Abstract: A dual drive signature stacker having side-by-side stacker sections, each of substantially identical design and including a stepper motor for driving a pair of buckets for receiving signatures secured at spaced intervals along a drive chain driven by the stepper motor. The buckets have intercept blades supported by brackets joined to the drive chain to position one of the intercept blades of each drive assembly in front of the adjacent drive assembly so that all of the buckets of the dual drive assembly are in alignment with one another and with the signature stream. The side-by-side arrangement greatly simplifies the design cost and assembly. A microprocessor-based control system permits stacking of stacks having as few as two signatures and is further capable of forming successive signature stacks of differing count in a precision manner and compatible with the speeds of any signature flow rate.

Abstract: A dual drive signature stacker having side-by-side stacker sections, each of substantially identical design and including a stepper motor for driving a pair of buckets for receiving signatures secured at spaced intervals along a drive chain driven by the stepper motor. the buckets have intercept blades supported by brackets joined to the drive chain to position one of the intercept blades of each drive assembly in front of the adjacent drive assembly so that all of the buckets of the dual drive assembly are in alignment with one another and with the signature stream. The side-by-side arrangement greatly simplifies the design cost and assembly. A microprocessor-based control system permits stacking of stacks having as few as two signatures and is further capable of forming successive signature stacks of differing count in a precision manner and compatible with the speeds of any signature flow rate.

Abstract: Folded products, supplied in dual-comb like interdigited form are transported by a transport chain system (75) carrying grippers (84, 85) in a vertical direction to form a vertical stack. Grippers engage alternate products about their fold line, and hold the interdigited intermediate sheets therebetween. The transport system and a carrier structure are placed in relative positions to permit the grippers of the transport system to pick up the products (1, 2) at the fold line and, after reorienting the products, to place them in a vertical stack on a support (96, 110), a cam track (88) opening the grippers on the transport system (75) as the grippers pass about a vertically movable deflection wheel (97) to release the products. The deflection wheel moves upwardly as the stack grows.

Abstract: A sheet feeding system for an image-forming machine includes a main body having a conveying passage therethrough for guiding sheet materials and a hand insertion feed table pivotally attached to the main body for movement between a feed position in which it can be used to feed sheet materials into the conveying passage and a storage position. The sheet feeding system also includes a separate feed unit which, when the table is in its storage position, can be aligned with the main body so that sheet materials can be fed therefrom into the conveying passage. The conveying passage guides sheet materials to either a receiving section, a sorter or back into the introduction opening of the conveying passage so as to form overlapping images.

Abstract: The present invention provides a transfer device for receiving a series of flexible products from a single path and delivering the flexible products to a plurality of paths where they can be separately stacked and packaged. The device includes a vacuum transfer drum and apparatus for rotating the drum. The transfer device also includes a rotating product drum for supplying flexible products such as plastic bags in a single row along a path to the drum. Further, the transfer device includes apparatus on the drum for securing the leading edges of the flexible products to the surface of the drum, for shifting selected flexible products transversely from the path as the drum rotates, and for securing the trailing edges of the selected flexible products during the shifting thereof. This transverse shifting of selected flexible products permits delivery by the transfer drum along a plurality of paths.

Abstract: A circulation-type bill receiving and dispensing machine reuses received bills for dispensing. It has a bill receiving and dispensing port and operating section at both sides of the machine. The bill receiving and dispensing machine includes separate bill discriminating sections each of which is arranged on each received-bill transferring route of the bill receiving and dispensing ports of the two sides for the exclusive use of that port. Thus the bill receiving and dispensing machine of the present invention can be operated at the same time from both sides. Accordingly, a customer can deposit bills at any time even if the machine is being operated in the bill receiving mode by the teller.

Abstract: A sorting apparatus for sheets which are supplied from an office machine such as a printer, comprises a take-up site for receiving the sheet from the printer and a plurality of output sites. The sheet can be deposited into any one of the output sites. A support carries pairs of engaged rollers which define a feed channel for a sheet. The feed channel has an inlet end which is alignable with the take-up site for receiving a sheet from the office machine. The support can be pivoted about a swiveling axis to bring the outlet end of the channel to any one of the output sites. A control mechanism is connected to a stepper motor which engages the support for rotating the support about its swiveling axis.

Abstract: Printed products are infed in an imbricated formation by a transport device to a stacker apparatus. These printed products are transported by a delivery belt conveyor and an infeed belt conveyor to a pivotably mounted infeed device. The outfeed end region of the infeed device opens into a stacker chute of a stacker device. At the infeed device there is arranged a support element. The printed products delivered by the infeed device to the stacker chute slide onto an elevationally displaceable stacker table. This infeed device is supported by the support element upon the stacked printed products. Governed by the pivotal motion of the infeed device, the stacker table of the stacker chute is incrementally lowered. As soon as sufficient printed products are available for forming a first partial stack in the stacker chute, this first partial stack is pressed by presser structure comprising piston-and-cylinder units and then this first partial stack is rotated about an upright axis through about 180.degree.

Abstract: A currency sorter and storage device 10 which includes a lockable storage container 11 having a front plate 12 which further has a plurality of currency receiving slots 13 therein. A pair of rollers, one being drive roller 18 and the other idler roller 17, are disposed in parallel spaced relationship directly behind and on the interior side of currency receiving slots 13. An electric motor 19 provides a source of rotation for drive roller 18. A partitioned currency bin 14 having currency receiving chutes 15 therein, is disposed within lockable storage containing 11 such that currency receiving chutes 15 each lie directly below a particular currency receiving slot 13. A rotatable shaft 23 having one end extending through the side of lockable storage container 11 has a plurality of biasing dogs 22 radially attached. Biasing dogs 22 are disposed along rotatable shaft 23 to each engage a stack of currency 1 located in a particular currency receiving chute 15.

Abstract: An automatic photosensitive material conveying apparatus to be disposed between an recording apparatus and a developing apparatus having different conveying velocities. The conveying apparatus comprises an inlet for receiving the photosensitive material from the recording apparatus, an outlet for feeding the photosensitive material to the developing apparatus, a first and a second conveying units extending between the inlet and the outlet in parallel to each other, and a guide mechanism switchable between a position to guide the photosensitive material to the first conveyor unit and a position to guide the photosensitive material to the second conveyor unit. Each of the conveying units is selectively driven at the conveying velocity of the recording apparatus and that of the developing apparatus.

Abstract: Sheet conveyer intended to take charge of and convey part sheets (2', 2", 2"') obtained from a main sheet by dividing this into a predetermined number of parts and delivering it out of a cutter simultaneously and side by side. The conveyer includes a number of downward gradient planes corresponding to the number of part sheets. Each plane has a length as viewed in the conveying direction corresponding to the length of a respective part sheet. Adjacent planes are connected with one another by an intermediate portion substantially shorter than the respective plane. The connection of the intermediate portion to the preceding plane is rounded off. Furthermore, carrier elements are arranged so that when the planes have received a respective part sheet, the carrier elements push the last part sheet as viewed in the conveying direction from its plane to a position on top of the next part sheet. Thereafter the two part sheets lying on one another are pushed to a position on top of the following part sheet, etc.

Abstract: A copying apparatus including a recording module for forming an image on copy paper sheets fed from a sheet feeding portion and discharging the copy paper sheets to a sheet ejecting portion and a sheet processing module mounted detachably on the sheet ejecting portion. The sheet processing module includes a sheet cassette mounted detachably on the sheet processing module and the sheet feeding portion, a copy receiving tray and a changeover device for changing over to the sheet cassette or the copy receiving tray, a passage of the copy paper sheets discharged from the sheet ejecting portion.

Abstract: Two dispensing port mechanisms are arranged in parallel in a banknote distributing and dispensing machine. A distributing mechanism is provided to be selectively arranged at either one of two dispensing port mechanisms. A transmission mechanism is provided to transmit the movement of conveyor belts in the distributing mechanism to the conveyor belts of the selected dispensing port mechanism.

Abstract: A film sheet storage cassette. A channel mounting bracket supports a rectangular enclosure in position to receive cut film sheets. The enclosure includes a top flange which is slidable into the channel and held in position to receive through an entrance slot the paper film sheets. A spring biased door is supported for movement in the plane of the flange to cover and uncover said slot. The channel includes camming slots which receive upstanding camming tabs. Insertion of the cassette flange into said channel forces said camming tabs along said camming slots moving the door to its open position.

Abstract: Sequential diskette transport apparatus of the reciprocating type transports diskettes one after the other from a hopper to a disk drive where the disk component of each diskette can be operated on. The apparatus then retrieves each diskette in turn from the disk drive and transports it to a receiving location where diskette sorting may take place. The apparatus also includes a special disk drive mount by which a disk drive can be quickly positioned in the apparatus at exactly the correct location to receive diskettes and which gives ready access to the underside of the disk drive for maintenance purposes. The apparatus transports the diskettes using special pickers which push only the lowest diskette in the hopper into the disk drive and then retrieves the diskette from the drive using a pulling motion. Thus, the apparatus handles the diskettes in more or less the same way as they would be handled by an operator if the loading and unloading processes were done manually.

Abstract: A paper selecting apparatus includes an upstream side transportation passage having an inclined bottom surface(s) held in the inclined state in the transverse direction, a lower stage transportation passage extending in continuation from the downstream end of the upstream side transportation passage, an upper stage transportation passage disposed above the lower one with a predetermined distance kept therebetween and a guide wall disposed between the upstream side transportation passage and the upper stage transportation passage for determining the direction of further movement of paper which has been displaced from the upstream side transportation passage to selectively bring it to either of both the upper and lower stage transportation passages in conformance with the width of paper to be selected.

Abstract: A garment portion loader utilizes a plurality of photo-electric sensors to determine the positions of garment portions at selected stations including a delivery assembly which supplies garment portions for loading, a pick-up assembly which removes garment portions from the delivery assembly and places them on an alignment conveyor, a smoothing device which removes wrinkles from the garment portions when positioned on the conveyor, and an alignment assembly which aligns the garment portions with a pre-established standard relative to the alignment conveyor. A rejection assembly is provided to remove garments which are not properly aligned. The loader may be controlled by a microprocessor receiving input from the sensors and controlling the various assemblies.

Abstract: Apparatus producing information copies on interleaved transparency material and plain paper separator sheets, where such separation of the transparency material by the plain paper sheets facilitates handling of the transparency material. The productivity of the apparatus reproduction cycles is enhanced by selectively producing information copies on transparency material or on transparency material and on the separator sheets. After the information copies are produced, the transparency material and separator sheets are selectively stacked in separate receiving hoppers or in interleaved fashion in one receiving hopper.

Abstract: Apparatus for handling a stream of flat, flexible web products where first and second gripper means are disposed to intersect said stream for tandem operation, and with means operably associated with the first gripping means for deactivating the same after a predetermined number of web products has been gripped.

Abstract: An arrangement for dispensing sheets from a store (10) to a withdrawal station (11), including first transport means (13-14) for transporting sheets from the store (10) to a collecting station (15), and second transport means (16-17) for transporting a bundle of sheets from the collecting station (15) to the withdrawal station (11). The collecting station (15) includes two mutually opposing walls between which the bundle of sheets is clamped during the initial stage of transportation from the collecting station.The walls are provided with wheels or rollers which are rotatable about shafts and which co-act with each other, two and two, one on each wall. The shafts of all wheels on each wall have mutually the same rotation direction, which is dependent upon the desired direction of transportation of the bundle of sheets, and the shafts of all wheels can be simultaneously pivoted in one and the same plane, depending upon the desired transport direction.

Abstract: A sheet diverter system in which a stream of sheets is fed by a pair of tapes to a gripping zone between a pair of separating cylinders. The tapes on opposite sides of the sheet diverge downstream of the gripping zone and wrap around a part of the outer periphery of the adjacent separating cylinder so that they travel at the same velocity as the outer periphery of the cylinder. The sheets advance toward the gripping zone at a velocity controlled by the separating cylinder and successive sheets are presented to the grippers carried by the cylinders so that alternate sheets are carried along different paths to different delivery stations.

Abstract: In spaced relationship from an infeed track or path for an imbricated product formation there is arranged an outfeed track or path. Between the infeed and outfeed tracks there is provided a group of movable track elements which are spaced in overlying or superimposed relationship from one another in their direction of movement. This group of track elements is guided and moved transversely with respect to the infeed and outfeed tracks or paths. Conveyor means serve to transfer the printed products from the infeed track in each case by means of one of the track elements to the outfeed track. In this way it is possible, without releasing the printed products out of the imbricated product formation and without altering the movement of the imbricated product formation or interrupting such movement, to render accessible each of the printed products for performing further processing operations thereat during the throughpass thereof at the relevant track element.

Abstract: A slitter scorer having upper and lower web paths is provided with suction trim means along opposite edges of a web to be processed. Adjacent each suction trim means, and associated with each of said paths, there is provided a web deflecting means for flattening a web.

Abstract: Flattened tube sections for making sacks are continuously supplied by a main conveyor and selectively fed longitudinally to one of a plurality of connecting conveyors leading to respective production lines along which the sections are moved transversely after turning by respective turntables. The connecting conveyors for the second and subsequent production lines receive their tube sections from an intermediate conveyor. A deflector is pivotable between the intermediate conveyor and the connecting conveyor for the first production line.

Abstract: A gate station incorporates air pressure flows to direct clips in a production stream through the station and to selectively divert defective clips into a separate reject steam. Mounted on a support plate in the station are an upstream manifold, continuously supplied with low pressure air, and a downstream manifold, having a plurality of downwardly directed air ports and selectively supplied with high pressure air. Air flow from the upstream manifold is directed laterally over the upper surface of a clip so as to enable atmospheric pressure to maintain the clip travelling through the gate station in the production stream. If a clip is to be diverted, the downstream manifold is injected with high pressure air causing blasts of high velocity air through the downwardly directed ports. This high velocity air disrupts the flow from the upstream manifold and forces the leading edge of the defective clip downwards, pressing the clip into the reject stream.

Abstract: Printing apparatus, having a rotatable platen with a printing element in front of it and a reversible platen drive for rotating the platen counterclockwise or clockwise relative to the printing element, is operable to feed, from an upper hopper extending upwardly and rearwardly from the bottom of the platen, an unprinted sheet to the bottom of the platen and forwardly and upwardly to the front of the platen into printing position. A selector switch may be provided for selecting the direction of rotation of the platen after completion of printing so that its rotation counterclockwise moves the printed sheet upwardly and rearwardly toward the upper hopper and its rotation clockwise moves the printed sheet downwardly for sequential stacking in the lower hopper to collate successive printed sheets in their order of printing.

Abstract: A paper sheet accumulator assembly for successively underlaying paper sheets in good order at a collection station which has a paddle wheel disposed downstream of a conveyor belt assembly for delivering paper sheets, such as bills of money, to the accumulator assembly. The paddle wheel has a number of overlapping paddles which receive paper sheets on their underside, and which are accumulated and released by an abutting plate. In use as a bank note discharge ports provided on opposite side walls of the frame of the dispenser, allowing a bundle of bank notes to be dispensed from either of the discharge ports as desired.

Abstract: A system for routing correspondence from a first location including a plurality of slot entries to a predetermined conveyor path to a second, discharge location. A collection assembly is disposed at the discharge location for collection of routed correspondence along two adjacent conveyor paths.

Abstract: The invention contemplates an improved deflection-switch mechanism for a conveyor system which continuously handles a succession of articles, such as like sheets or sheet-like workpieces, on a first conveyor, and which sorts them in alternation to one and then to the other of two further conveyors, whereby in each of the further conveyors the sorted articles are more greatly separated and therefore can be subjected to more effective deceleration prior to their uniformly stacked accumulation. The deflection mechanism of the switch is vacuum-operative upon individual articles, relying upon their spatial distribution in the first conveyor as a basic determinant of whether a particular article is to be automatically deflected or switched, by effectively synchronous commutation, into one or into the other of the two further-conveyor paths.

Abstract: Document detector and collector for detecting and collecting identifiable documents from a high speed stream of documents. A plurality of documents including identifiable documents are fed along a path. A detector detects the identifiable documents. A table is mounted above the document path to receive the identifiable documents. A first vacuum wheel responsive to the detector, removes the identifiable documents and feeds the removed documents to a second vacuum wheel. The second vacuum wheel delivers the documents to the delivery table.

Abstract: A self configuring track controller for a diverter gate motor in a stacker area of a document sorting system having pockets in which documents are selectively directed includes identical devices for governing each diverter gate motor in the stacker area. Integral with each track controller is a data line using binary, serial signals to teach each track controller its sequential position in the stacker area relative to other track controllers.

Abstract: A copy production machine is capable of having copies from plural independent copy runs in a copy sheet transport path at a given instant. Such independent runs are combined to produce duplex (double-sided) copies. Recovery from jams in such duplex operations is described. The described system also distinguishes between copy sheets having images and non-imaged copy sheets. Apparatus and procedures are described for utilizing the counts for precisely recovering from loss of copy sheets due to a jam or other stoppage condition. Control of a billing meter is also disclosed.

Abstract: Belt type conveyors for letters and the like, having a switching device between them, which device comprises a roller having a flattening on its circumference i.e. a segmented roller, driven by means of a one-rotation coupling when a letter is sensed on the conveyor approaching the switching device.

Abstract: A conveyor system wherein sheets are conveyed from a cutter or the like at a given speed, are increased in speed before passing through a diverter, are slowed down after passing through a shingling nip to thereby overlap them, and then normally proceed at the latter speed to a stacker which is adapted to stack a fixed number of sheets before discharging the stack. A sheet sensor is disposed upstream of the diverter to count the number of sheets and, when the requisite number of sheets have passed, triggers the cycle for ultimate discharge of all downstream sheets in a single stack. The first phase of the discharge cycle includes speeding up of the conveyor line downstream of the shingling nip to move the downstream sheets away from those upstream which will be disposed in the next succeeding stack.

Abstract: The apparatus is intended for automatic sorting of articles, particularly, f postal correspondence. The apparatus comprises a plurality of parallel linear guiding channels with limbs branching off to accumulators of sorted articles, arranged alongside of the guiding channels. At the branching-off points of the guiding channels selectors are provided, arranged successively in the direction of the progress of said articles, the foremost selector in the article-progress direction being the most remote from said accumulators.