Abstract: An apparatus for providing printed products to a gatherer, including a product supplier for feeding printed products, a product separator positioned to receive printed products from the product supplier and to separate the printed products into a separated stream, a printer positioned adjacent to the separated stream and positioned to print on the separated printed products, and a gripper conveyor positioned to receive the separated printed products from the printer and to form a shingled stream.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for transferring a stack of flat articles from a cartridge. The method and apparatus are adapted for use in connection with a method and apparatus for automatically stacking mail into cartridges in output compartments of a sorting machine, robotically transferring filled cartridges from the output compartments to a buffer shelf; and from the buffer shelf to a docking station of a cartridge unloader and automatic feeder to the input of the sorting machine, and for transferring empty cartridges from the docking station to either the buffer or the output compartments of the sorter, is provided.

Abstract: A singulator adapted for feeding articles of varying thickness is comprised of a driver with a movable and resiliently biased retarder, called a dancer. The dancer moves back and forth along the article flow path, in response to the passage through the nip of the articles being singulated, to automatically set the gap at the singulator nip. A dancer body motion may be linear or pivoting. The path of article travel through the singulator nip is at an angle to the downstream article flow path. Thus, when a takeaway device pulls on the article, the dancer moves to open the singulator gap slightly to enable the article to more freely be taken away. A preferred dancer has an endless belt and is spring biased to lightly contact the driver at the nip in the absence of an article; and, periodic reversal of driver direction engages the dancer belt surface at the nip and moves it upstream, thereby exposing a new surface.

Abstract: A paper feed apparatus for low profile printer including a rotatable paper feed drive shaft which is mounted for rotation in a printer housing which supports a first belt drive pulley or roller. The belt drive pulley engages a continuous belt mounted thereon of rubber or other flexible belt material. A paper supply tray having paper is selectively biased against the belt with the paper in contact therewith. The opposite end of the continuous belt is mounted to a idler roller or roller on a rotatable idler shaft which supports the continuous belt such that the 1 portion of said belt between the drive pulley and the idler roller which is in contact with the paper is disposed generally, (the belt run) to a paper path. On motion of the belt at least one sheet of paper is moved out of the paper supply tray. An inclined paper separator is mounted below the termination belt shaft and is selectively biased against the continuous belt at a point on the belt between the drive roller and the idler roller.

Abstract: A device for separating flat objects includes an endless conveyer belt on which the flat objects are supplied standing on edge and forming a stack. A conveying device including a rotating conveying element picks up the objects individually on the flat side from a front of the stack by a run of the rotating conveying element which removes the flat objects crosswise relative to the stack. The conveying device includes a guide arrangement for displacing the conveying device through a stroke approximately parallel to a direction in which the stack is formed while bearing on the front end of the stack.

Abstract: An arrangement for feeding sheets from a bundle of sheets includes a wheel, roller or belt which, in operation, is located at one end of the bundle and which functions to feed-out the outermost sheets of the bundle, and a lifting mechanism for lifting the bundle in a direction towards the wheel. The lifting mechanism includes a post and a bundle-carrying plate which is movable up and down the post. The arrangement includes a spring element which functions to lock the plate to the post in a rest state and has a free-end which is fitted to the post and defines, with the longitudinal axis of the post, an angle other than 90.degree. and whose remaining end is attached to the plate and movable perpendicular to the post. The arrangement also includes an actuator which is fitted to the post close to the spring element and which is releasably attached mechanically to a drive mechanism for moving the plate relative to the post.

Abstract: A high speed sheet feeder comprises a support for supporting a stack of sheets. The sheets are driven by a backing plate assembly along the support toward a singulator. The backing plate is driven by a drive member such as a drive chain positioned along the support. The drive chain moves the backing plate in predetermined increments. The singulator is mounted on a bracket that moves in response to pressure exerted by the leading face of the stack thereupon. The increments in which the backing plate moves are varied based upon the degree of movement of the singulator bracket in response to pressure exerted thereupon by the stack. Minimum pressure causes a maximum increment of movement while maximum pressure causes a minimum increment or virtually no movement in the backing plate assembly. The singulator comprises an elastomeric wheel pivotally mounted on a support bracket having concentric a sleeve that is mechanically interconnected with the drive mechanism.

Abstract: An apparatus which separates and advances successive individual sheets from a stack of sheets. The stack of sheets is supported on a tray which moves in upwardly direction to position the uppermost sheet in engagement with an endless belt. The endless belt moves in a recirculating path to advance successive sheets from the stack. A retard roller engages the endless belt to define a nip for separating any overlapped sheets. Interposed between the retard roller and the tray is a stationary guide member. As the sheet advances toward the nip from the stack, it engages the guide member and is guided toward the nip. A thin, flexible member has one end secured to the guide member. The other end of the flexible member is free and extends into the nip. The flexible member is interposed between the belt and the retard roller with the sheet passing between the belt and the flexible member into the nip.

Abstract: A paper sheet conveying apparatus, a paper sheet separator comprising a conveyer belt (24) movable in a paper sheet delivering direction at all times, a drive roller (42) rotating in one direction, and a separator roller (41) disposed between the drive roller (42) and the conveyer belt (24) so as to come into engagement with either one of the drive roller (42) or the conveyer belt (24) exclusively while maintaining a predetermined gap from the other so that a paper sheet on the conveyer belt (24) is moved back toward the upstream side when the separator roller (41) comes into engagement with the drive roller (42). The drive roller (42) is supported by a pivotable support arm (44) operatively connected for adjusting the predetermined gap.

Abstract: A retard sheet feeder that utilizes a slip clutch with an integral biasing device to separate double fed sheets. A retard roll is provided in circumferential contact with a feed roll to form a drive nip. The retard roll is free to rotate in the feeding direction by the use of a spring that is axially aligned with the roll and allows the roll to slip in the feed direction once a predetermined torque level is reached. The spring may be either internal to the roll or external to the roll. When the drive torque to the retard roll is reduced such as when a double sheet is in the drive nip, the torque is not sufficient to overcome the stored spring energy and the roll is rotated in a reverse direction by the spring to drive the double sheet out of the nip.

Abstract: Feeding table assembly of a sheet-fed printing machine with conveyor belts for conveying paper sheets from a feed pile, via a region for lateral alignment of the sheets, to downline printing units includes a rigid frame; a member having a sheet-conveying surface extending in a conveying direction over the lateral alignment region and formed with at least one through-opening for receiving the rigid frame therein; deflection rollers journaled in the rigid frame; at least one conveyor belt looped about the deflection rollers and having a strand for conveying the paper sheets from a location at a beginning of the sheet-conveying surface to a location beyond the lateral alignment region; a holder fixed to the printing machine; and a device for removably fastening the rigid frame to the holder so that a strand of the conveyor belt provided for conveying is in a conveying position; and method of assembling the conveyor belt with the feeding table.

Abstract: A singulator of the friction belt type capable of synchronous or asynchronous modes of operation is described. The singulator includes a buffer assembly for accepting a shingled stream of documents, a feeder pinch belt for extracting the first document from the buffer and a scanner for scanning the document as it passes through the feeder into an accelerator which is also a pinch belt. The accelerator accelerates the document to a constant speed leaving the singulator. A control means is provided which operates coupled to the feeder drive and the scanner so that the next upstream document is extracted a predetermine time after the first document leaves the accelerator.

Abstract: A feeder system for a mail sorter includes a feed conveyor which receives a plurality of items of mail. A singulation station removes the items in a singulated manner from the discharge end of the feed conveyor and transfers each item to a delivery station. The delivery station includes a plurality of vertically mounted belts which are movable in the transverse direction for delivering the items to the mail sorter.

Abstract: A tension release mechanism for use with a dancer pulley assembly includes a first horizontal plate having an upper surface and a lower surface, a swing arm having a first end pivotally mounted to the first horizontal plate on the lower surface thereof and being pivotal about a vertical pivot axis A, a second horizontal plate having an upper surface and a lower surface and being spaced vertically above the first horizontal plate by at least one vertical support, a pulley shaft having an upper end and a lower end, the lower end being mounted on the second end of the swing arm and extending upwardly through an arcuate opening formed in the first horizontal plate, a dancer pulley rotatably mounted on the pulley shaft between the first and second horizontal plates for rotation about a vertical rotation axis B and being swingable on the swing arm through an arc defined by a distance between the pivot axis A and the rotation axis B, a guide for guiding the upper end of the pulley shaft during swinging motion of the

Abstract: A high speed sheet feeder comprises a support for supporting a stack of sheets. The sheets are driven by a backing plate assembly along the support toward a singulator. The backing plate is driven by a drive member such as a drive chain positioned along the support. The drive chain moves the backing plate in predetermined increments. The singulator is mounted on a bracket that moves in response to pressure exerted by the leading face of the stack thereupon. The increments in which the backing plate moves are varied based upon the degree of movement of the singulator bracket in response to pressure exerted thereupon by the stack. Minimum pressure causes a maximum increment of movement while maximum pressure causes a minimum increment or virtually no movement in the backing plate assembly.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus for feeding sheets separately, the apparatus comprises a feed unit disposed over a stack of sheets for causing a conveyance force upon the uppermost of the stack thereby to feed the uppermost sheet from the stack with the conveyance force being directed in a sheet path direction. The feed unit has an alternating charged pattern on a surface thereof. The apparatus further comprises a separation unit disposed opposite to the feed unit so as to form a sheet path in association with the feed unit for causing a preventive force onto an under face of the fed sheet thereby to prevent the sheet from being fed. The preventive force is set to be less than the conveyance force and greater than a friction force between sheets. The separation unit has another alternating charged pattern on a surface thereof.

Abstract: An automatic feeder module for a mail sorting system including a cabinet having first and second ends and an upper planar surface, a conveyor belt having an upper run travelling along the upper surface of the cabinet, a drive plate linearly driven along the conveyor belt at the same speed as a conveyor belt and having a forward side and a rearward side, means for driving the conveyor belt and the drive plate at the same speed, and a singulator assembly including pick-off means against which a stack of mail is pressed by the drive plate and the conveyor belt, and a stack pressure switch for turning the driving means on and off to maintain a predetermined stack pressure against the pick-off means.

Abstract: A feeder of an image forming apparatus which includes a storing device for storing a stack of recording mediums and an endless belt to be used in the conveyance of a recording medium to an image forming section of the apparatus. A speed control device is provided for varying the speed of the endless belt driven by a driving device when a portion of the endless belt passes the storing device. Also provided are a plurality of pickup rollers which are disposed adjacent to the endless belt in correspondence with each respective storage device for moving the endless belt into engagement with a foremost recording medium in the storing device in order to convey the recording medium to the image forming section.

Abstract: The device for feeding sheet stacks 26 has a guiding device 5, in which a plurality of endless guide belts 18, 19, which guide the sheet stack 26 to a motor-driven sheet feed device 8 arranged on a removal side of the sheet stack. The endless guide belts 18 are arranged in an essentially horizontal stack support surface 4. The essentially vertical, stack-side feed sections of the feed conveyer belts 35 of the sheet feed device 8 are subdivided by articulated rollers 38 of a horizontal articulated shaft 39 arranged in the upper third of the sheet stack 26 into a lower decollation section 33, which is sloped by more than 5.degree. and less than 30.degree. relative to the vertical line, and an upper, more highly sloped feed section 34. To achieve reliable decollation of sheets even in the case of sheets of paper carrying high electrostatic charge, an intermittent drive 75 is provided, which drives the sheet 26' lying on the decollation sections 33 of the feed conveyer belts 35 with pulse-like acceleration steps.

Abstract: Improvement to an apparatus for singulating respective documents fed thereto, the apparatus comprising first document feeding structure including first and second document feeding structure adjacent one another. The improvement is to the second document feeding structure and comprises a first section including an upstream end and a downstream end, the upstream end being pivotally mounted to a frame member, and including at least two outboard endless belts therearound and second structure for moving the outboard belts upstream relative to a path of travel in vertically spaced second belt runs; and a second section having at least two inboard endless belts therearound. The second section is pivotably mounted at one end to the first section.

Abstract: A document feed apparatus is provided which feeds document sheets from a stack of sheets seriatum to a position remote from the stack. Two motor driven feed belts are pivotally mounted to contact or not contact a top sheet of the stack. The belts are driven by separate motors which are activated or deactivated depending upon the top sheet position.

Abstract: To receive, store and deliver printed products in minimum space, with a device which can, itself, be stored in minimum space when free of products, a steel tape or ribbon (1, 21) is formed with U-shaped cuts (7) to define, within the ribbon, tongues (5, 22). The tape or ribbon is guided in a curved path, typically about a guide roller (4, 23), which causes the tongues to flare out tangentially. When in flared or projecting position, products (8, 33) can be pushed in the space between the extended tongues and the remainder of the tape or ribbon material which, upon then being guided in an essentially linear path, will cause the tongues to close and grip the products, whereupon the tape or ribbon with the products, thereon can be rolled into a storage roll.

Abstract: A sheet feeding and separating device incorporated in image forming equipment for feeding sheets one by one from a sheet stack while preventing two or more sheets from being fed together as far as possible and, when a plurality of sheets are accidentally fed together, surely separating one of them from the others. A pick-up member is implemented as an endless dielectric belt. An AC power source forms a charge pattern on the belt via an electrode. As a result, the belt retains a sheet by attraction and transports it due to the Maxwell stress generated in the sheet. When a plurality of sheets are fed together, an arresting member which faces the belt separates one of them from the others. Alternatively, a charge pattern may be formed on the surface of the arresting member.

Abstract: For use with container production equipment, an apparatus is provided for controllably feeding a consistent stream of carton blanks in shingled form from a stack by applying constant pressure downwardly on a rotating belt which frictionally engages the top carton blanks to remove them from the stack. The preferred arrangement for removing carton blanks includes a device for applying pressure comprising an air pressure cylinder, and includes an arrangement for controlling the pressure applied to automatically maintain a constant pressure. The level of pressure applied may be adjusted to accommodate changing coefficients of friction between the feed belt and carbon blanks, and between adjacent carbon blanks, as well as to control the pressure applied to shingle a series of single carton blanks or to shingle a series of groups of two or more carbon blanks.

Abstract: A recording and reproducing apparatus includes a sheet supply mechanism, a sheet transporting mechanism, an image recording mechanism and a sheet discharging mechanism. The mechanisms are driven by a rotary driver which transmits a driving force through a driving force transmitter to a plurality of rotating bodies. The driving force transmitter can engage a selected number of mechanisms through the rotating bodies to transmit the driving force from the rotary driver.

Abstract: An apparatus feeds and separates sheets individually from a stack of sheets. A nudger is disposed adjacent to at least a portion of the stack, and a mechanism, including a rotatable friction feed belt thereon, is disposed adjacent a sheet on the stack to be fed. A variable normal force is provided between the nudger and the friction feed belt of the mechanism. A sensor detects a lead edge of a sheet at a preselected location relative to the mechanism, and the increase in the normal force between the mechanism and the nudger is stopped when the lead edge of a sheet is detected by the sensor.

Abstract: An apparatus for feeding documents from a stack of documents, in single file, into a document track, with the apparatus employing an endless belt. The endless belt is mounted on a drive roller and an idler roller to provide a linear portion of the belt which is parallel to the first document to be fed from the stack. The apparatus also includes a retard mechanism which includes a first portion to engage the documents in the stack and also includes a second portion which is parallel to the linear portion of the endless belt and is biased towards the linear portion by a tension spring. The endless belt is made of a material which is designed to wear instead of "glazing" which provides for a positive feed. The endless belt and the retard member are designed to be replaced by an operator of the terminal in which the apparatus is located so as to avoid a service call by a maintenance person.

Abstract: An apparatus for removing a sheet from the top of a stack of sheets and transporting it laterally in the direction of a processing station has a pick roller with an arcuate contact surface for frictionally engaging an exposed edge of the top sheet in a stack. The arcuate contact surface transports the sheet laterally at a small downward angle relative to the plane of the top of the stack. The arcuate contact surface contacts the exposed edge so that portions of the arcuate contact surface adjacent the edge extend both above and below the plane of the top of the stack. A dam is located adajcent but spaced from the arcuate contact surface and below the plane of the top of the stack. The dam slidingly engages the sheet edge and the sheet surface opposite the surface engaged by the arcuate contact surface to guide the sheet edge toward the arcuate contact surface.

Abstract: A sheet feeding and separating apparatus includes a multiple piece entrance guide located between a stack from which sheets are to be fed and a retard nip. The guide includes a polycarbonate base member, a radiused high friction urethane retard member and a flexible polycarbonate or polyester film deflector member. The urethane is ground to a radius on the leading edge to promote the feeding of down curled sheets, shingling of sheets and the breaking up of slugs prior to entering the retard nip. The deflector member assists in feeding down curled sheets.

Abstract: The multi-pass sorting machine of this disclosure includes a supporting structure which has the configuration of an A-Frame. The A-Frame structure has a slanting front side supporting several individually functional devices and a slanting back side supporting other individually functional devices. The devices of the front side include an input feeding means, a first transporting means, a singulating means, an accelerating means, a second transporting means, a bar code reader and associated electronic and computer means, a plurality of first sorting means in the form of diverting vanes, an equal number of first pass stacker buffer means, and a reversing member for transporting letters from the front side to the back side while at the same time retaining the same orientation of the letters to the planar surface as the letters go around the corner.

Abstract: An apparatus feeds and separates sheets individually from a stack of sheets. A nudger is disposed adjacent to at least a portion of the stack, and a mechanism, including a rotatable friction feed belt thereon, is disposed adjacent a sheet on the stack to be fed. A variable normal force is provided between the nudger and the friction feed belt of the mechanism. A sensor detects a lead edge of a sheet at a preselected location relative to the mechanism, and the increase in the normal force between the mechanism and the nudger is stopped when the lead edge of a sheet is detected by the sensor.

Abstract: A deflector plate is mounted adjacent a document feeder mechanism having feeder belts operative to engage successive documents supported in upstanding on-edge relation on a feed magazine so as to feed the documents in singulated fashion to a processing station downstream from the feeder mechanism. The deflector plate is angularly adjustable relative to the feed path of the feed magazine and is operative to deflect the trailing ends of documents being fed to the feeder belts so as to prevent each successive document from engaging the feeder belts prior to substantial discharge of the prior document from the feeder mechanism.

Abstract: An apparatus for feeding sheets having folded edges comprising: a support for supporting a stack of upright sheets respectively on an edge thereof; a sliding wall engaged by a toothed belt for feeding the sheets in a path of travel; an endless belt having an upper run disposed for engagement of the edges of the sheets for feeding the sheets in a direction extending transverse to the path of travel; and a front wall resiliently biased against each sheet fed from the stack for exerting a force in a direction opposite to the path of travel.

Abstract: An improved paper feed arrangement wherein a low vertical profile is attained through utilizing trained driven belts for picking paper from a hopper, and wherein picking reliability is enhanced both by the broad-expanse area contact offered by such belts, and by a unique coefficient to friction differential area downstream from a hopper wherein inadvertently plural picked paper sheets are easily separated.

Abstract: Apparatus for feeding sheets respectively having an upright surface and a lower edge, the apparatus comprising: structure for supporting a stack of said sheets on said lower edges thereof; first structure for feeding said sheets of said stack in a downstream path of travel; second structure for feeding said sheets on said lower edges thereof from said stack in a direction extending transverse to said path of travel, said second sheet feeding structure including structure for frictionally engaging the upright surfaces of successive sheets; and structure for resiliently urging said structure for frictionally engaging into engagement with said upright surfaces of successive sheets.

Abstract: Apparatus for singulating respective documents fed thereto, wherein each of the documents is uprightly oriented on an edge thereof and has oppositely facing upright surfaces, and wherein each successive document is slidably movable relative to a next successive document against an interdocument frictional force developed therebetween, the apparatus comprising: first document feeding structure including two first belts, the first feeding structure including first structure for moving the first belts downstream relative to a path of travel in vertically spaced first belt runs; second document feeding structure including a second belt, the second feeding structure including second structure for moving the second belt upstream relative to the path of travel in a second belt run, the second feeding structure including structure for resiliently urging the second belt run into interleaving relationship with the first belt runs; and the first belt runs exerting a downstream frictional force greater than the interdocu

Abstract: Apparatus for the seriatim separation and feeding of garment parts from a shingled stack of the parts to a predetermined destination. Comprising the apparatus is a movable hold down mechanism for engaging the trailing edge of the second part in the stack and a picker head for engaging the leading edge of the first part in the shingled stack and removing it from the stack. Mechanisms are provided for accurately determining the location of the trailing edge of the second part in the stack and moving the hold down mechanism into position to accurately engage the trailing edge of the second part in the stack. Following separation, the separated part is transferred to a second location at which the head is withdrawn from the transferred part.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a mechanism for the handling of and the singulating of a stack or plurality of aligned and substantially flat materials such as for example, sheets of paper, cards, printed flyers, envelopes, checks, business cards, labels, other printed documents and the like. There is incorporated into the mechanism novel systems and assemblies which control the rate of the advance of the stack of materials, which advance is effected by an amplitude or magnitude of a unidirectional jogging motion. The magnitude is a function of the attitude of the stack or the angle formed with the horizontal of the leading sheet of the stack. There is also provided a pulsing mechanism for pulsing, synchronously with jogger belts of an input conveyor assembly for joggingly advancing the plurality of flat materials, the first singulator assembly which pulsing enhances the action of singulation of the plurality of flat material.

Abstract: A document feeder includes a feed tray which is pivotal about a horizontal axis between an elevated automatic position in which it can be locked and in which the uppermost document of a stack of documents thereon is engaged with an endless belt skimmer to be fed from the stack, and a lowered manual position away from the skimmer for manual feed of a single document. A reverse feed roller is movable with the feed tray and is operative in the automatic position to inhibit feed of documents other than the uppermost document of a stack.

Abstract: An apparatus is shown for removing a sheet from the top of a stack of sheets and transporting it laterally in the direction of a processing station. The apparatus comprises a pick mechanism for frictionally engaging the exposed surface of the top sheet in a stack and transporting it laterally substantially in the plane of the top of the stack. An angled dam is located adjacent the pick mechanism for slidingly engaging the sheet edge and the sheet surface opposite the surface engaged by the pick mechanism to lift sheets transported by the frictional engagement device out of the plane of the top of the stack. A first thickness sensor senses the number of sheets that are transported past the dam. A brake responsive to the first thickness sensor selectively apply a friction surface to the sheet surface opposite the surface engaged by the frictional engagement device when more then one sheet is transported past the dam.

Abstract: An apparatus in which the approximate thickness of a set of sheets is determined. A tray supporting a stack of sheets thereon is periodically indexed a preselected distance each time the thickness of the stack of sheets decreases by a specified amount. The approximate thickness of the set of sheets is calculated as a function of the number of times the tray is indexed and a constant corresponding to the preselected distance the tray indexes.

Abstract: Sheet handling apparatus for separating sheets from a stack and transporting, registering and deskewing individual separated sheets, includes a single endless narrow width belt movably supported around at least two support rolls defining a path for sheet separation/feeding station through a sheet transport run to a sheet registration station. The single narrow width belt has at least one raised frictional contact element on its outer run for frictional engagement with a sheet to separate a sheet from a sheet separation station and transport it across an imaging platen to a registration station, single frictional contact element provides a single pivot about which a sheet may pivot when it reaches the registration stop member to be deskewed. In an alternative embodiment the device is used simply for transporting, registering and deskewing sheets.

Abstract: An arrangement is presented which permits a record chart bundle to be deflected into a recording position at a relatively short distance from an input slot of a respective recording device at an angle of approximately 90.degree.. For this purpose, a resilient, continuous transporting belt or a transporting belt pair driven by a motor is provided, deflecting rollers being assigned on the one hand and contact pressure rollers which are supported in a springing manner and engage in a working connection with a belt roller being assigned on the other hand to the transporting belt or transporting belt pair in such a way that a transfer gap between the belt rollers or between the transporting belts engaging around the belt rollers respectively, and the contact pressure rollers is located in the recording plane.

Abstract: A top vacuum corrugation feeder employs a vacuum feedhead working in conjunction with an air knife to feed sheets from the top of a stack. The feedhead is valveless and has a vacuum applied thereto during the entire feed cycle in order to increase reliability and decrease minimum feed speed. The air knife includes trapezoidal shaped fluffer jets in front of the stack and side fluffer jets and added on the sides of the stack in order to assist the feedhead in separating severely downcurled sheets for feeding. A rotational damper member is positioned above and has a portion thereof resting on the stack for controlling sheet flutter and leakage of air from the stack sides. A belt coast control member controls the precise stopping position of vacuum belts that surround the vacuum feedhead in order to minimize multifeeding of sheets from the stack.

Abstract: The invention provides an improved auger conveyor in the magazine section of a document feeder apparatus which is capable of feeding large amounts of documents to a document sorting machine in a rapid and efficient manner. The auger conveyor includes: three horizontal augers which rotate in a clockwise direction; spiral grooves formed on the horizontal augers and divided in half by the existence of two separate pitches; joggers on the surfaces of the wider pitched portions of the two inner horizontal augers which facilitate reception of documents within the grooves; a raised auger which rotates in a counterclockwise direction; and a spiral groove configured in the direction opposite to the grooves on the horizontal augers and which also is divided in half by the existence of two separate pitches; and a document feed or pickoff apparatus for individually separating the lead document from the document supply.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes sheet accommodating cassette for accommodating sheets, a device for forming images on the sheets, a first sheet conveying passage for conveying the sheet to the image forming device from the sheet accommodating cassette, a conveyor for accommodating a bundle of sheets having been subjected to an image forming operation by the image forming means at first sides thereof in a form in which leading edges of the sheets are gradually deviated in a sheet advancement direction, and for conveying the bundle as a whole, a feeder, disposed downstream of the conveyor with respect to the sheet advancement direction, for feeding one by one the sheets of the bundle from the sheet closest to the feeder, a second sheet conveying passage merging into the first passage for refeeding to the image forming device the sheets fed by the feeder, and a confining device for confining the sheets of the bundle other than the sheet being fed by the feeder.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for feeding carton blanks to a side seam gluer. The blanks are removed from the discharge end of a conveyor by a friction belt so as to shingle the blanks. The shingled blanks are delivered to a feed hopper in such a way that the feed hopper maintains a constant height of carton blanks. The blanks are fed, one at a time, from the feed hopper.

Abstract: This specification discloses an automatic sheet supplying device for automatically feeding sheets from a sheet supporting table to a predetermined position. More particularly, the specification discloses an automatic sheet supplying device which is provided with a feeding member movable in a sheet feeding direction and a separating member opposed to the feeding member, whereby when sheets fed one by one by the action of the two members arrive at a predetermined position, the two members are caused to be spaced apart from each other to thereby eliminate any load against the sheets being conveyed.

Abstract: A device for feeding blanks from a pile into an infeed arrangement for a blank processing machine, such as a folder or gluer, characterized by a frame having a plurality of conveyor units with an arrangement for laterally positioning the units in the frame depending on the width of the blank being processed, an arrangement for driving each of the units utilizing a single drive shaft and an arrangement for driving each of the conveyor units for a selected period of time during each feed cycle.

Abstract: A thermal transfer printer employs a relatively small diameter platen roller 20 flanked by a pair of sprockets 3c which support endless timing belts 2. A clamp 7' for gripping the leading edge of a sheet 6 to be printed is mounted laterally across and between the belts. The attendantly small radius of curvature of the roller at the printing station prevents any contact by components and structure mounted to the reciprocable printing head 1.