Including Gripper-couple Patents (Class 271/277)
  • Patent number: 11758065
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming unit configured to form an image onto a sheet; a conveyance roller configured to convey the sheet through a conveyance path, the conveyance path including a curved path being bent; a sensor configured to read the image formed on the sheet conveyed through the conveyance path by the conveyance roller, the sensor being configured to read the image formed on the sheet when a part of the sheet is conveyed through the curved path; and a controller configured to obtain information related to a type of the sheet, and to control, based on the information, a conveying speed of the sheet conveyed by the conveyance roller when the sensor reads the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Takahashi
  • Patent number: 11312589
    Abstract: A sheet conveying device includes a sheet conveyor, a guide, a rotary conveyor, a gripper, and an adjuster. The sheet conveyor is configured to convey a sheet. The guide is configured to guide the sheet conveyed by the sheet conveyor. The rotary conveyor is disposed downstream from the guide in a sheet conveyance direction. The gripper is mounted on the rotary conveyor, the gripper configured to grip a leading end of the sheet. The adjuster is configured to adjust a sheet entering range of the gripper to which the leading end of the sheet enters, along with conveyance of the sheet conveyor, in a direction intersecting a sheet surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Tomohiro Egawa
  • Patent number: 11273650
    Abstract: A printing apparatus is provided which executes duplex printing on each print medium one by one when printing of a surface to be printed first of both surfaces of an (N+1)th print medium cannot be performed before starting printing of a surface to be printed later of both surfaces of an Nth print medium and continuously prints two print media when printing of a part of the surface to be printed first of the (N+1)th print medium can be performed before starting printing of the surface to be printed later of the Nth print medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Yuki Yamada
  • Patent number: 11214457
    Abstract: In one example, a media puller device can include a snowplow device coupled to a first end of a hinge, a leading end of the media puller device coupled to a second end of the hinge, and a tension device coupled between the snowplow device and the media puller device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Robert Yraceburu, Arturo Ayala, Elliott Downing, Matthew Douglas Reier, Gene Jones
  • Patent number: 11174114
    Abstract: In an example, a clamp may include a roller disposed on a swingarm, a slide disposed on the swingarm that may apply friction against the roller in a first position and in a second position, a cam to engage with the slide, and a latch to retain the slide in the second position. The slide may move from the first position to the second position as the slide moves along the cam, and the slide may apply a greater friction against the roller in the second position than in the first position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Michael D Miles
  • Patent number: 10994960
    Abstract: A method for operating a packaging machine including one or more of the method steps advancing a transport chain along a chain deflection pulley, wherein chain clips are arranged on the transport chain and moved during the advancing motion of the transport chain along a run-on contour, to open at least one of the chain clips; introducing a flat material blank into the at least one open chain clip using a feed device or by entraining the flat material blank using a connection to a second material blank preceding the flat material blank, wherein the material blank enters the open chain clip during an advancing motion of the transport chain; closing the chain clip by leaving the run-on contour, to grip and secure the material blank in the chain clip; and transporting the material blank to a work station using the transport chain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: MULTIVAC SEPP HAGGENMUELLER SE & CO. KG
    Inventors: Tobias Guggenberger, Peter Kovacs, Robert Maier, Konrad Mößnang, Christian Lau
  • Patent number: 10836153
    Abstract: A position fine tuning device for a unit-type die cutting & hot stamping machine includes at least two imprinting elements, wherein paper of the imprinting elements is delivered by the gripper installed on the chain. The present invention is characterized in that a positioning element is disposed on an input end of a first unit imprinting element and a positioning element is disposed on an output end of each imprinting element. Two neighboring positioning elements accomplish the positioning between the two positioning elements together. By providing the fine tuning elements, the accuracy in the art of die cutting & hot stamping can be assured when the machine is performing a multiple-working-position procedure; whereas, by setting up the reference positioning, it assures that the standards of the front and rear positioning are consistent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Inventor: Tian-Sheng Liu
  • Patent number: 10696508
    Abstract: A conveying apparatus includes: a first roller and a second roller configured to convey a print sheet while nipping the print sheet at a nip pressure; an adjustor supporting the first roller and the second roller in a manner capable of adjusting an inter-axial distance between the first roller and the second roller, the adjustor being configured to apply a biasing force biasing the second roller toward the first roller and capable of adjusting the biasing force; and a controller configured to control the nip pressure by driving the adjustor to adjust the biasing force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: RISO KAGAKU CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kenji Kudo
  • Patent number: 9229411
    Abstract: The present invention includes a supporting member that supports a first roller and a second roller, a first actuator that rotates the supporting member, a first gear that is connected to an end of second roller on the first actuator side, a second gear that is threadably engaged with the first gear, a third gear that rotates coaxially with the second gear, an input gear that threadably engages with the third gear, and a second actuator that transmits a rotational force to the input gear. The third rotation shaft extends in parallel in a first plane that includes the leading edge and the trailing edge of the nip, the first actuator rotates the supporting member between a first position at which the sheet is received from the leading edge of the nip and a second position at which the sheet is received from the trailing edge of the nip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Katsuji Furushige, Keisuke Egawa, Noriaki Sumikura
  • Patent number: 8887632
    Abstract: Image forming apparatus and methods are disclosed which include an intermediate transfer member to transfer images to media, an impression roller including a gripping device to receive the media, and a determination module to determine the length of the media held by the at least one gripper unit based on respective detections by first and second set of sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Indigo B.V.
    Inventors: Michael Mehanik, Elad Fodor, Ayal Galili, Ittai Wiener
  • Patent number: 8857333
    Abstract: A cam follower is affixed to a rotary component that is in mechanical communication with a rotary source such that the cam follower travels along a path when the first rotary source is operating. The cam follower is in mechanical communication with a mechanical component such that, when the cam follower is engaged with a retract dwell section of either of a dynamic cam or a static cam, the mechanical component is retracted. The static cam may be positioned to allow the mechanical component to retract for a predetermined portion of the path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Indigo B.V.
    Inventors: Ofer Ben Bassat, Konstantin Kupershtoch, Avichay Mor-Yosef
  • Patent number: 8857813
    Abstract: A media inverting system for inverting a media sheet, including a first media transport, a rotatable member, and a second media transport. A rotatable member force mechanism is switchable between a first state where a first side of the media sheet is held to the rotatable member and a second state where the media sheet is released. A control system controls the rotatable member force mechanism according to a control sequence including: switching the rotatable member force mechanism to its first state to receive the media sheet from the first media transport and hold the media sheet to the rotatable member while it is wrapped around the rotatable member; and switching the rotatable member force mechanism to its second state to release the media sheet in synchronization with the media sheet being received by the second media transport.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Michael Joseph Piatt, Harsha S. Bulathsinghalage
  • Patent number: 8804214
    Abstract: A medium transport apparatus includes a transport member configured to transport a medium in a discharge direction or in a drawing direction, a medium loaded member configured to be placed a medium transported in the discharge direction by the medium transport member, and a movement member. The movement member is configured to move in a direction away from the transport member when the transport member transports a medium in the drawing direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Oki Data Corporation
    Inventors: Kei Ookawa, Hidenori Ueda
  • Patent number: 8714087
    Abstract: Image forming apparatus and methods are disclosed which include an intermediate transfer member to transfer images to media, an impression roller including a gripping device to receive the media, and a determination module to determine the length of the media held by the at least one gripper unit based on respective detections by first and second set of sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Indigo B.V.
    Inventors: Michael Mehanik, Elad Fodor, Ayal Galili, Ittai Wiener
  • Patent number: 8662499
    Abstract: A method for transporting printed products is provided. The method includes the steps setting a nip to a first size for printed products having a first thickness, sensing a printed product having a second thickness different from the first thickness, the printed product sensing occurring prior to the printed product entering the nip, adjusting the first size of the nip, to a second size different from the first size, to receive the printed product having a second thickness; and transporting the printed product having the second thickness through the nip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Goss International Americas, Inc.
    Inventors: Louis John Doucet, Glenn Alan Guaraldi
  • Patent number: 8656835
    Abstract: A printing device for printing on a printable media. The printing device comprises a rotating component (1), a gripper mechanically coupled to the rotating component (1) and configured for loading and unloading the printable media to and from the rotating component (1), an actuating element (5) configured for actuating the gripper, the actuation resulting in a disturbance to the rotation of the rotating component (1), and a compensating element (6) shaped such as to reduce the disturbance by applying a compensating mechanical force to the rotating component (1) during the rotation of the rotating component (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Elad Taig, Haggai Abbo, Gilad Tzori
  • Patent number: 8635953
    Abstract: A method and apparatus of securing and tensioning a printing form in an apparatus having a rotatable drum includes securing a first portion of the printing form to a first means for receiving that is coupled to a surface of the drum, and securing a second portion of the printing form to a second means for receiving that is disposed on a rotatable member that extends over a portion of the drum. The rotatable member is rotated so that the circumferential distance between the first receiving means and the second receiving means is about the same as a length of the printing form. A rotary torque means is coupled to the rotatable member to apply a substantially constant torque on the member and tension the printing form about the surface of the drum. The rotary torque means adjusts torque on the member which adjusts tension on the printing form.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2014
    Assignee: E I du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Theodore William Frentzel, Jr., Carl Bernard Arnold
  • Patent number: 8550461
    Abstract: A sheet stacking apparatus includes an endless belt member onto which sheets are stacked and which moves rotationally to convey the sheets; a plurality of holding members that is provided on the belt member and that holds the sheets down to a sheet stacking surface of the belt member to nip the sheets; and sheet detecting portions which detect presence or absence of sheets between the holding members and the sheet stacking surface of the belt member, the sheet detecting portions each include a light emitting portion that emits light and a light receiving portion that receives the light, and the light emitting portions and the light receiving portions are fixedly provided below the sheet stacking surface of the belt member so that the light emitting portions and the light receiving portions detect presence or absence of a sheet at times when facing the holding members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akito Sekigawa, Daisaku Kamiya, Kiyoshi Watanabe, Yusuke Obuchi, Hideki Kushida
  • Patent number: 8550460
    Abstract: Printed products (10) are conveyed to a transfer portion (22) by means of the grippers (14) of the gripper conveyor (12). The vacuum belt conveyor (26) suctions with its active strand (28) the respective end region (32) of the printed products (10), after which, close to the end of the (34) of the transfer portion (22), the grippers (14) respectively release the printed products (10). The motional path (38) of the gripper jaws (16) runs in the transfer portion (22) in the shape of an arc. The active strand (28) of the vacuum belt conveyor (26) runs in the transfer portion (22) at an approximately constant distance to the motional path (38). In the case of large processing capacities and correspondingly high velocities, a reliably secure, positionally stable transfer of the printed products (10) from the gripper conveyor (12) to the vacuum belt conveyor (26) is thereby ensured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: Ferag AG
    Inventor: Claudio Berni
  • Patent number: 8528902
    Abstract: A sheet conveying apparatus includes a curve-shaped conveying path conveying a sheet from a first conveyance direction toward a second conveyance direction, a drive conveying portion conveying the sheet in the second conveyance direction by a pair of mutually-pressed rollers, and a belt conveying portion conveying the sheet toward the drive conveying portion by an endless belt member, wherein the belt conveying portion is configured to include a first belt support roller which is arranged coaxially with one of the pair of rollers and a second belt support roller which is arranged at an upstream side of the drive conveying portion from the first belt support roller, to wind the belt member around the first and second belt support members, and to set an outer diameter of the first belt support roller including the belt member to be smaller than an outer diameter of the one roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiromasa Katayama
  • Publication number: 20130200566
    Abstract: In a sheet downstacker of a corrugator dry end, sheets are delivered by a drive system driving both the bottom and top nip rolls with a single motor that also drives the last flat belt sheet conveyor to the nip.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2012
    Publication date: August 8, 2013
    Applicant: MARQUIP, LLC
    Inventors: Richard F. Paulson, James M. Krog
  • Patent number: 8430390
    Abstract: Apparatus for gathering postal items having a postal item feeding path for feeding postal items at a speed of transport and a postal item gripper for gripping and subsequently releasing postal items. The gripper is circulatable in a sense of circulation along a circulation path downstream of the feeding path. Each time prior to gripping of one of the postal items by the gripper, at least the speed of transport of the gripper is temporarily reduced to a reduced speed of transport or the speed of transport of the postal item along the feeding path is temporarily increased to an increased speed of transport. A method for gathering postal items is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Neopost Technologies
    Inventors: Hans Oosterhoff, Erik Jouke Bijl, Herman Sytema
  • Patent number: 8393620
    Abstract: A transport device for transporting printed products is provided including a first and a second tape for receiving and transporting the printed products, a first and second roller for guiding the tapes, a nip-adjusting device adjusting a nip formed by the first and second tapes at the first and second rollers and a sensor determining a thickness of the printed products, the nip adjusting device being actuated as a function of the sensor. A method is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Goss International Americas, Inc.
    Inventors: Louis John Doucet, Glenn Alan Guaraldi
  • Patent number: 8376356
    Abstract: A variable format signature collection apparatus is provided. The variable format signature collection apparatus includes a sprocket and a timing belt traveling about the sprocket. The timing belt includes a plurality of gripper mounts. The gripper mounts include a first set of gripper mounts arranged on the timing belt to support grippers for receiving first signatures of a first cutoff length and a second set of gripper mounts positioned to support grippers for receiving second signatures of a second cutoff length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Goss International Americas, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian Joseph Gentle, Barry Mark Jackson
  • Patent number: 8376348
    Abstract: A device and method for transferring flexible flat objects, in particular printed products, between two conveyors. The device includes a first gripper conveyor with first grippers moved along a first gripper conveyor path for hanging transport of the objects in a conveyor direction by gripping a first object edge, a second gripper conveyor with second grippers moved along a second gripper conveyor path, for receiving the objects by gripping a second object edge which lies opposite the first object edge, and at least one actuation device for opening and closing the first and second grippers such that, in a transfer region, the objects may be transferred from the first grippers to the second grippers. The distances of the first and the second grippers are different to one another in front of the transfer region, wherein the distances of the first grippers are smaller than that of the second grippers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Ferag AG
    Inventor: Alex Keller
  • Patent number: 8356812
    Abstract: In an apparatus for correcting a position of a sheet which is transported in the grip of grippers on a feed drum of a sheet processing machine, in particular a sheetfed rotary printing press, provision is made for a gripper device of the drum to be mounted in independently rotatable arranged supports and for it to be possible for each support to be driven by a step-up gear mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2013
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Markus Moehringer, Burkhard Wolf
  • Patent number: 8302954
    Abstract: A sheet feeder for feeding printed sheets to a conveying device, with a gripper drum that has at least one gripper for removing the printed sheets one at a time from a stack; a pocket is permanently mounted essentially in the peripheral area of the gripper drum wherein the printed sheets are aligned against a stop with the fold forward and set down on the conveying device with reversal of direction; and with a decelerating device for slowing the speed of the printed sheets downstream towards the stop. The decelerating device has at least one secondary stop, which rotates in the same direction as the gripper drum, has a slower speed than the gripper drum for slowing down the printed sheets, and on which the printed sheets are slowed down upstream of the stop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Müller Martini Holding AG
    Inventor: Peter Merkli
  • Patent number: 8240458
    Abstract: A device and method for the transfer flexible flat articles between two conveyors. The device includes a first gripper conveyor with first grippers moved along a first gripper conveyor track for suspended transportation of the articles in a conveying direction, and a second gripper conveyor with second grippers moved along a second gripper conveyor track. Opening and closing of the grippers is controlled so that a transfer of the articles from the first to the second grippers is able to take place. In doing so, a spacing between the first grippers differs from the spacing between the second grippers such that, in a transfer zone, one gripper conveyor track, the grippers of which include the greater spacing between one another, defines a concave course, and the other gripper conveyor track, the grippers of which have the smaller spacing between one another, defines a correspondingly convex course.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: Ferag AG
    Inventor: Alex Keller
  • Patent number: 8231125
    Abstract: The invention relates to a sheet guide element for use in an apparatus for transporting sheets by means of a gripper system having at least two grippers spaced apart from each other and a sheet guide surface defined by the sheet guide element. Here, the sheet guide element is provided with depressions in the sheet guide surface, running parallel to the transport direction, at least in some sections, in order at least partially to accommodate the grippers, so that the sheet guide surface described by the sheet guide element in the transport direction runs, at least in some sections, at the same height as the movement path of the sheet leading edge fixed in the gripper system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: KBA-Notasys SA
    Inventors: Thomas Hendle, Gerald Josef Reinhard
  • Patent number: 8220618
    Abstract: A conveyor chain for gripping and conveying paper material has a plurality of links hingedly connected to each other. At least one of the links has a grip arm having a first grip surface. The grip arm is movable back and forth relative to a second grip surface of the chain between a grip position for holding paper material and a retracted position for insertion of the paper material between the first and second grip surfaces. The links are molded of plastic material. The or each grip arm is an integrally molded portion of one of the links. A conveyor including such a chain is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Neopost Technologies
    Inventor: Erik Jouke Bijl
  • Patent number: 8210531
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet-fed printing press that prevents occurrence of troubles, such as damages of a surface treatment member such as a film for the surface treatment of, for example, a sheet of paper, by a simple structure. A gripping surface of a claw block provided in a cylinder of a treatment section is formed into an inclined surface that comes closer to the rotational axis as it advances downstream in a sheet conveying direction of the cylinder, so as not to have the gripper of the cylinder contacting the treatment means. A gripping surface of a claw block provided in a cylinder most adjacent to the treatment section, of plural cylinders, is formed into an inclined surface that, projects further through an outline of this cylinder as it advances downstream in the sheet conveying direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Ryobi Ltd.
    Inventor: Masao Nitta
  • Patent number: 8196924
    Abstract: An upstream-side printing unit group and a downstream-side printing unit group, respectively, are driven by separate prime motors and synchronously controlled. In addition to rotary encoders for the upstream-side and downstream-side prime motors, rotary encoders are provided on a last impression cylinder of the upstream-side printing unit group and a first transfer cylinder of the downstream-side printing unit group to detect differences between rotational phases, which the upstream-side and downstream-side printing unit groups should have, and the actual rotational phase of the last impression cylinder of the upstream-side printing unit group or the first transfer cylinder of the downstream-side printing unit group. In accordance with the rotational phase differences, the rotational speeds of the prime motors are corrected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Komori Corporation
    Inventor: Hiromitsu Numauchi
  • Patent number: 8146915
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for laterally aligning a sheet in a processing machine, in particular a printing machine, carries out lateral sheet alignment on a cylinder of the printing machine, e.g. a feed cylinder. In order to achieve large correction distances in relation to a possible lateral movement capability of a gripper bar, the latter is prealigned prior to correction in such a way that, in the event of deviation from predetermined desired values, it is prealigned laterally to defined positions. A sheet-fed rotary printing machine having the apparatus, is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Holger Edinger, Jürgen Zeltner
  • Patent number: 8123221
    Abstract: A device for pulling in flat-stock pieces and precisely-aligned transporting of the flat-stock pieces at a work station of a machine for processing the flat-stock pieces has a gripper apparatus that grabs a forward edge of a piece of flat stock and accelerates the flat-stock piece, and a sheet pick-up roller that picks up the accelerated piece of flat stock from the gripper apparatus, whereby the sheet pick-up roller has a roller gripper effective at a circumference thereof for grabbing the accelerated piece of flat stock. The roller gripper can move between a closed position in which the piece of flat stock is held fast and an open position in which the piece of flat stock is released. Suction holes operable to be charged with intake air are disposed in a part of a circumference of the sheet pick-up roller following in a direction of rotation behind the roller gripper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Winkler + Dünnebier AG
    Inventor: Martin Blumle
  • Patent number: 8091890
    Abstract: A medium feeding device includes a feed roller pair, a transport roller, a medium guiding path section, and a controller. The feed roller pair includes a feed driving roller driven by power and a feed driven roller to be rotationally driven, and feeds a medium to be fed toward the downstream side in a feed direction. The feed driving roller and the feed driven roller are separated from each other. The transport roller pair transports the medium, which is fed by the feed roller pair, toward the downstream side in the feed direction. The transport roller pair includes a transport driving roller that is disposed on the downstream side of the feed roller pair in the feed direction and is driven by power and a transport driven roller that is rotationally driven.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Kenji Yanagishita
  • Patent number: 8028987
    Abstract: For separating flat articles from a lying stack of articles, each foremost article of the stack is conveyed away one after the other in an upwards direction. For making such separation applicable also for mechanically relatively unstable articles, a preparatory step is implemented prior to the step of conveying-away upwards. In this preparatory step each foremost article of the stack is gripped, then separated from the front end of the stack in a direction essentially perpendicular to the main surfaces of the stacked articles and simultaneously or immediately afterwards accelerated upwards. Only when the article has a speed component in upwards direction of approximately the order of magnitude of the conveying-away speed is the article transferred to the conveying-away means. The preparatory step is carried out with a suction device that moves on a suction device track.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: Ferag AG
    Inventor: Konrad Auf Der Maur
  • Patent number: 7992869
    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: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kohei Terada
  • Patent number: 7988149
    Abstract: A second support member supports a first support member so that the first support member is movable between a predetermined first position and a second position at an upstream side of the first position in a conveying direction of a recording medium. The first support member is moved to the first position during conveyance of the recording medium by a first conveying section. The first support-member is moved to the second position during non-conveyance of the recording medium by the first conveying section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2011
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kohei Terada
  • Patent number: 7954816
    Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for stacking vouchers that has at least one circumferential stacking belt (82). The stacking belt (82) has a circumferential belt body and at least one tongue pair (86a to 86c) provided outwardly on the belt body. The tongue pair (86a to 86c) has a transport tongue (90a to 90c) and a pressure tongue (88a to 88c). The pressure tongue (88a to 88c) and the transport tongue (90a to 90c) are configured and disposed such that the pressure tongue (88a to 88c) applies contact pressure to the transport tongue (90a to 90c) in the direction of the belt body at least in a circumferential area of the stacking belt (82).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: Wincor Nixdorf International GmbH
    Inventors: Paul Freitag, Ulrich Nottelmann, Wilfried Schnelle
  • Publication number: 20110127709
    Abstract: In a sheet conveyance apparatus, a sponge roller is provided at a joining portion in which a first sheet conveyance path joins a second sheet conveyance path. A leading edge of a sheet or tailing edge of a sheet abuts at the sponge roller when the sheet is conveyed from the first conveyance path to the second conveyance path. In a projection surface in a direction orthogonal to a sheet conveyance direction in the second sheet conveyance path, an outer periphery of the sponge roller and an outer periphery of a conveyance roller, which is positioned in a downstream side, are partially overlapped in the second conveyance path. Further the sponge roller is rotatably arranged. With such a configuration, the noise generated in the joining portion can be reduced, and effect to reduce the noise can be continued.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2010
    Publication date: June 2, 2011
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hiromasa Katayama
  • Patent number: 7918162
    Abstract: An apparatus for transporting sheets to or in a sheet-processing machine includes a gripper device having at least one gripper with a gripper housing and a gripper pad. The gripper is actuatable by a pivoting movement of a gripper shaft. The gripper housing and the gripper pad are pivotably disposed on the gripper shaft and are jointly pivotable about an axis of the gripper shaft under a prescribed periphery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Markus Möhringer, Burkhard Wolf
  • Publication number: 20110058870
    Abstract: A sheet conveyance device for conveying a recording medium includes a fixed roller, a movable roller, an urging member, and a shock absorber, and an image forming apparatus including the sheet conveyance device. The position of the fixed roller is fixed. The movable roller is disposed opposite the fixed roller to contact the fixed roller, thereby defining a nip. The urging member urges the movable member to contact the fixed roller in the absence of the recording medium in the nip and allows the movable member to separate from the fixed roller by an amount corresponding to a thickness of a recording medium when the recording medium enters the nip. The shock absorber absorbs displacement energy generated when the urging member urges the movable roller to contact the fixed roller again after the recording medium passes through the nip.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2010
    Publication date: March 10, 2011
    Inventors: Hiroaki Murakami, Yasuhisa Ehara, Noriaki Funamoto, Tetsuji Nishikawa, Yasuhiro Maehata, Jun Yasuda, Satoshi Araaki
  • Publication number: 20110012302
    Abstract: An office machine includes a casing, a feeding-out mechanism and a first roller assembly. The feeding-out mechanism and the first roller assembly are disposed in the casing. The first roller assembly is used for feeding in a sheet member. The first roller assembly transports the sheet member to the feeding-out mechanism in a nipping manner. When the sheet member enters the feeding-out mechanism and then the feeding-out mechanism transports the sheet member, the first roller assembly does not nip the sheet member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2010
    Publication date: January 20, 2011
    Inventor: Tsan-Yao Hung
  • Patent number: 7857305
    Abstract: This is a media transport apparatus using gripper segments that are connected to conveyor belts. These segments grip the leading edges of paper media and pull the media on a path toward a paper exit. Above the conveyor belts are baffle panels that have at least two panel separations. It is through these separations that the gripper segments move as the endless conveyor belts rotate. The gripper segments are provided with shifting structures that can laterally align the paper sheets. The leading edges of the paper are held between a gripper bar and elastomeric rollers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Piotr Sokolowski
  • Patent number: 7849794
    Abstract: A device for transporting sheets in recto or verso printing operation has tongs grippers each with upper and lower grippers. The upper gripper, or rigid gripper, that forms the gripper pad can be locked directly or indirectly in recto printing operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Karl-Heinz Helmstädter, Olaf Lorenz, Sonja Kaufmann, Wilhelm Lefken, Thomas Schmidt
  • Publication number: 20100283200
    Abstract: A novel media path mechanism which utilizes the position and/or motion of buffer nips to deflect the leading and trailing edges of the sheets entering the buffer to enable the sheets to be reliably shingled in the buffer media path. The sheets are stored in properly collated order until needed for insertion into the print stream. By shingling or overlapping successive sheets in close relationship in a row within the buffer, this process can greatly increase the volume of storage or parking of sheets within the buffer. This can significantly reduce the size or footprint of the buffer within the printing system or significantly increase the capacity of an existing system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2009
    Publication date: November 11, 2010
    Applicant: XEROX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Henry T. Bober, Eun Suk Suh
  • Publication number: 20100258998
    Abstract: Provided are a paper media transfer device and an automatic teller machine having the same. The paper media transfer device may include: a medium guide portion being provided on one side of a transfer direction of the paper media, and including a guide surface having at least one high point and at least one low point along the transfer direction of the paper media; and a medium transfer portion forming a transfer path of the paper media together with the medium guide portion to transfer the paper media, and including a belt member that is curved in correspondence to the guide surface, and a belt roller that drives the belt member and maintains the curved shape of the belt member, or adds a tension to the belt. Through this, it is possible to improve a tightening force.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2008
    Publication date: October 14, 2010
    Applicant: NAUTILUS HYOSUNG INC.
    Inventors: Jin Hwan Cha, Won Joon Lee, Young Il Choi
  • Publication number: 20100230894
    Abstract: A printing apparatus is provided with a storage unit that is configured by a curved carrying route including first and second arc carrying routes which are sequentially connected to a carry-out side of a main carrying path along a sheet carrying direction, and the first and second arc carrying routes are arranged on upper and lower sides of a line component extending along a sheet carrying surface in a printing device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2010
    Publication date: September 16, 2010
    Applicant: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Toshiharu Sekino
  • Patent number: 7753372
    Abstract: An apparatus for opening and depositing a signature onto a transporting device includes a continuously rotating gripper cylinder having a first shaft and carrying at least one signature. First and second opening cylinders are arranged below the gripper cylinder to open the signature and deposit the opened signature onto the transporting device. The first and second opening cylinders each have a second and third shafts, respectively, extending substantially parallel to the first shaft. The first and second opening cylinders each have a peripheral section, the peripheral section of the first opening cylinder engaging in a region of rotation of the gripper cylinder to grip a signature such that the signature can be released again. The first opening cylinder includes a guide element to aid in conveying the signature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2010
    Assignee: Müller Martini Holding AG
    Inventors: Peter Wagner, Christoph Sägesser
  • Patent number: RE45028
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for laterally aligning a sheet in a processing machine, in particular a printing machine, carries out lateral sheet alignment on a cylinder of the printing machine, e.g. a feed cylinder. In order to achieve large correction distances in relation to a possible lateral movement capability of a gripper bar, the latter is prealigned prior to correction in such a way that, in the event of deviation from predetermined desired values, it is prealigned laterally to defined positions. A sheet-fed rotary printing machine having the apparatus, is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Holger Edinger, Juergen Zeltner