Abstract: An apparatus for repeatedly separating and displacing a topmost bag between a bag stack location and a second location. The apparatus comprises a separating manipulator having a prehension end-effector selectively activable/deactivable to seize and maintain the topmost bag and subsequently release the topmost bag. The separating manipulator is selectively configurable in a bag engaging configuration to seize a separation section of the topmost bag and a lifted configuration where the prehension end-effector is spaced-apart from a second topmost bag of the stack. The displacing manipulator has a prehension end-effector selectively activable/deactivable to seize and maintain a displacement engagement section of and to subsequently release the topmost bag. The prehension end-effector is translatable along the displacement axis “X” to displace the topmost bag between the bag stack location and the second location. A method for repeatedly separating and displacing a topmost bag of a stack of bags is also provided.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a pick-up unit configured to pick up a printing medium stored in a printing medium storage unit and transport the picked printing medium to a printing medium transportation path provided inside a body, the pick-up unit having a pick-up roller to pick up the printing medium in the printing medium storage unit and a forward roller to guide the picked-up printing medium, to the printing medium transportation path, and the body including a guide portion slantingly extending from a lower side of the forward roller toward one side of the forward roller to guide the picked-up printing medium, and a plurality of locking protrusions protruding from the guide portion to prevent a plurality of printing media from being simultaneously entered to a gap between the forward roller and the guide portion.

Abstract: A conveyer magazine-type empty bag supplying apparatus including an empty bag separator for separating the topmost empty bag from a set of empty bags and feeding it forward, a positioning stopper for the front end of the fed-out empty bag coming into touch therewith, ratchet wheels coming into contact with the empty bag fed by the empty bag separator and feeding the bag forward, causing the bag to come into touch with the positioning stopper, and an empty bag suction members for adhering to and picking up the bag positioned by the positioning stopper. The ratchet wheels are provided on pivoting arms so as to be oscillatingly moved between its delivery position and its retracted position. The delivery position is between the positioning stopper and the empty bag suction members and the retracted position is on the front side which is beyond the stop surface of the positioning stopper.

Abstract: The printed matter seasoning apparatus includes: a table on which a plurality of sheets of printed paper are placed in a stack, ink having been deposited on at least one surface of each sheet of the printed paper; and an air blowing device which blows air toward at least one of end sides of the stack on the table to supply the air simultaneously between the respective sheets in the stack. The air blowing device blows the air at an air flow volume of at least 0.02 m3/(min·m) per sheet of the printed paper and per unit length of the printed paper in a width direction thereof perpendicular to a direction from the air blowing device to the stack on the table.

Abstract: An ingestion assembly is provided for a singulating apparatus having a conveyor system for moving a stack of sheet material along a feed path. The ingestion assembly is spatially positioned above the conveyor belt and includes at least one singulating roller driven in a direction opposing the motion of the conveyor belt. The ingestion assembly comprises an assembly support rotationally mounting the singulating roller at a downstream end portion and pivotally mounting to the singulating apparatus at an upstream end portion. A movable guide mounts to the assembly support and is positionable relative thereto as a function of a force vector imposed on the guide by the sheet material. Additionally, the moveable guide includes a surface operative to guide the sheet material into a singulating interface which is formed between the singulating roller and the conveyor system. In operation, sheet material enters the throat of the ingestion assembly and contact is made with the moveable guide.

Abstract: A buckle chute having a deflector disposed in front thereof to allow a sheet of document to enter the buckle chute channel or to deflect the sheet away from the channel. The deflector is pivotally linked to two actuator arms on the left and right sides of the buckle chute. Each actuator arm is pivotally linked to a bell crank, which is also pivotally linked to a linking member. The linking members are further connected to a lever such that they can be moved in opposite directions from left to right or from right to left so as to cause the bell cranks to rotate in opposite directions. As such, the actuator arms are simultaneously moved toward or away from the front side to control the deflector position.

Abstract: A device for preventing a slip-down of sheets of paper contained in an automatic sheet feeding section obliquely mounted in an ink jet printer is provided. The device includes a buckler body having a plate in contact with a bottom of sheets loaded in the automatic sheet feeding section, a guide projection formed at one side of an upper surface of the buckler body for jumping up a sheet located at the top of the loaded sheets, and at least one or more jack buckler having a plurality of teeth each having a slide side and a threshold side, the slide side guiding the sheet located at the top loaded sheets while the threshold side holds remaining sheets beneath the sheet guided by the slide side.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for manufacturing book blocks from various printed sheets composed of a plurality of quarto sheets which are inserted into one another, wherein the printed sheets are successively pulled fold first along a conveying path from a stack of printed sheets by a gripping unit of a feeder and are subsequently gathered with their flat sides placed against each other into book blocks. The gripping unit which grasps the printed sheets approximately at the fold thereof produces a deformation or injury which extends at least partially through the quarto sheets, so that the respective quarto sheets are secured relative to each other and displacements relative to each other are prevented.

Abstract: The holding elements (28), designed as hook-gripper elements (26), are driven in a circulating manner by means of a drive arrangement (44) in a plane at right angles to a stack (16) of printed products that have back margins (20). In the takeover section (46), the cantilever arm (36) of a hook-gripper element (26) comes to bear against the back margin (20) of the topmost printed product (14) of the stack (16). The hook-gripper element is then guided in a sliding manner on the printed product (14) in the direction of a stop, until the hook mouth (38) of the hook-gripper element (26) has seized the back margin (20). From the takeover section up to the transfer of the printed product (14) separated in this way from the stack (16), the direction of movement of the hook-gripper element (26) has a component toward the stop and a component away from the stack (16).

Abstract: A method of and apparatus for separating and feeding workpieces of limp material one at a time and one another from the bottom of a stack of the workpieces wherein the stack is supported at the bottom with a gap in the support for exposing a portion of the bottom surface of the bottom workpiece, the support being movable to move the gap away from and back to a forward position. The portion of the bottom workpiece exposed in the gap in the forward position is fed rearward to form a loop in the bottom workpiece, the loop being gripped and pulled down which the support is moved to move the gap away from its forward position, the support then acting to peel the bottom workpiece away from the next workpiece above, followed by the release of the grip on the loop to release the bottom workpiece for being carried away.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sheet feeding apparatus comprising a supply means contacting one of the sheet in a sheet stack, for applying a feeding force to the sheet; a first limiting means abutting against a front end of the sheet stack in a sheet feeding direction, for limiting the movement of the sheet stack in the sheet feeding direction; a second limiting means contacting the sheet to which the feeding force is applied from the supply means, for limiting the movement of the sheet stack in a sheet thickness direction; and a clearance defined between the first and second limiting means, the clearance having a predetermined length in the sheet feeding direction.

Abstract: High speed sheet feeders receive blocks or bricks of paper sheets, cards or folders stacked edgewise on a downsloping supply ramp, and singulate these for edgewise feeding in rapid succession. The frontmost sheets ready for feeding are buckled and fanned at their upper edges, and their lower edges are arched forward to form a dimple or ridge-shaped pocket by an underlying central traction singulator. A pair of ganged or synchronized feed belts engage the frontmost sheet and propel it rapidly downward edgewise, and a slanting discharge belt receives and diverts the sheet at even higher speed between the discharge belt and a tractive pinch roller. A transfer assembly beneath the discharge belt may receive sheets from an adjacent feeder and interleave them upon command with sheets delivered by the discharge belt.

Abstract: Single sheet feeding from a stack is provided by placing the stack onto flat bars defining a stack bottom and being part of a pivotable frame. That frame includes holddown fingers engaging the top sheet at its front edges, and, two separating rollers are provided laterally offset and at a higher level; the rollers are reversibly driven to pull the top sheet out from under the fingers, and upon reversing the rollers slide that sheet towards a platen drum being selectively drivingly coupled to the separating rollers.

Abstract: A device for removing a film sheet from a stack of such sheets present in a cassette. The device comprises a pin that can be moved into engagement with the uppermost film sheet of the stack in a marginal area thereof, and thereafter is moved in a direction substantially parallel to the plane of said sheet, whereby said sheet is bulged and thus made ready for engagement by means for removing it from the stack.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device wherein a roll pair in contact to the top sheet of a sheet stack is adapted to buckle the top sheet to enable subsequent engagement of the buckled portion of the sheet by a hooked belt to feed the buckled sheet off the stack in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of the buckle roll pair.

Abstract: High speed sheet feeders receive blocks or bricks of paper sheets, cards or folders stacked edgewise on a downsloping supply ramp, and singulate these for edgewise feeding in rapid succession. The frontmost sheets ready for feeding are buckled and fanned at their upper edges, and their lower edges are arched forward to form a dimple or ridge-shaped pocket by an underlying central traction singulator. A pair of ganged or synchronized feed belts engage the frontmost sheet and propel it rapidly downward edgewise, and a slanting discharge belt receives and diverts the sheet at even higher speed between the discharge belt and a tractive pinch roller. A transfer assembly beneath the discharge belt may receive sheets from an adjacent feeder and interleave them upon command with sheets delivered by the discharge belt.