Abstract: According to the sheet supply device of this invention, a sheet supplied from a sheet supply cassette is fed to a reference position. On the basis of a distance between where the sheet is fed from the reference position to where a tip portion of the sheet is detected by a sheet detection sensor, a sheet feed amount is determined. The sheet feed amount corresponds to the position where the sheet will be fed to a sheet supply completion position after the tip portion of the sheet is detected by the sheet detection sensor. Accordingly, the tip portion of the fed sheet is accurately located at the sheet supply completion position. Thus, an image can be formed at a predetermined position on the sheet through printing, copying or other image-forming operations.

Abstract: A delivery machine of a folder unit including endless transfer means disposed to pass in close proximity to a downstream side of a discharge portion of a folding machine for discharging, one-by-one, folded paper sheets while passing around guide wheels driven in synchronism with the operation of the folding machine. The delivery machine also includes an openable/closable folded paper sheet holding device sequentially disposed on the endless transfer means with predetermined gaps between them. A folded paper sheet holding operation device brings the folded paper sheet holding device at least from an open state to a closed state in close proximity to the downstream side of the discharge portion of the folding machine so as to allow them to hold one-by-one the folded paper sheets discharged sequentially from the discharge portion of the folding machine.

Abstract: A manual sheet feeding apparatus for manually feeding a cut sheet into a printer, including a paper pan for supporting the cut sheet manually inserted to a predetermined position, a sheet guide provided on the paper pan, for guiding the cut sheet along one edge thereof, a sheet advancing device for advancing the manually inserted cut sheet in a sheet advancing direction parallel to the one edge, in contact with the cut sheet, and an operator-controlled switch for starting an operation of the sheet advancing means to advance the cut sheet. The operator-controlled switch is disposed near the sheet guide, so that the switch can be easily operated with the operator's hand used to manually insert and hold the sheet.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sheet feeding apparatus with a sheet support for supporting sheets, a supply roller for feeding out the sheets from the sheet support, and a separator for separating the sheets fed from the supply roller one by one, the separator including a fixed frictional separating pad, a rotary member mounted for movement in contact with and in separation from the frictional separating pad, and a bias mechanism for biasing the rotary member to it urge against the frictional separating pad. The sheets fed from the supply means are separated one by one by passing the sheet through a contact area between the rotary member and the frictional separating pad.

Abstract: Paper tray (3) has a camming surface (60). Sets of nip rollers (22 and 24; 26 and 28) are permanent in the printer. One of set of nip roller is pivotally mounted and biased by springs (50, 56) to a follower (54). With the tray inserted, the follower is cammed to stretch the springs to apply desired nip force. The height of the cam surface may be varied to change that force for different paper contained in the tray. With the tray removed, the nip force is removed and jammed paper may be easily removed, particularly since area of the nip rollers is close to the front of the machine and near the opening left when the tray is removed.

Abstract: A jogger having a jogger plate is floatingly supported by a four-bar linkage swingably mounted upon a support post. The four-bar linkage is a parallelogram-type linkage which enables the jogger plate to maintain its orientation in space regardless of any swinging movement experienced by the parallelogram linkage. An adjustable weight is provided to control the force exerted upon a signature stack during operation. The jogger plate is adjustable to provide proper positioning of the plate relative to the stack being jogged into alignment. Sensors control the operation of the jogger assembly responsive to the presence of a stack to be jogged and responsive to the movement of the jogging assembly to a given position displaced from the nominal operating position.

Abstract: A front stop for a feeding device has a planar lower surface connected to a round part and is provided with a bore, which is connected to a fluid source and has channels extending to the planar flat surface to enable a flow of fluid between a blank being fed under the stop and the next following blank of a pile of blanks in the feeder. This flow of air creates a cushion which reduces damage to the surfaces of the blanks, such as printed surfaces.

Abstract: A retard assembly for use in a friction retard separator feeder has a retard member, a support member for supporting the retard member, the retard assembly being mountingly engageable with a pivoting support frame for supporting the retard assembly at a first end of the pivot support frame and having a pivot point at its opposite end and substantially remote from the first end, the retard member support member having at least one mounting hub for mounting a locating pivot pin, which is engageable with the first end of the pivoting support frame, the retard member support member including at least one energy absorbing damping pad on the at least one mounting hub to absorb vibration of the retard pad between the retard member support member and the pivoting support frame when they are engaged, the energy absorbing damping pad being of a hardness sufficient to maintain an interference fit between the at least one mounting hub and the pivoting support frame to resist a permanent set.

Abstract: A separator apparatus to separate less dense particulate material from dense particulate material has a tank for containing fluid which has sidewalls and a sloping bottom with upper and lower ends. A vertically oriented housing is secured to the tank and has an upper and lower end with the lower end being in the tank and the upper end extending above the tank. An auger means is mounted within the housing and extends the substantial length thereof. A discharge location is located in the tank adjacent the lower end of the bottom for removing dense objects therefrom. The housing has a discharge location at its upper end for discharging the less dense objects lifted from the tank by the auger apparatus. A spout is located at the discharge location for the housing and has a spout that has a wall tangential to the cylindrical housing for quickly and easily receiving less dense objects from the outer periphery of the helical flighting.

Abstract: A print material handling system is described which comprises an input tray, and an output tray, with the trays having at least one common side wall which is adjustable laterally relative to the other side wall such that adjustment of the moveable side wall simultaneously adjusts the width of the input and the output trays. As the moveable wall is adjusted, the support structures defining the bottom of the input and the bottom of the output tray are simultaneously adjusted such that the input and output trays support print material of various widths. Additionally, the invention includes at least one retractable wing positioned on one of the side walls. The wing can be manufactured in a relatively narrow width because the wing will always be positioned adjacent a print material side edge due to the simultaneous adjustment of the input and output trays.

Abstract: Documents before and after scanning are handled by providing a document container having: a bottom, two side walls, and one end wall; a lid hinged to the body near the one end wall, the lid defining a top and an opposite end wall; the bottom having a cutout opposite the one end wall to facilitate manually removing a stack of documents from the container when the lid is open; and a latch for releasable holding the lid closed against the body. The document container is supported at an angle with fits lid open and the one end wall at the top on a container support having a pair of tabs for aligning a bottom edge of documents placed in the container and limiting the height of a stack of documents placed in the container. A stack of documents is loaded in the document container and the container is closed and latched. The container is then transported with the aligned edge of the documents down to a document scanner input station.

Abstract: In order to avoid disruption of a stack of signatures, particularly when a cyclically operable signature feeding apparatus is temporarily disabled, the utilization of a unique disabling arrangement is contemplated. The signature feeding apparatus will generally include a driven rotary drum having a plurality of signature grippers disposed about the periphery thereof. The signature grippers are adapted to grip signatures seriatim from a signature supply hopper. A vacuum assembly is driven by a cam for shifting signatures seriatim from the signature supply hopper to the rotary drum for gripping by the signature grippers. The vacuum assembly includes a source of vacuum operatively associated with oscillating vacuum grippers. The signature feeding apparatus further includes a cam follower operatively associated with the vacuum assembly to control operation of the vacuum assembly responsive to engagement with a surface of the cam.

Abstract: The disclosed device allows individual transfer of flat objects from an input conveyor on which the objects move in a same plane according to a given direction into receptacles moving at right angles with respect to the direction. It is comprised of a sequentially driven reception conveyor intended to receive one by one the objects resting in a position slightly inclined with respect to the vertical, and a transfer member moving in synchronism with the conveyor in order to transfer to an injection position towards a receptacle the lower edge of an object resting on the reception conveyor. The device may be used in a postal sorting machine.

Abstract: Sheets or sets of sheets are turned very rapidly and reliably, especially after the cutting of endless stationery, conveyed further in a different transport direction and separated in that the leading edge of each sheet is taken to a diagonal bending slot (33) via which a corner of each sheet first reaches an output slot (49).

Abstract: The present invention includes a process for separating food particles of different specific gravities. The process includes providing a feedstock of the food particles, providing a feedstock of diatomaceous earth and water having a specific gravity effective for particles to float or sink; adding the slurry and separating the floating food particles from the sinking food particles; dewatering the food particles and collecting the water; extracting the diatomaceous earth from the slurry and re-using the diatomaceous earth in the process.

Abstract: An apparatus for receiving and dispensing flat articles, particularly folded boxes in a packaging machine including a conveyor system extending substantially in the horizontal plane, and a vertical dispensing chute. To increase the supply of folded boxes, in order to achieve longer reloading intervals between reloading operations, three storage apparatus are disposed above the conveyor system. Each of the storage apparatus has one support that can be lowered into the plane of the conveyor system, and a selection from among these storage apparatus is made by a control device, from signals from fill level sensors and feed sensors.

Abstract: A conveyor device for sheets of wrapping material, whereby the sheets are transferred, from a first conveyor to a second conveyor forming an angle of other than zero, by a conveyor designed to swing between a forward position wherein the sheets are removed off the first conveyor, and a withdrawn position wherein the sheets are transferred to the second conveyor.

Abstract: Positions of mobile guiding plates 54 and 62 are changed over by manipulation, by operation of a panel of a controller or by a signal from a sensor for detecting a stiffness of an original. When the mobile guiding plates 54 and 62 are rotated to locations for guiding the original towards the front of the scanner proper 2 or the back of an original carrying passage of the scanner proper 2, the original carried to the back of the scanner proper 2 runs onto the mobile guiding plates 54 and 62, and makes a U-turn by being guided and discharged to the front of the scanner proper 2. When the mobile guiding plates 54 and 62 are rotated from the guiding position to another position, the original which is carried to the back of the scanner proper 2 is discharged as it is to the back of the scanner proper 2 without changing direction.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for separating an uppermost textile cut from a pile of textile cuts by gripping the uppermost cut at the top surface. The uppermost cut is lifted, and a loader is placed onto a restricted area closed to the edge of the uppermost cut. The uppermost cut is deformed in the restricted area region which causes a relative lateral movement between the uppermost cut and the other cuts. Air is blown through the uppermost cut onto the other cuts, thereby forming a gap between the cuts. A down molder is moved laterally into the gap to completely separate the uppermost cut and the other cuts.

Abstract: A device for feeding sheets from a sheet tray which minimizes mis-feeds and multi-feeds. The device includes a device detecting sheet properties such as sheet basis weight and sheet size, a device selecting appropriate air parameters, such as air plenum pressure, plenum flow, and air knife pressure based on the sheet properties detected, and a device adjusting air parameters based on the appropriate air parameters selected.