US1981452A - Auxiliary feeding hopper for a document handling machine - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 20, 1934. c. J. HUGHEY AUXILIARY FEEDING HOPPER FOR A DOCUMENT HANDLING MACHINE Filed Feb. 17, 1934 Patented Nov. 20, 1934 PATENT QFFICE AUXILIARY FEEDING HOPPER FOR A DOCU- MENT HANDLING MACHINE Carter .1. Hughey,

Eastman Kodak Company,

Rochester, N. Y., assignor to Rochester, N. Y., a

corporation of New York 7 Application February 17, 1934, Serial No. 711,812

9 Claims.

The present invention relates to a guiding arrangement for a document handling and/or reproducing machine and more particularly to a guiding member for directing long documents, such as letters, ledger sheets, bills of lading, etc., onto the feeding drum of such a machine.

Relatively narrow documents, such as checks, may be more or less carelessly fed into a document handling machine from a position above the machine and a suitable straightening device will orient or right these narrow documents prior to movement by the periphery of the feeding drum. However, larger and longer documents must be more carefully introduced into the machine because a straightening device capable of righting checks will not straighten the longer documents with respect to the feeding drum less said longer documents are inclined only at a slight angle to the axis or elements of said feeding drum.

This required additional care in the introduction of the larger documents fatigues the operator quite rapidly because the arms of the operator must be held extended during the feeding 'of the long documents. Consequently, another feeding station, which includes a horizontal feeding board, is provided on the machine. Additional guide members are required for directing the, documents from the feeding board to the drum and these guide members are preferably rendered inoperative when the horizontal feeding board is not in use.

The primary object of the present invention is the provision in a photographic document reproducing machine of guide members for conducting long documents from a feeding board to a feeding drum.

Another object of the invention is the provision in a reproducing machine having a guideway ofa cover member for said guideway and for moving a guide member into and out of operative position with respect to the feeding drum.

A further object is the provision of a spring catch for resiliently holding the cover member either in open or closed position.

Other objects of the invention will be suggested to those skilled in the art by the description hereinafter.

The above and other objects of the invention are embodied in a reproducing machine having a guideway which directs documents from a feeding board to the feeding drum of the machine, including a guide member for directing documents from the guideway around said feeding drum, and including a cover member which is movable to an open position and a closed position with respect to said guideway and which is connected to said guide member for moving the same into an operative position and an inoperative position in respective open and closed positions of the cover member. A spring catch resiliently engages said cover member to hold the same in either the open position or the closed position.

Reference is hereby made to the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference characters designate similar elements and wherein:

Fig. 1 is'a vertical section through the feeding stations of a reproducing machine according to the invention with the cover member in closed position and the guide member in a corresponding 79; inoperative position.

Fig. 2 is also a vertical section through a machine according to the invention but with the cover member and guide member in open position and operative position, respectively.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the document handling machine is enclosed within a housing 10 which is provided with'a main feeding hopper 11. A feeding board 12 extends horizontally from the housing 10 8Q While a vertical wall 13 is provided in the housing adjacent the feeding board 12. An opening 14, see Fig. 2, is provided at the juncture of feeding board 12 and vertical wall 13. A vguideway 15 is located to conduct documents from the feed- 85, ing board 12 to a feeding means which will be later described in detail. A side wall 15 is located along the edges of guideway 15, is preferably in the same vertical plane as the side wall of main feeding hopper 11,- and may function to co. guide the side edges of the documents moving along the guideway 15. A recess 16 is located between the feeding board 12 and guideway 15.

The feeding means of the document handling machine is of recognized-design and includes a feeding drum 17 which is rotatably mounted upon a shaft 18 and which is provided with a plurality of circumferential grooves 19. A plurality of wires 20 are attached at one end to a rod 21 and at the other end to a rod 22. The Wires 20 make contact with a portion of the periphery of feeding drum 17 and function to hold the documents evenly against the surface of feeding drum 17.

A check straightening device is provided at the entrance to the feeding means formed by the feeding drum 1'? and plurality of wires 20 and may consist of a roller 23 mounted on a shaft 24. A document control member for operating the camera drive, not shown,. includes a plate 25 which has a plurality of lugs 26 adapted to extend into the grooves 19 of drum 17 and which is rotatably mounted upon a shaft 27.

An auxiliary feeding hopper includes the opening 14 between feeding board 12 and vertical wall 13 and the guideway 15 which is inclined from the feeding board 12 to a point adjacent the feeding drum 17. I

A cover member is movably mounted on the housing 10 of the machine and is adapted in closed position to cover the opening 14, but in open position permits the introduction of come paratively long documents, such as letters, into the opening 14 and along the guideway 15 to the periphery of feeding drum 17. The cover member is composed of a cover 28 which has a side plate 29 attached thereto. The side plate 29 is rotatably mounted on the housing 10 by means of a pivot 30 and carries a projection or abutment 31, preferably turned out of the stock of side plate 29. The cover 28 is angular in formation and has a portion 32 which is adapted in closed position of the cover member to fit into recess 16 and lie flush with the horizontal surface of feeding board 12. The cover member has another portion 33 which is preferably at right angles to the portion 32 and which is adapted in closed position of the cover to lie flush with the vertical wall 13 of the housing 10. In other words the cover member is so constructed that in closed position said cover member closes the opening 14 and has portions which are flush with the horizontal surface of the feeding board 12 and the vertical surface of the wall 13, but which in open position permits access to the opening 14, guideway 15, and feeding drum 17.

A guide member 34 is connected to the cover member and is adapted in open position of the cover member to lie upon the periphery of drum 1'7 and in closed position of the cover member to be spaced from the periphery of drum 1'7. The guide member. 34 is pivotally mounted on a rod 35 which extends from side plate 29 and has an arcuate portion 34' whichis concentric with the drum 17 and which extends lengthwise of the drum.

When the cover member is in open position, as shown in Fig. 2, the arcuate portion 34 of the guide member 34 lies or rests upon the periphery of drum 17 so that long documents, such as letters, are directed toward and evenly held against the surface of the feeding drum 17 while being fed over the feeding board 12 and guideway 15. When the cover member is moved to closed position with its portions 32 and 33 flush with feeding board 12 and vertical wall 13, respectively, the abutment 31 on side plate 29 engages the guide member 34 and swings the same away from the periphery of drum 17. This position of the guide member 34 is illustrated in Fig. 1.

A holding means cooperates with the cover member resiliently to maintain the same either in closed position or in open position. Such a holding means is conveniently provided by a spring member 36 which is mounted on the side wall of housing 10 and which has a fiat portion extending perpendicular of said side wall to press against the front edge of side plate 29 or a diagonal edge 29' of side plate 29. 'In closed position of the cover member, see Fig. 1, the holding means =or spring member 36 presses against the front edge of side plate 29 resiliently to maintain the cover member in closed position. While in open position of the cover member, see Fig. 2, the spring member 36 presses against the diagonal edge 29' of side plate 29 so that the cover member is resiliently held in open position as shown.

Minor variations of the construction illustrated are possible without exceeding the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

Having now particularly described my invention what I desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States and what I claim is:-

1. In a machine for handling documents, the combination with a housing which is provided with a guideway for documents, a feeding drum rotatablymounted within said housing and for movingdocuments therein, and a cover mounted on saidhousing, adapted in closed position to cover said guideway and adapted in open position to uncover said guideway, of a guide member connected to said cover, adapted in open position of said cover to contact said drum for directing documents therearound and adapted in closed position of said cover to be spaced from said drum.

' 2. In a machine for handling documents, the combination with a housing which is provided with a guideway for documents, a feeding drum rotatably mounted within said housing and for moving documents therein, and a cover pivotally mounted on said housing, adapted in closed position to cover said guideway and adapted in open position to uncover said guideway, of a guide member pivotally connected to said cover, adapted in open position of said cover to contact said drum for directing documents therearound and adapted in closed position of said cover to be spaced from said drum. i

3. In a machine for handling documents, the combination with a'housing which is provided with a guideway for documents, a feeding drum rotatably mounted within said housing and for moving documents therein, and a cover movable to closed and open positions for respective covering and uncovering of said guideway and including a projection, of a guide member connected to said cover, adapted in open position of said cover to contact said drum and adapted upon movement of said cover to closed position to be moved away from said drum by said projection.

4. In a machine for handling documents, the combination with a housing which is provided with a guideway for documents, a feeding drum rotatably mounted within said housing and for moving documents therein, and a cover mounted on said housing, movable to closed and open positions for respective covering and uncovering of said guideway and including a projection, of a guide member connected to said cover, adapted in open position of said cover to lie upon the periphery of said drum and adapted upon movement of said cover to closed position to be moved away from said drum against the action of gravity by said projection.

5. Ina machine for handling documents, the combination with a housing which is provided with a guideway for documents, a feeding drum rotatably mounted .within said housing and for moving documents therein, and a cover having a side plate for pivotal connection to said housing and a projection on said side plate, said cover being movable to closed and open positions for respective covering and uncovering of said guide way, of a guide member pivotally connected to the side plate of said cover, adapted in open position of said cover to contact said drum and adapted upon movement of said cover to closed position to be moved away from said drum by said projection. I

6. In a machine for handling documents, the combination with a housing having a feeding board which is provided with a recess and with a guideway for documents, and a feeding drum rotatably mounted within said housing and for moving documents therein, of a cover member pivotally connected to said housing and movable to an open position and to a closed position within said recess and flush with the surface of said feeding board, an abutment on said cover member, and a guide member pivotally connected to said cover member, adapted to rest upon the periphery of said drum in open position of said cover member, and movable away from said drum by the abutment on said cover member upon movement thereof to closed position.

'7. In a machine for handling documents, the combination with a housing having a vertical wall and an adjacent horizontal feeding board, provided with an opening at the juncture of said wall and said feeding board and provided with a recess in said feeding board, and a feeding drum rotatably mounted within said housing and for moving documents therein, of a cover member pivotally connected to said housing and movable to an open position and to a closed position within said recess, having a portion adapted in closed position to lie flush with said vertical wall and having another portion also adapted in closed position to lie within said recess and flush with the surface of said feeding board, an abutment on said cover member, and a guide member pivotally connected to said cover member, adapted to rest upon the periphery of said drum in open position of said cover member, and movable away from said drum by the abutment on said cover member upon movement thereof to closed position.

8. In a machine for handling documents, the combination with a housing which is provided with a guideway for documents, a feeding drum rotatably mounted within said housing and for moving documents therein, and a cover member mounted on said housing, adapted in closed position to cover said guideway and adapted in open position to uncover said guideway, of a guide member connected to said cover, adapted in open position of said cover to rest upon said drum and adapted in closed position of said cover to be raised above said drum, and a holding means mounted on said housing adjacent said cover member and for engaging said cover to hold the same in open position and in closed position.

9. In a machine for handling documents, the combination with a housing which is provided with a guideyay for documents, a feeding drum rotatably mounted within said housing and for moving documents therein, and a cover member movable to a closed position to cover said guideway and to an open position to uncover said guideway and having a side plate which is rotatably mounted on said housing and which is provided with a pair of edges at an angle to each other, of a spring member on said housing having a flat portion for engaging one of said edges of the side plate resiliently to maintain the cover member in closed position and for engaging the other of said edges of the side plate resiliently to maintain the cover member in open position.

CARTER. J. HUGHEY,

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