Abstract: A system comprises a plurality of cores and a communication bus enabling the cores to communicate with one another, a core having a processor and of at least one cache memory area. At least one core comprises a table of patterns storing a set of patterns, a pattern corresponding to a series of memory addresses associated with a digital data item made up of binary words stored at these addresses. This core also comprises means for mapping one of the memory addresses AdB of a digital data item to a pattern that is associated with it when said core needs to access this data item and means for transmitting a unique message for access to a digital data item located in the cache memory of at least one other core of the system, said message including the memory addresses that make up the pattern of the data item sought.

Abstract: A system comprises a plurality of cores and a communication bus enabling the cores to communicate with one another, a core having a processor and of at least one cache memory area. At least one core comprises a table of patterns storing a set of patterns, a pattern corresponding to a series of memory addresses associated with a digital data item made up of binary words stored at these addresses. This core also comprises means for mapping one of the memory addresses AdB of a digital data item to a pattern that is associated with it when said core needs to access this data item and means for transmitting a unique message for access to a digital data item located in the cache memory of at least one other core of the system, said message including the memory addresses that make up the pattern of the data item sought.

Abstract: A system for binding books includes a flexible binding material in the form of a stud having top and bottom caps. The stud is inserted into signature staples that protrude from the body of the signature to form stud holes. The binding material can be any material that is extremely flexible, including silicone, metals, etc., as long as it allows the signatures to open in a lay-flat manner either at the signature interfaces or in the body of any signature. The flexible binding material can also be used to temporarily bind pre-punched pages of a book by inserting the flexible binding material into the pre-punched holes to facilitate lay-flat opening of the book.

Abstract: A system for binding books includes a flexible binding material in the form of a stud having top and bottom caps. The stud is inserted into signature staples that protrude from the body of the signature to form stud holes. The binding material can be any material that is extremely flexible, including silicone, metals, etc., as long as it allows the signatures to open in a lay-flat manner either at the signature interfaces or in the body of any signature. The flexible binding material can also be used to temporarily bind pre-punched pages of a book by inserting the flexible binding material into the pre-punched holes to facilitate lay-flat opening of the book.

Abstract: A sheet feeder is provided comprising at least two drives that drive a sheet of material along a paper path and at least two sensors that detect a lateral side of the sheet of material. A controller is connected to the two sensors and at least one of the drives. The controller varies the drive velocity of at least one of the drives to shift the lateral position of the sheet of material in a predetermined direction until one of the sensors detects the lateral side and then varies the velocity difference of the two drives to eliminate the skew of the sheet.

Abstract: A sheet feeder is provided comprising at least two drives that drive a sheet of material along a paper path and at least two sensors that detect a lateral side of the sheet of material. A controller is connected to the two sensors and at least one of the drives. The controller varies the drive velocity of at least one of the drives to shift the lateral position of the sheet of material in a predetermined direction until one of the sensors detects the lateral side and then varies the velocity difference of the two drives to eliminate the skew of the sheet.

Abstract: A paper conditioner to control image dependent curl in a copier/printer includes a reservoir for storing a quantity of liquid, a pair of rolls in contact with one another so as to define a nip, and a metering roll associated with the reservoir and one of the pair of rolls. The metering roll forms a nip with one of the pair of rolls to direct a controlled flow of liquid from the reservoir to the nip area. Seals located at opposed ends of the metering roll and the roll with which it forms a nip prevent the flow of excess liquid from the ends of the metering roll.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining the properties of roughness and thickness of a substrate to be processed through a machine, and correspondingly adjusting those machine parameters that are affected and which can be optimized based on varying levels of these substrate properties.

Abstract: An on-line sheet hole punching system for punching holes in sheets outputted by a printing system, to eliminate pre-punched sheets, with a common sheet entrance path, two separate but closely vertically superposed sheet paths, a gating system alternately gating the unpunched sheets into one of said two separate sheet paths having respective separate, but shared components, sheet punching stations with commonly reciprocally vertically driven sheet punches. The sheets are alternatingly stopped and the desired hole patterns are alternatingly punched, and the sheets ejected, in the two separate sheet paths, individually punched, or punched as stacked sets. The separately punched sheets may be remerged in a common output path. Skipped pitches or other printing or output interruptions are avoided. A common vacuum system for waste paper punch-outs collection may service both punching stations.

Abstract: A post-fusing apparatus is provided in an electrostatographic reproduction machine for adding a controlled amount of moisture to a side of a fused toner image carrying copy sheet to control curl. The sheet conditioning apparatus includes a moisturizing agent supply and splitting assembly, including a supply source containing moisturizing agent and a plurality of rotatable metering rollers forming at least first and second moisture splitting nips, for splitting a layer of supplied moisturizing agent, and forming a thin film of moisture. The sheet conditioning apparatus also includes a rotatable moisture applying roller forming a moisture splitting and receiving nip with the moisture agent supply and splitting assembly, for receiving the thin film of moisture therefrom.

Abstract: A device and method for automatically adjusting conditioner metering roll liquid film thickness. The device including a transfer roll that mates with a back-up roll to form a nip through which a sheet passes for wetting a side of the sheet. A metering roll mates with the transfer roll and has a portion thereof positioned in a liquid filled sump for liquid to be added to an outside surface thereof. An optical sensor is positioned to detect the type of reflected light from the liquid on the outside surface of the metering roll and gives off a signal that is received by a controller that actuates a stepper motor to move the metering roll in a predetermined direction until the correct liquid thickness is obtained on the surface of the metering roll.

Abstract: A paper conditioner re-moisturizes paper immediately following fusing to restore paper temperature and moisture equilibrium and reduce curl. The paper conditioner has plumbing that includes a pump, supply lines, overflow lines, metering blade lines and return lines. A soaker hose is used to uniformly distribute conditioner agent to a wick. The soaker hose has pin-holes that are evenly spaced adjacent the wick. The wick is a high density material, such as, cotton that contacts and supplies the conditioner agent to metering rolls. These rolls contact donor rolls, which contact moisturizing rolls which contact the paper. Metering blades are used to remove excess conditioning agent from the moisturizing rolls.

Abstract: A printing apparatus that prints images onto sheets includes a conditioner that scents selected images of a job. For example, the job can be a magazine that advertises a particular fragrance or fragrances. A fragrance or scent is placed in a reservoir which is transferred via a hydrophilic donor-like roll and deposited onto a sheet by way of a nip that is engaged only when scenting is required.

Abstract: A paper conditioner to control image dependent curl which uses one or more counter-rotating transfer rollers which are initially spaced from their respective back-up rollers in the intercopy gap, and which come together as the lead edge enters the nip area, and separates when the trail edge is about to pass. This permits the rollers to have a less demanding runout tolerance by bringing the rollers together when the sheet is in the nip, and then articulating the rollers apart in the intercopy gap.

Abstract: A bottom sheet feeding system for feeding individual image substrate sheets for reproduction apparatus out from under a stack of such sheets by intermittently feeding the bottom sheet out from under the overlying stack of sheets in a sheet stacking tray with a bottom sheet feeder, which may be electrostatic, while that stack of sheets is intermittently at least partially levitated relative to the bottom sheet to substantially reduce the gravitational force of the overlying stack of sheets normally bearing down on the bottom sheet to resist the separation and feeding of the bottom sheet out from under the rest of the stack. This intermittent stack levitation may be accomplished by appropriate cyclical transducer system forces applied to the bottom of the stacking tray at a frequency coordinated with intermittent feeding of the bottom sheet out from under the stack.

Abstract: A vacuum corrugation feeder employs a vacuum feedhead working in conjunction with an air knife to feed sheets from the top or bottom of a stack. A retractable corrugator is included in the vacuum feedhead which prevents smearing of coated sheets due to relative motion between sheet surfaces and the corrugator.

Abstract: A ball-on-belt transport includes a belt with a steel ball positioned on top of the belt and a magnet on the back side of the belt with the ball forming a nip with the belt to provide necessary normal force against a conveyed sheet and thereby allowing easy lateral pulling of sheets in clearing jams from the nip. Alternatively, a steel ball is retained while in contact with a belt to apply a normal force to a sheet on the belt equal to the weight of the steel ball. The ball is encased in a housing that is surrounded by a solenoid coil such that when current is applied to the coil, it acts as a solenoid and raises the ball off the belt surface and thus releases the nip pressure.

Abstract: A top vacuum corrugation feeder includes articulating suction fingers to assist in raising the top sheet of a stack of sheets to the feedhead of the vacuum corrugation feeder. The suction fingers are rotated down from their interleaved position between feed belts to contact the top sheet in the sheet stack and raises the top sheet to the feed belts. As a result, the feeder can handle heavy sheets, curled sheets, and sheets which are edge welded.

Abstract: A paper conditioner re-moisturizes paper immediately following fusing to restore paper moisture equilibrium and reduce curl. The paper conditioner uses moisturizing rollers with a textured elastomeric surface that prevents bead buildup of water at a nip formed between the moisturizing rollers and allows the rollers to conform to the surface texture of a sheet of paper passing therethrough.

Abstract: A dual mode non-contact optical sheet edge detection system for detecting either fully transparent or regular sheets being fed in a sheet transport path of a reproduction system, with an illumination source for illuminating the potential sheet edge area at an angle to generate a detectable sheet edge shadow from transparent sheets, and an optical detection system remotely detecting the generated edge shadow to provide sheet edge location or timing information to a control system. Preferably the sheet edge is held spaced above the illuminated sensor an illuminated sensor target area to enhance the shadow effect.