Patents Examined by Prasad V Gokhale
  • Patent number: 11479428
    Abstract: An image forming device includes an image forming unit, a reading unit, a registration-less unit, and an engine control unit. The reading unit reads a sheet to be conveyed. The engine control unit moves the other end side of the registration-less unit to correct skew. The engine control unit obtains a deviation amount (first deviation amount) of the position of the sheet based on the correction, and changes a sheet conveyance speed from a first speed to a second speed when the sheet enters the registration-less unit. The engine control unit adjusts the timing to change from the first speed to the second speed based on the first deviation amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC.
    Inventor: Kohei Ishido
  • Patent number: 11472650
    Abstract: A medium conveying apparatus includes a medium tray, a feed roller, an upper guide, a movement sensor including an arm movably provided by the fed medium on the upper guide and on an upstream side of the feed roller, to generate a movement amount signal corresponding to a movement amount of the arm, a medium sensor to detect a presence of the medium at a predetermined position of the medium tray, a processor to determine whether a feeding abnormality of the medium has occurred based on the movement amount signal, detect a size of the medium placed on the medium tray based on a detection result by the medium sensor, and stop feeding of the medium by the feed roller when the processor determines that the feeding abnormality of the media has occurred and the detected size of the media is equal to or less than a predetermined size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Niwata, Ken Funaki, Hiroyuki Kitano
  • Patent number: 11472651
    Abstract: A document conveying device includes a document tray, a first rotary member, a first motor, a second rotary member, a second motor, a document feed sensor, and a controller. The controller counts a counted time from the time point that the first motor starts to rotate until the leading end of a document reaches the document feed sensor. When the time resulting from subtracting the counted time from a required sheet-to-sheet time interval is longer than the required speed change time, the controller performs deceleration and post-deceleration acceleration for the first motor. The required speed change time is the time required for speed change from the first rotation speed to the second rotation speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC.
    Inventor: Takuro Murata
  • Patent number: 11465866
    Abstract: Example feed trays for a printer are disclosed. In one example, the feed tray includes a support surface to support print media, and a guide wall coupled to the support surface. The support surface and the guide wall define a feed path for the print media into the printer. In addition, the feed tray includes a fill indicator comprising a cam rotatably coupled to the guide wall about an axis of rotation that is perpendicular to the feed path. The cam includes an extension that extends radially from the axis of rotation, and the cam is rotatable about the axis of rotation between a first position and a second position. The extension is more proximate to the support surface when the cam is in the second position than when the cam is in the first position, and the cam is rotationally biased from the second position toward the first position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Hallie Touchstone, Bradley Spencer White, Robert C. Lopez
  • Patent number: 11459196
    Abstract: A controller starts sheet feeding at a primary sheet feeding speed, then momentarily stops a sheet feeding rotary member, and thereafter starts secondary sheet feeding. When the secondary sheet feeding speed equals a first speed, the controller momentarily stops the sheet feeding rotary member such that the leading end of a document sheet stops at a first stop position. When the secondary sheet feeding speed equals a second speed, the controller momentarily stops the sheet feeding rotary member such that the leading end of a document sheet stops at a second stop position. The second stop position is located downstream of the first stop position in the document conveying direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC.
    Inventor: Koji Fujii
  • Patent number: 11459202
    Abstract: A sheet handling apparatus for storing sheets into a storage bag that includes an opening and a frame having a gate for opening and closing the opening, includes: a mounting unit to which the frame of the storage bag is capable of being detachably mounted; a transport unit configured to transport sheets one by one; and a storage mechanism configured to stack the sheets transported by the transport unit, in a stacking area on the frame mounted to the mounting unit, and to push the sheets stacked in the stacking area into the storage bag through the opening of the storage bag to store the sheets in the storage bag.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: GLORY LTD.
    Inventors: Yuji Shimodaira, Eiki Yamamoto, Yoshiki Ono
  • Patent number: 11459194
    Abstract: A sheet stacking device includes a tray having a sheet loading surface on which a sheet fed in a predetermined feeding direction is loaded. The tray includes a main tray, an extension tray and a first detection part. The first detection part includes a first sensor, a first detected piece and a first contact piece. The first detected piece is turnably supported by the extension tray and switches the first sensor between an ON state and an OFF state. The first contact piece is turnably supported by the first detected piece, and protrudes above and retracts below the sheet loading surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Takuro Morita
  • Patent number: 11459200
    Abstract: Method for controlling a sheet feeding device (1) comprising an elevator (2) for a stack of sheets, and an air supply system (3) configured to supply and direct one of more air streams towards an upper region (4) of the sheet feeding device for floating a plurality of upper sheets of the stack of sheets, wherein the elevator comprises a vertically movable support (5) for supporting the stack of sheets from below, wherein the sheet feeding device comprises an optical sensor (6) positioned adjacent the floated sheets for measuring light reflected from the floated sheets at a plurality of different heights, wherein the method comprises the steps of: continuously deriving from the optical sensor a density reading (DR) indicating the density of sheets floated, continuously deriving an average density (AD) based on a plurality of density readings, continuously deriving an upper density limit (UDL) based on the average density multiplied by a predetermined upper density limit factor (UDLF), continuously deriving a l
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: Plockmatic International AB
    Inventors: Patrik Dahlqvist, Peter Olofsson
  • Patent number: 11453563
    Abstract: A gripper arrangement for lifting a flexible semi-finished product from a support, wherein the gripper arrangement comprises a flexible semi-finished product resting on a support and at least one pair of grippers with a suction gripper or needle gripper and with at least one clamping gripper, wherein the suction or needle gripper is pivotable around an axis between a pick-up position for picking up an edge of the flexible semi-finished product and a transfer position for transferring the edge of the flexible semi-finished product to the clamping gripper. Furthermore, a corresponding method is described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: OLBRICH GmbH
    Inventor: Dominic Wilken
  • Patent number: 11453562
    Abstract: Example feed trays for a printer are disclosed. In one example, the feed tray includes a support surface to support print media, and a guide wall coupled to the support surface. The support surface and the guide wall define a feed path for the print media into the printer, and the guide wall is movable along the support surface. In addition, the feed tray includes a fill indicator comprising a roller mounted to the guide wall that extends into the feed path. The roller is to rotate about an axis of rotation that is perpendicular to the feed path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Hallie Touchstone, Bradley Spencer White, Robert C. Lopez
  • Patent number: 11447353
    Abstract: The invention relates to a sheet alignment device (5) for a machine for the processing of sheets (B) consisting of a thin, flat material such as paper, cardboard or film, with a feed section, at least one sensor (30, 32) for determining the position and/or alignment of the sheet (B) and also at least two alignment modules (10), each having an alignment roller (12), to which a drive device (14) is assigned in each case, whereby there is assigned to each alignment module (10) a swivel device (16), with which the alignment roller (10) can be swivelled around a swivel axis (A) perpendicular to the feed section. The invention relates also to a machine for the processing of sheets (B) consisting of a thin, flat material such as paper, cardboard or film, whereby a sheet alignment device (5) of the aforementioned type is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: BOBST GRENCHEN AG
    Inventor: Stefan Wick
  • Patent number: 11440755
    Abstract: An automatic lifting and feeding device includes a main controller, a material thickness detecting device, a material loading mechanism for placing materials and driving the materials to rise and fall, a material taking mechanism for transferring materials and a height detecting mechanism for detecting the height of the materials, wherein, the material thickness detecting device, the material loading mechanism, the material taking mechanism and the height detecting mechanism are respectively connected to the main controller. The height detecting mechanism includes a bracket and the height testing part connected to the bracket, and the detector for detecting the material distance is arranged on the height testing part. The invention also provides an automatic lifting feeding method. The advantage of the invention is that the height does not need to be adjusted manually. The device can automatically detect the height of the material, and achieves high efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: OURSUN OFFICE MACHINE CO., LTD
    Inventors: Wenfeng Zhu, Songyu He
  • Patent number: 11440759
    Abstract: A sheet transport device includes a processor configured to adjust movement of a transport unit that transports a sheet on the basis of a transport load of the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.
    Inventors: Yuichi Araki, Masahito Niwa
  • Patent number: 11440757
    Abstract: In order to downsize an overall apparatus without setting the swing angle of a swing member to be unnecessarily large, a pickup roller, which is for feeding a document disposed on a feeding tray, is supported by a pickup arm that is swingable about a rotation shaft. Depending on the rotational direction of the rotation axis, the pickup arm swings between a first position, in which the pickup roller is in contact with the document on the feeding tray, and a second position, in which the pickup roller is above and not in contact with the feeding tray. An arm member is rotated by rotation of the rotation axis after the pickup arm swings to the second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuya Yasuda, Masahiro Kawanishi
  • Patent number: 11434092
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a sheet cassette includes a sheet placing portion. The sheet placing portion can rotate around a rotation shaft while placing a sheet of a placeable maximum size in a sheet placing area to be flat. The rotation shaft extends to be perpendicular to a discharge direction and a gravity direction of the sheet. The rotation shaft is disposed between a first end portion on a downstream side along the discharge direction in the sheet placing area and a second end portion on an upstream side positioned on a side opposite to the first end portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Mikio Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 11427418
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus has a main body with an insertion slot for a sheet cassette. The sheet cassette has a moveable pin member. A housing in the main body includes a lever partially rotatable about a first axis. The lever has a pin engagement portion at an end of the lever that rotates about a second axis and has an engagement groove into which the pin member can be inserted from a first pin engagement position and a second pin engagement position when the lever has rotated about the first axis. An elastic member applies a force to the lever to rotate the lever toward the insertion direction of the cassette. The housing includes a chassis having a guide groove extending along the insertion direction. The guide groove includes an inclining portion that is inclined with respect to the insertion direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Katsuya Oshida, Mikio Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 11427421
    Abstract: Examples relating to determining stack height in imaging devices are described herein. According to one example, an imaging device includes an input roller assembly to transport a print medium towards an image-forming assembly of the imaging device. The input roller assembly can include a pinch roller for drawing the print medium from a media stack. The imaging device further includes a pressure plate movably coupled to a body portion of the imaging device and biased towards the pinch roller. The pressure plate may hold the media stack between itself and the pinch roller and is movable by a first distance from a neutral position when the media stack is there between. The first distance is measured from a fixed point to a measurement region on the pressure plate and can indicate an instantaneous stack height of the media stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Kok Chai Chong, Tong Nam Samuel Low, Ban Ho Chong, Jun Hong Goh, Seng San Koh
  • Patent number: 11420835
    Abstract: A sheet storage device for storing sheets includes a supporting unit, a regulation unit, and a moving unit. The supporting unit supports stored sheets. The regulation unit is movably arranged on the supporting unit, and regulates a position of an edge portion of a sheet. The moving unit moves the regulation unit. The moving unit includes moving members to move in a direction parallel to a moving direction of the regulation unit. The moving members are moved by rotation of a rotation member in a case where the rotation member is in contact with the moving members. In a case where a fixing member attached to the sheet storage device in place of the rotation member, movement of the moving members is regulated by placing the moving members into contact with the fixing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masaki Sato, Shinta Cho
  • Patent number: 11420840
    Abstract: A method for franking packages individually supplied from a stack on a conveyor line to a franking machine, such as envelopes, mailing bags, sleeves, cards, labels, printed products, or the like, which are removed at the lower side of the stack for separation and which are supplied on the upstream conveyor line to a printing mechanism of the franking machine and which, after printing of the packages, are discharged from the franking machine. The packages are supplied on the conveyor portion via a switch to the franking machine and after printing are supplied counter to the supply direction from the printing mechanism of the franking machine via the transposed switch of a depositing device which is provided therebelow for printed packages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: FRAMA AG
    Inventor: Thomas Peter Haug
  • Patent number: 11401121
    Abstract: A sheet tray configured to accommodate a sheet includes a first tray, a second tray directly connectable to the first tray, and a third tray directly connectable to the first tray and to the second tray in a state where the second tray is disengaged from the first tray, the third tray being made of metal. The sheet tray is configured to take a first state where the first tray is directly connected to the second tray and a second state where the third tray connects the first tray to the second tray. The sheet tray is configured to accommodate a sheet having a first size in the first state and a sheet having a second size longer than the sheet having the first size in the second state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazutoshi Nakamura, Yasuo Fukamachi, Keita Shimizu