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.

Embodiments of a system and method for shingulating, singulating, and synchronizing articles in an article feeder system are disclosed. The article feeder system may include a shingulating device configured to receive a stack of articles and to produce a positively lapped stack of articles, a plurality of picking devices configured to pick one or more articles from the positively lapped stack of articles and to produce one or more singulated articles, and one or more synchronization devices configured to deliver the one or more singulated articles to one or more sorter windows.

Disclosed is a paper feeding device comprising a storage surface for a stack of papers, with a leading edge, a trailing edge, and a first and a second side edge. The surface is adapted to be moved vertically. The device further comprises a vacuum feeder for feeding papers from their position on the storage surface and imparting on an uppermost sheet of paper a horizontal displacement, and a blower arrangement adapted to provide a curtain of air separating the uppermost sheet of paper from the rest of the stack of papers. The blower arrangement comprises a front blower unit having air openings with a first portion adapted to create first air cones and second portions adapted to create second air cones, wherein the first air cones are different from the second air cones.

Embodiments of a system and method for singulating articles in an automatic stack feeder are disclosed. The automatic stack feeder may comprise a pressure sensor on a perforated drive belt assembly configured to sense the pressure exerted by a stack of articles. The sensed pressure may be used to control various portions of the automatic stack feeder, such as a belt or a paddle.

An insertion assembly for the continuous and automated feeding of laminar elements into a graphic printing station without the involvement of roller elements in the process, allowing the distance between the laminar elements in question to be adjusted such that adjacent laminar elements may be positioned very close to each other regardless of their length. Said assembly comprises an insertion device (1) that includes a rotating belt system on which the laminar elements (3) can be moved horizontally, and suction means, with the insertion device (1) connected to a stacking area (4) and; a pulling device (2) that includes a rotating belt system on which the laminar elements from the insertion device (1) can be moved, and suction means, with the pulling device (2) connected to a graphic printing station, said pulling device adjoining the insertion device (1) in a direction of forward motion.

In order to properly suppress a discharge defect corresponding to an image ratio of a sheet, in the case where a coefficient of friction is different according to the image ratio of an image on the sheet, an air blowing section is arranged to blow air toward a downstream side in a transport direction from between a downstream-side end portion of a first stacking section and an upstream-side end portion of a second stacking section. When an image ratio of an image on a sheet by an image forming apparatus is a first value, the air blowing section sets an air quantity blown to the sheet at a first air quantity F1, while when the image ratio is a second value higher than the first value, setting the air quantity blown to the sheet at a second air quantity F2 larger than the first air quantity F1.

A feeding device includes a suction feeding unit having a belt for feeding a sheet in a suction state and a belt driving unit, a sheet detection sensor, and a control unit. The control unit controls the belt drive unit so as to feed the sheet in a feeding direction at a first speed. If the sheet does not arrive at the sheet detection sensor, the control unit controls the belt drive unit so as to execute a low-speed feeding of moving the belt in the feeding direction at a second speed lower than the first speed or so as to execute a reverse feeding of moving the belt in a reverse feeding direction opposite to the feeding direction.

A sheet feeding device includes a sheet stacking table, an air blower, a feeder, and an air sucker. The sheet stacking table stacks a bundle of sheets. The air blower blows air to the bundle of sheets to float an uppermost sheet from the bundle of sheets. The feeder feeds the uppermost sheet. The air sucker sucks air in such a direction that a sheet in vicinity of the uppermost sheet moves away from the feeder. The air sucker includes a suction nozzle to suck air, a suction fan to generate a negative pressure, a suction duct to communicate the suction nozzle with the suction fan, and an opening-and-closing mechanism to shut off and release ventilation in the suction duct.

A feeder includes a mount board that moves vertically while allowing sheet-shaped media to be stacked thereon; a transport device allows an uppermost one of the sheet-shaped media stacked on the mount board to be sucked by a suction portion to transport the uppermost medium to a transporter and to feed the uppermost medium to a destination; left and right edge air blowers blow air to transportation left and right edge portions of upper ones of the sheet-shaped media stacked; and a tip-end air blower blows air to below the uppermost medium sucked by the suction portion from a position downstream from a transportation leading end of the uppermost medium in a transport direction. When the uppermost medium is sucked by the suction portion, the feeder performs a first operation of spacing an upwardly bent transportation leading-end portion of a second uppermost medium apart downward from the sucked uppermost medium.

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.