Abstract: A ballast system is provided for stabilizing a six-panel rectangular paperboard box containing a stack of inter-folded tissue sheets and having a opening in a top panel thereof for removal of individual tissue sheets. The ballast system includes at least two laminar backing plates fabricated from ferromagnetic material, the backing plates being positionable on an interior surface of said paperboard box, and at least two permanent magnets positionable on an exterior surface of said paperboard box, each permanent magnet securing itself and one backing plate to the paperboard box, with one of the six panels sandwiched therebetween. The box, the backing plates and the permanent magnets have a combined mass sufficient to prevent the box from being lifted from a surface on which it is resting when a tissue is pulled from the box through the opening as the number of folded tissues in the box approaches zero.

Abstract: A method for controlling a feeder of a gathering-stitching machine reduces the operating effort when setting the feeder, increases reliability when laying folded sheets on a transport device and improves quality during collating and stitching. Opening and closing times of grippers are regulated under program control, continuously and as a function of format when controlling the feeder of the gathering-stitching machine. Data relating to the dimensions and to the number of pages of the folded sheets is thus entered into a control device, from which data actuating signals for actuating elements of the grippers are generated.

Abstract: A sheet processing device includes a carry-in path, and a retreat path that branches off from the carry-in path. A bonding device is disposed at a merging point between the carry-in path and retreat path. An adhesive-applied position of a preceding sheet is retreated to the retreat path when a next sheet is carried in to the stacker section, and then the next sheet is moved to a bonding position. The above operations are sequentially repeated to form a sheet bundle. Thus, the sheet bundle can be formed by bonding the sheets using an adhesive. It is possible to reduce stress to be applied to the sheet, and to comparatively reduce movement of the sheet applied with the adhesive, thereby preventing the sheets from being bonded to each other at a position other than a predetermined position.

Abstract: A post-processing device includes a device main body, a processing tray, a placed sheet processing part, a stack tray, a detecting part, a stack tray driving part and a sheet conveying part. The processing part carries out post-process to the sheet placed on the processing tray. The stack tray stacks the sheet ejected from a sheet ejection port. The detecting part detects whether or not the stack tray or the sheet on the stack tray is positioned at a detected position below the sheet ejection port. When the sheet is ejected without the post-process, in a detectable case, the conveying part ejects the sheet without placing on the processing tray and, in an undetectable case, the conveying part places the sheet on the processing tray without ejecting to the stack tray until it becomes detectable, and then, ejects the sheet on the processing tray after it becomes detectable.

Abstract: A sheet post-processing device includes a tray, an evacuating member, a regulating member mounted on the tray, and a feed mechanism. The tray can receive sheets thereon. The evacuating member temporarily evacuates, from a conveyance path, sheets being conveyed, stacks the evacuated sheets into a pile, and conveys the pile of sheets onto the tray through the conveyance path. The feed mechanism includes a spongy elastic member and moves the pile of sheets along the tray toward the regulating member. When stacking three or more sheets into a pile, the evacuating member performs the stacking such that, in the pile conveyed to the tray, an edge of each intermediate sheet protrudes toward the regulating member beyond an edge of an uppermost sheet and an edge of a lowermost sheet.

Abstract: A system for storing and dispensing discrete doses of pharmaceuticals includes: a housing with an internal cavity having a front wall with first and second windows; multiple storage locations positioned within the housing; and a carrier assembly positioned and movable within the housing. The carrier assembly is configured to receive a pharmaceutical dose package loaded into either the first or second window and convey the pharmaceutical dose package to one of the storage locations for storage therein, and is further configured to retrieve a pharmaceutical dose package from one of the storage locations and return the pharmaceutical dose package to the first or second window for dispensing therefrom.

Abstract: A translatable media height sensor assembly for measuring a media stack in an imaging forming device. The assembly includes a support and drive and insertion assemblies mounted thereon. Insertion assembly includes a translatable plunger having mounted thereon a sensor and a translatable probe. At a home position, the sensor is actuated by a flag on the support placing sensor output in a first state. During measurement, drive assembly translates insertion assembly toward a media stack and the sensor output changes to a second state and a counter is started. The probe initially encounters the media stack and stops while plunger continues to translate. As the plunger reaches the media stack, the probe engages the sensor causing the sensor output to again change state and stops the counter. The insertion assembly retracts back to the home position where the flag actuates the sensor causing the sensor output to change state.

Abstract: A tablet supplying portion of a medicine supply apparatus includes: a tablet supplying portion body including a supply cell; a bottom plate; and a bottom plate supporting member. A lower opening portion of the supply cell is opened and closed by the bottom plate. The bottom plate supporting member can restrict a pivotal movement of the bottom plate. The tablet supplying portion body and the bottom plate supporting member are relatively movable in a horizontal direction. The bottom plate pivotally moves between a state where the lower opening portion is blocked from opening and an opened state, along with this relative movement. In a state where the bottom plate closes the lower opening portion, at least part of an upper surface of the bottom plate is located higher than a lower surface in a periphery of the lower opening portion.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods relating to a metered pill dispensing system are disclosed herein. A preloaded cartridge having multiple compartments containing dispensable contents, such as pills, is inserted into a cassette. The cassette has an actuatable member, such as a film or a belt, wrapped around it. The actuatable member has apertures through which the contents of the preloaded cartridge may pass. The actuatable member may be controlled to meter the dispensing of the contents.

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a sheet conveying portion conveying a sheet to a sheet stacking portion; a regulating portion regulating a position of the sheet on the stacking portion; a rotary member pair having first and second rotary members and conveying the sheet toward the regulating portion through rotation in a first direction, and conveying a bound sheet bundle through rotation in a second direction opposite to the first direction; a moving portion moving the second rotary member to a separation position after the rotary member pair conveys the sheet, and moving the second rotary member to a nipping position before the rotary member pair conveys the sheet bundle; and a control portion controlling to rotate the rotary member pair in the second direction after the second rotary member is moved to the separation position and before the second rotary member is moved to the nipping position.

Abstract: An automatic catering machine in which at least one item of food can be stored, cooled and/or heated. The automatic catering machine has a rack store for storing a large number of items of food and a transportation apparatus by means of which in each case at least one item of food can be removed from the rack store and transported to at least one station in the automatic catering machine, wherein the transportation apparatus has a transportation tool for grasping the item of food, which transportation tool can be moved horizontally and vertically. A method for operating the automatic catering machine is also provided.

Abstract: A dispensing cartridge may be improved by the inclusion of an actuator and an agitator. Specifically, activation of the actuator may move the agitator within the cartridge to agitate the items and to direct one of the items into a position for dispensing. Concurrently, activation of the actuator may move a cap of the cartridge to align a dispensing hole with the position for dispensing, thereby allowing for the dispensing of a single item.

Abstract: While a sheet on an intermediate processing tray is being processed, a plurality of sheets to be processed next are kept on standby by a standby portion arranged between the intermediate processing tray and a conveyance roller and a separation roller. When conveying the plurality of sheets that have been kept on standby in an overlapped state while successively shifting the sheets from each other in the sheet conveyance direction, the shift amount is successively reduced.

Abstract: An apparatus for dispensing paper product stacked along a stacking dimension includes a housing for holding the stack of paper product and having a longitudinal dimension associated with the stacking dimension. The movable ejector is located adjacent the housing and is configured to contact paper product at an end of the stack. Movement of the ejector is effective to slide paper product at the end of the stack, relative to a remainder of the stack, in a dispensing direction, to thereby dispense paper product from the housing. A first restrictor in the housing is configured to exert a force on the stack in a first restricting direction transverse to the dispensing direction, with the first restrictor being spaced from the ejector, in the longitudinal dimension, by a first distance.

Abstract: Adhesive tabs having individual apertures are adhered to individual miniature products to be dispensed. The products are supported on a product carrier component having passages through which the tabs individually pass. A hook component is movable relative to the product carrier component. The hook component has a hook sized to successively enter each aperture, and to successively catch and successively remove each tab from its individual product during relative movement of the components.

Abstract: A lid dispenser is provided for holding a stack of lids, which may be used with beverage containers. The lid dispenser includes a shaft, a lid deck which the stack of lids may rest on, and a gap from which a user of the lid dispenser may grasp and remove a lid. The shaft may extend to the front of the lid dispenser, or a screen may be provided. The screen may slidable along the shaft through engagement with one or more slots. An additional gate may be provided and independently slidable along the one or more slots. Multiple shafts may be included in a single lid dispenser in order to accommodate multiple lid sizes within a single dispenser.

Abstract: A pill grasping method comprises rotating a grasping arm with a nozzle to a predetermined initial position driven by a driving mechanism, rotating a number of pill storage cases to position one of the pill storage cases with a set number of pills to a predetermined grasping pill position driven by an actuating mechanism, rotating the grasping arm to enter into the corresponding pill storage case, starting a pump to generate a vacuum in the nozzle for sucking a pill, and determining if an actual pressure value in a pipe connecting the nozzle to the pump is less than a predetermined pressure value. The grasping arm is rotated to the predetermined initial position when the actual pressure value is less than the predetermined pressure value.

Abstract: A label dispenser having a body and a hinged lid attached thereto. The lid is held in a closed position by way of magnets. The interior of the body has guides that hold label packs in a vertical arrangement. The labels and liner are passed between an upwardly facing surface extending outwardly from the body of the dispenser and the lid. The dispenser includes means, disposed on said body, for linking multiple dispensers.

Abstract: A blade dispenser apparatus includes a body, a blade receptacle coupled to and repositionable in relation to the body, a blade holder coupled to and repositionable in relation to the blade receptacle, and an actuator coupled to the blade holder, the actuator being deployable for repositioning of the blade holder to dispense a blade or for disengaging a portion of the blade receptacle from the body allowing a user of the blade dispenser to access the blade receptacle.

Abstract: According to an aspect of an embodiment, a sheet processing apparatus includes: a conveying unit configured to convey sheets; a stacking unit configured to stack the conveyed sheets to form a sheet stack; and a binding unit configured to include a pair of toothed jaw and bind the sheet stack by pressing the sheet stack between the pair of toothed jaw, wherein at least one portion of edges of the toothed jaw is rounded.