The present disclosure describes an edging and stack advance system that is capable of automatically preparing documents such as letters and the like, that have been loaded onto a conveyor for subsequent feeding, sorting and/or processing. Significant features of the system include the use of separate zones for conveyance and edging, and a plurality of interconnected stack sensing switches. The latter switches cooperate to establish and maintain a stack geometry having a degree of looseness which permits reliable edging and subsequent feeding of the documents. The entire system has been designed to be relatively uncomplicated and may be manufactured at low cost.

Dispensing apparatus for dispensing articles such as thin substrates includes horizontally disposed shelves one above the other. Each shelf is divided into a plurality of lanes. Each lane includes at least one endless belt for moving a stack of upright substrates toward a front edge of the shelf. A drive mechanism is connected to each belt for driving each belt. A transfer member is provided for each lane adjacent the front end portion of the shelf. Each transfer member projects beyond the effective reach of its associated belt so that the leading substrate to be dispensed is supported by the transfer member prior to dropping downwardly off the free end of the transfer member.

A media pickup apparatus includes a push plate for pushing media stored in a cassette body towards a discharge port of the cassette body. A driving source provides power to the push plate so as to allow the push plate to push the media towards the discharge port of the cassette body. A pickup roller is rotatably coupled to one side of a roller bracket and biased towards the push plate by means of an elastic member in such a manner that the pickup roller elastically makes contact with the media pushed by the push plate, in order to discharge the media from a media cassette by separating the media sheet by sheet. A sensor detects a position of the pickup roller so as to provide data for operating the driving source. The media make contact with the pickup roller with a substantially constant contact force so that media are reliably discharged from the media cassette sheet by sheet.

Labeling machine of the stack fed type in which the labels are precut and arranged vertically in a horizontal stack. Pressure is applied to the rear of the stack to move the stack forwardly as the labels are dispensed to a label transfer mechanism such as a vacuum drum. Air is blown into the stack from the bottom at the forward end of the stack to separate the foremost label, which is picked up from the stack by a rotating vacuum wheel.

A tray loading apparatus includes an inclined support having a displaceable front part so that the front wall of a tray can be brought into abutment with the front end of a stack carried by the support and to be loaded in the tray after a backing plate supporting the stack front end has been removed. The stacking apparatus includes a conveyor able to apply the front portion of each envelope conveyed in a direction making an angle with the above backing plate against this backing plate and a belt arrangement operating on the front portion of each envelope to cant the rear part of the envelope into engagement with a deflector after the front portion has been applied against the backing plate.