Abstract: A device for restraining abrupt pouring of the papers for paper supply cassette. The device comprises a pair of turning members each disposed about each front side portion of a box-shaped housing of said paper supply cassette, and tension coil spring. The turning member comprises a supporter having a horizonal part and a vertical part, and an actuating lever having a horizontally extending connecting part and a downwardly extending actuating part integrally formed with said connecting part. The tension coil spring is disposed between the side wall of the housing and the connecting part in order to bias said turning member counterclockwise. The device according to this invention provides advantage in that it supports the front ends of the papers in the cassette, thereby preventing the abrupt pouring of the papers efficiently.

Abstract: A loading apparatus for selectively taking out a sheet film from among sheet films accommodated in a plurality of magazines and loading the sheet film into a cassette. The sheet taken out from the magazine is adapted to be held in a holding device in a curved state. In a holding section, the sheet film is received from a lower end thereof and is taken out from an upper end thereof so as to be loaded into the cassette. Hence, even if there are a multiplicity of magazines, the film can be fetched speedily and loaded into the cassette, and the apparatus can be made compact. The magazine is drawn out from the apparatus body in a cantilevered manner so as to load the films, thereby facilitating the loading operation.

Abstract: In a collecting tray (1) having a lateral limiting member (6) and an end-side abutment (3), a driven aligning wheel (16) is arranged on a pivotally mounted, spring-biased tube (9 and 10 respectively). The abutment (3) is pivotally mounted on an arm (3a) and connected with a lever (4) which includes a pin (4a) adapted to support tube (9). When abutment (3) is pivoted to its opening position, aligning wheel (16) is lifted off sheet stack (24) so that the stack can be removed unimpededly. The aligning wheel (16) is conically shaped and pivotable from a position in which it is spring-biased towards the lateral limiting member (6) to a position directed at the front abutment (3) such that when a sheet has been laterally aligned, aligning wheel (16) is caused by the increasing friction to pivot in opposition to its spring bias to the position direction at the front abutment (3).

Abstract: This carrier apparatus employs an ultrasonic actuator comprising a piezoelectric actuator made of a piezoelectric element which extends and contracts in the radial direction of a cylindrical vibrator in the inner space of the cylindrical vibrator as a power source. This ultrasonic actuator elastically deforms the cross section of the peripheral wall of the cylindrical vibrator into an elliptical shape by the extension and contraction of the piezoelectric actuator, and transmits a driving force in a tangential direction to an article pressed on a predetermined position on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body by utilizing the circumferential and radial transformations (or displacements) generated on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical vibrator upon elastic deformation of the elliptical shape.

Abstract: Rolls of individual plastic bags are formed on apparatus that overlaps the bags before the bags are fed into the roll to provide a compact roll of individual bags. The apparatus overlaps portions of the bags so that a plurality of bags can be continuously fed into the roll even though the bags are not mechanically connected end-to-end to adjacent bags on the roll.

Abstract: An original document feeder is provided with a first sheet path for guiding a document from stacker to below after inversion, a second sheet path branched from the first sheet path in a switchback fashion for guiding the sheet to a process position, and a third sheet path branched from the first sheet path in a switchback fashion for discharging the sheet, discharged from the process position, to a receiver after inversion.

Abstract: A guiding device for sheets (3) supplied to a stacking site (1), the sheet-guiding device includes at least one freely movable and pivotally suspended guide element (21), such guide element having an abutment surface (35) for the incoming sheets (3). Guide element (21) is shaped such that its abutment surface (35) encloses a predetermined acute angle with the vertical plane which is defined by the axis of rotation of guide element (21) and its center of gravity.

Abstract: A sheet feed tray on which sheets are stored, a feed member for feeding out sheets one at a time from the sheet feed tray, a separating member for separating sheets when a plurality of sheets are fed out at a time from the sheet feed tray by the feed member, to feed the sheets one at a time, a transporting member for transporting the sheet delivered from the separating member to a image forming member, a sheet detecting member for detecting the passage of the leading edge of the sheet past a first position in the transporting member, a calculation member which, based on the behavior of a sheet which is fed by the feed member, but is then detained by the separating member, determines a target time at which a sheet should arrive at a second position downstream of said first position, and calculates from the detection result provided by the sheet detecting member the deviation from said target time of the sheet, and control member for varying the sheet transport speed on the basis of the results of calculation m

Abstract: A housing for an air bag inflator includes a tubular wall and gas dispensing nozzles extending through at least a portion of the wall. The tubular wall defines an inflator cavity for receiving a source of gas. The inflator housing includes a tongue formed in one piece with one end of the housing and projecting outwardly from the housing. The tongue includes a planar surface adapted to be coupled to a planar wall of a reaction device. The inflator housing further includes a sleeve attached to the tubular wall axially spaced from the tongue. The sleeve includes diametrically opposed flanges extending outward from the sleeve. Each of the flanges include a planar surface adapted to be coupled adjacent the planar wall of the reaction device. The tongue includes an alignment device which provides for properly aligning the inflator with the reaction device. According to another aspect of the invention, the inflator housing structure includes a pair of sleeves attached to axially spaced portions of the housing.

Abstract: An apparatus for removing a sheet from the top of a stack of sheets and transporting it laterally in the direction of a processing station has a pick roller with an arcuate contact surface for frictionally engaging an exposed edge of the top sheet in a stack. The arcuate contact surface transports the sheet laterally at a small downward angle relative to the plane of the top of the stack. The arcuate contact surface contacts the exposed edge so that portions of the arcuate contact surface adjacent the edge extend both above and below the plane of the top of the stack. A dam is located adajcent but spaced from the arcuate contact surface and below the plane of the top of the stack. The dam slidingly engages the sheet edge and the sheet surface opposite the surface engaged by the arcuate contact surface to guide the sheet edge toward the arcuate contact surface.

Abstract: A nipping device is provided in a transfer unit having a fixed support and rotating element rotatably supported by the fixed support. The nipping device retains a printing sheet against the circumferential surface of the rotating element, and separates the printing sheet from the transfer unit. The nipping device includes a nipper, a pivoting lever device and a drive device. The nipper is disposed pivotally on the circumferential surface of the rotating element, and retains the feed-leading edge of the printing sheet. The levers of the pivoting lever device are disposed within the rotating element, pivotal on an axes intersecting the circumferential surface of the transfer unit, and functions therein to open and close the nipper by which the printing sheet is nipped against and separated from the transfer unit. The drive device is disposed in the fixed support, and functions to turn the pivoting levers.

Abstract: A cover for accommodating an air bag, which is provided at its inner surface with an array of spaced holes for starting tear at a start of an operation of the air bag, is characterized in that ends of the holes in the direction of the array have acute shapes converging toward the adjacent holes, respectively.

Abstract: An apparatus 10 is employed for controllably separating a top sheet of paper 52 from a stack of paper 50 and delivering this top sheet of paper 52 to a printer. A rubber wheel 26 is maneuvered into contact with the top sheet of paper 52 and is rotated in a first direction to urge the top sheet of paper 52 toward a rear surface of a tray 12 in which the stack of paper is positioned. The top sheet of paper 52 contacts the rear surface and bows upward, away from a remaining portion of the stack of paper 50. This bowing action serves to separate the top sheet of paper 52 from the sheets of paper immediately below it. Thus, once the top sheet of paper 52 is separated, the diretion of rotation of the rubber wheel 26 is reversed so as to remove the top sheet of paper 52 and deliver it to the printer.

Abstract: Automatic paper feeder includes a feed roller, and a paper-separating member in contact with the feed roller. A push member serves to press the paper-separating member against the feed roller. A spring serves to exert a pressing force on the push member. A mechanism serves to adjust the pressing force of the spring which is exerted on the push member. The spring-force adjusting mechanism includes a swingable adjustment plate connected to the spring, a cam, and a movable adjustment member connected to the adjustment plate via the cam. The adjustment member has a knob. At least a part of the knob is exposed to be easily accessed. The pressing force of the spring which is exerted on the push member is varied in accordance with a position of the knob.

Abstract: An apparatus for conveying paper in a printer adapted to convey cut-sheet and fan-fold paper bi-directionally in a paper path. The apparatus includes a pair of paper conveying rollers positioned downstream of a print head and a pair of paper conveying rollers positioned upstream of the print head. At least one roller of one of the paper conveying roller pair has projections circumferentially extending away from the roller. The projections can be pressed against the roller to reduce the diameter and speed of the roller relative to its speed and diameter before compression to convey the paper in a first direction while preventing the formation of slack across the paper. In addition, the projections can be extended away from the roller to increase the diameter and speed of the roller relative to its speed and diameter before extension to convey the paper in a second direction while preventing the formation of slack across the paper.

Abstract: A sheet feeding and separating apparatus includes a multiple piece entrance guide located between a stack from which sheets are to be fed and a retard nip. The guide includes a polycarbonate base member, a radiused high friction urethane retard member and a flexible polycarbonate or polyester film deflector member. The urethane is ground to a radius on the leading edge to promote the feeding of down curled sheets, shingling of sheets and the breaking up of slugs prior to entering the retard nip. The deflector member assists in feeding down curled sheets.

Abstract: A low cost copy output stacker for engineering size copies includes a vertical catch tray molded into front doors of a copier/printer for accepting the lead edge of the copies and allowing the copies to bend over the top of the catch tray in a stacked position under gravity. A manually operated hinged stop is positioned in a down position blocking the path of copy sheets in order to keep them from reaching the bottom of the catch tray for stacking copy sheets size 11" to 24" and positioned in an up position for copy sheet sizes 24" to 48".

Abstract: A sheet separation device has a sheet separation member for contacting and feeding the outside sheet from a stack of sheets. The sheet separation member can be a belt, roller or pad and includes a relatively hard support covered by a thin layer of RTV silicone providing a high coefficient of friction.

Abstract: A paper storage device comprises a sensor for generating a detection signal indicative of the arrival of a top level of a stack of papers on a paper support tray at a predetermined height so that the paper support tray can be lowered in response to the detection signal, and a counter for counting the number of papers successively stacked on the paper support tray so that an indication that the paper support tray is held at an improper position can be provided when the counter counts a predetermined number of the papers during the absence of the detection signal from the sensor. Once the top level of the paper stack on the paper support tray has attained the uppermost limit position, the top level of the paper stack on the paper support tray is lowered to a lowermost limit position to secure the orderly disposition.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus includes a feeding roller for feeding a sheet material from a stack of sheet materials, a separation device for cooperating with the feeding roller to allow only one sheet material to be fed, a transportation roller for cooperating with the feeding roller to transport the sheet material separated by the separating device.