Abstract: A device for enabling access to an interior of an apparatus, with means for unlocking and swinging an upper apparatus housing part supporting a sheet stacking container clear out of a sheet dispensing area of the apparatus that has a sheet discharge unit and is freely accessible for sheet removal.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus for feeding a compilation of sheets to a process station, including: a sheet tray for holding the compilation of sheets; an air plenum, positioned above the compilation of sheets, the air plenum including an outer perimeter, and a corrugated surface for corrugating one of the compilation of sheets into predefine multiple spans; a blower for generating a vacuum force in the air plenum to drive one of the compilation of sheets into contact with the air plenum thereby corrugating one of the compilation of sheets into predefine multiple spans; a series of sets of seals around the outer perimeter of the air plenum, for sealing one of the compilation of sheets against the air plenum.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus for feeding a compilation of sheets in a process direction to a process station, including: a sheet tray for holding the compilation of sheets; an air plenum, positioned above the compilation of sheets, the plenum including a corrugated surface having a first set of ribs at a first height and a second set of ribs at a second height; and a blower for generating a vacuum force in the air plenum to drive one of the compilation of sheets into contact with the corrugated surface.

Abstract: A sheet handling device has a sheet-aligning rotary member with an ejection device for ejecting sheets into a sheet stacking device, a sheet end stopper for holding the end of the sheet stacked in the sheet stacking device; and at least one rotary member for aligning the sheets ejected in the sheet stacking device with the sheet end stopper. The rotary member has an arc-shape outer peripheral surface around a portion of a circumference of said at least one rotary member.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus for feeding a compilation of sheets to a process station, including: a sheet tray for holding the compilation of sheets; an air plenum, positioned above the compilation of sheets, the air plenum including an outer perimeter, a seal around said outer perimeter and a blower for generating a vacuum force in the air plenum to drive one of the compilation of sheets into contact with the air plenum and the seal.

Abstract: A device for braking paper sheets, which acts on the paper sheets, including at least one resiliently movable brake shoe, and an electromagnet operatively arranged to impart a force on the brake shoe so that the brake shoe acts on the paper sheet.

Abstract: A sheet delivery device with a first gripper module for carrying a first sheet, a second gripper module for carrying a second sheet, a track for guiding the first and second gripper modules, and a stationary, purely mechanical diverter located at a divergence. The track including a first section, a second section and a third section, the first section diverging at the divergence into the second section and the third section.

Abstract: A delivery fan, comprising sets of blades at constant circumferential spacings, receives therebetween the sheets successively falling from an overhead infeed conveyor. The sheets fall off the delivery fan on hitting a set of abutment tines arranged interdigitatingly with the fan blades. A stack of sheets thus formed on a retractable platform is unloaded therefrom onto a delivery conveyor. A temporary sheet holder is provided which is angularly displaceable about the delivery fan axis between a working position, where it temporarily receive the sheets falling off the delivery fan pending unloading of the preformed stack of sheets, and a retracted position where the sheet holder allows the sheets to fall from the delivery fan onto the platform. The sheet holder is mounted to the shaft of the delivery fan via a pair of overrunning clutches and sprung from the retracted toward the working position.

Abstract: A drop table is used for accumulating a desired number of sheets of items in a bundle and then dropping the bundle onto a conveyor belt. The drop table has a plurality of rods acting as a floor in a collection box. When the drop table receives a signal from a sheet feeder that the number of items desired is in the bundle the rods are withdrawn from beneath the collection box and the bundle drops to a conveyor belt. The rods are then moved back into position for receiving more sheets to form another bundle and the drop table signals the sheet feeding machine to send more sheets to the collection box. The collection box may have a vibrating jogger to align the sheets into a squared bundle on one axis and a tamping foot to align the sheets into a squared bundle on a second axis. The drop table can accumulate sheets in a squared bundle quickly without jamming and release the bundle onto a conveyor below the collection box.

Abstract: A sheet inversion device for inverting a sheet that is fed in and for feeding out the inverted sheet has intermediate rollers, feed-in rollers, feed-out rollers, inversion rollers, and pressing guide members. The feed-in rollers are positioned on one side of the intermediate rollers to feed a sheet. The feed-out rollers are located on the other side of the intermediate rollers to feed the sheet. The inversion rollers are located to the rear in the feed-in direction upon the receipt of the force produced by the advance of a sheet slip across the sheet while rotating in the feed-out direction. The pressing guide members exert, with the inversion rollers, a sheet pressing force to counter the force transmitted by the sheet. In the sheet inversion device, the pressing faces of the pressing guide members have the same arced shape as have the outer circumferential faces of the inversion rollers.

Abstract: A sheet discharging apparatus including a sheet discharging device which discharges a sheet on a sheet discharging tray. A sheet tip portion guide device holds thereupon a tip portion of the sheet discharged from the sheet discharging device, guides the sheet in a sheet discharging direction while holding the tip portion of the sheet thereupon, and releases the sheet by releasing the tip portion of the sheet held thereupon.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for stacking at least two sheets, an apparatus comprising a vertically movable stacking platform and an intermediate support member with a width advantageously essentially equal to that of a stacking platform. The intermediate support member is adapted movable into a position above the stacking platform or above a stack of at least one sheet placed on the platform and over which intermediate support member the next sheet or sheet substack is brought and which intermediate support member is then retracted from between the overlying sheets, whereby the sheets are simultaneously aligned against a back gage. The intermediate support member is made from a flexible multilayer material having at least one layer made from a material having a substantially high tear resistance.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for receiving and/or conveying flat products (14), especially printing products, by means of individual grippers (1). The invention comprises a receiving and/or conveying section (12) along which the grippers (1) can be conveyed, and the limbs (9) support opened grippers (1) against one another in the area of the grippers, said grippers being arranged in succession. The invention also comprises a gripper closing device (15) which can be actuated after inserting a product (14) into an opened gripper (1), and/or a releasing device which can be actuated when a product (14) is released from the gripper (1). The receiving and/or conveying section (12) is curved in a convex manner in order to enlarge the maximum possible opening of the gripper.

Abstract: In a paper feeder, after a set of the documents has been fed, a lifting member transmits the rotation of a separation roller shaft to a frame member, as the separation roller shaft is rotated opposite to the direction to feed documents, by a predetermined amount. Accordingly, the frame member is turned upwardly, so as to lift a pick-up roller away from a paper feed slope where the documents are to be stacked. With this structure, another set of the documents can be readily set with the leading edges thereof placed under the pick-up roller after the first set of the documents has been fed. Further, when the documents are fed, a force such that the pick-up roller is lifted up away from the paper feed slope is not externally applied to the frame member leaving the pick-up roller in contact with the documents. Consequently, the documents can be stably fed out.

Abstract: A sheet material conveying apparatus includes a plurality of pockets, each pocket including a setting device for adjusting a height of the pocket when the pocket is stationary so as to define a set height, the setting device including a setting rod, a ring gear having an outer surface connected to the setting rod, and a lock ring selectively releasable from the ring gear, the setting rod including a disengaging device for releasing the lock ring from the ring gear during a setting operation. A method and a sheet material pocket are also provided.

Abstract: A positioning assembly is presented for positioning a substantially disk-shaped workpiece in a registered position. The positioning assembly comprises spaced-apart guiding members defining a common support plane for supporting the workpiece, such that they engage the circumference of the workpiece at spaced-apart locations. Each guiding member is mounted for pivotal movement in the support plane between its two extreme positions. The movements of the guiding members transport the workpiece towards the registered position.

Abstract: The present invention relates to media handling devices and media handling methods. One aspect of the invention provides a media handling method including providing a media handling device having an initial media path; selectively moving a guide member using a motor intermediate a first position where the guide member is spaced from media within the initial media path and a second position where the guide member contacts the media within the initial media path; applying a control signal to the motor to control the moving; and modulating the control signal.

Abstract: An apparatus for and method of stacking flexible articles of a non-uniform thickness involves the use of a stacking table including separately movable first and second support surfaces. An actuator moves the stacking table through a range of motion relative to a stationary cam plate. A cam follower is mechanically coupled to the second support surface and engages the cam surface when the stacking table is moved through at least part of the range of motion. When the actuator moves the stacking table and the cam follower engages the cam surface, the second surface is displaced relative to the first support surface. Preferably, the cam plate is repositionable to vary a distance by which the second support surface is displaced relative to the first support surface.

Abstract: A machine is disclosed for conveying wooden piece such as logs of wood and lumber, in wood transformation industries such as sawmills. The wooden pieces are conveyed in a conveying direction from the front towards the back of the frame of the machine. The machine has several conveying shafts rotatably mounted in parallel on the sides of the frame. Each shaft has a rotating axis about which it is driven in rotation in a direction corresponding to the conveying direction. Several toothed circular plates are mounted on each shaft and extend in a plane crossing the axis of rotation of the shafts. The plates of a shaft are designed to be offset with respect to the plates of an adjacent shaft. Each tooth of each plate are spaced apart from an adjacent tooth by a distance which corresponds substantially to the range of diameter of the wooden pieces and defines a space therebetween for receiving at least a portion of a wooden piece.

Abstract: A single sheet feeder for moving individual sheets from the top of a stack includes a driven sheet separator roller mounted on an arcuately moveable support arm, the roller having an annular sheet engaging friction surface and a bottom sheet retard pad in opposed relationship to the separator roller. In a first embodiment the retard pad has a specially configured sheet engaging surface having a sheet retarding portion which is angled downwardly from the direction of sheet movement to reduce excessively high separator roller drive torque requirements. In a second embodiment, the sheet support surface has a recess proximate the sheet retard pad for receiving the driven separator roller to prevent contact of the driven roller with the sheet support to avoid excessively high separator roller drive torque. Arcuate movement of the roller toward the sheet support is arrested by contact of the roller support arm with any suitable part of the sheet feeder chassis such as the retard pad or stack.