Sheet feeding mechanism

Abstract

A sheet handling path extending from an entrance location to an exit location is provided by a small diameter rotatable roller and several parallel transversely spaced flexible belts. At the exit location, several deflector arms mounted on an actuator shaft initially deflect the leading portion of an exiting sheet towards the forward wall of an underlying receiving tray. An exit roller may also be provided at the exit location. After the leading edge of a sheet has reached the forward wall and the sheet has started to form a buckle, the deflector arms are rotated to a remote position permitting the sheet to be translated rearwardly by friction between the overlying flexible belts and the sheet until a trailing edge of the sheet springs clear of the belts and settles under its own weight into the receiving tray. In accordance with one embodiment, the mechanism for rotating the deflector arms from the deflecting position to the remote position provides a compliant resistive force to the deflector arms so that the buckle will tend to displace the arms away from their active position and the sheet buckle will form without jamming or creasing regardless of the height of the stack in the tray. In accordance with another embodiment, the distance from the exit location to the front of the stack is essentially constant for various stack heights and the arms are rotated to their remote position as soon as the leading edge is in contact with the forward wall of the tray. A simple override mechanism enables the device to provide the document collation (inversion) function, or a direct exit feed function in which the deflector arms are maintained in the remote position.