The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 30, 1999
Filed:
Dec. 30, 1996
David R Auerbach, Redding, CT (US);
Rocco J DiCrescenzo, New Milford, CT (US);
Joseph Guiles, Prospect, CT (US);
Richard F Stengl, Wolcott, CT (US);
Pitney Bowes Inc., Stamford, CA (US);
Abstract
A separating and feeding machine is disclosed for removing a succession of bound booklets or the like from a supply hopper adapted to hold a stack of the booklets for feeding them to a subsequent apparatus for further processing. The separating and feeding machine includes a reciprocating vacuum feed plate disposed in the bottom of the hopper for advancing the bottom booklet through a discharge opening to a take away feed mechanism, and includes first and second stage separating mechanism which initially maintains at least the bottom two booklets in the hopper in shingled relationship to expose a marginal portion thereof adjacent the bound edge so that a pressing member can maintain a normal force on the exposed marginal portion of the bottom booklet to prevent it from wrinkling and becoming jammed in the discharge opening while the vacuum feed plate is moving it toward the discharge opening. The second stage separating separater further ensures that only one booklet at a time can pass through the discharge opening.