Abstract: A guiding device for a freshly printed sheet has a sheet-guiding surface, which is located at a distance from an imaginary conveying surface. The sheet has a leading edge, which sweeps over the imaginary conveying surface along a sheet transport direction perpendicular to the leading edge of the sheet. The sheet-guiding surface is formed on a guide-plate arrangement and has blast-air openings. The sheet-guiding surface includes blast-air nozzles of a first nozzle configuration and of at least a second nozzle configuration. The blast-air nozzles of the first nozzle configuration produce air-jets that sweep over the sheets and are aligned with respect to the sheet transport direction. The blast-air nozzles of the second nozzle configuration produce rotational flows sweeping over the sheets.

Abstract: The sheet feeder of a recorder includes a sheet support, a shaft extending over the support, a feed roller rotatable on the axis of the shaft, and collars mounted rotatably around the shaft. Disks may be formed on the shaft. Each of the collars is supported rotatably on one of the disks. The inner periphery of at least one of the collars in the widthwise middle area of the support is spaced from the periphery of the associated disk. Even if the support is curved in such a manner that it is convex toward the roller, the distance between the shaft axis and the point or line where the at least one of the collars is in compressive contact with the top one of the sheets stacked on the support is shorter than the distances between the axis and the points or lines where the collars near the lateral ends of the support are in compressive contact with the top sheet. All of the collars can keep the roller and the sheet spaced at a predetermined distance from each other. Consequently, the sheets can be fed properly.

Abstract: A sheet feeder having a platform for supporting a stack of sheets, a feed head assembly for feeding sheets seriatim from the top of a sheet supply stack on the platform, a mechanism for moving the platform relative to the feed head assembly, and a device for controlling operation of the platform moving mechanism. The control device for the platform moving mechanism includes a sensor for detecting marginal edges of sheets in the sheet stack on the platform, and producing a signal indicative of sheet edge detection. Additionally, a sensor is provided for detecting the location of the topmost sheet on the sheet stack on the platform, and producing a signal indicative of such top sheet location detection. A signal is set representative of the top of the sheet stack being in proper operative relation to the feed head assembly, this set signal being based on the signal from the top location sensor for the particular location of the top of the stack when the marginal sheet edge detection signal is first produced.

Abstract: A low-splash auger system is provided wherein an auger is housed within a housing. A portion of the auger extends out of an end of the housing for insertion into a hopper. The end of the housing is slanted for minimizing product from splashing upward when the auger is in use.

Abstract: An elevator cage including a cage frame, a cage chamber fixed on the cage frame, and a liquid vibration absorber fixed between the cage chamber and the cage frame. The liquid vibration absorber includes a first liquid chamber and a second liquid chamber, and the inner volumes of the first and second liquid chambers are variable according to elastic deformation, respectively. The liquid vibration absorber further includes an orifice portion communicating between the first and second liquid chambers and a liquid filled inside of the first and second liquid chambers and the orifice portion.

Abstract: Provided is an improved sorter assembly that is capable of directly receiving articles from multiple upstream sources and directly sorting to multiple downstream destinations, and that can sort a wide variety of articles, including heavy, bulky articles. The sorter assembly includes a carrying conveyor having a conveying surface that carries the articles being sorted. The carrying conveyor carries articles in a longitudinal direction between an upstream end and a downstream end of the carrying conveyor. The sorter assembly also includes a diverter that extends perpendicularly from and moves across the conveying surface to define a plurality of diverting orientations. While the articles are being conveyed by the carrying conveyor, the diverter engages and directs the articles at least partially laterally across the conveying surface toward the articles' destinations.

Abstract: An apparatus and control method for feeding medications in which processing units, which can prepare drugs, non-drug articles and drug-related articles, are provided along a carrier feed line, and in which carriers for respective patients are fed on the feed line in the order in which preparations for carriers, preparations for medications, and preparation for receiving carriers are all finished so that a large amount of medications can be collected and delivered by carts to a plurality of wards in a hospital with high efficiency. When patient data is entered in a host computer, at least one of the processing units corresponding to this data is activated to prepare medications. When preparations in all of the processing units, tray feed units, and tray receiving unit have been made, a corresponding tray is fed on the conveyor to collect medications and is then loaded into a predetermined one of a plurality of carts.

Abstract: A continuous unloader includes upper sprockets, lower sprockets located below the upper sprockets, and front sprockets located in front of the lower sprockets. An endless bucket conveyer is operatively taken on the upper, lower and front sprockets. A support frame supports the upper sprockets. An elevation/lowering mechanism is provided at a lower end of the support frame. A base part is operatively connected to the lower end of the support frame by way of the elevation/lowering mechanism such that the base part is raised and lowered by the elevation/lowering mechanism relative to the support frame. A link mechanism is connected to the front and lower sprockets such that the front and lower sprockets are lowered when the distance between the front and lower sprockets is narrowed and the front and lower sprockets are raised when the distance between the front and lower sprockets is widened.

Abstract: The machine includes a modular rotary drum (10) consisting of various individual sections (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 10e) each having a frustoconical shape converging in the direction of progression of the objects to be sorted. The walls of the various sections are riddled with calibrated sorting holes (26) the size of which increases from the inlet towards the outlet. The interior walls of the various sections are fitted with plates describing a spiral which guides the charge to be sorted, as it progresses. Each sorting hole (26) is in the form of an elongate slot widening in the direction of progression.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for loading and positioning of elongate terminated electronic components include a load plate having vertical slots extending therethrough, the slots being spaced apart at regular intervals and each slot having parallel opposing sidewalls. Components are positioned and retained in the load plate slots with the long axes of the components in an orientation transverse to the upper surface of the load plate. At a predetermined time, each component is allowed to drop out of the slot and through a curved chute, the chute bending from an upper opening to a medial point and flaring outwardly from the medial point to a lower opening, and having a width at the medial point larger than the short axis of the component and a width at the lower opening slightly larger than the long axis of the component so that the component is rotated through about 90.degree. on passage through the chute.

Abstract: Disclosed is a curved belt conveyor, which comprises a curved belt between rollers, guide rollers supporting the inner peripheral edge of the curved belt, a driving roller set in the outer peripheral section of the curved belt, a pinch roller for pressing the forward run side of the curved belt against the driving roller, and a pinch roller for pressing the return run side of the curved belt against the driving roller. The pinch rollers are supported with their axial centers incline with respect to the reference line. With the pinch rollers inclined to contact the curved belt, the outer peripheral section of the curved belt is driven towards the outside of turning, thereby preventing bulging and zigzag movement of the curved belt.

Abstract: Device for cyclically lifting and lowering at least one lifting sucker in a feeder of a sheet-processing machine, wherein a sheet lifted by the lifting sucker is transferred to at least one pull sucker for further transport, the lifting sucker being operatively connected by a lifting-sucker transmission to a cyclically controlled drive, the lifting-sucker transmission including a coupler having a joint steplessly bringable onto various cam paths in accordance with a selective suction position of the lifting sucker, all of the cam paths having a common intersecting point.

Abstract: Individual sheets of a sheet material to be treated which arrive in an arrival sequence, are distributed on two or more adjacently located conveying tracks. The sheets are conveyed along the conveying tracks through a processing station and are sorted thereafter in accordance with their arrival sequence. The distribution of the sheets is based on evaluating utilization of the conveying tracks to minimize the distance between sheets following each other on the same transport track. A throughput for sheets with varying length that is approximately equal to the throughput for sheets of same length is achieved.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus having a feeding roller for feeding a sheet, a support shaft forwardly and reversely rotatable integrally with the feeding roller and a stopper disposed upstream of the feeding roller in the sheet feeding direction for temporarily regulating the feed of a sheet to the feeding roller. When the rotation in one direction of the feeding roller is transmitted to a locking member through a one-way clutch, the locking member is rotated to lock the stopper. When the feeding roller is rotated in the opposite direction, the locked state of the stopper is released.

Abstract: The present invention is an automatic banking system including a cash dispenser and a rolled coin dispenser in a single apparatus. The rolled coin dispensing apparatus includes a rotatable dispensing wheel that holds coin rolls, a rotary drive mechanism for rotating the dispensing wheel to a dispense position, and an ejecting mechanism for ejecting a predetermined number of coin rolls from the dispensing wheel. The dispensing wheel has outer and inner wheel structures that support divider members which receive rolled coin cassettes therebetween. The ejecting mechanism includes pusher arms arranged exteriorly of each dispensing wheel and ejector bars, fixed to each arm, that are located interiorly of the outer wheel structure to be pushed into a cassette disposed at the dispense position to obtain coin rolls therefrom. The ejector bars and cassette located at the dispense position are arranged nonradially with respect to the axial center of their cassette wheel.

Abstract: A sheet finishing apparatus for finishing a sheet, on which an image has been formed, conveyed from an image forming apparatus, the sheet finishing apparatus includes: a sheet ejecting member for ejecting the sheet after finishing; and an exit tray for receiving the sheet ejected by the sheet ejecting member after finishing is conducted. The exit tray includes a movable exit tray member on which the sheet is stacked, and a stationary exit tray member for supporting the movable exit tray member. The movable exit tray member has a sheet stacking surface on which the sheet is stacked, and a stopper portion provided adjacent to the sheet ejecting member to bring an edge of the sheet into contact with the stopper portion. The movable exit tray member is pivotally supported around a supporting shaft provided on a leading edge portion of the stationary exit tray member.

Abstract: This invention relates to a facial tissue dispensing system which includes a clip lift member. The clip lift member of the present invention is positioned beneath the stack of facial tissues placed in the carton. The clip lift comprises a bendable sheet of material and one or more elastic members. The elastic members are attached to the bottom of the bendable sheet and cause the bendable sheet to buckle in an upward direction in its middle section to push the tissues in an upward direction as the tissues are being dispensed.

Abstract: An elevatable conveyor section having a base, a conveying element for supporting articles to be conveyed and scissors-linkage. The scissors-linkage has first ends connected with respect to first ends of the base and conveying element and second ends connected with respect to second ends of the base and conveying element. A lift has a linearly moving component connected to a perimeter of the conveying element. The lift is operated to selectively move the moving component and the attached conveying element up and down.

Abstract: Sheet-like material articles are gathered in gathering pockets which move along a path in a horizontal direction. The sheet-like material articles are conveyed in a shingled stream adjacent the path. On each of the gathering pockets a deflector is actuatably arranged. The deflector intercepts the leading edge of a respective sheet-like material article while in the shingled stream. The sheet-like material article is deflected into a gathering pocket.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for creating a blended stream of articles, such as for use in connection with product promotions and the like. The invention contemplates that first and second streams of discrete promotional articles are blended so that the resultant stream includes articles at a predetermined ratio. The present invention facilitates creation of a blended product stream comprising all winning promotional articles with differing values, with subsequent formation of a blended article stream comprising winning and non-winning promotional articles. Precise and cost-effective introduction of the winning and non-winning promotional articles into the marketplace can thus be effected.