Abstract: An improved hopper and singulating/feed assembly for a utilization device, such as an inserter, that feeds sheet-like materials from a hopper feed stack that reduces the various geometrical and physical problems that lead to jams, misfeeds and failures to properly singulate the stack is provided. A hopper reduces the pressure on the bottom sheets of the stack by providing a parallel wedge structure at the stack base. This wedge structure also helps to drive bottom sheets successively forward toward a front face so as to further break frictional and adhesive contact between sheets at the bottom of the stack. Hopper side guides with integral angled shelves engage front side edges of the stack and allow easier singulation of respective bottom sheets. Likewise a fixed sucker block assembly, which seats a suction cup in a rotating base with a surrounding planar block face and an integral fulcrum edge improves the separation of the bottom sheet from the overlying stack.

Abstract: A system and method for servoing robot marks using fiducial marks and machine vision provides a machine vision system having a machine vision search tool that is adapted to register a pattern, namely a trained fiducial mark, that is transformed by at least two translational degrees and at least one mon-translational degree of freedom. The fiducial is provided to workpiece carried by an end effector of a robot operating within a work area. When the workpiece enters an area of interest within a field of view of a camera of the machine vision system, the fiducial is recognized by the tool based upon a previously trained and calibrated stored image within the tool. The location of the work-piece is derived by the machine vision system based upon the viewed location of the fiducial. The location of the found fiducial is compared with that of a desired location for the fiducial. The desired location can be based upon a standard or desired position of the workpiece.

Abstract: A system and method for storing and dispensing a stack of materials to a feed station of the utilization device that is adapted to feed stacks of the materials is provided. The materials, typically sheets or envelopes, are provided in a predetermined orientation in a stack in a container having a dispensing end or other opening. To dispense, the container is positioned with respect to the feed station and a release on the container is operated using a predetermined motion. The release enables the contents of the container, in stack form, to be transferred to the feed station free of any operator intervention with the contents of the stack. The dispensing end/opening can be shoulders on a container that are moved out of interfering contact with the stack when the stack is placed over upright guides on the feed station.

Abstract: A base or pallet that is variably adjustable along its width to specifically accommodate a wide range of differently sized pieces of clothing is provided. A main pallet base is flanked by a pair of extendable and retractable (movable) wings, along the underside thereof, that are constructed from a durable material and that extend simultaneously in opposing directions. In an illustrative embodiment, a movement-balancing mechanism, such as a rack-and-pinion assembly or pantograph, is used to extend and retract the wings at a similar rate. In this manner, pulling or pushing on one wing causes the other to move simultaneously. The wings are locked in place using a locking mechanism beneath the outer-facing side of the main base. The locking mechanism can be a block that applies friction to one of the rack sets of the rack-and-pinion assembly or other movement-balancing mechanism.

Abstract: A system and method for utilizing web that is free of tractor pin feed holes comprises the driving of the web along a predetermined path within the utilization device. A web guide is provided in an upstream location from a utilization device element. The guide engages width-wise edges of the web and forms the web into a trough to stiffen the web. A drive roller and a follower roller impinge upon opposing sides of the web and rotate to drive the web through the guide. The drive roller is located adjacent to the guide according to a preferred embodiment. A registration controller is utilized to synchronize the movement of the web with the operation of the utilization device element. The controller includes a drive controller that controls the speed of either the drive roller or the utilization device element to maintain the web and the utilization device element in appropriate synchronization.

Abstract: A system and method for ascertaining blockage of one or more stencil apertures is provided. An analysis of pixels in an image of the stencil region that includes the aperture is made that includes determining the relative grayscale intensity of pixels acquired from the clean stencil and also the variance among nearby pixels. The grayscale and variance values for each pixel are combined to form a series of histogram groupings or bins, based upon levels. These values are used to compute parameters that represent how the apertures appear under the lighting conditions used to acquire the image, thereby allowing the informing of a decision function that estimates the probability that a given pixel represents unblocked aperture rather than solder paste.

Abstract: A system and method for detecting and diverting sections of web having splices on a continuous web is provided. A splice detector is located adjacent a source of continuous web, typically a roll. The movement of the web from the roll is tracked, and the relative location of the splice within the web stream is noted by a controller. Downstream, a web utilization device is provided with a movement detector also connected to the controller. Movement of the splice-containing section through utilization device is tracked so that the splice-containing section is not processed by the utilization device, or is reprocessed on a non-splice-containing section. A cutter is also provided with a movement detector, also connected to the controller. Movement of the web from the utilization device to the cutter is tracked and the section containing the web is cut. A diversion mechanism can be used to remove the cut section of web containing the splice so that it does not appear in the final stream of finished cut sheets.

Abstract: An extended life-toner cartridge provides a set of required agitator paddle movement signals that fall within the expected parameters of the print engine controller—not-withstanding a higher toner level that would normally alter the paddle movement signals beyond acceptable timing ranges. The cartridge includes a toner tank agitator paddle assembly with a paddle movement reporting mechanism that particularly compensates for the larger volume of toner in the tank. In addition, the toner tank can include an enlarged tank extension for increasing reservoir capacity.

Abstract: A threaded self-tapping screw for joining thin workpieces having a tapered root portion adjacent to the head of the screw. A plurality of threads are disposed on the body and the tapered root portion of the screw such that the radial distance from the center of the screw to the crests of the threads is maintained along both the body and the tapered root portion.

Abstract: A headed multi-lobed blank, method of manufacturing a self-tapping screw from the blank, and resulting multi-lobed self-tapping screw for joining thin workpieces provides desirable thread-forming characteristics at the conical tip and body portions, and improved resistance to vibrational loosening near the head. The resulting screw, obtained from the blank and method, incorporates a threaded tapered root portion between the screw head and body portion having a cross section that varies from nearly circular in the area adjacent to the underside of the head to a maximum out-of-round (or lobular) cross section at the intersection of the tapered root portion and the screw body.

Abstract: A system and method for counting objects or parts on a continuously moving conveyor, or other elongated surface, provides a camera and associated machine vision system that acquire/capture and analyze multiple, successive fields of view taken within an area of interest defined by the system. Each of the fields of view includes flanking right and left overlap zones with respect to adjacent fields of view. The overlap zones are defined to be at least as wide as the maximum width of a part being counted. The captured fields of view are stored within the system and analyzed in succession based upon a set of rules. These rules determine whether or not a particular part within the subject field of view is to be counted. More specifically, the rules are applied within the overlap zones for each field of view to determine whether or not to count the part.

Abstract: An apparatus for selectively streaming and merging side-by-side sheets is provided. In general, sheets enter in a side-by-side orientation onto an input feed surface and are directed selectively upwardly or downwardly onto overlying upper and lower feed surfaces by a diverter assembly having two diverter sides. The diverter sides can be independently moved to direct sheets upwardly or downwardly. The upper feed surface and lower feed surface have opposing edge guides. The upper feed surface and lower feed surface can be moved with respect to each other so that the edge guides are placed one sheet width apart or more than two sheet widths apart. By orienting the two diverter halves, and setting the desired distance between the upper and lower edge guides, sheets can pass along each of the upper and lower surfaces in a side-by-side streamed or over-lapping merge orientation.

Abstract: A system and method for utilizing web that is free of tractor pin feed holes comprises the driving of the web along a predetermined path within the utilization device. A web guide is provided in an upstream location from a utilization device element. The guide engages width-wise edges of the web and forms the web into a trough to stiffen the web. A drive roller and a follower roller impinge upon opposing sides of the web and rotate to drive the web through the guide. The drive roller is located adjacent to the guide according to a preferred embodiment. A registration controller is utilized to synchronize the movement of the web with the operation of the utilization device element. The controller includes a drive controller that controls the speed of either the drive roller or the utilization device element to maintain the web and the utilization device element in appropriate synchronization.

Abstract: A system and method for customizing articles on a computer-based display provides a supplier database and remote client computer. Data is transferred between the supplier and the client computer including predetermined images of client articles and accompanying images of custom graphics. The database stores information on a variety of clients. Each client is associated with one or more profile, and each profile includes a series of images associated therewith. The client logs in under a given profile user name and password, and selects desired article images, and then calls up associated graphic images to manipulate onto the article images, creating a desired appearance. This appearance can be resubmitted to the supplier for production of an actual physical sample of the article.

Abstract: A toothbrush or other utensil specifically designed for use by toddlers and small children provides a handle in the form of an animal figure having a body, which is essentially to scale. The handle carries either a rearwardly extending tail or forwardly extending trunk or other singular symmetrical limb. A toothbrush head or other operative utensil portion of somewhat conventional shape is secured to the limb, tail or trunk. The body includes appendages, such as legs, that allow it to stand stably upon a planar surface with the operative utensil portion supported off of the surface. The shaft of the utensil can include a spring-loaded locking member so that it is detachably removable from a base of the handle.

Abstract: A system and method for homing, docking and tracking of one object with respect to another provides a camera for acquring images and a machine vision processor inter-connected with the camera. The machine vision processor includes a sacale-invariant and rotation-invariant pattern recognition application that retrieves stored images representative of the object being viewed that includes data representative of a fiducial within the object image. The stored image and its fiducial are compared to the acquired image. The image is aligned within the processor based upon a detected fiducial and the relative orientation and position of the object is determined based upon the acquired image. Data representative of the relative position and orientation is used to manipulate one of the objects so as to bring at least one of the objects to a predetermined position with respect to the other of the objects. The predetermined position can be a docked position or a following, on-station position, among others.