Abstract: A device for pre-picking a top sheet of media from a stack is disclosed. A biased friction pad is mounted on a D-shaped pick roller mechanism to engage the top sheet with a lighter force than that which follows when a similar friction pad on the D-shaped pick roller mechanism engages the sheet. Multiple sheet pick problems inherent with use of only a D-shaped pick roller mechanism are alleviated.

Abstract: A printer includes an opening in communication with a tray receptacle for receiving a paper tray. The printer further includes a pick roller assembly; a separator shaft including a first separator roll; an arm structure connecting the pick roller assembly to the separator shaft and enabling a pick action to be imparted to the pick roller assembly; and a feed roller coupled to the separator shaft. A removable media tray is positioned in the tray receptacle, holds a stack of paper sheets and includes a second separator roll and a gear that couples the second separator roll to the separator shaft. A controller causes (i) a rotation of the separator shaft and separator roll in a first direction to enable a paper pick action and to simultaneously rotate the second separator roll to enable a paper sheet separation action, and (ii) a rotation of the separator shaft in a second direction to disable the pick action and to rotate the feed roll to accomplish a paper feed.

Abstract: A duplexing image forming device which selectively directs printed pages back onto the original paper supply, flipped over with respect to the page's original position and swapping the leading edge for the trailing edge, for printing on a second side. The formatter in the image forming device then instructs the printer engine to print the second side of the page and reverses the order of data supplied to the print engine. A paper diverter is installed at the output of the fuser mechanism in the print engine. The diverter selectively diverts paper from the standard output path into a vertical gravity reversing slot through three reversing rollers. The paper is fed from the diverter up through the nip between the single driven reversing roller and an idler reversing roller. The driven reversing roller pushes the paper up into the vertical gravity reversing slot.

Abstract: A multi-size paper cassette for a printer, such as an electrophotographic or laser jet printer and having a cassette housing which is adapted to receive a back wall and paper receiving shelf in slidable engagement with housing side walls during paper size adjustment and loading of paper into the cassette. A cammed shaft member having a predefined contoured slot therein is pivotally mounted on one of the upstanding side walls of the cassette housing and has an end face aligned with a plurality of indicia marked openinging in a front wall of the cassette housing. The cammed shaft member is operative to receive a driver pin within its contoured slot, and the driver pin and adjoining paper receiving shelf are driven backward and forward in the cassette during paper size adjustment and paper loading.

Abstract: A passive paper stacker neatly stacks the pages of a sheet of Z-fold paper using only the energy in the falling paper. The first page of the paper is automatically positioned to permit orderly stacking, and diving folds are arrested and redirected toward their proper place on the paper stack.

Abstract: A cable drive system is provided in which a fixedly mounted reversible motor imparts translational motion to a plurality of pairs of elements such as the right and left pairs of paper moving tractors in a high-speed printer. By means of a continuous cable loop routed around passive rotational elements, each element of a pair of elements, each of which is rigidly attached to the cable, can be translated the same distance in the same direction as the other while the relative alignment of one element with respect to the other element is maintained. Means for selectively translating one pair of elements independently or a plurality of pairs of elements simultaneously while maintaining the distance between the pairs are provided.