Abstract: A gripper system for controlling the loading and unloading of sheets on a cylindrical sheet guide. The gripper system comprises one or more grippers, which are positioned at an outer edge of the cylindrical sheet guide. Each gripper is coupled to a cam follower. The gripper system further comprises a cam, which is configured for affecting the elevation of the gripper(s) by moving the cam follower(s), and a servomotor, which is adapted for steering the cam. A cam-gripper controller is provided for controlling the servomotor according to a current printing profile.

Abstract: At least two coaxially rotatable sheet conveyors, operating together with one another, are provided, of which the first sheet conveyor, with a jacket surface serving as placement for the sheet, specifies essentially a curvature path for the sheet to be conveyed, and the second sheet conveyor has at least one gripping element to grip the accepted front edge of the sheet, in such a way that the front edge of the sheet can be gripped and conveyed between the gripping element and the jacket sheet.

Abstract: Various embodiments of a duplexer are disclosed in which a guide directs a sheet to a first transport which continues to move the sheet in a first direction or moves the sheet in an opposite direction to subsequently overturn the sheet.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus and a paper feeding method used with the image forming apparatus. An image forming apparatus includes: a paper feeding unit to accommodate a plurality of papers loaded thereon; a pick-up roller which picks up the papers loaded in the paper feeding unit and is set to rotate at multi-step speeds; a paper arrangement unit which aligns the papers to be transferred without skewing by applying a constant pressure to the front end of a paper transferred by a the pick-up roller; a printing unit which is disposed below the paper arrangement unit and forms a predetermined image on the transferred paper; a paper type sensing element which is disposed on a paper transfer path along which the paper feeding unit, the pick-up roller, the paper arrangement unit, and the printing unit are arranged; and a control unit which operates the pick-up roller at a rotation speed according to an identified paper type.

Abstract: In a sheet transport system for a reproduction machine, the transport system defining a transport channel through which the sheet travels in a transport direction, an improvement comprises one or more plenums associated with the transport channel, each plenum connectable to an air flow supply, and one or more openings between each plenum and the transport channel. At least one of the one or more openings is arranged to direct air flowing through the plenum into the transport channel in the transport direction.

Abstract: A store for storing value sheets such as banknotes in a stack and for dispensing the value notes from the stack. When more than a single value sheet is dispensed from the stack, the store returns all but one of the value sheets to the stack while moving the stack to reduce friction between the returning value sheet and the topmost value sheet of the stack. Means for securing the stack are also provided: a support for the stack is anchored and/or extra pressure is applied to the stack. The store includes means for indicating when the stack contains more than a predetermined number of value sheets and means for preventing securing of the store when the predetermined number of value sheets is exceeded. A value sheet store with part of a sidewall integrally formed with the lid. A value sheet store which includes a lid attached to a housing by a hinge located on an edge of the housing. Apparatus and a method for determining the height of a stack of value sheets.

Abstract: A sheet conveying device includes a first conveying path configured to pass a sheet of a recording medium (e.g., paper) therethrough to a sheet processing device, a second conveying path branched from the first conveying path and configured to temporarily store the paper sheet conveyed therein, a sheet conveying mechanism configured to selectably convey the paper sheet in one of forward and backward directions to the sheet processing device, a guide member mounted at a branch point of the first and second conveying paths and configured to guide the paper sheet when the paper sheet is conveyed in the backward direction by the sheet conveying mechanism to the second conveying path, and a control unit configured to control the sheet conveying mechanism to change a distance between the branch point and the sheet conveying mechanism according to a length of the paper sheet in a forward sheet conveying direction.

Abstract: A sheet feed mechanism includes a chassis for supporting a stack of sheets; a top sheet engaging member for engaging a top most sheet of the stack; a stack engaging structure for engaging the stack and biasing the top most sheet against the top sheet engaging member, the stack engaging structure hingedly connected to the chassis at a hinge axis; a friction surface extending from the stack engaging structure, the friction surface extending in a curvature parallel to a locus of the stack engaging structure about the hinge axis; a lock mechanism having a lock arm hingedly connected to the chassis at the hinge axis, the lock mechanism further having a biased contact foot for engaging the friction surface to retard a movement of the stack engaging structure about the hinge axis; and an actuator for engaging and disengaging the contact foot from the friction surface.

Abstract: There is described a paper sheet conveyance apparatus and an image forming apparatus, which makes it possible not only to achieve the minimization and the cost reduction of the apparatus; but also to achieve the high-speed conveyance operation of the paper sheet without generating any step out of the stepping motor. The paper sheet conveyance apparatus, includes: a pair of conveyance rollers to convey a paper sheet; and a stepping motor to drive one of the pair of conveyance rollers. At least one of the conveyance rollers is a roller made of aluminum alloy metal. Further, the roller made of the aluminum alloy metal is shaped in a hallow cylinder. Still further, a surface hardening treatment is applied to a circumferential surface of the roller made of the aluminum alloy metal.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device, includes a sheet loading table; a sheet feeding member that feeds a sheet from an uppermost portion of sheets stacked on the sheet loading table; a regulating member that regulates a side of sheets, in a transverse direction orthogonal to a sheet feeding direction; an opening and closing mechanism that opens and closes a sheet feeding section; a lowering mechanism that lowers the sheet loading table that holds sheets at a sheet feeding position, to a lower position by opening the opening and closing mechanism; an adjusting mechanism that adjusts a position of the regulating member in the transverse direction; and a holding mechanism that holds a position of the sheet loading table so as to hold the sheets at the sheet feeding position even when the opening and closing mechanism is opened.

Abstract: A method for use in a sheet feeder having a sheet stacking unit with a bottom plate to support a sheet bundle in which air is blown against a side edge of the sheet bundle near the topmost sheets of the bundle, thereby lifting these sheets from the bundle, and separating the uppermost sheet from the bundle, and conveying this sheet away from the bundle, wherein the lifting of the sheets when the bundle is nearly depleted is assisted by forcing an element situated underneath the bundle to push against the bundle solely when air is blown against the side edge of the bundle. A sheet feeder suitable for applying the present method and an imaging apparatus for incorporating the sheet feeder is also provided.

Abstract: A sheet material conveyer system includes a sheet-transfer conveyer having an endless sheet-transfer belt for conveying sheet materials, a heater provided below the elevation of the endless sheet-transfer belt for heating the sheet materials being carried on the endless sheet-transfer belt to a dry state, an impression belt assembly having an endless impression belt disposed above the endless sheet-transfer belt for guiding movement of the sheet materials with the endless sheet-transfer belt, and tension supports insertable into a conveying space between the endless sheet-transfer belt and the endless impression belt from two opposite lateral sides to support the endless impression belt in shape and to control the tension of the endless impression belt.

Abstract: A paper feeding device which includes a pickup roller assembly picking up a sheet of paper and transferring the paper, a stopper controlling the paper so that a front end of the paper is located on a lower portion of the pickup roller, a sensing unit sensing whether the paper is loaded or not on the paper feeding board, and a probe unit that is rotated with the stopper and turns on/off the sensor unit. Therefore, the probe unit for turning the sensor unit on/off is operated with the stopper to reduce the number of components, thus reducing the cost and stabling the quality of product.

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus which is capable of securing a sufficient sheet bundle processing time period even with a short sheet conveying path to thereby maintain required capability of processing sheets conveyed at constant intervals. Rollers that convey sheets are controlled such that the conveyance speed of a sheet being conveyed by the rollers is increased in first timing so as to set the sheet at an increased distance from a succeeding sheet being conveyed by the rollers. When a sheet preceding the sheet being conveyed is the last sheet of a set of sheets to be processed by the sheet processing apparatus, the rollers are controlled to increase the conveyance speed of the sheet being conveyed in second timing later than the first timing.

Abstract: A pair of discharge rollers is provided at a position most downstream in a conveying direction of a sheet conveying path defined by guide surfaces. The discharge rollers discharge a sheet from the sheet conveying path. A discharge chute portion, including upper and lower discharge guides, guides the discharged sheet toward a discharge tray. An elastic support piece is provided in the discharge chute portion and elastically urges a trailing edge of the discharged sheet toward the upper discharge guide. The pair of discharge rollers is arranged such that a direction in which the drive roller contacts the follower roller is inclined toward upstream in the conveying direction with respect to a direction of a normal line of a lower one of the guide surfaces that is located in the sheet conveying path at a position the most downstream in the conveying direction.

Abstract: The present invention includes a damping device for a media feed mechanism for a peripheral device having a media feedpath having a feed shaft and a downstream exit shaft. In one form a damping hub is mounted on said exit shaft, a resilient biasing member extending between the damping hub and the feed shaft to create a damping force on the damping hub. In another embodiment damping is provided by a brake structure engaging said damping hub. In yet another embodiment, a brake structure is pivotably mounted.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus that includes: a housing that has a sheet member feed-in port on a side of one side surface thereof; a feed-in mechanism disposed in a second conveyance passage to feed the sheet member from the sheet member feed-in port to a side of a junction point between a first conveyance passage and the second conveyance passage. The feed-in mechanism includes: a feed-in roller that feeds the sheet member into the sheet member feed-in port; a separation member disposed on a downstream side in a conveyance direction of the sheet member with respect to the feed-in roller; and a separation roller. An opposition position between the separation member and the separation roller is located further from the one side surface than the first conveyance passage and is located closer to the one side surface than the junction point.

Abstract: Example embodiments of a media handling system are shown and described in which gears are moved by a carrier into engagement with a gear that is operably coupled to a media driver.

Abstract: An offset sheet feeder comprises a first stack feeder configured to hold a stack of first sheets and to feed individual ones of the first sheets from the stack of first sheets, and a second stack feeder configured to hold a stack of second sheets and to feed individual ones of the second sheets from the stack of second sheets. The second stack feeder is positioned rearward and at a relative offset with respect to the first stack feeder, such that second sheets fed forward from the second stack overlap with first sheets fed from the first stack by an amount related to the relative offset. Aligned, overlapped pairs of first and second sheets can be fed into a box forming apparatus. The offset sheet feeder may include a glue dispenser for depositing adhesive in the overlap area of second sheets fed from the second stack feeder.

Abstract: A sheets processing apparatus includes a first processing portion having a first switchback portion for reversing the conveying direction of postal matter branched and conveyed from a main conveying path and a first U-turn path for reversing the front and back of the postal matter and a second processing portion having a second U-turn path for reversing the front and back of the postal matter branched and conveyed from the main conveying path and a second switchback portion for reversing the conveying direction of the postal matter. The first switchback portion is arranged inside the second U-turn path and the second switchback portion is arranged inside the first U-turn path.