Abstract: In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, curling occurs in the sheet when it passes through the thermal fixing device. The invention equips the apparatus with a decurling path having a decurling mechanism and a path without any such mechanism, as well as an alternating claw that guides the sheet to either of the paths, such that the alternating claw 9 alternates between the paths based on the settings for each sheet supply unit that supplies the sheets. The sheets from a sheet supply unit that requires decurling are guided to the decurling path and decurling is performed. On the other hand, sheets from a manual paper tray in which special types of paper, such as transparencies, are often placed are guided to the path without any decurling mechanism and no decurling is performed.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a media tray for an imaging apparatus for receiving a sheet of media. The media tray includes a base having a first side region and a second side region, a first sheet support member, a second sheet support member, a first mechanism, a second mechanism, and a force applying mechanism. The first and second mechanisms pivotally couple the first and second sheet support members to the side regions of the base, respectively. The force applying mechanism applies a force on the first and second sheet support members such that each of the first and second sheet support members diverge upwardly and outwardly from the base. The force applying mechanism includes a first cam member or first spring mechanism positioned between the first sheet support member and the base and a second cam member or second spring mechanism positioned between the second sheet support member and the base.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for sorting mail is disclosed. A mail bin receives individual mail pieces in vertical orientation from the discharge end of a feed belt assembly. The feed belt assembly includes at least one brush roll positioned at the discharge end of the feed belt assembly for imparting a concave profile to the mail upon discharge to aid in reducing any damage to a side edge of the individual mail piece discharged into the mail bin.

Abstract: A paper decurling unit in a printer or copier provides a convex or concave path in the paper transport direction. The decurling device is adjustable.

Abstract: This patent describes a method of de-curling print media when utilised in cameras or printers. The decurling occurs by providing a series anti-curling rollers to de-curl print media exiting from a print roll.

Abstract: A printer for generating an image on a media sheet has a printer body with a media path extending from a media supply in a downstream direction to a media exit. An output tray and a media ejection mechanism are connected to the printer body adjacent the media exit. The ejection mechanism has a number of drive roller pairs, each of which includes a first roller and a second roller contacting each other at a nip defining a nip plane. The first rollers of the respective roller pairs are coaxial with each other, and the second rollers of the respective roller pairs are coaxial with each other. The nips of the drive roller pairs occupy a common plane, and the drive roller pairs are spaced apart from each other to define a gap. The ejection mechanism includes at least one corrugation roller positioned in the gap, rotatable on a corrugation roller axis, and having a curved surface portion displaced from the nip plane.

Abstract: An apparatus for corrugating material includes an upper shaft rotating about a first longitudinal axis and a lower shaft rotating about a second longitudinal axis. Either the upper shaft, the lower shaft, or both shafts are constructed of a flexible material. At least one upper corrugation roll is secured to the upper shaft, and at least one lower corrugation roll is secured to the lower shaft. The upper corrugation roll and the lower corrugation roll are interspersed relative to each other and spaced such that the material is fed between the upper and the lower corrugation roll to corrugate the material. Materials of varying rigidities may be passed between the upper and lower corrugation rolls such that lighter weight material is corrugated while heavier weight material deflects the flexible shaft(s) to reduce corrugation.

Abstract: An automated banking machine (10) identifies and stores documents such as currency bills deposited by a user. The machine then selectively recovers such documents from storage areas and dispenses them to other users. The machine includes a central transport (70) in which documents which are deposited are oriented and identified. Such documents are then routed to storage areas in recycling canisters (92, 94, 96, 98) when a user subsequently requests a dispense of documents. Documents are selectively picked from the storage areas and delivered to the customer. Media gates (116, 118, 120, 122) are used to selectively direct documents between remote transport segments (108, 110, 112, 114) and canister delivery transports (124, 126, 128, 130). The media gates operate by selectively directing documents through an intersection (421) in engagement with transversely offset belt flights (396, 422).

Abstract: A paper sheet supplying apparatus comprises a transfer guide unit, a register unit and a paper sheet sending-out unit. The supplying apparatus supplies a paper sheet through the transfer guide unit to the register unit from the paper sheet sending-out unit. The guide unit has a straight portion and a curved portion, and guides the paper sheet from the sending-out unit to the register unit. An inwardly indented curved surface of the curved portion, on which the paper sheet is in contact, has a plurality of ribs separated from each other. Not more than three ribs of the plurality of ribs are arranged in a center region of the curved surface in the transfer direction, and the remaining ribs of the plurality of ribs are arranged in each side region located proximate the center region. Each of the ribs in the center region has a first height, and each rib in each side region has a height which is smaller than the first height.

Abstract: An assembly and method for rotating and placing a strip of material on a substrate making use of a conveyor which includes a contour-changing conveyance surface on which a strip of material is conveyed and a rotatable transfer element. The rotatable transfer element has a contoured strip securing surface. At a point of interaction of the transfer element and the conveyor, the conveyance surface assumes a contour corresponding to that of the strip securing surface. The transfer element then secures the material strip from the conveyor, then rotates the strip of material to a selected degree of angular rotation and then deposits the rotated strip of material in surface contact with an adjacent moving surface.

Abstract: A suction conveyor conveys sheets which are stacked in a hopper of a sheet stacker. The suction conveyor includes a suction box and a suction belt that cycles along the surface of the suction box. Porous sections, having sets of suction holes or the like, are formed intermittently at a prescribed pitch on the suction belt. The leading section of the sheet is suctioned to these porous sections, and the sheets are conveyed by the motion of the belt. A scraper at a terminal end region of the conveyance path forcibly peels off the sheet from the porous sections of the suction belt. The sheets are dropped down with the trailing end dropping before the leading end and are stacked in the hopper.

Abstract: Sheet joggler system with an inlet roller pair (70, 70'), an outlet roller pair (71, 71'), sheet guides (48, 49) determining a curved sheet path between these roller pairs, a sheet supporting plate (65) between the inlet roller pair and the sheet guides, a sheet stop (72) at the lower end of said plate, and lateral sheet aligning members (66, 67).

Abstract: A buckle accumulator including an input feed system and for feeding a sheet in a path of travel and an output feed system located downstream in the path of travel from the input feed system. The sheet having a leading edge and a stiffness. The lead edge of the sheet is substantially unrestrained between the input feed system and the output feed system. The input feed system imparts a furrow within the sheet to increase the stiffness of the sheet between the input feed system and the output feed system so that the lead edge of the sheet substantially follows a desired path of travel and enters the output feed system.

Abstract: A buckle accumulator including an input feed system, an output feed system located downstream in a path of travel from the input feed system, a receiving space located adjacent the path of travel between the input feed system and the output feed system, and a deflector. The input feed system feeds a plurality of sheets one at a time in a path of travel into the buckle accumulator. Each of the plurality of sheets has a leading edge and a trailing edge. The output feed system feeds a stack of sheets out of the buckle accumulator. Generally, the lead edge for each of the plurality of sheets is substantially unrestrained between the input feed system and the output feed system. The receiving space accepts the plurality of sheets one at a time to create the stack. The deflector is mounted in proximity to the receiving space for selectively actuating between a first position out of contact with a first sheet previously accumulated in the receiving space and a second position in contact with the first sheet.

Abstract: A sheet conveyed into a sheet discharge processing device is conveyed through a straight convey path by first convey rollers and then is discharged onto a first discharge tray by second convey rollers and first discharge rollers. Second discharge rollers are arranged on a reverse convey path. A second discharge tray and a fan for applying an external force to the rear surface of a sheet are placed below the reverse convey path. When the trailing end of a sheet is detected by a second detection sensor, the fan is driven for a predetermined period of time to blow air against the rear surface of the discharged sheet. When sheets conveyed into the sheet discharge processing device are guided to a post-processing convey path by the first convey rollers so as to be subjected to post-processing, and are sequentially conveyed to a sheet stored section by convey rollers from the last or start page, the sheets are guided along one of guide plates constituting the sheet storing section to be aligned.

Abstract: An arrangement for the control of movement of documents to an output device such as a printer or a copier in such a manner that the document draw-in rate automatically matches the document output rate. A document intake channel forces the incoming document into a curvature transversely to the direction of the transport of the documents, whereby the degree of curvature of the documents is a function of any tensile force on the documents. A sensor includes an analog and continuous output signal to affect a continuous change of the driving frequency for a motor causing the movement of the documents as a function of the actuation of the sensor.

Abstract: A ticket issuing apparatus includes a feed passage which is branched into plural guides at one end thereof which are connected with each of a plurality of medium accommodating parts and arranged in strata, and merged into one. The apparatus has a feed passage which passes through the upper, rear and lower parts of the medium accommodating parts in this order and is guided to a front wall thereof. A medium separating part, a magnetic processing part and a printing part are respectively disposed along the feed passage, and a discharge stacker is connected with the other end of the feed passage. The medium handling apparatus removes curl of the medium before it is issued by returning the medium to the medium accommodating parts by a given amount.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus aims at eliminating a possibility of causing deterioration in conveying and scratching off toners on a recording medium by smoothly rotating a driven roller corresponding to rotations of a driving roller. Rubber rings spaced away in an axial direction from the driving roller are fitted to a shaft of a driven roller brought into contact with the driving roller. A record sheet conveyed with rotations of the driving roller rotates the rubber rings, whereby the driven roller can be surely rotated.

Abstract: A sheet stacking apparatus includes laterally spaced, longitudinally arranged conveyors for supporting edge regions of a sheet, the conveyors driven to deliver the sheet horizontally to a stacking area. At the stacking area the conveyors are separated to drop the sheet onto a stack of sheets. During the delivery of the sheet to the stack, the mid-span of the sheet is supported from above to prevent sagging of the sheet. The mid-span is supported by at least one low pressure chamber which extends along the delivery path of the sheet. The low pressure chamber includes a plurality of suction compartments arranged in sequence, each suction compartment including a horizontally disposed air nozzle and an air outlet to create a horizontal "Fanno effect" air stream adjacent a top surface of the sheet to create suction within the low pressure chamber which holds the sheet in sliding contact against a bottom surface of the low pressure chamber.

Abstract: A sheet media handling system is provided for use in supporting a sheet ejected from a wet-ink hard copy apparatus output port while ink on a preceding sheet ink an output tray is allowed time to dry before depositing the succeeding on top thereof. The system employs a pair of guides having an elongate channel therebetween which receives a predetermined side edge of an ejected sheet. The channel bends the sheet in order to stiffen the sheet along its longitudinal axis such that only one edge need be supported. Once a trailing edge of an advancing sheet is ejected from the output port, a lower guide is retracted whereby the sheet falls under the force of gravity onto the output media stack in the output tray. Several advantageous lower guide upper surface constructs are disclosed. The advantages of the use of a guide mechanism on each side of the advancing output sheets is discussed.

Abstract: A recording apparatus is capable of preventing both contamination on a recording surface due to a contact of a recording medium on an ink discharging surface even when recording on the recording medium with a concave/convex portion and an ill-discharged state of an ink. The recording apparatus has a feeding unit for feeding a recording medium and a recording head as a recording unit for recording an image on the recording medium fed by the feeding unit. A first guide member (shaft) and a second guide member that serve as a correcting mechanism are provided upstream in a feeding direction from the recording head, for correcting the concave/convex portion of the recording medium.

Abstract: A sheet transport apparatus capable of applying a predetermined force for transporting any kind of paper, including a sheet of thin paper, without forming transport wrinkles in the paper caused by a nipping pressure. The apparatus includes a hard roller 114 and a soft roller 112 for nipping a sheet of paper 10 therebetween. The soft roller is driven to transport the sheet using a frictional force generated from the nipping pressure applied by the soft and hard rollers. The hard roller is in a barrel-shape having a predetermined radial curvature "R", such that the nipping pressure decreases gradually along its axis from the center toward the periphery of a nipping face between two rollers. This causes a compressive stress against the sheet to shift smoothly from a portion of the sheet nipped by the soft and hard rollers to a portion free from the nipping pressure. Thus, the formation of transport wrinkles in the sheet can be prevented.

Abstract: A document feeder of the invention is formed of a sheet feeding tray for receiving sheets or documents thereon; a feeding device for feeding the sheets on the sheet feeding tray in order; and a feeding roller for feeding the sheets transferred from the feeding device in a sheet feeding direction and having at least one space extending in a direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction. The document feeder further includes at least first and second separating devices. The first separating device is formed of a frictional member having a frictional coefficient relative to a sheet greater than that between the sheets. The first separating device contacts the feeding roller and permits one sheet to pass therebetween. The second separating device is formed of an elastic member and has at least one tongue piece with a forward end. The forward end is located in the space of the feeding roller for separating the sheets between the forward end and the feeding roller.

Abstract: A recording paper turning-over apparatus performing an operation of turning-over a recording paper with low cost and high reliability. A first roller pair including a combination of a transport roller and a transport pinch roller is disposed at an inlet side of a turning-over unit. Another roller pair including a combination of a turning-over roller and a turning-over pinch roller is disposed downstream of the first roller pair. Convex portions of the transport roller are brought into direct contact with the turning-over roller, which in turn is driven by the transport roller. Concave and convex portions of the transport roller and the transport pinch roller are mutually alternated and engaged. The concave and convex portions of the turning-over roller and the turning-over pinch roller are also mutually alternated and engaged.

Abstract: A self adjusting jam prevention guide and jam clearance baffle for a printing machine. A moveable guide is attached to a machine subsystem module and is moveable from a first position to a second position. In the first position the guide bridges a gap between the machine subsystem module and a preceding subsystem module. In the second position, the guide is retracted from the gap to allow easy removal of one of the subsystem modules. The moveable guide is preferably self actuated by the use of a biasing device and a ramped section so that the movement of one of the adjacent subsystem modules causes extension and retraction of the guide. A jam clearance aid is further attached to the exit of the machine subsystem module. The clearance aid uses a J-shaped channel to cause a sheet fed into a jammed sheet to buckle and cause both the first jammed sheet and subsequent sheets to be partially ejected from the paper path for easy removal therefrom.

Abstract: A printer including, from an upstream side to a downstream side in a sheet feeding direction, a sheet feed mechanism, a carriage, a curl straightening device, and a sheet discharge mechanism. A curl straightening head of the curl straightening device is resilient. The carriage and the curl straightening device are driven by a same drive source. The printer is a cheap printer which can allow reliable straightening of curled recorded sheet, even when sheets of different thicknesses are used, and which can reliably discharge the sheet out the printer.

Abstract: The sheet feeder of a recorder includes a sheet support, a shaft extending over the support, a feed roller rotatable on the axis of the shaft, and collars mounted rotatably around the shaft. Disks may be formed on the shaft. Each of the collars is supported rotatably on one of the disks. The inner periphery of at least one of the collars in the widthwise middle area of the support is spaced from the periphery of the associated disk. Even if the support is curved in such a manner that it is convex toward the roller, the distance between the shaft axis and the point or line where the at least one of the collars is in compressive contact with the top one of the sheets stacked on the support is shorter than the distances between the axis and the points or lines where the collars near the lateral ends of the support are in compressive contact with the top sheet. All of the collars can keep the roller and the sheet spaced at a predetermined distance from each other. Consequently, the sheets can be fed properly.

Abstract: A sheet discharging apparatus includes a conveyor provided at one side of the body of the apparatus, and sorter trays and a large capacity tray provided on the opposing side. Wings are provided each rotatable about a rotation axis, on a discharging side of the conveyor, and a projection is formed in the front side in the sheet conveying direction of each wing. The projection is brought into contact with an urging member provided at a frame of the container which is movable in upward/downward directions. When sorter trays are used, the urging member is separate from the projection, so that upper surface of the wing is below a conveying surface. When the frame and urging member are elevated to use the large capacity tray, the urging member presses the projection upward, and hence wings are elevated to be positioned upper than the conveying surface.

Abstract: The intermediate sheet feeding device for a duplex image forming apparatus includes: an intermediate tray; an sheet input conveyance path to the intermediate tray; a sheet output conveyance path from the intermediate tray; the sheet input conveyance path and the sheet output conveyance path being arranged to intersect each other at one end of the intermediate sheet tray; a conveying roller provided along the conveyance path from the image processing portion to the intermediate tray; and a conveyance controlling means which controls the conveying roller so as to convey the sheet at a speed lower than that when the sheet advances through the image processing portion and so that a short-sized sheet is conveyed slower than a long-sized sheet.

Abstract: There is provided document stacking stacker for stacking documents exiting a wide format machine, including a sheet tray having a planar base plate for stacking sheets thereon and a side wall for abutting sheets thereagainst; guides disposed adjacent the tray to direct sheets therein at an angle relative to the plane of the base plate, a feeder associated with the guides to feed sheets through the guides into the tray; a corrugating bar includes an array air corrugaters, the air corrugators are connected to an air plenum, each of the air corrugators have an air discharge ports for discharge of air against incoming bottom surface of sheets in the direction of movement of the sheets to corrugated the sheets as the sheet is feed to the tray.

Abstract: A decurler has an arched plate and a rotatable paper sheet feed roll defining an adjustable gap through which paper sheets driven by the roll exiting a copier or printer apparatus which causes the paper sheet to be curled transversely of the feeding direction, and the gap is selectively adjusted to control the decurling effect dependent upon the extent of the curl in the paper induced by the copying or printing process.

Abstract: In a printer, a bottom of an automatic paper feeder is formed by a bottom itself of a printer case; an operation lever is provided for operating a hopper and separation pawls arranged in a stacker section; a spring member is used as a changeover mechanism for a paper feed-in roller; an ink shielding portion is provided over an entire print area; the paper is discharged while forcibly urging the paper in a concave shape in which its printed surface is concaved; and a changeover is effected between a paper feeding operation and a pumping operation by a carriage at both ends of a carriage-moving area.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for slowing down the ejection velocity of the print media into an output tray, without the use of active velocity control of the exit nip or interface, utilizing a non-circular drive roll running against a leaf spring. The regions of contact of the non-circular drive roll are driven at a velocity slower than the incoming sheet velocity, and the spaces between the regions of contact are used to enable relaxation of buckling generated in the print media (e.g. print sheets). The print media travels at the velocity of the upstream nips until they are entirely under the control of the non-circular drive roll exit nip, thus enabling the sheets to be ejected from the exit nip, at a slower velocity, improving stacking registration.

Abstract: A printing medium winding apparatus includes a drum on a periphery of which a leading-end holding device and a trailing-end engaging groove are provided. The holding device and engaging groove hold and engage with a leading end and trailing end of a printing paper sheet, respectively, when the paper sheet is fed to the drum. The apparatus further includes a paper sheet lifting device which presses the sheet on the periphery of the drum to keep the sheet in close contact with the periphery, and lifts a part of the sheet from the periphery to be curved and projected radially outwardly until the trailing end of the sheet reaches the engaging groove so that the trailing end can be inserted into the engaging groove.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus in which a recording medium is conveyed and held to a recording medium holding member by a plurality of conveying roller pairs, the recording medium held is conveyed to a transfer position which faces an image carrying member by a rotation of the recording medium holding member, and a visible image formed on the image carrying member is transferred onto the recording medium is disclosed. The conveying roller pair located at most downstream in the recording medium conveying direction among the plurality of conveying roller pairs are constructed so as to selectively perform rotation/stop of rollers and contact/separation of a nip. At least one of the other conveying roller pairs are constructed so as to selectively perform rotation/stop of the rollers.

Abstract: In a device for transporting sheets between a pair of transport rollers of a delivery of a printing machine, each of the rollers feature, along its respective length, several roller sections having greater diameters and roller sections having smaller diameters, with roller sections of one roller having greater diameters facing roller sections of the other roller having smaller diameters in order to provide the sheets, in longitudinal direction, with a transversely extending corrugated profile for the purpose of stiffening the sheets. Due to the fact that either roller sections of roller having greater diameters or roller sections with smaller diameters are mounted so as to be freely rotatable and that, when rotating the respective other roller, the roller sections are entrained by driven opposite roller sections of the respective other roller, all roller surfaces have the same speed so that the surfaces of the sheets are not damaged when being transported onto a delivery pile.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for deskewing a sheet of media traveling through a paper path in a printer is provided. A buckle is formed in the sheet of media by over-driving the sheet into stationary deskew rollers that form a deskew nip downstream. A deskewing bias element includes a plurality of articulated segmented surfaces that contact the buckle and urge the leading edge of the sheet into the deskew nip. The buckle force combined with the biasing force from the deskewing bias element aligns the leading edge of the sheet with the deskew nip across the full width of the sheet, thereby removing any skew.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for transporting a flat printed material being conveyed, such as a printed web of material, a ribbon, a signature, or the like. An exemplary apparatus includes a pair of seizing elements for transporting a web of material, and corrugation inducing elements arranged along a linear path adjacent to each other. The corrugation inducing elements are provided in a non-contacting manner on both sides of a transition area within which the flat printed material is conveyed, the corrugation inducing elements substantially extending along the transition area which is located between an output of the pair of seizing elements and the input to further processing elements to corrugate the flat printed material.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus using an ink jet recording head for recording by discharging ink onto a recording medium arranged in a recording area includes a device for feeding the recording medium. The feeding device is arranged along the recording area and is provided with a mechanism to provide an irregular configuration of the recording medium in the direction intersecting the feeding direction thereof. This minimizes each individual cockling that may take place due to the permeation of ink into the recording medium when images are recorded thereon by the ink jet recording apparatus, and also, orientates the cockling downward reliably in order to prevent the recording medium from being in contact with the recording head to obtain a good quality of recorded images.

Abstract: A device for stiffening workpieces of paper includes elements that provide the workpieces with an undulated profile. The elements may be in the form of freely rotatable disks or belts that revolve around freely rotatable rollers. Respective sections of the disks or belts which come in contact with the workpieces extend through a common central plane in such a way that they provide the workpieces with an undulated profile. In order to prevent the profiling elements from laterally displacing the workpieces, a conveyor is provided which clamps the workpieces between respective conveyor sections.

Abstract: An image formation apparatus comprising:a main unit including an image formation section;a sheet storage section being disposed in said main unit for storing a large number of stacked sheets;feed means for giving a transport force to the sheets in said sheet storage section in a predetermined direction from said sheet storage section;a friction member being placed facing said feed means so that it comes in elastic contact with said feed means for forming a nip portion for separating sheets transported in overlapped relation; anda support member for forming said friction member with a projection projecting from said nip portion in either one direction orthogonal to a transport direction of the sheet for said feed means and supporting said friction member.

Abstract: A sheet supplying apparatus has a sheet separator for separating and feeding sheets one by one. The separator is formed of a plurality of separation portions each including a sheet supply roller rotated in a sheet feeding direction and a sheet return roller rotated in a direction opposite to the sheet feeding direction, each disposed along a width-wise direction of the sheet. A sheet supplying force of a central separation portion disposed substantially at a center of the sheet in the width-wise direction is selected to be greater than that of the other separation portions.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for guiding a sheet in a folding device of a printing machine includes a belt conveyor system and a bucket wheel conveyor system including a bucket wheel. The belt conveyor system includes two belts rotated by a plurality of rollers. Two of the rollers are disposed at a delivery area near the bucket wheel. The two rollers include a ridge imparting mechanism for introducing a ridge or corrugation to a sheet being fed between the belts and between the rollers. The two rollers are disposed in a common horizontal plane and are spaced at a substantially equal distance from the bucket wheel in a vertical direction relative to the bucket wheel. At least one of the two rollers is adjustable relative to the other roller so as to adjustably increase or decrease a degree or depth of ridge that is applied to the sheet. A guide member is disposed between the two rollers and the bucket wheel to prevent a sheet from being diverted from the bucket wheel.

Abstract: A passbook transport and handling apparatus (10) for transporting a passbook between a customer using an automated banking machine and a printer (12) located inside the banking machine includes first belt flights (32) movable on first pulleys (22). The transport further includes second belt flights (34) movable on second pulleys (28). The second belt flights are disposed traversely intermediate of the first belt flights so that a passbook carried therein between is engaged firmly but with limited slippage. The passbook is guided through the transport by a first fixed edge guide (44). A second edge guide (46) is mounted on a spring (48) so as to bias the passbook into alignment as it passes through the transport. A gate member (72) is movable between positions blocking or admitting a passbook to the transport. Movement of the gate member as well as the belt flights is under control of a processor.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for corrugating the output of a reproduction device such as a photocopier includes a guiding arm for guiding an image carrying medium in a predetermined path towards a destination output bin and a projection for corrugating the image carrying medium as it is being guided by the guiding arm. The current corrugation device is suitable for a multiple tray sorter unit since it does not require additional corrugation members.

Abstract: A sheet S is supported by a movable cylindrical transfer drum 12 and a toner image is transferred from a photosensitive drum 9 onto the sheet S in this state. The sheet S is curved by curl rolls 29, 30 of a conveyer unit 20 so that it is curved outward in harmony with the direction of the transfer drum 12 and that its curvature radius is smaller than that of the transfer drum 12. Then the sheet S is conveyed toward the transfer drum 12. A guide plate 40 is placed between the curl rolls 29, 30 and the transfer drum 12 and the leading end portion of the sheet S conveyed from the curl rolls 29, 30 abuts and slides on the guide face 42 of the guide plate 40. Thus, a moment is given to the following portion of the sheet S held between the curl rolls 29, 30 and the curvature radius of the following portion thereof is corrected so that the curvature radius of the following portion thereof may be increased.

Abstract: A first shaft 21 and a second shaft 31 parallel with each other are provided near an inlet 14 of a bill storage chamber 10. Taking-in runners 20 are disposed on the first shaft 21 and taking-in rollers 30 are disposed on the second shaft 31. The taking-in runners 20 and the taking-in rollers 30 differ in position in a direction in which the shafts extend. Further, the sum of the radius of each taking-in runner 20 and that of each taking-in roller 30 is larger than the spacing between the first shaft 21 and the second shaft 31. Thus, if a plurality of overlapped bills are caught in the space between the taking-in runners 20 and the taking-in rollers 30, they are bent in a wavy form and the intimate contact force between the bill is lowered significantly, causing the bills to be easily aligned.

Abstract: For use with an apparatus for feeding sheets seriatim from a stack of sheets, the apparatus including a feed tube, such as an oscillating vacuum feed tube for example, defining a plurality of ports through which vacuum is effective for acquiring a sheet from a sheet stack and transporting such sheet from the sheet stack, a device for improving sheet separation and friction feed assist. The disclosed device includes at least one clip associated with at least one port of the feed tube. A friction member is secured to the clip and extends substantially radially outwardly from the oscillating vacuum feed tube so as to cause an acquired sheet to assume a corrugated shape. Accordingly, a sheet of the sheet stack, acquired by the feed tube, assumes a corrugated shape to readily separate from the remaining sheets in the stack, and the friction member assists in feeding of such acquired sheet from the stack.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier for forming an image thereon; a sheet feeding device for feeding a recording sheet to the image carrier to transfer the image onto the recording sheet; a reversing device for reversing the recording sheet on one side of which the image has been transferred and then which has been fixed, at a conveyance path in the reversing device and for feeding the recording sheet onto the image carrier to form another image on a rear side of the recording sheet; a detection device provided between the conveyance path and the image carrier for optically detecting an amount of skew or an mount of shift of the recording sheet. The apparatus further includes controller for judging the amount of skew or the amount of shift to be malfunctional when the amount of skew or the amount of shift exceeds a predetermined value, and for modifying image forming conditions thereafter.

Abstract: A paper feeder capable of preventing a sheet of paper from breaking when a paper jam is developed within an image forming apparatus over the boundary between a paper conveying unit and the image forming apparatus and simply removing the jammed paper outside from the paper feeder. An entrance roller pair for feeding the paper is provided in the neighborhood of an entrance of a paper conveying path. A lower fixed guide member and a rotatable guide member opposed to each other so as to interpose the paper conveying path therebetween, are provided on the downstream side as seen in a paper feeding direction. Further, a jump portion which projects in convex form at a position opposed to the rotatable guide member and a paper sensor for detecting a rear end of the paper in the neighborhood of the entrance roller pair are provided.