Abstract: An apparatus in which a hinge is formed in successive sheets to permit the sheets to lay substantially flat after being opened when bound to one another in a booklet. The stiffness of successive advancing sheets in a marginal region along a line substantially parallel to an edge of the sheet is reduced to facilitate bending of the sheet. The line of reduced stiffness for successive sheets is offset from one another so as to enable bending of the sheets therealong permitting the open sheets of a booklet of sheets to lay substantially flat.

Abstract: In a recirculating document handling apparatus for a copier, in which a set of document sheets are sequentially circulated from a stack thereof to the imaging station of the copier and back to the stack, and in which selectable inverting apparatus is provided for inverting or not inverting the document sheets as they are being so circulated and before they are returned to the stack, the latter comprises a large diameter inverting roller adjacent the downstream side of the imaging station, normally rotated in a first direction, and selectably rotated in the reverse direction, and a repositionable wedge-shaped first sheet guide provides in a first position, a document sheet first path from said imaging station around the outside of said inverting roller and towards the stack with the inverting roller driven in the first direction, and said first guide being repositionable to a second position, in coordination with said reverse rotation of said inverting roller in which a document sheet is guided in a second pat

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus for feeding sheets from the top or bottom of a stack of sheets which includes a sheet stack supporting tray, a vacuum plenum and feed belt sheet separating and feeding assembly with at least one feed belt having a vacuum plenum disposed within the run of the belt, the vacuum plenum and the belt assembly being positioned adjacent a sheet to be fed such that a rear portion of the plenum and belt assembly lies opposite a portion of a stack of sheets to be fed and is adjacent and substantially parallel to the plane of the sheet to be fed and a front portion of the plenum and belt assembly which lies opposite the front portion of a stack of sheets to be fed and in a plane angled away from the plane of the sheet to be fed.

Abstract: An apparatus in which sheets are separated and fed, in seriatim, from a stack with a flow of pressurized fluid being directed between the stack and support thereof. The pressurized fluid produces a gap between the stack and support which is detected. The pressure of the fluid is controlled in response to the detected gap.

Abstract: In an original document sheet feeding 10 and registration apparatus for a copier 12, in which a document sheet 14 is fed with a document feeding belt 11 over the imaging station 16 of the copier, the imaging station having a copying lens 20 in an integrating optical cavity 22 under the platen 16, document registration is provided on the platen 16 without impacting the document edge, using at least one minor spectrally reflective patch 38, 44, 54 on the otherwise diffusely light reflective surface 37 of the document belt 11, and feeding the document sheets onto the belt 11 in synchronism with the spectral patches with an edge of the document partially overlying a patch, and detecting the edge of the document sheet over the platen and within but off-axis the field of view of the copier lens 20 with a photosensor system 30, 46 which is in the optical cavity but optically invisible to the copier and aimed at a registration position 21, 46 on the platen for detecting the change there in the light level from a sepa

Abstract: In a system of plurally recirculating a set of document sheets for precollated copying wherein the document sheets are repeatedly individually fed seriatim from the bottom of an overlying stack thereof for copying with registration and returned to the top of the stack for restacking, the improvement comprising individually acquiring, and individually urging laterally into contact with an elongated lateral registration edge, with a movable vacuum member each document sheet when it is the bottom sheet of the stack of document sheets, releasing the bottom sheet, and feeding the bottom sheet out from said stack transverse said lateral registration edge by separate sheet feeding apparatus only after it has been so laterally registered and released. Preferably this individual lateral registration of the bottom sheet in the stack is assisted by simultaneously blowing air at said stack from one edge thereof to aid the movement between the bottom sheet and the overlying sheets in said stack.

Abstract: An apparatus for feeding individual substrates from the top of a stack of substrates upon demand includes a first paddle wheel mounted above the substrate stack and adapted to forward a substrate from the stack in a predetermined direction and a second paddle wheel downstream from the first paddle wheel that is adapted to continue movement of the substrate in the predetermined direction. A friction retard roller is positioned opposite to and forms a nip with the second paddle wheel in order to inhibit multi-feeding of substrates. A second embodiment includes a single paddle wheel that acts in combination with a high friction surfaced guide member to feed substrates individually from a stack.

Abstract: An apparatus which moves documents in a recirculating path from a stack to an imaging station. Successive uppermost document are fed from the stack to the imaging station. After imaging, the documents are returned to the bottom of the stack.

Abstract: An apparatus in which documents are moved in a recirculating path from a stack to an imaging station. Successive bottommost documents are fed from the stack to the imaging station with one side of the document being facedown for imaging. The document is transported from the imaging station simultaneously with the next successive document being fed thereto. After leaving the imaging station, the document returns to the top of the stack along one of two paths. One path returns the document to the top of the stack with the image side facedown. The other path returns the document to the top of the stack with the image side face up.

Abstract: An automatic document handler adapted to receive a stack of documents to be copied for feeding the documents seriatum to the platen of a copy machine and returning the copied documents to the stack. The combination of a vacuum-belt document corrugator/feed assembly and an air knife is provided to assure positive feeding of each document to the platen without misfeeds or multifeeds.

Abstract: In a document handling apparatus for moving successive individual document sheets on the imaging surface of a movable vacuum belt into a copier imaging station, the vacuum belt has all its vacuum apertures limited to minor areas of the belt underlying the smallest document to be copied to avoid being exposed for imaging, but these apertures are pneumatically connected to a pattern of elongated airflow restrictive vacuum grooves which extend unapertured under and beyond the document edge over a much greater area of the belt surface. The grooves provide document vacuum retention in the unapertured belt areas from vacuum apertures opening recessed in selected minor areas of the grooves, and with reduced airflow requirements. These grooves have gently sloped walls and are otherwise designed to avoid reproducible shadows even where exposed.

Abstract: An original document handling apparatus for moving successive individual document sheets on the surface of a movable belt into a registered position for copying at a copier imaging station, including registration fingers movable into and out of the path of the documents, in which the belt has a plurality of narrow elongated grooves extending in the direction of movement of the belt and having gently sloped walls to avoid reproducible shadows, and wherein the registration fingers are adapted to interfit into the grooves for the registration of the documents. The grooves preferably also include vacuum apertures therein.

Abstract: In an apertured vacuum belt document handling system for a copier, with a normal vacuum transport mode for moving the belt with a document thereon over the exposure position, the belt is provided with an unapertured area, preferably larger than the exposure area. This unapertured area is automatically positioned and stopped over the exposure station when the copier is placed in a manual document placement mode of operation.

Abstract: In an apertured vacuum belt document handling system for transporting documents to the exposure station of a copier the vacuum apertures are limited to discrete minor areas spaced circumferentially along the belt between unapertured areas, each vacuum apertured area being smaller than the smallest document to be transported. A document is registered in a loading station against the belt completely overlying one vacuum apertured area and advanced on the belt without slippage from the loading station to the exposure station, where the spacing from the other vacuum apertured areas is such that none of them are exposed.

Abstract: An imaging system is provided for scanning stationary objects in an object plane and projecting the image onto a moving photoreceptor in a direction opposite the photoreceptor movement. In a preferred embodiment, the scanning illumination elements comprise a dual rate mirror system, a fixed lens and a rotating mirror which reflects the projected image onto a portion of the photoreceptor surface which has been made curved in the exposure zone.

Abstract: An automatic document handler adapted to receive a stack of documents to be copied for feeding the documents seriatim to the platen of a copy machine and returning the copied documents to the stack. A combination vacuum-document separator in conjunction with an air knife and a document tray having a "U" shaped pocket therein is provided to assure positive feeding of each document to the platen without misfeeds or multifeeds.

Abstract: An apparatus in which a belt is supported by a fixed mounting and a movable mounting. In the operative position, the fixed mounting maintains at least a portion of the belt generally planar. During operation, the movable mounting deflects the planar portion of the belt to the operative position. In order to remove the belt, the movable mounting is returned to the inoperative position with the belt being undeflected. This facilitates removal of the belt from the mounting.

Abstract: An automatic document handler adapted to receive a stack of documents to be copied for feeding the documents seriatim to the platen of a copy machine and returning the copied documents to the stack. A combination vacuum-belt document separator in conjunction with a multiple orifice air knife and a document tray having a "U" shaped pocket is provided to assure positive feeding of documents without misfeeds or multifeeds.

Abstract: An apparatus in which an endless belt is supported for movement in a recirculating path. A pressurized fluid flows between a support post and the belt to reduce friction therebetween. The post is urged resiliently toward the belt to maintain the belt under substantially uniform tension.

Abstract: A belt assembly in which a sub-belt has a photoconductive belt secured releasably thereto. The sub-belt and photoconductive belt move in unison with one another about a defined path.