Abstract: A large T-square having retractable pins for temporary attachment of the T-square to the face of a product such as a gypsum wallboard.

Abstract: In a first embodiment a stop having a plurality of ports is connected to and covers an end of a rectangular sleeve. In a region near the stop a narrow wall of the sleeve also has a plurality of ports. A nozzle coupled to a pump provides a flow of air into the other end of the sleeve and the air exits through the ports. With this arrangement, a rectangular sheet inserted into said other end of the sleeve is fluidly brought into registration with the narrow wall and stop. As the sheet is brought into registration fluid injected or drawn through holes in a wide wall of the sleeve is used to force at least a part of the sheet against one of the wide walls and the resulting friction serves to brake the traveling sheet, thereby minimizing impact forces between the sheet, the narrow wall, and the stop. In a second embodiment, similar to the first, the narrow wall and stop include internal projections against which an inserted sheet is registered.

Abstract: A method for changing the direction of travel of a sheet includes the steps of providing a pocket, guiding a sheet traveling in a first direction into the pocket, and providing a fluid stream in the pocket to bias the sheet in a substantially opposite direction, thereby reversing the direction of travel of the sheet.

Abstract: A method for registering a stack of sheets with respect to perpendicularly related axes includes the steps of providing a first sleeve for accommodating the stack of sheets; providing a stop at one end of the sleeve; placing the stack in the sleeve; and providing in the sleeve a fluid stream, whereby the fluid stream moves the sheets down the sleeve in unison and moves the sheets into registration with a wall of the sleeve and the stop. In a modified method a second sleeve is provided in alignment with and adjacent to said first sleeve. The sheets are first placed inside the second sleeve and fluid is drawn from the first sleeve to move the stack. Assistance in moving the stack is provided by fluid injected into the second sleeve, care being taken to prevent a net flow of air out of a gap between the first and second sleeves.

Abstract: A system wherein documents are presented to an exposure station of reproduction apparatus includes a housing in which a rack for storing documents is located. The rack includes a plurality of pockets in each of which a document may be stored, the rack being movable in a vertical direction so that any one of its pockets may be aligned with an opening in the housing. Fluid streams are used to either move a document in an aligned pocket through the opening and to the exposure station or from the exposure station into the pocket. Copies of documents presented to the exposure station are made by the reproduction apparatus. Adjacent the housing there is located an inverter into which documents from the rack are fluidically fed as desired. Inverted documents are returned to the rack with the assistance of a fluid stream. Inverted documents may be fed to the exposure station to provide duplex copies.

Abstract: Apparatus for registering a sheet with respect to perpendicularly related axes is disclosed. Structurally, each embodiment disclosed includes (a) a sleeve for internally accomodating a sheet, at least one point on an inner narrow wall of the sleeve being aligned in parallel with one of the axes; (b) a retractable gate located at one end of the sleeve, in one position the gate having at least one point aligned in parallel with the other of the axes; and (c) means for providing in the sleeve a fluid stream having velocity components normal to each of the axes, whereby when the gate is in said position and a sheet is placed in the sleeve, the stream moves the sheet into abutment with each of said points.

Abstract: A system for presenting documents to a slit-scan xerographic exposure station includes a fluidic storage station having a housing in which a rack for storing documents is located. The rack includes a plurality of pockets in each of which a document may be stored, the rack being movable in a vertical direction so that any one of its pockets may be aligned with an opening in the housing. A fluid stream is used to move a document in a pocket aligned with the opening out of the storage apparatus and into engagement with transport apparatus. The transport apparatus includes a vacuum document drum which moves a document past the exposure station and, in one mode of operation, inverts the document prior to its return to a pocket at the station. In another mode of operation, the direction of travel of the drum is reversed after the document has been exposed and the document is returned without inversion.

Abstract: An exterior wall or a roof-ceiling structure having, on the interior side, a wallboard with a front face which forms the interior wall or ceiling surface and a back face, which is adhered to wall framing members. The back face has a paper-foil laminate which is adhered to the basic board back side, with the foil side of the laminate adhered directly to the basic board back side. The paper side of the laminate is adhered directly to the wall framing members.

Abstract: In a first embodiment, a stop having a plurality of ports is connected to and covers an end of a rectangular sleeve. In a region near the stop, a narrow wall of the sleeve also has a plurality of ports. A nozzle coupled to a pump provides a flow of air into the other end of the sleeve and the air exits through the ports. With this arrangement, a rectangular sheet inserted into said other end of the sleeve is fluidly brought into registration with the narrow wall and stop. After the sheet has been registered, fluid inserted or drawn through holes in a wide wall of the sleeve maintains the sheet in contact with one of the wide walls, thereby further registering the sheet. In a second embodiment, similar to the first, the narrow wall and stop include internal projections against which an inserted sheet is registered. In a third embodiment, similar to the first, a manifold is coupled to the ports and a vacuum pump is coupled to the manifold to accelerate registration.

Abstract: A transport includes a sleeve through which a belt having abutments is driven at a predetermined speed. The sleeve includes along one of its narrow walls a plurality of ports and each of the abutments includes a number of holes. Fluid injected in parallel with the wide walls of the sleeve exits through the ports and passes through the holes of an abutment in the sleeve. As a result, a sheet fed into the sleeve is biased against one of the abutments and the narrow wall and moves through the sleeve at the same speed as the belt. In moving through the sleeve at said predetermined speed, the sheet moves past a window in the sleeve. To eliminate flutter of the sheet as it moves past the window, fluid is injected through a wide wall of the sleeve, thereby biasing the sheet against the belt. As a result, slit-scan xerographic apparatus in cooperation with the window may be synchronized with the belt drive to provide a copy of information on the sheet.

Abstract: A system for presenting documents to a slit-scan exposure station includes a first fluidic storage station in which a rack for storing documents is located. The rack includes a plurality of pockets in each of which a document may be stored, the rack being movable in a vertical direction. Fluid is used to move a document in a pocket partially out of the storage apparatus through an opening and into registration with a gate and a wall of the pocket. Thereafter, the gate is opened and a drive associated with the exposure station moves the partially ejected document past a scan window. The rack is then vertically stepped to align another pocket with the opening and the procedure is repeated. Exposed documents are moved to a second fluidic storage station, similar to the first. At this station fluid drawn through an opening moves a document into a pocket of a rack and vertical movement of the rack is used to provide a separate pocket for each of the documents.

Abstract: A hybrid crossmixer for blending and mixing the multi-component developer circulating in a development system of an electrostatographic processor comprising an active section in series with a pair of parallel passive sections.

Abstract: In a first embodiment, a stop having a plurality of ports is connected to and covers an end of a bent rectangular sleeve. In a region near the stop, a narrow wall of the sleeve also has a plurality of ports. The sleeve includes at each bend a pair of oppositely disposed openings, a driven roller, a drive roller cooperating with the driven roller to provide a nip in the sleeve, and a pair of shrouds covering the rollers and openings. A nozzle coupled to a pump provides a flow of air into the other end of the sleeve and the air exits through the ports. With this arrangement, a rectangular sheet inserted into said other end of the sleeve is fluidly brought into registration with the narrow wall and stop, the rollers assisting movement of the sheets through the bends. In a second embodiment, similar to the first, the narrow wall and stop include internal projections against which an inserted sheet is registered.

Abstract: Apparatus includes a structure having a vertically disposed thin rectangular pocket into which the leading edge of a document is inserted by a roller arrangement. When the document is released by the roller arrangement it registers against the bottom wall of the pocket and a fluid stream provided in the pocket registers the document against a narrow vertical wall of the pocket. The wide walls of the structure are transparent and provide a view of the document which may be used in cooperation with xerographic equipment to produce copies of the document. Another fluid stream in the pocket is used to move the originally trailing edge of the document into engagement with the roller arrangement and the arrangement cooperates with a guide to move the document into a tray. The facing position of a collected document is inverted with respect to its facing position immediately prior to its being fed into the roller arrangement.

Abstract: A system for presenting documents to a xerographic exposure station includes a first fluidic storage station in which a rack for storing documents is located. The rack includes a plurality of pockets in each of which a document may be stored, the rack being movable in a vertical direction. A fluid stream is used to move a document in a pocket out of the storage apparatus through an opening and into orthogonal registration at the exposure station. Exposed documents are fluidically moved to a second fluidic storage station which is similar to the first, the exiting direction being generally transverse to the path followed by a document in entering the exposure station. Vertical movement of the racks at the first and second storage stations is used to serially feed documents to the exposure stations and to provide a pocket for each of the exposed documents.

Abstract: A system wherein documents are presented to a platen of a xerographic system includes a housing in which a rack for storing documents is located. The rack includes a plurality of pockets in each of which a document may be stored, the rack being movable in a vertical direction so that any one of its pockets may be aligned with an opening in the housing. A document handler resting on the platen and having a fluidically lubricated platform is used to feed documents placed on the platform through the opening and into pockets of the rack. The document handler cooperates with the platen to provide a rectangular document pocket and documents in the rack may be shuttled to and from the document pocket. Fluid streams are used to initiate movement of a document being shuttled. Documents moved to the platen are orthogonally registered with a pair of walls of the document pocket, and copies of the registered documents may be made by the xerographic system.

Abstract: An electrostatographic processor has a development system which is equipped with a split housing and with retractable edge seals which may be moved toward and away from the imaging surface of the processor independently of the housing for the development system.

Abstract: Apparatus for storing documents includes a rectangular housing having first and second openings on a front wall and first and second spaced manifolds mounted on the back wall in horizontal alignment with the openings. A vertically movable rectangular rack is mounted in the housing, the rack having a plurality of pockets whose entrance may be aligned with the openings. Also, each pocket communicates with one of a plurality of sets of holes in the rack, each set being alignable with the manifolds. With vacuum pressure supplied to the first manifold fluid flows through the first opening, through a pocket, and through a corresponding set of holes. Thus, a document inserted into the first opening is drawn into a pocket of the rack. The rack may be stepped along and all of its pockets may be filled with documents. With pressure applied to the second manifold fluid is injected through a set of holes into a pocket and the fluid flows out through the second opening.

Abstract: A stacker includes a rectangular housing within which there is located a vertically movable platform. A vertical wall of the housing includes, along an upper region, an orifice through which sheets may be fed into the housing, and each of the other three vertical walls includes a series of fluid outlet ports, at the same level as the orifice, each series of ports being coupled to a vacuum source. The top of the housing includes an array of fluid inlet ports which are coupled to a fluid source. The fluid source cooperates with outlet ports and vacuum sources to create a fluid stream in the housing which biases a sheet entering through the orifice, selectively, against one of two corners in the housing. Sheets in the housing are also biased towards the platform by movable spring members extending into the housing through the orifice. The spring members are moved out of the way of a sheet entering the housing through the orifice by a detector which controls a solenoid yoked to the spring members.

Abstract: Embodiments of apparatus for fluidically registering or posing documents in copying systems are disclosed. Each embodiment includes: a document feeder; and fluidic means for registering documents at a station and for discharging documents from the station. Discharged documents are collected in a tray.