Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit and a conveyance unit. The image forming unit forms an image on a print medium. The conveyance unit has a belt member to convey the print medium in a state in which an end of the print medium in a width direction perpendicular to a conveyance direction of the print medium is placed outside an end of the belt member in the width direction.

Abstract: A multi-function binding machine is proposed. The multi-function binding machine (700) comprises a binding station (135) for binding blocks of signatures (105), and a feeding station (115) for receiving signatures in succession, opening the signatures, and feeding the signatures to the binding station; in the solution according to an embodiment of the invention, the multi-function binding machine further comprises a further feeding station (715) for receiving pre-signatures in successions, folding groups of at least one pre-signature into further signatures (729), and feeding the further signatures to the binding station.

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes: a conveying member configured to convey a sheet; a first opening section including a conveyance guide section arranged on the opposite side of the conveying member across a conveying path and configured to form the conveying path and a first pivot shaft configured to pivotably support the conveyance guide section, the first opening section being configured to form the conveying path using the conveyance guide section if changing to a closed state and open the conveying path if changing to an open state; and a second opening section including a cover section configured to cover the first opening section if the first opening section changes to the closed state and a second pivot shaft configured to pivotably support the cover section, the second opening section being configured to cause, if pivoting, the first opening section to pivot following the second opening section.

Abstract: A thickness detecting mechanism is provided for detecting a thickness of a to-be-measured article. The thickness detecting mechanism includes a detecting arm and an optical displacement sensing module. The detecting arm is moved as the to-be-measured article is sustained against the detecting arm. The detecting arm includes a surface. The optical displacement sensing module detects the surface of the detecting arm when the detecting arm is respectively located in a first position and a second position. According to the displacement amount of the detecting arm from the first position to the second position, the thickness of the to-be-measured article is acquired.

Abstract: The image forming system includes: a first transporting unit transporting paper sheets along a first transportation route; an image forming unit forming images on the paper sheets; a sheet supplying unit having a second transportation route, and transporting a sheet along the second transportation route to supply the sheet to a gap between the paper sheets sequentially transported along the first transportation route, the second transportation route joining the first transportation route at a position located on a downstream of the image forming unit in a transportation direction; and a controller outputting, to respective first and second output units, a paper sheet located on a downstream of the gap, and a paper sheet located on an upstream of the gap while causing the image forming unit to form an image on the paper sheet on the upstream of the image forming unit, when the sheet is not supplied.

Abstract: A system for gathering printed products includes a transport device and feed devices for the printed products, which form a gathering line, wherein the transport device has receiving points for the printed products located at regular intervals on a revolving traction apparatus. A sensor, which monitors the functionality of the receiving points along the transport line to detect defects, is connected to a control unit, which determines the feed of the printed products to the receiving points of the transport device.

Abstract: An arrangement is provided wherein a printer used with a host device is operated to generate print batch separator pages using the same blank sheets as are used to print respective pages of successive print jobs. The printer is directed to print a visually distinctive graphic indicator, such as a separator border, trim, header, visible banner or other visual indicator or markings. This eliminates the need for an additional printer separator page tray. Usefully, a host device is operated to generate a separator command in a specified PDL language. A printer control device receives the page separator PDL command, and software contained in the printer control converts the PDL command into a printer readable format (PRF). A printer component responsive to the PRF command then operates the printer to print the specified separator page.

Abstract: Provided is a shift transport device for transporting a sheet to a sheet transport direction upstream side of a sheet process tray and for shifting the sheet. The shift transport device offsets the sheet and the sheets are stacked on a sheet process tray. Then, the sheets stacked on the sheet process tray in a state of being offset are aligned by an aligning member.

Abstract: An image forming system which is capable of preventing paper jam from occurring in a sheet processing apparatus to thereby maintain the stability of the system. An alignment plates of an alignment unit movable in a lateral direction each sheet are brought into abutment with opposite side edges of sheets stacked on the sheet stack unit to laterally align the sheets. A lateral registration sensor unit detects a lateral position of the sheet being conveyed. When the detected lateral position of the sheet is beyond a predetermined position, the CPU of the apparatus changes the standby positions of the alignment plates such that spacing therebetween in the lateral direction the sheet is widened by a predetermined amount, and extends the conveying interval of sheets in the image forming apparatus by a predetermined time period.

Abstract: A system uses a plurality of sensors to detect and manage conditions within a moving pocket, such as a pocket carrying a flat product from one location to another. The system is particularly useful in connection with a newspaper insert machine. One sensor detects whether the product has been opened properly at a particular time; another sensor detects whether the product has been properly gripped by a gripper at a particular time; another sensor detects whether the pocket is empty at a particular time and another sensor detects whether the pocket is open or closed at a particular time. In the event an error condition is detected, the error condition is corrected by a control system.

Abstract: Sheet processing systems and methods are provided, including systems and methods for advancing and organizing sheets. System can include an alignment mechanism having an alignment plate, a first advancing mechanism configured to individually advance each sheet of a series of sheets in a first direction from a lower feeder to the alignment mechanism, a second advancing mechanism configured to individually advance each sheet of the series of sheets in a second direction from the alignment mechanism to an accumulator, such that the second direction is substantially perpendicular to the first direction, a sensor configured to read an identification code of each sheet of the series of sheets, and a processor configured to control operation of the first and second advancing mechanisms based on sensor readings of the identification codes.

Abstract: A device and method for assisting a user to clear a media jam in a printing device that announces pages, picks media responsively to the announced pages and images the picked media using a media transport path, that: detects a media jam at a given location along the media transport path; halts printing device components upstream from the given location in the media path while continuing to image picked media downstream from the given location in the media transport path; and, prompts the user to clear the detected media jam from the given location after all downstream media has been imaged.

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a first detecting unit including a first sensor and a second sensor arranged at a predetermined spacing from each other on a line orthogonal to a conveying path through which a sheet is conveyed, and a hole punching section provided downstream at a predetermined distance from the first detecting unit and arranged orthogonally to the conveying path of the sheet. The quantity of skew of the sheet is detected in accordance with a difference between time when a forward edge or a rear edge of the sheet passing through the conveying path passes the first sensor and time when the forward edge or rear edge passes the second sensor. Position information of the sheet with respect to the hole punching section is calculated in accordance with information of timing when the first sensor and the second sensor detect the passage of the sheet edge, and the conveying speed of the sheet.

Abstract: An improved method for monitoring stack quality in a finisher of a printer includes examining the net displacement of a compiling tray after each set has been ejected. A deviation from the normal increments of displacement for each set triggers a “tray full” condition which alerts a user to empty the tray.

Abstract: An improved sloped stack detection system for a multi-function finisher includes a reflective sensor which suspends the conveying of stapled sets to an output tray when staple build-up in small stapled sets causes the stacked output to become sloped.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for producing selectively collated print products employ a production section, a control device, a transfer-out device for transferring out defective print products, a detection device that detects and records gaps resulting from the transfer out of defective print products, and a transfer-in device. Initially, a line of print products are processed in a production section; a predetermined number of print products are diverted from the production section and supplied to a product buffer. If the print products are not diverted, the line of print products continue in a conveying section and gaps between the print products are detected and recorded via the detection device. A number of print products are removed from the product buffer based on a control signal from the control device to fill detected gaps between print products in the conveying section; and the removed print products are inserted into the recorded gaps.

Abstract: A document assembly system with jam detection capability. The system including an accumulation chassis having a series of pusher fingers for pushing collations of documents. Above the chassis, document feeders release documents to the chassis to form the collations. A set of horizontal photo-sensors is positioned below the document feeder at a level substantially even with the tops of the pusher fingers on the chassis. The photo-sensors detect lead and trail edges of documents traveling in the flight path from the document feeder to the chassis. The sensors generate signals representing the lead and tail edges of documents breaking the line between the photo-sensors. A controller receives the signals from the photo-sensors and compares them to an expected profile calculated as a function the parameters of operation for the chassis and feeders. An error signal is generated when the compared signals are different from the expected profile by greater than a predetermined margin of error.

Abstract: A system and method for merge-sequencing ordered subsets of items into a single merged set in a predetermined sorted sequence and error-checking the resulting merged set to provide information about out of order items to allow for efficient error correction methods. The system uses an outcome verifier module to ensure that items placed onto the single merged set are in the proper sequence. Items that are not in the proper sequence are temporarily removed from the merged set. If it is determined that items are missing from the sorted sequence a placeholder may be inserted to mark the place of missing items.

Abstract: A document assembly system with jam detection capability. The system including an accumulation chassis having a series of pusher fingers for pushing collations of documents. Above the chassis, document feeders release documents to the chassis to form the collations. A set of horizontal photo-sensors is positioned below the document feeder at a level substantially even with the tops of the pusher fingers on the chassis. The photo-sensors detect lead and trail edges of documents traveling in the flight path from the document feeder to the chassis. The sensors generate signals representing the lead and tail edges of documents breaking the line between the photo-sensors. A controller receives the signals from the photo-sensors and compares them to an expected profile calculated as a function the parameters of operation for the chassis and feeders. An error signal is generated when the compared signals are different from the expected profile by greater than a predetermined margin of error.

Abstract: A collating system having a plurality of feeders to release enclosure materials onto a deck and a plurality of pusher finger pairs moving along the deck for collating the released materials. The pusher finger pairs are mounted on a pair of moving belts at pre-determined positions. A sensing device is used to monitor whether any pusher finger is missing, broken or out of alignment, thereby rendering a pusher finger pair non-functioning. If a pusher finger pair is not functioning, the cell or pocket associated with that pusher finger pair will be marked “damaged” so that the feeders release enclosure materials only to the cells associated with functional pusher finger pairs.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are disclosed for preventing components in an inserter machine from causing the inserter machine to stop or function less than optimally due to lack of proper attention from an operator. Accordingly, various component conditions are categorized based upon two or more levels of urgency, and each component having such a condition signals the category of urgency to an operator.

Abstract: According to the collating apparatus of the present invention, if the collation error is detected, the erroneously collated matter selection and discharge unit discharges the erroneously collated matter so as to be distinguishable from the correctly collated matters. Besides, the collation error can be recognized and the erroneously collated matter can be removed after the collation operation is completed for all collated matters. Therefore, it is possible to continue the collation operation without stopping the collation operation when the collation error occurs.

Abstract: A printer (2; 52) prints documents which, after arriving in a finishing system (1; 51), are detected and finished in an order corresponding with the order in which the documents have been printed by the printer (2; 52). The printer (2; 52) generates verification markings following one of the documents and prior to a next one of the documents. The number of documents that arrive in an interval limited by at least one of the verification markings are counted and compared with a reference number. An error message is generated if the counted number of arrived documents does not agree with the reference number. This makes it possible to monitor whether, after the documents have been printed, any faults have occurred. Further, a system for finishing documents is described.

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring the thickness of flat products such as sheets or signatures, the flat products being fed from a pile of signatures to a pocket by a pocket feeder. The pocket feeder includes a first and second roller. The first roller is arranged against the second roller to form a nip therebetween for receiving a flat product. The first roller is deflectable when a flat product enters the nip. The apparatus comprises a first proximity target which is arranged on the first roller and a second proximity target which is fixedly arranged on the receiving unit. A proximity switch monitors the targets and a control unit starts and stops counting the pulses generated by an encoder. To calculate the thickness of a flat product, the counted pulses are compared to a stored value.

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring the thickness of flat products such as sheets or signatures, where the flat products are fed from a pile of signatures to a pocket by a pocket feeder. The apparatus has a light source and light sensor for sensing the light transmitted from the light source. The pocket feeder includes a first roller and second roller, the first roller being arranged against the second roller to form a nip therebetween for receiving flat product, wherein the first roller is deflectable when a flat product enters the nip. The apparatus includes a first reflecting element which is arranged on the first roller for reflecting incident light, a light source for directing light to said first reflecting element and a first sensor element for sensing light reflected from said reflecting element which produces a sensor signal. A calculating unit for calculating the thickness based on that sensor signal is also provided.