Apparatus for counting the number of paper sheets
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to an apparatus for counting the number of paper sheets. More particularly, it relates to such apparatus in which the paper sheets stored in the hopper are fed out one by one towards a downstream device, e.g. a stacker by means of a payout roll adapted for cooperating with a separating roll and a pinch roll. 
     Heretofore, in this type of the apparatus, means cooperating with the payout roll for feeding or reeling out paper sheets, such as the separating roll or pinch roll, is mounted in a fixed position. Thus, when the paper sheets being fed out have become stuffed in the gap between said feed-out means and the payout roll, these paper sheets need be removed by a troublesome and time-consuming operation, thus causing great costs and labor in maintenance and repair. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide means for effectively obviating the foregoing deficiency and more particularly to provide an arrangement in which the guide unit or assembly comprised of the separating roll and the pinch roll is supported by a movable frame member, and in which the guide unit may be moved by an opening/closing device between its open and closed positions. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing the paper sheet counting apparatus provided with the guide unit opening and closing device according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the guide unit shown in FIG. 1. 
     FIGS. 3 and 4 are schematic side views for explaining the operation of the guide unit opening/closing device. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Reference is now had to the accompanying drawings showing a preferred embodiment of the paper sheet counting apparatus according to the present invention. 
     In FIGS. 1 and 2, a box-like frame member 1 is rotatably supported through a supporting shaft 4 by flanges 2, 3 of a main body of the apparatus, not shown. In a lower opening 1a of the frame member 1, there are mounted a separating roll 7 and a pinch roll 8 an the housing side wall by means of a separating roll shaft 5 and a pinch roll shaft 6, respectively, in a mutually spaced apart relation and so as to be rotated by driving means, not shown. A payout roll 10 is rotatably supported by said flanges 2, 3 through a payout roll shaft 9. A portion of the outer periphery of the payout roll 10 is formed as a highly frictional surface 11 made e.g. of rubber. A hopper 12 in which the paper sheets are stacked is provided above the payout roll 10, while a lower guide plate 13, a pair of extracting rolls 14 and a vane stacker 15 are mounted below the payout roll 10. The upper guide plate 16 is extended at one end into the lower opening 1a of the frame member 1 and disposed at the other and above the one end of the lower guide plate 13. The upper guide plate 16 is carried by the frame member 1 and cooperates with the separating roll 7 and the pinch roll 8 for providing a guide unit. 
     A frame opening shaft 17 is integrally mounted on an upper portion 1b of the frame member 1, and a supporting shaft 18 is carried by the flanges 2, 3. A frame opening lever 21 having a first locking groove 19 and a second locking groove 20 is integrally mounted at one end of the supporting shaft 18, and a locking lever 23 having a locking groove 22 is secured to the other end of the shaft 18. A spring 24 engaged at one end with the opening shaft 17 is engaged at the other by a stud 25 provided at the lower part of the opening lever 21. The upper end of the frame opening lever carries a frame opening button 26. 
     With the aforementioned construction, when it is desired to actuate the guide unit opening and closing device of the paper sheet counting apparatus according to the present invention, the opening button 26 of the opening lever 21 is pushed in the direction of the arrow marked A starting from the state shown in FIG. 1. This disengages the frame opening shaft 17 of the frame 1 from the first locking groove 19 of the opening lever 21 and the locking groove 22 of the locking lever 23. The shaft 17 slides on guide surface 21c of the opening lever 21 as shown in FIG. 3 and finally engages in the second locking groove 20 of the opening lever 21 as shown in FIG. 4. The frame member 1 is moved away from the payout roll 10 and kept in the open state for opening the guide unit. 
     When the frame member 1 is returned from the open state of the frame member 1 shown in FIG. 4 to the closed state shown in FIG. 1, the upper surface of the frame member 1 is moved manually in the direction of the arrow marked B, starting from the opening state shown in FIG. 4. By the reverse of the procedure depicted in the foregoing, the opening shaft 17 is shifted from the second locking groove 20 to the first locking groove 19 of the opening lever 21 and engaged again in the locking groove 22 of the locking lever 23, thus returning to the state shown in FIG. 1, the guide unit being thus kept in the closed state. 
     In the closed state shown in FIG. 1, when the separating roll 7, pinch roll 8 and the payout roll 10 are rotated in the direction shown by the associated arrow marks, the paper sheets (not shown) placed in the hopper are separated and intermittently fed out by the payout roll 10. The sheets are then extracted by the set of extracting rolls 14 through the upper guide plate 16 and the lower guide plate 13 and stacked by vane stacker 15 in a bandsealing unit (not shown) where they are bandsealed automatically. 
     From the foregoing it is seen that the guide unit may be easily maintained in the opened state by the operation of the opening and closing device, thus providing for more facilitated maintenance and inspection of the apparatus and improved operational reliability.