Patents by Inventor Russell L. Phelps

Russell L. Phelps has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5018656
    Abstract: An apparatus in which a set of sheets is stapled together. A predetermined length of wire is fed to the stapler. A wire cutter is positioned along the wire as a function of the movement of the clamper clamping the sheets of the set. The wire cutter cuts the wire at the cutting position and a forming bar forms the cut wire into a staple. A driving bar then drives the staple through the set of sheets to staple the sheets together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 1987
    Date of Patent: May 28, 1991
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Russell L. Phelps
  • Patent number: 4474457
    Abstract: A document transport system for a copier has associated with it a platen having anti-static properties. A platen glass surface is coated with an optically transmissive grounded coating which serves to dissipate electrostatic fields which occur as a consequence of the movement of the document across the platen surface. In one embodiment wherein the transport system includes rollers which frictionally engage and move the document across the platen, the conductive coating is omitted in areas generally underlying the rollers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 1982
    Date of Patent: October 2, 1984
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Russell L. Phelps
  • Patent number: 4428666
    Abstract: In a document sheet feeding and registration apparatus for deskewing a document sheet relative to a desired copying position on a copier platen while feeding the document sheet onto the platen into said copying position, there is disclosed a method and apparatus including obtaining an electrical signal corresponding to the actual velocity of the document sheet being fed onto the platen, and actuating an automatic document sheet deskewing device at a precise actuating time occurring slightly before the document sheet reaches the copying position, so that the actuating time of said document sheet deskewing corresponds to the actual velocity of the document sheet. The electrical signal corresponding to the actual document sheet velocity may be obtained by counting the elapsed time between the actuation of first and second switches substantially spaced from one another along the document sheet path upstream of the copier platen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 1982
    Date of Patent: January 31, 1984
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Russell L. Phelps, Denis J. Stemmle, Timothy M. Minerd
  • Patent number: 4428667
    Abstract: For a document sheet feeding and registration apparatus and method for deskewing and registering a document sheet relative to a registered copying position on a copier platen by feeding it against a sheet aligning document registration member, there is disclosed apparatus for initially feeding the document sheet towards the registration means with a first document sheet feeder exemplified by a widely transversely spaced pair of high friction sheet feeding rollers, which resist skewing of the document sheet, and removing the first document sheet feeder from the document sheet after its lead edge is engaged by a second document sheet feeder and before the document sheet engages the registration edge stop so that final skewing control of the document sheet is only by the second document sheet feeder, this second document sheet feeder being a single sheet feeding roller positioned centrally of the document sheet lead edge area and positioned closely adjacent the registration edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 1982
    Date of Patent: January 31, 1984
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Russell L. Phelps, Jeffrey L. Sisson, Karl E. Liechty
  • Patent number: 4335954
    Abstract: In a copier, a recirculating document handler having a corner registering mechanism for precisely positioning a document on a platen prior to imaging. The document is initially driven onto the platen and then corner registered against two mutually orthogonal edge guides by a dual paddle wheel drive mechanism. A clamp plate mounted above the platen is then lowered to flaten the document against the platen thereby insuring it is imaged in the copier's depth of field. Once the document is imaged it is side shifted away from one of the edge guides and driven from the platen and stacked in a copier stacking tray. This process of registering, clamping, and removing is repeated for successive documents rapidly enough to have a document throughput of greater than one per second.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 1981
    Date of Patent: June 22, 1982
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Russell L. Phelps