A method and apparatus for processing documents are provided. The apparatus includes a feeder for receiving a packet of a plurality of documents and separating the documents to serially feed the documents to a scanner. A retard adjacent the feeder is operable in first and second positions. In the first position the retard forms a nip with the feeder so that the retard is operable to impede the progress of one or more documents in the packet while the feeder feeds one of the documents in the packet. In the second position, the retard is spaced apart from the feeder to form a gap between the feeder and the retard. The system further includes a sensor for detecting a characteristic of the documents in a packet indicative of whether the number of documents in the packet exceeds a predetermined threshold. A drive mechanism automatically drives the retard pad between the first and second positions in response to the detected characteristic.

A mail processing system utilizes a conveyor to shingle or de-shingle mailpieces as they move through the processing system and utilizes belts to move the mailpieces. A first shingling conveyor moves a first mailpiece to overlap with a second mailpiece to create shingled mailpieces. A second shingling conveyor moves a first mailpiece away from a second mailpiece to de-shingle them to create singulated mailpieces. A camera takes images of the mailpieces in the conveyor and image analysis software is used to determine dimensional aspects of the mailpieces that are used to control the belt speeds to move mailpieces with respect to each other. A mail processing system may include a mail processing station that scans addresses, applies postage and/or weighs the mailpieces. Mail may be de-shingled prior to being weighed and then re-shingled for subsequent processing, or mail may shingled prior to passing through a scale if weighing is not necessary.

An apparatus for separating blanks from a stack of blanks includes a drive shaft that interacts with the drive unit and that drives a belt arranged in a cassette. The drive shaft is neither enclosed nor carried by the cassette. A reversible securing means secures the cassette to a carrying structure of the apparatus in a detachable manner in such a way that the cassette can be repeatedly removed or detached and then refitted.

The invention relates to a machine for dispensing perfume-testing supports, comprising support storage means for storing a batch of supports, support-dispensing means for transporting the supports one by one to a delivery point, and support impregnation means for depositing a perfume sample on each dispensed support, before the dispensing thereof. The dispensing means comprise support-marking means for marking each dispensed support at the moment of the dispensing thereof, the marking means and the impregnation means being automatically actuated during the dispensing process.

A substrate-feeding device has at least two acceleration devices, which are arranged one beside the other, beneath a storage region, and having a framework and a lifting frame, which lifting frame can be moved relative to the framework. The at least two acceleration devices are arranged for movement jointly with one another, and with the lifting frame. Each of the acceleration devices has at least one body of rotation, which is driven via a common shaft which has at least two shaft portions arranged one behind the other. Directly adjacent shaft portions are arranged in a state in which they are connected in each case, via a coupling. There are subassemblies provided which each have a deflecting device, a shaft portion and at least one transporting belt and which are each one of fastened on the lifting frame, and are arranged for movement jointly with the lifting frame and are connected to one another by virtue of their shaft portions being connected via couplings to form the common shaft. The invention also relates to a sheet-processing machine.

A mail singulator system determines a position of an optical panel to automatically adjust a loading conveyor speed to prevent stacked and overlapped mailpieces in the singulator and large gaps between mailpieces. The optical panel is configured between the front mailpiece of a mail stack on the loading conveyor and the optical sensor. The optical panel changes position with the pressure exerted by the mail stack and provides signals to the controller to adjust the conveyor speed. An optical sensor may detect a far threshold position or limit distance to increase the speed of the conveyor and may detect a near threshold position of limit distance to reduce the speed of the conveyor. The optical panel may have a low friction surface to allow the mail to slide into the conveyor and an optical surface to allow reliable optical sensor detection of the optical panel position.

A friction sheet feeding machine is provided. The friction sheet feeding machine comprises a hopper configured to hold a stack of items. The friction sheet feeding machine also comprises a receiver configured to receive an item from the stack of items. The friction sheet feeding machine also comprises a separating mechanism configured to separate the item from the stack of items. The separating mechanism comprises a drive mechanism. The drive mechanism is configured to operate in a forward direction and a reverse direction. The friction sheet feeding machine also comprises a controller configured to generate signals to the drive mechanism to operate in the forward direction for a first period of time, and in the reverse direction for a second period of time.

A multichannel paper feeding system in connection to a vertical storage is disclosed. The multichannel paper feeding system includes a main loop transport device, an internal loop transport device, a plurality of take-out devices, and a plurality of take-out conveyor belts, all of which are disposed between the vertical storage and a cutting machine. The main loop transport device transports a paper roll placed on a main loop rack from the vertical storage to the internal loop transport device, where a main push rod then pushes the paper roll onto an internal loop rack, and the internal loop transport device transports the internal loop rack next to a take-out conveyor belt. The take-out device moves the paper roll from the internal loop rack to the corresponding take-out conveyor belt so that the paper roll can be transported further downstream to a post-processing station for cutting or packaging. Through the internal loop transport device, not only can more take-out conveyor belts be added and may the post-processing production be increased, the transport quality of the paper rolls is also enhanced.

A multichannel paper feeding system in connection to a vertical storage is disclosed. The multichannel paper feeding system includes a main loop transport device, an internal loop transport device, a plurality of take-out devices, and a plurality of take-out conveyor belts, all of which are disposed between the vertical storage and a cutting machine. The main loop transport device transports a paper roll placed on a main loop rack from the vertical storage to the internal loop transport device, where a main push rod then pushes the paper roll onto an internal loop rack, and the internal loop transport device transports the internal loop rack next to a take-out conveyor belt. The take-out device moves the paper roll from the internal loop rack to the corresponding take-out conveyor belt so that the paper roll can be transported further downstream to a post-processing station for cutting or packaging. Through the internal loop transport device, not only can more take-out conveyor belts be added and may the post-processing production be increased, the transport quality of the paper rolls is also enhanced.

A tiltenator of a media separator module (integrated within a valuable media depository) adaptively controls pressure maintained against a bunch of media as individual items from the bunch are fed through the media separator module.