By Means To Convey Sheet (e.g., From Pack To Operation) Patents (Class 271/264)
  • Publication number: 20120313319
    Abstract: To provide a device that can execute both of two kinds of processes, at least, for a target medium inexpensively with high accuracy. A plotter 20 includes a cutter 1 and a pen 2 for individually executing each specific process for paper being transferred in a predetermined direction, and a receiving portion 8 for supporting the paper to be processed by the cutter 1 and the pen 2, while the receiving portion 8 being provided at a position facing the cutter 1 and the pen 2 through the intermediary of the paper. Then, the cutter 1 and the pen 2 are positioned on different lines individually in a direction intersecting the transfer direction of the paper. Therefore, a condition of the receiving portion 8 after a process by one tool does not affect the other tool.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2012
    Publication date: December 13, 2012
    Applicant: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takahisa SEKIGUCHI, Takuya MARUO
  • Publication number: 20120307274
    Abstract: A sheet conveyer device, including a roller to convey a sheet by rotating in a normal direction and a holder rotatably arranged on a roller shaft, is provided. The holder includes a roller gear system arranged on the roller shaft and having a roller driving gear to drive the roller, a shutter rotatably arranged on a shutter shaft to restrict access of the sheet to the roller, a shutter gear system to connect a path between the roller gear system and the shutter, a one-way clutch to disconnect the path between the roller gear system and the shutter when the roller rotates in the normal direction, and a torque limiter to allow the roller to rotate in a reverse direction. The holder rotates about the roller shaft in the same reverse direction as the roller when the roller rotates in the reverse direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2012
    Publication date: December 6, 2012
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tetsuo ITO, Kazutoshi KUSE, Masanori HAMAGUCHI
  • Patent number: 8322717
    Abstract: A media transport apparatus includes a first media transport, having a first transport surface and a first drive unit, to convey the substrate media. A second media transport having a second transport surface and a second drive unit receives the substrate media from the first. A first force transducer outputs a force signal associated with a first force between the media transports. A control unit receives the force signal, and outputs a control signal to at least one of the first and second drive units that is dependent upon a comparison of the first relative force signal with a predetermined value. The control signal commands the first or second drive unit to drive the motion of the respective first or second media transport to maintain the force signal at or about no greater than the predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Joannes N. M. de Jong, Steven R. Moore, Peter J. Knausdorf
  • Patent number: 8322715
    Abstract: A media transport system comprising a roller system, a baffle, and at least one lead-in guide positioned to guide a sheet towards the roller system. The roller system includes a drive roller and an idler roller forming a nip, each roller being mounted on a corresponding drive shaft and an idler shaft, respectively. The lead-in guide, lying at an angle to the baffle, is coupled to at least one of the drive shaft or an idler shaft. The mounting of the lead-in guide eliminates tolerances between the lead-in guide and the nip due to baffle flatness, or baffle and shaft deflections as the lead-in guide is positioned by the drive shaft that locates the nip roller. This arrangement enables the lead-in guide to direct a leading edge of the sheet substantially close to a tangent plane of the nip and minimizes drive forces in the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Barry Paul Mandel, Henry Thomas Bober
  • Patent number: 8322716
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a body including a conveyance path into which a sheet is conveyed and a feed tray. The feed tray includes a separation pad, which is provided at a widthwise center of the feed tray; and a holding member, which is provided downstream of the separation pad in a direction of conveyance of the sheet, the holding member comprising a driven roller, which is wider than the separation pad, and at least two guide members, one guide member arranged on each side of the driven roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Atsushi Miwa
  • Patent number: 8322714
    Abstract: A sheet conveying apparatus includes a guide unit configured to form a conveyance path on which a sheet passes wherein the guide unit includes curved portions curved in a thickness-direction of the conveyed sheet, and a flat portion. The guide unit includes a rib contacting with the sheet and disposed continuously spreading over the curved portions and the flat portion. The rib has at least a part tilted with respect to the sheet conveying-direction in the curved portion more than in the flat portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshiyasu Satomi
  • Patent number: 8317194
    Abstract: There is described an apparatus for guiding a value document along a portion of a transport path in a specified transport direction, having a film forming device which is configured for respectively forming on mutually opposing sides of the transport path portion a film of gas flowing in the transport direction, the film extending at least over the total width of the transport path portion and thus the total width of value documents transported along the transport path, so that the value documents are guided between the gas films.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Giesecke & Devrient GmbH
    Inventors: Frank Werner, Hans Lochbihler
  • Patent number: 8317195
    Abstract: A document imaging system includes a document transport system that transports an original document through an imaging zone in optical communication with an image recording device. A document guide directs the original document, including a leading edge at a first angle, toward the imaging zone, while a document biasing device urges a trailing edge of the original document at a second angle toward the imaging zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Richard Thomas Calhoun Bridges
  • Patent number: 8308161
    Abstract: A motor control apparatus includes a stepping motor which includes a rotor and a stator, and a control unit, wherein, in a case where the stator is excited in a second excitation pattern before rotation drive of the stepping motor is started in a first excitation pattern, the control unit performs phase adjustment of the rotor by exciting the stator in the first excitation pattern by one cycle or a plurality of cycles of the first excitation pattern with a drive pulse of a frequency within a self-start range of the stepping motor, and starts the rotation drive of the stepping motor by exciting the stator in the first excitation pattern to a target frequency which exceeds a self-start frequency of the stepping motor by changing the drive pulses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takeshi Sekiya
  • Publication number: 20120274019
    Abstract: A method of advancing successive sheets of media by providing a gear and a pick roller configured to rotate independently between a first and a second relative orientation; advancing a first sheet at a first advance speed to an intermediate roller by driving the gear to rotate the pick roller with the gear and the pick roller oriented at the first relative orientation; advancing the first sheet at a greater advance speed by rotating the intermediate roller, thereby orienting the gear and the pick roller in the second relative orientation; advancing the first sheet until the pick roller is in contact with a second sheet; driving the gear while the pick roller remains stationary until the gear and the pick roller are oriented in the first relative orientation; and advancing the second sheet at the first advance speed by driving the gear to rotate the pick roller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2011
    Publication date: November 1, 2012
    Inventors: Alan Keng Aik Boo, Ang Beng Keong, Wai Yuen Lee
  • Patent number: 8297617
    Abstract: A document carrying apparatus comprises a main body, and a reading guide member which guides a document in such a manner that the document comes into contact with a platen glass. The reading guide member is supported on the main body by two support portions disposed on the front side and rear side. The rear-side support portion energizes the reading guide member with the aid of an energizing member in such a manner that the reading guide member can be displaced in the directions to come close and move away to and from the platen glass, while the front-side support portion supports the reading guide member in such a manner that the reading guide member can be displaced in the directions to come close and move away to and from the platen glass in a space smaller than that formed in the rear-side support portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Kyocera Document Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Hiroshi Wada
  • Publication number: 20120268515
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a belt that attracts a recording medium using electrostatic force, and a power source that applies voltage to the belt. The apparatus further includes a voltage controller that controls the voltage applied to a charging portion of the belt, and a recording controller that transmits recording medium information on the recording medium to the voltage controller. The voltage controller changes a value of voltage applied to the charging portion, according to the recording medium information transmitted from the recording controller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2012
    Publication date: October 25, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Toshihiro Fukasaka
  • Publication number: 20120261879
    Abstract: A paper inputting apparatus comprises a release soft roller shaft comprising an elastic member; a first soft roller shaft rotatably attached to the release soft roller shaft, the first soft roller shaft comprising an idler sleeve; wherein the elastic member abuts the first soft roller shaft; a second soft roller shaft comprising a soft roller; and a driving device attached to the release soft roller shaft; wherein the driving device rotates the release soft roller shaft and the first soft roller shaft between a first and a second positions relative to the second soft roller shaft; when in the first position, the idler sleeve abuts the soft roller, and the paper inputting apparatus grips a sheet of paper; when in the second position, a gap is defined between the idler sleeve and the soft roller, and the paper inputting apparatus releases the sheet of paper.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2011
    Publication date: October 18, 2012
    Applicant: HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: YUNG-CHENG LAI
  • Publication number: 20120261880
    Abstract: A sheet conveyer device, including a main housing and a cover member, is provided. The cover member has a plane section made of a transparent material and is attachable to the main housing with a predetermined facing surface of the plane section set to face a predetermined plane of the main housing. An ornamental sheet can be detachably attached to the sheet conveyer device in a position between the predetermined plane and the cover member. The cover member includes an engaging piece, which is formed on a same side as the predetermined facing surface of the plane section and is engageable with an engageable section in the main housing. The engaging piece has a sheet holding rib and a clearance in between the predetermined facing surface and the sheet holding rib and holds a lateral end of the ornamental sheet in the clearance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2012
    Publication date: October 18, 2012
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Daisuke KOZAKI
  • Publication number: 20120261874
    Abstract: A paper sheet handling apparatus includes: a transport path including a pair of a first transport surface and a second transport surface; at least one storage module configured to store the paper sheets transported through the transport path; and a body including the transport path and the storage module. The storage module is attachable and detachable to and from the body by moving the storage module in a predetermined direction, a part of an outer surface of the storage module attached to the body forms the first transport surface, and the second transport surface is exposed when the storage module is detached from the body so that the second transport surface is visible from the predetermined direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2012
    Publication date: October 18, 2012
    Inventors: Jun ARIKATA, Michio Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20120256370
    Abstract: A sheet transport apparatus including two or more covers is described. The two or more covers are disposed relative to a sheet transport path. In one example, the two covers include two stacked covers that are movable relative to each other. In another example, the two covers include two side-by-side covers in which one pivots, permitting movement of the other side-by-side cover.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2012
    Publication date: October 11, 2012
    Applicant: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Daisuke KOZAKI
  • Publication number: 20120248691
    Abstract: A lead edge feeder wheel used in a carton making machine, having a tread for friction contact with a cardboard during rotation to feed the cardboard into the carton making machine cycle by cycle in conjunction with the operation of wheel grids and a vacuum system, and one or multiple grooves extending along the tread for rendering a visual indication when the tread is worn off, avoiding biasing of the cardboard during feeding.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2011
    Publication date: October 4, 2012
    Inventor: HUNG-TA HSUEH
  • Publication number: 20120248684
    Abstract: A sheet conveying apparatus includes a conveying roller which conveys a sheet, a cylindrical motor which drives the conveying roller, an outer diameter of the motor being approximately equal to or smaller than an outer diameter of the conveying roller, and a supporting portion which supports the motor such that a rotational center of the motor is arranged coaxially with a rotational center of a rotational shaft of the conveying roller the motor is positioned within a maximum sheet that can be conveyed by the conveying roller in a width direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2012
    Publication date: October 4, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yuushi Sadamitsu
  • Publication number: 20120248686
    Abstract: A sheet feeding device configured to feed sheets, the sheet feeding device including a tray configured to receive the sheets; a separation portion configured to separate the sheets one by one; a guide portion configured to guide feeding of the sheets while regulating a position of the sheets in a width direction that is orthogonal to a feed direction of the sheets, the guide portion comprising an upstream side end portion, in the feed direction of the sheets, which is disposed above the tray and a downstream side end portion, in the feed direction, which extends further to the downstream side, in the feed direction, than the separation portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2012
    Publication date: October 4, 2012
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshikazu KAWAUCHI
  • Publication number: 20120248692
    Abstract: A sheet cassette includes a lock lever that engages a lock projection in an engagement portion of an stacking plate located in a lower position to enable the stacking plate to turn in a locked position in which the stacking plate is locked in a cassette body and an unlocked position in which the lock projection is separated from the engagement portion in lifting the stacking plate. In a state in which the sheet cassette is mounted on the apparatus body, the lifting and lowering device turns the lock lever to the unlocked position in lifting the stacking plate locked in the lower position by the lock lever. Accordingly, by a simple configuration in which an existing configuration can be used, a lock structure can be made so as to be reused in movement of the apparatus such as a move.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2012
    Publication date: October 4, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yasuhiro Uchida
  • Publication number: 20120248689
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including: a conveyor mechanism; a motor driver; and a controller for implementing a sheet-conveyance related control by execution of motor control processing in which a control input for a motor is calculated, wherein the controller implements the motor control processing in each sheet conveyance operation such that the control input is repeatedly calculated for conveying the sheet to a target stop position and for keeping the sheet located at the position, and wherein, in the motor control processing, the controller calculates the control input such that, after the sheet has reached the target stop position, the control input is equal to a hold control input required for keeping the sheet located at the position and such that, at a start point of the processing, the control input is not smaller than the hold control input in the processing in a previous sheet conveyance operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2012
    Publication date: October 4, 2012
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Masatoshi HIRANO
  • Patent number: 8276911
    Abstract: According to an illustrative embodiment, an apparatus for guiding a document includes a curved, document guide having a receiving end and an outgoing end. The receiving end is adapted to receive a moving document. The curved document guide is to guide the document along a curved path such that the document experiences a centrifugal force causing the document to substantially flatten against a concave surface of the curved document guide as the document moves toward the outgoing end of the curved document guide. At least a portion of the curved document guide has a radius of curvature. The curved document guide further includes an apex of the curvature at which one or more instruments are approximately directed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: De La Rue North America Inc.
    Inventors: Jerry Edwards, Ronald Bruce Blair
  • Publication number: 20120242038
    Abstract: A printing apparatus and a printing method with the object of preventing the feed of a sheet that is not the feeding target when performing sheet re-feeding.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tetsuji Yatsunami, Yoshikane Tsuchihashi, Akinobu Nakahata
  • Publication number: 20120237280
    Abstract: A sheet detecting apparatus including: a sheet detecting member having a plurality of abutment surfaces in a peripheral direction thereof, the sheet detecting member being rotated by a conveyed sheet abutting against one of the plurality of abutment surfaces; a detection portion which operates in association with the sheet detecting member; a sensor which generates a signal based on a position of the detection portion; and an urging portion which generates an urging force for positioning the one of the plurality of abutment surfaces of the sheet detecting member in a waiting position in which the leading edge of a sheet conveyed by a conveying portion abuts against the one of the plurality of abutment surfaces, and thereafter the urging portion switching the urging force to an urging force for positioning, in the waiting position, another one of the plurality of abutment surfaces against which a succeeding sheet abuts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 29, 2012
    Publication date: September 20, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akira Yoshimura, Kenji Watanabe, Minoru Kawanishi, Motohiro Furusawa, Yohei Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20120237279
    Abstract: A sheet conveyer device is provided. The sheet conveyer device includes a sheet tray, a feeder roller, a separator roller, a roller holder to rotatably support the feeder roller and to be coupled with the separator roller, spreading from a separator roller side toward a feeder roller side, to be movable between a first position and a second position, a manipulation arm configured to be coupled to the roller holder and to manipulate the roller holder to move between the first position and the second position, and a driving unit to drive the manipulation arm to move the roller holder. The manipulation arm is coupled to the roller holder at a coupled section, which is in a position between the feeder roller and the separator roller and in a position between two tangent planes which are common to the feed roller and the separator roller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2012
    Publication date: September 20, 2012
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hiroshi ICHIKAWA
  • Patent number: 8267398
    Abstract: To provide a medium storing and advancing apparatus which orderly piles up bills even when not flat. The medium storing and advancing apparatus includes a tongue piece roller having tongue pieces having the length thereof predetermined. While the tongue piece roller is rotated to slap the rear end of a bill with the tongue pieces to orient the latter downward, the front end of a following bill is superimposed on the downward-oriented rear end of the preceding bill.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsushi Takada, Masayuki Nakashima
  • Patent number: 8267400
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes an opening/closing member which is turnably supported by an apparatus body and through which a user accesses the apparatus, and a conveying guide which is movably supported by a user access door and which includes a sheet conveying surface. When the opening/closing member is opened in a state where a sheet remains on the sheet conveying surface, the conveying guide is separated from the opening/closing member by the remaining sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazushi Nishikata, Shuji Nishitani
  • Publication number: 20120228822
    Abstract: A sheet transport apparatus for transporting a sheet along a transport path has a sheet transport mechanism having a plurality of transport rollers that transports a sheet, and a jam clearing mechanism to remove a sheet which causes a transport failure and is jammed on the transport path. The jam clearing mechanism has a coupling member coupled to a transport roller, a jam clearing dial that transfers a rotation force to the transport roller via the coupling member, and a switching device for switching so that the coupling member separates from the transport roller in transporting a sheet, while being coupled to the transport roller in clearing a jam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2012
    Publication date: September 13, 2012
    Applicant: NISCA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mamoru AKIYAMA, Seiji NISHIZAWA, Toshiya SATO, Koji KANDA, Tetsuya NODA, Toshiyuki ITO
  • Patent number: 8262087
    Abstract: In a delivery of a sheet-processing machine, in particular a printing press, provision is made for chain gripper systems for holding the sheets to be transported at the leading and trailing edges thereof. The holding devices are configured such that they can be displaced relative to one another for the purpose of format adjustment. The chain gripper system has a sprocket drive shaft and a sprocket deflection shaft for the chains of the chain gripper system. Here, provision is made for both the sprocket drive shaft and the sprocket deflection shaft to have a clutch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Peter Foerch, Georg Grasmueck, Markus Moehringer, Stefan Mutschall
  • Patent number: 8264714
    Abstract: In a sheet conveyance system in which a plurality of apparatuses each including a communication unit with a plurality of communication channels are connected, and a sheet is conveyed between the apparatuses, each of the plurality of communication channels can be switched between a transmission mode and a reception mode. When a plurality of transmission channels are set by channel assignment, communication can be executed by giving a priority to each transmission destination. If transmission data are accumulated in an apparatus, and they include data for a transmission destination with a higher priority over the current data transmission destination, the number of transmission channels is increased, and the priority is raised.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Noriaki Matsui, Hidenori Sunada, Mitsuhiko Sato, Mitsushige Murata, Keita Takahashi
  • Patent number: 8256768
    Abstract: A method of aligning transport modules in a printing system, the method including passing at least one substrate media in a process direction through two adjacent belt driven transport modules with one of the two transport modules having a belt steering control disabled. Each of the two transport modules including a transport belt for engaging and conveying the at least one substrate media, which transfers skew between the two adjacent transport modules. The method including detecting a first cross-process position of the transport belt in one of the two adjacent transport modules using a first edge sensor and detecting a second cross-process position of the transport belt in the other of the two adjacent transport modules using a second edge sensor. Further, aligning the two adjacent transport modules based on a relative skew between the two transport modules indicated by the first cross-process position and the second cross-process position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Martin Krucinski
  • Publication number: 20120219337
    Abstract: The present invention reduces chattering of a sensor flag at a home position and alleviates a collision noise of the sensor flag with a simple configuration. A sheet detecting apparatus includes a turning portion, a sensor outputting a detection signal in response to turning of the turning portion to the detecting position, a first sliding contact portion sliding in contact with the protruded portion so as to move relatively to the protruded portion in an axial direction of the turning portion when the turning portion returns from the detecting position to the home position, and a second sliding contact portion sliding in contact with the protruded portion so as to move relatively to the protruded portion in the axial direction of the turning portion when the turning portion turns from the home position to the detecting position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2012
    Publication date: August 30, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Terutaka Endo
  • Publication number: 20120217701
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a case. In the case, a feeding unit configured to feed a recording medium in a feeding direction, a feeding path through which the recording medium is fed, a recording unit configured to record on the recording medium, and an ink tube connected to the recording unit and an ink cartridge for supplying ink to the recording unit are provided. A first opening is provided in a face of the case for allowing the recording medium disposed in the feeding path to be removable. A second opening is provided in the face where the first opening is provided for allowing the ink cartridge to be installed. An operating unit is provided above the first opening.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2012
    Publication date: August 30, 2012
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuto SUZUKI, Minoru KISHIGAMI
  • Publication number: 20120212541
    Abstract: An image processing device allows for easy removal of a process medium stuck in the conveyance path while protecting the image processing unit from the outside. In many embodiments, the device includes a conveyance path for conveying process media in a specific conveyance direction, an image processing unit having an ejection surface (process surface) disposed facing the conveyance path, and a first cover and a second cover disposed along the conveyance path and covering the conveyance path. Typically, the first and second covers open and close by pivoting on first and second pivot pins disposed in a direction intersecting the conveyance direction, and the first and second pivot pins are disposed adjacent the conveyance path upstream and downstream of the portion of the conveyance path facing the ejection surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2012
    Publication date: August 23, 2012
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toshiyuki Sasaki
  • Patent number: 8246037
    Abstract: An automatic document feeder includes a feeder casing, a pressing structure, a guiding notch, plural first guiding ribs and plural second guiding ribs. The pressing structure is disposed on a bottom part of the feeder casing. The guiding notch is formed in the pressing structure. The first guiding ribs are arranged downstream of the guiding notch. The second guiding ribs are arranged beside the first guiding ribs. The height of the first guiding rib is smaller than the height of the second guiding rib. The lower first guiding ribs are used for guiding a thicker paper. The higher second guiding ribs are used for guiding a thinner paper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Primax Electronics Ltd.
    Inventors: Wen-An Huang, Chao-Min Yang, Wei-Hsun Hsu
  • Patent number: 8240660
    Abstract: An image recording apparatus, including: a recording head configured to record an image on a recording medium; a conveying mechanism disposed so as to face the recording head and configured to convey the recording medium in a medium conveyance direction that is horizontal; a maintenance unit disposed, in its standby state, alongside the recording head in the medium conveyance direction and configured to perform maintenance of the recording head; a retaining portion disposed above the recording head and configured to hold and retain the recording medium on which the image has been recorded by the recording head, such that the recording medium is held and retained in a horizontal posture; and a medium receiving portion which is disposed alongside the retaining portion and to which the recording medium on which the image has been recorded by the recording head is discharged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shinya Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20120203497
    Abstract: A detecting device includes: a measuring unit that measures a rotating speed of at least one of connected gears; a calculating unit that calculates frequency characteristics for the rotating speed measured by the measuring unit; a detecting unit that detects a period of fluctuation of the rotating speed measured by the measuring unit; a determining unit that determines whether the connected gears include a damaged gear by using the frequency characteristics calculated by the calculating unit; and an identifying unit that, if the determining unit determines that the connected gears include a damaged gear, identifies a gear whose rotation period corresponds to the period detected by the detecting unit as the damaged gear among the connected gears.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2012
    Publication date: August 9, 2012
    Inventors: Jun YAMANE, Tatsuya WATAHIKI, Takahisa KOIKE
  • Publication number: 20120200029
    Abstract: An apparatus for pressing flat materials onto a transport module with a transport belt includes a holding carrier for pressing elements being disposed under a feed table. At least one of the pressing elements is mounted on the holding carrier with a multiplicity of individual resilient or sprung constituent parts, or a multiplicity of pressing elements are disposed on the holding carrier below the transport belt in a transport direction. The pressing elements can protrude through an opening in the feed table, in order to provide suitable pressure from below on the transport belt of the transport module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2012
    Publication date: August 9, 2012
    Applicant: FRANCOTYP-POSTALIA GMBH
    Inventors: ULRICH HANTEL, WOLFGANG MUHL, DIETER WÖLM, AXEL ORTMANN
  • Publication number: 20120193859
    Abstract: A printing press is provided. The printing press includes at least one printing unit printing on a web, a folder for forming the web into a plurality of signatures, the plurality of signatures traveling in a stream at an initial pitch and a pitch changing device for changing the initial pitch of the plurality of signatures in the stream. The pitch changing device includes a first orbiting member orbiting about a first axis and rotating about a second axis and a second orbiting member orbiting about a third axis and rotating about a fourth axis. The first orbiting member and second orbiting member form a nip and the nip receives a stream of signatures. The first and second orbiting members vary a velocity of the signatures so as to alter the initial pitch. A folder and a method for changing a pitch between consecutive signatures is also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2011
    Publication date: August 2, 2012
    Applicant: GOSS INTERNATIONAL AMERICAS, INC.
    Inventors: Joseph Adrian St. Ours, John James Sposato, Keith James Calderone
  • Patent number: 8231288
    Abstract: A rotary shaft locking device includes a locking unit having a transmission gear receiving rotary torque from a power source, transmitting rotary torque to a rotary shaft as the transmission gear receives rotary torque from the power source, and locking the rotary shaft as transmission of rotary torque from the power source is cut off, and a first planetary gear and a second planetary gear provided to be meshed with a sun gear and to planetarily move around the sun gear, and displaced between a meshed position and an unmeshed position so as to be meshed with and separated from the transmission gear. The locking unit locks the rotary shaft for a power cutoff time which occurs when the rotation direction of the sun gear is switched and for which the transmission gear is not meshed with both the first planetary gear and the second planetary gear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Kawamura, Yu Shinagawa, Atsuhiko Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 8231125
    Abstract: The invention relates to a sheet guide element for use in an apparatus for transporting sheets by means of a gripper system having at least two grippers spaced apart from each other and a sheet guide surface defined by the sheet guide element. Here, the sheet guide element is provided with depressions in the sheet guide surface, running parallel to the transport direction, at least in some sections, in order at least partially to accommodate the grippers, so that the sheet guide surface described by the sheet guide element in the transport direction runs, at least in some sections, at the same height as the movement path of the sheet leading edge fixed in the gripper system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: KBA-Notasys SA
    Inventors: Thomas Hendle, Gerald Josef Reinhard
  • Publication number: 20120187624
    Abstract: A sheet conveyance device includes a support unit that supports a sheet; plural suction ports placed on the support unit; a suction unit that suctions the sheet toward the support unit, the suction unit being connected to the plural suction ports; plural valve systems, each valve system being placed between the corresponding suction port and the suction unit, each valve system being openable and closeable; plural valve interlocked suction ports that are to be covered by the sheet when the sheet is conveyed, the plural valve interlocked suction ports being arranged separately from the plural suction ports; and plural opening and closing units that open and close the plural valve systems, each opening and closing unit being placed between one of the valve interlocked suction ports and one of the valve systems.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2012
    Publication date: July 26, 2012
    Applicant: RICOH COMAPNY, LTD.
    Inventors: Yoichi ITO, Yuji Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20120187621
    Abstract: An apparatus for feeding sheetlike items from a stack has an item feed means for separating and feeding a single item from the stack. A holder receives the stack and has a platform for supporting the stack, and a first and a second side guide for guiding items in a feeding direction. The platform is movable into a feeding position in which separating and feeding of a single item is enabled and into a loading position in which the holder is able to receive a stack. A side guide adjustment mechanism is provided for moving at least one side guide toward and away from the other side guide. A drive device is operably connected to the side guide adjustment mechanism. The drive device is out of engagement with the side guide adjustment mechanism when the platform is in the feeding position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2012
    Publication date: July 26, 2012
    Applicant: Neopost Technologies
    Inventor: Nicolas PICHON
  • Patent number: 8226084
    Abstract: A sheet-conveying device designed to feed a sheet fed thereto through a fixing device toward a discharge unit includes first and second conveyance guides facing each other so as to define a sheet conveyance path and each having a conveying member designed to feed the sheet. The first conveyance guide includes a blower opening facing the sheet conveyance path for blowing air onto the sheet conveyance path, an exhaust opening provided on a downstream side in a sheet feeding direction with respect to the blower opening for removing air that has been blown onto the sheet conveyance path and discharging it outside the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Kyocera Mita Corporation
    Inventor: Noriaki Sumikura
  • Publication number: 20120181739
    Abstract: An apparatus for conveying a plurality of sheets into a receiving member includes receiving member and a conveyor for conveying a plurality of sheets into the receiving member so that the sheets are stacked one upon another to form a book block. The conveyor can have a downstream end that is moveable relative to the stack of sheets in the receiving member. The apparatus can also include an actuator connected to the conveyor that is operable to move the downstream end of the conveyor relative to the stack of sheets in the receiving member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2011
    Publication date: July 19, 2012
    Inventors: Michael Speller, Ross Hoge
  • Publication number: 20120181746
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining the position of adjustable feeder tray side guides in an image production device is disclosed. The method may include detecting an amount of a continuously variable sloped shape marker, determining a position of the adjustable feeder tray side guide of a feeder tray based on the detected amount of the continuously variable sloped shape marker, and outputting the determined position of the adjustable feeder tray side guide of a feeder tray to a user interface of the image production device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2011
    Publication date: July 19, 2012
    Applicant: XEROX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Douglas K. HERRMANN, Martin E. Hoover
  • Patent number: 8220797
    Abstract: An image recording apparatus, including: a recording head configured to record an image on a recording medium; a conveying mechanism disposed so as to face the recording head and configured to convey the recording medium in a medium conveyance direction that is substantially horizontal; a retaining portion disposed configured to hold and retain the recording medium on which the image has been recorded by the recording head, such that the recording medium is held and retained in a substantially horizontal posture; and a medium receiving portion to which the recording medium on which the image has been recorded by the recording head is discharged, wherein the recording head, the retaining portion, and the medium receiving portion are arranged in a vertical direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shinya Yamamoto, Kiyoshi Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 8205869
    Abstract: A sheet conveying apparatus includes a conveying mechanism and a control unit. The conveying mechanism is configured to pick up and convey a sheet every first time interval T and includes a sound source which produces a plurality of element sounds attendant on conveying the sheet. The control unit is configured to control the conveying mechanism so that the element sounds are caused at times determined based on a second time interval. The second time interval is acquired by dividing the first time interval T by a division number n which is an integer of two or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Rika Hosaka, Koichi Ootomi, Masaki Takahashi, Mitsunobu Yoshida, Misato Ishikawa, Ena Ishii
  • Patent number: 8200142
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for improved productivity and reducing operator induced shut-downs when feeding multiple jobs from a single sheet tray includes providing bar-coded job divider sheets; loading the divider sheets into the sheet supply tray on top of their corresponding sheet stack; providing a bar-code sensor above the sheet supply that reads each divider sheet bar-code information; confirming that the bar-code information matches what is in the job cue; and setting subsystem operating parameters for that paper. Once the first divider sheet is sensed, it is then fed to a purge tray before the job starts. When the job is complete, remaining sheets for that job can be fed (optionally at high speed) to the purge tray on top of the corresponding divider sheet for reuse later. If too few sheets were loaded for the job, the feeder will cause a soft cycle down and flag the problem.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph S Vetromile, Kenneth P Moore
  • Patent number: 8195081
    Abstract: A media handling transport includes first and second device halves. Each of the device halves includes first, second and third body members, with the first end portion of the second body member disposed adjacent the first end portion of the first body member, the first end portion of the third body member disposed adjacent the second end portion of the first body member, and the second end portion of the third body member disposed adjacent the second end portion of the second body member. An inner body member defines a first media transport passageway with the second body member define, a second media transport passageway with the third body member, and a third media transport passageway with the first body member. The second end portions of the second and third body members define an abutting end of the device half, with the abutting end of the first device half disposed adjacent the abutting end of the second device half in an installed transport.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: James J. Spence, Mark S. Amico