Abstract: In a printing machine or the like wherein sheets are delivered seriatim into a receiving tray whereat the sheets come to rest by gravity onto a stack in the tray, a device for facilitating stacking the sheets into the tray at high speed. Each sheet is directed from the machine in a path outwardly over the tray. Guide surfaces act against a lead end of the sheet to prevent upward escape of the sheets from the path. A deflecting mechanism diverts each sheet downwardly into the tray to clear the path for a succeeding sheet. A stop plate is provided beneath the deflecting mechanism for acting against a trail end of each sheet to control and guide the sheet into alignment onto the stack in the tray.

Abstract: A paper document pocket for receiving and stacking sorted documents from a high-speed reader sorter used in the banking industry and similar applications. The pocket is designed to stack in columns paper documents of various sizes and paper weights in sequential order without producing paper jams.

Abstract: In a device for transporting flat objects from one station to another the stations are opposite each other, in the same plane, at an obtuse angle. The one station can be a film card holder, the other station a film card magazine. Since the two stations are not in line, a gap is provided between them. At the narrowest side of the gap a transport mechanism is located for transporting the objects.

Abstract: In an automatic sheet reversing apparatus having a convey/reversing section with a plurality of conveyor belts, a stacking/moving section with a stopper for stopping a leading end of a reversed sheet, and a feed section, the stopper is located below the conveyor belts. The upper portion of the stopper is located above the lower surface of the conveyor belt.

Abstract: A sheet sorter including: a sheet feed passage having an outlet for feeding sheets one by one and a plurality of bin trays situated adjacent to the outlet for receiving sheets fed from the passage. Each said bin tray has a pair of training pins projecting outward from respective sides of an inlet end. These training pins are vertically guided so that the bin trays are held and stacked in a pile. A pair of Geneva cam wheels are used to shift the bin trays, successively, and simultaneously shift the outlet of the passage. The sheet feed passage is defined between upper and lower units accommodated in a sorter case. The upper unit is raised by opening a cover of the sorter case so that the sheet feed passage is opened and accessible for removing sheets jammed therein.

Abstract: A fabric component pickup apparatus or the like having first and second fabric gripping elements defining first and second opposed gripping lines in the plane of the face of the fabric component, the fabric gripping elements adapted for movement relative to each other essentially in the plane with simultaneous components of motion closing the distance between the gripping lines and displacing one gripping line laterally in the plane of the fabric at an angle to the closing motion. As the fabric lying between gripping lines is tensioned by the component of lateral displacement motion of the gripping elements, the fabric is simultaneously gathered by the component of closing motion. In one preferred embodiment, an air blast is directed through the porosity created by tensioning the fabric to impinge upon the underlying layer of fabric.

Abstract: An improvement in a collating machine for stacking sheets of paper being fed seriatim thereto from a singulating feeder in the same order as the sheets appear in the singulating feeder. The collating machine includes a belt for transporting the sheets of paper, a ramp for lifting a succeeding sheet of paper over and onto a preceding, stopped sheet of paper, and a stopping device for stopping each sheet of paper after the sheet has been lifted by the ramp. The improvement includes a removable stacking device for stacking the sheets of paper in the reverse order as the sheets appear in the singulating feeder.

Abstract: A stack support tray 41 for use with a sheet feeder such as used in a document handler is described. It has a first fixed registration guide 52 and a second movable registration guide 53 which is movable towards and away from the first guide. The movable guide 53 comprises first and second resiliently interconnected parts 71, 72. The part 72 frictionally slides in a track 75 and the second part 71 is adjustable against the stack. By this arrangement the part 71 retracts to a limited extent when it is released after being pushed against the stack due to its resilient interconnection with the part 72, the position of which is controlled by its frictional engagement with the slide track 75.

Abstract: There is disclosed a registration device for use with an envelope inserting machine. The device includes a pair of support members which are L-shaped, and which each have an elongated first portion extending parallel to the feed deck of the machine. A second portion of the members reaches laterally outward and overlies a pair of laterally disposed support members which extend from the feed deck. There is a registration guide member placed over an L-shaped portion of each support member, such that an internal corner of each guide member provides a guide and support for documents moving parallel and between the guides. The guides are clamped to the deck to ensure that documents cannot jam between the guide and the deck.

Abstract: A top vacuum corrugation feeder employs a vacuum feedhead working in conjunction with an air knife to feed sheets from the top of a stack. The air knife includes fluffer jets and vectored auxiliary fluffer jets in order to assist in separating and feeding downcurled sheets. To improve sheet acquisition, increase reliability and decrease minimum feed speed, a vacuum plenum is preferably equipped with a negative pressure source that is on continuously during the feed cycle, with the only criteria for sheet feeding being that the motion of the vacuum feedhead is ceased prior to the trail edge of the acquired sheet exposing all of the vacuum ports.

Abstract: An envelope feeding apparatus, including a hopper having a support deck and a pair of vertical sides extending upwardly from the support deck, the support deck being oriented at an acute angle with respect to a horizontal plane, a separator roller and a separator stone situated at the lower end of the hopper for feeding envelopes seriatim from the hopper, a center ramp located upstream of the separator roller and the separator stone, the center ramp extending only a small portion of the distance between the vertical sides of the hopper, a center feed roller located above the downstream portion of the center ramp and proximate the separator stone, whereby the lower corners of the envelopes are raised off the support deck when the envelopes are translated along the center ramp and under the feed roller, thereby allowing the envelopes to approach the separator roller and the separator stone unskewed.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process and to an apparatus for transferring a sheet of material. The process is characterized in that:at least two successive conveyors (11, 12) are connected, the second conveyor having a coefficient of adhesion which is higher than the first conveyor, andfirst, the speeds of said conveyors are adapted to the speed (V.sub.2) prevailing on the sheet as it arrives on the first conveyors, and then,when the sheet covers the second conveyor with a portion deemed adequate, the speed of the second conveyor is modified until it attains the speed (V.sub.2) at which the second conveyor is to deliver the sheet, and,finally, as soon as the sheet has let the second conveyor, the speed of the second conveyor is brought back to that of the first. The method and the apparatus for carrying out the method have particular application to printing and cutting machines.

Abstract: A sheet feed apparatus suitable for use with a printer such as an ink jet printer. A flat guide member is disposed between paper bail rollers and a deflector to be movable toward and away from the periphery of a platen. The guide member is drivably controlled such that it faces the substantially entire peripheral area of the platen which extends between the paper bail rollers and the deflector only for a short period of time until a leading end portion of the sheet is retained between the paper bail rollers and the deflector.

Abstract: A transport mechanism is disclosed for transporting a document around a track in a groove. A boundary wall in the form of a continuous wall or an array of guide cylinders is provided on the outside of a corner around which the track passes. A breaking cylinder which is rotated with the same surface velocity as the document constricts the document against the boundary and opens out any longitudinal folds therein to reduce the mechanical strength which they cause in the document. A drive mechanism then flattens the document against the boundary and renders the document flexible for the continuation of its transportation around the curved track. Dog-ears on the leading edge of a document are conditioned to prevent their causing impediment to further document transportation either by being folded back against the document or by being folded back into the plane of the document.

Abstract: A sheet feeder of a printing machine has sheet separating and conveying facilities and a stack table which raises a stack of sheets by means of a controlled lift drive so that a respective uppermost sheet of the stack is in an operating position for the sheet separating and conveying facilities, the sheet separating facility including separating suckers for raising, in timed sequence, a respective trailing sheet end, as viewed in sheet conveying direction through the feeder, a suction line connecting the separating suckers to a suction source, a pressure measuring device connected in the suction line for determining an actual instant of time at which a respective sheet is sucked up by the separating suckers, a comparator device for comparing the actual suction instant of time with a nominal suction instant of time generated in synchronism with rotation of the printing machine to determine a difference value, a comparator device for comparing the difference value with a value corresponding to an optimum height

Abstract: A suction device is movable between a receiving position in which it removes a sheet of film from a magazine and a delivery position in which it transfers the sheet to a conveyor. The effective width of the suction device approximates or equals the width of the smallest sheet of film to be transferred. Sheets having a width greater than the smallest width are gripped in the region of one end thereof leaving the remainder of such a sheet free to deflect. In order to permit proper transfer of all sheets into the conveyor, the latter is provided with grooved rollers which lift the deflected portions of larger sheets into the conveyor. In the delivery position, the suction device is located opposite one portion of the conveyor. The conveying force exerted by this portion of the conveyor is smaller than the gripping force which the suction device exerts on a sheet but larger than the conveying force exerted by a laterally adjacent portion of the conveyor.

Abstract: A sheet imaging apparatus with a collector tray for receiving a relatively thick stack of finished sheets. The collecting tray has a stack supporting back plate that is rockably arranged and springloaded, and the upper end of which is upwardly angled with respect to the lower end, whereby sheets in inverted relation may be collected without difficulties.

Abstract: A sheet imaging apparatus with a collector tray for receiving sheets discharged from the apparatus. The collecting tray has two stationary side-walls and a sheet-supporting back plate is driven in a reciprocating motion in a transverse direction, whereby two part-stacks of sheets may be produced that are individually accurately aligned by abutment against cooperating fixed abutments.

Abstract: An apparatus for transferring a sheet-like article such as a wafer between a first horizontal passage defining a first plane and a second horizontal passage defining a second plane at a different level from said first plane comprising a carriage vertically movable between said first and second planes for transferring said sheet-like article between said first and second horizontal passages.

Abstract: A sheet sorter including: a sheet feed passage having an outlet for feeding sheets one by one in a predetermined direction, and a plurality of bin trays situated adjacent to the outlet and stacked in a pile with gaps between the adjacent bin trays for receiving sheets fed from the passage. The gaps are widened, successively, at an inlet side of the bin trays. The passage is shifted up and down in synchronization with the widened gap so as to align the outlet of passage with the widened gap. A plurality of feed rollers are fixedly mounted on a shaft provided in the outlet for feeding the sheets into the widened gap. Swing plates are rotatably or swingably mounted on the shaft to direct the sheets onto the bin trays.