Abstract: A card separation apparatus includes a movable tray having a surface onto which a sheet is conveyed after a card has been separated from the sheet, and a card separation unit mounted on the surface for movement with the movable tray, the card separation unit having an opening through which the sheet is conveyed, and a controller configured to send an instruction to the movable tray to be moved at a predetermined timing after a leading edge of the sheet to which the card is attached enters the opening, so as to cause the sheet to be initially separated from the card.

Abstract: In a computer-controlled conveying system (3), virtual markers (K1-K10) are generated and are stored in association with a conveying element (31, 32, 33, 34). The virtual markers (K1-K10) each comprise a marker position which is based on the current position of the conveying element (31, 32, 33, 34) at the time of generation. A search is carried out for stored virtual markers (K1, K5, K6, K9) which have a relative position with respect to the associated conveying element (31, 32, 33, 34) that lies within a defined sector (T1, T2, T3) at the search time. Actuators of the conveying system (3) are driven depending on whether virtual markers (K1, K5, K6, K9) were found in the defined sector (T1, T2, T3) during searching. The virtual markers (K1-K10) may be applied to the conveying elements (31, 32, 33, 34) with dynamically changing distances, for example, and make it possible to drive actuators in a flexible manner independently of a fixedly defined clock rate.

Abstract: A printer assembly (10) adapted for use with a print head comprising a platen (14) operable to move in a first plane; and a vacuum source in fluid communication with the platen (14) to provide a vacuum communication path to draw air through the platen (14) such that a sheet of media arranged on the platen (14) is biased towards it, characterised by a movable aperture (52) in the vacuum communication path between the vacuum source and the platen (14), the movable aperture (52) being arranged to move with the platen (14).

Abstract: The invention of automatic online defective elements checking and removing device relates to flexographic printing presses. Between a first vacuum conveying platform and a second vacuum and separating-conveying platform on the top of a mobile frame is provided a defective elements remover including a defective removing air ejector operated by a valve, which receives output signal from the online computerized visual QC station at the flexographic printing press and a receiver for carrying the ejected elements away from the platforms. Under the mobile frame is provided a vacuum pump and vacuum distribution tube connected each other with steel wire enforced hose and a ball valve is used to adjust the vacuum in order to prevent the printed labels from drifting on the conveyor belts. Both of the platforms are separately driven by motors and via toothed belts.

Abstract: System and methods providing a plurality of fusers, and one or more radius profiled media handling transports for transporting media in a radius, in an image forming device. The system includes one or more of a plurality of fusers, and radius profiled media handling transport devices arranged in a fashion allowing for improved throughput of media while reducing operating costs. The plurality of fusers allows for the use of individual low capacity fusers that are equal to or less than the overall capacity of the image forming device. Media transport devices transport media on stretch belts across a radius of rollers with a means for providing an adhering force for stabilizing the media to the belt. The rollers are arranged along one side of the frame, along which the media is transported, and a frame may contain an air plenum so as to allow for the drawing of a vacuum through the rollers. The media transport device allows for optimizing a configuration of the image forming device.

Abstract: A dual arm caddy to be attached to the spindle of a wall mounted toilet paper holder for carrying disposable wet wipes. The upper portion of each arm is attached by hooking the spindle, and the lower, utility portion is attached to a container inclined from front to rear. A lid is rear-hinged. The hooking means can be a U-shaped slot open in the rear of the arm's upper portion, and inclined upward and elongated to assure the caddy makes wall contact before engaged spindle reaches slot's upper end. Embodiments include caddies suspendable from crossbars such as towel racks to provide consistently horizontal and stable utility platforms throughout a range of crossbar-to-wall distances.

Abstract: A device for separating an imbricated formation (2) of continuously conveyed printing products (1) into a succession of spaced printing products (1), comprises a first conveyor (3) driven at a first velocity (v1), a second conveyor (4) arranged after the first conveyor (3) and driven at a second velocity (v2) which is higher in relation to the first velocity, and a de-imbricating device (5, 6) for accelerating the leading printing product (1) of the imbricated formation (2) to the second velocity (v2) and for maintaining the imbricated arrangement of the following printing products (1) being conveyed in the imbricated formation (2) at the first velocity (v1). The de-imbricating device comprises two suction belt conveyors (5, 6), the first suction belt conveyor (5) driven at the first velocity (v1), that the second suction belt conveyor (6) is driven at the second velocity (v2).

Abstract: A positive control signature transferring assembly, for use in a lower folder, transports and diverts signatures under positive control. The assembly has a first positive control deceleration device having grippers for transporting some of the signatures of a stream of signatures to a first delivery stream. The assembly has a gripper cylinder containing a plurality of grippers for gripping a leading edge and a trailing edge of each of the remaining signatures in the signature stream for transporting the signatures on the gripper cylinder. A second positive control deceleration device has grippers for transporting the remaining signatures released by the gripper cylinder to a second delivery stream. In this manner, the signatures are positively controlled at all times and alignment and fixed pitch errors are significantly reduced.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for decollating flat objects from a stack, in particular objects individually separated from one another in the stack by interlayers, preferably printing plates. The object of the invention is to ensure that only one object is taken from the stack and made available for any further handling. A lifting device lifts the object from the stack and a separating device separates any article possibly adhering to the underside of the lifted object from the lifted object. The article possibly adhering may in particular be a second object or an interlayer. For example, the separating device may be of similar construction to the lifting device and in particular include suction elements.

Abstract: Provided is a sheet diverter for directing signatures moving in serial fashion along a diverter path to one of a plurality of collation paths. The sheet diverter includes a pair of diverter rolls for directing a signature to one of the plurality of collation paths and a diverter wedge for deflecting the signature to a selected one thereof. The diverter wedge is positioned between the diverter rolls so as to reach high into the diverter path thereby providing increased support to the signature as it travels from between the diverter rolls to the diverter wedge. The diverter rolls are permitted to intermesh with the diverter wedge so as to allow the diverter wedge to be so positioned.

Abstract: There is provided a recording medium transportation apparatus providing air suction to adhere a recording medium to a belt while the recording medium is being transported thereby, wherein the belt can have an optimized surface roughness and adjacent suction holes provided therein can be spaced by an optimized distance to provide an optimized level of force allowing the belt to adhere to the recording medium to transport the recording medium with high precision. The belt transporting a sheet of paper adhered thereto through air suction has a surface roughness (Ra) set in a range obtained by substituting an equivalent adhesion diameter (Dx) defined by: 0.5 × D ⁢   ⁢ 0 2 ⁢   ⁢ e c0 / c1 ≦ Dx ≦ 0.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sheet conveying apparatus comprising a sheet feeding device for separating and feeding stacked sheets one by one, a convey guide device for guiding the sheet fed out by the sheet feeding device, a spacing device provided on the guide device and adapted to deviate positions of a trailing end of a preceding sheet and a leading end of a succeeding sheet which is fed continuously to the preceding sheet, a sheet detecting device for detecting the leading end of the succeeding sheet deviated from the trailing end of the preceding sheet by the spacing device.

Abstract: Provided is a sheet diverter for directing signatures moving in serial fashion along a diverter path to one of a plurality of collation paths. The sheet diverter includes a pair of diverter rolls for directing a signature to one of the plurality of collation paths and a diverter wedge for deflecting the signature to a selected one thereof. The diverter wedge is positioned between the diverter rolls so as to reach high into the diverter path thereby providing increased support to the signature as it travels from between the diverter rolls to the diverter wedge. The diverter rolls are permitted to intermesh with the diverter wedge so as to allow the diverter wedge to be so positioned.

Abstract: A belt conveyor is provided to feed veneers in the arrow-marked direction in the drawing. A porous transfer belt having numerous of air holes therein is stretched around so as to run above said belt conveyor. Inside the porous transfer belt, a suction hood which has a plurality of small air passages formed in the running direction of the porous conveyor belt is installed to rotatably accommodate a damper further therewithin. The damper makes intermittent rotations to open or close the sucking section such that only a desired veneer is selectively sucked for sort-out transfer with the result that the need for piercing the veneer or defining in advance a gap between each adjacent two veneers is eliminated. Therefore, it is now possible to perform high speed sort-out operations without subjecting the veneer to damage or breakage resulting from tensile strength exerted thereon at the time of defining the gap.

Abstract: In accordance with the present invention a vacuum and belt document handling system comprises first structure for transporting individual documents along a document path in a first direction, second structure downstream from the first structure for transporting the individual documents in a second direction along the document path, and a vacuum drum having a peripheral section located between the first and second structure. The vacuum drum includes a plurality of non-rotating sections having stationary vacuum ports at the peripheral section and further includes a plurality of pulleys, each of which support an upper reach of an endless belt at the peripheral section of the vacuum drum between the first and second structure. The system further comprises a plenum shaft to which the non-rotating section of the vacuum drum is fixedly secured and the pulleys are rotatably secured. The plenum shaft is connected to a vacuum source and the stationary vacuum ports are connected to holes in the plenum shaft.

Abstract: Printing products (13) are fed by a conveyor track (11, 14) to a stack compartment (17), which can be charged from above, in an imbricated formation of the kind in which the printing products (13) lie in pairs congruently one on top of the other. In order to be able to form stacks containing an odd number of printing products, a retaining device (24) is provided, adjoining the exit of the conveyor track (11, 14), which retaining device upon activation temporarily lifts the upper printing product (13) off the one lying underneath.

Abstract: A high speed product delivery system is provided which delivers individual flexible web products from a product drum to three or more transfer drums. The transfer drums, in turn, deliver products to further transfer drums or to packaging devices. The system permits increases in the production rate of the products without increasing the demand on the packing devices.

Abstract: A high speed product delivery system is provided which delivers individual flexible web products from a product drum to a plurality of transfer drums. The transfer drums, in turn, deliver products to further transfer drums or to packaging devices. The system permits increases in the production rate of the products without increasing the demand on the packaging devices.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming device for forming a toner image on a photosensitive member; a transfer device for transferring the toner image to a recording paper sheet; a fixing device for fixing the toner image onto the recording paper sheet, which is so provided as to be spaced a predetermined distance from the transfer device; a guide member which has first and second inclined faces for guiding the recording paper sheet obliquely upwardly and downwardly to the fixing device, respectively; the first and second inclined faces being, respectively, formed with first and second suction openings; a transport belt device for transporting the recording paper sheet to the fixing device along the first and second inclined faces, which is wound along the first and second inclined faces and is formed with a plurality of holes; and a suction device which sucks air above the first inclined face through the holes of the transport belt device and the first suction opening and sucks air above the

Abstract: An apparatus for splitting a shingled stream of paired coextensive sheets into two partial stream is advanced below an upper conveyor to which suction can be applied and which displaces the sheets at an acute angle to the main path defined by the lower conveyor. The upper conveyor engages only the upper sheet of each pair and shifts it laterally to deposit it on the lower conveyor in a shingled partial stream parallel to the partial stream which remains of the lower sheets after the upper sheets of each pair has been laterally drawn away.

Abstract: A device for taking out sheets comprising a temporary stacking section for temporarily stacking sheets to be transported, a take-out section provided on the take-out side of said temporary stacking section for taking out the sheets one by one, conveyers for transporting sheets taken out from said take-out section, first and second vacuum suction chambers provided on an intermediate portion of conveyers which respectively separate the sheets into a first sheet and a second and following sheets if a plurality of sheets are taken out in an overlapped state by the take-out section, and collecting device for successively supplying the second and following sheets from the second chamber to said temporary stacking section.

Abstract: The invention provides apparatus for separating portions of flat material cut-out from a web or sheet. First and second grippers respectively, which engage with first and second cut portions of flat material, are provided to travel along and define paths of motion for the first and second cut portions of flat material, which paths diverge from a point of separation. A feed conveyor is connected in front of the grippers and is synchronized with their drive.

Abstract: High speed document processing and sorting apparatus. A stream of documents is guided along a path at high speed. A detector is mounted along said path to detect identifiable documents. A magazine is mounted to receive the detected documents. A vacuum wheel is mounted to remove the detected documents from said path to said magazine. The vacuum picker comprises a vacuum wheel mounted a predetermined spacing over said path, the vacuum wheel having a surface speed equal to the high speed document speed. A solid wheel is movably mounted below said vacuum wheel and below said path. A detector control moves the solid wheel and document up into contact with the vacuum wheel when it is desired to remove a document moving at high speed.

Abstract: Apparatus for moving discrete sheets along a first path has a rotary hollow cylindrical foraminous barrel which is located below a portion of the first path and is adjacent to the inlet of a second path along which selected sheets move when a chamber which is rotatable relative to and is located in the interior of the barrel is connected with a suction generating device. The chamber reaches the first path at the inlet of the second path together with the leaders of successive sheets and can be connected with the suction generating device by a solenoid-operated valve which is actuated by a switch which, in turn, is actuated by an adjustable cam on the rotary core which defines the chamber. When the chamber is sealed from the suction generating device, it is connected with a source of slightly compressed air so that streamlets of air which issue from the barrel compel successive sheets to remain in the first path.