Patents by Inventor Richard P. Ficarra

Richard P. Ficarra 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: 8556063
    Abstract: A belt cleaning system to clean a conveyor belt having a carrier surface includes a dry ice blasting device and a debris recovery subsystem. The dry ice blasting device includes a delivery system having at least one nozzle disposed adjacent the conveyor belt. Dry ice pellets are discharged from the nozzle onto the conveyor belt carrier surface, whereby the dry ice pellets remove the debris from the carrier surface. The debris recovery subsystem includes a collector housing disposed adjacent to the conveyor belt carrier surface. The collector housing contains the debris removed from the conveyor belt carrier surface and directs the debris away from the conveyor belt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Richard P. Ficarra, Thomas C. McGraw, Gordon B. Reid, Derek A. Bryl
  • Publication number: 20130180075
    Abstract: A belt cleaning system to clean a conveyor belt having a carrier surface includes a dry ice blasting device and a debris recovery subsystem. The dry ice blasting device includes a delivery system having at least one nozzle disposed adjacent the conveyor belt. Dry ice pellets are discharged from the nozzle onto the conveyor belt carrier surface, whereby the dry ice pellets remove the debris from the carrier surface. The debris recovery subsystem includes a collector housing disposed adjacent to the conveyor belt carrier surface. The collector housing contains the debris removed from the conveyor belt carrier surface and directs the debris away from the conveyor belt.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2012
    Publication date: July 18, 2013
    Inventors: Richard P. Ficarra, Thomas C. McGraw, Gordon B. Reid, Derek A. Bryl
  • Patent number: 8191701
    Abstract: A belt cleaning system to clean the carrier surface of a conveyor belt. The system includes a roller assembly and a liquid supply subsystem. The roller assembly includes a cleaning web composed of a hydroscopic material and a roller to bias the cleaning web into rotating contact with the conveyor belt carrier surface. The liquid supply subsystem provides a cleaning liquid to the cleaning web.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Derek A. Bryl, Richard P. Ficarra, Gordon B. Reid, Thomas C. McGraw
  • Publication number: 20120085621
    Abstract: A belt cleaning system to clean a conveyor belt carrier surface includes a first cleaning assembly having a cleaning web sub-assembly. The cleaning web sub-assembly includes a supply roller, a take-up roller, a cleaning web and an applicator. The cleaning web extends from a supply of clean cleaning web wound on the supply roller to the take-up roller. The applicator is disposed intermediate the supply roller and the take-up roller to bias the cleaning web into contact with the conveyor belt carrier surface. The belt cleaning system may also include a second cleaning assembly positioned after the first cleaning assembly in the direction of travel of the conveyor belt. The cleaning webs of the first and second cleaning web sub-assemblies may be dry or wetted with a cleaning liquid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2010
    Publication date: April 12, 2012
    Inventors: Derek A. Bryl, Richard P. Ficarra, Gordon B. Reid, Richard F. Scarlata, Thomas C. McGraw
  • Publication number: 20120085622
    Abstract: A belt cleaning system to clean the carrier surface of a conveyor belt. The system includes a roller assembly and a liquid supply subsystem. The roller assembly includes a cleaning web composed of a hydroscopic material and a roller to bias the cleaning web into rotating contact with the conveyor belt carrier surface. The liquid supply subsystem provides a cleaning liquid to the cleaning web.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2010
    Publication date: April 12, 2012
    Inventors: Derek A. Bryl, Richard P. Ficarra, Gordon B. Reid, Thomas C. McGraw
  • Patent number: 7837189
    Abstract: According to aspects of the embodiments, there is provided a printing system the use of an elastomer belt that would flex during media insertion, yet would be positioned and constructed such to prevent the media from escaping the pinch created by the gripper belt. The gripping force, created by the elastomer belt, increases if the sheet attempts to be removed via the orientation and mechanical advantage of the belt construction. This system also incorporates a feature to reduce the gripper belt holding force by means of a mechanical linkage actuated by a counter weighted, cam system or possibly an electromechanical device. The elastomer belt would eliminate any marks or scuffs on the media when it is removed from the disk stacker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Herman Young, Richard P. Ficarra
  • Publication number: 20100270736
    Abstract: According to aspects of the embodiments, there is provided a printing system the use of an elastomer belt that would flex during media insertion, yet would be positioned and constructed such to prevent the media from escaping the pinch created by the gripper belt. The gripping force, created by the elastomer belt, increases if the sheet attempts to be removed via the orientation and mechanical advantage of the belt construction. This system also incorporates a feature to reduce the gripper belt holding force by means of a mechanical linkage actuated by a counter weighted, cam system or possibly an electromechanical device. The elastomer belt would eliminate any marks or scuffs on the media when it is removed from the disk stacker.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2009
    Publication date: October 28, 2010
    Applicant: XEROX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Herman YOUNG, Richard P. FICARRA
  • Patent number: 7584958
    Abstract: A document finisher is arranged for forming a document stack whose top surface is maintained substantially level. The document finisher includes a document stack leveling container for containing a document stack of one or more documents. Each document has a document thick side that is thicker than the opposite document thin side. The document stack leveling container includes a hollow. The document finisher is arranged for disposing documents in the hollow, thus forming a document stack therein. The hollow includes a bottom shaped such that the document stack top surface is maintained substantially level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2009
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Richard P Ficarra, Carlos M Terrero
  • Patent number: 7494121
    Abstract: A system and method of stacking printed sheets with sheet curl stacking problems in an automatically variable configuration stacking system having a spaced array of repositionable initial sheet supporting surfaces providing a generally planar initial stack supporting configuration on which a limited amount of sheets initially stack, and then, in response to stacking additional sheets in said system, the stacking system automatically changes to a different, arcuate, stack supporting configuration by automatically lowering at least some of the spaced array of initial sheet supporting surfaces to arcuately bend the curled sheets in an arcuate direction transverse the sheet curl direction on a fixed stacking surface that is arcuate transversely of the sheet curl direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2009
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Douglas K. Herrmann, Richard P. Ficarra, Tina M. Burns, Bruce D. Caryl, Robert F. Rubscha
  • Publication number: 20090001658
    Abstract: A document finisher is arranged for forming a document stack whose top surface is maintained substantially level. The document finisher includes a document stack leveling container for containing a document stack of one or more documents. Each document has a document thick side that is thicker than the opposite document thin side. The document stack leveling container includes a hollow. The document finisher is arranged for disposing documents in the hollow, thus forming a document stack therein. The hollow includes a bottom shaped such that the document stack top surface is maintained substantially level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2007
    Publication date: January 1, 2009
    Applicant: XEROX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Richard P. Ficarra, Carlos M. Terrero
  • Patent number: 6819906
    Abstract: A sheets sets compiling and stacking system for the output of a printer, in which the seriatim output of printed sheets may be accumulated and neatly stacked on a temporary sheets supporting system until the desired number of sheets for that set (e.g. all the pages of a collated document) is accumulated (compiled). The temporary sheets supporting system may then automatically open to drop each completed or compiled set of sheets, but with positive alternate side set clamping control against sheet scattering or skewing, dropping only one side of one set at a time, by a short distance, down onto a multiple sets stacking system, such as a self-lowering elevator stacking tray, so as to provide reduced set scattering or skewing of the sheets within the sets, and/or between sets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2004
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Douglas K. Herrmann, Bruce D. Caryl, Timothy M. Davis, Richard P. Ficarra, Richard J. Milillo, Matthew J. Ross, Alicia K. Schwenk, Piotr Sokolowski
  • Patent number: 6394442
    Abstract: An output device for a copier or printer includes a stapler which is capable of placing a single corner staple in a set of sheets, or alternately two evenly-spaced staples along the edge of the set. A kicker member, which is shaped to push a stapled set toward an output tray, includes a contact point which is movable, such as by a spring mechanism, relative to the rest of the kicker member, so that the kicker member can accommodate a moving stapler head within the output device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2002
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Terrance J. Antinora, Bruce J. DiRenzo, Bryan C. Winkelman, Richard P. Ficarra
  • Patent number: H1781
    Abstract: In a sheet handling system with an array of multiple individual sheet stacking bins and a sheet feeding system for feeding sheets from a sheet feeding output nip thereof into selected bins, for stacking of the sheets into the selected the bins, with relative movement between the sheet feeding system and the multiple individual sheet stacking bins; an automatic nip extending system is provided for automatically moving the sheet feeding output nip out into an individual bin for improved sheet control for the feeding of sheets into the bin, and an automatic nip retracting system for automatically moving the sheet feeding output nip out of the bins for unobstructed relative movement between the sheet feeding system and the sheet stacking bins, in coordination with the relative movement between the sheet feeding system and the multiple individual sheet stacking bins. The nip extending system preferably includes a repositionable extended loop sheet feeding belt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 2, 1999
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Barry P. Mandel, Richard P. Ficarra, Frederick A. Green, Richard A. Van Dongen, Don S. Walker