BOTTOM SHEET FEEDER USING SEPARATION BELT AND RETARD PAD

摘要

A sheet separation belt is positioned at the bottom of a stack in a cut-away in the tray carrying the stack. The belt is carried by three rollers. One is located a distance from the edge of the stack. Another is located near the stack edge. A retard pad is biased against the belt between the second and third rollers. An infeed chute abutts or restrains the lead edge of the stack and is sloped to slope the stack. The slope generates a normal component between the stack and belt that enhances the feeding engagement. A blade is employed to clean contaminants from the belt.