Abstract: According to aspects illustrated herein, there are provided systems for conveying a sheet article into an intended pathway. The multi-way gate system for diverting sheets into multiple pathways in a sheet conveying device includes at least three pathways for directing the sheet from the sheet conveying member in a particular direction. A single gate plate is between the sheet conveying member and the pathways. The single gate plate is rotatable about a single axis to direct the sheet exiting the sheet conveying member toward one of the pathways.

Abstract: Sheet feeding systems and methods for using such systems to feed a sheet from a stack in a document processing system are disclosed. An exemplary sheet feeding system may include a feed roll, a retard system, a trailing edge retention system and a system for automatically an selectively separating the feed roll and the retard system. The feed roll may be configured to drive a first sheet of a stack of sheets in a process direction. The retard system may be configured to prevent one or more second sheets from being driven in the process direction. The trailing edge retention system may be configured to automatically and selectively retain one or more second sheets in the stack by applying a force to a trailing portion of at least one second sheet, thus allowing the feed roll and retard system to be separated during much of the feed cycle. As a result, wear of the feed roll and/or retard system may be reduced.

Abstract: A printing system comprises a paper path architecture for parallel printing using multiple marking engines. The media path configuration enables all the media feed trays to be located in one place, relative to the marking engines. A cross-over module is located between marking engines. The cross-over module can interleave media sheets that are being transported away from a first marking engine with the sheets being transported to the second marking engine. The cross-over module also includes a straight through path that enables media sheets to be transported directly to a finishing device without going through either marking engine. The marking engines include internal duplex loops such that media can be supplied to each engine in alternate groups. A merge module selectively merges the media which can then be further processed in a finishing transition module prior to communication to a finishing device.

Abstract: A media transport system comprising a roller system, a baffle, and at least one lead-in guide positioned to guide a sheet towards the roller system. The roller system includes a drive roller and an idler roller forming a nip, each roller being mounted on a corresponding drive shaft and an idler shaft, respectively. The lead-in guide, lying at an angle to the baffle, is coupled to at least one of the drive shaft or an idler shaft. The mounting of the lead-in guide eliminates tolerances between the lead-in guide and the nip due to baffle flatness, or baffle and shaft deflections as the lead-in guide is positioned by the drive shaft that locates the nip roller. This arrangement enables the lead-in guide to direct a leading edge of the sheet substantially close to a tangent plane of the nip and minimizes drive forces in the system.

Abstract: Systems and methods for positioning a sheet in a feed path including at least one sheet drive roller driven in a rotational direction by a drive shaft in which the drive shaft translates in a lengthwise direction along the axis of the drive shaft. A power shaft rotates about the same axis as the drive shaft and is driven by a power source that is fixedly mounted in the system. The power shaft is fixed to the drive shaft by a flexible coupling that allows the drive shaft and the power shaft to move relative to one another in the lengthwise direction along the axis while maintaining corresponding rotational motion between the power shaft and the drive shaft.

Abstract: A print system including a print head array configured to print ink onto a printable medium, a transport surface positioned adjacent to the print head array and configured to transport a printable medium past the print head array and a plurality of thin guides positioned between the transport surface and the print head array, the plurality of thin guides held in tension and configured to prevent edges of a printable medium from contacting the print head array as the printable medium passes under the print head array.

Abstract: Sheet feeding systems and methods for using such systems to feed a sheet from a stack in a document processing system are disclosed. An exemplary sheet feeding system may include a feed roll, a retard system, a trailing edge retention system and a system for automatically an selectively separating the feed roll and the retard system. The feed roll may be configured to drive a first sheet of a stack of sheets in a process direction. The retard system may be configured to prevent one or more second sheets from being driven in the process direction. The trailing edge retention system may be configured to automatically and selectively retain one or more second sheets in the stack by applying a force to a trailing portion of at least one second sheet, thus allowing the feed roll and retard system to be separated during much of the feed cycle. As a result, wear of the feed roll and/or retard system may be reduced.

Abstract: A system for printing queued print jobs includes a user interface and a job submission component. The user interface communicates user input. The job submission component submits print jobs to at least one print queue. The job submission component communicates with the user interface to receive the user input therefrom. The job submission component includes at least one parameter associated with printing an identification sheet with all of the at least one print job in the at least one print queue when a predetermined condition occurs, the predetermined condition includes at least one of a temporal condition, a periodic temporal condition, a threshold number of pages, and a threshold number of print jobs in the at least one print queue.

Abstract: An ink jet imaging system comprises a heated imaging drum that rotates in at least one direction, a print head for ejecting ink onto the heated imaging drum as it rotates past the print head to form an image, a media sheet transport for synchronizing movement of a media sheet with rotation of the heated imaging drum, a transfixing roller that forms a transfixing nip with the heated imaging drum to transfix the image on the rotating heated image drum onto the media sheet synchronized by the media sheet transport, and a media director located between the media sheet transport and the heated imaging drum to direct the media sheet into close proximity with the heated imaging drum at a position sufficiently prior to the transfixing nip that the heated imaging drum heats the media sheet before the media sheet enters the transfixing nip.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a printing integration system. Specifically, this disclosure provides a means to integrate one or more pairs of substantially vertically aligned marking engines using an intersection transport. The intersection transport includes a media sheet input intersection transport, a single horizontal transport, and a media sheet output intersection transport.

Abstract: In accordance with one aspect of the present exemplary embodiments, a method for scheduling at least one print job for a plurality of printers of a given type is provided. The method includes determining a job length for the at least one print job. The method further includes scheduling a sequence of printing by the plurality of printers based the job length such that a subset of the available plurality of printers is cycled up, and printing the at least one print job with the subset of available printers when the job length is less than at least one predeterminable threshold.

Abstract: A merge module suited to use in a printing system in which streams of marked print media arrive at angularly spaced directions from two marking engines includes a first media transport section which receives a first portion of print media and outputs it in a first direction. A second media transport section receives a second portion of print media. The second print media transport section redirects the second portion of print media, optionally rotates it, and outputs it in the first direction. A third media transport section receives a third portion of print media. The third media transport section redirects the third portion of print media, optionally rotates it, and outputs it in the first direction. Print media output from one marking engine may be alternately delivered to the second and third transport sections. An output path receives print media from the three media transport sections.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods and systems to diagnose modular printing systems having two or more interchangeable modules. In addition, methods and systems are provided to generate instructions for configuring the interchangeable modules within the printing system to produce optimal results.

Abstract: Provided are printing system scheduler methods and systems. Specifically, a shadow scheduler is disclosed which provides alternative modular printing system configurations, relative to a base modular printing system configuration.

Abstract: A printing system is provided comprising a marking engine and an inverter. The inverter includes an entrance path having a first reversing inverter drive nip system and a second reversing drive nip system. The printing system further includes a marking path and a duplex path whereby a plurality of media sheets move through the entrance path, the marking path and the duplex path in a first order sequence. The plurality of media sheets return to the entrance path wherein the plurality of media sheets are inverted and moved again through the marking path in a second order sequence.

Abstract: A lead edge and/or trail edge sheet curl sensing and constraint method and system. First and second light emitters and detector pairs are aligned such that the light beams from the first light emitter and second light emitter cross at the transport media sheet substrate path, which constitutes the path of a media sheet substrate with zero curl. A media sheet substrate with either positive or negative curl on the lead edge of the sheet substrate interrupts light beams from the first and second light emitters, as detected by first and second light detectors. A similar approach can be used to detect the trail edge curl. The time delay between the light beam interruptions is proportional to the sheet substrate curl, and the order of interruptions indicates whether the sheet substrate curl is positive or negative. A first pair and a second pair of substrate constraint rollers can also be provided in the paper path upstream and downstream of the sensing system.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a printing integration system. Specifically, this disclosure provides a means to integrate one or more pairs of substantially vertically aligned marking engines using an intersection transport. The intersection transport includes a media sheet input intersection transport, a single horizontal transport, and a media sheet output intersection transport.

Abstract: A printing system for printing images onto copy sheets and tab stock includes a media registration transport for transporting a media sheet along a path. The printing system further includes a sensing system having a plurality of sensors positioned in line and orthogonal to the feed direction of the sheet path for detecting a leading edge of the media sheet. A control system provides for detecting signals at the times when each of the plurality of sensors are occluded and a control algorithm compares every one of the sensor signals with each other of the sensor signals. The system then identifies at least one pair of sensor signals having inconsistent readings with the other of sensor signals and, determines the presence of a tab on the leading edge based on the inconsistent sensor signal readings and calculates sheet skew based on the other sensor signals.

Abstract: Systems and methods for positioning a sheet in a feed path including at least one sheet drive roller driven in a rotational direction by a drive shaft in which the drive shaft translates in a lengthwise direction along the axis of the drive shaft. A power shaft rotates about the same axis as the drive shaft and is driven by a power source that is fixedly mounted in the system. The power shaft is fixed to the drive shaft by a flexible coupling that allows the drive shaft and the power shaft to move relative to one another in the lengthwise direction along the axis while maintaining corresponding rotational motion between the power shaft and the drive shaft.

Abstract: Parallel printing systems and methods incorporate inverter assemblies for not only inverting media during transport through the system but also to register the media or provide a velocity buffer transports with different drive velocities. The inverter assemblies can include the capability to optionally deskew the media and provide lateral registration corrections. The inverter assembly nip rollers are sufficiently spaced from process drive nip rollers to decouple a document in the inverter assembly from the highway paths. The method comprises combining the inverting function selectively with either the registering or the velocity buffering functions.