Abstract: A sheet transfer apparatus for an image reading apparatus includes a sheet supply tray for storing a sheet; a sheet supply device for drawing out the sheet on the sheet supply tray; a transfer device for receiving the sheet from the sheet supply means and placing the sheet at a predetermined position on a platen of an image reading apparatus for reading the image thereon; a discharge device for discharging the sheet on the platen after reading the image thereon; and a discharge tray for receiving the sheet discharged by the discharge device. A switchback device is disposed above the platen for reversing the sheet when necessary, and includes a switchback path for receiving the sheet to reverse the same. The switchback path includes a first opening portion for opening a first area near an inlet side, and a second opening portion for opening a second area away from the inlet side of the switchback path. The switchback path is easily accessible when the sheet is jammed.

Abstract: An intelligent feeding and separating device for consistently separating an outermost sheet of media from a stack and feeding it to an imaging rendering apparatus, includes: a) a sheet transport mechanism; b) a feed device for feeding sheets to the sheet transport mechanism; c) a separation mechanism adjacent to the feed mechanism; d) at least one drive mechanism in operable association with the feed or separation mechanisms, and comprising a feed or separation roller reversal mechanism; e) a plurality of different types of sensor devices adjacent to the feed mechanism for measuring characteristics of the sheets being fed; and f) a microprocessor in communication with the sensor devices and the feed or separation roller direction reversal mechanism; wherein, depending upon input from the sensor devices, the microprocessor outputs to the feed or separation roller direction reversal mechanism to address feed-related problems encountered during operation.

Abstract: A method and system provide for generating a predetermined feed spacing between a first document and a second document. The method includes the steps of determining an adjustment time period, and reducing a feed wheel speed to an adjustment speed. The feed wheel transports the documents between a document stack and a transport wheel. The method further provides for increasing the feed wheel speed after the adjustment time period has expired such that the trailing edge of the first document and the leading edge of the second document have the predetermined feed spacing. Determining the adjustment time period in conjunction with variable control of the feed wheel provides and enhanced approach to feed spacing unachievable through conventional approaches.

Abstract: A paper feed unit has a paper feed tray stacking sheets thereon, a primary paper feed roller and a secondary paper feed member, wherein an uppermost sheet among the sheets stacked on the paper feed tray is transferred toward the secondary paper feed member from the primary paper feed roller, a tip end of the sheet then contacts with the secondary paper feed member, and primary paper feed is then completed while the sheet is being bent. A counter rotation stop mechanism, which allows the primary paper feed roller to rotate in a paper feed direction but prevents the primary paper feed roller from rotating in a counter direction to the paper feed direction, and a rotation stop release mechanism, which releases a state in which the primary paper feed roller is prevented from rotating in the counter direction by the counter rotation stop mechanism, are also provided.

Abstract: A non-planar single sheet separator wall preferably inclined at about 25° from the vertical away from a paper stack first engages the side corners of the leading edge of a sheet of paper or other media picked from the top of the generally horizontal or downwardly inclined stack by a roller or pusher and causes the corners of the sheet to first curl upwardly along the wall before the central portion of the leading edge of the sheet engages the central portion of the separator wall. The separator wall configuration substantially eliminates downward curling of one or both leading corners of a sheet which is purposely upwardly bowed by an elastomeric pad near the center of the separator wall to reduce multi-sheet picks and separator jams.

Abstract: A feeding and conveying system for feeding and conveying sheet material for printing, collating, or binding the sheet material, among other processes. The feeding and conveying system includes at least one feeder having a magazine containing a plurality of articles of sheet material, for example, signatures, a rotatable disk for separating the sheet material from the magazine, and a feed drum for transferring the sheet material from the magazine to a conveyor. The rotatable disk, having at least one separating blade, is reciprocally rotated to separate the sheet material from the magazine. The separation of the sheet material from the magazine may be aided by applying a source of vacuum to the sheet material, for example, by means of suckers. The feed drum may include one or more grasping devices for grasping and retaining the sheet material, for example, one or more grippers. The rotation of the separator disk may be controlled by a programmable controller.

Abstract: The invention is to provide a paper feeding apparatus and a driving method thereof for an office machine. The office machine includes a paper accommodating device and a paper processing apparatus. The paper accommodating device is for accommodating paper sheets to be processed by the paper processing apparatus. The paper feeding apparatus is for feeding the paper sheets accommodated by the paper accommodating device one by one to the paper processing apparatus. The paper feeding apparatus includes a pickup roller, a delivery roller, a pair of feeding rollers, a detection device, a transmission gear assembly, a drive motor and a controller. The detection device detects a leading edge and a trailing edge of the paper sheet delivered by the paper feeding apparatus. In particular, the paper feeding apparatus is a simple-configuration, light-weight and compact component and capable of feeding paper sheets accurately.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device includes a feeding roller that is driven to rotate, and a base plate to stack sheets thereupon. The sheet feeding device is configured to rotate around a supporting axis thereof in directions to contact and separate from the feeding roller. A base plate pressing member is configured to press the base plate toward the feeding roller, such that an uppermost sheet of the stack of sheets stacked on the base plate contacts the feeding roller in order to be fed by the feeding roller. A first friction device is arranged in a vicinity of a first part of an upper surface of the base plate so as to oppose the feeding roller. The first friction device is configured to provide a bottom sheet of the stack of sheets stacked on the base plate with a first frictional resistance greater than a predetermined value.

Abstract: A recording material separating apparatus has a rotary member contacting with a recording material, a separating member for contacting with the rotary member and separating the recording material from the rotary member, and a guide member for guiding that surface of the recording material separated from the rotary member which is adjacent to the rotary member. The guide member is provided for retraction from a guide position by the pressure of the recording material when jammed, and the separating member is retracted from a separating position in operative association with the retracting action of the guide member.

Abstract: A lottery ticket dispensing device is provided with a ticket drawing wheel having thereon a plurality of friction surfaces and smooth surfaces, which are arranged alternately so as to bring about an intermittent movement of a lottery ticket which is drawn out by the ticket drawing wheel. A fast-delivery roller of the dispensing device is provided with a gear engageable with a gear of the auxiliary roller of the dispensing device so as to cause the fast-delivery roller and the auxiliary roller to rotate synchronously to facilitate the prompt dispensing of the lottery tickets.

Abstract: Present invention relates to a sheet material feeding apparatus comprising sheet material stacking means, sheet material feeding means, separation means for separating the sheet materials fed by the sheet material feeding means one by one; and a guide member for guiding one side end of the sheet material. The sheet material feeding means includes first, second, and third feeding rotary members, which are respectively formed with a sheet material contacting surface made of a high frictional material, coaxially positioned in this order from a location closer to the guide member, wherein a maximum outer diameter of the second rotary member is larger than a maximum outer diameter of the first rotary member.

Abstract: A card feeder for a card printer provides a stack of cards at an input end of the printer. The cards are supported on a pair of rollers that are driven at differential speeds and through one-way clutches so that a card being fed from the stack will pass through an outlet opening and can be accelerated by further drives. The outlet opening is controlled as to size by a slidable gate that permits changing the thickness of the opening to permit use of different thickness cards in the hopper. The feeder includes cleaning rollers that are formed as a module that can be inserted and replaced, and also an encoding station where the card can be encoded such as for a magnetic strip, or for non contact radio frequency or other smart card chips contained on the card being processed prior to the printing operation.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus including a movable sheet supporting device for supporting a sheet, a sheet feeding device urged against the sheet supported by the sheet supporting device and adapted to rotate in a sheet feeding direction to feed the sheet, a feeding device disposed at a downstream side of the sheet feeding device in the sheet feeding direction and adapted to feed the sheet fed from the sheet feeding device, a separating roller adapted to rotate in a sheet restoring direction to restore the sheet fed from the sheet feeding device, a drive transmitting device for stopping rotation of the sheet feeding device toward the sheet feeding direction before a leading end of the sheet fed out from the sheet supporting device by the sheet feeding device reaches the feeding device and then for rotating the sheet feeding device in the sheet feeding direction again, and a pressing and retracting device for moving the sheet supporting device which abutted the sheet against the sheet feeding device before the lead

Abstract: A bill feed-out device adapted for dispensing bills from a bill storage box includes a bill stacking plate disposed in the bill storage box to support stacked bills on its upper surface, kick rollers provided below the bill stacking plate to be contactable with a bottommost bill of the bills stacked on the bill stacking plate for kicking the bottommost bill laterally, a feed-out roller, having multiple large-diameter portions and multiple small-diameter portions, for feeding further downstream bills kicked out by the kick rollers, separation rollers, each of which have multiple large-diameter portions and multiple small-diameter portions and whose multiple large-diameter portions can mesh into the multiple small-diameter portions of the feed-out roller for separating one by one bills present between itself and the feed-out roller, a stacked bill number detector for detecting the number of bills stacked on the bill stacking plate, a bite amount regulator responsive to the number of stacked bills detected by th

Abstract: To provide a bill dispensing device capable of handling bills widely differing from each other in paper quality and creases with high reliability and of handling all the bills of widely different lengths with respect to a delivery direction. A bill dispensing device comprises a bill container for containing sheets, rotating feed rollers for feeding bills to the next device, respectively having highly frictional parts (rubber members) in their circumferences, and nonrotatable gate rollers disposed opposite to the feed rollers and respectively having highly frictional parts in their circumferences. Pickup rollers respectively having highly frictional parts in their circumferences are disposed coaxially with the feed rollers and not opposite to the gate rollers so as to rotate together with the feed rollers.