Patents Examined by Gerald W McClain
  • Patent number: 7871068
    Abstract: A medium conveying apparatus for conveying a recording medium includes an apparatus body and a conveying control unit. A paper feeding unit is detachable mounted to the apparatus body and includes a record medium enclosing section and a paper feeding section. First and second conveying sections are downstream from the paper feeding section. A third conveying section is between the paper feeding section and the first conveying section. The conveying control unit controls the third conveying section to convey the record medium before the front edge of the record medium arrives at the first conveying section, controls the first and the third conveying sections to convey the record medium before the front edge of the record medium arrives at the second conveying section and stops the third conveying section from operating after the front edge of the record medium arrives at the second conveying section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2011
    Assignee: Oki Data Corporation
    Inventor: Masato Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 7871072
    Abstract: The present application is directed to methods and devices for aligning media sheets in an input tray of an image forming device. The input tray includes a support surface and at least two spaced apart side walls. A first side wall includes a reference surface to align the media sheets. A second side wall includes a plurality of biasing members. The biasing members bias the media sheets toward the reference surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2011
    Assignee: Lexmark International, Inc.
    Inventors: Jason Lee Rowe, Darin M. Gettelfinger, Franklin Joseph Palumbo, Philip David Jones
  • Patent number: 7871067
    Abstract: A paper cassette feeder and an image forming apparatus having the same are provided. The paper cassette feeder includes: a main frame; a loading unit on which paper is loaded; a first paper guide which is tilted up with respect to the loading unit; and a second paper guide which is disposed at the first paper guide in a turnable manner, and is tilted up with respect to the first paper guide according to a position of the second paper guide. Accordingly, a paper cassette feeder can be easily separated from an image forming apparatus when paper is jammed in a paper feeding path, so as to remove a paper jam easily.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2011
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kwang-taek Lim
  • Patent number: 7871075
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a sheet conveyance path, a pair of rollers configured to rotate in a conveyance direction to convey a sheet in the path by holding the sheet, and to reversely rotate in a direction opposite thereto. The reverse rotation is regulated so that the pair of rollers may reversely rotate within a predetermined amount. A sub-unit is releasable from a body of the image forming apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2011
    Assignee: Ricoh Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yohichi Asaba
  • Patent number: 7862037
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a sheet feed cassette to store a sheet supplied to the image forming apparatus. The sheet feed cassette has a cassette body and a cassette cover. The cassette body stores the sheet and has first and second cassette portions coupled adjustably in length. The cassette cover is detachably mounted on the cassette body to cover its upper portion and has first and second cover portions coupled adjustably in length. The cassette cover has a fitting portion, and the cassette body has fitting receive portions in the first and second cassette portions. Each of the fitting receive portions is fittable with the fitting portion. The fitting receive portions overlap in a sheet feed direction when the cassette body is retracted. Of the fitting receive portions, one fitting receive portion not fitted with the fitting portion when the cassette body is extended is at least partially closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Satoshi Kunioka
  • Patent number: 7862033
    Abstract: An aspect of the invention provides a paper feeding cassette that comprises a cassette body; a front face wall disposed at a front end of the cassette body so as to be elevated from a bottom wall of the cassette body; a medium-stacking member disposed so as to be swingable about a support shaft relative to the cassette body by using the support shaft as a swinging center, the medium-stacking member configured to have a medium thereon stacked inside the cassette body; and a biasing unit configured to bias the medium-stacking member so as to bring the medium into contact with a feeder, wherein the front face wall comprises a face which regulates the medium along a trajectory drawn by a front end of the medium-stacking member in accordance with a swinging movement of the medium-stacking member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Oki Data Corporation
    Inventor: Mitimasa Otake
  • Patent number: 7850163
    Abstract: A sheet feeder having a stack hopper for holding a stack of sheets, and feed belts for advancing the bottom-most sheet from the stack, is constructed to move at least one of the feed belts laterally toward and away from another of the feed belts while the belts are being driven. Preferably, side guides extend substantially to the end of the feeder, and extend both above and below the upper surface of belts to which they are adjacent. The belts extend between and around shafts of uniform diameter through the reach of lateral movement of the belts. The shafts are journaled in bearings mounted in such a way that they can be lifted out to change belts quickly and easily.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Inventor: James C Kaiping
  • Patent number: 7850164
    Abstract: A cassette for a currency note dispensing machine, in which the cassette is slidably mounted to easily fill with currency note, can receive various kinds of currency note by adjusting a currency note guide, and prevent wrong mounting of a push plate to smoothly pay the currency note. The cassette includes a cassette housing formed in a box shape with an upper surface opened, in which currency note vertically stands up and stacks, slidably mounted to a main frame of the currency note dispensing machine, and having a groove for establishing sheet separating means at one side of a rear plate so that currency note contacts with the sheet separating means after one edge of the currency note is supported, and a push plate supporting the currency note stacked between a front plate of the cassette housing and the rear plate and coupled to a resilient member to press the currency note toward the rear plate of the cassette housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Nautilus Hyosung Inc.
    Inventors: Jin Hyuk Ahn, Dong Sik Lee
  • Patent number: 7841595
    Abstract: A first embodiment of the present invention provides a method for transferring printed products and comprises the steps of pulling a printed product from a stack using a feed device running at a first preselected speed, accelerating the feed device after pulling the printed product from the stack and releasing the printed product from the feed device at a second preselected speed greater than the first speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Goss International Americas, Inc.
    Inventors: Atef Tanious Massoud, Mehmet Oktay Kaya, Juan Rolando Antezana, John Allan Manley
  • Patent number: 7837192
    Abstract: An apparatus for continuous alignment of sheets which are fed to a processing machine, includes an alignment cylinder on which stops for the sheets are disposed. The stops are pivoted out of the periphery of the alignment cylinder and moved on a translational movement path during an alignment phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Andreas Müller, Burkhard Wolf
  • Patent number: 7828287
    Abstract: A printer includes a housing, one or more print cartridges, and a positioning system configured to position print media for printing by the one or more print cartridges. The positioning system including a rotatable star wheel for translating the print media relative to the housing, the star wheel including a plurality of teeth disposed around an outer perimeter of the star wheel. At least the tips of the star wheel teeth are formed from plastic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2010
    Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
    Inventors: Song Poh Chai, Umashankar Koggri Giddappa Godwa, Tai Leung Tsui, Wai Kiat Foo, Kuan Meng Chin, Poovendhran S/O Kannayah
  • Patent number: 7828280
    Abstract: A paper feeding apparatus capable of preventing noises generated when picking up and transferring paper, and an image forming apparatus having the same. The paper feeding apparatus according to the present invention comprises a pickup unit, which is disposed upstream of a paper cassette relative to the direction in which the uppermost sheet of paper loaded in the paper cassette moves, to pick up the uppermost sheet of paper, and a lifting unit which lifts the sheet of paper vertically to reduce friction between the paper and the paper beneath it when the pickup unit picks up the sheets of paper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2010
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jong-woo Kim, Hyun-ki Cho
  • Patent number: 7828284
    Abstract: A mailpiece selector device including at least one guide co-operating with a plurality of opposite selector rollers passing through a deck for receiving a stack of mailpieces. The guide co-operating with the rollers to select the mailpieces one-by-one and to transport them downstream. The guide presenting a predetermined inclination at an angle ? relative to a horizontal plane defined by the deck, with a distance between the deck and a low end portion of the guide that is larger at the portion of the guide that is closer to a referencing wall than at the portion of the guide that is further away from the referencing wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2010
    Assignee: NEOPOST Technologies
    Inventors: Francis Coret, Yannick Claris
  • Patent number: 7823872
    Abstract: A medium delivery device comprising a medium insertion section into which a sheet-shaped medium to be delivered is inserted in a stacked state, first and second medium guide surfaces that are opposed to each other to guide the sheet-shaped medium to the medium delivery port, a feed roller that is disposed at a side of the first medium guide surface and delivers the sheet-shaped medium inserted into the medium insertion section, to the medium delivery port, a first pressing member that presses the sheet-shaped medium inserted into the medium insertion section against the feed roller, a second pressing member that presses the sheet-shaped medium inserted into the medium insertion section against the first medium guide surface at a position deviating from the feed roller, and a driving mechanism that drives the first pressing member in directions in which the first pressing member moves close to and away from the feed roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Toshiyuki Sasaki
  • Patent number: 7823876
    Abstract: A sheet feeding device includes a sheet accommodating portion for accommodating a sheet stack. A sheet carrying plate carries the sheet stack and has an upstream end supported in the sheet accommodating portion for rotation. A pickup roller contacts an upper face of the sheet stack and dispatches an uppermost sheet. An elevator displaces the sheet carrying plate between a feeding position where the upper face of the sheet stack contacts the pickup roller and a separating position where the upper face of the sheet stack is separated from the pickup roller. A first warm air mechanism blows warm air toward a side of the sheet stack in the sheet accommodating portion, the side being parallel to the sheet feeding direction. A controller controls the elevator so that the sheet carrying plate is displaced between the feeding position and the separating position during a warm air blowing operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: Kyocera Mita Corporation
    Inventors: Keiji Okumura, Yoshio Sugishima, Masahiko Miyazaki, Seiichi Shirasaki, Yasunori Ueno, Sachio Izumichi
  • Patent number: 7815185
    Abstract: A mailpiece selector device for separating mailpieces one-by-one from a stack of mailpieces and for transporting them downstream. The mailpiece selector device includes a first guide cooperating with a plurality of opposite selector rollers to select the mailpieces one-by-one and for transporting them downstream. The first guide is able to pivot about a pivot axis in opposition to first resilient return and the first guide has a reference plate designed to cooperate with a magnet that is secured to a framework of the device to prevent the first guide from pivoting in this way below a predetermined mailpiece thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: NEOPOST Technologies
    Inventors: Yannick Claris, Francis Coret
  • Patent number: 7806404
    Abstract: Systems and methods for reducing sheet skew in a document processing device are disclosed. A document processing device may include a plurality of nips, a sheet skew measurement system, a feedback controller and an actuator. Each nip may include an idler wheel and a drive wheel. The sheet skew measurement system may be configured to measure sheet skew for a sheet. The feedback controller may be configured to generate a control signal in response to the sheet skew measured by the sheet skew measurement system. The actuator may be configured to adjust a loading force applied to a sheet by an idler wheel for at least one nip in response to the control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2010
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Joannes N. M. deJong, Lloyd A. Williams
  • Patent number: 7802785
    Abstract: In an apparatus, a pile of sheets is mounted on a support base, and is brought into contact with a guide. A high-frequency vibration is applied to the sheets from a vibrating part which is pressed to the pile. A sheet on the uppermost surface of the pile is transferred by a feed roller. The guide has a guide end defining a guide entrance between the guide end and the feed roller, through which the sheets is passed. The guide end is arranged substantially in a virtual plane including a contact position at which the vibrating part is in contact with the uppermost surface of the pile, and substantially parallel with the sheets. A separation section for separating sheets from each other is arranged behind the entrance, and an air blow-off section for blowing air into the side of the pile is provided in the vicinity of the entrance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2010
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Yuko Kobayashi, Kiminori Toya, Hideki Nukada, Masaki Takahashi
  • Patent number: 7802790
    Abstract: In this image generating apparatus, a paper cassette mounted on an apparatus body includes a pressing portion employed for pressing a first side surface of a paper rearward with respect to a first direction for feeding the paper and so arranged that the distance from a second roller is smaller than the length of the paper in the first direction when the paper cassette is mounted on the apparatus body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2010
    Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Daisuke Shimizu
  • Patent number: 7798488
    Abstract: An equipment for conveying sheet-shaped members, including a plurality of blower ducts being arranged in parallel; a common duct connected to outlets of the blower ducts; an air stream unit for generating air streams in the blower ducts; a plurality of sheet feeding units respectively connected to the blower ducts, the sheet feeding units feeding sheet-shaped members into the blower ducts; a plurality of open/close valves respectively provided to the blower ducts, the open/close valves opening and closing the blower ducts; a drive section for respectively driving the open/close valves; a collecting unit provided to a terminal end of the common duct, the collecting unit collecting the sheet-shaped members conveyed; and a control section for controlling the drive section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: WINTEC Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshikatsu Terashima