Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus, including: a rotary member pair configured to nip a sheet conveyed in a conveyance path and rotate to fold the sheet; and a guide portion provided between one rotary member of the rotary member pair and the conveyance path, the one rotary member including: a first part; and a second part, wherein a first distance between the first part and a rotary shaft center of the one rotary member is greater than a second distance between the second part and the rotary shaft center, and wherein the guide portion is positioned at a first position in case that the second part is positioned at a first rotational position, and the guide portion is positioned at a second position different from the first position in a distance from the rotary shaft center in case that the second part is positioned at a second rotational position.

Abstract: Methods and systems for monitoring an integrity of electrical connectivity between a repair patch and a parent structure include providing the repair patch with an embedded sensor configured to detect electrical conductivity. The repair patch includes a ply of conductive material that overlaps a portion of a conductive layer of the parent structure. A baseline set of sensor data is acquired from the sensor indicative of an electrical connectivity between the ply of conductive material of the repair patch and the conductive layer of the parent structure. One or more additional sets of data may be obtained from the sensor and compared to the baseline set of data to determine an integrity of the electrical connectivity between the ply of conductive material of the repair patch and the conductive layer of the parent structure.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first sheet storage, a second sheet storage, an image forming unit, a sheet conveyer configured to convey sheets from the first and second sheet storages to the image forming unit, and a controller. The controller is configured to set new sheets as a type of sheets stored in the first sheet storage and image-decolored sheets as a type of sheets stored in the second sheet storage, switch a sheet feeding source from the first sheet storage to the second sheet storage when the first sheet storage runs out of sheets during execution of a first image forming job that includes no sheet post-processing, and stop image forming by the image forming unit when the first sheet storage runs out of sheets during execution of a second image forming job that includes sheet post-processing.

Abstract: A method of self-adaption adjustment for post-printing treatment including steps of S1: printing a plurality of identifiers on a paper sheet for positioning actual locations of treatment on the paper sheet; S2: detecting the identifiers on the paper sheet, and locating the actual locations to be treated according to the locations of the identifiers and/or relative locations among the identifiers; and S3: adjusting locations of treatment from a post-printing treatment mechanism to the paper sheet according to the actual locations output in step S2. A system of self-adaption adjustment for post-printing treatment including a printing module, a detection module, a treatment module, a driving module and a post-printing treatment mechanism.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a sheet separator has a first driving roller and a pressing body. The first driving roller rotates about a first rotation shaft. The first driving roller conveys a sheet bundle including a plurality of sheets. The pressing body is capable of approaching the first driving roller. The first driving roller is rotatable in a first direction with the sheet bundle sandwiched between the first driving roller and the pressing body. The pressing body pivots in the first direction about the first rotation shaft with the sheet bundle sandwiched between the first driving roller and the pressing body to cause the plurality of sheets to deviate from one another at edges.

Abstract: The invention provides a punching system that has a relatively simple structure to provide an apparatus reduced in overall size and having a low profile, and can produce a high-quality punched hole while conveying a sheet. The punching system includes a punching device that has a punching member moving back and forth perpendicularly to the sheet being conveyed, a frame, and a sheet conveyance mechanism. The punching device is attached to the frame by an attachment unit in such a manner that it is movable in the sheet conveyance direction. The sheet conveyance mechanism includes carry-out rollers that sandwich the downstream end of the sheet at the start of sheet punching motion of the punching member and that are installed at positions downstream from and transversely corresponding to the punching position.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to methods of printing indicia on a substrate using a tip array comprised of elastomeric, compressible polymers. The tip array can be prepared using conventional photolithographic methods and can be tailored to have any desired number and/or arrangement of tips. Numerous copies (e.g., greater than 15,000, or greater than 11 million) of a pattern can be made in a parallel fashion in as little as 40 minutes.

Abstract: A method of making a relief image printing element from a photosensitive printing blank is described. The photosensitive printing blank comprises a laser ablatable mask layer disposed on at least one photocurable layer and the laser ablatable mask layer is selectively laser ablated to create an in situ mask and uncover portions of the at least one photocurable layer. The method includes a) pushing the photosensitive printing blank through a nip formed by a textured roller and a backing roller, wherein the textured roller contacts the in situ mask and the uncovered portions of the at least one photocurable layer; and b) exposing the at least one photocurable layer to at least one source of actinic radiation through the in situ mask to selectively cross link and cure the portions of the at least one photocurable layer not covered by the in situ mask. A defined topographical pattern is transferred from the textured surface of the roller to the at least one photocurable layer.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a conveying member, an image forming unit, an image reading unit, a background member and a color sample member. The image reading unit reads a surface of long paper being conveyed by the conveying member, the surface having an image formed by the image forming unit. The long paper is conveyed by the conveying member to pass through between the image reading unit and the background member and avoid passing through between the image reading unit and the color sample member. A switch between a first arrangement where the image reading unit faces the background member via the long paper and a second arrangement where the image reading unit faces the color sample member is made by moving the image reading unit or by moving the background member, the color sample member and the conveying member.

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus, including: a conveyance path in which a sheet is conveyed in a predetermined conveyance direction; a rotary member pair configured to nip the sheet conveyed in the conveyance path and rotate to perform folding processing on the sheet; and a guide portion provided between one rotary member of the rotary member pair and the conveyance path and configured to guide a downstream edge of a sheet conveyed in the predetermined conveyance direction, wherein, in case that a sheet is conveyed in the conveyance path in the predetermined conveyance direction, the guide portion guides a downstream edge of the sheet in the predetermined conveyance direction in a state in which the guide portion is held in contact with the one rotary member.

Abstract: A hydrogen sensor includes a hydrogen-sensing unit and a transistor connected to the hydrogen-sensing unit. The hydrogen-sensing unit includes a substrate made of an elastic material, a thin film made of transition metal or alloy thereof, disposed on the surface of the substrate and having a plurality of nanogaps formed therein, and an electrode formed on the thin film. The hydrogen-sensing unit is connected with a source (or drain) or a gate of the transistor via a connector.

Abstract: A sheet binding device includes a sheet shifting unit, a tape cutter, and a tape attachment unit. The sheet shifting unit has a guide and is configured to stack multiple sheets on the guide with edge portions that are shifted from each other to form a sheet bundle. The tape cutter cuts tape with a target length that is varied in accordance with a thickness of the sheet bundle. The tape attachment unit is configured to attach the cut tape having the target length to an edge portion of the sheet bundle.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a first sensor configured to output a signal in response to detecting passage of each sheet fed by a sheet feeder, a second sensor configured to output a signal in response to detecting passage of each sheet re-conveyed by a re-conveyance unit, and a controller configured to acquire a passing time period during which a preceding sheet fed by the sheet feeder is passing through the first sensor, based on the signal from the first sensor, determine an adjustment time period between a time when a leading end of the preceding sheet re-conveyed by the re-conveyance unit is detected based on the signal from the second sensor and a time for the sheet feeder to feed a subsequent sheet toward the image forming unit, and control the sheet feeder to feed the subsequent sheet toward the image forming unit with timing adjusted based on the determined adjustment time period.

Abstract: A recording medium post-processing apparatus includes: a stacker which is stacked with a plurality of sheet-like recording media with images being recorded thereon; an receiving device which receives at least one of information regarding the images to be recorded on the recording media and information regarding the recording media; an alignment device which applies an external force to the recording media stacked on the stacker so as to align the recording media; a controller which sets, on the basis of the at least one information received by the receiving device, at least one of (i) a stacked-sheet number that is the number of the recording media, and (ii) a magnitude of the external force that is applied to the recording media and which controls the alignment device on the basis of the setted at least one of the stacked-sheet number and the magnitude of the external force.

Abstract: A post-processing unit in an image forming apparatus includes a stapler, an exit tray, a height detector, and a shifting controller. The stapler staples a sheet sheaf. The exit tray is configured to be elevated and lowered and to receive the sheet sheaf stapled by the stapler. The height detector detects a height of the sheet sheaf on the exit tray. The shifting controller shifts the sheet sheaf to be ejected in a situation in which the stapler staples one location at a trailing end of the sheet sheaf in a conveyance direction of the sheet sheaf. The shifting controller shifts the sheet sheaf in a front-rear direction, which is a direction perpendicular to a vertical direction and to the conveyance direction of the sheet sheaf, so that the stapled location in the sheet sheaf on the exit tray matches a detection point of the height detector.