Abstract: A finishing machine is proposed for printed sheets delivered individually in rapid succession by a reproduction machine such as a printing press or a copier. The machine renders possible the manufacture in a production line in a completely automatic manner of brochures, leaflets or booklets without trimming edges. The machine comprises as its main part a station for takeover of the delivered sheets; a device for controlled retardation of the sheets received from the takeover station; a station for horizontal stacking of the retarded stacks; a mechanism for the alignment of the stacked sheets; a device for gripping the stack of aligned sheets a device for pivoting of the gripped stack from a horizontal position to an on-edge position; and a device for encasing the stack in a cover.

Abstract: Sheet handling apparatus, and more particularly a cash dispenser unit, has a number of cassettes (1,2) which hold currency notes. Pick mechanisms (3,4) are associated with each cassette and function to transfer notes from the cassettes to conveyor belts for passage to an outlet point. There are two successive conveyor belt systems. The first belt is driven by an induction motor (7) which also provides power for the pick mechanisms. The second belt system (9,19) is driven by a stepper motor (12). The stepper motor is required to operate under two different control regimes. In one it is synchronized to the speed of the induction motor (7) and for this purpose the induction motor (7) has an optical timing disc 27 mounted on its shaft (21) which cooperates with an optical sensor (28) to generate a pulse train to drive the stepper motor (12) through a selector (25) and driver circuit (23). For the other control regime a pulse generator (26) supplies pulses through the selector (25) to the stepper motor (12).

Abstract: A slow-down apparatus is disclosed using a suction box by itself to slow a sheet of paper in a paper transport apparatus, and to remove the trailing edge of a sheet from the path of the leading edge of an oncoming or following sheet to prevent lead edge damage. A set of high-speed conveyors deliver a sheet above shingled predecessor sheets being drawn by a slowdown conveyor. The shingled sheets "shutter" a suction box beneath them from affecting the delivered high-speed sheet. As the shingled sheets uncover the suction box, the high-speed delivered sheet is affected and drawn to the low-speed conveyor.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a sheet material feeder apparatus that includes a first feeder assembly positioned on an exit area of a sheet material storage compartment, which first feeder assembly is operative to provide a first driving force to a sheet material disposed in the storage compartment so as to convey the sheet material from the exit area of the storage compartment onto the main deck of an inserter system. The feeder apparatus further includes a second feeder assembly positioned on the main deck of the inserter system, which second feeder assembly is operative to provide a second driving force to the sheet material conveying through the first feeder assembly such that the sheet material is combined with the other sheet materials conveying along the main deck of the inserter system.

Abstract: For decelerating, accelerating and/or deflecting conveyed printed products (3), pressing elements (1, 2) act on the printed products (3) with normal forces (F.sub.N). The action is carried out in a resilient manner by contact elements (4) fixed to spring elements (5) such that the time of the action on the printed product (3) is made longer. Thus an improved deceleration or acceleration effect is achieved by means of friction forces and/or a deflecting effect is achieved by means of a momentum.

Abstract: Apparatus for transporting and processing documents and maintaining a preset nominal inter-document gap, g.sub.nom therebetween, this apparatus including transport stage for picking each document from an input stack and advancing it toward a destination at a controlled rate; a sensor unit for sensing the distance g between the so-moved document and the following document; and a control stage for determining the variance .gradient.g, between g.sub.nom and g, while driving each successive document along a feed path from the input stack at adjustable times; with the sensor unit inputting the control means which is adapted to responsively determine the variance-distance .gradient.g, and to thereupon control the transport stage to adjust the acceleration or deceleration of a following document and so tend to reduce this variance-distance .gradient.g.

Abstract: A feeder for feeding material along a feed path. The feeder includes a conveyer, a sensor and a control system. The conveyer operates at a normal cyclical rate to transfer the material along the feed path. The sensor mounts on the feeder and detects the material being fed. The sensor detects and signals fault when the material is fed in an undesirable manner. The control system couples with the conveyer and with the sensor and responds to the sensor to slow the conveyer to a reduced cyclical rate when the sensor signals fault. The reduced cyclical rate is less than the normal cyclical rate to enable the feeder to self-correct and thereby eliminate the fault. When the conveyer operates at the reduced cyclical rate and the feeder has self-corrected, the sensor ceases to detect fault and the control system speeds the conveyer back to the normal cyclical rate.

Abstract: A device for feeding blanks on a cigarette packing machine, wherein a succession of blanks, arranged side by side and overlapping one another along a supporting strip wound into a reel, is fed along a supply path by unwinding the reel and feeding the supporting strip along the path, which extends through a pitch-change device for spacing the blanks to eliminate the overlapping arrangement, and for adjusting the pitch of the blanks in a given manner.

Abstract: A method for tracking the position of a sheet through a paper path being translated by a plurality of feed mechanisms within a printing machine is provided.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for conveying and staggering envelope contents includes a driven, substantially vertically positioned conveyor belt with an associated conveying slit, through which the envelope contents including documents to be staggered, are moved past an operator. On the side of the envelope contents opposite the conveyor belt (i.e., facing the operator) there is a non-rotary or slowly rotatable delay roller which can be pressed against the document facing it. The delay roller is preferably moved by an electromagnet. The friction between the delay roller and the document facing it is much greater than the friction between the two envelope contents, so that the front document facing the delay roller is decelerated, while the back document is advanced by the conveyor belt until the two documents are staggered. The operator can then detect whether or not there is a document behind the front document, and whether it is correctly oriented.

Abstract: A device for conveying flat floppy products has an inlet conveyor belt with a constant velocity, an intermediate conveyor belt with a periodically changing velocity and an outlet conveyor belt with constant velocity. The intermediate conveyor belt causes a deceleration or acceleration of the product to be conveyed. Transfer of the product between the conveyor belts takes place at respectively the same velocities of the affected belts. The drive of the intermediate conveyor belt is performed by a gear making periodic gear changes. The invention relates to the relationship between the shaft distance and the radius of the drive pulley of the intermediate conveyor belt and is particularly related to steps reducing the torque during acceleration or deceleration of the drive elements and assuring a slip-free conveyance of the products.

Abstract: A conveyor system wherein individual sheets are conveyed from a cutter at a given speed, are increased in speed before passing through a vacuum conveyor shingling section, are slowed down at the shingling section, and then normally proceed at a slowed down speed to the stacker which is adapted to stack a fixed number of sheets before discharging a stack. The sheets are basically handled in accordance with the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,200,276. The vacuum shingler of the invention includes a slow-down device, such as a smoothing wheel or spring fingers, positioned above the vacuum conveyor section to nip the leading edge of the individual sheets before they contact the vacuum conveyor. The slow-down device acts to reduce the tendency of lightweight paperboard sheets to fold transversely or buckle across their width.

Abstract: A variable velocity profile deceleration device is provided for gripping a signature from a cutting cylinder, tape system or other transporting device at high speeds. The signatures are positively gripped, decelerated through a smooth velocity profile, and delivered to a further processing device such as a single copy gripper conveyor, or a stacker. The deceleration device includes a plurality of rotary grippers mounted to a drum. The drum rotates about an axis under the control of a drive. The rotary grippers each include an upper roller in rolling engagement with a lower roller at a nip. An independent gripper drive is coupled to each rotary gripper for rotating the upper and lower rollers.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sheet conveying apparatus in which a belt is wound around an outer peripheral surface of a convey rotary member for conveying a sheet and an outer peripheral surface of a drive pulley for transmitting a rotational force to the convey rotary member or an outer peripheral surface of a drive shaft of the drive pulley, so that a rotational force of the drive pulley is transmitted to the convey rotary member by way of the belt.

Abstract: A sheet member conveying mechanism, including a conveying guide for guiding a sheet member from a paper feed port to a paper discharge tray, a forwarding roller disposed on the most upstream side of the conveying guide, and a paper feed roller disposed on the downstream side of the forwarding roller to convey sheet members, forwarded by the forwarding roller, downstream one by one. An upper part of the outer peripheral surfaces of each of the forwarding roller and the paper feed roller is exposed above the upper surface of the conveying guide. The uppermost site of the paper feed roller is located at a lower position than the uppermost site of the forwarding roller.

Abstract: A U-turn high capacity sheet feeder including: a sheet storing tray for holding a stack of sheets of paper, having a stack advancing spring for advancing a stack of sheets of paper; a transfer roll; a feed roll and a drive mechanism controlled to separate an individual sheet of paper from the sheet storing tray to the transfer roll for allowing it to be further driven by the transfer roll to a host machine; a U-turn baffle channel for guiding an individual sheet of paper moving away from the sheet storing tray to the transfer roll; a pivotable baffle channel for guiding an individual sheet of paper from the U-turn baffle channel to the host machine and for supporting the individual sheet of paper against the feed roll of the host machine; a control mechanism for determining the timings of the engagement of the feed roll and the drive mechanism for transporting individual sheets of paper one by one into the feed zone of the host machine in conjunction with feeding cycle of the host machine; and a housing, whic

Abstract: The present invention relates to an image forming system comprising an image forming device for forming an image on a sheet; first feeding rollers arranged at an upstream side of the image forming device, for pinching the sheet and for feeding the sheet to the image forming device; and second feeding rollers arranged at a downstream side of the image forming device, for pinching the sheet and for feeding the sheet at a speed faster than that of the first feeding rollers in order to apply a tension force to the sheet in a transverse direction thereof.

Abstract: To compensate for sheet registration errors and to produce a desired target sheet offset between upstream and downstream positions of a sheet path along which sheets travel successively in a predetermined sheet travel direction, each sheet is driven along the path in at least three successive phases, i.e. a first phase in which the sheet is driven differentially to rotate the sheet in a first direction, a second phase in which the sheet s driven uniformly in the sheet travel direction, and a third phase in which the sheet is driven differentially with a driving velocity versus time profile opposite to that in the first phase, to rotate the sheet in a second direction opposite the first direction. If the sheet has a skew error, an intermediate phase in which the sheet is driven differentially with a driving velocity versus time profile dertmined to correct for the detected skew error, is nested in the second phase.

Abstract: Sheet-like products are fed to the transfer location by a first conveyor. A detector arrangement determines the spacing between the products and controls the first predetermined speed of a second conveyor correspondingly, with the result that, at the transfer location, the formation of the products have a predefined spacing. If the second conveyor is driven, at the stationary transfer location, at the first predetermined speed which differs from a second predetermined speed at the stationary discharge location, the conveying length of the second conveyor changes, thereby displacing a deflection wheel. Different spacings between fed products can thus be evened out.

Abstract: An article to be inserted in a conveying arrangement is picked up by the vane of a rotating element, and pushed into the conveying device. Because the motion of the element is rotational, a high feed rate can be achieved, and the article can be contacted without damage.

Abstract: An object discharge mechanism of an object picking device for discharging a bottommost object from a stack of objects includes a bottom platform on which the bottommost object of the stack of objects rests. The platform has a longitudinal slot running along an object discharge direction. The upper portion of a belt, stretched between two vertically mounted pulleys, runs through the longitudinal slot parallel to the upper surface of the bottom platform. Discharge projections are mounted periodically on an outer surface of the belt. The discharge projections push objects across the bottom platform in the object discharge direction when the belt is rotated. The object discharge mechanism also includes a lifting member for lifting all objects above the bottommost object in the stack of objects. The lifting member reduces the frictional force created by the weight of the stack of objects on the bottommost object during discharge of the bottommost object.

Abstract: Sheet collation apparatus and method operate on a random array of seriatim sheets to effect ordered stack collation. An edge guide surface is located along a sheet support surface extending from a sheet ingress to egress. A plurality of conical rollers are configured and relatively overdriven to effect edge alignment and sheet end separations between the sheet ingress and egress.

Abstract: An automatic document feeding device has a document feeding roller which feeds a document from a stack to a conveying roller which conveys the document for further processing. The document feeding roller has intermittent motion which feeds the conveying roller with three different speeds: first, at a first speed for feeding the document; then, at a speed faster than the first speed as dragged by the document; and finally, a temporary stop. The temporary stop provides sufficient interspace between the successive documents so that a correct pagination signal is generated. The intermittent motion is provided by a power transmitting component which is coupled to the document feeding roller to speed it up when engaged and is decoupled during the stop interval.

Abstract: A system for conveying flat products, such as folded newspapers. The products are received in imbricated formation on a first conveyor and passed to an intermediate or transfer conveyor, the receiving and of which is at a lower level than the discharge end of the first conveyor. The transfer conveyor accelerates the products to a conveyor which has gripping members that receive the leading edges of the products and which moves at a slower speed than the transfer conveyor. The acceleration of the products on the transfer conveyor assures that the leading edges are received within the gripping members.

Abstract: A document sorter for a document dispenser comprises a feeding apparatus for feeding documents to a document feed path, a conveyance apparatus mounted along the document feed path for conveying documents along the document feed path, and a directing apparatus mounted across the document feed path at a 90.degree. angle to the feed path for selectively directing documents along the feed path or for selectively directing documents from the feed path into a selected bin of the document dispenser. The directing apparatus includes a plurality of rotatable selector rotors mounted across the document feed path at a 900.degree. angle to the document feed path, and a D.C. motor for driving each selector rotor in a clockwise direction or a counter-clockwise direction of rotation, as desired.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for separating, feeding and sorting stacked products utilizes a computer controlled conveyor transport path. The transport path includes infeed, separating and output sections. The infeed section includes an infeed conveyor and feed roller to regulate downstream movement into the separating section. The separating section includes a plurality of individually and selectively controlled friction feeder rolls arranged on a laterally tilted incline plane. The method and apparatus includes sensors along the separating section for determining position and relative movement of products. Through computer control, individual feeder rolls or sets of feeder rolls on the inclined plane are selectively energized to separate underlying products from stacked overlying or overlapping products. The foregoing process is repeated until all products in a stack have been separated into individual units.

Abstract: A copying machine that is capable of copying a large-size document original on a transfer sheet is provided in which the transfer sheet is prevented from being skewed from the desired transport path. In one embodiment, this bypass transportation path for a cut-sheet extends to a photoreceptor drum and is provided with a resist roller and a downstream transportation roller. A cut-sheet inserted from a manual sheet feeding section is stopped with its leading edge abutting against the resist roller, so that the leading edge of the cut-sheet is aligned with a line perpendicular to a transportation direction of the sheet. The cut-sheet is then transported by the resist roller and the transportation roller. At this time, the circumferential speed of the resist roller is slower by a predetermined degree than the circumferential speed of the transportation roller.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for separating, feeding and sorting stacked products utilizes a computer controlled conveyor transport path. The transport path comprises infeed, separating and output sections. The infeed section includes an infeed conveyor and feed roller to regulate downstream movement into the separating section. The separating section includes a plurality of individually and selectively controlled friction feeder rolls arranged on a laterally tilted incline plane. The method and apparatus includes sensors along the separating section for determining position and relative movement of products. Through computer control, individual feeder rolls or sets of feeder rolls on the inclined plane are selectively energized to separate underlying products from stacked overlying or overlapping products. The foregoing process is repeated until all products in a stack have been separated into individual units.

Abstract: An automatic document feeder for feeding and discharging a document or documents to and from a document handling device such as a copying machine includes a document supply unit having a separation roller and register rollers, positioning unit and discharge unit, which are driven by a drive unit having a single reversible driving motor. The separation roller is operated to forward the document to a document reading portion when driving the driving motor in a first direction, and stopped when driving the driving motor in a second direction. The register rollers are operated only when driving the driving motor in a second direction. By slowing down the separation roller just before the document collides with the register rollers, the document can be transferred at high speed without being damaged.

Abstract: An image forming machine, such as a printer or copier, that includes a photoconductive drum for holding a toner image and a sheet pick/feed mechanism that uses an increasing radius feed roller to vary the speed of the paper in the pick/feed and image areas. The feed roller has a substantially circumferential perimeter defined by a radius that extends out from the central rotational axis of the feed roller. The radius of the feed roller increases in magnitude between a first point on the perimeter and a second point on the perimeter. A frictionally adherent surface on the circumferential perimeter of the feed roller engages the top sheet in a stack of sheet media and moves the top sheet through the pick freed area downstream immediately adjacent to the feed roller and into the image area further downstream immediately adjacent to the photoconductive drum. The top sheet is engaged by the frictionally adherent surface at the first point on the perimeter of the feed roller.

Abstract: Device for conveying single sheets or a shingled sheet stream in a feeder region of a sheet-processing machine of a conveyor table equipped with at least one endless conveyor belt, and at least two rotatably supported deflection rollers over which the conveyor belt is guided, the conveyor belt being disposed so as to convey the sheets in a region between a sheet pile and front stops, wherefrom the sheets are transferable to a further processing location of the sheet-processing machine, includes a motor for driving the conveyor belt uncoupled from the sheet-processing machine, and a computer and control device for triggering the motor with a predetermined velocity profile exhibiting a velocity change as a function of an angular position of the sheet-processing machine; and method of operating the sheet-conveying device.

Abstract: A high capacity conveyor assembly is utilizable with pressure sealers or other business forms manufacturing or handling equipment to efficiently handle forms that may be job separated, and provides high capacity outfeed. An infeed conveyor has a first horizontal conveyance surface and feeds forms in a first direction to a pair of nip wheels, with an outfeed conveyor downstream of the wheels for also feeding forms in the first direction and having a second horizontal conveyance surface. The nip wheels are powered and include a top nip wheel and a bottom nip wheel with a nip between them, the bottom nip wheel having a top peripheral surface closer to the outfeed conveyor than is the nip. A transition element (such as a low friction shelf) has a form supporting surface lower than the bottom nip wheel top peripheral surface, and is between the nip wheels and outfeed conveyor.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus with a recording device for recording an image on a sheet; a first feeding roller disposed at an upstream side of the recording device and adapted to pinch the sheet and to feed the sheet at a first feeding speed; a second feeding roller disposed at a downstream side of the recording device and adapted to pinch the sheet and to feed the sheet at a second feeding speed faster than the frist feeding speed; and a controller for controlling the first and second feeding roller and adapted to perform different controls in accordance with the state that the sheet is fed by both of the first and second feeding roller, or the state that the sheet is fed by either one of first and second feeding roller.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sheet convey apparatus having a conveyor for conveying a sheet, a guide device for guiding the sheet conveyed by the conveyor along a passage, a detector for detecting thickness of the sheet conveyed by the conveyor, and a control for controlling a conveying speed of the conveyor in accordance with the thickness of the sheet detected by the detector.

Abstract: The invention relates to a sheet feeder unit with a suction head unit whereby sheets are removed individually from a sheet pile, fed to a belt table, and conveyed by the belt table to a sheet-processing machine. The suction head unit and the belt table are driven in phase with the sheet processing machine. Further, the belt table is driven in a periodic manner so that the transfer of sheets from the suction head unit to the belt table occurs at the slowest conveying speed of the belt table. The actual time of reaching the transfer position to the sheet-processing machine is recorded by the respectively foremost sheet located on the belt table and is compared with a reference time. Furthermore, the operating cycle of the suction head unit is corrected to be advanced or retarded in accordance with the deviation of the reference time from the actual time.

Abstract: A pickup member forwards a document at a forwarding position where the pickup member is brought in contact with a bunch of stacked sheets, and is retracted from the forwarding position after the leading end of the document is forwarded. Before the rear end of the document previously forwarded passes through the pickup member, the pickup member is moved to the forwarding position and positioned thereat for forwarding the following document. A rotative member of a pair of separating members is rotated with a first velocity to transport a document forwarded by the pickup member to a downstream side, and a transport member is rotationally driven with a second velocity to further forward the document transported from the separating member to the downstream side.

Abstract: A sheet receiver has multiple trays for receiving printed sheets from a host copier or printer to collate or receive the printed sets or jobs made up of sequential sheets fed to the trays by an infeed roll driven at variable speeds depending upon the measured length of the sheets as they are moved past a sheet sensor by the infeed roll.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for separating, feeding and sorting stacked products utilizes a computer controlled conveyor transport path. The transport path comprises infeed, separating and output sections. The infeed section includes an infeed conveyor and feed roller to regulate downstream movement into the separating section. The separating section includes a plurality of individually and selectively controlled friction feeder rolls arranged on a laterally tilted incline plane. The method and apparatus includes sensors along the separating section for determining position and relative movement of products. Through computer control, individual feeder rolls or sets of feeder rolls on the inclined plane are selectively energized to separate underlying products from stacked overlying or overlapping products. The foregoing process is repeated until all products in a stack have been separated into individual units.

Abstract: A device for slowing down signatures being transported in a folding machine is provided. The device provides a plurality of rotary grippers which positively grip signatures exiting a tape conveyor system in the folding machine traveling at a high velocity. A deceleration drum is also provided for slowing down the signatures through a smooth velocity profile. The deceleration drum has a plurality of pivot arms pivotally mounted on a pivot disc rotating about a first axis, the pivot arms being connected to a control disc by a control link, the control disc rotating about a second axis parallel to, and offset from, the first axis. The rotary grippers are attached to outward ends of the pivot arms. The rotary grippers grip the leading edges of the signatures as they exit the tape conveyor system while the trailing edges are still being controlled by the tape conveyor device.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device avoiding diagonal feeding of a sheet for use in an image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus includes a sheet cassette and a sheet supply roller unit positioned deviatedly with respect to a widthwise center of the cassette. The deviated position of the sheet supply roller provides rotational force to the sheet for causing diagonal feeding thereof. The sheet feeding device includes a plurality of feed rollers arrayed side by side in the widthwise direction of the sheet. One feed roller positioned close to the sheet supply roller unit provides the sheet feeding force greater than that of the remaining sheet feed roller positioned far away from the sheet supply roller for providing a linear relationship between a resultant sheet feeding force and a resultant resistive force in a direction parallel with the sheet feeding direction.

Abstract: The production of offset stacks of business forms is effected in a continuous (i.e. without interruption) manner until a vertical stacker into which the forms are fed is full. Between a detacher and the stacker, the forms are automatically and continuously directed either to the left or the right from a common center line to offset the forms into different groups with at least one form in each group. This offsetting action may be accomplished by a pair of angled conveyor belts with steel balls movable into and out of association with the conveyor belts by solenoids, and/or by two sets of diverter wheels which are also angled and which are moved up out of engagement with the forms or down into engagement with them. Edge guide rods are provided which are part of transport aligning mechanisms that are movable toward and away from each other to accommodate different form widths.

Abstract: An automatic document feeder (ADF) for feeding a document across a platen is attachable to different types of copying machines which have different copying speeds. The ADF has a detector for detecting the copying speed of the copy machine and a controller for adjusting the document feeding speed of the ADF to the copying speed of the copy machine. The controller also controls the feeding speed of the document at a standard speed in a condition which does not lower copying efficiency and at a higher speed in a condition which lowers copying efficiency. A condition which does not lower copying efficiency is feeding documents other than the last document from the platen. A condition which lowers copying efficiency is feeding the first document to the platen and ejection of the last document from the platen.

Abstract: A paper conveying device for overrunning paper from a stop position and then, switching the paper back to stop the paper in a stop position. The driving of a paper conveying section for conveying paper is stopped at the time point where the rear end of the paper reaches the stop position. Thereafter, the amount of overrun of the paper is detected, so that the paper is switched back by the amount. Consequently, the amount of overrun and the amount of switchback of the paper are suppressed to the minimum amounts required. In addition, the stress applied to the paper is reduced, and the paper is set in a short time.

Abstract: An automatic document feeder is formed of a transfer device having a transfer belt situated above a platen to transfer a sheet on the platen, and a belt motor for actuating the transfer belt, a sheet detecting device situated near the transfer belt for detecting the sheet, and a feeding device located near the transfer belt at a side of the sheet detecting device. The feeding device feeds the sheet between the transfer belt and the platen. A controlling device is electrically connected to the sheet detecting device and the belt motor. The controlling device, while the belt motor for transferring the sheet on the platen is actuating, outputs a stop signal to stop the belt motor when a predetermined time has passed after the sheet detecting device detects the sheet so that the sheet is placed on a predetermined position on the platen. The feeder further includes a compensating device connected to the controlling device.

Abstract: A sheet feeder incorporated in an image forming apparatus and allowing the distance between the preceding sheet and the succeeding sheet to be reduced to a minimum necessary one. A pair of control rollers whose transport speed is controllable are located upstream of an image forming section with respect to an intended direction of sheet transport. An image transfer and paper separation unit is located at the image forming section. The transport speed of the control rollers is made higher than an image forming speed for any desired period of time after the leading edge of a sheet has been gripped by said control rollers and before the leading edge reaches the image forming section. As a result the distance between the preceding and succeeding sheets is reduced to increase the number of images which can be formed for a unit time without the transport speed at the image forming section being increased.

Abstract: A wide variety of product types, sizes and shapes are sorted into designated destination bins or other outputs utilizing a computer controlled transport path that includes an infeed section and a pinch roller diverting section. The infeed section receives a singulated stream of products to be sorted, optically scans each product for a destination code and transports the products downstream to the diverting section. The diverting section consists of a series of individually and selectively controlled roller pairs in combination with a number of diverting gates. Each roller pair includes an upper foam covered pinch roller and a lower friction drive roller oriented such that products moving downstream pass between each roller pair until diverted from the transport path. An array of photoelectric detectors provide product position information to identify and track product movement through the apparatus.

Abstract: An external media transport buffer has a carriage supported for linear motion on parallel guide rails between an imagesetter and a processor. A pair of transport rollers is mounted for rotation on the carriage. Two sensors are mounted within the buffer to detect media movement. A first sensor is positioned at an entrance to the buffer and a second sensor is positioned on the carriage on an exit side of the transport rollers. Signals are sent from the sensors to a roller transport motor and carriage transport motor and the signals are coordinated to start and stop the motors according to a predetermined sequence. A leading end of media enters the nip of the transport rollers and is held in the nip as the carriage travels from the imagesetter to the processor. A slack loop of media forms between the carriage and the imagesetter as the imagesetter feeds the media to the buffer faster than the carriage travels to the processor.

Abstract: A document handling system for sequentially feeding document sheets to be imaged with a controlled minimized interdocument gap therebetween even though the sheet separator-feeder sequentially feeds the documents from the stack in the input tray with initial interdocument gap variations to a second transport path portion feeding the document sheets through the imaging station at a constant velocity. A first servo drive feeds the documents in a first path portion including the separator-feeder, and a second servo drive feeds the documents in a second path portion providing the constant velocity. A sheet edge sensor in the first path portion signals the passage of the lead or trail edge of document sheets.

Abstract: An apparatus for separating and advancing documents includes a first assembly having movable belts for frictionally engaging and advancing one of the documents along a path, and a second assembly having stationary belts and retrogressingly moving a portion of an endless belt along the path to frictionally engage and halt the remainder of the documents. The retrogressional movement of the endless belt distributing wear experienced by the engaging and halting of documents over the length of the endless belt. The movable belts of the first assembly and the belts of the second assembly are disposed in relative juxtaposition whereby the one document is gripped between the first assembly and second assembly and advanced along the path under the influence of the first assembly.

Abstract: A device for slowing down signatures being transported in a folding machine is provided. The device provides a plurality of rotary grippers which positively grip signatures exiting a tape conveyor system in the folding machine traveling at a high velocity. A deceleration drum is also provided for slowing down the signatures through a smooth velocity profile. The deceleration drum has a plurality of pivot arms pivotally mounted on a pivot disc rotating about a first axis, the pivot arms being connected to a control disc by a control link, the control disc rotating about a second axis parallel to, and offset from, the first axis. The rotary grippers are attached to outward ends of the pivot arms. The rotary grippers grip the leading edges of the signatures as they exit the tape conveyor system while the trailing edges are still being controlled by the tape conveyor device.