Improved feed mechanism for sequentially separating documents, sheets, coupons and the like.

摘要

Documents in a stack (16) are loaded into a bin (12, 14) from which an endmost document (16a) is fed by some means to a generally cylindrical drum (26) having a high friction surface (26a) which is rotationally driven about its cylindrical axis. A plurality of resilient continuous stretchable friction belts (30) of lower friction than the high friction drum surface are arranged parallel to one another around pulley supports (32, 34) positioned such that non-friction circumferential areas around cylindrical drum surface stretch the path of continuous belts between adjacent pulleys. The continuous belts are driven in the opposite direction from the high friction cylindrical surface of the drum. The opposed moving surfaces separate adjacent sheets while the belts apply a normal pressure to a document on the high friction surface so that it draws the endmost document from the stack and carries the separated single document through the mechanism by itself.