Abstract: An article storage and retrieval system which includes a continuous track and a continuous article storage carousel supported from the track. The article storage carousel is movable in a horizontal direction and contains a plurality of horizontally spaced and vertically extending baskets. Each basket has vertically spaced compartments. A motor is included to drive the article storage carousel around the track. An elevator is mounted in a fixed position adjacent to the outside of the track and includes a vertically movable article engager for placement in or withdrawal from a preselected compartment.

Abstract: A device for transporting individual sheets to or from a magazine housing containing the sheets in a stack, particularly useful in x-ray installations, includes a threaded rotary screw member disposed within the magazine containing the stack of sheets for raising and lowering the sheet stack within the magazine and individually handling the uppermost sheet in the stack for transport to or from the magazine. A sheet transport is also provided comprising drive rollers disposed in a lateral plane overlying the sheet stack and running rollers connected to an upper end of the rotary screw member for movement in a lateral plane directly beneath the drive rollers, such that the running rollers may be disposed between the bottom circumferential portions of the drive rollers to form a sheet transport nip between the corresponding rollers.

Abstract: A drop sheet feeder for mounting above the platen of a printing apparatus has a plurality of upstanding trays moved by a tray shifting device to release individual sheets of paper stored therebetween. The platen drive of the printing apparatus is operatively connected with the drop sheet feeder to release the individual sheets of material sequentially. A sheet feeding device of the drop sheet feeder is operatively engageable with the released sheet of sheet material to feed the sheet into engagement with the insert portion of the feed path about the platen of the printing apparatus. The drop sheet feeder can be used to feed individual sheets of material, multi-part form sets or envelopes.

Abstract: This invention relates to sheet feeding apparatus including a cassette for holding a stack of sheets. It is known to provide in the cassette a lip or spring extending into the space in front of the stack, so that when a suction feeder acts on the front sheet to swing it through an arc and introduces it leading end into the nip of a pair of rollers, the leading end is momentarily retarded by the lip of spring. This has the effect of reducing the number of double feeds. In the present invention, the degree to which the lip or spring extends into the space in front of the stack of sheets is adjusted as the cassette is inserted into the apparatus by a control device which is set in accordance with the required rate of feed of the sheets.

Abstract: A stack top control method and apparatus includes sensing the vertical position of a top of signatures being stacked on a stacking platform at two spaced apart locations. Two belt assemblies tangentially contact at least a portion of opposed sides of the stack being formed adjacent the top locations being sensed. Each belt assembly is driven by a variable drive motor and applies a tangential, frictional drive force to the opposed sides of the stack being formed toward the stacking platform. A control circuit monitors the vertical position of the two spaced apart locations and controls the speed of each drive motor of the belt assemblies responsive to the sensed vertical position of the top of the signatures being formed into the stack. The top of the stack is thereby substantially leveled.

Abstract: A bottom level sheet feeding apparatus having a tray for receiving a stack of sheets, a driven endless belt conveyor with an upstream end extending into the tray, a lead surface plate over a fixed-height idler roller to form a pinch point between the belt conveyor and the lower edge of the lead surface plate, a retard strip, and a pair of puller rolls for transporting fed sheets from the extreme downstream end of the belt conveyor to an appropriate copying mechanism. Both the upstream end of the belt conveyor and the downstream end of the belt conveyor may be lowered and raised relative to the fixed height idler roller. A solenoid or hydraulic piston arrangement is disclosed for lowering or raising the upstream and downstream ends of the belt conveyor.

Abstract: Sheets 12 are fed one at a time from a stack 11 by a freely mounted roller 13 magnetically coupled to a rotating drive roller 14. As the stack is depleted, an elevator 27 is operated to maintain the top sheet in contact with the roller 13.

Abstract: This relates to a transfer mechanism for transferring blanks from a hopper to a blank applying mechanism. Most particularly, the transfer mechanism includes an arm which is pivotally mounted and which arm carries at one end a suction head which is also pivotally mounted. A single drive shaft drives an eccentric which effects oscillation of the arm and a cam mechanism which effects oscillation of the suction head relative to the arm. The oscillation of the suction head relative to the arm is in the same direction as that of the arm whereby a blank carried by the suction head will rotate through a relatively great angle while the arm rotates or pivots through only a relatively small angle. For example, the arm pivot through an angle of 45.degree. while the suction head pivots through an angle of 90.degree. relative to the arm and thus through an arc of 135.degree..

Abstract: An improved collator uses a novel sliding deflector assembly to allow greater spacing between the sheet conveyor 13 and trays 23. It also uses a novel sheet retention system which winds or unwinds as the sliding deflector assembly moves. The sliding deflector assembly may be driven with a double-clutch drive in increments in either direction. An improved plenum of the vacuum sheet-conveying system of the collator has a novel hole-spacing series to reduce noise and power demands for the vacuum system.

Abstract: A copying paper conveying device for conveying a sheet of copying paper having an upper and a lower introducing passage and a main conveying passage extending from a point of meeting of the upper and lower introducing passages. A pair of conveyor rollers are disposed in the upper introducing passage, and a pair of timing rollers are diposed in the main conveying passage. At least the downstream sections of the upper and lower introducing passages are partitioned by a common guide plate, and at least the downstream section of the common guide plate is formed of a flexible material. When a copying paper is conveyed through the upper introducing passage and the main conveying passage, the pair of conveying rollers are actuated in relation to the operation of the pair of timing rollers, and the copying paper is maintained bent between the pair of conveying rollers and the pair of timing rollers at least until the trailing edge of the copying paper leaves the pair of conveying rollers.

Abstract: An object-holding device is described wherein a cup component comprising an elastically deformable sucker cup and an associated air vent passage communicating with the cup interior is urged by spring means into a position in which the end of such passage remote from the sucker cup is closed off by a selaing element on a supporting body in which the cup component is mounted for limited axial movement. For releasing an object held by the cup after the latter is pressed against the object, the body and cup component have merely to be relatively displaced against the spring bias to unseal the vent passage.

Abstract: The position of the discharge end of a tubular member, supported from its first end so as to be rotatable about a first axis and pivotal about a second axis which intersects and is transverse to the first axis, is controlled from a remote location. The controllable tubular member may be the distribution spout of a shaft furnace charging installation which is mounted between the branches of a suspension fork which is rotatable about its own longitudinal axis. A motion transmission mechanism extends through the suspension fork and, in cooperation with the movements of the fork itself, transmits the movements imparted to a control device, which is caused to undergo precisely the same movements as it is desired to have the spout perform, to the spout.

Abstract: A device for conveying a sheet along a conveying path while bringing and/or holding an edge of the sheet against an abutment strip at one side of the conveying path comprises a friction member that rotates about an axis extending transversely over the conveying path and has flexible fingers each extending in a direction that is the resultant of an axial component directed toward the abutment strip and a tangential component in the direction of rotation of the friction member. A rotating finger contacting a sheet in the path will bend in such a way that its end is displaced in the sheet conveying plane in the direction toward the abutment strip to position the sheet against that strip, and then will bend so as to move its end off the sheet.

Abstract: Sheets being advanced on a driven conveyor with one sheet at least partially overlapped by another are separated in the transport path, so that only one sheet is fed at a time, by the action of a friction member such as a roller which is mounted for swinging movement relative to a line of contact with the sheets for pressing the sheets against the conveyor and is biased by a spring and/or its own weight in the direction opposite to the transport direction. The axis of swinging movement is parallel to the line of contact and so located that a plane through the swing axis and the plane of the transport path at that line, as viewed in the transport direction, forms an angle of between about 70.degree. and 90.degree.. The friction member preferably is a roller which is rotated at a relatively low speed so as to move its peripheral surface in the direction opposite to the transport direction.

Abstract: An apparatus for supplying bags of pliable or easily flexible material includes a vacuum mechanism for successively picking up the uppermost bag in a stack of the bags and transporting the same to a take-up roll mechanism. A delivering mechanism picks up the respective bag held by a holding mechanism at predetermined position and transports the same to the next processing station. The holding mechanism comprises an inclined holding plate having a stopper plate at the lower transverse edge so as to permit the respective bag received at the upper transverse edge to slide down along the upper surface of the holding plate until it is arrested by the stopper plate. An air discharge pipe extends longitudinally on the upper surface of the holding plate in the direction of transport of the bag. Air is discharged through a plurality of air discharge holes formed in the wall of the air discharge pipe between the upper surface of the holding plate and the bag sliding down the plate.

Abstract: The disclosure is directed to an improved paper sheet feeding arrangement for use in a copying apparatus or the like, which is capable of positively preventing paper sheets from wrinkling, bending, etc. during withdrawal of a paper sheet cassette by returning the paper sheet having a projecting leading edge, back into the paper sheet cassette in association with a multi-sheet feeding prevention mechanism when the cassette is released from a paper feeding section.

Abstract: In a reproducing machine having copy sheets advancing through a processor to have information recorded thereon, it is necessary to be readily able to remove jammed sheets therefrom. A display on the reproducing machine indicates to the operator when a jam occurs. In response to the occurrence of a jam, all of the sheets in the processor are automatically freed from their respective sheet transports. In this way, the operator may readily remove the jammed sheet from the respective transport.

Abstract: The position of the discharge end of a tubular member, supported from its first end so as to be rotatable about a first axis and pivotal about a second axis which intersects and is transverse to the first axis, is controlled from a remote location. The controllable tubular member may be the distribution spout of a shaft furnace charging installation which is mounted between the branches of a suspension fork which is rotatable about its own longitudinal axis. A motion transmission mechanism extends through the suspension fork and, in cooperation with the movements of the fork itself, transmits the movements imparted to a control device, which is caused to undergo precisely the same movements as it is desired to have the spout perform, to the spout.

Abstract: A paper guiding device in a copying apparatus includes, in opposition, a lower guide plate having a main flat portion and an upper guide plate having a main flat portion. A plurality of rising pieces, having top edges and being laterally spaced apart upon the upper side of the main flat portion of the lower guide plate, rise above the lower guide plate and extend in the direction of movement of the copying paper. A plurality of hanging pieces, having lower edges and are laterally spaced apart on the lower side of the main flat portion of the lower guide plate, hang from the upper guide plate and extend in the direction of movement of the copying paper. The top edges and the lower edges define a path of movement of the copying paper while having minimal contact with the paper.

Abstract: A tray loading apparatus includes an inclined support having a displaceable front part so that the front wall of a tray can be brought into abutment with the front end of a stack carried by the support and to be loaded in the tray after a backing plate supporting the stack front end has been removed. The stacking apparatus includes a conveyor able to apply the front portion of each envelope conveyed in a direction making an angle with the above backing plate against this backing plate and a belt arrangement operating on the front portion of each envelope to cant the rear part of the envelope into engagement with a deflector after the front portion has been applied against the backing plate.