Abstract: The present invention relates to an automatic vending machine for articles of frozen confectionery. The vending machine includes an outer body, an outer door, and an environment-controlled chamber. The frozen confectionery are kept in containers of cylindrical, quasi-cylindrical or polyhedral shape. The machine has an environment-controlled chamber maintained at about −18° C. and has insulating panels and an inner door, the machine being maintained by a refrigeration system and a defrost system. Within the chamber are vertical compartments for the storage of stacked containers, a dispensing device, and a discharge hopper leading to an outlet tray. In the outer door there are product selection and cash box mechanisms that monitors not only the amount or number of articles of frozen confectionery but also the amount of money inserted and dispensed. The machine can be connected by telephone to a central service to request restocking or to communicate any malfunction or damage to the machine.

Abstract: A foldable tray is angularly displaceably supported at an end portion of a sheet tray of a printer body so as to be angularly displaceable about a supporting shaft, which foldable tray is capable of being folded onto an upper surface side of the sheet tray and is angularly displaced downwardly from the sheet stacking position when a force which exceeds the maximum loading weight of sheets is applied to the foldable tray. Further, the sheet tray comprises a stopper for holding the foldable tray at a sheet stacking position and at a downwardly displaced position by abutting the foldable tray against the stopper.

Abstract: An article dispensing apparatus with a novel structure is provided for lifting and taking out articles such as candies, stored in a stack within a case body, one by one from the top one. The article dispensing apparatus has a case body for storing articles in a stack. A dispensing opening that can take out the stored articles one by one from the top one is formed in the upper part of the case body, and an elastic member for biasing the stored articles toward the dispensing opening is provided in the lower part of the case body. A pair of engaging members are provided in the vicinity of the dispensing opening of the case body for engaging the both sides of the top article among a plurality of articles biased by the elastic member to prevent the plurality of articles from being dispensed from the dispensing opening. A rotating body is rotatably provided in the upper part of the case body, and a pair of holding pieces are provided in the rotating body for holding the both sides of the.

Abstract: An imaging system includes a roller assembly adapted to guide sheet material in the system into an accumulator, a sheet registration assembly. The registration assembly includes a lateral fence extending along a first edge of the accumulator. The lateral fence is adapted to contact a lateral edge of sheets fed into the accumulator. A longitudinal fence extends along a second edge of the accumulator. The longitudinal fence is adapted to contact a longitudinal edge of sheets fed into the accumulator. A helical registration member is mounted in contact with sheet material entering the accumulator and, is adapted for rotation with the roller assembly. Rotation of the helical registration member with the roller assembly causes the helical registration member to exert a force to urge each sheet of material entering the accumulator toward the lateral fence and the longitudinal fence of the accumulator.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for inverting sheets traveling through a machine with an inverter having a reversing chute and a reversing nip in the reversing chute. An incoming sheet is receiving into the reversing chute. The reversing nip reverses the direction of travel of the sheet and drives sheet out of the reversing chute. A gap is opened in said reversing nip, while the outgoing sheet still extends through the reversing nip. A subsequent incoming sheet is received into the reversing chute and through the gap in the reversing nip, while the outgoing sheet still extends through the gap. The gap is closed after the outgoing sheet has exited the reversing nip, such the reversing nip reverses the direction of travel of the subsequent incoming sheet and drives the sheet out of the reversing chute. The machine may be a printing or copying machine.

Abstract: An apparatus for picking up a plurality of papers stacked in an upright position one by one is disclosed. A pick-up mechanism is angularly movable about a single point between a position for sucking the outermost paper and a position for conveying it. While an sending mechanism sends air toward the bottom of a stack of papers positioned on a tray, the pick-up mechanism sucks the outermost paper and moves away from the other papers at a low speed. After the pick-up mechanism has conveyed the above paper, it moves toward she next paper for sucking it at a high speed. Air being sent from the above mechanism insures the separation of the consecutive papers. Because the pickup mechanism retaining the outermost sheet by suction moves slowly away from the other papers, the outermost paper is easily spaced from the other papers and therefore more surely separated from the other papers. This obviates a shearing force otherwise acting on and damaging, e.g., letters and magazines of delicate quality.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus for singling flat material to be conveyed having a suction device, with openings in the suction device defining an area within which the suction device grasps the material to be singled. Known singling devices have in particular the disadvantage that operation of the suction device produces a high noise level which is felt to be very unpleasant. The present invention provides a shifted arrangement of the suction openings which leads at least to partial elimination of the noise during shifted activation of the suction openings.

Abstract: A frictional feeder for paper stacks has a frictional conveyor belt that receives a paper stack of paper sheets from above and conveys individual paper sheets of the paper stack in a conveying direction of the feeder. A curved support is positioned above the frictional conveyor belt at a rearward end of the paper stack, viewed in the conveying direction, and at a slant relative to a plane of the paper sheets of the paper stack. It supports the rearward end of the paper stack. An elbow lever with a first end and a second end is provided, and its first end is connected to the curved support. A self-locking drive unit is connected to the second end of the elbow lever. It is provided to pivot the elbow lever and the curved support connected to the elbow lever to adjust the slant of the curved support relative to the plane of the paper sheets of the paper stack.

Abstract: A sheet guiding device having a top plate formed with a smooth side facing towards sheets to be guided past the device, includes at least one depression defining at least one connecting region, the at least one depression being formed in the top plate from the smooth side thereof, and at least one rear element fastened to a rear side of the top plate and having at least one connecting portion assigned to the at least one connecting region, the at least one rear element bearing against the top plate and being connected thereto by laser weld seams forming a connection to the top plate at the at least one connecting region defined by the at least one depression, the at least one depression formed in the top plate being deeper than any deformation induced by the laser weld seams; and method of producing the device.

Abstract: A vending machine for vending articles such as cassettes or boxes is disclosed which has a touch screen (18) for receiving user input commands, a key pad (26) and credit card or coin payment devices (22, 24). A control system (FIGS. 11 to 13 and 23) controls operation of the machine. A vending unit (14) has a carriage (70) mounted for movement below a storage compartment (46) which is divided into a plurality of sections (74). The compartment (46) stores cassettes or boxes which can be stacked one above the other and released into the carriage (70) so that the carriage (70) can move to dispense the article through an outlet (58). A latch (80) controls movements of the cassettes or boxes (75) into the carriage (70). The latch (80) is pivotally mounted and movable from a position where abutment (196) engages a cassette or box (75) or releases the cassette or box.

Abstract: An apparatus for singling sheetlike data carriers is proposed wherein the stack (30) to be singled is located on a rest (5) which is movable relative to a feed device (4) in clocked fashion such that individual data carriers are moved in the direction of a singling gap whose width is variable by a retaining element (13) in synchronism with the clocked motion of the rest (5). This apparatus is able to attain a high throughput even with different sheet qualities while guaranteeing high functional safety.

Abstract: A paper feeder comprises a paper-stacking mechanism having a paper-stacking plate on which the papers are to be stacked, and a width-limiting member for limiting the position of the papers stacked on said paper-stacking plate in the direction of width of the papers; a suction/feed mechanism disposed above the paper-stacking mechanism to feed by suction the uppermost paper stacked on the paper-stacking plate; and an air-blowing mechanism disposed on the front side of the paper-stacking means in the direction in which the papers are conveyed and including an air duct extending in a direction at right angles with the direction in which the paper is conveyed, said air duct having plural nozzles for jetting out the air against an upper portion at the front end of the papers stacked on said paper-stacking means, and a fan connected to an end of said air duct.

Abstract: A paper feeding apparatus has a fixed-side paper guide 5 and a movable-side paper guide 6. A tubular portion 7 of the movable-side paper guide 6 is slidably attached to a guide shaft 4. The guide shaft 4 is rotated by the power for feeding the paper to a paper processing section. The guide shaft 4 is provided with a helical groove 42, and a movable piece 71 having a pawl for engagement with the helical groove 42 is provided on the movable-side paper guide 6. When the guide shaft 4 rotates the movable-side paper guide 6 pushes and moves the paper to a proper position. When the paper is set in the proper position, the pawl is pushed up by a helical projection forming the helical groove 42, and is disengaged from the helical groove 42.

Abstract: The present invention provides a robot blade for supporting substrates in a processing system. More particularly, the invention provides a blade comprising a contact cup flexibly attached thereto to compensate for inaccurate alignment between the blade and a substrate and allow accurate alignment and flush contact between the contact cup and a substrate. The substrate can then be reliably secured to the blade when retrieved from a face-down position, with the blade positioned above the substrate.

Abstract: Apparatuses and methods for use in adjusting a substrate centering system to center a substrate on a rotatable chuck in a semiconductor processing machine, the chuck including at least one reference point. One apparatus comprises a plate configured to be placed on the chuck and at least one centering mark formed on the plate, wherein the at least one centering mark is configured so that it may be compared to the at least one reference point on the chuck to determine if the plate is centered. The plate often is at least partially transparent so that its position relative to the at least one reference point on the chuck may be seen.

Abstract: A pile restrictor includes a restrictor body and a restricting blade attached to the body, the restricting blade being adjustable angularly with respect to the body during an operating mode of a sheet feeder. The present invention also provides a pile feed device having a front guide and at least one pile restrictors, each of the pile restrictors connected to the front guide and including a body and a restricting blade attached to the body, the blade being adjustable angularly with respect to the body during the operating mode. Also disclosed is a method of restricting a sheet pile comprising the steps of placing a pile of sheets in a feeder so that the nose of the pile is restricted by a restrictor; and adjusting an angle of the restrictor furing operation of the feeder.

Abstract: An apparatus for transforming an overlapping stack of flexible flat objects, such as printed products, arriving on a first conveyor into an overlapping formation on a second conveyor which is positioned downstream of the first conveyor. A displacement element is guided to reciprocate on a guide rail and has a hook which acts to engage and displace each of the objects from the first conveyor into an active region of the second conveyor. The second conveyor is driven at a conveying speed which is greater than that of the first conveyor. Also, the speed of the displacement element in the direction of conveyance is greater than the conveying speed of the first conveyor, and thus the objects are fed to the second conveyor separately and at an increased spacing.

Abstract: The invention relates to a labeling machine for wet adhesive labels comprising a gluing and application device which holds and guides the labels. A label magazine is connected upstream from the gluing and application device to which labels are fed from said label magazine. During the processing of multiple labels, the label magazine is configured as a support platform with a support wall that extends over the entire length of the platform, and transporting means for transporting the labels are provided above the support platform in the vicinity of the support wall. Said transporting means transfer the detached label to a label conveyor arranged above the support wall, and a conveyor platform is provided on the label conveyor.

Abstract: A sheet conveying apparatus includes a sheet constant speed conveying device for conveying a sheet at a predetermined speed, a sheet conveying path for guiding the sheet being conveyed by the sheet constant speed conveying device, a sheet reverse feeding rotary member pair capable of forwardly rotating to convey the sheet toward a downstream side and then reversely rotating to send the sheet reversely, a surface reverse conveying path branched from the sheet conveying path and adapted to guide the sheet reversely fed by the sheet reverse feeding rotary member pair, a trailing end detecting sensor disposed between the sheet constant speed conveying device and the sheet reverse feeding rotary member pair and adapted to detect a trailing end of the sheet conveyed through the sheet conveying path, and a control device for controlling rotation of the sheet reverse feeding rotary member pair in such a manner that the sheet can be conveyed at a higher speed than the predetermined speed when the trailing end of the s

Abstract: A sheet material feeder and an image forming apparatus in which, even when a sheet of thick paper is transported through a sharply curved sheet material guide, the sheet can be adjusted to a lateral registry position. A base plate, a movable lower guide and a movable upper guide can slide in a direction perpendicular to the direction of sheet transport in union with each other. Where a sheet material stopped at a lateral registry adjustment position is a sheet of thick paper, it is brought into a tightly stretching condition supported at three points, i.e., a crotch point of the movable upper guide, a top of the movable lower guide, and a guide surface of a regulation-side lateral register plate. The sheet material supported from both sides at the three points is moved together with the movable lower guide and the movable upper guide toward a reference-side lateral register plate for abutment against the same, whereby the lateral registry position adjustment of the sheet material is completed.