Patents Examined by Matthew J. Kohner
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Patent number: 7070182Abstract: A sheet separating mechanism includes a separation claw arranged on the surface of a rotatable member such that the separation claw can be rotated around a shaft of the rotatable member with which a claw portion can be brought into slidable contact. A holder rotatably holds the separation claw through the rotating shaft, the holder being rotatably arranged on an attaching portion of the body of the apparatus. A leaf spring elastically holds the holder at a predetermined position when the holder is attached to the attaching portion.Type: GrantFiled: December 18, 2003Date of Patent: July 4, 2006Assignee: Ricoh Company, LimitedInventor: Kenichi Hasegawa
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Patent number: 7066463Abstract: A platesetting system and method comprising a pair of dual capstan rollers that receives a recording medium and records an image on the received medium as the medium is transported through the system. The system and method advantageously enable at least a portion of the image to extend from a leading edge of the medium to a trailing edge of the medium.Type: GrantFiled: April 8, 2002Date of Patent: June 27, 2006Assignee: ECRM IncorporatedInventors: Michael C. Zembko, John W. Berrigan, John L. Connolly
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Patent number: 7066462Abstract: A stream of successive sheets of paper, foil or the like is converted into a series of piles at a stacking station where successive sheets are caused to descend onto a pallet which is adjacent a monitoring device serving to transmit signals denoting the levels of successive uppermost sheets of a growing pile. Such signals are processed by a unit which controls one or more valves in a pneumatic elevator for the discharge end of the endless flexible conveyor which supplies successive sheets to the stacking station. The elevator ensures that the distance between the discharge end of the conveyor and the uppermost sheets of the growing pile remains within a preselected range. This contributes to the accuracy of stacking of sheets on their pallet.Type: GrantFiled: June 7, 2002Date of Patent: June 27, 2006Assignee: E.C.H. Will GmbHInventors: Norbert Rilitz, Eckhardt Borutta, Fritz Schulz
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Patent number: 7055817Abstract: A friction wheel singler is proposed for singling sheet material, in particular bank notes, comprising sheet magazine 5 for receiving stack of sheets 1, singling cylinder 2 having one or more friction elements 4 for contacting and conveying sheet 1a to be singled out of the magazine, and retaining device 3 forming with singling cylinder 2 singling gap 7 through which sheets 1a to be singled out of the magazine are conveyed one by one, retaining device 3 having one or more friction areas 3a for contacting sheets 1a to be singled out of magazine 5.Type: GrantFiled: February 19, 2001Date of Patent: June 6, 2006Assignee: Giesecke & Devrient GmbHInventors: Frank Werner, Alois Wagner
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Patent number: 7055816Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing a stream of sheet-like products, such as printed magazines and newspapers, whereby the orientation of the products in the stream is changed to facilitate subsequent processing. The products are conveyed in an imbricated stream, or in a non-imbricated stream, and sections of adjacent products are combined into stacks which are conveyed away from the trailing products once the stacks are formed. The stacks are then further processed so that the products in each stack are disposed in a reverse order in relation to their original order, i.e. last in/first out.Type: GrantFiled: April 2, 2004Date of Patent: June 6, 2006Assignee: Ferag AGInventor: Willi Leu
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Patent number: 7048273Abstract: System and method for monitoring grouped resources. A system and method of monitoring resource units in a stack is provided. The system and method includes providing a group of resource units and determining a thickness of one or more of the resource units. The system and method also includes indicating when the group of resource units reaches a predetermined size after one or more of the resource units has been moved from the group.Type: GrantFiled: February 28, 2002Date of Patent: May 23, 2006Assignee: Bowe Bell + Howell CompanyInventors: David A. Meckes, James S. Lee, Jr., Richard J. Roscioli
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Patent number: 7040617Abstract: A platesetting system and method comprising a pair of dual capstan rollers that receives a recording medium and records an image on the received medium as the medium is transported through the system. The system and method advantageously enable at least a portion of the image to extend from a leading edge of the medium to a trailing edge of the medium.Type: GrantFiled: April 1, 2005Date of Patent: May 9, 2006Assignee: ECRM IncorporatedInventors: Michael C. Zembko, John W. Berrigan, John L. Connolly
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Patent number: 7040502Abstract: A non-refillable dispenser containing both premoistened and dry sheets is provided. The dispenser includes a housing having a polygonal shape. The housing has a first compartment configured to hold and dispense therefrom a plurality of premoistened sheets, and a second compartment configured to hold and dispense therefrom a plurality of dry sheets. A dispensing opening is defined in each of the first and second compartments for dispensing the sheets therefrom. At least one pair of openings is positioned through at least one of the first and second compartments of the housing. The openings are configured to receive a roll mount of a standard rolled bath tissue fixture therethrough. The dispenser is coupled to the roll mount, which is coupled to the fixture.Type: GrantFiled: December 26, 2002Date of Patent: May 9, 2006Assignee: Kinberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.Inventors: Stephen L. Phelps, Debra N. Welchel, Joseph Mitchell
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Patent number: 7032899Abstract: To maintain quality printed images in high speed photographic quality printing it is necessary to ensure accurate registry of the print media with the printheads. To ensure this result an alignment mechanism is provided for the stack of print media to be fed to the printer. The alignment mechanism comprises a receptacle to hold the stack of print media, a registry stop and a tapping mechanism located opposite the registry stop, to maintain the stack of print media in accurate abutment with the registry stop.Type: GrantFiled: August 8, 2003Date of Patent: April 25, 2006Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty LtdInventor: David William Jensen
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Patent number: 7029008Abstract: To provide an accumulating device 71 that is capable of securely accumulating sheets or the like P having dimensional differences on the basis of the rear ends in the taking-in direction thereof. The stopper 111a advances from upward to the advanced position between the tip end regulating wall 79 and the rear end regulating wall 80 and stops the tip ends in the taking-in direction of sheets or the like P to be taken in, whose length in the taking-in direction of sheets or the like P is shorter than the maximum length. The stopper 111a is supported movably in the vertical direction with respect to the advancing and retreating mechanism by which the stopper 111a is caused to advance and retreat between the advanced position and the retreated position, and presses sheets or the like P in the downward direction.Type: GrantFiled: October 28, 2003Date of Patent: April 18, 2006Assignee: Glory Ltd.Inventors: Mitsuo Nishida, Toshihiko Kobayashi, Tsuguo Mizoro, Toyoshige Kuroiwa, Kosaku Fukuda
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Patent number: 7029006Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus main body for containing sheets in the inside thereof includes: a first cover and a second cover which are openable and closable; and a detecting sensor for detecting an opening and closing of the first cover. The detecting sensor does not detect closing of the first cover when the first cover is closed in a state in which the second cover is opened and detects closing of the first cover when the first cover is closed in a state in which the second cover is closed.Type: GrantFiled: June 24, 2003Date of Patent: April 18, 2006Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Makoto Izumi, Yasuhiro Uchida, Masaru Tanaka
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Patent number: 7017903Abstract: There is provided a sheet conveying apparatus which is capable of easily distinguishing between a sheet bundle containing abnormal sheets, such as multi-fed sheets, and a normal sheet bundle. When it is determined that there is no abnormality in the conveyance of sheets to a processing tray 630, a finisher control section 501 causes a bundle of sheets stacked on the processing tray 630 to be discharged onto a stack tray 700, whereas when it is determined that there is abnormality in the conveyance of sheets to the processing tray 630, the finisher control section 501 causes the bundle of the sheets stacked on the processing tray 630 to be discharged onto a sample tray 701.Type: GrantFiled: May 14, 2003Date of Patent: March 28, 2006Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Takayuki Fujii, Tsuyoshi Moriyama
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Patent number: 7014184Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices for preventing the misalignment of sheet material in hoppers adapted to feed sheet material to disk separators are disclosed. In one aspect, a floating backguide is provided. The floating backguide moves independently of the hopper with which the backguide is associated. The floating backguide may be pivotally mounted at a first end and free to deflect to a limited degree at a second end. In one aspect, the deflection of the second end is limited in the horizontal direction by two stationary bars and in the vertical direction by two stops. The vertical deflection of the second end of the backguide may also be limited by a resilient material, for example, a spring or an elastomer. A method for feeding sheet material to a disk separator using a floating backguide is also provided.Type: GrantFiled: April 30, 2003Date of Patent: March 21, 2006Assignee: Prim Hall Enterprises Inc.Inventors: David F. Hall, Thomas Venne
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Patent number: 7011302Abstract: Vertical pocket feeder signature handling equipment which supplies signatures in an on-edge orientation one at a time to bindery equipment. The vertical pocket feeder particularly cooperates with a hopper loader apparatus which transfers and separates individual signatures of sheet materials from a vertically aligned, stack of such signatures. The separated, individual signatures may then be subjected to bindery operations such as stapling or stitching.Type: GrantFiled: May 21, 2003Date of Patent: March 14, 2006Assignee: Systems Technology, Inc.Inventors: Jerry L. Bates, Earl J. Anker
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Patent number: 7004464Abstract: An ADF (Automatic Document Feeder) for an image processing apparatus of the present invention includes a separating and feeding device for feeding one document from a stack of documents while separating the document from the others. A conveying device temporarily stops the document fed by the separating and feeding device at a position preceding a reading position and again conveys, on the elapse of a preselected period of time, the document toward the reading position. A controller controllably drives the separating and feeding device and conveying device. The controller drives the conveying device by controlling the time interval between the restart of conveyance of the preceding document and the restart of conveyance of the following document.Type: GrantFiled: May 23, 2003Date of Patent: February 28, 2006Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Hitoshi Hattori, Hiroshi Fukano, Motoya Sano, Takashi Fujii, Hiroshi Kubo, Shinya Kitaoka
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Patent number: 7004461Abstract: In a device for isolating and feeding the lowest sheet (1) in each case from a stack (2), with pushing-out elements (9) which grip the rear edge (3a, 3b) of the sheet (1) and transport it through, under a front-edge stop (5), into a pair of drawing-off rollers (6), can be moved forwards and backwards, are mounted on a cross-member (7) and have faces (9a), which are optionally front-mounted, for supporting the rear region of the stack (2) and also have bearing elements (11, 12) supporting the stack (2), and lateral abutment strips (13), the front edge (4) of the said stack being constant with respect to the sheet length (H), provision is made, in order to achieve high isolating outputs and faultless feeding of the sheets (1) with a device of simple design, for the cross-member (7) which receives the pushing-out elements (9) to be guided so as to be capable of travel in a linear guide (14), and for there to be directly associated with the said cross-member (7), for the driving movement of the latter, a linear mType: GrantFiled: May 21, 2003Date of Patent: February 28, 2006Assignee: Kolbus GmbH & Co. KGInventors: Rolf Hansmann, Dieter Lörken
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Patent number: 7000917Abstract: A sheet-guiding device in a sheet-processing machine, in particular a sheet-fed rotary printing press, includes gripper devices disposed on revolving components of the sheet-processing machine for guiding the sheets to be printed on an air cushion formed by blast air. A multiplicity of free jet nozzles, disposed radially outside a path of movement of the gripper devices, form the air cushion. The free jet nozzles serve for producing free air jets tangentially delimiting an optimized path of movement of the sheets. The optimized path of movement extends in the vicinity of the path of movement of the gripper devices.Type: GrantFiled: April 14, 2003Date of Patent: February 21, 2006Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AGInventors: Karl-Heinz Helmstädter, Thorsten Eckart, Peter Hachmann
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Patent number: 6997325Abstract: A detector for breaks in screens and filters employed in material separators includes a transmitter of RF signals and a receiver of RF signals located to either side of a screen. The separator includes a chamber having a barrier to RF signals with a path through the barrier being defined through the screen mount. The screen mount receives a screen to extend fully across the path.Type: GrantFiled: September 22, 2003Date of Patent: February 14, 2006Assignee: M-I L.L.C.Inventor: Anthony J. DeCenso
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Patent number: 6991228Abstract: A sheet depositing device for depositing sheets or sets of sheets fed sequentially from a paper processing apparatus onto a depositing platform and against a depositing registration barrier, the sheet depositing device including a sheet catcher adapted to rest on said depositing platform or adapted to rest on sheets stacked on the depositing platform, the sheet catcher being movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the depositing platform and engaging the leading edge of incoming sheets before they abut with the depositing registration barrier, and further containing a sheet engaging member suspended from the sheet catcher.Type: GrantFiled: March 28, 2003Date of Patent: January 31, 2006Assignee: Oce-Technologies, B.V.Inventors: Henricus Johannes Schaareman, Christophorus Lambertus Spoorenberg
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Patent number: 6991229Abstract: The present invention is to provide a paper stacker for use with an image forming apparatus of a high copying speed. The paper stacker comprises a paper conveying means for conveying a paper with an image recorded thereon to a stacking position, a top end stopper provided reciprocatively movably along a conveying path of the paper, a paper receiving plate disposed below the conveying path of the paper for receiving a paper, a rear end stopper for defining the rear end position of the paper on the paper receiving plate, and an elevating device for changing the height of the paper receiving plate, wherein the top end stopper and the rear end stopper are provided movably in the same direction in the conveyance direction per a given number of papers. The papers are stacked only by shifting the top end stopper and the rear end stopper in the conveyance direction so that the stacker configuration is extremely simplified so as to enable a high speed.Type: GrantFiled: May 16, 2003Date of Patent: January 31, 2006Assignee: Konica CorporationInventors: Mikihiro Yamakawa, Toshio Shida, Masahiro Kaneko