and a second location traverse of the sheet path, said first and second locations spaced a first distance; generating a first signal in response to sensing said sheet thickness at one of said locations and generating a second signal in response to sensing said sheet thickness at both of said locations; measuring a second distance traveled by said movement means between first generation of said first signal and first generation of said second signal; calculating from said first and second distances an angle said sheet is skewed in the sheet path; calculating a third distance from said width and said angle, over which said second signal is expected to be generated; measuring a fourth distance traveled by said movement means over which said second signal is generated; and comparing said fourth distance to said third distance, whereby said sheet is identified when said third and fourth distances are equal.

Claim 21

A method for identifying first and second sheets as regular sheets for dispense together from a sheet dispensing machine which sheets are skewed, overlapped, or continguous, said sheet having a uniform width and uniform thickness, comprising the steps of: moving said sheets on movement means in a sheet path; sensing sheet thickness at a first location and a second location traverse of the sheet path, said first and second locations spaced a first distance; generating a first signal in response to sensing a single sheet thickness at oen of said locations, a second signal in response to sensing said single sheet thickness at both of asid locations, a third signal in response to sensing as double sheet thickness at one of said locations and said single sheet thickness at the other of said locations, and a fourth signal in response to sensing said double sheet thickness at both of said locations; measuring a second distance traveled by said movement means between first generation of said first signal and first generation of said second signal; calculating from said first and second distances, a first angle said first sheet is skewed in said sheet path; measuring a third distance traveled by said movement means between first generation of said second and third signals; measuring a fourth distance traveled by said movemnet means between first generation of said third and fourth signals; calculating from said first and fourth distances a second angle which said second sheet is skewed in the sheet path; calculating from said first angle said third distance and said second angle, a fifth distance over which said second signal is expected to be generated and a sixth distance over which said fourth signal is expected to be generated; measuring a seventh distance traveled by said movement means over which said second signal is generated and an eighth distance traveled by said movement means over which said fourth signal is generated; comparing with comparing means said fifth and seventh distances and said sixth and eighth distances, whereby said sheets are identified when said compared distances are equal.

Claim 22

A method for identifying first and second sheets as regular sheets for dispense together from a sheet dispensing machine which sheets are skewed, overlapped, or continguous, said sheet having a uniform width and uniform thickness, comprising the steps of: moving said sheets on movement means in a sheet path; sensing sheet thickness at a first location and a second location traverse of the sheet path, said first and second locations spaced a first distance; generating a first signal in response to sensing a single sheet thickness at oen of said locations, a second signal in response to sensing said single sheet thickness at both of asid locations, a third signal in response to sensing as double sheet thickness at one of said locations and said single sheet thickness at the other of said locations, and a fourth signal in response to sensing said double sheet thickness at both of said locations; measuring a second distance traveled by said movement means between first generation of said first signal and first generation of said second signal; calculating from said first and second distances, a first angle said first sheet is skewed in said sheet path; measuring a third distance traveled by said movement means between first generation of said second and third signals; measuring a fourth distance traveled by said movemnet means between first generation of said third and fourth signals; calculating from said first and fourth distances a second angle which said second sheet is skewed in the sheet path; calculating from said first angle said third distance and said second angle, a fifth distance over which said second signal is expected to be generated and a sixth distance over which said fourth signal is expected to be generated; measuring a seventh distance traveled by said movement means over which said second signal is generated and an eighth distance traveled by said movement means over which said fourth signal is generated; comparing with comparing means said fifth and seventh distances and said sixth and eighth distances, whereby said sheets are identified when said compared distances are equal.