Sheet Feed Apparatus and Method

Abstract

A sheet material insert feeder device for feeding sheets of material from a substantially horizontal stack of sheets of material onto a transport track. The sheet material insert feeder device includes a trough with a surface to receive the substantially horizontal stack of sheets of material, the surface including a front end and a back end, a conveyor to move the substantially horizontal stack of sheets of material along the surface, an aperture at the front end of the surface, the aperture housing an insert movable between an upper position and a lower position, a breaker plate near the front end of the surface to support the substantially horizontal stack of sheets of material there against, and a suction device near the front end of the surface to suction and separate a sheet from the substantially horizontal stack of sheets of material.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A sheet material insert feeder device for feeding sheets of material from a substantially horizontal stack of sheets of material onto a transport track, the sheet material insert feeder device comprising:
 a trough comprising a surface to receive the substantially horizontal stack of sheets of material, the surface including a front end and a back end;   a conveyor to move the substantially horizontal stack of sheets of material along the surface;   an aperture at the front end of the surface, the aperture housing an insert movable between an upper position and a lower position;   a breaker plate near the front end of the surface to support the substantially horizontal stack of sheets of material there against; and   a suction device near the front end of the surface to suction and separate a sheet from the substantially horizontal stack of sheets of material.   
     
     
         2 . The sheet material insert feeder device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a gripper comprising a gripper jaw movably coupled thereto between an open position and a closed position; and   wherein the gripper is movable between an upper position and a lower position such that, in the upper position, the gripper jaw is near the suction device and in the lower position the gripper jaw is near the transport track.   
     
     
         3 . The sheet material insert feeder device of  claim 1 , wherein the suction device is movable between a first position and a second position such that, in the first position, the suction device suctions the sheet in the substantially horizontal stack of sheets of material, and in the second position, the suction device separates the sheet from the substantially horizontal stack of sheets of material. 
     
     
         4 . The sheet material insert feeder device of  claim 1 , wherein the conveyor comprises a first conveyor and a second conveyor disposed parallel along the surface of the trough, and wherein the suction device comprises a first suction device and a second suction device near the front end of the surface. 
     
     
         5 . The sheet material insert feeder device of  claim 1 , wherein the surface comprises a lip at the front end thereof, wherein the lip comprises the aperture and the insert housed therein. 
     
     
         6 . The sheet material insert feeder device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 the transport track being located in proximity of the front end of the surface of the trough; and   the transport track including a track surface with a conveyor to move the separated sheet received thereon along the track surface.   
     
     
         7 . The sheet material insert feeder device of  claim 6 , wherein the transport track further includes a guide rail on a side of the track surface near the front end of the surface of the trough, wherein the track surface is disposed at a downward angle toward the front end of the surface. 
     
     
         8 . The sheet material insert feeder device of  claim 1 , wherein the breaker plate comprises a first section and a second section, the first section comprising a plurality of grooves formed therein and the second section comprising a plurality of fingers, wherein the plurality of fingers are receivable within the plurality of grooves. 
     
     
         9 . A sheet material insert feeder system for use with a substantially horizontal stack of sheets of material, the sheet material insert feeder system comprising:
 a trough comprising a surface to receive the substantially horizontal stack of sheets of material, the surface including a front end and a back end;   a conveyor to move the substantially horizontal stack of sheets of material along the surface;   a breaker plate near the front end of the surface to support the substantially horizontal stack of sheets of material there against;   a transport track being located in proximity of the front end of the surface of the trough, the transport track including a track surface with a conveyor to move the separated sheet received thereon along the track surface; and   a gripper movable between an upper position and a lower position such that, in the upper position, the gripper jaw is near the suction device, and in the lower position, the gripper jaw is near the transport track.   
     
     
         10 . The sheet material insert feeder system of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 an aperture at the front end of the surface, the aperture housing an insert movable between an upper position and a lower position; and   a suction device near the front end of the surface to suction and separate a sheet from the substantially horizontal stack of sheets of material.   
     
     
         11 . The sheet material insert feeder system of  claim 10 , wherein the gripper comprises a gripper jaw movable between an open position to receive and release the separated sheet and a closed position to grasp the separated sheet. 
     
     
         12 . The sheet material insert feeder system of  claim 10 , wherein the suction device is movable between a first position and a second position in a direction parallel to the surface such that, in the first position, the suction device suctions the sheet in the substantially horizontal stack of sheets of material, and in the second position, the suction device separates the sheet from the substantially horizontal stack of sheets of material. 
     
     
         13 . The sheet material insert feeder system of  claim 10 , wherein the conveyor comprises a first conveyor and a second conveyor disposed parallel along the surface of the trough, and wherein the suction device comprises a first suction device and a second suction device near the front end of the surface. 
     
     
         14 . The sheet material insert feeder system of  claim 9 , wherein the transport track further includes a guide rail on a side of the track surface near the front end of the surface of the trough, wherein the track surface is disposed at a downward angle toward the front end of the surface. 
     
     
         15 . A method for feeding sheets of material from a substantially horizontal stack with a sheet material insert feeder device, the method comprising:
 receiving the substantially horizontal stack of sheets of material within a trough comprising a surface with a front end and a back end;   moving the substantially horizontal stack of sheets of material along the surface;   displacing a sheet from the substantially horizontal stack of sheets of material with respect to the surface;   suctioning the sheet in the substantially horizontal stack of sheets of material; and   separating the sheet from the substantially horizontal stack of sheets of material.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 grasping the sheet; and   moving the sheet to a transport track.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein grasping the sheet comprises moving a gripper jaw of a gripper from an open position to a closed position to grasp the sheet, and wherein moving the sheet comprises moving the gripper from an upper position near the front end of the trough to a lower position near the transport track, and moving the gripper jaw of the gripper from the closed position to the open position to release the separated sheet onto the transport track. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein displacing the sheet from the substantially horizontal stack of sheets of material comprises displacing the sheet with an insert movably housed within an aperture at the front end of the surface, wherein suctioning the sheet in the substantially horizontal stack of sheets of material comprises suctioning the sheet with a suction device near the front end of the surface, and wherein separating the sheet from the substantially horizontal stack of sheets of material comprises separating the sheet with the suction device. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein suctioning the sheet comprises moving a suction device to a first position such that the suction device is adjacent the sheet in the substantially horizontal stack of sheets of material, and wherein separating the sheet comprises moving the suction device to a second position such that the suction device separates the sheet from the substantially horizontal stack of sheets of material. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein moving the substantially horizontal stack of sheets of material comprises moving a backstop coupled to a conveyor along the surface of the trough.