Sheet feeding or delivering – Feeding – Pack holders
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-28
2001-02-06
Walsh, Donald P. (Department: 3653)
Sheet feeding or delivering
Feeding
Pack holders
C271S265040, C271S155000, C271S097000, C271S126000, C271S128000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06182962
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for and a method of separating sheet material, such as e.g. banknotes, from a stack.
2. Description of Related Art
Such an apparatus is known for example from DE-OS 34 47 777. By means of a movable pressure plate, a stack disposed on the pressure plate is fed towards a withdrawal means. The withdrawal means is a device that may include, among other things, a feed means, a retaining means, a separating roller and a retaining roller. For separating the sheet material, the pressure plate is moved towards the withdrawal means until the stack is urged against the feed means with slight pressure. Thereafter, the respective uppermost sheet of the stack is moved by the feed means in the direction towards the separating roller which then separates this sheet from the stack.
A disadvantage of the apparatus consists in that the slight pressure for urging the stack against the feed means cannot be held very constant during the entire separation process. This holds in particular for stacks of worn sheet material, such as e.g. banknotes that are wavy or kinked at various locations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above disadvantage, it is the object of the invention to suggest an apparatus for and a method of separating sheet material in which the sheet material stack is urged against the feed means of the withdrawal means with an optimum pressure during the entire separation process.
The basic idea of the invention in essence consists in determining the thickness of the stack by means of a density sensor at least in the region of the withdrawal means in continuous manner during the separation process, and in matching or adjustung the distance between the pressure plate and the withdrawal means in accordance with the density determined in optimum manner with the aid of a control means. In this respect, the density determined for the banknote stack in the region of the withdrawal means is a measure of the pressure with which the stack is pressed against the withdrawal means.
An advantage of the apparatus consists in that the density determined depends in essence on the condition of the uppermost sheets in the stack. The pressure proportional to this density thus can be kept constant during the entire separation process of the stack. It is immaterial in this respect how many sheets are still contained in the sheet or how large the absolute distance between pressure plate and withdrawal means is. When the pressure of the stack against the withdrawal means is too low, it may easily be increased by reducing the distance between pressure plate and withdrawal means. In case the pressure is too high, it may be reduced by increasing the distance. In this manner, a dynamic control loop is formed ensuring a constant pressure of the stack against the withdrawal means irrespective of the condition or the thickness of the stack.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the density sensor comprises an air blast nozzle blowing air between the sheets of the stack and causing the sheets of the stack to oscillate. The oscillations of the stack cause noise detected by means of a microphone. The control means determines the density of the stack from this detected noise.
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Bacon & Thomas PLLC
Giesecke & Devrient GmbH
Jones David A
Walsh Donald P.
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