(under subclass 90) Device including a means using a gaseous fluid medium under subatmospheric or above-atmospheric pressure, which means acts on any of the sheets of a stack to separate at least a portion of a sheet from a corresponding portion of an adjacent sheet, but without removing any of the sheets from the stack.
(1) Note. This subclass provides for a device which is a subcombination of a sheet-feeding machine, the device performing an operation that prepares the stack for feeding or removal of sheets therefrom. Examples of such device include, a nozzle issuing a blast of steam or heated air or ionized air, a suction device for removing dust from the sheets of a stack, and means to bend, flex or riffle the margins of the sheets prior to removal.
