Abstract: In an automatic original conveying device, a motor rotates in a single direction and a driving force transmission mechanism transmits the driving force of the motor from a sheet feeding roller to a switchback roller. The sheet feeding roller conveys an original that stands by in a switchback conveying path to a second conveying path. A sorting unit sorts the original conveyed from a paper delivery path to an original delivery table or to the switchback conveying path. The switchback roller is provided between the sorting unit and the switchback conveying path and it is rotatable in a normal direction or a reverse direction.

Abstract: A sheet material feeding apparatus capable of favorably guiding a sheet material to perform smooth feeding comprises a pair of rolls and first and second guide members and permits a sheet material to pass between the first guide member and the second guide member. One of the rolls has a plurality of circumferential grooves arranged between both ends of a sheet material feeding surface in an axial direction and spaced from one another in the axial direction, and the first guide member includes guide portions passing through the respective circumferential grooves and extending continuously to a downstream side from an upstream side between the pair of rolls in a sheet-material conveyance direction.

Abstract: A sheet stacking apparatus for storing a plurality of sheets is disclosed having a storage chamber having a first transverse dimension, a platform located within the storage chamber for storing a plurality of sheets in a substantially vertical stack thereon, a feeder for feeding a top sheet from the stack, and means for moving the platform upwards to hold the stack in operative contact with the feeder, wherein the platform comprises a support portion having a second transverse dimension which is less than the first transverse dimension, for allowing sheets stacked on the platform to droop below the support portion in at least one overhanging region.

Abstract: A switchback mechanism for reversing a mail item conveying direction has a switchback roller which holds the mail item in a nip and rotates in both forward and backward directions. When there is a remaining mail item deviated from the nip of the switchback roller and remaining in the switchback unit, a pressure roller is pressed to an output roller always rotating in the direction of R1, the remaining mail item is held and fed out to the nip. At this time, a control unit takes out the remaining mail item at timing not to interfere with other mail items.

Abstract: Disclosed are a multi-sheet buffer module and a modular printing system incorporating the buffer module. The buffer module includes a primary sheet transport path that extends horizontally across a frame. Vertical buffer paths extend downward and upward from the primary sheet transport path. Each buffer path connects to a secondary sheet transport path, which provides a loop back connection to the primary sheet transport path. As a stream of sheets moves along the primary sheet transport path, sheets printed out of order will be selectively diverted into the sheet buffer paths. Then, at the proper moment, the sheet buffer paths will feed the buffered sheets into the secondary sheet transport path(s), which will transport them to the primary sheet transport path, such that they are inserted at the proper locations back into the stream of sheets.

Abstract: A sheet feed device has a tray with holding surface for holding sheets, a feed unit for feeding sheets from the tray, and a separation plate. The separation plate has an inclined surface and two or more separation portions that separate a sheet from the sheets held in the tray. At least one of the separation portions projects a first distance from the inclined surface. The separation plate also has a projection positioned on the inclined surface that projects a second distance from the inclined surface. The second distance is greater than the first distance. A first of the separation portions is positioned upstream of the particular projection in the sheet feed direction, and a second of the separation portions positioned downstream of the particular projection in the sheet feed direction.

Abstract: A self service terminal having a slot; at least one shutter for selectively opening and closing the slot and a gear drive for moving the shutter between open and closed positions, the gear drive having a first gear that interacts with a second gear, at least one of the first and second gears defining a stop that is engagable with the other of the first and second gears to stop or prevent non-gear driven movement of the shutter.

Abstract: Techniques include sensing electric signals from an actuator during a document stacking operation and determining whether an abnormal event has occurred based on the sensed signals. The techniques may find particular applicability, for example, to document acceptors that include piston-type stackers driven by a direct current motor.

Abstract: System for directing media from one an input media path to one of multiple output paths using a rotary diverter. The rotary diverter is a cylinder mounted for rotation at a crossover point, where input media paths and output media paths cross. The rotary diverter includes a funnel-shaped section longitudinally cut through the cylinder, the sides of the funnel-shaped section lying at an acute angle. A relatively narrow output end of the funnel-shaped section lies toward the apex of the angle, and a relatively wide input end lies opposite the apex. The input end is thus configured to receive media, and the output end is configured to output media. The rotary diverter can accept input media from one input media path, or from several paths, given the wide input section.

Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus including: a first sensor which is provided on a transportation path of a sheet and detects a first passage time of the sheet; a second sensor which is provided at a position different from the position of the first sensor in a transportation direction of the sheet and a direction perpendicular to the transportation direction and detects a second passage time of the sheet; a skew determination unit which determines a skew amount of the sheet based on the first passage time detected by the first sensor and the second passage time detected by the second sensor; and a correction control unit which controls correction of a skew of the sheet on the basis of the skew amount determined by the skew determination unit.

Abstract: The invention provides an ATM that can stably stack paper money by preventing the rotation of stack rollers when paper money is deposited. The ATM includes feed rollers, stack rollers, and elastic members. The feed rollers convey paper money separated one-by-one by pickup rollers onto a money withdrawal path, or convey paper money conveyed along a money deposit path into a recyclebox. Peripheries of the feed rollers are formed of rubber. Each of the stack rollers includes wings. When paper money is deposited, the stack rollers come in contact with the feed rollers. Peripheries of the stack rollers are formed of synthetic resin. The elastic members push the stack rollers against the feed rollers, and apply elastic forces to the stack rollers such that a frictional force between paper money and the stack rollers is smaller than that between paper money and the feed rollers.

Abstract: A roll feeder reliably produces sheets obtained by cutting a web, as a pack of sheets arranged in a partially overlapping fashion with a quantity of overlap margin of the sheet suitable for use with a printing press and capable of easily controlling overlap. A roll feeder includes a rotary cutter for cutting a web to obtain cut sheets, a lower suction and conveyance belt element for sucking and conveying the sheets cut by the rotary cutter, a lift member for raising upwardly the tail edge of the cut sheet sucked and conveyed by the lower suction and conveyance belt element, and an upper suction and conveyance belt element for sucking the tail edge of the cut sheet raised by the lift member from above and conveying the cut sheet at a speed lower than the speed at which the lower suction and conveyance belt element conveys the cut sheet.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, a sheet is discharged onto an output tray. The image forming apparatus includes a ranging sensor which measures a distance to an object from a position located away by a predetermined distance from a bottom surface of the output tray in a sheet loading direction on a line in parallel with the bottom surface of the output tray and orthogonal to a direction in which the sheet is discharged. In the image forming apparatus, discharge of the sheet onto the output tray is stopped when the distance to the object measured by the ranging sensor is lower than a specific distance.

Abstract: A sheet conveying apparatus includes a first conveyance unit to convey a sheet, a second conveyance unit to convey the sheet received from the first conveyance unit, a sheet detection unit to detect an edge position of the sheet in a lateral direction intersecting a sheet conveyance direction of the second conveyance unit, a sheet shifting unit to shift the sheet conveyed by the second conveyance unit in the lateral direction, a computing unit to compute a difference between the detected edge position of the sheet and a reference position, a position correction unit to control a shifting amount of the sheet by the sheet shifting unit based on the difference computed by the position correction unit to correct a sheet position in the lateral direction, and a conveyance interval control unit to shorten a sheet conveyance interval of the first conveyance unit if the computed difference is equal to or less than a predetermined amount.

Abstract: The invention provides a sheet processing apparatus in which a controller transports a sheet, delivered to a process tray, by a predetermined distance by a transport member for contacting a stopper, and selects the distance according to a friction on the lower surface of the sheet by detecting at least either of stack information on the process tray and sheet information of the sheet transported by the transport member, thus selecting the distance larger for a larger frictional force.

Abstract: A medium supply device includes a receiving portion including a support plate to form a bottom surface of the receiving portion, a support portion being formed on the support plate to support a central portion of a bottom surface of paper medium, and a guide being formed on the support plate to limit both sides of paper medium around the support portion; a separating portion being provided in front of the receiving portion to pick up and discharge the paper medium; and a pressurizing portion including a block to move forward and backward with respect to the receiving portion and a plate of which a location is adjustable upwardly and downwardly along the block, wherein the guide is formed in parallel with a transferring direction of the paper medium and includes a plurality of protrusions.

Abstract: An apparatus for feeding sheets to a sheet processing machine smoothes out and fixes a sheet through the use of a suction groove disposed transversely relative to a sheet transport direction, before the sheet is gripped by an onward transport device. A sheet-fed rotary printing press having the apparatus is also provided.

Abstract: In a mail processing machine, a fixed mounting of an envelope turning station relative to an upstream stuffing station, and therefore a simple construction of the drive for the envelope turning station, can be achieved in that the items of goods for despatch to be turned through 180° are drawn by grippers of a gripper chain into the region of horizontally opening tongs of the envelope turning cylinder of the envelope turning station, in such a way that, in each case irrespective of the longitudinal format of the items of goods for despatch, the latter are gripped by the turning cylinder tongs over their entire length, for which purpose the gripper chain, together with the stuffing table supporting it, is designed to be displaceable with respect to the turning station in the conveying direction of the goods for despatch, in a manner dependent on the envelope format.

Abstract: A drive control method for a sheet processing machine includes the steps of operating a driving motor of a sheet feed device which feeds a sheet to a sheet processing device that processes the sheet, in synchronism with a rotary member of the sheet processing device, and adjusting a rotary phase of the rotary member of the sheet processing device and a rotary phase of the driving motor of the sheet feed device relative to each other.

Abstract: A document feeding device comprises a document input tray, a document output tray placed above the document input tray, and a feeding mechanism provided for a feeding path (connecting the document input tray and the document output tray via a scanning position) to feed each document along the feeding path. The document output tray includes a reference tray and a pivoting tray (on the downstream side of the reference tray) pivotable with respect to the reference tray around a pivot shaft on the upstream side of the pivoting tray. The pivoting of the pivoting tray is restricted at a retracted position by a pivot restricting part when the pivoting tray has pivoted from a document stacking position to the retracted position. The pivot shaft is situated above an upstream end of a stacking surface of the pivoting tray when the pivoting tray is placed at the document stacking position.