Abstract: A filament assembly can include: a button having a planar emitter region with one or more apertures extending from an emission surface of the planar emitter region to an internal surface opposite of the emission surface; an inlet electrical lead coupled to the button at a first side; an outlet electrical lead coupled to the button at a second side opposite of the first side; and a low work function object positioned adjacent to the internal surface of the planar emitter region and retained to the button. The planar emitter region can include a plurality of apertures. The low work function object can include a porous ceramic material having the barium, and may have a polished external surface. An electron gun can include the filament assembly. An additive manufacturing system can include the electron gun having the filament assembly.

Abstract: A filament assembly can include: a button having a planar emitter region with one or more apertures extending from an emission surface of the planar emitter region to an internal surface opposite of the emission surface; an inlet electrical lead coupled to the button at a first side; an outlet electrical lead coupled to the button at a second side opposite of the first side; and a low work function object positioned adjacent to the internal surface of the planar emitter region and retained to the button. The planar emitter region can include a plurality of apertures. The low work function object can include a porous ceramic material having the barium, and may have a polished external surface. An electron gun can include the filament assembly. An additive manufacturing system can include the electron gun having the filament assembly.

Abstract: In an example, a method to form a low work function insert includes preparing a mixture that includes a first powder that contains barium, a second powder that contains calcium, a third powder that contains at least one of aluminum, samarium, or magnesium, and a fourth powder that contains a refractory metal. The method may also include heating the mixture, contained in a crucible, in a furnace. Oxygen concentration in the furnace may be maintained at a low partial pressure during heating of the mixture in the furnace. The low work function of the insert allows electrons to be readily extracted from its surface.

Abstract: Sheets are fed from the top of a stack (12) by a continuously rotating vacuum wheel (40). After the leading edge of a just-fed sheet is detected, a control circuit (110) de-energizes valve means (92) whereby the wheel (40) is effectively disconnected from a source of vacuum (90). Indicia borne on the just-fed sheet is read using a probe (23). If the indicia indicates that the just-fed sheet is related for grouping purposes to previously-fed sheets, the control circuit (110) energizes valve means (92) whereby vacuum is applied to the wheel (40) for the feeding of a further sheet. If the indicia indicates that the just-fed, just-read sheet is not related to previously-fed sheets, the control circuit (110) does not energize the valve means (92) for the feeding of a further sheet until the control circuit (110) receives an indication that all previously-fed sheets have been grouped and discharged onto an insert track (32).

Abstract: An insertion machine has a plurality of gripper arms (16), each gripper arm including jaw members (24,26) between which inserts are engaged and from which engaged inserts are released in precise placement upon a transport means (18). Each jaw (26) is actuated by actuating means (28) acting through linkage means (30) to perform the engagement and release operations. Upon insert engagement the activation of the actuating means (28) is controlled to be dependent upon the operating speed of the insertion machine. Upon insert release the activation of each actuating means (28) is controlled so that release is delayed by three release time delay components. A first release time delay component is occasioned by a master presettable release delay means (322) which delays the release operation actuating means (28) of all insert stations in accordance with a preset input value. A second release time delay component is dependent upon the operating speed of the insertion machine.

Abstract: An insertion machine includes an insert supply station 10 located alongside a conveyor 30. Associated with the supply station 10 are a selector 16 for deflecting a lowermost piece of material 15 contained in a hopper 12; a separator foot 25 for segregating the deflected piece from the hopper 12; a monitoring means 40 for determining whether only the lowermost piece 15 was, in fact, deflected; and, a gripper arm 18 for extracting the lowermost piece 15 and depositing the same on the conveyor 30. In one embodiment, the monitoring means 40 comprises an infrared source 29 which directs a signal to a sensor 27 mounted in the separator foot 25.

Abstract: Rows (14, 16) of documents are conveyed in a shingled "two-up" fashion between low speed input rollers (18) and then to high speed rollers (22) which burst the shingled documents. After bursting, coded indicia (44) on each document are read by a photocell assembly (40). After bursting and reading, each document is individually folded in a folder (24). Documents are then delivered to a two-stage collector assembly (26). Documents having like indicia are passed through the collector assembly (26) to a lower collector stage (30). Upon bursting, documents whose indicia (44) indicate that they do not belong to a preceding group of documents are folded and then retained in an upper collector stage (28) until documents belonging to a preceding group of documents have been dumped on an insert track (32).

Abstract: A voltage signal is generated in proportion to the speed of travel of a document travelling through a read station of a document handling machine. The voltage signal is converted to a digital signal having a pulse frequency proportional to the speed of the document. The pulses are counted as an indication of the number of print lines that are passing by the read station. The count is then compared to a pre-selected value approximating the number of print lines typically separating an indicia field of similar documents from a leading edge thereof. When the counted and pre-selected numbers are equal, a reading probe seeks a gate mark within a predetermined number of subsequent print lines. Once the gate mark is located, a variable number of consecutive print line positions comprising the indicia are read.

Abstract: This invention concerns a photoelectric skew detection system which checks the alignment of rectangular articles travelling on a conveyor. The mechanism comprises four phototransistors (1,2,3, and 4) arranged in a narrow rectangular pattern. Two lamps (8,9) are provided, each lamp illuminating only the two phototransistors forming corners for a narrow dimension of the rectangle. If a trailing edge (6a) of a given rectangular article (6) crosses either of the two forward phototransistors (3,4), both of the two rearward phototransistors (1 and 2) must be lit. If one is not lit, an electrical circuit generates an error signal. In this manner, the mechanism simultaneously detects both skew conditions and a faulty lamp.

Abstract: A binary sorting code is read from documents and transmitted to a sorting machine where the code for each document is decoded and used to direct the document to a specific stacker. Cycling of the sorter is controlled by a sequencer responsive to timing pulses from a shaft encoder. Each sequence cycle is initiated by a flip-flop circuit responsive to a document detector. An additional flip-flop provides for fault detection in the system.

Abstract: An automated in-line mailing (AIM) system of the type comprising a continuous sheet web supply, a sheet cutter, a folder, a collector, and an envelope inserter is controlled by indicia on the sheet web. A control system includes a sensor for sequentially sensing the web indicia upstream of a cutting element and a particular arrangement of shift registers for storing signals representative of the indicia. The signals are shifted along the shift registers with movement of the web, and sheets cut therefrom, through the AIM system. The shift registers are sampled at various stages therealong to obtain signals for deactivating a web drive and activating insert stations. A clock signal for cutter and collector shift registers is provided by an endless tape which is normally used to control lengths of cuts by the sheet cutter.