DEVICE FOR FEEDING SHEETS

1,172,481. Feeding sheets. J. V. CARSTENS. 5 June, 1968 [12 June, 1967], No. 26837/68. Heading B8R. A suction roller 1, Fig. 1, for feeding sheets, has openings 2 and is mounted on a shaft 3 on which is separately pivotable a suction shoe 4. The shoe is normally spaced from the inner surface of the drum, but when a sheet P covers some of the openings 2, the shoe is drawn against the drum and is rotated with the drum by friction until abutting a stop 6. When the sheet uncovers the openings the shoe moves out of contact with the drum and a resetting device returns it to its original position against a stop 5. In another form, Fig. 7, the shoe is at the end of the drum and its duct 12 communicates with axial ducts 9. The roller can be used to feed a sheet P into a path at right angles or at another angle to its arrival path, according to the position of the adjustable stops 5, 6, to separate sheets from the bottom of a stack, or to unfold folded sheets. In the last application, the sheet is fed with folded edge trailing, and the side not in contact with the drum moves in a straight line or is engaged by a second drum.