Patents Examined by Jeremy R. Severson
  • Medium discharge device and recording apparatus
    Patent number: 11046546
    Abstract: A medium discharge device includes: a discharge unit that discharges a medium; a first medium receiving tray that receives the medium discharged by the discharge unit; and a second medium receiving tray that is provided above the first medium receiving tray in a vertical direction and receives the medium discharged by the discharge unit. The second medium receiving tray is capable of changing a position between an advance position for receiving a medium, which is discharged, by causing at least an upstream zone of the tray including an upstream side end portion in a medium discharge direction to advance to a passing route of the medium from the discharge unit toward the first medium receiving tray and a retraction position to which the upstream zone retracts from the passing route.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Toshihiro Imae, Soichiro Kii, Takafumi Ogimura, Yasuhiro Matsuo
  • Conveying device for conveying goods
    Patent number: 11027936
    Abstract: According to some embodiments a conveying device for conveying goods includes at least one conveyor belt with an outer contact face against which the goods to be conveyed are held during conveyance. A main negative pressure holding area is provided adjacent to the conveyor belt, the main negative pressure holding area being configured to hold or release the goods to or from the conveyor belt by negative pressure. The conveyor belt includes at least one suction chamber on the outer contact face forming an additional negative pressure holding area, the suction chamber being in fluid communication with negative pressure holding means through at least one opening transversely going through the conveyor belt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: FAGOR ARRASATE, S. COOP.
    Inventors: Jose Manuel Piquer Pérez, Adolfo Lopez Sanchez
  • Medium transport device and image forming apparatus
    Patent number: 11027938
    Abstract: A medium transport device includes a transporting member, a medium offsetting member, a guide member, and an interlocking member. The guide member is located upstream of the transporting member in a medium transport direction. The guide member is movable between a first position, in which the guide member guides the medium toward the medium accommodating member, and a second position, in which the guide member guides the medium to a destination different from the medium accommodating member, to guide the medium. The interlocking member moves the guide member between the first position and the second position in conjunction with a movement of the medium offsetting member in a width direction of the medium offsetting member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.
    Inventors: Satoshi Watanabe, Kiminobu Tsutada, Masato Minagawa, Hiroshi Kawamoto, Riwako Miyauchi, Tomohiro Ueno
  • Pedal with detachable shoe platform and adjustable toe clip
    Patent number: 11021209
    Abstract: A pedal that includes a pedal body having a clipless structure and a member. The clipless structure includes a lip at a first portion of the pedal and a cleat at a second portion of the pedal. The pedal includes a detachable shoe platform having a cleat portion securable to the lip and a clip securable to the member. The detachable shoe platform may include an adjustable toe clip having a strap, which wraps around a shoe of a rider. The strap is adjustable by an adjustable strap fastener assembly having a lever coupled to a plate secured in a housing. The lever includes a first end biased against the strap and a second end engaged by a trigger. The trigger is operable to move the lever from a closed position to an open position against the bias force, thereby releasing the strap for adjustment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: Foundation Fitness LLC
    Inventors: Eric D. Golesh, Patrick A. Warner, Jeffrey G. Stein
  • Medium transport device and image forming apparatus
    Patent number: 11014771
    Abstract: A medium transport device includes a transporting member that transports a medium toward a medium accommodating member; a switching member that switches between a first guide position, in which the switching member guides the medium to be transported to the medium accommodating member, and a second guide position, in which the switching member guides the medium to be transported to a position different from the medium accommodating member, the switching member being movable between a first shift position and a second shift position in a width direction of the medium; and a movement member that moves the switching member to the first guide position to move the switching member to the first shift position, and that moves the switching member to the second guide position to move the switching member to the second shift position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kawamoto, Riwako Miyauchi, Kiminobu Tsutada, Masato Minagawa, Tomohiro Ueno, Satoshi Watanabe
  • Flywheel energy storage device
    Patent number: 11015678
    Abstract: An example flywheel energy storage device includes a continuously curved fiber-resin composite ovoid shell. Hubs are concentrically disposed within and outside the shell at the shaft. A plurality of radially oriented, fiber-resin composite helical wraps of uniform width are used to construct the ovoid shell and couple the shell to the hubs for co-rotation and torque transfer. Integrated internal structures are attached to the external ovoid shell and provide compression support for the external ovoid shell. Upon rotation, the ovoid shell elongates slightly to increase the flywheel effective moment of inertia at operational speeds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: KineticCore Solutions LLC
    Inventor: James B. Clegern
  • Medium conveying apparatus
    Patent number: 11008188
    Abstract: A medium conveying apparatus includes a conveyance guide that is supported by a frame so as to be able to be lifted and lowered, and guides a medium to a conveyance path by sliding along one surface of the medium, a conveyance roller that is rotatably supported by the frame, and conveys the medium by coming into contact with an other surface of the medium, the other surface being on the reverse side of the one surface, and a pinch roller that is supported by the frame so as to be able to be lifted and lowered, and presses the medium against the conveyance roller by coming into contact with the one surface of the medium, wherein the conveyance guide lifts or lowers the pinch roller relatively to the frame, by being lifted or lowered relatively to the frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventor: Shuichi Morikawa
  • Parallel edge guides for sheet offset
    Patent number: 11008189
    Abstract: A device for offsetting sheets as they are conveyed in a paper path toward a stacker includes a narrow channel mounted to a set of linked arms which when moved in a process direction (upstream-downstream) articulate in a cross process direction (inboard-outboard) to register the sheets at various locations for stacking or finish processing. The linked arms keep the channel parallel to the paper path at all times regardless of inboard-outboard offset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: XEROX CORPORATION
    Inventor: Richard A Campbell
  • Gripper bar locking apparatus and sheet processing device
    Patent number: 11001464
    Abstract: The present invention discloses gripper bar locking apparatus and sheet processing device. In particular, the present invention discloses a gripper bar locking apparatus, which is configured to lock and adjust a position of a gripper bar, comprising: a supporting plate having a distal end and a proximal end; a lever portion, a distal end of which is pivotally mounted on the proximal end of the supporting plate; a cartridge movably mounted on a proximal end of the lever portion and provided with a gripper bar abutment; and an adjusting means provided on the cartridge and configured to adjust a position of the cartridge with respect to the lever portion. Further, the present invention relates to the sheet processing device including the gripper bar. By using the gripper bar locking apparatus, the adjustment of the position of the gripper bar is facilitated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: BOBST (SHANGHAI) LTD
    Inventors: Xiao Yan, Ludovic Gortais
  • Single rotation release gear blocking lever
    Patent number: 10995525
    Abstract: The object of the present invention is a drive unit for a motor vehicle component with an electromotor (5) and a rotatable output element (7). Furthermore, a blocking element (9), which can be acted on by an actuator (10), is provided for interacting with a protrusion (15) on the output element (7). According to the invention, the protrusion (15) detaches the blocking element (9) from a stop (17) at the start of a rotational movement of the output element (7). Thus, the blocking element (9) is transferred into a blocking position with the aid of the actuator (10) in which the blocking element (9) blocks a rotation of the output element (7) beyond a specified point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: Kiekert AG
    Inventors: Robert J. Hunt, Adrin Wagner
  • Fastening member detection device
    Patent number: 10994958
    Abstract: A fastening member detection device includes a contact structure that moves with respect to a medium while contacting the medium, a vibration detector that detects vibration that occur in the contact structure, and a controller that determines whether there is a fastening member that fastens the medium, based on the vibration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventors: Yuki Matsuda, Masaya Takamori, Shigeharu Okano
  • Method for cyclically advancing material blanks in a packaging machine
    Patent number: 10994960
    Abstract: A method for operating a packaging machine including one or more of the method steps advancing a transport chain along a chain deflection pulley, wherein chain clips are arranged on the transport chain and moved during the advancing motion of the transport chain along a run-on contour, to open at least one of the chain clips; introducing a flat material blank into the at least one open chain clip using a feed device or by entraining the flat material blank using a connection to a second material blank preceding the flat material blank, wherein the material blank enters the open chain clip during an advancing motion of the transport chain; closing the chain clip by leaving the run-on contour, to grip and secure the material blank in the chain clip; and transporting the material blank to a work station using the transport chain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: MULTIVAC SEPP HAGGENMUELLER SE & CO. KG
    Inventors: Tobias Guggenberger, Peter Kovacs, Robert Maier, Konrad Mößnang, Christian Lau
  • Media size detector
    Patent number: 10988330
    Abstract: In one example, a media size detector includes a button coupled to a spring of a housing to interact with a media size adjuster of a media tray, a first side of a lever to receive pressure from the spring when the button is depressed by the media size adjuster, and a second side of the lever to apply pressure to activate or deactivate a switch coupled to a printed circuit assembly when the first side of the lever receives pressure from the spring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Alan Hayes, Mark Olson, Alexander M Nameroff
  • Image forming apparatus
    Patent number: 10988336
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a sheet profile setter; a conveyer; an image former that forms an image on a sheet conveyed by the conveyer in accordance with an image forming condition; a sheet physical property measurer that makes measurement of a physical property value of the sheet; a conformity determiner that makes determination of conformity between the sheet fed from the sheet feed tray and a sheet indicated by the sheet profile set in the sheet feed tray; and a notifier that determines which has been performed more recently between insertion of the sheet into the sheet feed tray and setting of the sheet profile to the sheet feed tray before the measurement so as to send a notification of a result of the determination, by a first notification method in a former case and by a second notification method in a latter case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Ken Miyazaki
  • Paper sheet handling apparatus and paper sheet handling method
    Patent number: 10984624
    Abstract: A paper sheet handling apparatus includes an input/output unit that is used to put in or take out a paper sheet; a distinguishing unit that distinguishes the paper sheet; an accommodating unit that temporarily accommodates the paper sheet sent from the input/output unit; a storage unit that stores therein the paper sheet sent from the accommodating unit; a conveying mechanism that includes a two-way direction conveying path that connects the input/output unit, the distinguishing unit, the accommodating unit, and the storage unit with each other and conveys the paper sheet in both directions; and a controller that is configured to control the conveying mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: FUJITSU FRONTECH LIMITED
    Inventors: Mitsutaka Nishida, Hayato Minamishin, Naoto Ikeda, Tatsuya Shimamura
  • Media handling between modules robust to paper curl
    Patent number: 10981742
    Abstract: An apparatus for controlling curl in sheets between two transports includes a curved baffle placed between the two transports. A thin layer of high velocity air is applied to the curved baffle. The high velocity air layer, which will have a tendency to follow the curved baffle (Coanda effect), will divert sheets (Bernoulli effect) towards the curved baffle. By positioning the curved baffle between the two transports and by applying a uniform air stream to it, a lower pressure area will be created. This will flatten the trajectory of the sheets and ensure acquisition by the downstream transport.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Carlos M Terrero, Rachel Lynn Tanchak, Roberto A Irizarry, Erwin Ruiz, Ali R Dergham
  • Media guides
    Patent number: 10961073
    Abstract: An example system includes an advancement mechanism to drive print media into a stacking region, a movable media guide arrangement and a controller. The movable media guide arrangement includes a pair of opposing media guides to receive opposing edges of a print medium therein and a translation mechanism to move the opposing media guides between at least two positions, the at least two positions including a deployed position and a retracted position. The controller is to actuate the translation mechanism to move the opposing media guides into the deployed position when the advancement mechanism transports a print medium into the stacking region and to actuate the translation mechanism to move the opposing media guides to the retracted position to release the print medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Steve O Rasmussen, Bruce G Johnson, Elliott Downing, Tom McCue, Gene Jones, Todd M Gaasch, Jonathan C Spafford, Anthony W Ebersole
  • Transport apparatus
    Patent number: 10954089
    Abstract: In a continuous mode, when a state in which a current value, which is output of a load detecting sensor, is equal to or more than a predetermined threshold (a current value) continues for a predetermined threshold (the number of times), it is determined that transportation is abnormal. In a cumulative mode, when the total number of times by which the current value, which is the output of the load detecting sensor, is equal to or more than the predetermined threshold (the current value) is equal to or more than a predetermined threshold, it is determined that the transportation is abnormal. A controller sets a detection mode of a first medium to the continuous mode, and sets a detection mode of a second medium to the cumulative mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Wataru Beppu
  • Active steering system
    Patent number: 10954090
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to a banknote validator. The banknote validator comprises a banknote path formed within an interior of the banknote validator to transport a banknote from an opening of the banknote path through the interior of the banknote validator, one or more banknote edge detection surfaces each configured to provide images of edges of a banknote in the banknote path, an image sensor configured to capture the images of the edges of the banknote provided by the one or more banknote edge detection surfaces, a steerable drive wheel at least partially disposed within the banknote path, the steerable drive wheel operable to reorient a banknote in the banknote path, and the steerable drive wheel operable to move from a first position to a second position to angle the steerable drive wheel in relation to the banknote path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Assignee: Crane Payment Innovations, Inc.
    Inventors: Fatiha Anouar, Mustafa Emresoy, Michael David Nunn, Ruben-Dario Gonzalez-Lizcano, Vasily Bobryshev
  • Velocity and torque based media motor control
    Patent number: 10947073
    Abstract: In some examples, velocity and torque based media motor control may include ascertaining a velocity and torque for a feed roller motor associated with a feed roller, and ascertaining a velocity and torque for a drive roller motor associated with a drive roller that is to receive media from the feed roller. Further, velocity and torque based media motor control may include determining whether the torque for the drive roller motor is greater than a torque target. In response to a determination that the torque for the drive roller motor is greater than the torque target, the torque for the drive roller motor may be reduced to the torque target, and the torque for the drive roller motor may be maintained at the torque target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Daniel James Magnusson, Ian Patrick Anderson, Joseph C O'Banion, Devin Scott Uehling, Alan Shibata, Saurabh Shripad Bhide, Stuart Scofield