Patents by Inventor Matthew R. McLaughlin

Matthew R. McLaughlin has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7578503
    Abstract: A sheet registration system for a sheet handling device has a plurality of driven belts. Each belt is entrained about a driven roller and an idler roller. The driven rollers are fixedly mounted on a common drive shaft that is connected to a motor. The idler rollers each have a shaft and the idler shafts are coaxially aligned and parallel to the common drive shaft. Adjacent idler shafts are interconnected. The idler rollers are cantilevered about the common drive shaft and may be pivoted thereabout. The gravitational force on the cantilevered idler rollers provide the normal pressure on the belts to produce the frictional force necessary to acquire and register incoming sheets. Selective pivoting of the idler rollers in response to sheet media parameters inputted to a control panel by an end user automatically varies the normal pressure of the idler rollers and adjusts the frictional force of the belts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2009
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Matthew R. McLaughlin, Dennis N. Muck, David R. Kretschmann
  • Patent number: 7523933
    Abstract: An adjustable force driving nip assembly for use in a sheet transport system of a document creating apparatus has a plurality of adjustable force driving nips aligned and spaced transversely across the sheet travelling path of the sheet transport system. Each driving nip has a spring biased idler roller mounted on a cam follower and mated with a driven roller. The spring bias produces a normal force for the idler roller that urges the idler roller against the driven roller. A stepper motor is adapted to interact concurrently with the cam followers and, upon actuation, vary the force of the spring thus adjusting the normal force of the idler rollers. A controller actuates the stepper motor in response to sheet media data entered into a control panel of the document creating apparatus by an end user, thereby automatically adjusting the normal force of the idler rollers to prevent sheet marking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2009
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Michael J. Linder, Wayne C. Powley, Matthew R. McLaughlin
  • Publication number: 20080073829
    Abstract: A sheet registration system for a sheet handling device has a plurality of driven belts. Each belt is entrained about a driven roller and an idler roller. The driven rollers are fixedly mounted on a common drive shaft that is connected to a motor. The idler rollers each have a shaft and the idler shafts are coaxially aligned and parallel to the common drive shaft. Adjacent idler shafts are interconnected. The idler rollers are cantilevered about the common drive shaft and may be pivoted thereabout. The gravitational force on the cantilevered idler rollers provide the normal pressure on the belts to produce the frictional force necessary to acquire and register incoming sheets. Selective pivoting of the idler rollers in response to sheet media parameters inputted to a control panel by an end user automatically varies the normal pressure of the idler rollers and adjusts the frictional force of the belts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2006
    Publication date: March 27, 2008
    Inventors: Matthew R. McLaughlin, Dennis N. Muck, David R. Kretschmann
  • Publication number: 20080042340
    Abstract: An adjustable force driving nip assembly for use in a sheet transport system of a document creating apparatus has a plurality of adjustable force driving nips aligned and spaced transversely across the sheet travelling path of the sheet transport system. Each driving nip has a spring biased idler roller mounted on a cam follower and mated with a driven roller. The spring bias produces a normal force for the idler roller that urges the idler roller against the driven roller. A stepper motor is adapted to interact concurrently with the cam followers and, upon actuation, vary the force of the spring thus adjusting the normal force of the idler rollers. A controller actuates the stepper motor in response to sheet media data entered into a control panel of the document creating apparatus by an end user, thereby automatically adjusting the normal force of the idler rollers to prevent sheet marking.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2006
    Publication date: February 21, 2008
    Inventors: Michael J. Linder, Wayne C. Powley, Matthew R. McLaughlin