US3260402A

US3260402A - Sheet dispensing device

Info

Publication number: US3260402A
Application number: US367651A
Authority: US
Inventors: Norman N Lareau; Carl H Zirngibl
Original assignee: Eastman Kodak Co
Current assignee: Eastman Kodak Co
Priority date: 1964-05-15
Filing date: 1964-05-15
Publication date: 1966-07-12
Anticipated expiration: 1983-07-12
Also published as: BE663753A

Description

July 12, 1966 N. N. LAREAU ETAL 3,260,402

SHEET DISPENSING DEVICE Filed May 15, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 NORMAN N- LAREAU CARL H- ZIRNGIBL INVEN ORS AZLQM ATTORNEYS July 12, 1966 N. N. LAREAU ETAL 3,250,402

SHEET DISPENSING DEVICE Filed May 15, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG5 FIG- NORMAN N- LAREAU CARL H-ZIRNGIBL INVENTORS A T TORNE YS United States Patent Ofiice 3,260,4ti2 SHEET DHSPENSENG DEVICE Norman N. Lareau, Fairport, and Carl H. Zirngihi,

Rochester, N.Y., assignors to Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed May 15, 1964, Ser. No. 367,651 3 Qiaims. (Ci. 22l t) This invention relates generally to sheet feeding, and more specifically to an improved sheet dispensing device.

Dispensing devices for feeding single sheets 'of material are well known in the art. However, none of such devices satisfactorily fulfills certain desirable requirements for sheet dispensers such as easy loading, the feeding of single sheets of material with good reliability, the ability to easily accommodate the return of a sheet into the dispenser after it has been inadvertently dispensed, and means for constantly indicating quantity of sheets of material in the dispenser. Applicants improved sheet dispensing device is believed to satisfactorily fulfill all of the above-stated requirements.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an improved sheet dispensing device that will reliably feed single sheets of material from a stack.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved sheet dispensing device that is extremely easy to load with sheets of material.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved sheet dispensing device in which an inadvertently advanced or dispensed sheet may be returned to the dispensing device with ease.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sheet dispensing device that is of simple design and construction, thoroughly reliable and efficient in operation, and economical to manufacture.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved sheet dispensing device having means therein for selectively serving the dual function of indicating the quantity of sheets in the dispensing device, and withdrawing a sheet feeding roller from the sheets of material for loading purposes.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved sheet dispensing device designed so that several of them may be stacked, one upon the other, to give a selection of different sheet sizes and kinds of material with a minimum of table space.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved sheet dispensing device having a sheet feeding roller, a breaking mechanism of simple design to limit rotation of the roller to one direction, and a drawer for a stack of sheet material upon which the roller bears, and adapted when reciprocally moved from and to a normal closed position to feed a single sheet of material.

Objects and advantages other than those set forth above will be apparent from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sheet dispensing device constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of this invention, and showing the drawer thereof in an open position;

3,260,4fi2 Patented July 12, 1956 FIG. 2 is a side elevation view, partly in section of the sheet dispensing device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, segmental view showing the sheet dispensing device with the drawer in a closed position, and a sheet in the process of being dispensed therefrom;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation View of a sheet feeding roller and locking mechanism therefor, and the position assumed thereby upon movement of the drawer to its open position; and

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing the position of the roller and locking mechanism upon movement of the drawer to its normal closed position.

Referring to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of a sheet dispensing device according to the present invention is disclosed in FIG. 1 as comprising an open ended housing or cabinet 6 for slidably receiving a boxshaped drawer 8 having an open top. The cabinet 6 comprises a three-walled cover 10 to which a base plate 12 having upwardly extending sides 14 is secured by means of ramped ribs 16 on cover 10 extending into notches 18 in the sides. Since cover lil is flat, a plurality of the devices, each having a different sheet size or kind of material, may be stacked one upon the other so that a number of sheet sizes and kinds of material are available in a minimum of table space. The drawer 8 has a handle 2% on its front end to facilitate manual movement of drawer 8 by an operator between open and closed positions. The handle 20 may further have a depression or pocket on its outer surface, not shown, for receiving a label identifying the type of material placed in drawer 8. A spring 22 (see FIG. 2) is interposed between plate 12 and drawer 8 with one end thereof secured to 2. lug 24 on plate 12, and the opposite end secured to a hook 26 on drawer 8 for biasing the drawer into its normally closed position in which shoulders 28 on handle 20 engage the front end of cover It The lower surface of drawer 8 further has a rib 30 along each side thereof (see FIG. 3) which cooperates with a front lip 32 of plate 12 when the operator lifts up slightly on the front end of drawer 8 and moves rib 30 over lip 32 and into engagement with the other side thereof for releasably holding drawer 8 in its open position for loading or the like. The drawer 8 further has a vertically extending partition 34 spanning the side walls thereof with lugs 36 along its bottom and ends selectively cooperating with slots in the drawer to provide an adjustable backstop to accommodate various lengths of sheets 38 of paper or some other material.

The mechanism for feeding sheets 38 in cooperation with movement of drawer 8 between its open and closed positions, comprises a shaft 40 rotatably mounted on the underside of cover It with one end of shaft 40 extending through a side of cover 10, and another portion thereof nesting in a slot 42 (shown dotted in FIG. 1) in cover 10 and held therein by a cover plate 44. The shaft 49 has a crank arm 46 with a U-shaped end 48 transverse thereto having one leg 50 thereof rotatably supporting a roller 52 of soft rubber or polyurethane foam material. The roller 52 is pivoted along with end 48 and arm 46 about the axis of shaft 40, and is urged by the combined action of a torsion spring 53 and gravity into engagement with the top sheet of a stack of sheet material 38 placed in drawer 8. A lever 54 secured to one end of shaft 40 provides a handle 'by which roller 52 may be withdrawn from the stack of sheets 38 upon manual movement of handle 54 in a counterclockwise direction. In addition, indicia 56 may be provided on the side of the cabinet such as the designations full and empty and increments therebetween over which the end of handle travels depending upon the position of roller 52 for indicating the quantity of sheets 38 in drawer 8.

In order to feed sheets 38, it is necessary that roller 52 be free to turn in a counterclockwise direction about leg 50 as drawer 8 is withdrawn from cabinet 10, but to be locked to prevent rotation in the clockwise direction when drawer 8 is returned to its closed position. This is accomplished by a flat plate 58 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) of substantially the same width as roller 52 having one end 60 thereof pivotally mounted to leg 62 of U-shaped end 48, and its opposite end having a lip 64 thereon for engaging the periphery of roller 52. It is obvious from an examination of FIG. 4 that counterclockwise rotation of roller 52 will impart a force to plate 58 tending to move it in a counterclockwise direction about leg 62 and out of interference with roller 52. On the other hand (see FIG. 5), the forces developed by roller 52 when an attempt is made to rotate it in a clockwise direction acting on lip 64 of plate 58 tends to move the plate in a clockwise direction about leg 62 causing lip 64 thereof to be forced into engagement with the periphery of roller 52 and to lock it from rotation.

In order to prevent double or multiple feeding of sheets 38, the front end of drawer 8 functions as a deflector of a U-shaped cross section as seen in FIG. 3, one portion 66 of which is slanted at an angle of substantially 45 with respect to the plane of the sheets 38 of material, and the upper portion 68 thereof reverses and extends toward cabinet 10 at approximately an angle of 135. A strip of friction material 70 such as emery paper is secured by any suitable means to the inner surface of the

portions

66, 68 at their apex, with one end thereof bearing against a shoulder 72 to provide a smooth surface.

In the operation of this invention, when a drawer 8 having a stack of sheets 38 placed therein is withdrawn from cabinet 10 toward the open position, the stack of sheets 38 which are engaged by roller 52 impart rotation to the roller in a counterclockwise direction about leg 50. Movement of the stack of sheets 38, in addition, tends to pivotally move roller 52 and arm 46 about the axis of shaft 40 in a counterclockwise direction against the bias of spring 53, thereby reducing the amount of frictional force applied to the stack of sheets 38 by roller 52. When drawer 8 is returned to its closed position, the stack of sheets 38 tends to move roller 52 in a clockwise direction about leg 50, and the arm 46 and roller 52 in a clockwise direction about the axis of shaft 40. This action immediately causes locking plate 58 to lock roller 52 preventing a clockwise rotation thereof, and further increases the force directed downwardly against the stack of sheets 38 by roller 52 over that due to spring 53 and gravity alone. The locked roller 52 frictionally holds the upper sheet or sheets 38 of the stack while drawer 8 and the remaining sheets are moved inwardly toward the closed position. As drawer 8 is moved inwardly, the leading end of the held sheets 38 engages portion 66 and is directed upwardly therealong and into engagement with the surface of the friction material 70. The friction material 70 essentially prevents further forward movement of the upper sheets 38 so that continued movement of drawer 8 will cause the leading end of the uppermost sheet in most instances to bow outwardly as shown dotted in FIG. 3, and then to pop loose, extending partially above portion 68 of drawer 8 as shown in full lines in FIG. 3. In other instances, the leading end of the uppermost one of the sheets 38 slides along the friction material 70 while the leading end of the next sheet is held back thereby. Consequently, when drawer 8 is in its fully closed position, the leading end of the top sheet 38 will be extending partially out of the drawer 8, and may be manually removed therefrom.

The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention as described hereinabove and as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a sheet dispensing device, the combination comprising:

a housing; a drawer supported by said housing for receiving a stack of sheets to be fed therefrom one at a time, and movable relative to said housing to and from an initial position to feed a sheet;

a feed roller;

means for rotatably supporting said roller and movable between an operative position in which said roller is in rolling engagement with the uppermost sheet in said stack of sheets and its axis of rotation is fixed relative to the path of movement of said drawer, and an inoperative position in which said roller is removed from engagement with said stack of sheets to allow insertion of sheets into said drawer; and

breaking means cooperating with the periphery of said roller when in its operative position to allow said roller to be rotated in one direction due to its engagement with the uppermost sheet in said stack of sheets as said drawer is moved from its initial position, and to prevent rotation of said roller in the opposite direction to hold the uppermost sheet against movement as said drawer is returned to its initial position whereby said uppermost sheet is fed from said stack of sheets.

2. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said braking means comprises an arm pivoted at one end, and having a lip on its other end in engagement with the periphery of said roller.

3. The invention according to claim 1, and further including means on said drawer for separating sheets so that only one sheet at a time is fed out of said drawer.

4. The invention according to claim 3 wherein said separating means comprises a U-shaped deflector for deflecting the upper sheets upwardly and backwardly, said deflector having a friction surface.

5. The invention according to claim 4 wherein said friction surface is provided by a strip of emery paper secured to said deflector.

6. The invention according to claim 5, and further including an indicia means, said roller supporting means having a handle for moving said supporting means to its inoperative position, and cooperating with said indicia means in the operative position of said supporting means to indicate the amount of sheets in said drawer.

7. In a sheet dispensing device, the combination comprising:

an open ended housing;

a drawer slidably supported by said housing for receiving a stack of sheets to be fed one at a time, and movable to and from a closed position to feed a sheet;

a feed roller;

a support member pivotally supported by said housing and having a U-shaped end for rotatably supporting said feed roller, said member having a handle by which said support member may be moved between an operative position in which said roller is in pressure engagement with said stack of sheets, and an inoperative position in which said roller is removed from engagement with said stack of sheets to allow insertion of sheets into said drawer; and

an arm having one end pivotally supported by said U-shaped end and a lip on its other end cooperating 5 6 with the periphery of said roller when in its operative References Cited by the Examiner position to allow said roller to be rotated in one UNITED STATES PATENTS direction due to its engagement with the uppermost sheet in said stack of sheets as said drawer is moved 3081285 11/1884 Sedgewlck 271-19 from its initial position, and to prevent rotation of 5 588,056 8/ 1897 y 221259 X said roller in the opposite direction to hold the up- 1,960,482 9 Duncan 27122 X permost sheet against movement as said drawer is 2,451,382 10/1948 Davis 221-186 X returned to its initial position whereby said upper- 2,872,189 2/1959 Robinson 27154 most sheet is fed from said stack of sheets. 3,126,122 3/ 1964 Sacre 221-43 8. The invention according to claim 7, and further in- 10 eluding an indicia means on said housing, said handle co- BENSON WOOD, Primary Examineroperating with said indicia means in the operative position ROBERT REEVES Examiner of said support member to indicate the amount of sheets i id drawer R. A. SCHACHER, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. IN A SHEET DISPENSING DEVICE, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING: A HOUSING; A DRAWER SUPPORTED BY SAID HOUSING FOR RECEIVING A STACK OF SHEETS TO BE FED THEREFROM ONE AT A TIME, AND MOVABLE RELATIVE TO SAID HOUSING TO AND FROM AN INITIAL POSITION TO FEED, A SHEET; A FEED ROLLER; MEANS FOR ROTATABLY SUPPORTING SAID ROLLER AND MOVABLE BETWEEN AN OPERATIVE POSITION IN WHICH SAID ROLLER IS IN ROLLING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE UPPERMOST SHEET IN SAID STACK OF SHEETS AND ITS AXIS OF ROTATION IS FIXED RELATIVE TO THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF SAID DRAWER, AND AN INOPERATIVE POSITION IN WHICH SAID ROLLER IS REMOVED FROM ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID STACK OF SHEETS TO ALLOW INSERTION OF SHEETS INTO SAID DRAWER; AND BREAKING MEANS COOPERATING WITH THE PERIPHERY OF SAID ROLLER WHEN IN ITS OPERATIVE POSITION TO ALLOW SAID ROLLER TO BE ROTATED IN ONE DIRECTION DUE TO ITS ENGAGEMENT WITH THE UPPERMOST SHEET IN SAID STACK OF SHEETS AS SAID DRAWER IS MOVED FROM ITS INITIAL POSITION, AND TO PREVENT ROTATION OF SAID ROLLER IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION TO HOLD THE UPPERMOST SHEET AGAINST MOVEMENT AS SAID DRAWER IS RETURNED TO ITS INITIAL POSITION WHEREBY SAID UPPERMOST SHEET IS FED FROM SAID STACK OF SHEETS.