Patents Examined by C. Druzbick
  • Patent number: 5152548
    Abstract: A cover for accommodating an air bag, which is provided with a tear line for starting tear at a start of an operation of the air bag, is characterized in that the tear line is provided at its end with at least either a high strength portion or a stop hole for preventing propagation of the tear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 1991
    Date of Patent: October 6, 1992
    Assignee: Takata Corporation
    Inventor: Takayasu Zushi
  • Patent number: 5080256
    Abstract: A slant-shelf magazine for an automatic, coin controlled, vending machine adapted to dispense cylindrical articles, such as canned or bottled beverages, which are stored and gravitationally fed from plural, parallel, horizontally inclined superposed storage racks into a vertical drop chute located opposite the lower ends of such racks. The drop chute communicates with a horizontally inclined delivery chute having a vend mechanism at its lowermost end for releasing articles one-by-one to a discharge hopper upon customer selection. The delivery chute is oppositely inclined from the storage racks and is joined to the drop chute by an intervening curvilinear guideway formed to reverse the gravitational movement direction of the articles prior to entry into the delivery chute for purposes of reducing article load forces on the vend mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 1990
    Date of Patent: January 14, 1992
    Assignee: Rock-Ola Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventor: Donald C. Rockola
  • Patent number: 5064187
    Abstract: A link chain has alternating first and second links which are articulately connected to each other by universal joints. Each first link carries a gripper with a fixed jaw and a second jaw pivotable between first and second end positions through a dead-center intermediate position. Springs are provided to permanently bias each second jaw to either of the two end positions, and each second jaw is connected with a follower which can track a set of cams at two spaced-apart stations to move the second jaw between its end positions. Each link of the chain carries two shafts for pairs of roller followers which track the lateral edge faces of two flanges of an elongated guide rail having an H-shaped cross-sectional outline. The guide rail is bent and/or twisted, if necessary, to establish a helical, arcuate, looped and/or other complex path for advancement of successive links between the two stations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 1990
    Date of Patent: November 12, 1991
    Assignee: Grapha-Holding AG
    Inventor: Hans Muller
  • Patent number: 5060925
    Abstract: In a document feeding apparatus, a first motor which drives a transporting mechanism provided at downstream side in the document transporting direction of a pair of timing rollers and a clutch connected with the pair of rollers are firstly energized, and the energized first motor drives the transport mechanism and the pair of timing rollers in the document transporting direction. A second motor which drives a paper feeding mechanism and is provided at upstream side in the document transporting direction of the pair of timing rollers drives the paper feeding mechanism after it is energized for a predetermined period of time to transport two sheets of originals placed and in contact with the pair of timing rollers from its downstream and upstream sides onto a platen glass. A sensor which detects the rear edge of an original being discharged from the platen glass is prohibited from detecting the rear edge of an original firstly discharged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 29, 1991
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Wataru Hamakawa, Hirokazu Matsuo, Yuusuke Morigami
  • Patent number: 5058876
    Abstract: A device for controlling feeder blowing air and feeder suction air in a sheet feeder of a printing machine having a sheet delivery, including a first control unit for controlling feeder blowing air and a second control unit for controlling feeder suction air, manual operating controls located both at the sheet feeder and the sheet delivery of the printing machine for separately actuating the first and the second control units by remote control, the first and the second control units, respectively, comprising a rotary valve with a valve housinhg and a valve member turnable in the valve housing and formed with a main opening for passing main air through the housing as well as with at least one auxiliary opening for residual air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 22, 1991
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventor: Dieter Grossmann
  • Patent number: 5054766
    Abstract: A paper positioning device having a paper positioning member which is pivotable in abutment against one edge of a paper sheet loaded on a receptacle for moving the paper sheet to a positioning position for thereby positioning the paper sheet. By a simple mechanism and control, the movement of the paper positioning member is slowed down at the positioning position and accelerated until the positioning member reachines it. The paper positioning member performs a pivoting movement twice while a drive shaft associated therewith performs a reciprocating movement once. The device is, therefore, no only durable but also positions paper sheets efficiently and positively without damaging the paper sheets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 8, 1991
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuyoshi Seki, Nobuyuki Morii, Takashi Komada, Masatoshi Hosoi, Yoshihide Sugiyama, Atuhisa Hujiwara, Masashi Shimada, Tsutomu Ichinose, Yuji Ueno, Goro Mori, Toshiyuki Kikuchi, Masahiro Minato, Shin Umeda, Hirobumi Yoshino
  • Patent number: 5050852
    Abstract: A blank feeder for feeding blanks. It has a feed table on which a plurality of blanks are stacked, a suction unit provided under the table to suck the lowermost one of the stack downward, a motor-driven first feed rolls mounted in the suction unit and adapted to feed the lowermost blank in contact therewith, and second feed rolls located downstream of the first feed rolls and adapted to be driven at a constant speed. The first feed rolls are accelerated from zero speed to the speed of the second feed rolls before the front end of the blank reaches the second rolls, then driven synchronized with the second feed rolls, and decelerated to zero speed again by the time the next cycle begins. A kicker for pushing out the blank may be provided. The kicker is moved forward so as to be synchronized with the second feed rolls before the front end of the blank reaches the second feed rolls. Once synchronized, this state is maintained until the rear end of the blank gets off from the kicker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 1990
    Date of Patent: September 24, 1991
    Assignee: Rengo Co. Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsuya Sawada, Hidetoshi Hoshiyama, Ikuo Yoshimoto, Shinichi Sogo
  • Patent number: 5044625
    Abstract: A bi-directionally vertically bin indexed multi-bin sheet sorter, for a fixed position sheet output, such as a copier or printer, with a sheet edge alignment registration jogging system for tamping sheets which are in the immediately previously loaded bins directly above or below the bin being loaded (the bin adjacent the fixed sheet output) concurrently with that bin being loaded but without interfering with the feeding of the sheet into that bin. A single jogging system is stationarily mounted adjacent the sheet output to intermittently horizontally move a jogging member (which extends vertically alongside all three of these adjacent sorter bins) into the above and below bins for tamping sheets therein towards a registration position, such as a corner stapling position, but is configured to not extend into the sheet feeding path and to not tamp sheets in the bin being loaded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 1990
    Date of Patent: September 3, 1991
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Paula E. Reid
  • Patent number: 5042793
    Abstract: A control method for a sheet sorter including a plurality of sorting bins, a sheet discharger for discharging sheets to the sort bins and a driver for moving the sort bins to present the sort bins to the discharger includes moving the sorting bins at a first speed in association with receipt of the sheet by one of the sorting bins and moving the sorting bins at a second speed in association with a discharge interval between the sheets discharged by the sheet discharger, by controlling the driver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 1990
    Date of Patent: August 27, 1991
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Norifumi Miyake
  • Patent number: 5040778
    Abstract: Apparatus is disclosed for automatically inverting workpieces of limp sheet material, such as fabric sheet material. The apparatus includes an endless conveyor having a forward-traveling upper reach for conveying workpieces in a forward direction. A gripper grasps a portion of the workpiece adjacent its leading edge as the workpiece travels on the conveyor, and lifts the leading edge portion of the workpiece off the conveyor. The gripper holds the leading edge portion stationary with a trailing portion of the workpiece extending downwardly from said pick-up means. A pushing mechanism acting on a generally rearwardly facing surface of the trailing portion of the workpiece pushes the trailing portion forwardly to effect complete inversion of the trailing portion as the leading edge portion is held stationary by the gripper. The gripper releases the leading edge portion of the workpiece after the trailing portion of the workpiece has been inverted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 1990
    Date of Patent: August 20, 1991
    Assignee: ARK, Inc.
    Inventor: William R. Cole, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5039081
    Abstract: A squaring and aligning assembly for the transfer frame of a corrugated sheet stacking and feeding apparatus is mounted within a transverse guide member in the form of an elongated channel. Separate squaring shoes at each side of the machine are selectively moved along the channel. They can be connected in centered positions along opposite flights of a powered chain to center a block of sheets relative to the machine. One can be connected to a chain flight in an off-center position to align the block of sheets in an off-centered aligned condition. Either shoe can be clamped to the channel for edge alignment in response to movement of the remaining shoe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 1990
    Date of Patent: August 13, 1991
    Assignee: Thermoguard Equipment, Inc.
    Inventor: David Shill
  • Patent number: 5033729
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a mechanism for the handling of and the singulating of a stack or plurality of aligned and substantially flat materials such as for example, sheets of paper, cards, printed flyers, envelopes, checks, business cards, labels, other printed documents and the like. There is incorporated into the mechanism novel systems and assemblies which control the rate of the advance of the stack of materials, which advance is effected by an amplitude or magnitude of a unidirectional jogging motion. The magnitude is a function of the attitude of the stack or the angle formed with the horizontal of the leading sheet of the stack. There is also provided a pulsing mechanism for pulsing, synchronously with jogger belts of an input conveyor assembly for joggingly advancing the plurality of flat materials, the first singulator assembly which pulsing enhances the action of singulation of the plurality of flat material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1989
    Date of Patent: July 23, 1991
    Inventor: Christopher A. Struthers
  • Patent number: 5029834
    Abstract: A method and device for continuously feeding blanks for the formation of hard cigarette packs, whereby the blanks are withdrawn successively from the bottom opening of a feedbox and fed on to the outer periphery of a conveyor roller by means of mobile suction heads guided cyclically by crank mechanisms along a route having a portion substantially perpendicular to the bottom opening of the feedbox, and a further portion substantially tangent to the periphery of the conveyor roller and which further route portion is followed by the suction heads at a speed substantially equal to the surface speed of the conveyor roller itself.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 1990
    Date of Patent: July 9, 1991
    Assignee: G.D Societa per Azioni
    Inventors: Fulvio Boldrini, Antonio Gamberini
  • Patent number: 5029838
    Abstract: A paper feeder for an image duplicating machine such as a copying machine or the like is provided with a handle for carrying the image duplicating machine pivotally attached to the outer surface of the machine body to be raised, a paper holding mechanism for holding the paper for image duplicating set within the paper feeding portion, and a communicating mechanism for actuating the paper holding mechanism in cooperation with the raising operation of the handle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 1990
    Date of Patent: July 9, 1991
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hisashi Kunihiro
  • Patent number: 5022641
    Abstract: In a recirculating feeder of sheets, the sheets are supplied and restored by the top-pick bottom-return method from a storing device in which the sheets are stacked and stored. The sheets are restored in the lowermost position in the stacking direction of the stacked sheets and stored in the storing device through a driving member, a first restoring device and a second restoring device. The driving member is controlled so as to approach/depart from the first restoring device, and when the sheet is conveyed into the storing device, it approaches to intervene between the lowermost position in the stacking direction of the sheets and the first restoring device, thereby pinching the sheet together with the first restoring device. In this way, the conveying force of the first restoring device is securely transmitted to the sheet, and repelling and mixing are avoided. The driving member contains defining members, which are intended to match the sheet stacking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 1990
    Date of Patent: June 11, 1991
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Naofumi Okada
  • Patent number: 5014977
    Abstract: An integral sheet stopping, stacking and lateral registration system, in which sequential incoming sheets are fed into a tray and stopped at an edge registration position and also repositioned laterally by lateral sheet repositioning scuffers engaging an edge of the sheets at the edge registration position, with improved protection against sheet edge distortion or damage provided by movable partial sheet stopping surfaces partially shielding the incoming sheet lead edge from full impact with the lateral scuffers but without interfering with the subsequent lateral movement of the sheets by the lateral scuffers. The incoming sheets are fed in and stacked under a stack-floating curved input guide baffle and floating frictional input flapper scuffers feeding and holding an incoming sheet downstream against the lateral scuffers for improved lateral registration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 1990
    Date of Patent: May 14, 1991
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth P. Moore, Brian R. Ford, Stephen B. Williams
  • Patent number: 5014974
    Abstract: An apparatus for in-line, high-speed stacking of paper signatures which includes two or more horizontally disposed batch forks having integral, pivoting fingers which project upstream towards an incoming flow of shingles being continuously conveyed from a sheeter. The batch forks are supported on a paper batching carriage, and can be raised and lowered from a pivot point, and retracted to transfer a partial stack of shingles to intermediate interrupt forks or to main pile forks for transfer to a conveyor. These additional paper handling forks cooperate with the batch forks and integral, pivoting fingers to continuously stack the shingled sheets in quantities determined by a counting and control system. The pivoting fingers depress the incoming signatures to separate them into stacks without slowing flow from a present rate of about 1200-1300 f.p.m. and higher.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 1990
    Date of Patent: May 14, 1991
    Assignee: Numerical Concepts, Inc.
    Inventors: Donald A. Jones, Robert M. Jones
  • Patent number: 5000344
    Abstract: A cartonless recyclable package for protectively enclosing a product, such as photographic film, comprises a recyclable plastic container and mating cap with recyclably compatible plastic labels thereon bearing product information. One such label on the cap has readily tearable tab portions extending therefrom and tautly secured to the container, to tear apart when the cap is first removed. A second label, secured to the container and overlapping the tearable tab portions, includes inner and outer sheets separably adhered together. The outer sheet can be peeled back to reveal information on the interfacing surfaces of both sheets, and then re-adhered to the inner sheet. A third label, separably adhered to the first label on the cap, may be peeled away and re-adhered to some other surface for reference after the product has been removed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 19, 1991
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: Ronald A. Janssen
  • Patent number: 4997106
    Abstract: A storage magazine for use in coin operated automatic vending machines composed of a plurality of side-by-side vertical storage columns or magazine sections, each having at least two back-to-back aligned serpentine tracks which store a plurality of cylindrical articles and gravitationally feed the same to an underlying discharge ramp common to both tracks. The ramp cooperates with a wedge feed system for operatively integrating articles discharged from each of the tracks into a single column in which the articles from the individual tracks are arranged in alternating order for first-in, first-out vending by a single coin operated vend mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 5, 1991
    Assignee: Rock-Ola Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventor: Donald C. Rockola