Abstract: A top sheet feeding apparatus for feeding sheets from a stack of sheets is disclosed. The feeding apparatus comprises a sheet stack support tray for supporting a stack of sheets, an air knife device positioned immediately adjacent the front of the stack of sheets for applying a positive pressure to the sheet stack in order to separate the uppermost sheet in the stack from the rest of the stack, and a feedhead device including a vacuum plenum chamber positioned over the front of the sheet stack having a negative pressure applied thereto during feeding, the vacuum plenum chamber having a sheet corrugation member located in the center of its bottom surface and perforated feed belt means associated with the vacuum plenum chamber to transport the sheets acquired by said vacuum plenum chamber in a forward direction out of the stack support tray. The air knife device includes a pair of straight air nozzles extending from the rear portion of the air knife device.

Abstract: A double-side automatic feeding apparatus comprises a paper feeder, a first paper holder, a second paper holder, a document traveling path and a paper flipping unit. The paper feeder, the first paper holder and the second paper holder are arranged apart in longitudinal direction. The document traveling path is of E shape and connected to the paper feeder, the first paper holder and the second paper holder. The document traveling path is provided with a plurality of rollers to move a document from the paper feeder to one of the first paper holder and the second paper holder. The paper flipping unit is arranged in the document traveling path and can be trigger to flip the document during the document traveling path. By the double-side automatic feeding apparatus, a document can be selectively printed or scanned on single- or double-side thereof at user's disposal.

Abstract: A device that easily fits on a refuse container and will sound an audible alarm when silverware that has been magnetized and likely hidden within other refuse falls through a sensing cavity on its way to the refuse container. This device will not trigger on any other metallic or non-metallic material due to its sensing of only passing magnetic fields. Silverware material conducive to magnetization can be easily magnetized and will retain such characteristics for a long period of time making it a practical way to differentiate silverware from other metallic refuse. The device also uses a sensing switch that activates the same audible alarm when an attempt is made to bypass the unit by removing it from the refuse container. A key switch provides security that enables alarm reset only by authorized personnel. A low battery indicator is provided by the pulsing of the audible alarm. The unit is portable, low maintenance, and requires no adjustments.

Abstract: A kicker in a printing device is mounted adjacent to an entrance of a feed zone where a pick roller is located for picking a top sheet from an input tray in a pick process. A plurality of next-to-top sheets next to the top sheet move out of the input tray and stop approximately at the entrance of the feed zone during the pick process. The kicker includes a relatively rigid base part for kicking a first portion of the next-to-top sheets back to the input tray and a flexible top part attached to the base part for kicking a second portion of the next-to-top sheets back to the input tray.

Abstract: An automatic bill storage device for storing bills of different widths or sizes, includes a bill loading device for receiving a bill and positioning it at an initial storage position. A bill contact device can then engage the bill at the initial storage position and translate the bill to other side of a restraining device to a storage location that is biased by a movable plate. A contact member can contact an intermediate portion of the bill and translate the bill by a moving contact that extends from the intermediate portion of the bill towards one end of the bill as the bill is moved towards the storage location. This looping movement of contact can accommodate bills of different width in a compact configuration and can permit an initial bending of the bills from the initial storage position to aligning the bills so that they are straightened so that they can be stored in a stacked array in an efficient and compact manner.

Abstract: A method of separating a sheet of print media from a stack of sheets, the sheets being porous, includes blowing fluid on to a top surface of a topmost sheet of the print media on the stack so that the fluid passes through at least the topmost sheet of the stack and capturing at least a part of the topmost sheet for conveyance to a printing station of a printer.

Abstract: In a device for reducing the frictional force between a guiding or carrying element for sheets in a sheet-processing machine, in particular rotary printing machines, guiding and carrying elements acted upon by throttled blowing air include a sheet surface, orifices fluidically connected to a hollow interior, and a throttle disposed in the hollow interior. The elements are to be connected to an air source for blowing air out through the orifices and for generating an air cushion between a sheet and the sheet surface. Each of the orifices is preceded by the throttle with respect to a direction of air from the air source.

Abstract: An image formation apparatus including a paper feeding unit for selectively feeding color papers, each of which is assigned by an operation unit, and a controlling device, for controlling storing an assigned color paper data and an image data into a storage device, and for controlling selecting the same color paper when the image data is again output from the storage device. Therefore, the same image data can be automatically output to the same color paper.

Abstract: A document feeding apparatus includes a cam set fixed to a drive shaft and being driven selectively by the drive shaft. The drive shaft selectively rotates in a first direction and a second direction. The cam set includes a first cam, a second cam, and a first one-way clutch. The present invention further includes a one-way gear train fixed to the drive shaft and being driven selectively by the drive shaft; a paper-stopping plate connected with a paper-stopping arm; a pick-up roller fixed to and rotatable with a pick-up shaft; a strip roller fixed to and rotatable with a strip shaft; and a gear train transferring the power from the one-way drive gear set to the pick-up roller and the strip roller. The relative operational relationship between the pick-up arm and the paper-stopping arm is coordinated by the cam set.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus includes a sheet containing tray withdrawable from a housed position to a front side of an apparatus body of the image forming apparatus. A sheet feeding device is provided so as to feed sheets in the sheet containing tray in a direction perpendicular to a withdrawal direction of the sheet containing tray. A pair of side aligning members is also provided so as to align widthwise ends of the sheets. A rear side aligning member mounts a hitching member so as to hitch and prevent a jammed sheet from remaining in the apparatus body of the image forming apparatus when the sheet containing tray is withdrawn. The hitching member includes a horizontally protruding plate so as to overhang the uppermost sheet set on the sheet containing tray at a position a prescribed length downstream of a downstream end of the rear side aligning member. A joining portion is also provided so as to join the protruding plate and the rear side aligning member.

Abstract: A sheet conveying apparatus permits keeping predetermined sheet intervals, even when sheet conveyance is temporarily discontinued and then resumed, after resumption of conveyance. The sheet conveying apparatus has a first roller which feeds sheets at predetermined sheet intervals, and a second roller which conveys a plurality of sheet fed from the first roller. After temporarily discontinuing conveyance of the plurality of sheets, conveyance of the plurality of sheets is resumed by use of the first roller and the second roller. The variation in the sheet interval caused when temporarily discontinuing sheet conveyance is corrected upon resumption of sheet conveyance.

Abstract: A device for detecting a placement position of a document includes at least two sensors mounted on a document feeding device. Each of the sensors is in parallel with the tangential direction of the leading edge of a document feeding roller, and may be moved by the document feeding device to adjust the placing document width.

Abstract: An apparatus for separating a sheet of print media from a stack of porous sheets includes a sheet conveyor for conveying a topmost sheet of print media which has been separated from the stack to a printing station of a printer. A separator is associated with the sheet conveyor for separating the sheet of print media from the stack. The separator includes a fluid delivery arrangement for blowing fluid on to a top surface of the stack for effecting separation of the topmost sheet of print media from the stack. A capturing arrangement is carried by the sheet conveyor for capturing at least a part of the topmost sheet and for facilitating conveyance of the topmost sheet by the sheet conveyor to the printing station.

Abstract: A document feeder apparatus is provided with the first switchback path using a space between a supply tray and a discharge tray arranged to overlap with each other, and the second switchback path between the discharge tray and a pressing cover of a platen. According to a length of an original, a flapper is switched to a position to guide the original to one of the first switchback path and the second switchback path. Through this configuration, it is possible to transport a large size double-sided original. The apparatus can be made small, and productivity of the double-sided original is improved.

Abstract: A tissue box (10) for dispensing tissues, said tissue box includes a bottom wall (18) having a second aperture (21) for allowing tissues (22, 22′) to be pulled from inside of the box and a side wall (14) extending between the top wall (16) and the bottom wall (18). The side wall defines a void inside the box for containing tissues. The tissue box also includes a dividing wall (24) within the void. The dividing wall is supported between the top wall and the bottom wall and is for dividing the tissues into a first group (22) that are able to be removed through the first aperture (20) and a second group (22′) that are able to be removed through the second aperture. In use, after the first group of tissues is used, the box may be inverted, so that the second group of tissues may be used.

Abstract: A sheet stacking apparatus having an inclined tray for receiving sheets for stacking, and a sheet order gate for first guiding lead edges of each of the sheets that are being fed to the stack and for then guiding trail edges of each of the sheets positioned in the tray in their correct order is disclosed.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device of the present invention includes a feeding mechanism including a belt and a reverse roller, and circular collars or similar spacing members adjoining the belt for spacing the reverse roller and belt. When a single sheet is conveyed from a nip between the belt and the reverse roller to a preselected position downstream of the nip in the direction of sheet feed, the spacing member spaces the belt and reverse roller with the drive of only the belt or the drive of both of the belt and reverse roller being interrupted.

Abstract: As a rotary member 21 provided on the back surface side of a guide 5 is rotated, its blades get out to the front surface side through a window 8 formed in the guide 5. With this rotation, the height level of the blades getting out from the window 8 is changed. With the rotation of the rotary member 21, postal matter being led reaches a side plate 3. A bottom plate 2 is slanted such that its side, on which the guide 5 is provided, is higher in level than the opposite side 53. Owing to this slant, a support plate 4 receives gravitational force of the postal matter stack. A wire 16 is held stretched between a holder slide 7 and a wire mounting member 17. Springs 14 and 15 are elongated with movement of the support plate 4 caused by the gravitational force of the stack. The springs 14 and 15 provide increasing forces tending to restore their initial length with their elongation.

Abstract: A self-service terminal (10) comprising a dispenser (20) having a pick unit (44) for picking media items (64) is described. The dispenser (20) includes a drive wheel (72) for engaging with one surface of a media item and mounted on a drive wheel shaft (78), and a retard wheel (74) for engaging with an opposite surface of the media item and mounted on a retard wheel rotatable shaft (80) for rotating in the same direction as the first rotatable shaft. The drive and retard wheel shafts (78, 80) are coupled to a common drive component (98). The drive wheel (72) and the retard wheel (74) are resiliently biased together, and at least one of the shafts (78 or 80) is pivotally coupled to the common drive component (98) whereby the distance between the at least one shaft (78 or 80) and the drive component (98) remains constant as the at least one shaft (78 or 80) is displaced by a media item passing between the wheels (72, 74).

Abstract: A sheet transfer apparatus for an image reading apparatus includes a sheet supply tray for storing a sheet; a sheet supply device for drawing out the sheet on the sheet supply tray; a transfer device for receiving the sheet from the sheet supply means and placing the sheet at a predetermined position on a platen of an image reading apparatus for reading the image thereon; a discharge device for discharging the sheet on the platen after reading the image thereon; and a discharge tray for receiving the sheet discharged by the discharge device. A switchback device is disposed above the platen for reversing the sheet when necessary, and includes a switchback path for receiving the sheet to reverse the same. The switchback path includes a first opening portion for opening a first area near an inlet side, and a second opening portion for opening a second area away from the inlet side of the switchback path. The switchback path is easily accessible when the sheet is jammed.