Abstract: Guide ring arranged coaxially with a drive shaft includes locating and locking features ensuring proper orientation of drive and driven shafts, also ensuring proper backlash between gears mounted thereon. Guide ring is inserted through a keyed aperture of a mounting bracket and brought into proximity with the driven shaft frame. Rotation of motor and guide ring in first direction draws shafts into alignment; mounting bracket is attached to driven shaft frame. Motor and guide ring then rotated in opposite direction to second extreme position in which the motor is locked and driven shaft can rotate freely.

Abstract: Guide ring arranged coaxially with a drive shaft includes locating and locking features ensuring proper orientation of drive and driven shafts, also ensuring proper backlash between gears mounted thereon. Guide ring is inserted through a keyed aperture of a mounting bracket and brought into proximity with the driven shaft frame. Rotation of motor and guide ring in first direction draws shafts into alignment; mounting bracket is attached to driven shaft frame. Motor and guide ring then rotated in opposite direction to second extreme position in which the motor is locked and driven shaft can rotate freely.

Abstract: Guide ring arranged coaxially with a drive shaft includes locating and locking features ensuring proper orientation of drive and driven shafts, also ensuring proper backlash between gears mounted thereon. Guide ring is inserted through a keyed aperture of a mounting bracket and brought into proximity with the driven shaft frame. Rotation of motor and guide ring in first direction draws shafts into alignment; mounting bracket is attached to driven shaft frame. Motor and guide ring then rotated in opposite direction to second extreme position in which the motor is locked and driven shaft can rotate freely.

Abstract: A self adjusting jam prevention guide and jam clearance baffle for a printing machine. A moveable guide is attached to a machine subsystem module and is moveable from a first position to a second position. In the first position the guide bridges a gap between the machine subsystem module and a preceding subsystem module. In the second position, the guide is retracted from the gap to allow easy removal of one of the subsystem modules. The moveable guide is preferably self actuated by the use of a biasing device and a ramped section so that the movement of one of the adjacent subsystem modules causes extension and retraction of the guide. A jam clearance aid is further attached to the exit of the machine subsystem module. The clearance aid uses a J-shaped channel to cause a sheet fed into a jammed sheet to buckle and cause both the first jammed sheet and subsequent sheets to be partially ejected from the paper path for easy removal therefrom.

Abstract: A compact dual decurler mechanism that provides a single straight paper path for achieving bidirectional decurling capability. The dual decurler mechanism consists of two pairs of drive roll and pinch shaft and a camming mechanism for controlling their engagements. The first and the second pairs are oriented in opposite directions in a manner that they can selectively form opposite bending nips for decurling incoming sheets of different curl directions. The operation of the dual decurler can be software controlled through the use of an electric indexing clutch such that, depending on system inputs on image area coverage and the type of finishing device being used, the first pair can be adjusted for toward image (TI) bending, the second pair for away image (AI) bending, or both be set at a neutral setting that keeps both nips open when no decurling is needed. The architecture of the single straight paper path of the dual decurler can minimize paper jams and avoids potential damage to sheets.

Abstract: A document handler 20 for presenting documents to the platen 23 of a copier 10 for copying with a vacuum belt platen transport system 32 having document transporting belts 35 movable under a substantially planar vacuum plenum backing and imaging background surface 33a overlying the platen, and a vacuum system 33 for applying a partial vacuum to a document sheet being transported by the movable belts over the platen; with a clamping and unclamping system for moving the vacuum plenum backing and imaging background surface 33a against the platen 23 to flatten the belts 35 and a document thereon against the platen for copying.