Abstract: An apparatus for automatically bonding or laminating a transparent protective cover sheet to the image-bearing surface of a photograph, preferably of the type prepared by a diffusion transfer process. The cover sheet includes a layer of fluid activatable bonding agent on one side thereof. The apparatus is configured to advance a photograph past a fluid treating station where its image-bearing surface is washed and wetted with activating fluid and simultaneously advance a cover sheet from one end of a stack to feed the photograph and cover sheet between a pair of pressure rollers which bring the photograph and cover sheet into superposition to effect the bond therebetween.

Abstract: A top-load, bottom-feed friction feeder which includes a power source having connected thereto a main feed wheel and an eccentric wheel. A stone wheel is located adjacent the main feed wheel. The stone wheel can be adjusted and the feeder can continuously feed pieces which have a wide variety of sizes, stocks and orientations.

Abstract: A document feed mechanism for a copier machine incorporating an automatic document feed (ADF) with a semi-automatic document feed (SADF) and enabling the SADF to interrupt the ADF. The ADF tray upon which a stack of documents to be copied is placed is situated directly above the viewing station. A wave generator (shingler) paper feed means fans out the topmost sheets on the stack and up a ramp until the topmost sheet enters closed nip rollers. The nip rollers, together with aligner rollers and a drive belt, move the sheet around a substantially 180.degree. bend and onto the viewing station. Second sheet feeds are prevented by a restraint pad positioned between the nip rollers and the exit of the ramp, the top of the restraint pad being above the nip of the nip rollers so that the topmost sheet presses a second sheet downwardly into the restraint pad. The SADF feeds sheets onto the viewing station using the aligner rolls and the drive belt.

Abstract: A sheet separator and feeding apparatus is disclosed for feeding and separating sheets that vary in thickness from batch to batch. This is accomplished by providing an adjustable deck that changes the size of opening and entrance angle to the separator rollers. Additional exposure of the surface of the bump feed roller is also achieved.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for individually feeding blanks from a source of blanks to a point of use. The apparatus includes a feeding apparatus which has a portion thereof engageable with a side wall blank contained in the stack and feed same onto a conveyor and then to a second transfer mechanism which conveys the side wall blank to a point of use. The feeding apparatus is comprised of a mechanism which basically is comprised of a four-link arm arrangement wherein a throat-forming member is maintained in a substantially vertical plane throughout pivoting movement of the arm arrangement thereby maintaining a side wall blank in a feed position. An elevator means is also provided which has a storage magazine and is positioned below the feeding apparatus. The elevator means includes a pair of elevators which work jointly so the elevator means can be reloaded while the feeding apparatus is still running without requiring a shutdown of the equipment to fill the magazine.

Abstract: A multibin, cut-sheet xerographic copier capable of operating in a simplex or a duplex copy mode, wherein sheets are fed from a selected sheet stack, one at a time, to the copier's transfer station, by a sheet feeding means which includes a combing wheel.The combing wheel shingles the leading edge of the stack's top sheet to an open feed roller nip, to be sensed there by a pneumatic sensor. Sensing of this leading edge causes the combing wheel to be lifted off the stack. Subsequently, at a time determined by the copier's control logic, the drive nip closes to thereby feed the top sheet to the copier's paper registration gate, and then to its transfer station. As soon as this sheet's trailing edge has cleared the pneumatic sensor, and the drive nip has opened, the next sheet is staged at the shingled position, in the open drive nip.Side-one copied sheets, of intended duplex copies, are automatically stacked in a duplex bin. The bottom of the duplex bin includes a flat, resilient bottom-of-the-bin pad.

Abstract: The invention is a high speed feeding method and apparatus for inserting (or stuffing) products having a shorter flap portion folded over a longer body portion, which products may comprise single or multiple page signatures, cards, envelopes, or the like, for stuffing or inserting, including in-line inserting of pre-prints into newspapers after they leave the press or for directly inserting into the nip of paper webs where the sections are being brought together as multiple continuous webs, for final folding therein; or for other purposes. The flap enables positive feeding of the products for sequential high speed feeding to predetermined locations.

Abstract: A sheet-feed roller system that employs an annular deformable resilient roller eccentrically mounted on a shaft for rotation whereby rotation of the shaft brings the roller into contact with sheets only when they are to be fed by the roller in order to increase the feed force while minimizing the pressing force on the sheets to thereby reduce sheet misfeed.

Abstract: A device for step-feeding panels, in particular support bases for printed circuits, to a machine, and in which said panels are arranged edgewise on a support plane, and are advanced step-by-step transversely along said support plane and towards one end thereof by a bearing plane moved along said support plane by a powered slide. At said one end of the support plane cyclically movable feeding means are arranged, which support engage the panels moved, at any step, past said one end of the support plane, and displace the same from a first position substantially parallel with the bearing plane to a second position, in which said panels project outwards from said one end of the support plane and operate a means for stopping said movable feeding means.

Abstract: A rotary feeder for paperboard blanks includes suction means, partially relieved feed wheels and a transmission with input and output shafts operatively connected so that the output shaft undergoes a controlled acceleration during an initial portion of each revolution of the input shaft and is stationary during a last portion of each revolution of the input shaft, whereby the wheels engage and grip a blank by means of static friction and move and accelerate that blank to the nip rolls without slippage occurring and so that each blank enters the nip rolls in register.

Abstract: Document feeding and/or printing mechanisms including a support for a stack of documents to be printed, a rotatable printer, a feed mechanism for moving successive documents to the printer from the supported stack, and a document stacker on the opposite side of the printer for receiving documents and stacking them after the desired indicia has been printed on them.

Abstract: A stack of items having an irregular thickness such as folded sheets, booklets, filled envelopes and the like are positioned in a stack receiver with the stack leading edge resting against the pair of support rails. The stack lowermost item is supported adjacent its rear edge by rotatable supports mounted adjacent to a feed cylinder. A depending wiper device is mounted adjacent the leading edge of the stack and has a flexible bottom edge portion that is positioned either abutting or closely adjacent the cylinder surface. The feed cylinder positioned below the stack has a longitudinal protuberance that extends beyond the cylinder surface and is arranged upon rotation of the cylinder to contact the lowermost item of the stack and move this item between the wiper bottom edge and the cylinder to a position where the leading portion of the lowermost item is moved beyond the wiper device.

Abstract: For feeding blanks into, for example, a carton folding machine, blank feeder apparatus that includes a frame, blank support members having rear and intermediate portions that are forwardly and upwardly inclined and front portions that extend generally horizontally; a magazine for retaining the blanks in generally vertical stacked relationship on the support members, including hold down assemblies for resiliently urging the blank rear edge portions downwardly, and front escape bars; kicker assemblies for feeding the lowermost blank in the magazine forwardly, including endless chains having wedges thereon for lifting the adjacent part of the blank and a ledge adjacent the wedge to engage the blank rear edge to positively move the blank; feed rolls adjacent the front of the magazine to aid in moving the lowermost blank forwardly; and solenoid operated clutch mechanism for starting and stopping the drive to the feed rolls and the kicker assemblies.

Abstract: In order to advance a sheet-like piece of material, low-friction and high-friction members are provided. These low-friction and high-friction members jointly form a continuous cylindrical surface. The piece is first contacted with the material having the low friction, and is subsequently engaged with the material having the high friction. The piece is then advanced by advancing the material having the high friction.

Abstract: An arrangement for respectively withdrawing a single film sheet from a stack of directly loosely superimposed film sheets, particularly for use in X-ray filming apparatus, including a magazine for the film sheets, pressure plate for pressing the stack of film sheets against the floor of the magazine, a withdrawal slot in a side wall of the magazine calibrated in the plane of the extreme film sheet introduced which is located on the floor of the magazine. The arrangement includes a step roll and conveyor rolls for the conveyance of the particular extreme film sheet positioned on the floor of the magazine through the withdrawal slot. The floor of the magazine concurrently forms the boundary edge of the calibrated withdrawal slot, while in the region of the edge of the extreme film sheet located on the floor which is remote from the withdrawal slot, the floor of the magazine has inserted a step roll having its axis extending in parallel to this edge.

Abstract: A neat arrangement such as a pack of bills or like sheets to be counted is placed on one of their longitudinal edges in a sheet stand formed on the top of the casing of a sheet counting apparatus. An infeed mechanism comprising first and second infeed rolls frictionally feed the sheets one by one into the apparatus. A pair of sensing rolls are mounted under the second infeed rolls for sensing the passage thereover of each sheet thus fed into the apparatus and hence for actuating a counter switch. The thus counted sheets are successively loaded on a conveyor mechanism at one end thereof and are thereby transported toward the other end, where the successive counted sheets are stacked for recovery purposes. The apparatus further comprises an adjusting mechanism for adjusting the position of the sheets in the sheet stand and in the recovery mechanism according to their size and a stop motion mechanism for instantly terminating the infeeding operation of the sheets.

Abstract: Apparatus for feeding individual sheets from a hopper, including a rotating prefeed member positioned near the exit end of the hopper and having projections for repeatedly beating the next sheet to be fed from the stack of sheets, to help separate the sheets and to urge the next sheet out of the hopper.

Abstract: An automatic record feeding device particularly advantageous for use in association with a flexible foil-type video disc record used by a video disc player. The record feeding device includes a transfer roll having at least one escapement recess or notch formed in the outer peripheral surface thereof, and a back-up guide cooperative with the transfer roll to hold the disc record between it and the transfer roll during transfer of the disc record from one position to another.