Having Means To Permit Separation Of Couple Patents (Class 271/273)
  • Patent number: 7959150
    Abstract: A method and system feeds a sheet through a media path in a process direction. When the sheet is within a sheet registration carriage of the media path, the method and system align the sheet to a predetermined lateral position within the media path. The aligning process comprises unevenly activating nips within the sheet registration carriage and moving the sheet registration carriage in a lateral direction perpendicular to the process direction. If the lateral movement distance exceeds a predetermined distance, the method and system move the sheet registration carriage toward the starting position after the nips have released the sheet, but before the sheet has passed by the nips.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Martin Krucinski, Saurabh Prabhat, Joannes N. M. deJong, Lloyd A. Williams
  • Patent number: 7950659
    Abstract: In an embodiment of the present invention, a plate is laid over sides of a second guide and a first guide that pivots relative to the second guide. The plate pivots with a first pin on the side of the second guide as a fulcrum. A second pin on the side of the first guide is inserted through a slit of the plate. The plate is pivoted by pivoting of the first guide in an opening direction. The second pin is fit in a stop slit provided in the slit to maintain the first guide in an open state. The first guide is pivoted in a closing direction to remove the second pin from the stop slit and close the first guide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toshihiro Matsushima
  • Patent number: 7946581
    Abstract: A pinch roller assembly useable in a document processing system is disclosed. The pinch roller assembly includes a pinch roller housing movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to a path of travel of documents. The pinch roller assembly also includes a pinch roller rotatably mounted to the pinch roller housing and located adjacent to the path of travel of documents, and a biasing member arranged to exert a biasing force on a deflection element. The deflection element directs the biasing force onto the pinch roller housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: Burroughs Payment Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: David B. Tratar, Michael John Kiplinger
  • Patent number: 7946776
    Abstract: A sheet feeding procedure supplies recording media from a medium enclosing portion to a medium conveying path. An overlap-feed detecting procedure monitors a thickness of recording media supplied to the medium conveying path, thereby detecting the overlap-feed media. Sheet returning procedures (A) and (B) return the overlap-feed media into the medium enclosing portion when the overlap-feed media are detected. A looseness forming procedure applies rotational forces of different rotation speeds to upper and lower surfaces of the overlap-feed media during the medium returning procedure, thereby forming a looseness in the overlap-feed media. A medium re-feeding procedure supplies again the returned recording media to the medium conveying path from the medium enclosing portion. In the medium feed control, the overlap-feed can be further certainly recovered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: Oki Data Corporation
    Inventor: Masahiro Sonoda
  • Publication number: 20110095474
    Abstract: A device is provided for continuously and concentrically transporting documents of different width through a passageway at a high speed. The device comprises a pair of opposed rollers 131 rotatably mounted on the opposite sides of a passageway 11 to grasp the opposite sides of a bill 70 between rotators 131, 132. At the moment of grasp between rollers 131, a central line C of bill 70 is automatically brought into alignment with a central line G of front passageway 11, and at the same time, bill 70 is grasped by opposed rollers 131 rotating in the adverse directions each other so that rotational force of rollers 131 applied to bill 70 serves to flip bill 70 to the rear of passageway 11.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2009
    Publication date: April 28, 2011
    Applicant: JAPAN CASH MACHINE CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shinya Izawa, Koji Nishimura, Atsunori Hara, Taichi Sato, Nobuyuki Tane
  • Patent number: 7931268
    Abstract: This device for braking a flat product, in particular a signature, has a support, a brake shoe for braking the flat product, the brake shoe being movable between a position allowing the passage of the flat product and a position effecting braking of the flat product, and a drive for driving the brake shoe from the passing position towards the braking position. The drive includes an eccentric element which is movable in rotation and co-operates with the brake shoe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2011
    Assignee: Goss International Montataire SA
    Inventors: Franck Chagnon, Philippe Herda, Thierry Melon, Jérôme Peres, Eric Pierda, Jean-François Robert, Philippe Robin, Thierry Vauchelle
  • Patent number: 7905486
    Abstract: The invention provides a transportation apparatus for transporting a transportation target medium in a predetermined transportation direction. The transportation target medium transportation apparatus according to an aspect of the invention includes: a transport driving roller that is operated rotationally; a transport driven roller that is urged against the transport driving roller and follows the rotary movement of the transport driving roller; and a control unit that controls the movement of the transport driven roller between a contact position at which the transport driven roller is in contact with the transport driving roller and a non-contact position at which the transport driven roller is not in contact with the transport driving roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Takahiro Abe
  • Patent number: 7900918
    Abstract: A sheet conveying system in which when a sheet is passed from a sheet conveying apparatus to another, each including a sheet conveyance controller, the receiving apparatus can smoothly control acceleration, deceleration, or stop of conveyance of the sheet. A first sheet conveying device includes a first conveying roller pair to nip and convey a sheet, a releasing mechanism to release nipping of the sheet by the first conveying roller pair, and a first controller to control the first conveying roller pair and the releasing mechanism. A second sheet conveying device includes a second conveying roller pair to nip and convey the sheet conveyed by the first sheet conveying device, a second controller to control the second conveying roller pair, and a detecting device to detect position of a sheet. In response to the detection by the detecting device, the second controller causes the releasing mechanism to release the nipping of the sheet by the first conveying roller pair.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toru Ono, Kiyoshi Okamoto, Noriaki Matsui
  • Patent number: 7900919
    Abstract: A sheet transport roller system and methods for reducing sheet skew using a sheet transport roller system are disclosed. A sheet transport roller system for use in a document processing device may include a plurality of idler rollers, a plurality of drive rollers and a load distribution mechanism. Each drive roller may correspond to a corresponding idler roller. The load distribution mechanism may be configured to support the plurality of idler rollers and to equalize normal forces applied by each idler roller towards the corresponding drive roller. The load distribution mechanism may include a center loading spring in contact with the document processing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Adam Douglas Ledgerwood, Timothy Gordon Shelhart
  • Publication number: 20110049800
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for transporting substrate media including a nip assembly having a drive wheel operably connected to a drive mechanism for rotating the drive wheel, and an idler member disposed adjacent the drive wheel. The idler wheel and drive wheel forming a nip. The drive wheel and idler wheel are displaceable from each other to form a nip gap therebetween. A nip force generator is operably connected to the nip assembly. The nip force generator develops a first nip force upon entry of the substrate media into the nip and formation of the nip gap and develops a second nip force subsequent to the first nip force. The second nip force is greater than the first nip force.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2009
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: XEROX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Joannes N.M. deJong, Lloyd A. Williams, Matthew Dondiego
  • Publication number: 20110049801
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for transporting substrate of media including a nip assembly having a drive wheel operably connected to a drive mechanism for rotating the drive wheel and an idler wheel disposed adjacent the drive wheel. The drive wheel and idler wheel forming a nip therebetween. The drive wheel and idler wheel being displaced from each other forming a nip gap, wherein the nip gap is present absent the presence of the substrate media in the nip.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2009
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: XEROX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Joannes N.M. deJong, Lloyd A. Williams, Matthew Dondiego
  • Patent number: 7887052
    Abstract: In a mailpiece feed device comprising a mailpiece-receiving deck for receiving a stack of mailpieces for printing, selector means for extracting the mailpieces for printing one-by-one from said stack, and superposed conveyor rollers including movable upper rollers for conveying downstream the mailpieces extracted one-by-one in this way, there are further provided movable optical read means that are placed downstream from said selector means and that move synchronously with said movable upper conveyor rollers for conveying the mailpieces, so that, in cooperation with processor means, said optical read means scan and recognize automatically the data printed on said mailpieces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2011
    Assignee: Neopost Technologies
    Inventor: Marek Krasuski
  • Patent number: 7883089
    Abstract: In an image forming apparatus including an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium conveyed from a sheet feeding unit to obtain an image with photographic quality, at least a part of the recording medium has a transparent portion. When an image obtained by reversing an original image is transferred onto the transparent part, sheet-delivery rollers are operable in a direction in which a pressure onto the recording medium is reduced immediately after fixing of the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2011
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Kazuhisa Sudo, Mikio Ishibashi, Megumi Ohtoshi, Reki Nakamura, Masafumi Yamada, Toshihiro Sugiyama, Yukiko Iwasaki, Nobuyuki Koinuma, Takashi Sakamaki
  • Patent number: 7878504
    Abstract: A roller mechanism includes a pair of rollers and an urging unit. The pair of rollers oppose one another sandwiching a conveyance path of a sheet material, and are provided to be capable of increasing and reducing an axis-to-axis separation thereof. The urging unit urges at least one of the pair of rollers in a direction of reducing the axis-to-axis separation of the pair of rollers with an urging force that increases with an increase in the axis-to-axis separation of the pair of rollers, and presses the sheet material with the pair of rollers. The urging unit increases the urging force non-linearly, with a rate of increase of the urging force falling as the axis-to-axis separation of the pair of rollers increases within a range of changes at times of sheet material-pressing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenji Ikeda, Hiroaki Satoh, Susumu Kibayashi, Toru Nishida, Takeshi Zengo
  • Patent number: 7871075
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a sheet conveyance path, a pair of rollers configured to rotate in a conveyance direction to convey a sheet in the path by holding the sheet, and to reversely rotate in a direction opposite thereto. The reverse rotation is regulated so that the pair of rollers may reversely rotate within a predetermined amount. A sub-unit is releasable from a body of the image forming apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2011
    Assignee: Ricoh Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yohichi Asaba
  • Patent number: 7850169
    Abstract: A feed roller and a separation roller each having convex portions are arranged so that the convex portions engage with each other. A lever is provided such that one end of the lever is fixed to a rotatable shaft and other end slides on a shaft around which the separation roller rotates. The other end has at least two portions with different radii of curvature. A knob is integrally connected to the lever. When a user operates the knob, the lever rotates and the shaft around which the separation roller rotates is pushed away depending on the radii of curvature of the portion of the lever so that amount of engagement between the feed roller and the separation roller changes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Kazumasa Minami
  • Publication number: 20100310280
    Abstract: A sheet skew correcting device includes a first sheet conveyance unit which a conveyance force at a center side is smaller than a conveyance force at a first side, a second sheet conveyance unit which is adjacent to the first sheet conveyance unit across the center and a conveyance force at the center side is smaller than a conveyance force at a second side, a first drive unit to drive the first rotator, a second drive unit to drive the third rotator, a detection unit to detect an inclination of the sheet, and a control unit to control the first drive unit and the second drive unit based on a detection result of the detection unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2010
    Publication date: December 9, 2010
    Applicants: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hirofumi Kondo, Yoshinori Tsueda
  • Patent number: 7845638
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus including a media source having a plurality of sheets of photothermographic imaging media contained therein, an exposure unit including an input engagement point, an output engagement point, and a laser module positioned therebetween, and a driven roller pair forming a nip. A driven roller pair is configured to receive a leading edge of a sheet from a media source and is configured to begin extracting the sheet from the media source and driving the sheet along a transport path extending from the media source to at least the output engagement point of the exposure unit. Upon the leading edge being engaged by the input engagement point, the nip is configured to open while the trailing edge of sheet is still within the media source such that a remaining portion of the sheet is extracted from the media source by the exposure unit while the laser module exposes a desired image on the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Carestream Health, Inc.
    Inventors: Curt A. Wiens, Chris Zwettler, Hoa Pham
  • Publication number: 20100303529
    Abstract: A conveying device includes a first curved guide member, a second guide member which has a radius of curvature larger than the first guide member and guides a recording medium between the second guide member and the first guide member, a pinching and conveying section which is disposed on an entrance side of a conveyance path including the first guide member and the second guide member, pinches the recording medium and conveys the recording medium into the conveyance path, and a support member which is provided on the second guide member at.a position adjacent to the pinching and conveying section, and has a support point on an extended line of a normal line of a nip of the pinching and conveying section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2010
    Publication date: December 2, 2010
    Applicants: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tetsuo Shiba
  • Publication number: 20100258999
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a printing device comprising a sheet buffer including a paper path having a plurality of nip pairs for selectively receiving and releasing a plurality of printer sheets. The plurality of nip pairs include a fixed load nip pair, a fixed unload nip pair, and at least another intermediate fixed nip pair therebetween. In a first operation each subsequent sheet of the plurality of sheets is shingled over a previous sheet wherein the plurality of sheets can be stopped in the intermediate nip pair or pairs. Individual sheets of the plurality of sheets can be advanced to the unload nip pair sequentially in a second operation whereupon the individual sheets are successively unloaded as needed in a first in first out order.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2010
    Publication date: October 14, 2010
    Applicant: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: PAUL J. DEGRUCHY
  • Publication number: 20100244374
    Abstract: A sheet-conveying device conveys a recording medium to a sheet support surface positioned downstream of the sheet-conveying device in a sheet-conveying direction when recording an image with an image-recording unit. A drive roller and a follower roller define a nip line therebetween. The nip line is positioned above the sheet support surface. A first support member rotatably supports the follower roller. A moving unit moves the first support member from a first position to a second position upstream of the first position in the paper-conveying direction immediately after a trailing edge of the recording medium leaves the sheet-conveying unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2010
    Publication date: September 30, 2010
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kohei TERADA
  • Patent number: 7798483
    Abstract: When a sheet reaches a sheet separator, an operation mechanism rocks a pick arm, thereby separating a paper feed roller from the sheet. At that time, a roller presses another roller and a separation pad holder through a separation roller and a sheet which is separated by the separation pad, and a pressure welding pressure between the separation roller and the separation pad is reduced. With this, the separation roller and the separation pad can be separated from each other with a small and simple mechanism, and a back tension when a sheet is fed can be reduced inexpensively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Akira Oomori
  • Publication number: 20100230892
    Abstract: A transporting path configuration includes: a separating mechanism that separates from one of transporting members the other transporting member; an opening/closing transporting path member that is rotatably attached above the transporting members and has one surface that configures a first transporting path of the recording medium discharged from the transporting members; a transporting path member that forms a second transporting path between the transporting path member and the other surface of the opening/closing transporting path member in a state of covering the opening/closing transporting path member; a handle that is attached to the opening/closing transporting path member so as to be extended above the second transporting path and is further extended above a cover that covers a discharge member; and a moving mechanism that moves the handle in the direction away from the cover when the other transporting member is separated from the one transporting member by the separating mechanism.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2009
    Publication date: September 16, 2010
    Inventor: Yoshiyasu Tanioka
  • Patent number: 7789387
    Abstract: A roller assembly for conveying stacked sheet material along a feed path. The roller assembly includes a first roller adapted for rotation within a housing, a second roller pivotally mounting about an axis to the housing and opposing the first roller to define a roller nip, a spring biasing mechanism operative to bias the second roller about the pivot axis toward the first roller to effect optimum frictional engagement of the roller nip with the face surfaces of the stacked sheet material and a transmission assembly operative to (i) transfer rotational motion of the first roller to the second roller, (ii) drive the first and second rollers in opposing directions to convey the stacked sheet material along the feed path, and (iii) facilitate pivot motion of the second roller about the pivot axis to vary the spacing of the roller nip and accommodate stacks of sheet material which vary in thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: Pitney Bowes Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph A. Trudeau, Robert F. Marcinik
  • Publication number: 20100220167
    Abstract: A recording paper transportation path structure suppresses sagging of the recording paper fed from the nipping part of a pair of rollers to the platen surface of a vacuum platen, and can prevent a drop in paper feed precision. In a roll paper printer 1, the recording paper fed through the nipping part 52 of a paper feed roller 22 and a paper pressure roller 23 is fed along the contact plane P2 of the outside surface of the rollers 22 and 23 toward the platen surface 8a of the vacuum platen 8 at a slightly lower position. An inclined surface part 12b that slopes along the contact plane P2, an up-lifting surface part 12c that slopes down, and a protruding surface part 12d are formed contiguously to the upstream side at the upstream end part 8b of the platen surface 8a.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2010
    Publication date: September 2, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Norio Nagata
  • Publication number: 20100219581
    Abstract: A printer has a paper feed mechanism that can reliably balance the paper feed force of the paper feed roller and paper pressure roller on the left and right sides of the recording paper width. Using the self-centering action of a pressure lever fulcrum 31k and adjustment of the position where an extension spring 32 applies force, the paper feed mechanism 30 of a printer 1 can press the paper pressure roller 23 that is supported by a pressure lever 31 to a paper feed roller 21 so that the paper pressure roller 23 applies equal pressure at all points along the width of the paper feed roller 21, can balance the paper feed force applied by the paper feed roller 21 and the paper pressure roller 23 to the recording paper 12a left and right widthwise to the paper, and can prevent the recording paper 12a from meandering, skewing, and jamming.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2010
    Publication date: September 2, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masahiko Yamada
  • Patent number: 7784786
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming section, provided in an apparatus body, for forming an image on a sheet; a sheet transport path for transporting the sheet to the image forming section; a closing member, openably and closably mounted to the apparatus body, for exposing the sheet transport path in an opened state thereof; a first guide unit and a second guide unit, disposed along the sheet transport path, for guiding the sheet, the first and the second guide units being operable to shift between a proximate position where the first and the second guide units are close to each other, and an away position where the first and the second guide units are away from each other; and a position shifting mechanism for shifting the position of the second guide unit in association with a shifting operation of the first guide unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignee: Kyocera Mita Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Tashiro, Hiroshi Inui, Mitsutoshi Takemoto
  • Patent number: 7784779
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus for discharging a wad of media in an automated media dispenser. The present invention provides an apparatus for discharging a wad of media in an automated media dispenser, comprising: a main frame 30; a lower frame 61 provided in the main frame 30, the lower frame being provided with a lower media delivery unit 70 for conveying media in one direction; a delivery regulating unit 90 provided in the lower frame 61 to selectively convey the media; an upper frame 32 provided in the main frame 30 in correspondence to an upper side of the lower frame 61 and being selectively in contact with the lower frame 61, the upper frame being provided with an upper media delivery unit 40, the upper media delivery unit cooperating with the lower media delivery unit 70 to convey the media in one direction; and a delivery regulation operating unit 50 provided in the upper frame 32 to selectively operating the delivery regulating unit 90.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignee: LG N-Sys Inc.
    Inventor: Woon-Yong Choi
  • Patent number: 7775516
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a body comprising 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: June 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Atsushi Miwa
  • Publication number: 20100194035
    Abstract: A new media path includes a flexible member that cooperates with a control point for smooth transitions of media sheets along the path. The media path includes an elongated member having a first end and a second end, the elongated member having a longitudinal axis and a cross-member axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the elongated member having a first surface that is non-linear in at least one of the longitudinal and cross-member axes, and a bevel on a second surface of the elongated member, the bevel being proximate to the first end of the elongated member at a predetermined distance from the first end.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2009
    Publication date: August 5, 2010
    Applicant: XEROX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Carl Thomas Urban, David B. Schaefer, Rob Huala
  • Patent number: 7766327
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a printing device comprising a sheet buffer including a paper path having a plurality of nip pairs for selectively receiving and releasing a plurality of printer sheets. The plurality of nip pairs include a fixed load nip pair, a fixed unload nip pair, and at least another intermediate fixed nip pair therebetween. In a first operation each subsequent sheet of the plurality of sheets is shingled over a previous sheet wherein the plurality of sheets can be stopped in the intermediate nip pair or pairs. Individual sheets of the plurality of sheets can be advanced to the unload nip pair sequentially in a second operation whereupon the individual sheets are successively unloaded as needed in a first in first out order.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2010
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Paul J. DeGruchy
  • Patent number: 7766326
    Abstract: The sheet conveyance apparatus includes a controller which controls a moving unit. The moving unit moves a sheet conveyance unit for conveying a sheet toward a direction intersecting with a sheet conveyance direction. The controller performs the control such that a moving speed of a shift moving unit is reduced when a shift amount of the sheet discharged from an image forming apparatus main body is small. Therefore, generation of a noise and vibration can be suppressed to save electric power consumption. When the shift amount of the sheet is large, the moving speed of the shift moving unit can be increased to shorten an operation time necessary to the movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yusuke Obuchi, Hitoshi Kato
  • Publication number: 20100191368
    Abstract: In a method for adjusting a gap through which a product is to be conveyed, a rotatable element is driven with a predetermined torque, and the rotatable element is moved against the product located in the gap until the rotatable element stops.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2008
    Publication date: July 29, 2010
    Inventors: Ronald Celeste, Reinhard Seiler, Ulrich Miller
  • Patent number: 7762550
    Abstract: According to detection results obtained by a plurality of printing medium detection device, a printing medium is carried in while controlling an operation of pressing a pinch roller to be in contact with a conveying roller and of separating the pinch roller from the conveying roller and an operation of pressing a spur to be in contact with a eject roller and of separating the spur from the eject roller. Accordingly, it is made possible to carry the printing medium into the apparatus in a proper state even when the printing medium is a nonstandard-sized printing medium. Moreover, while effectively utilizing one driving source, a plurality of mechanism is independently controlled. Hence, accurately controlled flat-pass printing can be realized despite of the relatively small number of components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yasufumi Tanaami
  • Patent number: 7758044
    Abstract: A sheet conveying device is described for conveying, for example, a sheet bearing an image in an image forming apparatus. The sheet conveying device includes an upstream conveying roller pair, a downstream conveying roller pair, a sheet condition detector, and a pressure adjuster. The sheet condition detector detects a convey condition of the sheet when the sheet is nipped and conveyed by the upstream conveying roller pair and the downstream conveying roller pair. The pressure adjuster adjusts a pressure applied by at least one of the upstream conveying roller pair and the downstream conveying roller pair to the sheet based on a detection result provided by the sheet condition detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2010
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Manabu Nonaka
  • Patent number: 7748809
    Abstract: In the ink-jet printing apparatus, the influence of displacements of printing positions caused by the excessive conveyance of a printing medium to the resultant image when the rear end of the printing medium exits from a nip portion between the roller pair in a conveying mechanism. More specifically, in the printing operation for the rear end portion of the printing medium in which the printing medium exits from the roller pair, the guide shaft for supporting the carriage is lifted at a position wherein a head-medium distance is changed to widen a distance between the printing had and the printing medium (S402). Thereby, the displacement of the landing position caused by the excessive conveyance of the printing medium is inconspicuous because of the variations of the landing positions due to the widening of the head-medium distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kiichiro Takahashi, Minoru Teshigawara, Tetsuya Edamura, Akiko Maru, Yoshiaki Murayama
  • Patent number: 7748707
    Abstract: A method for deskewing a sheet. The method includes positioning a lower roller pair and at least one upper roller pair to form a substantially vertical transport path, wherein the lower roller pair and at least one upper roller pair each form a nip. The method includes driving the lower roller pair and the at least one upper roller pair so as to transport the sheet upward along the substantially vertical transport path, opening the nip formed by the at least one upper roller pair as a trailing edge of the sheet approaches the lower roller pair. The method further includes continuing to drive the lower roller pair so that the trailing edge passes through the nip formed by the lower roller pair and upward movement of the sheet ceases with the trailing edge supported by the lower roller pair, wherein gravity and continued rotation of the lower roller pair work together align the trailing edge with the lower roller pair.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: Carestream Health, Inc.
    Inventor: Troy A. Giese
  • Patent number: 7731188
    Abstract: A sheet handling system comprising a sheet registration system having sheet registration nips and a receiving system for a sheet including a capturing point for engaging said sheet. Auxiliary nips are positioned between the sheet registration nips and the receiving station. The auxiliary nips are moveable between an open and closed position. A controller receives a signal indicative of the length of the sheet and sends a signal to the auxiliary nips to be in a sheet engaging position when the length of the sheet is less than the distance between the sheet feeding nips and the capturing point of the receiving station and be in an open position if the length of the sheet is greater than the distance between the sheet registration nips and the capturing point of the receiving station. In another embodiment, the auxiliary nips are maintained in their open position until the trailing edge of a sheet is about to leave the sheet registration nips, at which point the auxiliary nips are closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Joannes N. M. deJong, Lloyd A. Williams, Jack G. Elliot
  • Patent number: 7726650
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an automatic document feeder having a mechanism for releasing paper jam by disconnecting the transmission device. The automatic document feeder includes a driving motor, a transmission device, a plurality of paper transfer rollers, a swing arm and a releasing arm. The driving motor is used for providing driving power. The transmission device and is coupled to the driving motor for transmitting the driving power. The swing arm is coupled to some of the transmission elements and operated in either a connection state or a disconnection state. The releasing arm is selectively contacted with the swing arm to have the swing arm enter the disconnection state or separated from the swing arm to have the swing arm enter the connection state. The paper jam is released when the swing arm is operated in the disconnection state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Primax Electroncs Ltd.
    Inventor: Tung-Wen Tu
  • Patent number: 7726648
    Abstract: A sheet conveying device includes a first conveying path configured to pass a sheet of a recording medium (e.g., paper) therethrough to a sheet processing device, a second conveying path branched from the first conveying path and configured to temporarily store the paper sheet conveyed therein, a sheet conveying mechanism configured to selectably convey the paper sheet in one of forward and backward directions to the sheet processing device, a guide member mounted at a branch point of the first and second conveying paths and configured to guide the paper sheet when the paper sheet is conveyed in the backward direction by the sheet conveying mechanism to the second conveying path, and a control unit configured to control the sheet conveying mechanism to change a distance between the branch point and the sheet conveying mechanism according to a length of the paper sheet in a forward sheet conveying direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Tamura, Shohichi Satoh, Shuuya Nagasako, Makoto Hidaka, Ichiro Ichihashi, Hitoshi Hattori, Nobuyoshi Suzuki, Kazuhiro Kobayashi, Akira Kunieda, Hiroshi Maeda, Tomoichi Nomura
  • Patent number: 7722039
    Abstract: A cam unit includes three cams fixed on a common cam shaft for moving a pair of feeding rollers, a pair of lateral registration rollers, and a stopper unit, respectively. A control unit corrects a lateral registration of a sheet whose skew is corrected by the stopper unit, based on a detection result of a detecting unit that detects a position of a side edge of the sheet, while conveying the sheet, controls the rollers not nip the sheet at least during the lateral registration, and controls rotations of the cams according to a length of the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Yutaka Shoji, Junji Shirakawa, Takayuki Muneyasu
  • Patent number: 7722040
    Abstract: In an embodiment of the invention, a cam of a pitch adjustment mechanism can be slid and moved along a first shaft. When a sheet is a standard paper, the pitch adjustment mechanism is ejected from an adjustment position by an urging force of a movement spring and is moved to a standby position, and slide contact between the cam and a second shaft is released. When a sheet is a thick paper, a solenoid is turned on, the pitch adjustment mechanism is disposed at the adjustment position by a plunger, and it is prevented that the registration roller pair abruptly come in contact with each other after the thick paper passes through.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba TEC Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toshihiro Matsushima
  • Patent number: 7722035
    Abstract: A method for correcting the lateral position of a printing material, includes gripping the printing material with a transport unit, rotating the transport unit in a lateral position correction angular range for correcting the lateral position of the printing material, and rotating the transport unit out of the lateral position correction angular range while retaining the correction of the lateral position of the printing material. An apparatus for correcting the lateral position of a printing material, a printing material conveying system and a machine for processing printing material, are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Michael Pasuch, Hendrik Frank, Helge Grandt
  • Patent number: 7722038
    Abstract: A document processing system includes a feeder stage, a transport stage, and a retractable mechanism cooperating with a portion of the document track. An assertable member is arranged with respect to the document track such that assertion of the member causes retraction of the opposed track walls in the cooperating portion of the document track by retracting a first base member from a second base member. An imaging assembly is composed of an imaging device and an image glass. The image glass is positioned as one side of the document track at the retractable mechanism. In the retracted state, the imaging assembly is retracted to provide access to the imaging device and the document track.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Assignee: Burroughs Payment Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael J. Moore, Sammy C. Hutson, John Gudenburr
  • Patent number: 7717423
    Abstract: An duplex auto-document feed mechanism comprises an auto-document feedpath having a simplex feedpath portion and a duplexing feedpath portion in feeding communication with the simplex feedpath portion, the auto-document feedpath has a media input and a media output, an input roller for feeding media disposed at the media input and an exit nip positioned near the media output, a motor driving the input roller and the exit nip, a scanning station disposed along one of the duplex feedpath portion and the simplex feedpath portion, the exit nip having a first position wherein first and second rollers defining the exit nip are closed when receiving media during a simplex feeding procedure and open when a leading edge and trailing edge of media are passing through the exit nip simultaneously, wherein a change of motor direction one of opens the exit nip or closes the exit nip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: Lexmark International, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew Jeremy Litman, Robert Warren Rumford, Donald N. Spitz
  • Patent number: 7708273
    Abstract: A paper sheet processing apparatus including: an insertion slot into which a paper sheet is inserted, a paper sheet conveyance mechanism for conveying the paper sheet inserted into the insertion slot, a paper sheet traveling route through which the paper sheet is conveyed, a sensor for detecting the paper sheet existence in the paper sheet traveling route, a pair of contact members for holding the paper sheet, a driving source for moving one of the pair of contact members toward the other, and a control device for controlling driving of the driving source. Either of the pair of contact members is driven to convey the paper sheet. The control device controls the driving force to move either of the pair of contact members such that the pair of contact members are kept apart before the paper sheet is inserted and that the pair of contact members become closer to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: Universal Entertainment Corporation
    Inventor: Takao Nireki
  • Publication number: 20100090396
    Abstract: A conveying device performs an appropriate initialization sequence at start of an operation thereof in response to a manipulation of a lever of a non-operational conveying mechanism thereof. The conveying device includes a pair of rollers configured to convey a sheet, a separating unit configured to separate one of the pair of rollers from another of the pair of rollers, a holding unit configured to retain a status representing whether a separation process is performed by the separating unit, a memory unit configured to store information representing a state of the conveying device at power-off, and a control unit configured to control the conveying device based on the status retained by the holding unit and the information stored by the memory unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2009
    Publication date: April 15, 2010
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ryoya Shinjo, Shin Genta
  • Patent number: 7690652
    Abstract: An image formation device includes an image formation unit and a paper feed mechanism. The image formation unit is configured to print an image on a recording paper. The paper feed mechanism includes a feed roller, a press roller, cylindrical press rings and press roller bearings. The feed roller is configured to impart conveyance force to the recording paper. The feed roller has grip portions being configured to contact the recording paper. The press roller is disposed across from the feed roller. The press roller is configured to press the recording paper against the feed roller. A paper feed path through which the recording paper is fed to the image formation unit is formed between the feed roller and the press roller. The cylindrical press rings are attached to the press roller at locations adjacent to ends of the press roller. The press roller bearings support the press roller and bias the press roller toward the feed roller via the press rings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Noriyuki Shimizu
  • Patent number: 7677562
    Abstract: A paper guide up unit pivotally supporting a transport driven roller making contact with a transport driving roller is provided so as to be able to be displaced by the rotation of cams. The angle ? made by a straight line passing the rotation axis line position of the transport driving roller and the rotation axis line position of the transport driven roller when viewed from the paper transport pathway side and a straight perpendicular to the paper transport direction is changed by the displacement of the paper guide up unit. Control means for controlling the displacement operation of the paper guide up unit reduces the angle ? before the paper back end is passed through the nip point of the transport driving roller and the transport driven roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kenjiro Ishihara, Kazuo Saito, Kohei Ueno
  • Patent number: 7669849
    Abstract: A follower roller mounting mechanism for a paper feeding apparatus is provided, which has at least one follower roller and a shaft passing through the follower roller. The follower roller mounting mechanism includes a base having a trough and a hole on a top surface thereof. The trough has a back wall, a bottom wall, and two opposite lateral walls. The bottom wall and the back wall are adjacent to each other. Each of the lateral walls has a sliding slot. The shaft is disposed inside the base passing through the trough via the sliding slot for making the follower roller protruding from the top surface through the hole. An elastic element is disposed between the shaft and the back wall for generating elastic force, pushing the shaft sliding along the sliding slot, and making the follower roller to constantly rise above the top surface through the hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2010
    Assignee: Lite-On Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Chun-Liang Liu, Jen-Chieh Liu