Abstract: During attachment or detachment of an article to or from an attaching portion, a coded vibration pattern is generated by contact between the attaching portion and the article. Information about attachment or detachment of an article is acquired by detection of a vibration pattern using a vibration sensor and analysis.

Abstract: A spacing mechanism includes a first member; a second member; a rotation shaft; an urged member supported by the second member; an urging member for urging the urged member against an urging force toward the first member to space the second member from the first member, a first gear and a load receiving portion rotatable integrally with the urging member; a second gear engaged with the first gear; an elastic member having one end fixed to the second member and another end contacted to the load receiving portion. When the shaft rotates from a predetermined rotational phase and the urged member is released from the urging member, the elastic member applies a load to the second member in a direction in which the second member is rotated.

Abstract: A method including: displacing a plurality of sheets through a defined portion of a process path; generating, using an encoder, a first number of encoder pulses associated with displacing a first sheet from the plurality of sheets along the defined portion; applying first indicia to a first side of the first sheet; displacing the first sheet through the defined portion; generating, using the encoder, a second number of encoder pulses associated with displacing the first sheet along the defined portion; calculating, using a processor, a ratio including the first and second numbers; applying second indicia to the respective second side of the first sheet or third indicia to the respective first side of a second sheet from the plurality of sheets, or fourth indicia to the respective second side of the second sheet; and adjusting, using the processor, application of the second, third, or fourth indicia according to the ratio.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device includes a first roller configured to feed a sheet in a first direction along a first feed path, a second roller arranged on a downstream side of the first roller and configured to feed the sheet in the first direction along the first feed path, a sheet detection unit arranged between the first roller and the second roller. A rotation amount of the second roller from detection of the leading end of the sheet by the sheet detection unit to arrival of the sheet at a predetermined position on the downstream side is compensated based on the rotation speed of the first roller within a first period, which is a period from start of feeding of the sheet as the first roller is started to be driven to the detection of the leading end of the sheet by the sheet detection unit.

Abstract: A drive mechanism for transmitting a drive force to drive a processing apparatus which carries out a prescribed process. The drive mechanism includes an output portion, an electromagnetic clutch and a case. An output portion for outputting the drive force, an electromagnetic clutch for controlling transmission of the drive force to the output portion, and a case including a first storage section which defines a first storage room to store the output portion, and a second storage section which defines a second storage room to store the electromagnetic clutch. Additionally, the second storage section includes a peripheral wall which surround the electromagnetic clutch, and a supporting wall which supports the electromagnetic clutch. The peripheral wall includes an upper wall above the electromagnetic clutch and a lower wall below the electromagnetic clutch. An opening section is formed in the upper wall.

Abstract: Provided are a sheet feeding device with improved separating/feeding performance. The sheet feeding device includes a sheet storage portion, a pickup roller which feeds the sheet, a driving motor which rotates the pickup roller, a feed roller and a separating roller which separate and feed the sheet, and a drive transmission mechanism which when the pickup roller abuts on the surface of the sheet accommodated in the sheet storage portion to feed the sheet, allows the pickup roller to perform intermittent rotation that alternately perform rotation and stop twice or more while one sheet is fed. The drive transmission mechanism is connected to the driving motor and includes an input gear having a plurality of protrusions and a regulating portion which is engaged with the protrusions of the input gear to regulate the rotation of the input gear.

Abstract: A conveying apparatus that rotates a roller and conveys an object, the conveying apparatus including: a roller driving unit that rotates the roller; a first operation unit that operates a rotation amount of the roller corresponding to a target movement amount of the object, on the basis of the target movement amount and information of a roller diameter, and quantizes the rotation amount; a random number generating unit that generates a random number; a second operation unit that operates a corrected rotation amount of the roller obtained by correcting the rotation amount, on the basis of the random number generated by the random number generating unit, a quantization error obtained by the first operation unit and a quantization method; and a driving control unit that controls driving of the roller according to the corrected rotation amount.

Abstract: A recording medium feeding device includes a first rotating member picking up a recording medium, a second rotating member transporting the picked-up recording medium, a driving gear unit rotating and transmitting a driving force, a first transmission mechanism having a first gear and transmitting the driving force in a first rotation direction to the first rotating member and the second rotating member, a second transmission mechanism having a second gear and transmitting the driving force in a second rotation direction to the first rotating member, and a transmission adjusting portion transmitting the driving force of either one of the first or second gear to either one of the first or second transmission mechanism, wherein the first gear rotates in the first rotation direction, the second gear rotates in the second rotation direction, and the driving gear unit engages with both the first and second gear within a predetermined range.

Abstract: A rotation-body controlling apparatus including: a first motor configured to rotate a first rotation body; a second motor configured to rotate a second rotation body; a first rotation amount detecting portion configured to detect a rotation amount of the first rotation body rotated in synchronization with the first motor; a second rotation amount detecting portion configured to detect a rotation amount of a second rotation shaft rotated in synchronization with the second rotation body; a transmitting mechanism configured such that a rotation of the first rotation body is transmittable to the second rotation shaft; and an origin-position detecting portion configured to detect an origin position of a rotation phase of the first rotation body on the basis of a phase of the first rotation body at a time when the second rotation amount detecting portion has detected a rotation of the second rotation shaft, where the rotation of the first rotation body operated by the first motor is transmitted to the second rotati

Abstract: There is provided a sheet handling machine comprising: a drive source; a first driven shaft arranged to receive drive from the drive source at least when the drive source drives in a first direction of rotation; a feed roller shaft; a feed roller mounted on the feed roller shaft for feeding sheets when the feed roller shaft is driven; and a rotatably supported drive transmission for selectively engaging drive transmission from the first driven shaft to the feed roller shaft in dependence upon the rotational position of the drive transmission. A mailpiece creation apparatus is also provided, illustrating one application of such a machine, as well as associated methods for sheet handling and mailpiece creation.

Abstract: A first convey roller conveys a sheet in a sheet conveying direction such that a leading edge of the sheet passes through a nip of a second convey roller disposed downstream from the first convey roller. The second convey roller rotates in a reverse direction by a first rotation amount corresponding to a first linear distance to convey the sheet in a direction opposite to the sheet conveying direction, such that the leading edge of the sheet is released from the nip of the second convey roller. In response to the rotation of the second convey roller in the reverse direction, the first convey roller rotates by a second rotation amount corresponding to a second linear distance in the reverse direction to convey the sheet in the direction opposite to the sheet conveying direction, such that the leading edge of the sheet contacts the nip of the second convey roller when the first convey roller has rotated by the second rotation amount and the second convey roller has rotated by the first rotation amount.

Abstract: A feeder device for feeding media sheets along a feed path, including: (a) an accommodator for accommodating the media sheets; (b) a feed mechanism including (b-1) a roller that is to be held in contact with the media sheets accommodated in the accommodator and (b-2) a motor that is controllable based on a variable so as to rotate the roller, so that the media sheets can be fed along the feed path by the roller; (c) a detector operable to detect an amount of rotation of the roller or the motor; (d) a controller operable to adjust the variable on the basis of the amount of rotation detected by the detector such that feed movement of each media sheet can be achieved substantially as desired; (e) a monitor operable to monitor the variable that is adjusted by the controller; and (f) a media-related information obtainer operable to obtain information related to the media sheets fed by the feed mechanism, based on the actual value of the adjusted variable monitored by the monitor.

Abstract: A media feedpath having a feed assist roller, comprises a media feedpath having a C-shaped portion, a media input and a feed roll nip, an input roller feeding media from the media input, a feed assist roller downstream of the C-shaped portion of the media feedpath, the feed assist roller assisting media indexing through the media feedpath on a single side and without an opposed pinch roller, the feed roll nip having a driven roller and a feed roll pinch roll opposite the driven roll, the feed assist roller being driven by a toggle gear transmission from the driven roller of the feed roll nip, the gear train adapted for toggling to operably engage or disengage the feed assist roller depending on a driving direction of the driven roller of the feed roll nip.

Abstract: A paper feeding apparatus including a paper pickup roller assembly, a paper conveying roller assembly, a one-way driving assembly, and a reverse driving assembly is provided. The one-way driving and the reverse driving assembly are connected to a driving device, such as a motor, wherein the one-way driving assembly is engaged with the paper pickup roller assembly only in one direction to drive the paper pickup roller assembly forward as the driving device rotates forward and stop driving the paper pickup roller assembly as the driving device rotates backward, and the reverse driving assembly is provided for driving the paper conveying roller assembly to constantly rotate forward for conveying the paper sheet to move forward no matter whether the driving device rotates forward or backward.

Abstract: A device for feeding a processing section with printed products includes a magazine and a feeding mechanism that includes a gripping mechanism and a conveying mechanism for removing the printed products from the magazine and feeding them to the processing section. The gripping mechanism and the conveying mechanism are driven so that the gripping mechanism can be accelerated in an angular region for a catch-up operation while the speed of the conveying mechanism remains constant.

Abstract: A rotary clutch device includes: a tooth-partially-lacking gear that can mesh with a drive gear and is given initial rotation force; a rotatable cam body that is concentric with the tooth-partially-lacking gear, having an engagement step; and an elastic body. An engagement lever is engaged with and disengaged from the engagement step according to an intermittent operation of an actuator so that the tooth-partially-lacking gear starts and stops to rotate. Rotation force of the tooth-partially-lacking gear is transmitted to the cam body via the elastic body.

Abstract: A recording member feeding device feeds a recording member such as a sheet in an image recording apparatus such as a copying machine. The recording member feeding device has a feeding rotary unit, a driving unit for driving the feeding rotary unit, and a driving power transmitting unit for transmitting he power of the driving unit to the feeding rotary unit. The recording member feeding device further has a rotation detecting unit for detecting the number of rotations of a rotary part in the rotary driving unit or in the driving power transmitting unit. The feeding rotary unit feeds the recording member by a length which is determined by the number of complete rotations detected by the rotation detecting units.

Abstract: The manual sheet feeding apparatus according to the conventional art employing a retard separating system requires a pick-up roller for feeding sheets one by one from the bundle of sheets, a mechanism for detaching the pick-up roller, a shutter, and a shutter solenoid for controlling the shutter. Consequently, these requirements cause need of a large space, a complex system, and high cost. In order to improve the above issue, they are provided, a sheet feeding apparatus for use in image forming apparatuses and image reading apparatuses which have the following features. A sheet supported by a displaceable sheet supporting unit of the sheet feeding apparatus is fed by a feeding rotation body. A separating rotation body is pressed against the feeding rotation body and is operated to force an extra sheet in a reverse direction.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device for a printer, e.g., a stencil printer including an ink drum with a master wrapped therearound and a press drum one of which is pressed against the other during printing is disclosed. The sheet feeding device is capable of feeding a sheet at a preselected speed without regard to a print speed varying every moment due to various factors particular to an ink drum driveline, i.e., whether a set print speed is higher than a standard print speed or lower than the same. This successfully obviates the short loop of a sheet which would result in a skew or a feed failure. In addition, the device reduces noise at print speeds lower than the standard print speed and used more often than the other print speeds.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus includes a carrier portion, a suction belt, a servo motor, a blower, a solenoid valve, a pressure sensor, a position sensor, a belt hole sensor, and a controller. The carrier portion feeds a plurality of sheets of different sizes in a direction of their thickness in an upright state. The suction belt has a belt hole for drawing each sheet fed from the carrier portion by suction, so as to feed out each sheet drawn by suction with the belt hole. The servo motor drives the suction belt. The blower generates a pressure for drawing the sheet by suction in the belt hole. The solenoid valve enables/disconnects supply of the negative pressure from the blower to the belt hole. The pressure sensor measures a pressure in the belt hole. The position sensor detects the sheet fed out by the suction belt. The belt hole sensor detects the belt hole after the sheet is fed out.