Abstract: Apparatus for the controlled feeding of products in sheet form in a collating or packaging machine comprising a framework on which there is installed a magazine portion containing the products in sheet form to be fed, a drawing/advancement unit for drawing one of the products in sheet form from the magazine portion and for advancing it towards a push-bar conveyor on top of which one of the products in sheet form, drawn in that way, has to be placed. This apparatus comprises at least one accompanying element which performs the task of accompanying the so-drawn product in sheet form to the top of the push-bar conveyor, with at least one accompanying element being interposed between the drawing/advancement unit and the push-bar conveyor, with actuation elements being furthermore provided. The actuation elements perform the task of actuating accompanying element, and intervene whenever the drawn product in sheet form has left the drawing/advancement unit and is placed in the nearby of the push-bar conveyor.

Abstract: A deflector plate is mounted adjacent a document feeder mechanism having feeder belts operative to engage successive documents supported in upstanding on-edge relation on a feed magazine so as to feed the documents in singulated fashion to a processing station downstream from the feeder mechanism. The deflector plate is angularly adjustable relative to the feed path of the feed magazine and is operative to deflect the trailing ends of documents being fed to the feeder belts so as to prevent each successive document from engaging the feeder belts prior to substantial discharge of the prior document from the feeder mechanism.

Abstract: In order to minimize the footprint of a copier, a two-part paper tray is used with one part of the paper tray being pivotably attached to another part of the paper tray for pivoting upward along the back of the copier during use. The pivoting of the paper tray also serves to minimize multi-feeding by fanning the copy sheets.

Abstract: The present invention is a device to be attached to a copy machine or the like to automatically reverse the original document. The invention is designed to account for misaligned or displaced portions of the copying machine which can result in poor quality reproductions when the original document is reversed for dual side copying. The present invention incorporates an adjustable reversion path to correct for obliquely fed originals.

Abstract: An apparatus for individually feeding sheets from a stack of sheets, comprises a tray for supporting a stack of sheets to be fed therefrom. A sheet feeder is provided for individually capturing a top sheet from the stack and for conveying the top sheet out of the tray. A solenoid-activated sheet hold down device is provided which includes a portion being cyclically movable toward and away from the stack for exerting a force on a next top sheet beneath the top sheet to prevent the next top sheet from being forwarded out of the tray while the top sheet is being forwarded.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a sheet picking-up device having a suction member for picking up an edge of a first sheet from a stack of sheets. The suction member having a suction aperture and a driving device for rotating the suction aperture of the suction member in a direction in which the suction aperture is upwardly directed so as to pick up the edge of the first sheet. The driving device further displaces the suction member to a position near the center of the first sheet.

Abstract: The invention relates to a sheet delivery system for rotary cross cutters which has a stacking place and a suction brake table preceding the stacking place. Disposed preceding the suction brake table are drawing rollers which run at at least the conveying speed of the sheets arriving from the rotary cutter and which are disposed spaced out from one another on a driven shaft and between which deflecting rollers of smaller diameter are mounted for driven suction belts guided over the suction brake table. Provided in the gaps between the drawing rollers are blowing nozzles whose blowing direction is directed over the suction brake table.

Abstract: A liquid dispensing apparatus capable of providing a customer with a desired amount of liquid depending on data recorded in a memory card purchased in place of liquor in the unit of a bottle. The apparatus includes a flowmeter to generate a signal representing the amount of liquid supplied, a card read/write device in which a reloadable memory card is inserted, and a CPU connected to the card read/write device and flowmeter. The CPU receives data of the memory card read by the card read/write device to open a valve depending on the data to dispense a desired amount of liquid and receives a signal from the flowmeter to operate the amount of liquid dispensed and close the valve. The card read/write device also carries out write of new data based on the operation of the CPU.

Abstract: A printing press (10) having a delivery fly (12) having a plurality of laterally adjustable arcuate fingers (32) mounted on a shaft (34) and defining a plurality of pockets (33) extending peripherally around the fly (12) to receive a printed article (A) in the pockets (33). The press (10) has a device (42) for rotating the shaft (24), and a belt (18) for moving the articles (A) to a position (14) adjacent the pockets (33) of the fly (12) for depositing the articles (A) in the pockets (33), and a belt (26) for receiving the articles (A) from the pockets (33) of the fly (12), and for transporting the articles (A) away from the fly (12). The press (10) has a hinge (58) for moving the fly (12) to a position away from the belt (18) to provide access to the pockets (33).

Abstract: A beverage dispenser valve system in which the mixture ratio is controlled by continuous modulation of the solenoid valves. The solenoid valves have movable stop means (or push rods) that control the travel of the armature, which in turn controls the position of a needle valve with respect to the valve seat to gradually change the flow opening and thus the syrup and water flow rates. A microprocessor uses the movable stop to adjust the syrup and/or water flow rate to deliver the proper ratio of syrup to water based on the flow of water and syrup as measured by flow meters. In addition, the total flow rate from the nozzle can be controlled and varied in relation to the distance the cup lever arm is depressed; thus, the flow rate can be made slow at the beginning and end, and fast in-between.

Abstract: An automatic copy paper selecting device that chooses the proper type of copy sheet based on the paper weight of the sheets of the original document without the necessity of utilizing coded control sheets or other operator input. A paper weight sensor in the document handler determines the weight of each original sheet and sends a signal to a programmable controller which then selects the proper copy sheet feed tray based on preprogrammed parameters.

Abstract: A conveyor system is disclosed having two independent conveyor belts which travel along the same path at various speeds. Each conveyor belt has at least one set of material handling platens attached thereto. Product is fed into the space between each pair of platens and is transported to a distal location where it is removed. A control mechanism operates the two conveyor belts such that product can be loaded into one set of platens at one speed, while product already loaded into another set of platens on the other conveyor belt can be transported and unloaded at a different rate.

Abstract: A centrally controlled automatic device for feeding single sheets or the like in a machine for packaging signatures, newspapers or the like in a continuous film of thermoplastic material, comprising a frame, container for containing sheets stacked one on the other for feeding, a separator for separating at least one sheet from the bottom of the container, an extractor for extracting at least one sheet separated by the separator, and an evacuator for evacuating at least one sheet once extracted, wherein the extractor consists of a lower conveyor band on which a presser roller is caused to engage with rocking movement, the rocking movement being provided by a first cam mechanism which causes the pressure roller to move from a first detached position to a second position of engagement with the lower conveyor band as soon as the separator has gripped an initial portion of the sheet and moved it from the bottom of the container onto the lower conveyor band, there also being provided a second cam mechanism arranged

Abstract: A feeder for flexible sheet material includes a gripping assembly (30) provided with a hollow gripper shaft (54) and a vacuum operated gripper (52). The shaft (54) is movable through an arcuate path of travel between engagement and sheet-releasing positions. The vacuum pressure to the gripper (52) is controlled to cause the marginal portion of the lowermost sheet to be gripped by the gripper when the shaft is in the engagement position and to discontinue the vacuum to the gripper at the sheet-releasing position. A valve assembly (64) is disposed between a vacuum line and the hollow shaft (54) and is mounted for rotation on the gripping assembly (30). The valve is rotatable between open and closed positions in response to movement of the shaft through the arcuate path of travel between the engagement and sheet-releasing positions.

Abstract: In a reversible collating machine for stacking sheets of paper fed seriatim thereto from a singulating feeder in the same or reverse order as the sheets appear in the singulating feeder, the collating machine comprising a plurality of upper and lower belts suspended over a plurality of pulleys, each of the belts having an upper and lower reach wherein the lower reach of the upper belts and the upper reach of the lower belts frictionally engage and transport the sheets of paper, a plurality of upper ramp guide blocks secured to a frame, wherein each of the upper ramp guide blocks includes at least two idler rollers for defining a path for the upper belts, an improvement comprises a removable idler roller shaft having rotatably mounted thereto one of the idler rollers for each of the upper ramp guide blocks, wherein each of the upper ramp guide blocks has a first slot in which the idler roller shaft rests and a second slot perpendicular to the first slot in which the one idler roller rotatably fits when the idl

Abstract: Sheet handling apparatus for transporting sheets to and from a flat surface comprising an endless belt movably supported around at least two support members to define a belt transport run across and parallel to said flat surface, said endless belt having a top and bottom layer of flexible material, and a layer of tubes sandwiched between the top layer and the bottom layer, the layer of tubes interlocking along a predetermined plane to provide rigidity to the belt transport in a first direction and flexibility to the belt transport in a second direction.

Abstract: A sheet transport device is provided which has a sheet tray removably attachable to the body of an apparatus pivotally movably to an upright position or an unfolded position. The sheet tray has pivots projecting from the respective opposite sides of base end of the tray and each having a first width when the tray is in the upright position and a second width larger than the first width when the tray is in the unfolded position. The apparatus body has cutouts for the respective pivots, each having an inlet portion with a width larger than the first width and smaller than the second width and a support portion with a diameter not smaller than the second width. An elastic member is disposed close to at least one of the cutouts for restraining the pivot as positioned in the support portion from rotating from the unfolded position to the upright position by contacting the pivot.

Abstract: A device for use in electrostatographic image recording equipment for retaining and transporting a paper sheet, document or similar sheet member. A transporting member is implemented as an endless belt. An AC voltage is applied to the belt to form a charge density pattern on the surface of the belt, while the charge density pattern sets up a non-uniform electric field in close proximity to the surface of the belt. The non-uniform electric field urges the sheet member against the belt and thereby allows it to be surely transported by the belt to a predetermined position without being dislocated.

Abstract: A paper conveying apparatus which facilitates increased printing speed in a printer, such as a laser printer, by providing rollers which are rotated at different respective speeds at different times during a paper feeding and image transfer operation, so as to provide even feeding of the paper to an image transfer device. The paper is fed, one sheet at a time, relatively rapidly to the image transfer device, and at a slower speed, in synchronism with the image transfer operation, while transfer is being effected.

Abstract: An automatic document feeding apparatus wherein a plurality of sheet-like documents are fed sheet by sheet to an image exposure portion, and discharge the documents by discharge device after exposed by an optical device. Before completion of the exposure operation of a preceding sheet-like document, a succeeding document is stopped temporarily and kept in the stand-by state at least in two stop positions corresponding to document sizes respectively on the upstream side of the image exposure portion, according to a document size detection signal from document size detection device. That a distance from the leading edge of the succeeding document in the temporary stop state to the leading edge of a preceding document in the image exposure portion is set greater than a distance from the trailing edge of the preceding document in the image exposure portion to a discharge position of the discharge device.