Abstract: A hoist lifting apparatus for vehicles has a pair of spaced posts and a carriage slidably mounted for vertical movement in each post and secured to load bearing arms for supporting a vehicle. A locking assembly is pivotally mounted on each carriage for locking it in a selected, raised position. The post has a wall facing the carriage with a series of vertically spaced openings, and a locking arm pivotally mounted on the carriage is biased into successive openings as the carriage is raised. Once the desired height is reached, the carriage is lowered slightly in order to lock the arm in a selected opening. A release cam is pivotally mounted on the locking arm and acts to release the locking arm from the selected opening when the carriage is raised slightly from a locked position. A bypass member holds the locking arm in the retracted position as the carriage is lowered after release of the lock.

Abstract: An improved bill stacker is described that effectively rolls incoming bills onto the stack. In one aspect of the invention, the bill stacker includes a housing that encloses a stacking plate that is arranged to support a stack of bills. A gripper is typically provided to grab the leading edge of an incoming bill and a stack roller is arranged to travel longitudinally relative the stacking plate to "roll" a newly received bill onto a top end of the bill stack (if present) or the stacking plate when the first bill is being received. A variety of methods of stacking bills in a cash box using the concept of rolling an incoming bill onto the top of a stack are also described.

Abstract: A device for trapping flatware in food waste prior to entry into a trash container includes a housing positioned onto the trash container having a downwardly sloping chute, an electronic metal detector disposed in the housing, and a mechanically-operated pivoting door that guards the lower opening of the chute. A spring-loaded mechanical linkage closes the door upon being released by an actuator, that is signaled by the metal detector as to when flatware is present. The use of a spring-loaded mechanism to operate the pivoting door minimizes power requirements and is lightweight, as compared to a drive motor or other machines of the prior art.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, a large capacity paper feeder has a single pick-up roller capable of selectively feeding papers from an LCT (Large Capacity Table) or from a cassette removably mounted to the apparatus. The paper feeder, therefore, does not need a bulky paper feed unit for a cassette feed mode. In addition, a space for an LCT feed mode is not necessary above the pick-up roller, so that the height of the apparatus is not increased.

Abstract: A finger guard for a door of an elevator comprising a brush carrier, which is arranged for attachment to an architrave adjacent the elevator door of the kind, which, for opening and closing, slides sideways in a vertical plane relative to the architrave, and a brush carried by the carrier and disposed to be directed outward from the architrave and into close adjacency with at least one of the elevator doors so as to be angled across a corner region between the architrave and the elevator door whereby to provide a guard against fingers being trapped between the door on the architrave in the corner region.

Abstract: An automatic document feeder to be incorporated in a scanner document forwarding mechanism which comprises a reduction gear assembly driven by a motor and having at least one gear and a pair of mated rollers through which a document to be fed by the document feeder travels is disclosed. The document feeder includes a gear train having an input gear mechanically coupled to the gear of the reduction gear assembly of the scanner document forwarding mechanism via two idle gears to be driven thereby and an output gear mechanically coupled to the input gear via a pinion co-axially fixed to the input gear and engaging the output gear. A document driving roller is provided and co-axially fixed to the output gear to be driven thereby for engaging and driving the document to be fed into the scanner document forwarding mechanism. A document guide is provided close to the document driving roller for guiding the document therethrough toward the scanner document forwarding mechanism.

Abstract: A beltless, automatic document feeder for a flat bed document scanner or other hard copy apparatus using a flat bed scanning station is disclosed. A paper path is formed between a feeder frame guide and a paper loading tray. A document sheet pulled from a stack loaded in the tray is transported along the path by a dual function driver. A pad overlaying the flat bed of the scanner is provided with a cooperative lip such that the leading edge of the pulled document sheet is directed from the paper path to the flat bed and under the pad. A second, bi-directional driver, associated with the pad and the flat bed, transports the document sheet to a fully scannable position between the pad and flat bed without releasing the trailing edge of the document sheet. After scanning, the second driver is reversed to remove the scanned document sheet from the bed and transport it to the dual function driver which then ejects the sheet along a second path. The first path and second path are on the same side of the flat bed.

Abstract: An automatic testing system and method for inspecting the contact characteristics of the contact pins of each of sockets of an IC tester disposed in the testing zone of an IC handler in an automatic and efficient fashion prior to testing semiconductor devices under test is provided. A test device which is identical in shape to semiconductor devices to be tested and the electric characteristics of which are known is provided and is carried on a test tray and conveyed from the loader section to the testing zone where the test device is brought into contact with a socket to measure the contact characteristics of the socket. Upon completion of the measurement, the test device is transferred from the test tray to the customer tray, and the customer tray with the test device thereon is then temporarily stored in a tray storing means in the unloader section. Thereafter, the customer tray is conveyed to the loader section where the test device is transferred from the customer tray to the test tray.

Abstract: A device for decollating stacks of flat objects includes a stack magazine. The base of the stack magazine supports the stack and includes revolving rollers that form a continuously moving series of rollers, pass underneath the stack magazine, and roll along the lowest object of the stack. A conveyor system is arranged underneath the upper run of the series of rollers and extends at an angle to the series of rollers. The lowest object that is removed from the stack by one passing roller is deposited on the conveyor system. A suction device moves or suction devices move between the rollers in the cycle in which the rollers pass underneath the magazine. The suction device or devices pulls or pull down one lateral edge of the lowest object between two rollers. The leading roller still supports the stack via the object and the trailing roller passes between the object and the object situated above so as to cause a secure separation of the lowest object from the stack.

Abstract: A plate feeding system for grasping and moving a plate from a stack of plates. The system includes an arm mechanism having a plate grasping member for grasping the plate and a plate interposing member for interposing between the plate and an adjacent plate. Also disclosed is a method of feeding a plate from a stack of plates. The method includes grasping the plate, using a plate grasping member of an arm mechanism, interposing a member between the plate and an adjacent plate, and transporting the plate.

Abstract: A method for discharging a sheet from a printer that includes feeding a first sheet from a sheet tray, conveying the sheet by the force applied by the driving roller until a leading edge of the first sheet contacts the trailing edge of a second sheet, thereby urging the second sheet in the feed direction such that the second sheet is no longer supported by supporting portions, and reversing the direction of the first sheet by reversing the rotation of the driving roller.

Abstract: A sheet transfer member (17) has at least one outwardly opening slot (20) into which a sheet can be received. The member (17) is rotatably mounted in use so that a sheet in the slot (20) can be transferred to a sheet stacking position. A portion of the rotatable member (17) comprises high friction insert (22) which, during a dispense operation, withdraws sheets from the stacking position.

Abstract: The invention provides a sheet feeding device in which a lifter member of a lifter unit for maintaining the level of the topmost sheet of the sheets loaded in a sheet holding unit at a substantially constant height is made movable along the direction of removal of the sheet holding unit in order to move the moving lifter away from the sheet holding unit if the lifter being released downward gets caught by the sheet holding unit being removed, thus allowing reliable removal of the sheet holding unit.

Abstract: A damping apparatus has a first damper mechanism positioned at a leading end of a sheet which is introduced into a sheet stacking region, for movement in the direction A away from the sheet stacking region to absorb shocks produced by the sheet when the sheet hits the first damper mechanism, and a second damper mechanism combined with the first damper mechanism, for movement in the direction A away from the sheet stacking region to absorb the shocks produced by the sheet S while the shocks produced by the sheet are being absorbed by the first damper mechanism and then after the first damper mechanism starts moving back in the direction B toward the sheet stacking region. Sheets can successively be introduced at a high speed into the sheet stacking region, and are effectively prevented from being folded or improperly positioned in the sheet stacking region.

Abstract: An apparatus for serially feeding envelopes along a longitudinal path of travel and which includes a support table, an envelope feeder mounted to the support table for feeding envelopes individually from the bottom of a vertical stack of envelopes in a lateral direction to an envelope receiving position on the table, and an envelope conveying system for feeding the envelopes from the envelope receiving position along a longitudinal path of travel and through a plurality of processing stations, such as a flap opening station and a product insertion station. The feeder is directly connected to a fixed envelope stop on the table by an adjustable linkage so as to define the envelope receiving position between the stop and the feeder, and so that the lateral position of the feeder may be readily adjusted on the table to change the dimension of the envelope receiving position and thereby accommodate envelopes of varying size.

Abstract: A feeder for separating sheet form elements, such as envelopes, from a stack has a suction device and a mechanical gripper mounted together on a movable head. The movement of the head is controlled by a lever mechanism and cams so that an envelope is first pulled by the suction in the stacking direction and then gripped and pulled laterally from the stack by the gripper.

Abstract: The selector for badly-filled capsules consists of a constantly rotating ring-shaped capsule transfer plate which has an infeed for the capsules to be selected and an outfeed for the selected capsules, above which a substantially vertical suction mouth is fitted, being of the compressed air type with Venturi effect in the constricted tube, designed to suck up those capsules whose weight is below a preset value, the suction pressure being adjustable by means of the compressed air supply in the mouth.

Abstract: A sheet feeder (10) has a plurality of feed rollers (A,B,C) driven by a drive shaft (62) contacting at least one sheet from a stack (S) of sheets and feeding that sheet downstream. Pull rollers (D) downstream of the feed rollers (A,B,C) driven by an intermediate shaft (84) feed the one sheet to an output location. A first sensor (130) in communication with the drive shaft (62) controls the drive shaft (62) between a driving condition and a non-driving condition. A second sensor (140) in communications with the intermediate shaft (84) controls the intermediate shaft (84) between a driving condition and a non-driving condition. In a driving condition, the drive shaft (62) drives the feed rollers (A,B,C) at a first radial speed and in a non-driving condition the feed rollers (A,B,C) free-wheel.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sheet supplying apparatus removably connected to an under side of an image forming apparatus to supply a sheet to the image forming apparatus. The apparatus has a main body connected to the under side of the image forming apparatus, a sheet supporting plate provided within the main body of sheet supplying apparatus to support a sheet, sheet supply rotary member for feeding out the sheet from the sheet supporting plate, a convey unit rotatably supported within the main body of sheet supplying apparatus to supply the sheet fed out by the sheet supply rotary member to a sheet receiving opening provided at a side surface of the image forming apparatus, and a positioning unit for positioning the convey unit in the vicinity of the sheet receiving opening.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, which includes a pair of vertical paper feeding guides of a vertical paper path, one guide being fixed to a main body of the apparatus as a fixed guide and the other guide being held for movement relative to the main body as a movable guide. Both of the movable guide and the large capacity paper feeding unit are able to swing open and close relative to the main body around shafts provided parallel to the direction of vertical paper feeding at one end of each of the guide and the large capacity paper feeding unit. The provision of an improved image forming apparatus realizes capabilities of faster and more secured paper feeding and easier parts replacement.