Abstract: A sheet advancing over a transport plane by pairs of transport rollers is rotated through an angle of 90.degree. by retaining the sheet at a point of rotation coupled with the releasing of one of the transport roller pairs so that only the other transport roller pair exerts a torque on the sheet. By disposing the other of the transport roller pairs exerting the torque somewhat downstream of the center of rotation, the sheet is maintained taut during rotation.

Abstract: A system for monitoring an electrostatic powder painting process having a conveyor line adaptable for transporting articles to be electrostatically powder painted sequentially through a plurality of zones in the process. For monitoring the usage of powder paint particles, or "powder", applied to the articles, the system senses the weight of the powder in the powder delivery apparatus and displays it in real time as a powder-weight function over a period of time. For monitoring the operation of the conveyor line transporting the articles, the system senses the conveyor line speed and displays it in real time as a line-speed function over a period of time. For monitoring the precleaning-surface activation of the articles, the system senses the pH of the cleaning-surface activation solution and displays it in real time as a pH function over a period of time.

Abstract: A dispenser (10) for dispensing medical items (68, 70, 72) includes dispenser modules (28, 30) movably mounted thereon. The dispenser modules are selectively operative to dispense medical items therefrom into a path (54) which is connected to a delivery area (20) of the dispenser. The dispenser and the dispenser modules therein are configured to provide security against unauthorized access thereto. However an authorized user is enabled to readily access the dispenser modules and the medical items therein by unlocking a lock (22), opening a door (16) and extending the dispenser modules through an opening (18). With the dispenser modules in the extended position the medical items therein may be replenished. Alternatively, the dispenser modules may be disconnected from the dispenser and replaced with substitute dispenser modules.

Abstract: An automated material handling picking system including a plurality of storage locations for objects which are to be picked, a moveable picking head for picking the objects from the storage locations, a moving conveyor including a plurality of receiving locations where the picked objects are to be consolidated into separate orders or sub-sets, and a bank of queue stations for temporarily holding the picked objects and selectively releasing them into the respective receiving locations where the sub-sets are to be consolidated. The picking head deposits a picked object into the nearest available queue station. The picking head is not involved in the consolidation of the objects into sub-sets because of the buffering effect of the queue stations. Preferably, only one object at a time is held in each queue.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for producing high page count signatures for printed publications. Signatures with a 96 page count and 128 page count are illustrated and described herein. In either case, the signature is constructed of four sheets of printed sheet materials which are preferably continuous webs of sheet material that are fed to a folding and cutting apparatus. The four sheets or webs are folded in half along a main longitudinal fold line extending in the direction in which the web travels. Preferably, the webs are perforated along the main longitudinal fold line prior to being folded. The webs, after being folded in half, are perforated to create a longitudinally extending hinge. Also, the webs are preferably perforated to create cross fold lines. In the case of the 96 page count signature, the folded webs are divided into thirds by the cross fold lines. The folded webs of the 128 page count signature are divided into fourths by the cross fold lines.

Abstract: A dispenser apparatus for stacked single-fold towel sheets has a rear wall, side walls, and front and rear funnel walls extending to a funnel height between bottom portions of the side walls on opposite sides of a feed slot; and a pair of shelf members projecting downwardly and inwardly from respective ones of the side walls, each shelf member having a shelf width perpendicular to the rear wall being approximately 45 percent of a housing depth between upper extremities of the funnel walls, inward extremities of the shelf members, the inward extremities being spaced above the feed slot within the funnel height and being spaced apart by a distance of not greater than approximately 90 percent of the stack width for partially supporting the sheets. Each shelf member has an upwardly and inwardly facing panel surface that forms a side angle of approximately 45 degrees with the side wall. A perimeter contour of each shelf member has a plan radius of approximately 0.

Abstract: An improved simple and low cost tamping system for a printed sheets compiling system directly driven by partial rotation of a reversible stepper drive motor driving a single molded plastic tamper drive unit. That tamper drive unit integrally includes a rigid radially extending portion rotatably driven by the drive motor, an elongate flexible member portion driven from one end by the rigid rotatable portion, and a tamper at the opposite end of the elongate flexible member. The elongate flexible member is slidably mounted in a fixed guides system to smoothly transition from an initial arcuate configuration to a final linear configuration to convert reversing partial rotational movement of the stepper drive motor into the desired substantially linear reciprocal sheet edge tamping movement of the tamper.

Abstract: A medication dispensing and monitoring system includes an acknowledge-back pager, a carriage communicating with the pager, and a medication unit dispensing stored medication. The pager receives prescriptions and transmits messages back to a physician or health care organization. Prescriptions received by the pager are stored and processed by a pager processor. The pager processor communicates with a carriage controller via a series of electrical contacts. At a prescribed time, a motor in the carriage causes the medication unit to dispense the prescribed medication. Numerous medication units may be assembled to accommodate different forms of medication.

Abstract: A drive system for an oscillating gripper of a sheet-fed printing machine has a main drive train and a controlled drive. The pregripper is mechanically coupled to the main drive train. The controlled drive supplies energy required to drive the pregripper in accordance with a position of the pregripper. The controlled drive at least approximately meets the discontinuous energy requirement of the pregripper.

Abstract: A data cartridge caddy presence sensing system within an autochanger storage rack is disclosed. The data cartridge caddy of the present invention has at least one optical interrupt flag at a predetermined position on the data cartridge caddy. When the data cartridge caddy is fully installed within the autochanger storage rack, the optical interrupt flag lines-up with and trips optical interrupt flags on the autochanger storage rack. The picker of the autochanger will not attempt to remove data cartridges from caddy positions that are empty. The present invention may also include optical interrupt flags and sensors on the data cartridges and corresponding optical interrupt sensors at corresponding predetermined locations on the autochanger storage rack or a bar-code reader and bar-code labels on the data cartridges.

Abstract: An apparatus and control method for feeding medications in which processing units, which can prepare drugs, non-drug articles and drug-related articles, are provided along a carrier feed line, and in which carriers for respective patients are fed on the feed line in the order in which preparations for carriers, preparations for medications, and preparation for receiving carriers are all finished so that a large amount of medications can be collected and delivered by carts to a plurality of wards in a hospital with high efficiency. When patient data is entered in a host computer, at least one of the processing units corresponding to this data is activated to prepare medications. When preparations in all of the processing units, tray feed units, and tray receiving unit have been made, a corresponding tray is fed on the conveyor to collect medications and is then loaded into a predetermined one of a plurality of carts.

Abstract: The sheet feeder of a recorder includes a sheet support, a shaft extending over the support, a feed roller rotatable on the axis of the shaft, and collars mounted rotatably around the shaft. Disks may be formed on the shaft. Each of the collars is supported rotatably on one of the disks. The inner periphery of at least one of the collars in the widthwise middle area of the support is spaced from the periphery of the associated disk. Even if the support is curved in such a manner that it is convex toward the roller, the distance between the shaft axis and the point or line where the at least one of the collars is in compressive contact with the top one of the sheets stacked on the support is shorter than the distances between the axis and the points or lines where the collars near the lateral ends of the support are in compressive contact with the top sheet. All of the collars can keep the roller and the sheet spaced at a predetermined distance from each other. Consequently, the sheets can be fed properly.

Abstract: A system (10) controls the dispensing of valuable commodities, such as beers. The system (10) includes a controller (36), sensors (26, 34), and solenoid-activated valves (24). The dispensing of a commodity begins when an operator identifies himself or herself to the controller (36) after selecting a commodity and quantity. A record of this transaction is recorded in a memory (40) of the controller (36). The controller (36) continues dispensing the selected commodity, determines when the selected quantity has been dispensed, then automatically ceases dispensing the commodity. Reports (178) are generated summarizing dispensing transactions. A variety of operational parameters may be established by a manager. Parameters relevant to the preservation and flow of the commodity, such as temperature and pressure, are monitored, and warnings annunciated (164, 170) if out-of-range conditions are detected.

Abstract: A guiding device for a freshly printed sheet has a sheet-guiding surface, which is located at a distance from an imaginary conveying surface. The sheet has a leading edge, which sweeps over the imaginary conveying surface along a sheet transport direction perpendicular to the leading edge of the sheet. The sheet-guiding surface is formed on a guide-plate arrangement and has blast-air openings. The sheet-guiding surface includes blast-air nozzles of a first nozzle configuration and of at least a second nozzle configuration. The blast-air nozzles of the first nozzle configuration produce air-jets that sweep over the sheets and are aligned with respect to the sheet transport direction. The blast-air nozzles of the second nozzle configuration produce rotational flows sweeping over the sheets.

Abstract: A sheet feeder having a platform for supporting a stack of sheets, a feed head assembly for feeding sheets seriatim from the top of a sheet supply stack on the platform, a mechanism for moving the platform relative to the feed head assembly, and a device for controlling operation of the platform moving mechanism. The control device for the platform moving mechanism includes a sensor for detecting marginal edges of sheets in the sheet stack on the platform, and producing a signal indicative of sheet edge detection. Additionally, a sensor is provided for detecting the location of the topmost sheet on the sheet stack on the platform, and producing a signal indicative of such top sheet location detection. A signal is set representative of the top of the sheet stack being in proper operative relation to the feed head assembly, this set signal being based on the signal from the top location sensor for the particular location of the top of the stack when the marginal sheet edge detection signal is first produced.

Abstract: A discharged-sheet table device mounted to an image forming apparatus near the sheet discharging port for receiving a recorded sheet discharged from the sheet discharging port of the image forming apparatus.

Abstract: A screw feeding apparatus, which is designed for use with power tools, has a casing for holding screws, a platform slidably disposed in the casing for supporting and advancing the screw, a chamber assembly and a clamp assembly. In particular, the chamber assembly has an elongated cylinder for guiding the screw into a work surface. The clamp assembly is situated in the chamber assembly so that each screw from the casing is properly positioned for engaging a screwdriver bit. The screw feeding apparatus also includes a loading sleeve coupled to a rear cylinder mounted on the rear end of the chamber assembly. When the loading sleeve is retracted with respect to the rear cylinder, a screw is loaded into the chamber assembly.

Abstract: A clip dispensing device has a dispenser body and a magazine inside the body for storage of a stack of clips. The magazine includes an outlet end adjacent a front end of the body, a biased platform for bearing on the last clip in the stack of clips and urging the first clip in the stack of clips against the outlet end of the magazine and an outlet groove at the outlet end of the magazine for dispensing clips from the magazine. A presser is movably attached to the body for reciprocating movement in a clip ejection direction and a withdrawal direction. A pusher is connected to the presser for reciprocating movement with the presser. The pusher reciprocates within a pusher groove communicating with the magazine through a pusher slot located in the body. A tongue having a size smaller than the pusher slot is pivotally attached to the pusher at a first end of the tongue. A second end of the tongue engages the first clip.

Abstract: A sheet conveyed into a sheet discharge processing device is conveyed through a straight convey path by first convey rollers and then is discharged onto a first discharge tray by second convey rollers and first discharge rollers. Second discharge rollers are arranged on a reverse convey path. A second discharge tray and a fan for applying an external force to the rear surface of a sheet are placed below the reverse convey path. When the trailing end of a sheet is detected by a second detection sensor, the fan is driven for a predetermined period of time to blow air against the rear surface of the discharged sheet. When sheets conveyed into the sheet discharge processing device are guided to a post-processing convey path by the first convey rollers so as to be subjected to post-processing, and are sequentially conveyed to a sheet storing section by convey rollers from the last or start page, the sheets are guided along one of guide plates constituting the sheet storing section to be aligned.

Abstract: A medication dispensing system comprising an on-site medication dispensing unit and a central monitoring facility. The on-site medication dispensing unit holds medication in a plurality of canisters which it selects from according to an entered and stored prescription regimen and then notifies the patient by an audible or other sensory signal. If the patient presses a button within a prescribed time, the unit dispenses the selected canisters. If the patient does not press the button within the prescribed time, or if the unit detects a failure to dispense the selected canister, the unit makes the canister inaccessible and contacts a predetermined list of caregivers and then a central monitoring facility.