Patents Examined by Jeremy Severson
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Patent number: 7731189Abstract: A paper guide adjusting mechanism of an office machine includes a main body, a plurality of elastic elements, a transmission member, a plurality of fixing elements and a pressing plate. The main body includes a plurality of confining elements, which have respective recess structures. The transmission member includes a roller axle and a plurality of rollers, wherein the roller axle is partially received in the recess structures and the rollers are sheathed around the roller axle. The fixing elements are disposed in respective recess structures of the confining elements, wherein each fixing element has a base and the base has a first surface sustained against a corresponding elastic element and a second surface sustained against the roller axle. The pressing plate is sustained against the elastic elements.Type: GrantFiled: January 11, 2008Date of Patent: June 8, 2010Assignee: Teco Image Systems Co., Ltd.Inventors: Ping-Hung Kuo, Ke-Wei Chen, Cheng-Ming Liao, Chien-Min Chen
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Patent number: 7722038Abstract: A document processing system includes a feeder stage, a transport stage, and a retractable mechanism cooperating with a portion of the document track. An assertable member is arranged with respect to the document track such that assertion of the member causes retraction of the opposed track walls in the cooperating portion of the document track by retracting a first base member from a second base member. An imaging assembly is composed of an imaging device and an image glass. The image glass is positioned as one side of the document track at the retractable mechanism. In the retracted state, the imaging assembly is retracted to provide access to the imaging device and the document track.Type: GrantFiled: March 30, 2005Date of Patent: May 25, 2010Assignee: Burroughs Payment Systems, Inc.Inventors: Michael J. Moore, Sammy C. Hutson, John Gudenburr
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Patent number: 7722039Abstract: A cam unit includes three cams fixed on a common cam shaft for moving a pair of feeding rollers, a pair of lateral registration rollers, and a stopper unit, respectively. A control unit corrects a lateral registration of a sheet whose skew is corrected by the stopper unit, based on a detection result of a detecting unit that detects a position of a side edge of the sheet, while conveying the sheet, controls the rollers not nip the sheet at least during the lateral registration, and controls rotations of the cams according to a length of the sheet.Type: GrantFiled: May 12, 2008Date of Patent: May 25, 2010Assignee: Ricoh Company, LimitedInventors: Yutaka Shoji, Junji Shirakawa, Takayuki Muneyasu
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Patent number: 7717423Abstract: An duplex auto-document feed mechanism comprises an auto-document feedpath having a simplex feedpath portion and a duplexing feedpath portion in feeding communication with the simplex feedpath portion, the auto-document feedpath has a media input and a media output, an input roller for feeding media disposed at the media input and an exit nip positioned near the media output, a motor driving the input roller and the exit nip, a scanning station disposed along one of the duplex feedpath portion and the simplex feedpath portion, the exit nip having a first position wherein first and second rollers defining the exit nip are closed when receiving media during a simplex feeding procedure and open when a leading edge and trailing edge of media are passing through the exit nip simultaneously, wherein a change of motor direction one of opens the exit nip or closes the exit nip.Type: GrantFiled: September 27, 2007Date of Patent: May 18, 2010Assignee: Lexmark International, Inc.Inventors: Matthew Jeremy Litman, Robert Warren Rumford, Donald N. Spitz
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Patent number: 7717416Abstract: A paper sheet separation and transfer apparatus has a take-out roller which takes out stacked paper sheets onto a transfer path, a first separation unit, and a second separation unit. When the front end of a first paper sheet in the transfer direction reaches a nip of the second separation unit, the take-out roller and first feed roller are “decelerated”.Type: GrantFiled: May 3, 2007Date of Patent: May 18, 2010Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha ToshibaInventors: Yusuke Mitsuya, Yoshihiko Naruoka, Yukio Asari
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Patent number: 7708265Abstract: A sheet feeder includes a housing having a cassette housing part recessed horizontally from the front surface toward the depth direction and a sheet feed cassette that can be drawn from the cassette housing part. The sheet feed cassette has an open top for storing sheets of paper. The sheet feeder includes a pressure plate provided pivotably about a first pivot so as to be inclined downwardly toward the depth direction of the sheet feed cassette and a pressure mechanism that presses sheets of paper against a pick-up roller when the sheet feed cassette is pushed into the cassette housing part. The sheet feeder includes a pressure plate regulation mechanism that inclines the pressure plate downwardly toward the depth direction while separating sheets of paper on the pressure plate or the pressure plate from the pick-up roller when the sheet feed cassette is drawn from the cassette housing part.Type: GrantFiled: August 21, 2007Date of Patent: May 4, 2010Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Takuro Kusama
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Patent number: 7708272Abstract: A method and device for forming a stack of sheets including a delivery surface, and also a stop and a pusher element movable in the direction of the stop, and also a guide which can occupy a first and a second position, in which the first position a sheet can be received in the guide, and in which the second position a guide path is formed, wherein the freedom of movement of the sheet edge is substantially limited in a direction substantially perpendicular to the pushing direction and substantially perpendicular to the delivery surface of the preceding sheet.Type: GrantFiled: May 4, 2005Date of Patent: May 4, 2010Assignee: OCE-Technologies B.V.Inventor: Franciscus C. P. Van Opstal
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Patent number: 7708275Abstract: A paper materials sorting apparatus that includes note denomination discriminating mechanism for discriminating the paper materials based on note denominations of the paper materials, cassette assignment mechanism for assigning each of a plurality of wrapping devices and/or storage devices a note denomination, and a sorting mechanism for sorting the paper materials in accordance with their note denomination and for directing the sorted paper materials to the corresponding assigned wrapping devices and/or storage devices.Type: GrantFiled: June 29, 2006Date of Patent: May 4, 2010Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha ToshibaInventor: Takeshi Aoki
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Patent number: 7703768Abstract: There is described an image forming system that includes an image forming apparatus provided with a first paper sheet outlet to eject the paper sheet outside therefrom; a post processing apparatus that is provided with a second paper sheet inlet; and a relay conveyance apparatus that is installed between the image forming apparatus and the post processing apparatus. The relay conveyance apparatus includes a relay conveyance unit, disposed at an upper space of the relay conveyance apparatus and provided with a first paper sheet inlet and a second paper sheet outlet and a coupling unit, which fixes the image forming apparatus and the post processing apparatus to the relay conveyance apparatus, in such a manner that the first paper sheet outlet and the second paper sheet outlet substantially coincide with the first paper sheet inlet and the second paper sheet inlet, respectively.Type: GrantFiled: January 16, 2007Date of Patent: April 27, 2010Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Hitoshi Tamura, Masaaki Uchiyama
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Patent number: 7703769Abstract: A device for separating overlapping, flat items of mail in an upright position in a transport path has separating sections arranged in the transport path and having transport belts. A stationary retaining strip running over a length of all separating sections is attached on the transport path on a side opposite the transport belt and operates on the mail items with friction force. Pressure elements for pressing the retaining strip onto transported mail items are distributed over a length of the retaining strip. Each pressure element comprises a coupling lever, pressure rollers and an elastic belt loop. The belt loop is attached a back of the retaining strip, and guided via the pressure rollers on ends of the coupling lever running in longitudinal direction of the retaining strip. The coupling lever is displaceably supported on a pivot axis.Type: GrantFiled: January 27, 2006Date of Patent: April 27, 2010Assignee: Siemens AktiengesellschaftInventor: Michael Schwarzbauer
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Patent number: 7699306Abstract: A paper picking-up unit and an image forming apparatus having the same are provided. The paper picking-up unit includes a knock-up plate to stack paper thereon; a shaft disposed at a front end of the knock-up plate to rotate, a pick-up roller engaged with the shaft to rotate and pick-up the paper stacked on the knock-up plate, and a knock-up plate ascending and descending portion to raise and lower the knock-up plate according to the rotation of the pick-up roller. The pick-up roller includes a roller body engaged and rotatable with the shaft, and having a frictional layer to pick-up the paper by causing friction with the paper, a pair of roller housings to support opposite sides of the roller body such that the roller body does not move in a lengthwise direction of the shaft, and a damper disposed at an outer circumference of each roller housing to reduce noise caused by a collision of the roller housings and the knock-up plate.Type: GrantFiled: June 7, 2005Date of Patent: April 20, 2010Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.Inventors: Kwang-taek Lim, Byung-sun Ahn
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Patent number: 7690643Abstract: There is provided an apparatus provided with a tray which goes up and down with sheet stack being supported, a pickup roller which feeds the sheet on the tray a first detecting sensor which detects a object placed on the tray other than the sheets to be fed by the pickup roller, as the tray goes up.Type: GrantFiled: March 5, 2007Date of Patent: April 6, 2010Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Yusuke Imai
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Patent number: 7690641Abstract: In accordance with one aspect of the present exemplary embodiment, a system transports paper to prevent stubbing within a printing machine. The paper path facilitates transport of one or more sheets of paper from the first end to the second end, each sheet of paper has a leading edge. A first entry point is located between the first end and the second end that allows one or more sheets to enter the paper path in succession. A first nip is adjacent to the first entry point to direct the leading edge of the one or more sheets away from the first entry point. A second entry point is located a distance from the first entry point that allows one or more sheets to enter the paper path. A second nip is adjacent to the second entry point to direct the leading edge of the one or more sheets away from the second entry point.Type: GrantFiled: June 4, 2007Date of Patent: April 6, 2010Assignee: Xerox CorporationInventors: Simon Neil Jowett, Richard Thomas Calhoun Bridges
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Patent number: 7673869Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a sheet mounting part for mounting plural sheets thereon, a sheet feeding part having a sheet feeding roller for feeding one of the plural sheets mounted on the sheet mounting part to a sheet conveying path by rotating the sheet feeding roller, a sheet detecting part for detecting the sheet fed by the sheet feeding part on the sheet conveying path, and a control part for controlling the rotation of the sheet feeding roller. The sheet feeding roller repeats an operation of rotating and stopping in a predetermined interval in accordance with the control of the control part during a period which begins when starting the feeding of the sheet and ends when detecting the sheet on the sheet conveying path.Type: GrantFiled: January 3, 2007Date of Patent: March 9, 2010Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventor: Shunsuke Hamahashi
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Patent number: 7665730Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus including a cross-directionally moving device for moving a sheet in a direction crossing a sheet discharging direction, and a cross-side restricting member for receiving one side edge of the sheet moved in the crossing direction by the cross-directionally moving device, and restricting the movement of the sheet, wherein the cross-directionally moving device moves the next sheet from a position between the other side edge of the sheet received by the cross-side restricting member and the cross-side restricting member to the cross-side restricting member.Type: GrantFiled: September 29, 2005Date of Patent: February 23, 2010Assignee: Canon Finetech Inc.Inventor: Naoyasu Funada
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Patent number: 7665731Abstract: A sheet conveying device of an aspect of the invention includes: a conveying path that allows a sheet to be conveyed and includes a first guide face and a second guide face opposing and apart from each other at a predetermined interval; a sheet conveying unit disposed on the conveying path; and a first detecting unit and a second detecting unit arranged opposing each other across the conveying path. Each of the first and second detecting unit includes: an arm member rotatably supported to take a posture where the arm member projected from the guide face to the conveying path and a posture where the arm member is retracted from the conveying path by rotating toward the guide face; and a first sensor that outputs a signal depending on the posture of the arm member.Type: GrantFiled: October 31, 2007Date of Patent: February 23, 2010Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Hiroyuki Shingai
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Patent number: 7661672Abstract: A film handling system is described, including: a supply container for supporting a plurality of sheets of film; a film receiver; and a transport mechanism for retrieving a sheet of film from the supply container and transporting the sheet of film to the receiving mechanism, said transport mechanism comprising a vacuum head for adhering the sheet of film to the vacuum head; wherein the film receiver comprises a feed mechanism for conveying the sheet of film received by the film receiver, said feed mechanism including a sprocket for mating with at least one of a plurality of sprocket holes in the sheet of film transported by the transport mechanism.Type: GrantFiled: April 28, 2006Date of Patent: February 16, 2010Inventor: Michael Tenbrock
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Patent number: 7661675Abstract: The present invention provides an automatic document feeder comprising a pick up roller module, a drive roller module, an ejecting idle roller module and a main belt. A main driving roller of the driving roller module drives the main belt to transport the document, and the main belt encircles the main driving roller and a first ejecting idle roller of the ejecting idle roller module.Type: GrantFiled: May 14, 2007Date of Patent: February 16, 2010Assignee: Primax Electronics Ltd.Inventors: Chia-Tsui Lan, Ching-Tse Wang, Teng-Kuang Lee
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Patent number: 7658377Abstract: 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 (6), 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 (10) 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.Type: GrantFiled: February 22, 2005Date of Patent: February 9, 2010Assignee: Eastman Kodak CompanyInventors: Dirk Dobrindt, Rolf Dieter Gritzuhn
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Patent number: 7654514Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus for feeding a stack of sheets in a direction of movement to a process station, including: an elevator tray for holding stacks of sheets; a feed head for picking up a sheet from the stack of sheets when a vacuum force; air knife for blowing air between individual sheets in the stack of sheets, the sheet feeding apparatus having a first mode of operation for feeding a single stack of sheets from the sheet tray and a second mode of operation for feeding first stack of sheets and a second stack of sheets from the elevator tray.Type: GrantFiled: November 20, 2007Date of Patent: February 2, 2010Assignee: Xerox CorporationInventor: William D Milillo