MECHANISM FOR AVOIDING MULTIPLE SHEET MISFEEDS IN SHEET MEDIA FEED SYSTEMS

A clearing mechanism for use in stacked sheet media feeding systems of the type having a single sheet pick/feed mechanism for feeding a single sheet from the top of a sheet media stack. The clearing mechanism includes a "kick" lever positioned adjacent and somewhat below a sheet picking roller. At the beginning of the sheet feeding cycle, the lever is moved by a cam/follower from an obstructing position within the feed zone adjacent to the leading edge of the media stack to a non-obstructing position free of the feed zone for unobstructed feeding of the top sheet. After the leading edge of the top sheet has cleared the lever, the lever is urged by a spring force back toward the obstructing position. If the lever does not return to the obstructing position at the urging of the spring force, then, upon rotation of the pick/feed mechanism into a pre-sheet feeding orientation, a second cam/follower moves the lever into the obstructing position, thereby clearing any next-to-top sheets that may have inadvertently advanced partially into the feed zone.