De La Rue International Limited

John Gerwyn Price

Phillip Michael William Ireland

Gareth James Ayre

Deborah Suzanne Taylor

Roger Walter Bolton

Sheet counting apparatus includes a set of rotatably mounted suction spindles mounted for movement past a stack of sheets to be counted. A vacuum is connected to the spindles. As a suction spindle passes the stack, the vacuum is supplied to the spindle so that the topmost sheet is deflected from its initial position. A monitor monitors the number of deflected sheets by monitoring the degree of vacuum within the suction spindle passing the stack. The monitor increments a count on each occasion when the monitored vacuum exceeds a predetermined level threshold for a predetermined time.

Sheet counting apparatus and method

Sheet counting apparatus comprises a sheet support (,) for holding a stack of sheets (,) to be counted. A sheet feed device (,) moves the sheets individually from a first position to a second position while they remain held together in the stack (,). A counter (,) monitors movement of the sheet as it is moved from the first position to the second position, and increments a count when such movement is detected.

A sheet dispensing apparatus includes at least one pair of sheet stores, and a transport system for transporting sheets from the stores to a dispense position. The transport system includes, for each pair of sheet stores, a common feed member which, upon relative movement between the common feed member and the stores, can be moved between a pair of feed positions in each of which it engages a sheet in a respective one of the pair of stores so as to enable sheet(s) to be withdrawn from the corresponding store. The common feed member is able to take up also a neutral position in which, even if actuated, no sheets are fed from either store.

Growing community of inventors

Hants, United Kingdom

John Gerwyn Price