Abstract: An accumulator for accumulating sheets of material such as sheets of paper, the sheets being of substantially any length and the accumulation being in substantially any order. The accumulator includes a mechanism for moving a sequence of sheets along a first path until the leading edges of the sheets meet a deflector which deflects the sheets onto a second path. The leading portions of the sheets pass through a retraining mechanism and are stopped by a selectively activatable mechanism such as a gate and successive sheets form an accumation at the stop mechanism. As the feed mechanism continues to feed a sheet after it is stopped, the sheet buckles in a direction determined by the angle between the first and second paths, and as the feed mechanism continues to feed the sheet the buckle grows into a loop which unrolls into a receiver, which may be no more than a space provided.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for reverse accumulation of folded documents.

Abstract: The instant invention provides a method for reliably separating a selected sheet from a spaced array of sheets transported on a conveyor. The invention continuously maintains vacuum on the conveyors, and uses selectively activated jets directed at the underside of the sheets to divert them for separating. The invention positively controls the destination of discrete, flexible sheets, such as photographic film, by continuously engaging the sheets with another conveyor during separating, sorting, shuffling or the like, as they travel in an array along a conveyor. Positive control of the sheets permits reliable, high speed separating of lightweight, flexible sheets.

Abstract: Disclosed is a mechanism for separating a sheet one by one from stacked sheets, wherein a sucker is rotatably supported so that the sucker is moved up and down, back and forth. When the sucker is retracted in a state where the sheet is being sucked, the sucker is caused to be rotatively driven and to change the direction of suction surface, so that a front end portion of sucked sheet is lifted up, and one sheet can be separated reliably one by one.

Abstract: A recording sheet feeding device for use in an image forming machine, in which a plurality of sheets on which a first image has been recorded are successively fed from a sheet stacker for a second image to be formed, provided with a sheet pressing mechanism above the stacker which takes a pressing or a non-pressing position with respect to sheets on the stacker. While sheets are being conveyed to the stacker, a pressing operation on the sheets is conducted by driving the mechanism at least twice. Sheet feeding from the stacker is started after the first pressing operation of the mechanism. A feeding timing of the first sheet to be fed after a second pressing operation is delayed compared with a feeding timing of other sheets.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus in which vibration members of the running track type to form travelling waves are arranged in the vertical direction so as to face each other and a sheet sandwiched between them is fed by frictional forces is disclosed. In order to reduce the number of parts of a circuit to drive the upper and lower vibration members, the polarizing directions in the A-phase piezoelectric transducer portions of the piezoelectric transducers for the upper vibration member are opposite to the polarizing directions in the A-phase piezoelectric transducer portions of the piezoelectric transducers for the lower vibration member. Further, the polarizing directions in the B-phase piezoelectric transducer portions for the upper vibration member are the same as the polarizing directions in the B-phase piezoelectric transducer portions for the lower vibration member.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sheet feeding apparatus including a sheet supporting device for supporting sheets, more than one rotary sheet supply device for feeding out the sheets from the sheet supporting device, a separating device for separating the sheets by regulating a front corner of a sheet to be fed out by the rotary sheet supply device, wherein the rotary sheet supply device closest to the separating device as a greater sheet feeding force than the other rotary sheet supply device.

Abstract: A paper feed mechanism is provided for individually supplying recording papers to an imaging apparatus. A plurality of papers are stacked on a tray member of a paper cassette. One end of the tray member is biased toward a feeding roller and presses the stacked papers toward the feeding roller. The papers are fed one by one upon rotation of the feeding roller. A swingable guide member is mounted on the paper cassette to cover the stacked papers. By swinging the guide member, the stacked papers, as well as the tray member, are downwardly moved away from the feeding roller, so that a spacing is formed between the feeding roller and the stacked papers. One or more other recording papers can be inserted into the spacing, to be fed by the feeding roller instead of the stacked papers.

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 dosing system for filling containers with a particulate/liquid mixture includes three piston-and-cylinder devices, of which a first device delivers the mixture downwards to containers advanced beneath it, a second device feeds a thick particulate/liquid mixture via a conduit to the first device, and the third device feeds a thin liquid via a conduit to the first device. A liquid supply port is disposed peripherally in the cylinder of the first device and swept by the piston thereof, and a conduit in continuous communication with the port extends through the piston to a lower axial end of the piston.

Abstract: In an automatic document feeder (ADF) for an image forming apparatus, a table is loaded with multiple documents or a single document, as desired. A transport section transports the document or one of the documents fed from the table to a predetermined position on a glass platen included in a body of the apparatus, and then transports it away from the predetermined position. A feed section has a feeding member for feeding the document from the table to the transporting section, and a separating member movable in opposite direction to an intended direction of document feed into frictional engagement with the feeding member. A mode selecting section is accessible for selecting either of a multiple feed mode for sequentially feeding the multiple documents from the table while separating the individual documents, and a single feed mode for feeding the single document therefrom. A drive source drives the separating member while switching the drive direction thereof.

Abstract: Apparatus for feeding sheets seriatim from a sheet supply stack. The apparatus comprises a sheet feed head assembly including a plenum, a vacuum source in flow communication with the plenum, and a mechanism, such as a feed belt, for example, associated with the plenum for urging a sheet acquired by vacuum in a sheet feeding direction away from the sheet supply stack. The sheet supply stack is supported, for example in a hopper on a support platform, so as to maintain the topmost sheet in such stack at a predetermined level in spaced relation with respect to the urging mechanism of the sheet feed head assembly. A first positive air supply directs a flow of air at the sheet supply stack to levitate the top several sheets in the supply stack to an elevation enabling the topmost sheet to be acquired by vacuum from the sheet feed head assembly plenum; and a second positive air supply directs a flow of air at an acquired sheet to assure separation of any additional sheets adhering to such topmost sheet.

Abstract: A stacking apparatus has lower and upper continuous, rotating elastic cords 10, 11, between which delivered sheets 2 are conveyed to a pair of transport rollers 3. The rollers 20, 21 of the pair have wedge-shaped recesses 26, 27 with stop shoulders 28, 29, which are in alignment when the rollers are in their normal or rest position. The sheets strike these shoulders and stack up into a bundle 55, which is transported away in response to a discharge signal by the synchronous rotation of the rollers through an integral number of revolutions. The apparatus enables an efficient gathering of sheets into a precisely aligned bundle, which facilitates further processing.

Abstract: A hydrofoil in close proximity to an outboard surface of a rotatable slurry screen, and a hydrofoil in close proximity to an inboard surface of the screen, cooperate to create high and low slurry pressures at the surfaces which result in causing the slurry to surge through the screen to backwash the latter, thereby dislodging slurry-borne substances which tend to clog apertures in the screen.

Abstract: A passively vented rejected article chute (40) includes at least two vents (44, 45) extending downwardly into the chute to vent air in directions (50) safely away from sorting and conveying functions, thereby improving sorting effectiveness. Rejected articles (14) that include defects (24) are deflected by an air ejector module (30) into the vented chute and are directed downwardly past the vents to preventing the vents from being blocked. The vents, formed by panels (46, 48), are flared open at their outer ends (54, 56) to decrease the velocity of exhaust air as it passes upwardly through them. Reducing the exhaust air velocity allows small and/or light weight articles entrained in the exhaust air to fall back into the reject chute, thereby preventing spillage of the entrained articles.

Abstract: Box blank-forming apparatus (60) is provided which includes a feeder assembly (62) and a scoring/slotting assembly (64) each provided with adjustment structure (62a, 64a) to facilitate makeready adjustment of the apparatus (60) between production runs. The feeder assembly (62) preferably includes a reciprocal pusher element (170) operable to successively engage sheets (30) to be formed into box blanks (36). The element (170) is supported by a pair of elongated, threaded, axially rotatable, fore and aft translatable positioning screws (146, 148), so that upon rotation of the screws (146, 148), a reference position of the pusher element (170) may be varied. Adjustment of the assembly (64) is accomplished by means of compensators (292, 294) which are respectively coupled to associated slotter wheel and scoring wheel shafts (288, 286).

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: A variable sheet sized sheet feeder adapted to be reloaded while running in a dual tray mode. A dual tray sheet feeder having a sheet transport to reload a stack of sheets from a holding station to an active feed station is provided. The dual tray design allows the holding station to be reloaded while the active tray is feeding thereby providing load while run capability. The feed tray is further provided with tray extensions to allow the loading and feeding of oversized sheets within the same confines. Multiple sensors and movable stack guides are provided to allow the transfer of the sheet stack from one tray to another and to report the status of each tray to the operator through a user interface.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a sheet spreader for a sheet feeder apparatus comprising at least one pair of sheet clamps, a guideway extending along an entry to a sheet feeder, clamps mounted on the guideway for movement along the entry to the sheet feeder and a plurality of sheet loading stations located at fixed positions opposite the guideway. Each loading station has a sheet clipping system to receive and support a pair of corners of a sheet and for effecting transfer of the sheet corners from the clipping system to the pair of sheet clamps on the guideway when the clamps are located in a transfer position adjacent the loading station. The sheet clamps of each pair move independently of one other, first together in a transfer position at a respective loading station and then apart to spread the sheet received at a loading station for entry to the sheet feeder.

Abstract: An adjustable sheet cassette for use in apparatus feeding sheets and being movable in the apparatus from a sheet feeding position to a nonsheet feeding position, the adjustable cassette having a sheet stack support platform capable of supporting stacks of sheets of a plurality of length and width dimensions, at least one sheet edge guide movable in a path in the cassette to accommodate stacks of sheets of different length or width dimensions, the sheet edge guide having attached thereto an actuator arm having a plurality of switch actuators for selectively actuating a plurality of switches on a circuit board on the main body of the apparatus when the cassette is in sheet feeding position in the apparatus, the actuators being located to selectively actuate the switches on the main body of the apparatus which represent one of a plurality of sheet sizes, whereby when each of the switches is actuated it generates a unique resistance in the circuit on the circuit board, the resultant of these unique resistances de