Abstract: A corotron restringing tool includes a locking drum downstream from a spool of corotron wire. A torsion spring connected to the locking drum allows wire to be drawn from the spool under a minimum of tension and subsequently manipulated without placing tension on the remaining wire on the spool. An alternative is to use a locking wedge instead of the drum configured such that the harder the wire is pulled, the tighter the wire is held by the wedge.

Abstract: Apparatus for feeding sheets from a stack of sheets on a sheet stack supporting tray which includes a sheet transport for feeding sheets from the tray. An air knife is disposed adjacent the front wall of the tray to inject air between the sheet to be separated and the remainder of the stack. The air knife includes at least one elastomeric member attached to its front wall that extends to a point immediately above, below or touching the sheet transport in order to inhibit multifeeding of sheets from the tray.

Abstract: A apparatus in which lateral movement of a moving belt is controlled so that the belt moves in a predetermined path. The apparatus includes dual oppositely wound, helical springs having a rectangular cross-section with a high friction material extruded thereon. The springs are mounted on a shaft with an adhesive.

Abstract: A bindery system captures pages of a bound or unbound book in a hard or soft cover case with a metal U-shaped channel which in turn is bonded to the inside spine surface of the hard or soft covers.

Abstract: A device for extracting sheets seriatim from the top of a stack of sheets and feeding them to a downstream sheet-using device, includes a pivoted tray which supports a stack of sheets; a nudger roll disposed at a fixed location above the tray and with which the top sheet of the stack can be brought into contact to slide the top sheet in a sheet-feed direction by frictional engagement when the nudger roll is rotated in a feed direction; a retard pad mounted for pivotal movement about an axis at or near the movable end of a first lever of which its other end is mounted for pivotal movement about a fixed support, the pad being biased into frictional engagement with either the nudger roll or a separate sheet-feed roll, the retard pad having movable with it a first arm of which movement about the pivotal axis of the pad is effective to increase the mechanical bias on a pivotally-mounted second lever adapted to urge the tray towards the nudger.

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 air knife employs a thick boundary layer of air at a low pressure to suspend and separate the sheets by aerodynamic drag, resulting in about a 50% reduction in the required power for operation of conventional top vacuum corrugation feeders.

Abstract: A dynamic edge guide for use in a side edge registration system includes a moving belt having raised ridges thereon that form a channel into which a substrate fits. Substrates moved through the registration system by a transport device are side registered against the belt by a scuffer mechanism with the transport device and belt moving at approximately the same speed. In this manner, adverse couple created between the side registration mechanism and the resisting frictional force between the paper and the registration guide is minimized.

Abstract: An air knife pressure calibration system and method for a bottom vacuum corrugation recirculating document feeder includes measuring the air pressure and adjusting an air pressure control valve of the air knife to a predetermined value. This valve position is stored in a non-volatile memory and can be used to create a table of values for various document stack heights by adding constant values that represent additional documents to the one document value. Thus, customized valve positions are accomplished that are machine as well as altitude sensitive.

Abstract: A copier/printer apparatus capable of duplex copying includes a roller assembly that shifts a sheet laterally while maintaining longitudinal movement of the sheet. A shaft that supports drive rolls that form nips with mating idler rolls has pins that extend into helical slots within the drive rolls such that the assembly rolls in a normal movement (axially) in one mode, while being able to have axial and lateral movement in another mode.

Abstract: A rotary stamp mechanism includes a drive wheel with a curved stamp holding housing held thereon by a sheet metal band to enable replacement and adjustment of the stamp housing. A stamping sequence is selected by a machine operator and the leading edge of the next succeeding copy sheet triggers rotation of the drive wheel and during one complete revolution of the drive wheel the copy sheet is stamped with a desired logo. A pawl on the drive wheel is lifted by the copy sheet for stamping purposes and gravity returns the pawl to its home position which in turn stops the drive wheel in its initial position for succeeding stamping.

Abstract: A low cost, paper feeder for large copy sheets includes a media chamber mounted to support copy sheets in a substantially vertical plane. A two-position, T-shaped feeder mechanism including a pair of one-way clutch controlled feed rolls is slidably mounted on a rail for contacting the media. A foot pedal is connected to the feeder mechanism such that when movement of the foot pedal is initiated, the feeder mechanism is moved in a first direction to a position contacting the copy sheets and with continued movement of the foot pedal, a top sheet of the copy sheets is moved by the feeder mechanism out of the tray in a second direction a predetermined amount to a copier wait station, and with return of the foot pedal to its initial position, the feed mechanism is caused to retract from the surface copy sheets in a third direction to its initial position.

Abstract: A document handler for recirculating either simplexed or duplexed documents onto a platen of a copier includes a feed and refeed tray positioned adjacent to the platen. A compact and selecively actuable disc stacker is included that is adapted when in one position to receive and invert documents directed toward the feed and refeed tray and when in another position allows the documents to pass thereover without inversion, as well as, corrugation nips that corrugates documents passing therethrough toward the refeed tray.

Abstract: A printer for printing copy sheets includes a copy sheet path. The printer has an upper surface with at least one access panel vertically opening on the upper surface of the printer for sheet path access. The printer also has an operator control panel for controlling its functions. The operator control panel extends out over a portion of the upper surface of the printer overlying a copy sheet path access panel and extending towards the front of the printer for improved operator access to the operator control panel, with the operator control panel being laterally slidably mounted to the printer to be movable by the operator to a position not overlying the sheet path access panel for which opening is desired by the operator or indicated by the operator control panel.

Abstract: A thermally conductive hollow cylinder is used in a copier as a heat dissipating sheet transport device in conjunction with an insulating and reflective baffle. The cylinder is located downstream of the fuser to dissipate heat placed on sheets by the fuser. Air is drawn through holes in the sheet contacting surface of the cylinder by a blower which vents heated air to the outside of the copier. A member can be placed inside the cylinder in order to create an annulus and thereby enable high velocities to be obtained near the outer wall of the cylinder without increasing the overall flow requirement.

Abstract: A miniature coronode charging device comprising a plurality of coronode wires that are slanted with respect to the direction of travel of a charge receptor in order to reduce the effective distance between "hot spots" in the wires and thereby insure uniform charging of the receptor. The length of coronode wires between support points and their conducting contacts is very small, thereby eliminating sagging, singing, tensioning and capacitance problems when providing a corotron charging device of unlimited length. Individual high impedance to the plurality of coronode wires is provided in order to limit the amount of current passing to each of the wires from a high voltage source and thereby reduce the possibility of arcing and damages to the charge receptor. Spacing between coronoa wires and the charge receiving surface is small to provide low corona threshold and self-limiting charging.

Abstract: A copier/printer having a transfer station for transferring images from an imaging member to copy sheets includes the improvement of removing debris from within the copier/printer by locating baffles and vacuum ports within the copier/printer to cause deposition, collection and removal of debris and other contaminants in specified locations. An electrical bias is selectively applied to at least some of the baffles to electrostatically attract the contaminants thereon. The vacuum ports are connected to a vacuum source that could operate continuously or intermittently at start-up or shutdown.

Abstract: A finishing apparatus to be used with computer driven or IOT type printers that deliver copy sheets 1-N face-down includes an inverted stapler. A copy sheet set is brought into contact with the clamping surface of a fixed head of the stapler. After the copy sheet set is secured against the clamping surface, a staple is driven therethrough.

Abstract: A self-contained duplex/simplex feeder module adapted to be used for both top and bottom sheet feeding for simplex and duplex copying includes a pair of feed-in rolls with one of the rolls serving as a feed-out roll when top sheet feeding is required. A static eliminator is also included to enhance the feeding of sheets for duplexing as is a false bottom used for top sheet feeding and normal force device for bottom sheet feeding.

Abstract: A set of copy sheets deposited on a surface is delivered positively to an output by engaging the trail edge of the set with at least two hook-ended projections intended to overlie the top sheet. When the projections are driven in unison, as by a common belt, the hooks prevent the beam strength of the set lifting the trail edge of the set out of contact with the projections.

Abstract: A bindery system captures pages of a bound or unbound book in a hard or soft cover case by crimping a metal U-shaped channel which is bonded to the inside spine surface of the hard or soft covers.