Abstract: A sheet feed mechanism is used in a device including a mechanism for applying a light beam to a scanned sheet to scan the same two-dimensionally for reading image information from or recording image information on the sheet. The sheet feed mechanism includes a curved feed passage disposed downstream of the mechanism for feeding the sheet therethrough, at least one roller pair disposed on the feed passage, a displacing unit for moving rollers of the roller pair toward and away from each other, and a drive source for driving the rollers to feed the sheet while the rollers displaced toward each other by the displacing unit for gripping the sheet.

Abstract: A sheet stacker in which sheets are compiled in a tray (71) against registration (74) and a completed set is ejected, the registration members (74) being retracted, by an eject mechanism comprising a continuously rotating drive roller (80) projecting through the base (72) of the tray and a coacting idler roller (81) mounted on a spring arm (82) which is retracted during stacking and then pressed against the top of the completed set to effect ejection. Preferably the roller (80) is a deformable roller having a low coefficient of friction surface.

Abstract: A sheet separating device for a stack of sheets having feed and retard means forming a nip includes an insert held against the free end of the stack. The insert is moved into contact with the retard means to release its force on the last sheet, facilitating feeding of the last sheet.

Abstract: A substrate transport apparatus includes a registration member and an apparatus for compliantly urging a substrate against the registration member such that the effects of thickness variations of and between each substrate transported past the registration member are mitigated.

Abstract: A document transport apparatus which also provides for the quick release of a jammed document to facilitate its removal from the associated document track. First and second pinch rollers are mounted on a planar member which is moved, resiliently, into engagement with their associated first and second drive rollers. Slotted mounting members are used to mount the opposed ends of the planar member to one upstanding wall of the document track and to enable the planar member to move in a plane which is parallel to the document feeding direction. An operating lever is used to move the planar members with the pinch rollers thereon between engaged and disengaged positions with regard to associated drive rollers.

Abstract: A quickly assembled apparatus for moving documents, like checks, along a document track. The apparatus includes a drive roller assembly having a first shaft extending therefrom and an idler roller assembly having a second shaft extending therefrom, with the idler roller assembly being biased into engagement with the drive roller assembly to drive a document therebetween. The drive roller assembly has a two piece housing which seats two ball bearings which support the drive roller assembly which also has first and second elastomeric members positioned on the periphery thereof to function as first and second drive rollers. The idler roller assembly has first and second ball bearings whose outer races function as first and second idler rollers for engagement with the first and second drive rollers.

Abstract: A method of and an apparatus for changing the conveying speed of shingled paper products after each of the individual products has been seized and accelerated, whereby the products are seized on its upper surface or its lower surface as a result of a cyclically recurring contact pressure exerted vertically or approximately vertically on the latter.

Abstract: An envelope and document feeder is disclosed within which there is a first stationary frame, and a second movable frame. The feeder has a support surface for a stack of articles to be fed seriatim, and has an apparatus which is engaged by the second movable frame to permit feeding. When the second frame is pivotably raised, the engaging apparatus prevents the articles from sliding down into the throat of the feeder.

Abstract: In a document processing machine, apparatus for urging documents against a registration fence while simultaneously driving the documents along a conveying path determined by the fence. The apparatus includes a housing frame, a registration fence secured to the frame, a deck secured to the frame for receiving the documents seriatim, a pair of cooperating rollers rotatably mounted on the frame, the rollers having crossed axes, one of the rollers being mounted in perpendicular relationship to the fence, and capability for driving the one roller. The one roller includes an elastomeric covering having disk portions separated by grooves the disk portions being radially segmented to thereby form individual petals. The other of the pair of rollers is resiliently biased against the one roller, thereby exerting a normal force acting toward the one roller to provide resultant component frictional forces for causing lateral and longitudinal movement of the document along the fence.

Abstract: A mailing machine for conveying envelopes seriatim along a feed path toward a postage meter operatively connected to said mailing machine. The mailing machine includes a housing frame, a deck secured to the frame for supporting the envelopes, the deck having a longitudinal slot therein, a lower, driven, feed roller rotatably mounted on the frame, and an electro-mechanical tripper mounted on the frame for actuating the postage meter, the tripper projecting upwardly through the deck slot adjacent and downstream of the lower feed roller.

Abstract: Envelopes are fed in a mutually overlapping state one by one toward a stopper provided at the front side of a transfer conveyor. Upon abutment with the stopper the envelopes pile up so as to be temporarily stored. An envelope feeder device is provided so as to enable a large number of envelopes to pile up. The envelope feeder device includes a body which is adjustably supported from a support shaft above the transfer conveyor, so as to position the feeder device according to the size of the envelopes. A pair of first rollers are mounted to both sides of the body and positioned so as to roll upon the upper surface of the transfer conveyor. Each first roller includes a rotary member mounted eccentrically on its side. A bifurcated feed member engages with the eccentric rotatable members so as to reciprocate horizontally as by the rotational movement of the first rollers, whereby assisting in the piling up of the envelopes as by a pair of claws located at the free ends of the bifurcated portions.

Abstract: An improved banknote stacker is described which achieves reduced levels of jamming and improper stacking. A banknote is directed to a prestorage compartment using a pulley, belt and roller drive assembly. During a pusher cycle, a pusher plate drives the banknote from the prestorage compartment into a banknote storage magazine, and then the pusher plate returns to its original position. Just prior to the pusher cycle, rollers in the roller drive assembly are retracted to release the banknote. The pusher plate is specially designed to prevent banknote slippage, and it is preferably driven by the same drive mechanism which retracts the rollers to insure that a pusher cycle will follow shortly after the retraction of the rollers.

Abstract: An apparatus for turning the posture of flat articles (such as envelopes and post cards) can stably clamp and turn a flat article accurately, with a 90.degree. rotation. The turning apparatus has a cone roller that is disposed along a path for transporting the flat articles. A first plurality of idler pulleys are independently mounted to engage and be driven by the conical surface of the roller. A second plurality of idler pulleys are disposed on the upstream side of the conical surface, with respect to the first idler pulley. At least one running belt is stretched between the first and second idler pulleys. The angle between the conical surface and the running belt is small enough to reliably grip and turn the flat article.

Abstract: A mechanism for use with a sheet transport apparatus for turning over a sheet transported along a travel path, such mechanism reliably functioning irrespective of sheet weight or size. With the mechanism, a sheet is selectively moved in one direction from a travel path or in an opposite direction into such travel path. The surface of the moving sheet is engaged so that energy derived by the sheet being transported in the direction from the travel path is stored. When the sheet is no longer being transported in such direction, the stored energy is utilized to move the sheet in the opposite direction to a point where it can be transported in such opposite direction back into the travel path with its trail edge becoming the lead edge and its surface orientation reversed.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus includes a first elongated drive belt assembly (52) which is driven by, and is pivotable about the axis of, a first drive shaft (86) mounted adjacent one end of this assembly (52), and a second elongated drive belt assembly (50) which is mounted in coopertive relationship with respect to the first belt assembly (52) and which is driven by, and pivotable about the axis of, a second drive shaft (72) spaced inwardly from both ends of the second belt assembly (52). The two belt assemblies (50, 52) are pivotally movable under the control of a single solenoid between closed positions in which the belt assemblies are in cooperative relationship with respect to each other for feeding a sheet therebetween towards an exit solt (26), and open positions in which the cooperating surfaces of the belt assemblies (50, 52) are spaced apart to facilitate the entry of a sheet between the belt assemblies (50, 52) at an entry location (169).

Abstract: An electromechanical automated document encoding apparatus is releasably constructed of modular components for accepting and transporting batch documents from either the left or the right. The apparatus is further capable of printing on a first side of a document or an opposite facing second side. A print module includes two parallel document receiving tracks, and a rotatable print head which moves responsive to movement of a table mounting the two document receiving tracks. The print head has two positions, and is capable of printing either on the front or rear of the document. Neither reversing print modes nor feeding batches of documents of different or varying thicknesses require realigning or repositioning of the printing head. Document sensors are an integral part of an adaptive control system optimizing apparatus productivity.

Abstract: A bale wrapping mechanism for wrapping a large round bale with a wrap material such as plastic sheet material or net, is mounted to the rear of a bale discharge gate. Drive rolls are located rearwardly of the gate and are selectively drivable for dispensing wrap material onto the rear end of a guide pan extending beneath and engaged with a portion of bale-forming belts extending between lower rear and lower front belt support rolls carried by the discharge gate. A guide finger assembly is secured to the front of the pan and includes a plurality of fingers located in gaps between the bale-forming belts and including forward end portions curved arcuately about the lower front belt support roll for directing wrap material about the roll and into a pinch point defined between the belts and a bale desired to be wrapped by the material.

Abstract: An automatic sheet feeding device cooperates with a copying apparatus or the like for advancing a single sheet to be copied from a stack of sheets. A sheet drive mechanism of the sheet feeding device feeds the sheets into an entrance end of a feeding device of the sheet processing apparatus. A cover is pivotally mounted on the sheet feeding device and cooperates with a roller separating device to facilitate the clearing of sheet jams. A provision is made to allow removal and replacement of rollers of the sheet drive mechanism.

Abstract: A copier capable of producing simplex and duplex copies includes a tri-roll inverter that employs a corrugation roll on roll return force applicator located downstream of and off line from the input nip of the tri-roll input/output members. A sheet driven by the input nip into the inverter is corrugated as it penetrates the roll on roll return force applicator nip. When the last portion of the sheet is driven into the return force applicator nip, the friction return force of the nip will cause the sheet to drive into a foam roll which delivers the sheet to the output nip.

Abstract: Sheet transporting apparatus and methods provide an elongate guide for the sheet in contact with the drive belt. The guide is bowed along an arc extending into the transport path in parallel to the direction of sheet transport. The drive belt is bowed by that guide and is driven along the path for moving the sheet along the bowed guide. The sheet guide may also be tilted on an axis extending in the direction of sheet transport. Preferably, the sheet guide is tilted by different angular amounts at different points along the transportation path to provide a skew adjustment for the traveling sheet.

Abstract: A printer paper feeding apparatus providing cams at the central portion of a paper release lever around a platen shaft. A first cam is adapted to release paper bail rollers by rotation of the paper release lever. A second cam is adapted to contact and release presser rollers against a platen by rotation of the paper release lever.

Abstract: A sheet feeding system of a frictional sheet separation type including a feed roller rotating in a sheet feeding direction, and a separation roller maintained in pressing contact with the feed roller with a path of travel of a sheet therebetween and having applied to it a predetermined torque oriented in a direction opposite the sheet feeding direction. The system further includes a separation roller shaft supporting the separation roller at one end thereof and pivotable at the other end thereof for pivotal movement in a plane including its own axis and the axis of the feed roller, a pivot for biasing the separation roller shaft toward the feed roller, and a slide for guiding the separation roller shaft in such a manner that it rotates in a plane including its own axis and the axis of the feed roller.

Abstract: A sheet feeder with a feed wheel assembly for conveying an end sheet from a stack of sheets. The feed wheel assembly has a rotatable engagement wheel positioned to contact the end sheet of the stack, and operable to separate and convey the end sheet from the stack; a horizontally extending first shaft on which the wheel is mounted, with the first shaft being angularly movable in a generally vertical direction; a horizontally extending second shaft positioned spaced apart from the first shaft, the second shaft being mounted in a substantially fixed planar orientation to a support frame; and a pair of laterally spaced-apart first and second arms extending between the first and second shafts. Each of the first and second arms has a first portion retaining the first shaft and a second portion longitudinally spaced from the first portion and pivotally connected to the second shaft.

Abstract: A document feeding mechanism including a feed chute pivotally mounted on an axle to enable positioning of the input location for the documents is formed to include a power transmission mechanism for the document transport elements which power transmission mechanism is also carried by the same axle.

Abstract: A self-leveling tranpsort for addressing envelopes in cooperation with a printer having a first link on each side of the transport, with transport drive and idler roller shafts journaled at the opposite ends, an endless transport belt stretched across the drive and idler rollers, a second link pivotally attached to each first link through the idler roller shaft, the second links being pivotally attached to the printer frame at the second links other end, a third cross link pivotally attached to each second link between the link ends, the second links having a slide block with oversized aperture at the opposite end through which the drive roller shaft fits, the slide blocks being slidable vertically up and down with springs to bias the slide blocks and the transport upwardly so that when the thickness of the articles increase, the first, second, and third links respond to draw the transport down while retaining the transport level.

Abstract: Four pairs of paper drive rollers are provided which may be individually adjusted so that proper balancing of the bite pressures result. The same springs employed for this purpose are also utilized to maintain the mechanism locked and to provide rapid and easy opening of the mechanism to widely separate the rollers for the purpose of cleaning and preventing the rollers from being flattened due to continued application of bite pressure when the machine is not being used.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus includes a retard mechanism to prevent the inadvertent feeding of doubled or overlapped sheets. The retard mechanism includes a plurality of belts in an assembly positioned adjacent to a sheet feeding roller, and rotating in such a direction as to retard the sheets being fed. The retard assembly is mounted on the free end of a lever arm pivotally secured adjacent to its other end to the base of the sheet feeding apparatus. The lever arm with the retard assembly mounted thereon is spring-urged toward the feed roller, but may be moved slightly away from said roller to accommodate the thickness of the sheet being fed between the feed roller and the retard assembly. A dual spring arrangement contained in the lever arm permits the lever arm to move with relatively little force to accommodate passage of a single sheet, but to resist more vigorously any additional movement, such as would be required for the passage of double or overlapped sheets.

Abstract: A paper feeder is described, of the type which includes a cylindrical platen (16) and multiple pressure rollers (18,20) that press paper between themselves and the platen, which is of simple and inexpensive construction. The paper feeder includes a shaft (34) of square cross-section, a group of leaf springs (30) with inner ends mounted on the shaft and outer ends lying under the platen, and a group of roller assemblies (38) mounted on the outer ends of the leaf springs. The inner end of each leaf spring has tabs (40,42) on opposite sides, which are bent down at substantially right angles and which have square slots (46) for closely receiving the square shaft. The group of perhaps five leaf springs are mounted on the shaft with their tabs abutting one another, and with grip rings on opposite ends of the shaft to hold the springs in place.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device in an impact-type printer, in which a leaf spring member is provided below a platen which is in confronting relationship with printing heads. The pressure rollers are rotatably mounted on the leaf spring member while a cam surface is defined on one of the guide shafts which mounts the printing mechanism for reciprocal movements along the platen. The leaf spring member at one end engages the cam surface so that it is flexibly displaced with respect to the platen in response to rotation of the guide shaft so as to move the pressure rollers towards or away from the platen.

Abstract: Apparatus for driving sheets comprises a track assembly, a first plurality of drive rollers and a cooperating set of back-up rollers for transporting sheets in a first direction along the track assembly, a second plurality of drive rollers and a cooperating set of back-up rollers for driving said sheets in a second direction with respect to the track assembly, into proper position to cause them to be transported by said first plurality of drive rollers and cooperating back-up rollers, and solenoid-operated actuating mechanism for simultaneously operating both sets of back-up rollers to cause one set of back-up rollers to be moved into operative position when the other set of back-up rollers is moved out of operative position.

Abstract: A mounting mechanism for the backup roll of a roll pair wherein a four bar linkage is provided. The backup roll is mounted at one end of a first arm and bears against a mating roll positioned in a stationary location. The first arm extends to a pivot point around which the backup roll rotates to engage the mating roll. A second arm is rigidly connected to the first arm at the pivot point and extends to an end point. A third arm, comprised of a coil spring with a coupler threaded thereto, extends from the end point of the second arm to a stationary point. The fourth arm of the four bar linkage is the ground extending between the stationary points to which the first and third arms are attached. By adjusting the coupler, the number of active coils in the third arm is adjusted thereby adjusting the normal force between rolls to a desired value.

Abstract: A sheet transfer apparatus is for a sheet counting apparatus in which paper sheets stored in a hopper in a stacked state are fed by a payout roll from the hopper to a stacker at the downstream side of the payout roll. A guide assembly is disposed opposite to the periphery of the payout roll and is adapted to separately guide the paper sheets from the hopper toward the stacker in cooperation with the payout roll. According to the invention, the guide assembly, which has a frame member carrying a separating roll, a pinch roll and a guide plate, is pivotally mounted so as to be movable between a closed position in which it is close to the periphery of the feed-out roll and an opened position in which it is farther away from such roll. The position of the frame member is controlled by a pivotable opening/closing device engageable with the frame member for selectively holding the frame member in the closed position or the opened position.

Abstract: A sheet dispenser in which sheets are delivered from cassettes to a collector and held thereon. The collector is mounted on a movable support, and the collector and bills thereon are moved to either left or right delivery areas of the terminal in response to a request entered on an input terminal. Closures normally close the left and right delivery areas; however, these closures are opened to permit the sheets held on the collector to extend out of the dispenser to be grasped by an operator.

Abstract: A yieldable gripper unit for a conveyor of the type in which the gripper units form two endless tracks which converge to engage and support a sheet of material clamped between them. The gripper units of the endless tracks move on rails mounted on tubular supports. One of the endless conveyor tracks is equipped with non-yielding gripper units and the other is equipped with yieldable gripper units. Each yieldable gripper unit includes a generally rectangular base plate having one side facing the sheet of material which is to be clamped and the other side facing its tubular supports. A yieldable arm is cantileverly attached to the base plate and is inclined at an acute angle relative to its base plate on the sheet material side thereof to permit the arm to yield towards the base plate when the sheet of material is clamped. A plurality of rubber buttons are mounted on the yieldable arm and are positioned to engage the sheet of material which is to be clamped by the gripper unit.

Abstract: In apparatus for counting the number of the paper sheets in which paper sheets are fed-out from the inside of the hopper by a feed-out roll assembly and are extracted from the feed-out roll assembly by extracting rolls operating at a speed faster than the speed of the feed-out assembly, the feed-out roll assembly comprises a pair of first payout rolls having a frictional surface and a slippery surface on their peripheries and a second payout roll intermediate the first payout rolls which has a frictional surface on its entire periphery. The rolls are mounted on a driving shaft, and at least the second payout roll is connected to the driving shaft through an overrunning clutch. When the trailing end of the paper sheet being removed from the hopper is in contact with the slippery surfaces of the first payout rolls, the sheet is extracted by the extracting rolls at a constant speed equal to the speed of the extracting rolls and thus, without being affected by the peripheral speed of the feed-out roll assembly.

Abstract: Sheets of paper coming from an office machine such as a copier, are collated in a collator having a vertically extending sheet feeding channel. Collating compartments forming a stack extend up from the channel at a slant. Each collating compartment cooperates with its lower end with one or two sheet feeding rollers and a tiltable guide flap. If a flap is in a passive position the respective transport roller, in cooperation with a counter-pressure roller, will move a sheet past the flap. If the flap is tilted into an active position its curved shape will guide a sheet out of the feeding channel into the respective collating compartment. The tiltable guide flaps are so arranged that they extend on both sides of a horizontal plane and of a vertical plane extending through a rotational axis of the respective sheet feeding roller or rollers. These features assure a sheet feeding free of troubles even if sheets of different lengths and of different thicknesses are to be collated.

Abstract: An apparatus for processing overlapped documents including a plurality of drive rollers for moving the overlapped document in a direction towards engagement with a stop member, first sensing means for detecting the overlapped condition of the documents and for disabling the operation of one of the drive rollers enabling each of the overlapped documents to engage the stop member in registry with each other and second sensing means for operating the drive rollers to move the stacked documents to a remote distribution station.

Abstract: An apparatus for making bags from a multilayer synthetic-resin strip workpiece has a transport device for conveying the workpiece longitudinally in a transport direction along a path, a lower welding tool along the path beneath the upper tool, and a heater for at least one of the tools. A conveyor belt extending along the path downstream of the tools has a horizontal conveyor surface positioned to receive the workpiece after same is conveyed by the transport device past the welding tools. A holddown roller rotatable about a horizontal axis is displaceable vertically above the conveyor surface. A drive connected to one of the welding tools and to the transport device, conveyor belt, and holddown roller generally synchronously vertically and codirectionally displaces the one welding tool and the holddown element and synchronously horizontally and codirectionally displaces the conveyor surface and holddown element.

Abstract: A device for adjusting printing paper tension in a printer comprising a switching member connected to a plurality of pinch rollers by a connecting structure whereby the pinch rollers are caused to separate from, or contact lightly or strongly with a feed roller of a printing paper feed device when the switching member is rotated, resulting in the required paper tension.

Abstract: A pullout roller assembly for a printing press comprising an upper roller and a mounting therefor, the mounting including a bellcrank lever having an upright leg and a horizontal leg joined to the upright leg by an elbow. The roller is mounted on a fixed axis of rotation to the elbow and the outer end of the horizontal leg has a ball type universal connection to the frame of the press. The upper end of the upright leg has a pocket formed therein in which a spherical output end of a prime mover is positioned for exerting a force against a flat surface in the pocket without binding for biasing the lever and thus the pullout roller mounted thereon against the periphery of a companion roller, which is normally powered, for grasping a sheet or web of paper passing between the rollers and moving the paper through various stations of the press.

Abstract: Apparatus for setting roller clearances is disclosed, particularly suitable for folding machines, in which the desired clearance between adjacent rollers can be set at a predetermined thickness, with contact pressure between the rollers at a desired amount, and which clearance can be easily varied for different thicknesses of paper to be folded.

Abstract: A variable-width friction-feed paper handling apparatus includes a rotatable drive shaft and a stabilizing shaft spaced therefrom and parallel thereto. Two carriage assemblies bridge the drive shaft and stabilizing shaft and are supported thereby and are adapted for sliding movement longitudinally therealong for accommodating varying widths of paper therebetween. Each carriage assembly includes a drive roller coaxial with the drive shaft for rotation thereby and a pivoting gate which rotatably carries a pressure roller, the gate being movable between a loading position accommodating placement of paper between the carriage assemblies and a feeding position wherein the pressure roller is in parallel cooperation with the drive roller frictionally to feed paper therebetween. Over-center springs hold the gate in its two positions and leaf springs resiliently mount the pressure roller. Each carriage assembly carries paper guide device.

Abstract: An improved nip drive for sheet feeding apparatus having an oscillating vacuum feeder for feeding sheets seriatim along a travel path. The feeder oscillates between a first position adjacent to an entrance to the sheet travel path, where a sheet is tacked to the feeder, and a second position downstream thereof along the travel path. The improved nip drive is adjustably engageable with the feeder, at spaced locations transversely to such path, for advancing a sheet along the travel path while the feeder oscillates. The nip drive is effected by a flexible drive shaft operatively coupled to such nip drive.

Abstract: A universal paper transport mechanism for feeding both continuous form and single sheet paper to a printer includes pin belt tractors longitudinally displaceable along a guide bar transversed to the direction of movement of the paper, the tractor is driven from a laterally positioned motor. The tractor drive transport mechanism is pivotable from a horizontal position to a vertical position and attachable and detachable guiding elements are provided for use with single sheet paper, and are affixable to the tractor transport mechanism in an area adjacent and above a printing station area. The guiding elements are substantially symmetrical relative to one another and can be attached to the guide strip of the tractor transport mechanism on which the individual pin belt tractor assemblies are guided.

Abstract: An electrostatic copying apparatus having a document holding device and a semi-automatic document feeding and discharging device provided on the top of a housing. The semi-automatic document feeding and discharging device includes a main frame structure mounted for free turning between an operating position and a non-operating position. When the main frame structure is held at the operating position, a document conveying passage having an introducing section, a main section and a curved discharging section is defined.

Abstract: The mechanism allows a document of various thicknesses and indeed variable thickness to be franked. Said mechanism includes a frame (11) which supports a pressure roll (5) and a lower feed roll (4) and urged towards the chassis by means of three springs (14) so as to allow the shafts of said rolls (4) and (5) to move in any direction.

Abstract: An improved document feeder employs sets of rollers between which it feeds documents of different lengths to generate and maintain gaps of equal length between the documents while transporting them at a constant speed. A first group of rollers separate stacked documents and start the documents moving at a low speed along the track. A second group of rollers, operated at a higher speed, receive documents from the first group of rollers and increase the speed of the first document relative to a second document, still in contact with the first group of rollers, thereby providing an initial gap which continues to lengthen until the second document reaches the second group of rollers. A third group of rollers receives the documents after they leave the second group, imparting a constant system transport speed to them.

Abstract: An apparatus having a track for guiding a sheet therealong and means for feeding a sheet along the track. The feeding means includes a rotatable member having a shaft mounted for rotation, with the rotatable member having a driving periphery extending into the track. The feeding means also includes a coupling unit and means for rotatably mounting the coupling unit at the track, with the coupling unit having an expansible periphery. Also provided is a means including an endless coiled spring for selectively moving the expansible periphery between a first position in which the expansible periphery is uncoupled from the driving periphery and a second position in which the expansible periphery is expanded to form a driving coupling with the driving periphery of the rotatable member to feed a sheet positioned therebetween along the track when the rotatable member is rotated.

Abstract: Service access to a transport channel is facilitated by providing a corner for receiving a margin or seam of a wall of the transport channel. A bias is exerted on the margin for pushing such margin into the corner and releasably biasing the wall into a position in which it laterally contains the transport channel. The bias is such as to permit manual tilting of the wall away from the transport channel for service access. After termination of such tilting, the bias restores the wall to its normal position at the transport channel.

Abstract: A roller supporting arrangement for an electrostatic copying apparatus having a plurality of pairs of copy paper transport rollers spaced along a copy paper transport passage includes a support frame for supporting the lower rollers of the respective pairs of transport rollers. A support shaft is mounted horizontally to a copying apparatus housing, by which the support frame is rotatably supported. A device is provided for pushing up the support frame and for releasing the support frame from the push-up force to be turned downward about the support shaft. Since the lower rollers of the pairs of the rollers mounted at the copy paper sheet transport passage are connected pivotally to the support frame which is rotatable about the horizontal support shaft, it is easy to open the copy paper sheet transport passage when a copy paper is jammed in the copy paper sheet transport passage.