Patents Examined by Thomas Morrison
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Patent number: 11126127Abstract: A sheet conveying device includes a sheet pickup body, a first sheet conveyor, and a second sheet conveyor, which are disposed in this order along a sheet conveyance direction, and circuitry. The first sheet conveyor includes a first sheet feed roller, a second sheet feed roller, and a first motor. The second sheet conveyor includes a conveyance roller and a second motor. The circuitry is configured to determine a sheet conveyance state of a sheet based on at least one of torque of the first motor of the first sheet conveyor and torque of the second motor of the second sheet conveyor. The first sheet conveyor is configured to interpose the sheet between the first sheet feed roller and the second sheet feed roller and convey the sheet to the second sheet conveyor as the first sheet feed roller rotates.Type: GrantFiled: November 25, 2019Date of Patent: September 21, 2021Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventor: Hideyuki Takayama
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Patent number: 11124378Abstract: A sheet discharging apparatus includes a discharge portion including a first member configured to apply a force to a first region of a sheet from an upper surface and a second member configured to apply a force to a second region of the sheet from a lower surface, and a contact portion including a first guide surface disposed contactably with the first region and a second guide surface disposed contactably with the second region. The first guide surface is formed such that an angle with respect to a tangential line at a contact point between the first member and the first region of the sheet becomes a first angle. The second guide surface is formed such that an angle with respect to a tangential line at a contact point between the second member and the second region of the sheet becomes a second angle which is smaller than the first angle.Type: GrantFiled: June 17, 2020Date of Patent: September 21, 2021Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Yoshisuke Kasuya, Kenichirou Isobe, Hirotaka Ishii
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Patent number: 11117765Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a paper-feed unit, a developing unit to form an image in a printing medium, an insertion unit including first and second rollers configured to insert the printing medium conveyed from the paper-feed unit into the developing unit, and a guide unit rotatably disposed about a rotation shaft of the first roller and configured to guide the printing medium moving from the paper-feed unit to the insertion unit and selectively press the first roller to the second roller.Type: GrantFiled: February 28, 2018Date of Patent: September 14, 2021Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.Inventors: Seung Sup Lee, Hyun Woo Kim, Young Kee Cho, Yong Jae Kim
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Patent number: 11117770Abstract: A sheet stacking apparatus includes an ejector, a stacker, a wall, and an upper surface detector. The ejector ejects a sheet, and the stacker stacks the sheet ejected from the ejector. The wall contacts a trailing end of the sheet ejected from the ejector in an ejection direction to align the sheet. The upper surface detector detects an upper surface on a trailing end side of the sheet stacked on the stacker in the ejection direction. When the sheet moves toward the wall, the upper surface detector moves from a home position in which the upper surface detector detects the upper surface of the sheet to a retracted position in which the upper surface detector does not contact the sheet moving toward the wall.Type: GrantFiled: March 4, 2020Date of Patent: September 14, 2021Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventors: Hisayoshi Sugawara, Kei Sasaki, Junya Suzuki, Koji Furuta, Yasuo Niikura, Kazuki Mishina, Kenji Hari, Yuuta Mori, Yuusuke Shibasaki
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Patent number: 11097915Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first detection unit, a second detection unit, a first conveyance unit, a second conveyance unit, which is provided on downstream in the conveyance direction with respect to the first detection unit and is configured to convey sheets, and a control unit. When the first detection unit does not detect a trailing edge of a first sheet before a first timing, the control unit stops the drive of the first conveyance unit and continues drive of the second conveyance unit, and when the second detection unit detects the trailing edge of the first sheet before a second timing later than the first timing, the control unit re-drives the first conveyance unit or stops the drive of the second conveyance unit in accordance with a sheet length of the first sheet in the conveyance direction.Type: GrantFiled: April 13, 2018Date of Patent: August 24, 2021Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Keita Nakajima
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Patent number: 11091343Abstract: A medium transporting apparatus including a transport belt that transports a medium while suctioning the medium against a transport surface, a first tray on which the medium transported with the transport belt is mounted, and a transport roller configured to move between a transporting position that nips the medium with the transport belt, and a retracted position that is a position distanced away from the transport belt with respect to the transporting position, in which the transport roller is positioned at the retracted position when a single medium is transported with the transport belt and is positioned at the transporting position when a plurality of mediums in a superposed state are transported with the transport belt.Type: GrantFiled: September 17, 2019Date of Patent: August 17, 2021Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Akinobu Nakahata, Tsuyoshi Furumido, Masaki Miyazawa, Kazuyoshi Ohashi
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Patent number: 11078038Abstract: A document feeder may include a media transporter to feed a number of sheets of media through a feed path and a detector to detect the presence of a metal object including a number of triangular-shaped inductor coils to detect the metal objects. A method of detecting a metal object coupled to a sheet of media entering a document processing device may include applying an alternating current to a number of triangular-shaped inductor coils to create a magnetic field upstream of a media feed path, detecting a change in a magnetic flux of the magnetic field due to a metal object in the path of said magnetic flux, and producing a warning when the changes in the magnetic flux are detected.Type: GrantFiled: July 6, 2016Date of Patent: August 3, 2021Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.Inventor: Stuart Allman
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Patent number: 11072504Abstract: A sheet feeding cassette includes a cassette body storing a sheet, and a cursor and a rack that position the sheet. The rack is disposed on a bottom of the cassette body and has rack-teeth. The cursor includes a cursor body having a contact face, a locking member having locking-teeth, and a handling member. The cursor body moves between a restricting position where the locking-teeth mesh with the rack-teeth to restrict cursor movement and an unrestricting position where the locking-teeth are separated above from the rack-teeth to allow cursor movement. The handling member is supported on the cursor body and is used to move the locking member. The locking member takes tilt-posture when moving between the restricting position and the unrestricting position. In the tilt-posture, the bottom face of the locking body inclines with respect to an imaginary plane including the rack teeth tips with the locking-teeth inclined.Type: GrantFiled: May 1, 2018Date of Patent: July 27, 2021Assignee: Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.Inventor: Mitsuhiro Tahara
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Patent number: 11011008Abstract: In a sheet handling machine (for example, a banknote handling machine) including a plurality of mounting units, a controlling unit controls a transporting unit and temporary storage units to perform parallel processing mode such that a storage operation for sending a sheet held by a first temporary storage unit among the plurality of temporary storage units to a storage member (for example, a banknote storage bag) and a transport operation for transporting the sheet from the transporting unit to a second temporary storage unit different from the first temporary storage unit are performed in parallel.Type: GrantFiled: November 26, 2018Date of Patent: May 18, 2021Assignee: GLORY LTD.Inventor: Tomohiro Yokoo
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Patent number: 11001465Abstract: A device having a receiving device for receiving at least one ribbon-shaped substrate and with a first and a second driving means, wherein the first and the second driving means for the transport of the ribbon-shaped substrate in x-direction are designed to cooperate such that the first driving means engages in the region of the one edge of the ribbon-shaped substrate and the second driving means engages in the region of the other edge of the ribbon-shaped substrate, wherein both driving means can be controlled such that they can drive the edge area of the ribbon-shaped substrate assigned to each driving means at adjustably different drive speeds. At least the first driving means is arranged in the device via a first displacement device allowing for a displacement essentially limited to the y-direction of the first driving means, relative to the receiving device.Type: GrantFiled: February 20, 2017Date of Patent: May 11, 2021Assignee: DURST PHOTOTECHNIK DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY GMBHInventors: Jakob Obererlacher, Reinhard Schneeberger, Peter Weingartner
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Patent number: 10988335Abstract: A transporting apparatus (for example, image reading apparatus) includes a transporting mechanism that transports a document along a transporting path and a processing unit that determines an inclination error of the document. The processing unit determines whether or not the inclination error has occurred in accordance with a document size and a tilt angle of the document.Type: GrantFiled: October 10, 2018Date of Patent: April 27, 2021Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Ryoichi Hirayama, Wataru Beppu
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Patent number: 10961069Abstract: When an open hole is detected at the front end of a sheet at a conveyance start position, a registration operation to correct a tilt posture of the sheet is avoided, and the present velocity is retrained to convey the sheet without temporarily stopping the sheet having the tilt posture.Type: GrantFiled: June 24, 2020Date of Patent: March 30, 2021Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Hideyuki Hiro
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Patent number: 10954088Abstract: Disclosed is a sheet conveying apparatus, including: a conveying member conveying a sheet; and a first and second changing portions s configured to change a conveying direction of the sheet conveyed by the conveying member by curving the sheet, wherein the conveying direction of the sheet being conveyed by the conveying member is changed by the first changing portion so that the sheet is conveyed toward the second changing portion. The relationship ?a>?b is satisfied where ?a indicates an angle in which a conveying direction of the sheet is changed by the first changing portion and ?b indicates an angle in which a conveying direction of the sheet is changed by the second changing portion.Type: GrantFiled: April 17, 2018Date of Patent: March 23, 2021Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Takanori Sakurai, Hiroshi Kokubo
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Patent number: 10947074Abstract: Various embodiments herein each include at least one of systems, assemblies, devices, components, methods, software and firmware for a note validator transport path centralizer, such as may be present in a Self-Service Terminal, e.g., an Automated Teller Machine. One example method embodiment includes receiving a note by a receiving and transport module of a note validator and sensing a lateral positioning of the note on a transport path of the note validator. This method further includes engaging at least one centralizing mechanism to move the note to a medial position on the transport path of the note validator and disengaging the at least one centralizer mechanism upon sensing the note reaching the medial position on the transport path of the note validator. The method may then output the note from the receiving and transport module of the note validator to a note validation module.Type: GrantFiled: August 30, 2018Date of Patent: March 16, 2021Assignee: NCR CorporationInventors: Robert Templeman, Peer-Ake Eskelius
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Patent number: 10941017Abstract: Disclosed are a cash box and a banknote processing device using the same. The cash box includes: a guiding plate, configured to guide a banknote to enter a banknote storage chamber; a pickup roller, configured to output the banknote; and a sensor, configured to detect a position of the guiding plate and a position of the pickup roller. When the guiding plate is in a banknote feeding position or the pickup roller is in a banknote pickup position, the sensor outputs a first signal. When the guiding plate deviates from the banknote feeding position and the pickup roller deviates from the banknote pickup position, the sensor outputs a second signal, wherein the first signal is different from the second signal.Type: GrantFiled: March 8, 2018Date of Patent: March 9, 2021Assignee: Shandong New Beiyang Information Technology Co., Ltd.Inventors: Ping Qu, Zhenxing Zhao, Jiabo Xu, Chuntao Wang
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Patent number: 10926404Abstract: A robot arm comprising a joint mechanism for articulating one limb (310) of the arm relative to another limb (311) of the arm about two non-parallel rotation axes (20, 21), the mechanism comprising: an intermediate carrier (28) attached to a first one of the limbs by a first revolute joint having a first rotation axis and to a second one of the limbs by a second revolute joint having a second rotation axis; a first drive gear (33) disposed about the first rotation axis and fast with the carrier, whereby rotation of the carrier relative to the first limb about the first rotation axis can be driven; a second drive gear (37) disposed about the second rotation axis and fast with the second one of the limbs, whereby rotation of the second one of the limbs about the second rotation axis relative to the carrier can be driven; at least one of the first and second drive gears being a sector gear.Type: GrantFiled: July 22, 2016Date of Patent: February 23, 2021Assignee: CMR SURGICAL LIMITEDInventors: Thomas Bates Jackson, Edward John Mottram, Gordon Thomas Deane, Keith Marshall, Paul Christopher Roberts, Ricardo Michael Henderson Da Silva
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Patent number: 10919721Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a manual feed tray for placing a sheet to be subjected to image formation; a pickup roller configured to abut against the placed sheet to feed the sheet; a controller; and a human detection sensor. The controller maintains an abutment state, in which the pickup roller is held in abutment against the sheet, until a time period during which the abutment state is maintained reaches an abutment timeout. When a time period during which no human is detected by the human detection sensor in the vicinity of the image forming apparatus reaches a human detection timeout even before the time period during which the abutment state is maintained reaches the abutment timeout, the controller brings the pickup roller into a non-abutment state against the sheet.Type: GrantFiled: September 19, 2019Date of Patent: February 16, 2021Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Teruhito Kai, Hiroto Nishihara, Hiromi Shimura, Keita Takahashi
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Patent number: 10913624Abstract: The invention relates to an insert-sheet pick-up device (13) for an insert-sheet loading device (10) of a station for receiving copy (500). The pick-up device (13) includes a suction element (20) configured to pick up an insert sheet. The pick-up device (13) includes a pivoting axis (30) and at least one telescopic arm (33) including a proximal arm (33a), one end of which is fixed to the pivoting axis (30), and a distal arm (33b), able to move with respect to the proximal arm (33a), and one end of which is pivot-articulated to the suction element (20) to move the suction element (20) between a raised position and a lowered position according to a vertical movement of the suction element (20). Also, the invention also relates to an insert-sheet loading device, a copy-receiving station and a machine for processing elements in sheet form including the insert-sheet pick-up device.Type: GrantFiled: February 7, 2017Date of Patent: February 9, 2021Inventors: Patrice Chatry, Ludovic Cuennet, Maude Steiner
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Patent number: 10906761Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing documents are provided. The apparatus includes a feeder for receiving a packet of a plurality of documents and separating the documents to serially feed the documents to a scanner. A retard adjacent the feeder is operable in first and second positions. In the first position the retard forms a nip with the feeder so that the retard is operable to impede the progress of one or more documents in the packet while the feeder feeds one of the documents in the packet. In the second position, the retard is spaced apart from the feeder to form a gap between the feeder and the retard. The system further includes a sensor for detecting a characteristic of the documents in a packet indicative of whether the number of documents in the packet exceeds a predetermined threshold. A drive mechanism automatically drives the retard pad between the first and second positions in response to the detected characteristic.Type: GrantFiled: December 4, 2017Date of Patent: February 2, 2021Assignee: OPEX CorporationInventors: David Helmlinger, Gary Miller, Peter M. Chezik, Robert R. DeWitt
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Patent number: 10894685Abstract: A sheet collection device includes a discrimination portion that discriminates the type of sheet, a plurality of containers that store sheets, a transport portion that transports the sheets to any one container from among the plurality of containers based on the discrimination result by the discrimination portion, an accumulation portion that accumulates progress information of a storage amount of sheets in the container, and a notification portion that predicts a time at which the storage amount of the sheets that are stored in the containers based on the progress information reaches a first predetermined amount and notifies the predicted time to a terminal device.Type: GrantFiled: February 6, 2017Date of Patent: January 19, 2021Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Kaneo Yoda, Seiichi Taniguchi