Abstract: A mechanism for moving one or more first load supporting hangers through a predetermined path that is defined by the interior of a hollow longitudinally slotted first frame. Each hanger is rotatably supported from a first ball that is movably supported within the first frame. The interior of the first frame not filled with first balls is filled with second balls. A first wheel that has pairs of spaced lobes on the circumference thereof projects through an opening in the first frame, with the pairs of lobes sequentially engaging the balls when the first wheels is rotated. The first and second balls and the hangers supported from the first balls are moved longitudinally in the first frame as such sequential engagement of the balls takes place. Should it be desired to move a platform having first and second ends through said predetermined path, the first end is connected to the first hanger, and the second end to a second hanger.

Abstract: A sheet feeding and separating apparatus is provided for separating individual sheets from a stack. The apparatus includes sheet feeding means and retard means engaging the feeding means to form a nip for sheet advancement therebetween. A means is provided for adjusting the nip force between the retard means and the feeding means which is responsive to the direction in which a sheet is being advanced. A first nip force is provided when a sheet is advanced in a first direction and a second and different nip force is provided when the sheet is advanced in a different direction.

Abstract: A sheet delivery mechanism of the type in which printed sheets are deposited by an endless conveyor upon a pile, the front of which is defined by vertical guide members. When it is desired to remove a sheet from the top of the pile for control purposes a supporting finger is interposed above the pile at the forward edge for temporarily intercepting the subsequent sheets, and the guide members are retracted so that the control sheet may be removed. It is the primary feature of the invention that provision is made for time delay, for example, by using a lost motion connection, to insure that the guide members are not retracted until the finger is fully interposed and to insure that the finger is not withdrawn until the guide members are fully restored to working position so that there will be hiatus during which a sheet might travel beyond the pile.

Abstract: A sheet separating device is disclosed for separating a single sheet from a stack of sheets in an inclined supply hopper of a document feeder or the like. Spaced drive rollers are located above the stack and are operative to engage the uppermost sheet of the stack. During rotation of the drive roller, the sheets are separated one at a time from the stack and are fed to a work station, for instance, a printing station. Means is provided for equalizing the pressure of the separator upon the stack of sheets as its height decreases.

Abstract: An electrostatographic copying system in which an image is formed on an imaging surface and transferred at a transfer station to a copy sheet, where the copy sheet is electrostatically transported through the toner transfer station on a belt. As the sheet is loaded onto the belt, skewed spaced fingers hold it against the belt while a corona charge is applied through the fingers to tack the sheet to the belt.

Abstract: A printing machine receives single sheets which are removed from a stack by the suction cups of a feeding mechanism which is combined with a monitoring unit serving to detect the absence of sheets at the undersides of suction cups or the lifting of two or more sheets. The monitoring unit employs a transducer having two feelers which determine the thickness of lifted sheet material and an indicating device which is actuated by the feelers and produces signals serving to indicate the absence of sheets, the lifting of two or more sheets and/or to control the operation of the printing machine. The suction cups can form part of the transducer when the latter is designed to detect only the absence of sheets or they form part of a second transducer which is provided in addition to the first mentioned transducer.

Abstract: A copying machine wherein successive finished sheets issue from an opening in the front wall of the housing in such positions that the printed matter is observable from above. Successive sheets pass below an observation window which is adjacent to the opening so that the quality of printed matter can be observed from above. The sheets are thereupon inverted so that the printed matter faces downwardly, and are stacked on top of each other in a tray having a bottom panel the inner end portion of which constitutes the observation window. The sheets are inverted in a channel having an inlet below the observation window and an outlet above the end of the tray which is remote from the opening.

Abstract: An apparatus for causing sheets to be stacked in an offset manner for facilitating later separation. The apparatus is made up primarily of a stacking bin into which sheets are fed from a sheet feeding apparatus, means for translating the bin from one position to another, biasing means for urging the bin toward one of the two positions to provide for startup, and a clutch. Upon command, the clutch is tripped, and the bin is initially translated under the influence of the biasing means. The bin is thereafter frictionally driven by the translating means to a position where a sheet, when loaded, will be offset from a previously loaded sheet.

Abstract: A reciprocating sheet feeder for feeding sheet material into a press, such as a deep draw cupping press. The sheet feeder comprises a rocking or pivoting framework that has gripper means thereon for gripping the edges of the sheet to be fed and when the frame is rocked about its pivot axis, moving a length of the sheet into the press and then releasing the sheet prior to a return stroke for the rocking feeder.The grips of the rocking feeder thus reciprocate during use. The feeder is used in combination with edge guides that are positioned ahead of the grips with respect to the direction of movement of the sheet so that the sheet is primarily guided while under tension. The pivoting frame is made so that it does not have substantial strength in torsion or in lateral directions of the sheet, so that the sheet essentially guides the frame during the feeding stroke to avoid buckling or misguiding the sheet. The framework does have rigidity needed for moving the sheet in its longitudinal direction.

Abstract: Document transport apparatus in a document reader sorter is provided with a vacuum assisted friction feeder for picking documents one at a time from a document hopper and for advancing the documents at high speed along a document transport guideway to the control of a transport burst roller, the picking of the documents from the hopper by an apertured friction feed belt being assisted and facilitated by a low pressure vacuum directed upon a linearly disposed section thereof adjacent the hopper, and the high speed advancement of the documents into and along the document guideway to the control of the transport burst roller being assisted and facilitated by a high pressure vacuum directed upon a curvilinear section of the apertured belt cooperably disposed relative to the apertured circumference of a drive pulley, said high pressure vacuum being effective to lock the picked documents and particularly the leading edges thereof to the feed belt for an accelerated feeding thereof, said accelerated feeding of the d

Abstract: Disclosed is a rotatably powered roller feed assembly for transporting documents from a stack in a forward feed direction toward utilization apparatus, a clockspring appropriately coupled to the feed assembly for rotatably powering the feed rollers in a direction opposite to the feed direction of rotation in order to drive documents out of, and to therefore clear, the nip point of the roller assembly. The reverse rotation is initiated at the end of each feed cycle by control means, including an optical sensor assembly responsive to a document exiting the nip point, interrupting the powering of the roller assembly in the feed direction.

Abstract: A signature feeding mechanism having a shuttle plate and an associated vacuum gripper for feeding the bottom signature from a stack in a supply magazine into the bite of pinch rolls which advance successive signature pieces to a transport system for advance to a label applicator, or the like, and having a guard plate for bridging exposed portions of the gap between the leading edge of the shuttle plate and the signature receiving end of the associated transport conveyor floor so as to prevent possible damage to, or interference with the operation of, the feeding mechanism, by the presence of a foreign object in the gap, and possible injury to an operator through careless insertion of the fingers in the same.

Abstract: A sheet feed mechanism for feeding individual sheets from a stack thereof comprises a first generally horizontal surface for supporting the edge of a stack of sheets and a second surface for supporting a face of the stack, the second support surface being provided by a plate member supported above the first surface and inclined at an obtuse angle with respect thereto. The plate member is supported so that the second surface is urged towards the nip defined between the first support surface and a sheet feed roller in such a manner that as the second surface approaches the nip the obtuse angle increases. In a preferred embodiment a cam surface is provided on the plate member to adjust the rate at which the obtuse angle varies as the second surface approaches the nip. The preferred embodiment also includes means for adjusting the height of the nip defined between the sheet feed roller and the first support surface to permit feeding of different gauges of sheets.

Abstract: An apparatus for straightening stacks of sheet material which includes a base on which there is rotatably mounted a device for supporting a stack of disposed sheets in an initial horizontal position and a position in which the stack is resting on a support with the sheets in vertical position, a vibrator for straightening the vertically disposed sheets against the support and against a stacking strip, and lifting bars for raising the vertical sheets from a first position below the support to a position above the support plane and back to the first position.

Abstract: Apparatus for feeding elongated bars into the work spindles of an automatic multiple-spindle bar machine has a turret which is mounted behind and is indexible with the carrier for work spindles, elongated tubular guides mounted in the turret and each registering with a work spindle, pushers reciprocably mounted in the guides and having projections extending laterally outwardly through longitudinally extending slots of the corresponding guides, and discrete drives for the pushers. Each drive is a chain drive mounted on the turret and having a chain a stretch of which extends in parallelism with the corresponding guide and is connected with the projection of the respective pusher. The rear sprocket wheels for the chains can be driven by discrete bevel gears through the medium of friction clutches, and these bevel gears are in mesh with a further bevel gear which is coaxial with the turret and is driven by a reversible motor by way of a worm drive and an endless belt or chain.

Abstract: An apparatus in which a sheet of support material having particles substantially permanently affixed thereto is separated from a heated fuser member. The heated fuser member is operatively associated with a back up member such that the sheet of support material passes therebetween. As the sheet of support material passes therebetween, the particles thereon contact the fuser member. In this manner, the particles are thermally fused to the sheet of support material. Thereafter the sheet of support material with the particles affixed thereto is separated from the fuser member.

Abstract: A transport mechanism is disclosed for driving inked paper emerging from the printing station of a duplicating machine into a stacking station, the transport mechanism employing a first pair of beveled drive rollers and a second pair of rounded rollers biased against the beveled drive rollers by gravity which prevents ink buildup upon the second pair of drive rollers where bleed edge inked paper is being transported through the system.

Abstract: An automatic document handler for supplying and removing documents from the platen of a processing apparatus such as a copying machine. The document handler includes a document supply tray adapted for holding documents awaiting copying and for receiving documents returned thereto from the platen after copying thereof. To assure a clear return path into the tray for documents returned from the platen and prevent contact by the returned document with documents previously returned to the tray, a rotatable double bar separator is employed, each document returned being received in the space defined between the two bars of the separator. Prior to the receipt of the next document in the return tray, the double bar separator is rotated 180.degree. to remove the previously returned document from between the bars and hold the document against the stack of documents in the tray to provide a clear path for receipt of the next document therein.

Abstract: In a sheet counter in which sheets held in a stack in sheet-holding means are successively separated from the stack by suction heads, there are provided first electrical switch means such as a microswitch which is closed when the sheet-holding means has been manually moved to a sheet-loading position and second switch means which is closed when the stack of sheets loaded on the sheet-holding means has been carried to a counting position. An electric motor for imparting rotation to the suction heads and a vacuum pump for creating a partial vacuum therein are set in operation only when both of the first and second switch means have been thus closed. The sheet counter is also provided with means for properly readjusting the position of the suction heads relative to the stack of sheets prior to counting operation.

Abstract: A bin indicator device for sheet sorting apparatus which includes a plurality of bins for receiving copy sheets advanced from a processor. Extending along the transport path adjacent to the inlets of the bins are a pair of helical screw members which rotatably support and advance a carriage carrying deflector fingers which deflect the copy sheets into the bins. The drive for rotating the helical screw members includes a motor spring which drives a single revolution latching device to provide intermittent movement of the carriage past the inlets of each of the bins which are numbered. A bin indicator device is secured to the carriage to identify the last bin to receive a copy sheet in the event of a jam or malfunction in the sorter and/or processor. A clutch which is connected to the drive of the transport rewinds the motor spring after untensioning thereof after a sorting run to reset the carriage at the bin starting position.