Patents Examined by Steven M. Reiss
  • Patent number: 5181714
    Abstract: A document feeding device for feeding documents to a document scanning section where the image of the document is scanned. The document feeding device has first trasnport rollers for feeding each document to the scanning section, discharge rollers for discharging from the scanning section the document thus supplied, a reversing transport path for passing and turning over the document sent from the discharge rollers, and second transport rollers for feeding the document that has been turned over through the reversing transport path to the document reading section. The reversing transport path is designed to change the length of the document transport path depending on the size of the document. With the arrangement, reversing operation and scanning operation of the documents can be performed effectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 26, 1993
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshio Yamagishi, Youichi Kimura, Tamotsu Shuto, Tatuya Ito
  • Patent number: 5181705
    Abstract: A sheet discharging device has a sheet support, a sheet discharge part, a detector and means for controlling the transport condition at the time of sheet discharge. The detector detects the length or characteristic of a sheet before its discharge. Thus a transport condition of a sheet can be changed at the time of its discharge dependent on its length or characteristic and the sheet is discharged adjustably.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 1989
    Date of Patent: January 26, 1993
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Noriyoshi Ueda, Yuji Takahashi, Makoto Kitahara
  • Patent number: 5181711
    Abstract: A holder for receiving sheets and discharging sheets therefrom one-by-one from the bottom of a stack of sheets is provided including a carrier having a rear portion, an intermediate portion and a front portion, providing a carrying surface for the sheets, the carrier being bent at the intermediate portion thereof, transverse to the direction of conveyance of the sheets, so as to create a deepened section between the rear portion and the front portion. Lateral supports extend from lateral edges of the carrier, with at least one elevated part provided in the deepened section at the intermediate portion extending transverse to the direction of conveyance on the carrying surface of the carrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 26, 1993
    Assignee: Oce-Nederland, B.V.
    Inventor: Christophorus L. Spoorenberg
  • Patent number: 5180157
    Abstract: An apparatus for conveying sheets of paper along a paper path comprises an outer frame having an inlet end for connection to an upstream conveying device and an outlet end for connection to a downstream conveying device. The outer frame has a hollow interior and an opening in each of the inlet and outlet ends for conveying sheets through. There is a drawer frame slidably mounted to the outer frame. The drawer frame is slidable through an open side of the outer frame between a closed position within the outer frame to an open position outside the outer frame. There is structure mounted in the drawer frame for conveying along a paper path sheets of paper received from the upstream conveying device to the downstream conveying device. The conveying structure includes structure for driving the conveying structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 19, 1993
    Assignee: Pitney Bowes Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas M. Helit, Kenneth W. Lowell, Karen P. Synnett
  • Patent number: 5180158
    Abstract: A moving tray sorter has a set of trays forming sheet receiving bins to which successive sheets are to be supplied from a typical office copier or printer. The trays are mounted in a support at ends remote from the host machine to pivot on horizontal axes and move longitudinally as the ends of the trays into which sheets are supplied are moved vertically past a sheet entry location by a tray shifter which moves the trays sequentially and as a set between locations below a sheet receiving position, upwardly to the sheet receiving position. The ends of the trays adjacent to the host machine are separably supported one on the other and are shifted in unison upon upward and downward movement of the lowermost tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 1992
    Date of Patent: January 19, 1993
    Assignee: Gradco (Japan) Ltd.
    Inventor: Peter M. Coombs
  • Patent number: 5176376
    Abstract: Disclosed is feeding apparatus comprising a first vibration apparatus having projections provided with a predetermined distance therebetween, the first vibration apparatus producing a first travelling vibration wave in response to an electrical signal applied thereto, and a second vibration apparatus having projections located at the positions substantially corresponding to the projections of the first vibration apparatus, the second vibration apparatus producing a second travelling vibration wave proceeding in the same direction as the first travelling vibration wave in response to an electrical signal supplied thereto thereby the sheet inserted between the projections of the first vibration apparatus and the projections of the second vibration apparatus being fed by the first and second travelling vibration waves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 5, 1993
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masahiko Igaki, Yoshifumi Nishimoto, Kenichi Kataoka, Koji Kitani, Hiroyuki Seki, Eiichi Yanagi
  • Patent number: 5174558
    Abstract: Apparatus for automatically feeding workpieces of limp material one at a time and one after another from a stack thereof to a device for operating thereon, e.g. for feeding plies of fabric from a stack of plies to sewing apparatus, comprising an endless conveyor having spaced flights and gaps. The stack is held under an upper reach of the conveyor on a table. The space between the gaps is substantially less than the dimension of the table in the direction of travel of the upper reach of the conveyor. A pick-up is operable through the gaps to grasp the top workpiece of the stack and pick it up with the workpiece extending down in a gap. The bottom surface of the workpiece is engaged by the oncoming flight of the conveyor to complete the separation of the workpiece from the stack and to bring it to lie generally flat on the oncoming flight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1992
    Assignee: Ark, Inc.
    Inventor: Charles H. Sanborn, III
  • Patent number: 5174454
    Abstract: The method is characterized by identifying each form stack (8) with regard to the identity received during manufacture thereof, the information received regarding the identity of the form stack (8), comparing the information received regarding the identity of the form stack (8) with stored information regarding the identities of one or more form stacks (8) sorted in the storage system (11), sorting form stacks (8) with a certain identity in such compartments in the storage system (11) containing a form stack or form stacks (8) with the same identity if, during the identity comparison, it is determined that there is/are one or more form stacks (8) with the same identity in a certain compartment in the storage system (11), sorting form stacks (8) with a certain identity in a free compartment in the storage system (11) if, during the identity comparison, it is determined that there is/are not one or more form stacks (8) with the same identity in the storage system, and removing stored identity information when a
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1992
    Inventor: Gothe A. K. Parkander
  • Patent number: 5174559
    Abstract: An apparatus for handling sheet material articles includes a hopper which supports a stack of sheet material articles with front edge portions of the articles skewed at an acute angle to the axis of rotation of a feed drum. A separator is sequentially engageable with a corner portion of each of the sheet material articles to move the corner portion of the sheet material article away from a next succeeding sheet material article. The feed drum pulls a sheet material article from the hopper with the front edge portion of the sheet material article skewed at an acute angle to the axis of rotation of the feed drum. While a portion of the sheet material article is still in the hopper, the sheet material article moves from between the separator and the next succeeding sheet material article to expose the next succeeding sheet material article to the separator. A conveyor receives the sheet material article from the feed drum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1992
    Assignee: AM International Incorporated
    Inventor: George J. Diamantides
  • Patent number: 5172902
    Abstract: In a paper feeding device, a paper feeding deck which moves back and forth is provided with a guide bar which extends in the direction in which the paper feeding deck moves and which has grooves formed in required portions corresponding to the sizes of recording paper sheets. A width aligning guide supporting member guided by the guide bar is fixed to a width aligning guide. The width aligning guide supporting member is provided with an engaging member detachably engagable with a groove of the guide bar. In addition, an engaging and detaching mechanism is provided for the width aligning guide supporting member. The engaging member is detachable from a groove of the guide bar by the engaging and detaching mechanism and then, the width aligning guide, along with the width aligning guide supporting member, can be moved to a position corresponding to the size of the recording paper sheets. The engaging member then is engaged with another groove of the guide bar by the engaging and detaching mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1992
    Assignee: Mita Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Hashimoto, Toru Tanjyo
  • Patent number: 5172909
    Abstract: A secondary pivotal drive stacker roller assembly for a document sorting and conveying apparatus adapted for sorting documents of various lengths, preferably from a primary document path to at least one secondary document path leading to a document stacking station, the roller assembly including a roller oriented for rotation about a vertical axis and for engaging shorter length documents advanced along the secondary document path, a pivot arm for reciprocally pivoting the roller into and out of engagement with documents advanced along the secondary document path, and a control system for controlling the pivot arm to selectively position the roller for engaging the shorter length documents, and to disengage the roller from the secondary document path when longer length documents are to be sorted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1992
    Assignee: Bell & Howell Company
    Inventor: Mario Ricciardi
  • Patent number: 5172900
    Abstract: A paper feed mechanism comprises a feed roller rotatable in one direction at a predetermined timing, which rotates in an overrunning manner if such need arises, a separation roller disposed in contact with the feed roller, which rotates together with the feed roller when a load torque exceeds a predetermined value, and a pickup roller disposed upstream of the feed roller in the direction of rotation of the feed roller for feeding a paper sheet according to a paper feed instruction, a device for varying the pressing force of the separation roller against the feed roller, a detector provided in the vicinity of the feed roller and the separation roller for detecting the speed of the paper sheet fed by the feed roller and the separation roller; and a controller for controlling the pressing force of the separation roller according to the detection signal from the detection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1992
    Assignee: Hitachi Koki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Uno, Junji Shirakawa, Masahiro Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 5171367
    Abstract: An apparatus for applying a flowable material, such as a pizza sauce, onto an object, such as a pizza shell, is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a source of the flowable material having a source outlet port and a chamber having an chamber inlet port and a chamber outlet port. The apparatus further includes a piston and cylinder for moving the flowable material from the source to the chamber and a flow control gate disposed at the chamber outlet port. The apparatus further includes an arm responsive to actuation of the piston for opening the flow control gate, thereby permitting a substantially uniform application of the flowable material onto the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 15, 1992
    Inventor: Clifford E. Fitch, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5169143
    Abstract: A bin tray transferring apparatus of a sorter for copy machine. The apparatus comprises a safety guide 60 vertically mounted to the side plate 10, a safety lever 50 rotationally mounted to an upper inner portion of the rack 40 such that one end 52 thereof contacts with said safety guide 60 but the other end 53 thereof always contacts with an upper circumferential end of the transfer wheel 30 or a tray pin 91 of an uppermost bin tray 80, and a hinged connection for rotatably connecting the safety level 50 to the upper inner portion of the rack 40. The apparatus of this invention provides an advantage in that the pin trays can be stably transferred upwards and downwards irrespective of outside force imposed thereon so that one of the tray pins of the bin tray can be efficiently prevented from deviation, thereby accomplishing the lengthening of using life thereof and improving the operational reliability thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1992
    Assignee: Sindo Ricoh Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jae H. Chung, Yeon K. Jung
  • Patent number: 5169139
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are used for positioning and stabilizing flat articles at a specific point (P) of a conveying path, the articles being conveyed in a suspended manner. Non-rigid articles which are conveyed at such a speed that they are deflected by the air resistance from their vertical, flat position, are positioned so that they can be guided into a closely defined compartment of a processing drum with their lower edge at the front. For this purpose guide elements (12) are inserted from above into the conveying flow and over an insertion path (ES), gradually bring the printed products (11) into the intended position and over a following discharge path (AS) discharge the guide elements upwards again out of the conveying flow. The described embodiment of the apparatus comprises chains, closed to form a loop and positioned laterally of the conveying flow, which pass over sprockets and on which the guide elements (12) are arranged at regular intervals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1992
    Assignee: Ferag AG
    Inventors: Hans-Ulrich Stauber, Urs Kaelin
  • Patent number: 5168949
    Abstract: A subpump has its discharge flow rate increased in response to an increase in a vehicle speed. A variable throttle is disposed in a discharge passage from the subpump, and an oil pressure taken from the upstream side of the variable throttle is introduced into a hydraulic reaction chamber to produce a steering action. A main pump has its flow rate increased or decreased in accordance with a number of revolutions thereof, and feeds a pressure oil to a power steering control valve through a passage in which a fixed restriction is disposed. An oil pressure which prevails upstream of the fixed restriction acts upon the variable throttle to change its area of opening, thereby controlling the steering force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1992
    Assignee: Jidosha Kiki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuyoshi Emori, Yukimitsu Minamibata
  • Patent number: 5169136
    Abstract: An automatic paper feeder for feeding a sheet of paper from a paper supply bin to a platen of a printer, comprises: a paper feed roller by which an outermost one of the sheets of paper stacked in the paper supply bin is fed toward the platen while being separated from the rest of sheets of paper; at least one conveyance roller provided between the platen and the paper feed roller train, the conveyance roller receiving a forward turning power from a drive shaft of the printer through a drive gear train having a gear unit; and a one-way torque transmission member provided between the gear unit and a shaft of the conveyance roller nearest to the platen, for transmitting the forward turning powr from the gear unit to the conveyance roller shaft only when the drive shaft of the printer is rotated in the forward direction, wherein a lost motion member is provided to the gear unit and the one-way torque member for preventing the forward turning power of the drive shaft from transmitting to the conveyance roller shaf
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1992
    Assignee: Daiwa Seiko, Inc.
    Inventors: Masahiro Yamagata, Koichiro Kitazume
  • Patent number: 5167407
    Abstract: Air flows from an air flow forming means are jetted to near the downstream end of a plurality of sheets stacked on a laying plate so as to separate either a uppermost sheet or a bottommost sheet from the remaining sheets. The uppermost sheet or the bottommost sheet is vacuum attracted to a vacuum attracting area defined in a feeding belt by a vacuum attracting box. Based on the size of the sheet, the open suction area uncovered by the stacked sheets in the vacuum attracting area is controlled, thereby enabling the feeding belt to control the power of suction thereof to the sheets. Accordingly, a multiple feeding of the sheets can be prevented due to an excessive power of suction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1992
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toyoaki Namba
  • Patent number: 5167300
    Abstract: A system for a financial institution such as a bank has a banking terminals to be operated by clerks, customer's cash banking terminals for transactions with customers, a commanding central section commanding the terminals, and conveyor paths for conveying cash bills from the central section to each terminal and vice versa. The conveyor path is composed of a plurality of conveyor path units and is laid on the original floor of the shop. The conveyor paths are concealed by a covering floor laid thereon, and the terminals are situated on the covering floor. The conveyor paths can be designed and laid freely in the space between the original floor and the covering floor in accordance with the lay-out of the terminals, by suitably selecting the pattern of connection of the units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1992
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazushi Yoshida, Masataka Kawauchi
  • Patent number: 5167410
    Abstract: A device conveys and aligns sheets on a feed table of a printing machine having a single-sheet feeder, an aligning section, and a conveying device revolving on shafts for conveying the sheets in a direction across the aligning section to feed rollers for feeding the sheets to an impression cylinder. Bearings are secured to side frames of the feed table so as to be cyclically adjustable in elevation. The shafts are rotatably mounted in the bearings and are cyclically displaceable laterally to the sheet-conveying direction. A guide device is secured in the side frames. A feed plate is carried by the guide device above the feed table and is laterally adjustable with respect to the position thereof on the guide device. The conveying device includes a revolving conveyor device disposed below the feed plate. The feed plate is formed with aligning edges disposed laterally forward of and behind the revolving conveyor device and constitutes a lateral aligning limit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1992
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Martin Greive, Walter d'Heureuse, Gunter Zobl