Abstract: A pin conveyor for printed sheet material has a chain, a plurality of pins extending from the chain to push printed sheet material, and a receipt area for the printed sheet material, the chain and pins passing through the receipt area. The receipt area has at least one of the following a non-linear cross-section with the chain and pins passing through the receipt area, an inclined transport section of the chain, or a belt contacting the printed sheet material and running at or slower than a speed of the chain. A transfer unit with an overhead conveying unit and a method for delivering printed sheet material is also provided.

Abstract: A sheet stacking unit that stacks sheets thereon is movable up and down. A lifting unit moves the sheet stacking unit up and down. A driving unit drives the lifting unit. A control unit controls a driving speed of the driving unit. A position detecting unit detects a position of the sheet stacking unit in an up-and-down direction. The control unit controls the driving speed according to the position of the sheet stacking unit detected by the position detecting unit.

Abstract: A sheet conveying apparatus includes a plurality of skew feeding correction rollers, a detection portion and a control portion which controls each sheet conveying speed of the plurality of skew feeding correction rollers so as to perform skew feeding correction of the sheet depending on the output from the detection portion. The control portion controls the plurality of skew feeding correction rollers so as to perform skew feeding correction of the sheet while the sheet is conveyed in a state in which the sheet conveying speed of the plurality of skew feeding correction rollers is slower than that when the amount of skew feeding of the sheet is less than a predetermined amount of skew feeding when the amount of skew feeding exceeds the predetermined amount of skew feeding.

Abstract: A sheet material feeding apparatus includes a sheet stacking portion for stacking recording sheets; a feeding roller for feeding the recording sheets from the sheet stacking portion; separating means for separating the recording sheet fed out by the feeding roller; a holder for holding the separating means, the holder being rotatably supported on a main assembly of the apparatus; first urging means for urging the holder toward the feeding roller; a preliminary regulating member, rotatably supported on the holder, for regulating a gap relative to the feeding roller; second urging means for urging the preliminary regulating member toward the feeding roller; a first regulating member, supported by the holder, for regulating rotation of the preliminary regulating member relative to the holder; and a second regulating member, provided in the main assembly of apparatus, for regulating rotation of the preliminary regulating member relative to the main assembly of the apparatus.

Abstract: A sheet supply apparatus including: a suction conveyance mechanism which suctions a topmost sheet of a plurality of sheets stacked and conveys the suctioned sheet to a sheet conveyance path; an outlet elevation mechanism which moves an air outlet to and from a first position at which the air outlet faces the side of the stacked sheets and a second position at which the air outlet faces a side of the sheet suctioned onto the suction surface; a suction detection sensor; a sheet supply detection sensor; and a control section which moves the air outlet to the first position or to the second position by controlling the outlet elevation mechanism based on detections by the sensors.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a device for depositing sheets for a printing machine, said device comprising at least one rotating drivable sheet transport element, which is designed to receive or grasp a leading edge of a sheet and deposit said sheet on a stack after said sheet has traveled a path of rotation, and comprising at least one drag element for pulling a sheet that has been deposited on the stack toward a mechanical stop. With the present invention, the drag element is coupled with the rotation of the sheet transport element and is arranged in such a manner that said drag element can assume an inoperative position within the region covered by the rotating sheet transport element, and that said drag element, in order to perform its dragging function, can be moved at least partially out of the region covered by the rotating sheet transport element.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a sheet loader, the sheet loader including: a discharger configured to discharge a first sheet and a second sheet after the first sheet; a tray configured to support the second sheet on the first sheet; a support configured to support the first sheet on the tray; a controller configured to control the support to lower a first angle than a second angle, the first angle being an angle of the first sheet against a direction to which the discharger discharges the second sheet at a position where the second sheet hits on the first sheet, the second angle being an angle of the tray against the direction at a position where the first sheet hits on the tray.

Abstract: A sheet-processing assembly includes an apparatus for transporting a pallet bearing a sheet stack and a transfer conveyor having a number of transport rollers disposed transversely to the direction of transport of the pallet and a receiving fixture for a load-bearing element for the pallet, for example a lift truck fork. The receiving fixture is aligned parallel to the transport rollers. A conveying system having a transfer conveyor and a sheet-fed rotary printing press having a conveying system, are also provided.

Abstract: A method for measuring dimensions of a stack of medium in a media input location of an imaging system, includes emitting light along a direction that is at a predetermined angle with respect to the normal of the planar surface of the media input location. An array of photosensors are disposed along an array direction that lies in a plane defined by the direction of the light and the normal of the planar surface. The photosensors receive a spatially-varying pattern of light reflected from a surface that is substantially parallel to the planar surface of the media input location to provide corresponding electronic signal data from the photosensor array for subsequent transmission to a printing system controller. The varying electronic signal data is used to provide a measurement of the one or more dimensions corresponding to the stack of medium.

Abstract: In paper feeder apparatus, the combination comprising first means including a support for a paper stack and transfer elements for successively transferring paper sheets from the top of the stack upwardly and laterally to a delivered position, and optical control means to determine the level of an upper paper or papers in the stack to control the vertical positioning of papers on the stack, to enable said upwardly and laterally sheet delivering as the stack height diminishes, and a controller for cyclically controlling said transfer elements to integrate cyclic upward and lateral movement of successive sheets transferring from the stack.

Abstract: Provided is a feed device including: a loading unit in which a plurality of sheet members is loaded in a stacked state; a delivery member which performs a feed operation in a state in which a contact surface thereof is in contact with an uppermost sheet member of the sheet members loaded on the loading unit and delivers the sheet member in a feed direction using friction force with the uppermost sheet member as the feeding force; a gate member which is configured to move in a direction to and from the contact surface of the delivery member and has an inclined surface with which a front end of the sheet member delivered by the delivery member collides with; and a gate energizing member which energizes the gate member in a direction approaching to the contact surface of the delivery member.

Abstract: A sheet feeder includes a feed tray receiving sheets, a catch tray receiving the sheets ejected thereon, a feeding mechanism conveying the sheets from the feed tray to the catch tray, an ejection mode switching mechanism switching an ejection mode between a first mode in which the sheets are sequentially ejected on a stack of sheets already ejected and a second mode in which the sheets are sequentially ejected and inserted under a stack of sheets already ejected, an ejection detecting sensor detecting a sheet ejected on the catch tray, and a controller configured to, in response to an instruction to start feeding the sheets, forbid driving of the feeding mechanism when determining that the ejection mode is set to the second mode and determining with the ejection detecting sensor that a sheet is on the catch tray.

Abstract: A medium transferring mechanism that includes a medium inserting portion into which a sheet medium is inserted, the medium inserting portion defined by a bottom face and by a first side face and a second side face which extend from the bottom face and are opposed to each other; wherein a first guide face extending toward the first side face is formed at a forward end portion of the second side face; a second guide face extending from the second side face so as to gradually get close to a medium transferring path towards a medium transferring direction is formed above the first guide face; and a third guide face inclined downward from a lower edge of the second guide face toward an upper edge of the first guide face, is formed between the first guide face and the second guide face.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus includes a middle plate, a lifter mechanism, and a sheet-feed roller. The sheet-feed roller can move to a first position retracted from the sheet, a second position lower than the first position for feeding the sheet, and a third position lower than the second position. The sheet feeding apparatus has a position control mode in which when a sheet is fed, the sheet-feed roller is moved from the first position to the third position and stopped there, the middle plate is moved toward the sheet-feed roller by the lifter mechanism, the sheet stacked on the middle plate is brought into abutment against the sheet-feed roller, the middle plate is moved until a position detection sensor outputs the detection signal that the sheet-feed roller is in the second position, and a height of the sheet is controlled.

Abstract: A media reproduction device has an input tray and an output tray. Commencement of a print job causes the output tray to move from a closed position to an open position. A gear attaches to the output tray, the gear being engaged with a pick transmission to move the output tray to the open position and being disengaged from the pick transmission so the output tray freely rotates while in the open position.

Abstract: Means for superposing a bundle of value sheets which have been misfed from a value sheet store is disclosed. Also disclosed is a value sheet handler which includes a first value sheet store for receiving value sheets from, and dispensing value sheets to, a user and a second value sheet store where the second value sheet store provides value sheets to resupply the first value sheet store. The handler may include means for detecting a misfeed from the second value sheet store and a bundle of misfed value sheets may be stored in a third store after superposition of the bundle, where it includes overlapping value sheets.

Abstract: A tuned media buckler comprises a body made of a plastic material, a rib extending from the upper surface of the body with an overall flat configuration and uniform rigidity with the rib running along the upper surface and centrally lengthwise along the body, a spring force material backing the lower surface of the body opposite to the rib that compresses against the lower surface of the body in response to the generally normal force applied to the top edge surface of the rib by a media stack, and a housing having a central aperture running lengthwise of the housing such that the rib of the media buckler extends through the aperture for engagement by a media stack.

Abstract: A method and system feeds a sheet through a media path in a process direction. When the sheet is within a sheet registration carriage of the media path, the method and system align the sheet to a predetermined lateral position within the media path. The aligning process comprises unevenly activating nips within the sheet registration carriage and moving the sheet registration carriage in a lateral direction perpendicular to the process direction. If the lateral movement distance exceeds a predetermined distance, the method and system move the sheet registration carriage toward the starting position after the nips have released the sheet, but before the sheet has passed by the nips.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus includes a switchable transmission mechanism disposed between a pickup roller and a driving source, and switches the driving source between a first state for rotating in the forward direction to rotate the pickup roller, and a second state for not rotating the pickup roller, the forward direction is opposite to a direction in which the driving source is rotated to rotate a feeder roller in a sheet feed direction. The sheet feeding apparatus also includes a control portion rotating the driving source in the forward direction to rotate the pickup roller in a sheet supply direction, and switches the switchable transmission mechanism between the first state, when a sheet is supplied from a sheet holding portion, and the second state, when the sheet is fed by the feeder roller.

Abstract: A discharged sheet is conveyed, by a sheet conveying portion movable above sheet stacking portions while supporting a sheet, to selected one among plural sheet stacking portions. When the sheet is conveyed to the selected sheet stacking portion by the sheet conveying portion, a member for preventing a bringing-together provided in the main body of the apparatus prevents a sheet bundle, stacked in a sheet stacking portion at the upstream side of the selected sheet stacking portion, from being brought together by the sheet conveyed above the upstream sheet stacking portion by the sheet conveying portion.