International Business Machines Corporation

Jesse Wayne Spears

Barton H Kunz

James L Bacon

Myron F Shlatz

A document feed mechanism for a copier machine incorporating an automatic document feed (ADF) with a semi-automatic document feed (SADF) and enabling the SADF to interrupt the ADF. The ADF tray upon which a stack of documents to be copied is placed is situated directly above the viewing station. A wave generator (shingler) paper feed means fans out the topmost sheets on the stack and up a ramp until the topmost sheet enters closed nip rollers. The nip rollers, together with aligner rollers and a drive belt, move the sheet around a substantially 180.degree. bend and onto the viewing station. Second sheet feeds are prevented by a restraint pad positioned between the nip rollers and the exit of the ramp, the top of the restraint pad being above the nip of the nip rollers so that the topmost sheet presses a second sheet downwardly into the restraint pad. The SADF feeds sheets onto the viewing station using the aligner rolls and the drive belt.

Document feed for a copier machine

A corona and associated electrical drive as shown herein, neutralize the static charges on non-conductive sheets or webs. The neutralization of static charge is accomplished by passing the material to be neutralized under a double wire corona. Both wires in the corona are connected to an AC signal. The AC signal drives both wires with a signal that alternates in polarity at frequency f. The wires are spaced apart a predetermined distance calculated from a function dependent upon the frequency of the AC signal and the speed of the paper moving under the corona wires. The predetermined distance is such that a given area of the paper will pass under one wire at a first polarity and under the second wire at the opposite polarity. Further enhancement of neutralization can be accomplished by using a second double wire corona out of phase with the first double wire corona. In addition the sheet or web as it passes under the corona wires is supported to prevent static charge on the support from balancing a static charge on the sheet or web. Accordingly, the only static charge present as the sheet or web moves under the corona is that charge carried by the sheet or web. The corona wires will neutralize that charge either by discharging it with oppositely charged ions or depositing oppositely charged ions to balance the charge already on the sheet or web. Thus as the sheet or web moves away from the neutralizing station the sheet or web has a net charge which is substantially zero.

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Boulder, CO, United States of America

Jesse Wayne Spears