A stand-alone self-service document shredding machine that receives the documents, shreds them, and securely stores the shredded documents in a receiving bin for later removal. There is a feeder mechanism that feeds the documents yet protects the user from injury when the shredder machine is operating. The shredded documents are disbursed across the receiving bin. The user interfaces with the shredding machine by means of a touch screen and can pay with a credit or debit card or an account set up online.

A stand-alone self-service document shredding machine that receives the documents, shreds them, and securely stores the shredded documents in a receiving bin for later removal. There is a feeder mechanism that feeds the documents yet protects the user from injury when the shredder machine is operating. The shredded documents are disbursed across the receiving bin. The user interfaces with the shredding machine by means of a touch screen and can pay with a credit or debit card or an account set up online.

A paper feed mechanism includes: a paper storage to store sheets of paper; an air blowing unit disposed on each of both sides of the paper storage in a second direction orthogonal to a first direction corresponding to a paper conveyance direction, in which the air blowing unit blows air to a side end of each of the sheets of paper in the paper storage to float one or some of the sheets of paper in the paper storage; and a paper conveyance unit disposed above the paper storage, in which the paper conveyance unit holds, by suction, an uppermost sheet of paper among the floated sheets of paper, and conveys the uppermost sheet of paper. An air blowing position of the air blowing unit is changeable in the first direction according to information about the sheets of paper.

A paper feed mechanism includes: a paper storage to store sheets of paper; an air blowing unit disposed on each of both sides of the paper storage in a second direction orthogonal to a first direction corresponding to a paper conveyance direction, in which the air blowing unit blows air to a side end of each of the sheets of paper in the paper storage to float one or some of the sheets of paper in the paper storage; and a paper conveyance unit disposed above the paper storage, in which the paper conveyance unit holds, by suction, an uppermost sheet of paper among the floated sheets of paper, and conveys the uppermost sheet of paper. An air blowing position of the air blowing unit is changeable in the first direction according to information about the sheets of paper.

The control apparatus includes an acquisition unit, an air volume setting unit, and an air blow control unit. The air volume setting unit sets a volume of air to be blown toward the plurality of sheets from a separation blower based on the information on the processing job acquired by the acquisition unit or by manipulation of a user. When the air volume is changed from a first air volume to a second air volume different from the first air volume by the user, the air volume setting unit maintains the air volume as the second air volume, irrespective of the information on the processing job acquired by the acquisition unit, until the air volume is changed from the second air volume to an air volume different from the second air volume by the user.

A device for reducing rotation of an article during singulation of a stack of articles is disclosed. The device may include a torsion element, a rotatable member configured to rotate about an elongated axis of the torsion element between a first position and a second position, and a revolving member coupled to the rotatable member. An outer surface of the revolving member contacts a drive belt in the first position and an article in the second position. The torsion element exerts torque on the rotatable member when it moves from the first position towards the second position. The torque causes the outer surface of the revolving member to apply a frictional force to the article, thereby minimizing rotation of the article. Systems and methods of singulating articles are also disclosed.

A medium feeding device includes: a medium mounting section that a medium is mounted; a feeding unit that feeds the medium in a feeding direction; a separation unit that separates the medium with the feeding unit; an operation detection unit that is disposed at a position facing a surface of the medium in the medium mounting section and detects a movement of the medium in the feeding direction; an interval forming unit that forms an interval in the feeding direction between a trailing end of a first medium which is the lowest medium fed among media mounted on the medium mounting section and a trailing end of a second medium which is bound with the first medium and stacked on the first medium; and a control unit that stops feeding of the medium based on a detection interval by a detection value of the operation detection unit.

A medium feeding device includes: a medium mounting section that a medium is mounted; a feeding unit that feeds the medium in a feeding direction; a separation unit that separates the medium with the feeding unit; an operation detection unit that is disposed at a position facing a surface of the medium in the medium mounting section and detects a movement of the medium in the feeding direction; an interval forming unit that forms an interval in the feeding direction between a trailing end of a first medium which is the lowest medium fed among media mounted on the medium mounting section and a trailing end of a second medium which is bound with the first medium and stacked on the first medium; and a control unit that stops feeding of the medium based on a detection interval by a detection value of the operation detection unit.

A suction fan of a sheet feeder sucks in air through a sheet feeding belt to generate flotation air. The suction fan uses the flotation air to attract set sheets by suction. A belt motor rotates a sheet feeding belt and feeds out a sheet of the set sheets. An interval measurer measures a sheet-to-sheet interval when the suction fan is attracting the sheet by suction. Based on an output of the interval measurer, a controller recognizes the sheet-to-sheet interval. Based on the recognized sheet-to-sheet interval, the controller adjusts a flow rate of the flotation air.

A suction fan of a sheet feeder sucks in air through a sheet feeding belt to generate flotation air. The suction fan uses the flotation air to attract set sheets by suction. A belt motor rotates a sheet feeding belt and feeds out a sheet of the set sheets. An interval measurer measures a sheet-to-sheet interval when the suction fan is attracting the sheet by suction. Based on an output of the interval measurer, a controller recognizes the sheet-to-sheet interval. Based on the recognized sheet-to-sheet interval, the controller adjusts a flow rate of the flotation air.