Abstract: An image forming system includes a processing tray, a detecting unit, a stapling unit, a discharge tray, an instruction unit, and a control unit. Recording material, placed on the processing tray, is detected by the detecting unit. When instructed, the stapling unit can staple the detected recording material. Stapled recording material then is discharged to the discharge tray. The control unit controls switching between a first mode wherein a stapling process is executed and a second mode where the stapling unit executes the stapling process after the detecting unit detects recording material inserted into the processing tray and the execution instruction are received. If an instruction to interrupt a power supply of the image forming system is received in the second mode, the control unit causes recording material inserted into the processing tray to discharge to the discharge tray and then interrupts the power supply without the stapling process executing.

Abstract: A sheet separation device to open a two-ply sheet includes a rotator; a nipping member disposed opposite the rotator and configured to nip the two-ply sheet with the rotator; a conveyor configured to convey the two-ply sheet between the rotator and the nipping member, and a winding member disposed adjacent to the rotator. The conveyor conveys the two-ply sheet with a bonded portion of the two-ply sheet being an upstream end or a downstream end of the two-ply sheet in a conveyance direction of the two-ply sheet. The winding member winds the two-ply sheet around the rotator, to create a difference in winding circumferential length between the two sheets and separate the two sheets.

Abstract: A sheet post-processing apparatus includes an output tray on which a sheet ejected from a sheet outlet is stacked; a wall disposed downstream from the output tray in a sheet ejection direction; and an alignment member configured to contact and move the sheet on the output tray, to bring a rear end of the sheet in the sheet ejection direction into contact with the wall for alignment. The alignment member is selectively set at three positions of: an alignment position protruding beyond the wall toward the output tray to contact the sheet on the output tray; a withdrawn position inward of the wall; and a home position between the alignment position and the withdrawn position.

Abstract: There is provided a gear device including an input shaft to which power is input, an internal gear, and an external gear. The input shaft has an input shaft hollow portion that extends in an axial direction, and an internal gear portion that meshes with an input pinion to be rotationally driven. The internal gear portion is configured so that the input pinion internally meshing with the internal gear portion and the input shaft hollow portion do not overlap each other when viewed in the axial direction.

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a first sheet conveyance path, a second sheet conveyance path that branches from the first sheet conveyance path at a branch portion on the first sheet conveyance path and merges with the first sheet conveyance path at a merging portion, and a control unit. The control unit controls a guide unit so as to guide a first sheet conveyed first in the sheet bundle to be processed by a sheet processing unit to the second sheet conveyance path, and guide a second sheet following the first sheet to the first sheet conveyance path to merge the first and second sheets in an overlapping manner at the merging portion, and guide at least one of sheets following the second sheet among a plurality of sheets constituting the sheet bundle to the second sheet conveyance path.

Abstract: A differential hypoid gear, a pinion gear, and paired hypoid gears formed by a combination thereof are provided. The differential hypoid gear includes a ring-shaped main body and a tooth-forming surface, and has a chemical component composition including C: 0.15-0.30 mass %, Si: 0.55-1.00 mass %, Mn: 0.50-1.20 mass %, Cr: 0.50-1.50 mass %, Al: 0.020-0.080 mass %, B: 0.0005-0.0050 mass %, Ti: 0.01-0.08 mass %, N: 0.0020-0.0100 mass %, Mo: 0.25 mass % or less, and Nb: less than 0.10 mass %, the remainder being Fe and unavoidable impurities. The chemical component composition satisfies Formulae 1 and 2. The differential hypoid gear has a metallographic structure including mainly tempered martensite. A martensite ratio at an inside of a dedendum differs between an end portion of a tooth and a central portion of the tooth within a range of 15% or less. A core hardness of the dedendum at the central portion falls within 350-500 HV.

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a conveying portion for conveying sheets, a conveying path for sheets, a stack portion for stacking sheets, a first binding portion having a first binding member and moving in a crossing direction crossing to the conveying direction, a first regulating portion which regulates a position of a sheet bundle stacked on the stack portion, a second regulating portion which regulates a position of a sheet bundle stacked on the stack portion, a third regulating portion which regulates a position of a sheet bundle, and a second binding portion which has a second binding member and binds a corner portion of a sheet bundle without a staple. The first binding portion binds a corner portion of a sheet bundle by a staple. The second binding member is located at a downstream of the first binding member in the conveying direction.

Abstract: A medium stacking device includes an intermediate stacker that receives a medium treated by a treatment portion, and a first alignment member as an example of a contact portion, that is configured to move between a first position for performing an alignment operation on the medium on the intermediate stacker, and a second position that is separated further from the leading edge of the medium than is the first position. Furthermore, the medium stacking device is provided with a stacking portion that stacks the medium discharged from the intermediate stacker. The medium discharged from the intermediate stacker is stacked on the stacking portion after a leading edge contacts the first alignment member positioned at the second position.

Abstract: A system and method for assembling booklets in document finishers such as saddle staplers includes first and second opposed rollers configured to receive an edge of a stapled crease of a stack of printed documents. The rollers apply both heat and pressure to the crease to form a tight fold. A second set of rollers provides further heat and pressure to the fold to increase tightness even further. Pressure and temperature of one or both roller sets is controllable to accommodate paper stacks having different numbers of pages or different paper characteristics.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for providing web-like interleaving sheet material on one track or on multiple tracks at a cutting zone in which products supplied on one track or multiple tracks are cut into slices and interleaving sheets are introduced that are cut off from the provided interleaving sheet material in the cutting zone, having a removal device that is configured to remove the material web from a material store, and having a loop store in which the material web forms a loop having a loop portion at the incoming side and a loop portion at the outgoing side, wherein the loop store provides a reception space for the loop whose one side forms a support for the one loop portion and whose side opposite the support forms a boundary for the other loop portion.

Abstract: A binding apparatus includes a pair of pressing members to sandwich and press a sheet bundle to bind the sheet bundle, a rotator to rotate to periodically separate and contact the pressing members with each other, a detector to detect whether the rotator is between a first position at which the pressing members are separated from each other and a second position downstream from the first position in a forward rotation direction of the rotator, and control circuitry. The second position is upstream in the forward rotation direction from a peak position at which a pressing force between the pressing members is maximum. The control circuitry is configured to rotate the rotator in a reverse direction to the forward rotation direction to move the rotator to the first position when the detector detects that the rotator is between the first position and the second position in the forward rotation direction.

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a sheet conveyor, a processing tool, a tool contact separation device, a tool moving device, and a tool facing device. The sheet conveyor is configured to convey a sheet. The processing tool is configured to perform processing to the sheet. The tool contact separation device is configured to contact and separate the processing tool with respect to the sheet. The tool moving device is configured to move the processing tool in a direction intersecting a conveyance direction of the sheet. The tool facing device includes a tool facing portion and a sheet gripper. The tool facing portion includes a rotary member supported by a shaft and is disposed at a position facing the processing tool via the sheet. The sheet gripper includes a rotary member supported by a shaft and is configured to grip the sheet with the tool facing portion.

Abstract: A sheet conveyor device is to be attachably and detachably mounted to an external apparatus which forms an image on a sheet. The sheet conveyor device includes a judgement section, a speed determining section, and a conveyance controller. The judgement section determines which of a plurality of model groups the external apparatus belongs to based on specification information indicating specifications of the external apparatus. The speed determining section determines a conveyance speed at which the sheet is to be conveyed based on the determined model group. The conveyance controller directs conveyance of the sheet at the determined conveyance speed.

Abstract: In a sheet postprocessing apparatus, an accommodation paddle increases a rate of increase in transport force generated for sheets by the accommodation paddle, in conjunction with a rate of increase in transport resistance generated for the sheets by a sheet pressing member with an increase in number of the sheets stacked on a sheet stacker.

Abstract: An equipment of accumulation of sheets forms a stack of sheets on an accumulation plane by means of driving belts and diverters arranged along the path of the sheets and jump on the accumulation plane. The height of the jump is modified by shifting vertically the accumulation plane with respect to the diverters according to number and/or thickness of the sheets. The diverters can be shifted according to the length of the sheets to be accumulated, while a series of arrest lugs delimits at the rear the area of collection of the sheets and a forwarding mechanism with a pair of output rollers forwards the stack of accumulated sheets when the lugs are released.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems, gearing assemblies and methods for controlling a differential rotation rate between shafts of a vehicle using a variable speed motor. An embodiment includes a gearing assembly including a differential configured to engage a first axle shaft, a second axle shaft, and a drive shaft of a vehicle. The gearing assembly further includes a first plurality of adjustment gears and a second plurality of adjustment gears configured to engage the differential, configured to be driven by a variable speed reversible motor of the vehicle, and configured to controllably alter a rotation rate of a first axle shaft relative to a rotation rate of the second axle shaft based on rotation produced by the variable speed reversible motor. The first plurality of adjustment gears and the second plurality of adjustment gears each including stepped planetary gears.

Abstract: A method for producing a printed material includes providing pressure-induced phase transition particles to a part of an outside margin portion or a portion to be folded of a recording medium; bonding the pressure-induced phase transition particles to the recording medium; and pressure-bonding a multilayer body in which plural recording media are stacked, the recording media including the recording medium having the pressure-induced phase transition particles bonded thereon.

Abstract: A postprocessing apparatus includes a horizontal alignment plate, a binder, a tray, and a shift actuator assembly. The horizontal alignment plate is positioned to align sheets in a sheet width direction. The binder binds sheets to form bound sheet bundles. The bound sheet bundles are stacked on the tray. The shift actuator assembly shifts the bound sheet bundles in the sheet width direction. A postprocessing controller controls the shift actuator assembly to shift the bound sheet bundles such that swollen portions of the bound sheet bundles are shifted inward of the horizontal alignment plate in the sheet width direction when the processed sheets are piled on the tray to the vicinity of the horizontal alignment plate.

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a stapler, a translating actuator, a rotating actuator, and a controller. The stapler is configured to bind a plurality of sheets together. The translating actuator is configured to translate the stapler. The rotating actuator is coupled to the translating actuator and configured to rotate the stapler. The controller is configured to (a) receive an instruction input, (b) determine a target position and a target angle of the stapler based on the instruction input, (c) control the translating actuator to move the stapler to the target position, (d) control the rotating actuator to rotate the stapler to the target angle, and (e) control the stapler to bind the plurality of sheets together while the stapler is at the target position and the target angle.

Abstract: A first unit includes a receiving portion that receives a medium to be processed, a drying unit that processes the medium received from the receiving portion, and an end stitching unit that processes the medium received from the receiving portion or the medium processed by the drying unit. The processing performed by the drying unit is processing of drying the medium, the drying unit is located vertically below the end stitching unit, and the drying unit and the end stitching unit have a portion overlapping when viewed in a vertical direction.