Abstract: An in-bin stapling sorter of the type in which the trays are individually and collectively moved vertically relative to a sheet inlet location and opened to provide an enlarged sheet entire space for receiving the sheets, has a jogger which moves the sheets laterally of the sheet infeed direction into edge alignment against an alignment post which is telescopically movable on a fixed support as the trays are collectively moved vertically, but at an angle to the horizontal, the alignment post being disposed substantially normal to the angle of the trays.

Abstract: A sheet receiver has sheet feeding belts and coacting feed rollers for transporting sheets of paper through the feed path to selected vertically spaced trays, and sheet deflecting gates are associated with the feed rollers to deflect sheets from the feed path by deforming the sheets between companion arched surfaces of the feed rollers and the gates forming a arcuate air gap in which the bending of the sheet produces drive friction between the feed rollers and the sheets to carry the sheets into the trays.

Abstract: Sheet printing and collating apparatus includes a sheet sorter which has a stapler for stapling sets of sheets in the sorter bins. The stapler is actuated by an electric motor to which the applied power is varied depending upon the number of sheets of paper in the sets and therefore, the thickness of the sets to be stapled.Sheets entering the sorter trays are counted and information as to the number of sheets per set is supplied to the microprocessor unit which controls the stapler to supply control signals to a variable power supply to the stapler motor so that the motor power applied to the stapler increases as the number of sheets per set increases.

Abstract: The vertical stack of trays in a movable tray sorter for sheets of paper exiting a copies is moved in a manner to enlarge the spacing between consecutive pairs of the trays to accept consecutive sheets of paper by moving the trays along a pair of helical coils, each of which has a turn of relatively coarse pitch. The turns of relatively coarse pitch are located at the copier paper chute and causes an increased separation of adjacent trays only at that position as the coils are turned.

Abstract: A pivoted bin sorter has a stapler for finishing sets of sheets in the bin trays and a jogger operated by a camming action of the trays as the trays are moved from a position in which sheets are deposited in the trays to a position above the sheet receiving position. The camming action is caused by a cam projection on the jogger which engages a side edge of a slot in the trays as the trays are moved relative to the jogger. The jogger moves the sheets laterally of the direction of sheet movement into the trays against a registration surface opposed to the jogger. The registration edge is a vertical surface provided by a wall of the frame structure at the opposite side of the trays from the jogger. During upward movement of the trays, the stapler is moved to a stapling position and displaces the sets of sheets in trays above the sheet inlet position in the direction of sheet infeed.

Abstract: A moving bin sorter has trays which are sequentially shifted upwardly and downwardly relative to a sheet inlet location by a rotary cam driven by an electric motor which drives the cams in opposite directions. The minimum force applied by the motor and lowest motor speed depends upon the load represented by the trays, the weight of the sheets of paper in the trays and the load balancing effect of a spring employed to assist in the lifting of the trays upwardly to engage the cam. The motor power is adjusted and controlled to reduce the applied motor force and speed dependent upon the load which must be overcome in either the upward or downward movement of the trays, for noise and wear reduction.

Abstract: A random access mailbox has a stack of horizontally extended trays for receiving sheets of paper supplied from a printer. A modular construction provides a sheet transport system including gates to deflect sheets into a selected tray from sheet feeding rollers incorporated in the modules for carrying sheets through a sheet path defined between the rollers and pressure applying rollers to the respective gates which can be actuated randomly to deflect a sheet from the rollers into a selected tray between cooperative modules. A sheet detector is provided at each gate along the feed path to detect the presence of a sheet at any location along the feed path. The gates or deflectors nest or overlap vertically to reduce overall height of the apparatus and provide continuity to the sheet guide surfaces.

Abstract: A sorter of the moving bin type has a set of horizontally extended trays moved vertically between positions above and below a sheet entry location by cams which provide an enlarged entry space. A stapler is moved between a non-stapling position and a stapling position. The cams also enlarge the space between trays at the stapling position to permit a tray to be received in the throat of the stapler between stapler anvil and body.A sheet aligning jogger has opposed jogging bars extending vertically at opposite sides of the trays and simultaneously moveable towards and away from one another to engage opposite sides of the sheets in the trays to align the side edges of the sets of sheets in a neat stack. The jogging bars are also rotated in opposite directions to apply a force to the sheets urging the trailing edge of the sheets opposite to the direction of feed into the trays against an alignment surface on the tray normal to the side edges for aligning the trailing edges of the sheets in the set.

Abstract: A random access sorter has a plurality of trays in a vertical stack into which are deposited sheets of printed material from an office printer, facsimile machine or other source of printed sheets. The sorter has a sheet transport and gates at the respective trays to deflect sheets from the transport in a selected tray. Each tray is in the form of a drawer normally locked in a sheet receiving position. A gate closing device closes the selected gate to a sheet deflecting position from a normal position permitting the sheet to pass by the trays. The gate closing actuator device is also an actuator for selectively unlocking the drawers which are normally locked.

Abstract: Apparatus is provided for receiving sheets of paper from a host printer and selectively transporting the sheets to a stacker tray or to a selective tray sheet sorting machine of the bin opening type. The apparatus has a sheet transport system for receiving sheets and gating the sheets to an infeed for the stacker tray or transporting the sheets to the infeed of the sheet sorting machine. The sheet transport system is in part incorporated in a cabinet door which completes the sheet transport when closed and when opened affords access to the infeeds for the stacker tray and the sorter. The sorter has nested trays to occupy a small vertical space and a tray opener which moves to locations between trays to pivot the trays open adjacent to the sheet infeed to provide a large space between trays for entry of the sheets. The sheet infeeds to the stacker tray and sorter trays can be opened when the door is open to provide access, and a blocking device prevents clsoure of the door if one of the infeeds is open.

Abstract: A sorter has a tray moving cam construction which is an assembly of molded plastic parts including an elongated noncircular shaft and a pair of similar cam parts turned 180.degree., end-to-end and having a hub slidably applicable to the shaft from opposite ends, or over opposite ends of a supporting core shaft, the hubs or the core shaft having an axial opening conforming with the non-circular shaft keying them together for rotation, and complemental cam segments on the hubs combine to provide a complete cam profile when the cam parts are applied to the shaft or core shaft in opposite axial directions from opposite ends of the shaft.

Abstract: A moving bin sheet sorter has rotatable cams which engage portions of the sorter trays to move the trays at the ends adjacent to a sheet entry location between positions at which those tray ends are closely spaced above and below the sheet entry location and further spaced apart at the sheet entry location for receiving sheets supplied from a copier or printer. The cams are driven by an electric motor which is controlled to operate at a low speed as the trays are initially engaged and disengaged from the cam and a high speed during the major movement of the trays, thereby reducing noise resulting from high speed impact and shock loading of the cams and cooperative portions of the trays, as well as reducing noise resulting from high speed impact of said cooperative portions of the trays in guides for the trays.

Abstract: A moving tray sorter has a set of trays forming sheet receiving bins to which successive sheets are to be supplied from a typical office copier or printer. The trays are mounted in a support at ends remote from the host machine to pivot on horizontal axes and move longitudinally as the ends of the trays into which sheets are supplied are moved vertically past a sheet entry location by a tray shifter which moves the trays sequentially and as a set between locations below a sheet receiving position, upwardly to the sheet receiving position. The ends of the trays adjacent to the host machine are separably supported one on the other and are shifted in unison upon upward and downward movement of the lowermost tray.

Abstract: A sheet sorter for a copy producing machine has trays which are sequentially moved past a sheet entry location by a tray shifting device. Sheets are fed into the trays to form collated sets. A gripper is moved from a retracted position into a position at the trailing edge of the sheets to grip a set of sheets during stapling operations and partially remove the set of sheets from the tray and move the set into the throat of a stapler. After stapling, the gripper returns the stapled set to the same tray and releases it. Alternative forms of devices are disclosed for opening the trays to receive sheets from an infeed and for affording space for the gripping means to move between adjacent trays in a space between trays provided by the tray shifting cams.

Abstract: A device is disposed in the path of paper sheets leaving a printing unit or processor such as an office copier or non-impact printer and has an arcuate concave guide and a roll spaced from the guide to form a sheet path which is curved or arched oppositely to the direction in which the sheet is curled in the processor. The space between the guide and the roller is greater than the thickness of the paper and the paper is bent in the direction opposite to its curl as it passes through the arched space, while the beam strength of the paper and the change in direction of the paper maintain adequate drive friction on the sheet. A selector isolates the de-curler when it is not needed.

Abstract: A device is disposed in the path of paper leaving a printing unit or processor such as an office copier, facsimile or non-impact printer and has an arcuate concave guide and a feed roll which causes the paper to pass between the guide and the feed roll to decurl the paper. The space between the guide and the roller is greater than the thickness of the paper and the paper is bent in the direction opposite to its curl as it passes through the arched space, while the beam strength of the paper and the change in direction of the paper maintain adequate drive friction on the paper. The feed roll is mounted for movement laterally of the direction of paper travel to cause it to be laterally displaced or offset.

Abstract: A sheet sorting machine of the shifting tray type has a plurality of trays mounted for shifting movement past a sheet infeed location during sorting operation. The trays are pivoted to widely spaced relation at the entry location and are also cammed open by tray ends at distal ends of the trays in response to the pivotal motion. A tray support is moved with the trays to maintain uniform tray angle.

Abstract: A random access sheet receiver is provided with a stack of trays having ends vertically shiftably mounted in a frame structure and forming bins to receive sheets from a copier, printer, or the like, wherein said ends of the trays are normally closely spaced and rest one on the other. A sheet infeed is pivotally mounted in the frame structure to receive sheets exiting from the copier, printer, or the like, the infeed being associated with a bin opening mechanism which raises and lowers the infeed and has a lifter to pivotally open and hold open said ends of the trays during transport of a sheet to a selected bin. The other ends of the trays are supported on cams which increase the space at the other ends of the bins in response to pivotal opening of the trays by the bin opener.

Abstract: A sheet feeder for automatic printers has a single cassette sheet feeder in which the printer rests. The printer supports an over-the-top feed apparatus which receives sheets from the cassette and transports sheets to the platen of the printer and from the platen to a receiver.

Abstract: A sheet receiver has a plurality of trays to receive paper sheets in a sequential or selected order as sheets are successively fed to the receiver from a source, such as a printer or copier, and transported to the inlet ends of the trays between opposing transport rolls which define a continuous straight paper path past the trays. Selected pressure or nip rolls are actuated from positions relative to feed rolls forming the straight path past the trays to positions relative to an adjacent feed roll to interrupt the straight paper path and form a nip at which the rolls are positioned to change the direction of sheet travel to direct a sheet into a tray.