Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a processing tray configured to stack a sheet to be processed, a sheet overlap unit configured to allow a sheet fed while the sheet to be processed is stacked on the processing tray, to be overlaid and made to wait, first and second bundle conveyance rollers configured to convey the sheet to the processing tray from the sheet overlap unit, and a sheet processing apparatus control unit configured to control an overlap operation in the sheet overlap unit, wherein the sheet processing apparatus control unit determines, based on sheet information relating to the sheet fed to the sheet overlap unit, whether a sheet to be then fed is overlaid on the sheet fed to the sheet overlap unit.

Abstract: A method and a device for the conveyance of planar products (10, 10?, 20, 20?), in particular printed products, are provided wherein a product group (100) composed of at least two products (10, 10?, 20, 20?) is gripped by a gripper (42) in the area of a product edge (12, 12?, 22, 22?) and conveyed in a direction of conveyance (F2). At least one of the products (10, 10?, 20, 20?) is displaced relative to the other product or products (10, 10?, 20, 20?) in the product group (100) in a direction of displacement (A) defined by the gripped product edge (12, 12?, 22, 22?), such that in each case a projection (14, 24) is formed in the direction of displacement (A). Thus a first projection (14) is associated with at least one displaced product (10, 10?, 20, 20?) and a second projection (24) is associated with the remaining product or products (10, 10?, 20, 20?) of the product group (100).

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus capable of maintaining alignment of sheets of a sheet bundle on a processing tray even in a job uses sheets including particular sheets. In the sheet processing apparatus (finisher), a sheet conveyed along a conveying path is retained in a buffer path. The sheet and the following sheet are stacked on a processing tray in a state superposed with a shift in a conveying direction. A finisher controller determines in advance, before a conveyed sheet reaches the buffer path, whether or not the sheet is a particular sheet having a protrusion. When the sheet retained in the buffer path and the following sheet are to be superposed one upon the other, the amount of the shift between the sheets in the conveying direction is controlled according to a result of the determination by the finisher controller.

Abstract: A discharge unit is disposed downstream of a principal transport path of a compound machine, and a shifter function is provided in this discharge unit. By shifting the paper passage position relative to a photosensitive drum when printing the front side and the paper passage position relative to the photosensitive drum when printing the back side, the region in which the surface electric potential of the photosensitive drum increases is diminished, and the region in which photographic fog is generated is made smaller. Thus, when printing the second and subsequent sheets, even when a slight amount of displacement of the transport position of the recording paper occurs, it is possible to suppress that recording paper making contact in the photographic fog region on the photosensitive drum, and defective printing can be prevented.

Abstract: An offsetting discharging apparatus with aligning member or a sheet discharge apparatus is provided with a sheet discharge device for discharging sheets, a storage device for receiving the sheets discharged from the discharge device, and an alignment reference member for aligning at least one edge of the sheets discharged to the storage means. Furthermore, the sheet discharge apparatus includes rotating bodies (belt unit) that contacts the sheets while the sheets are discharged by the discharge device to move the sheets discharged to the storage device to the alignment reference member. The rotating bodies for alignment do not hinder a discharge operation of discharge rollers of the discharge device, thereby fully utilizing a capacity of a sheet storage tray.

Abstract: A protective sheet peeling device which reliably separates, from a sheet, a protective sheet (an interleaf sheet) which is superposed with one surface of the sheet. A free roller is disposed at a downstream side of a conveying roller of a peeling section, in a state in which one portion of the free roller is disposed on an “imaginary conveying locus” of a printing plate precursor. Further, a displacement roller is disposed at a downstream side of the free roller. After the printing plate precursor, which is superposed with the interleaf sheet, has passed by the free roller, when the displacement roller moves to a position of reaching the “imaginary conveying locus”, the printing plate precursor and the interleaf sheet are curved along the free roller. Due to reverse rotation of the displacement roller, the interleaf sheet is peeled off of the printing plate precursor.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for peeling a carrier web having a protective layer from a keeper sheet of image-bearing medium. The carrier web and the protective layer are peeled about a peel member as the keeper sheet moves over and is deformed by a constraining roller located at or downstream of the peel member putting the protective layer in tension. Preferably, at least one of the peel member or the constraining roller has a compliant material covering to facilitate separation of unused portions of the protective layer from edges of the keeper.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device (1) for generating an offset (2) of transported flexible sheet material (3), especially sheets of paper, with a feeding and a discharging transport path section (5 and 7) and a transport path section (6) which is assigned to the offset generating means (10). These devices of the prior art often require a control, resetting of the offset generating means after each sheet of material (3) or they do not operate independently of format. The invention affords relief by the offset generating means (10) having at least two deflections (8, 9 or 8, 8′, 9, 9′) which are parallel, which work in opposite directions, and which can be moved to an angle (gamma) to the transport direction (4); this angle is measured in the plane of the feeding transport path section (5) and is not equal to 90° projected onto this plane.

Abstract: A stream of signatures is delivered by a conveyer belt to an angled conveyer. The angled conveyor grips a set of signatures from the stream. The gripped set of signatures is transported by the angled conveyer to a third conveyer belt, and deposited on the third conveyer belt. By transporting the set of signatures at an angle, a lateral offset between the individual signatures within the set of signatures is created. A diverter on the third conveyer belt grips the laterally offset signatures, separating the signatures into substreams.

Abstract: A polarizer film tool, for removal of polarizer film from an LCD panel, is provided. The tool includes a take-up cylinder whose rotational action pulls the film from the LCD and wraps the removed film around itself. Two padded rotating stabilization cylinders guide the LCD in a preferred path through the tool to equally distribute the force used to hold the LCD as the polarizer film is pulled from its surface. The padded cylinders allow for deviations in the preferred path to accommodate any discrete parts mounted on the LCD that have a higher profile than the LCD surface. A method for removing the polarizer film with the above-mentioned tool is also provided.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for combining printed products of a plurality of types to form sets having products of each type. The first type of products are arranged in an imbricated formation in which they overlap one another in a first conveying direction and the edges run obliquely with respect to the first conveying direction. Products of another type are then deposited on the first products successively with the same alignment. Subsequent types of products may be similarly assembled to form the set of products. The formed sets having one of each type of products are then separated and conveyed in a further conveying direction which is angularly displaced from the first conveying direction.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for peeling a laminate containing image media wherein the leading edge portion of the laminate is struck by beater blades to initially separate the leading edge portion of one layer from the laminate. The separated leading edge portion is then transported into a nip defined by a peel surface and a lower peel roll after which the leading edge portion is bent about the peel surface by a folder driven by a linkage mechanism. While the leading edge portion of the laminate is bent, one layer is held by a vacuum device while the remainder of the laminate returns to its path of travel under its own resiliency. The separated layer is then peeled from the laminate by take-away rolls while guided by the peel surface. The remainder of the laminate is guided by a deflector roll to move along the path at a predetermined angle while the layer is being peeled. In one method, the layer is peeled at an angle to the longitudinal direction of the laminate.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided which act to peel different types of dry laminar imaging media having different peel attributes.

Abstract: A modular conveyor system for flat folded product includes a generally trapezoidal central drive unit having an upper endless belt conveyor which extends at an obtuse angle to first and second edges thereof. The central drive unit includes a drive motor for driving its endless belt conveyor and further includes first and second output pulleys. First and second auxiliary driven units each have a substantially rectangular frame which supports an endless belt conveyor where each endless belt conveyor is driven by an input pulley coupled to the first and second output pulleys respectively. The three units may be locked together in various configurations to form a deserter, a bump turn or a lateral realigner.

Abstract: A laminating system for bonding, to receiver stock, a lamination sheet of the type including a carrier and a material to be applied to the receiver stock, and for subsequently de-laminating the carrier from the receiver stock after the material has been applied to the receiver stock, includes a fuser to apply the material to the receiver stock. The leading edge of the carrier has a de-lamination leader to separate the carrier from the receiver stock as the leading edge of the sandwich emerges from the fuser. A first portion of the carrier is manually directed through a pair of idler rollers as the sandwich emerges from the fuser to form the carrier into a generally S-shaped curve so that operator attention is thereafter not needed to separate the remainder of the carrier and receiver stock.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for peeling a layer from a laminate utilizing a peel rod about which the layer is guided during peeling. The peel rod is continuously supported along its length by a bearing sleeve having a longitudinal passage receiving the rod and in turn supported in a holder. The bearing sleeve has a longitudinal opening in its wall communicating with its longitudinal passage, and the edge of the opening forms a continuous scraping edge for scraping debris from the rod. A cleaning pad of SCOTCH BRITE material extends radially through the bearing to engage the rod. The peeling rod and bearing are made of low friction material such as a ceramic, and the rod is preferably driven by a motor.

Abstract: To strip laminated foil cuttings, which are provided with incisions in a cover foil adhered to a carrier paper through a self-adhesive bottom layer, an incision forming a separation line is made into the carrier paper of a forward edge of each foil cutting before the edge zone is pulled off from the carrier paper by a transfer means in cooperation with a deflection edge.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for separating layers of a laminated thermographic media is disclosed. The apparatus has a torque roll cooperating with a pair of peel rolls which breaks a tab on the media without a hard stop thereby avoiding shock induced premature delamination. After the media is initially delaminated, a deflector roll operable independently of the peel rolls engages the backside of the substrate for establishing a deflector angle. An anti-skew system is also incorporated for aligning the media with the torque roll and peel rolls.

Abstract: A label separator separates labels from a backing. An infeed mechanism moves the labels in a downstream direction through a label path toward a breaker bar. A push member is moveable from a first position to a second position through a path which intersects the label path whereby the push member intersects the leading end of the backing in the label path and directs the backing out of the label path, around the breaker bar and to one side of the push member while the label continues along the label path on another side of the push member.

Abstract: A laminating system for bonding, to receiver stock, a lamination sheet of the type including a carrier, a material to be applied to the receiver stock, and a de-lamination leader associated with one edge of the lamination sheet; and for peeling the carrier from the receiver stock after the material has been applied to the receiver stock, includes a fuser through which a sandwich of receiver stock and lamination sheet, with material to be applied to the receiver stock between the carrier of the lamination sheet and the receiver stock, is fed with the de-lamination leader and the one edge facing in the direction of feed to apply the material to the receiver stock. A pair of driven nip rollers receive the de-lamination leader therebetween as the sandwich emerges from the fuser to tension the carrier, thereby breaking the bond between the carrier and the receiver stock.

Abstract: The conveying device comprises a first conveyor to feed printed products, arranged in an imbricated formation and arriving in a predetermined conveying direction, to an outfeed conveyor. In order to separate or detach printed products from this imbricated formation and supply the separated printed products to a second conveyor, there is provided a transfer or carry-over conveyor comprising two conveying arms pivotably connected to one another and arranged in tandem. The first conveying arm is stationarily mounted at its conveying-active end, and a reciprocating pivotable driving lever acts upon the second conveying arm for the purpose of shifting a conveying entrance of the transfer or carry-over conveyor from a working position, in which the printed products are supplied to the second conveyor, to a withdrawal position and again back to the working position.

Abstract: An apparatus for parting a shingled flow of two-layer paper products in the vertical direction with a rotatable deflector sheave and a wedged-shape deflector, both pivotally mounted above the shingled flow, wherein the wedged-shaped deflector may be inserted into the shingled flow and retracted at a speed in the conveying direction which exceeds the conveying speed of the shingled flow.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for delaminating a composite sheet structure of the kind comprising a vertically frangible layer having a first surface adhesively bonded to a first sheet at a substantially uniform strength and an opposite surface abutting areas which are, respectively, adhesively bonded to a second sheet at strengths less or greater than the uniform strength and having a marginal portion or tab extending beyond the first sheet. The composite sheet structure is fed into the nip of upper and lower peel rollers and upon passage therethrough a strip sheet roller is rotated into position to bend and hold the laminate against the upper peel roller in a position to fracture the tab from the first sheet. On reversal of the feed direction and passage of the laminate back through the nip of the strip sheet and upper peel rollers, the thicker "keeper sheet" of the flexed laminate breaks from the "throw-away" sheet containing the tab, at the preformed tab.

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.