Abstract: Printing devices include a printing engine and a media tray connected to a frame. The media tray is adapted to hold a stack of media supplied to the printing engine for printing. A magnetic trailing edge guide that is shaped to contact a corner of the stack of media is connected to a tether that is connected to the frame. A storage device is connected to the frame, and the storage device is shaped to accommodate the magnetic trailing edge guide. The length of the tether allows the magnetic trailing edge guide to reach the corner of the stack of media and to reach the storage device. The magnetic trailing edge guide includes a magnetic element adapted to magnetically hold to at least the media tray and the storage device.

Abstract: Printing devices include a printing engine and a media tray connected to a frame. The media tray is adapted to hold a stack of media supplied to the printing engine for printing. A magnetic trailing edge guide that is shaped to contact a corner of the stack of media is connected to a tether that is connected to the frame. A storage device is connected to the frame, and the storage device is shaped to accommodate the magnetic trailing edge guide. The length of the tether allows the magnetic trailing edge guide to reach the corner of the stack of media and to reach the storage device. The magnetic trailing edge guide includes a magnetic element adapted to magnetically hold to at least the media tray and the storage device.

Abstract: An apparatus for a media feeding system having a trail edge guide, a frame, an elevator, a feed head and a stack of media including a plurality of sheets of media disposed on the elevator, wherein the plurality of sheets of media include an uppermost set of sheets of media located at a top portion of the stack of media. The apparatus includes a trail edge deflector having a body including an angularly disposed lower surface, at least one opening, and at least one stopping surface. The angularly disposed lower surface being shaped to contact and thereby shingle the uppermost set of sheets of media, the at least one opening being shaped for complimentary sliding engagement with the trail edge guide thereby permitting the trail edge deflector to slide along a portion of the trail edge guide and the at least one stopping surface being shaped to limit downward sliding movement of the trail edge deflector along the trail edge guide.

Abstract: An apparatus for a media feeding system having a trail edge guide, a frame, an elevator, a feed head and a stack of media including a plurality of sheets of media disposed on the elevator, wherein the plurality of sheets of media include an uppermost set of sheets of media located at a top portion of the stack of media. The apparatus includes a trail edge deflector having a body including an angularly disposed lower surface, at least one opening, and at least one stopping surface. The angularly disposed lower surface being shaped to contact and thereby shingle the uppermost set of sheets of media, the at least one opening being shaped for complimentary sliding engagement with the trail edge guide thereby permitting the trail edge deflector to slide along a portion of the trail edge guide and the at least one stopping surface being shaped to limit downward sliding movement of the trail edge deflector along the trail edge guide.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a sheet feeding apparatus including a blower for blowing air through a stack of sheets, and a controller configured to operate the blower at a high power setting for a predetermined time period based upon elapsed off time and to subsequently operate the blower at a target power setting. A printer, a method of controlling blower power, and a method of minimizing misfeeds are also disclosed.

Abstract: A pneumatic sheet feeder is selectively actuable to acquire a sheet from a stack and transport the sheet towards a take-away nip. The feeder includes a feedhead having an acquisition surface substantially aligned with the take-away nip. A sensing apparatus detects three separate distances between the stack and the acquisition surface at three separate locations over the stack. The stack is then tilted based upon the distances sensed by the sensors. In embodiments, the feedhead has two sensors, and moves so that the third distance can be measured by one of the sensors. In other embodiments, the feedhead includes three sensors for measuring each of the distances.

Abstract: A pneumatic sheet feeder is selectively actuable to acquire a sheet from a stack and transport the sheet towards a take-away nip. The feeder includes a feedhead having an acquisition surface substantially aligned with the take-away nip. A sensing apparatus detects three separate distances between the stack and the acquisition surface at three separate locations over the stack. The stack is then tilted based upon the distances sensed by the sensors. In embodiments, the feedhead has two sensors, and moves so that the third distance can be measured by one of the sensors. In other embodiments, the feedhead includes three sensors for measuring each of the distances.

Abstract: A sheet feeder assembly for acquiring and conveying a sheet comprises a plenum connectable to a vacuum source and having an opening facing the sheet to be conveyed, and a slide plate covering the opening. The slide plate has an acquisition surface facing the sheet to be conveyed and defining apertures in communication with the plenum. A drive mechanism is connected to the slide plate and supported within the plenum, and is operable to translate the slide plate relative to the plenum to convey the acquired sheet while maintaining the vacuum through the apertures. The drive mechanism includes a motor and eccentrically driven link connected to a carriage supporting the slide plate. The motor is coupled to a cam element that drives a flapper valve disposed between the plenum and a vacuum duct. The cam element also drives a height sensing arm supported to contact the top of the stack.

Abstract: A sheet handling system for correcting the skew and/or transverse position of sequential sheets, especially those moving in a process direction in a sheet transport path of a reproduction apparatus to be registered for image printing, of the type in which the deskewing and/or side registration is accomplished by partially rotating the sheet with a transversely spaced pair of differentially driven sheet steering nips. The effective range of sheet size capabilities of such systems may be increased without steering nip slippage or other problems by applying a control signal proportional to the width of the sheet to a system for automatically increasing or decreasing the transverse spacing between the pair of sheet steering nips, so as to provide a much wider spacing for larger sheets yet still be able to handle small sheets.

Abstract: A sheet handling system for a sheet transport path of a reproduction apparatus having a sheet skew correction system being fed image substrate sheets in the process direction by a sheet transport system, wherein it is desired to positively feed and yet effectively deskew a wide range of different lengths of sheets in the process direction. A plurality of identical but independent sheet transport units may be provided spaced along the sheet transport path in the process direction engageable with a sheet being fed through sheet transport path for positively feeding even very short sheets from one sheet transport unit to another and to the skew correction system. Yet these sheet transport units provide independently automatically disengageable nips for automatically releasing even a very long sheet from any unit when that long sheet is in the skew correction system. A different selected number of the sheet transport units are disengaged in response to a different sheet length control signal.

Abstract: An apparatus and method that describes utilizing a corrugation slip nip system, including a variable force idler that encompasses three stages, to prevent buckling of copy sheets traveling at a high rate of speed upon exiting from a high speed printing machine to the exit tray for stacking. Buckling concerns are eliminated by allowing the sheet, driven by a high speed positive drive nip, to slip through the slower speed corrugation nip, yet still having enough drive force in the slip nip to drive the sheet into the exit tray. In order to vary the normal force on the sheet, a three stage variable force idler is used. The first stage oversizes the inner diameter of the idler rollers on the idler shaft. The second stage uses a slot in the spring which allows the idler shaft to move upward without deflecting the spring. These first two stages are particularly adapted for light weight paper.

Abstract: An apparatus for transferring a developed image from a photoconductive surface to a copy sheet. The apparatus includes a continuously variable length contact assembly which is moved from a nonoperative position spaced from the copy sheet, to an operative position, in contact with the copy sheet for pressing the copy sheet into contact with the developed image on the photoconductive surface to substantially eliminate any spaces between the copy sheet and the developed image during transfer of the developed image from the photoconductive surface to the copy sheet. The transfer apparatus is provided with a continuously variable length for selectively corresponding the length of the contact assembly with the process width dimension of the copy sheet.

Abstract: An idler roller assembly that prevents jams and image deletion in copier/printers by removing any corrugation in sheets before they reach sharp turns includes a shaft onto which idler rollers are mounted with the shaft having a bend in the middle in order to provide a "toe out" condition to steer out any existing sheet corrugation. An alignment member is attachable to the shaft in order to prevent mis-installation of the shaft in its mounting support.

Abstract: A sheet feeding and separating apparatus includes a multiple piece entrance guide located between a stack from which sheets are to be fed and a retard nip. The guide includes a polycarbonate base member, a radiused high friction urethane retard member and a flexible polycarbonate or polyester film deflector member. The urethane is ground to a radius on the leading edge to promote the feeding of down curled sheets, shingling of sheets and the breaking up of slugs prior to entering the retard nip. The deflector member assists in feeding down curled sheets.

Abstract: An integral sheet stopping, stacking and lateral registration system, in which sequential incoming sheets are fed into a tray and stopped at an edge registration position and also repositioned laterally by lateral sheet repositioning scuffers engaging an edge of the sheets at the edge registration position, with improved protection against sheet edge distortion or damage provided by movable partial sheet stopping surfaces partially shielding the incoming sheet lead edge from full impact with the lateral scuffers but without interfering with the subsequent lateral movement of the sheets by the lateral scuffers. The incoming sheets are fed in and stacked under a stack-floating curved input guide baffle and floating frictional input flapper scuffers feeding and holding an incoming sheet downstream against the lateral scuffers for improved lateral registration.

Abstract: An intermediate document storage chamber permitting coupling of two asynchronously operated document input and output devices together, the storage chamber having flexible guide members for bowing or arcing the portion of the document in the chamber, and control responsive to the level of the document portion in the chamber to control operation of the document input device to assure a continuous supply of document material to the document output device.