Abstract: A sheet reversing device including a first conveyance unit, second conveyance unit, third conveyance unit, and sheet pressing member. The first conveyance unit includes a first holder, and a support surface that supports the sheet, and conveys the sheet with an edge held by the first holder, and its entire surface supported by the support surface. The second conveyance unit includes second holders, which convey the sheet. The third conveyance unit is supported to be swingable between a reception position at which the third conveyance unit receives the sheet, and a transfer position at which the third conveyance unit transfers the sheet to the second conveyance unit. The third conveyance unit includes a third holder, and conveys the sheet held by the third holder. The sheet pressing member presses the sheet, transferred from the third conveyance unit to the first conveyance unit, against the first conveyance unit support surface.

Abstract: A sheet guiding apparatus, including: a supporting member having a supporting surface which supports a sheet; a first electrode provided in the supporting member; an electric field generating portion configured to generate an electric field between the supporting surface and the first electrode; a guide member which is distant from the supporting surface by a predetermined distance in a direction perpendicular to the supporting surface; a moving portion configured to move the sheet supported by the supporting surface by moving at least one of the supporting member and the guide member relatively to each other in a direction parallel to the supporting surface; and an electric field inverting portion configured to invert a direction of the electric field generated by the electric field generating portion, when a leading end portion of the sheet in a direction in which the sheet is moved has reached a vicinity of the guide member.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for successively conveying a series of sheets are disclosed. The apparatus has a first conveyer for conveying a sheet in a sheet conveying direction at a first speed and a second conveyer disposed spaced vertically away from the first conveyer for conveying the sheet in the same direction at a second speed. The second conveyer has a region overlapping with the first conveyer at least for a distance corresponding to a dimension of the sheet, e.g. the width of veneer sheet, as measured in the sheet conveying direction. A suction mechanism is disposed in said overlapping region for transferring by suction the sheet in the entirety of its dimension from the first conveyer to the second conveyer and holding by suction the sheet against the second conveyer. The sheet is further moved by the second conveyer, e.g. to a sheet stacking station.

Abstract: A sortation bin module having a conveyor and diverter module for pneumatically securing, releasing and diverting selected mailpieces to a bank of sortation bins. The conveyor module includes a conveyor surface for transporting sheet material along the feed path and a pneumatic system for developing a pressure differential across the conveyor surface to hold the sheet material on the conveyor surface during transport. The diverter module includes a diverter surface for sorting sheet material from the conveyor surface, i.e., diverting sheet material from the feed path. The diverter module, furthermore, includes a pneumatic system for developing a pressure differential across the diverter surface to hold the sheet material on the diverter surface during sortation. The conveyor and diverter surfaces are also arranged such that the surfaces oppose each other to define a transfer interface.

Abstract: During the transport of flat products, in particular folded products which are transferred at the end of a transport path to an assembly which forwards them, a great degree of freedom from faults can be attained by the fact that, in the case of lower transport speeds, the products are accelerated during the transfer by air which passes along them at a higher speed in the transport direction than the transport speed. In the case of higher transport speeds, the products are expediently braked during the transfer by reducing the pressure in the gap between one of their surfaces and an adjacent guide surface.

Abstract: A sheet supply system, for use in supplying overlapped sheets to an interfolder, includes a bed roll on which a web is cut into successive sheets. The sheets are supplied to a sheet supply passage leading to retard rolls, which overlap the sheets within the supply passage. The trailing portion of each downstream sheet bulges outwardly as the sheet is supplied to the supply passage. An air tube directs pressurized air into a volume within which the bulge in the downstream sheet is formed. The pressurized air prevents the leading portion of the upstream sheet from being drawn outwardly along with the trailing area of the downstream sheet, by counteracting a vacuum that results from outward movement of the trailing portion of the downstream sheet after it is released from the bed roll.

Abstract: A device for picking up a sheet trailing edge from an upstream cylinder and transferring the sheet trailing edge to a gripper system of a downstream drum, as viewed in sheet travel direction, includes a sucker guide mechanism having a movably mounted sucker carrier whereon sucker heads subjectible to an application of vacuum or suction air are disposed. The sucker carrier is constructed as a tubular part having a longitudinal axis and being movable perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis thereof. The tubular part-is formed with a vacuum or suction air duct extending in the interior thereof and is formed of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic-material laminate.

Abstract: Device for guiding a paper sheet on a belt that includes first air guidance surfaces located on a paper sheet guiding side of the belt. The first air guidance surfaces may be positioned to create a dynamic pressure between the first air guidance surfaces and the paper sheet and to press the paper sheet into the belt.

Abstract: A stripping finger for a copier having a tip acutely arcuated with extremely high precision and less likely to be deformed when heated or collided repeatedly with a roller, and capable of stably maintaining high paper stripping ability, as well as high lubricity and non-tackiness at the surface for a long time. The stripping finger is formed from a polyphenylene sulfide resin composition containing 40-70 wt % of a polyphenylene sulfide resin having a melt viscosity of 3000 poise or over at 315.degree. C., 18-30 wt % of a polytetrafluoroethylene having an average particle diameter of 1-5 .mu.m, 2-7 wt % of a polyolefin, such as a high-density polyethylene having a specific gravity of 0.942 g/cm.sup.3, and 10-40 wt % of a fibrous reinforcing material.

Abstract: Stripping fingers for use in a copying machine, molded of a liquid crystal polyester resin composition made up of a liquid crystal polyester having a flow temperature of 340.degree. C. or higher and titanium oxide whiskers. The stripping fingers have excellent heat deflection resistance, heat aging resistance, thermal shock resistance, heat load resistance, low attack on the counter roller, good shape retainability of the finger edges, and good non-stick property against toner. Coating with PFA at 330.degree. C. or higher on the stripping finger increases non-tackiness.

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: A labeling machine in which pressure sensitive adhesively backed labels are releasably adhered to a backing strip moving along a path from a dispensing roll to a take-up roll. The labels are removed from the backing strip onto a rotating applicator drum at a first station along said path, and the thus removed labels are transferred from the applicator drum to articles being successively presented at a second station. The improvement comprises a scanning unit, a comparator unit, and a removal unit. The scanning unit is positioned in advance of the first station for reading indicia appearing on the labels adhered to said backing strip. The comparator unit is associated with the scanning unit for comparing the indicia on the labels with a preselected standard and for generating a control signal in the event of a mismatch between the standard and the indicia appearing on an incorrect label.

Abstract: An apparatus for stacking cards, printed sheets or similar products has feeder stations situated in a row and a conveyor with pushers. The feeder stations include spaced inner and outer tables. Individual products are deposited on the tables at the feeder stations. The inner tables are provided with lateral stops and a plurality of nozzles which emerge from the upper surface at a shallow angle towards the stop. Compressed air emitted from these nozzles creates a suction force which stabilizes the products on the tables. The pushers extend between the tables and push the product through a cut-out in the outer table onto a stack of products moving in synchronization on the conveyor below the tables.

Abstract: A device for cleaning a surface of a photosensitive drum used in electrocopying machines utilizing a xerography, laser printers, and facsimiles using normal sheets. The cleaning device includes a filter unit having a suction fan and a duct connected to the suction fan at its one end, for sucking waste toner powder, the filter unit being disposed between the discharge plate and the blade, in place of a conventional separation pole, a roller disposed between the filter unit and the blade and adapted to be supplied with a cleaning agent via a cleaning agent supplying member, the roller having, at its circumferential portion, radially extending removal fibers with a predetermined length, a contact portion provided at the other end of the duct to have the same width as the duct and adapted to separate a copied sheet from the photosensitive drum, so that a double cleaning for the drum surface is carried out.

Abstract: An electrophotographic recording apparatus including a light-sensitive drum for carrying toner images developed thereon, and a transfer unit arranged at a prescribed distance from the light-sensitive drum for transferring the toner images from a light-sensitive drum to the image recording paper. The transfer unit has a charging wire electrode for electrically charging the paper and a generally inverted U-shaped housing having spaced sidewalls with respective bottom edges. A separator is provided for separating the paper from the light-sensitive drum as the paper travels along a conveying path and comprises a paper separating plate extending from the downstream one of the bottom edges of the housing of the transfer unit in the downstream direction of the travel of the paper along the conveying path side thereof, with and the housing of the transfer unit is grounded. The paper separating plate has a distal end having a saw tooth shape along the length thereof, as measured transversely to the conveying path.

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: Apparatus for handling workpieces of limp sheet material including an endless conveyor having a forward-traveling upper reach for conveying workpieces in a forward direction, each workpiece having a leading edge and a trailing edge. An airfoil extends transversely across the upper reach of the conveyor and a manifold rearward of the airfoil may deliver a jet of air in a generally forward direction between the conveyor and the airfoil as the workpiece travels forwardly under the airfoil such that the leading edge portion of the workpiece raises up from the conveyor toward the airfoil. A clamping mechanism forward of the airfoil receives the leading edge portion of the workpiece. A sensor detects the presence of the leading edge portion between the clamping members and sends a signal in response to which the clamping mechanism is activated to clamp the leading edge portion.

Abstract: A suction type sheet carrying mechanism for a high speed image forming apparatus, in which a sheet is separated from an electrophotosensitive drum by air suction performed by mechanically combining fixed air suction holes of a hollow shaft and rotated air suction holes of belt pulleys. The sheet is stuck onto rotating endless belts and carried along a curved route by air suction performed by combining moving air holes of moving endless belts. High speed air flows through ditches provided on a belt guide board placed under the endless belts. The sheet is carried through a fixing unit under high temperature circumstances by rotating air suction metal rollers arranged perpendicular to the direction in which the sheet is carried. Fixed air suction holes in a hollow shaft and rotating air suction holes at ring-shaped ridges of a cylinder rotated around the hollow shaft of each air suction metal roller combine to form suction to hold the sheet.

Abstract: The present invention provides an improved apparatus and method for the sequential handling of a series of flexible products which enables operation of the orbital packing fingers at lower speeds to reduce inertial loading and yet maintain a high output rate. In preferred embodiments of the invention, the packing fingers are operated at a rate of 1/X times the rate that flexible products are provided. Where X is the number of delivery points per lane of flexible products provided. The orbital packing fingers themselves are constructed to extend across substantially the entire width of the bags as they are stripped from a transfer drum and to decelerate the bags as they are stacked against a backstop.

Abstract: A carriage (6) is moved so that the periphery of a roller (4) rests against the reel (3). The blade (14) of a knife (5) cuts the closing belt of the reel and a few of the outer turns of the strip. The roller is started up so that the scraps are drawn into a device (8) by suction, the free end of the strip also entering this device. The suction device pivots downward so that the free portion of the strip comes to rest upon a presentation block (54) which has meanwhile been advanced.

Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes a suction transport unit which is provided in the upper housing portion and which sucks paper on a paper transport path and transports the paper along the paper transport path. The suction transport unit has a paper transport surface on which the paper is transported in a state where the paper is sucked. The apparatus also includes a supporting mechanism which flexibly supports the suction transport unit to an upper housing portion of the apparatus, which is rotatably supported to a lower housing portion thereof. A first group of projections projects downward from the suction transport unit, and a second group of projections project upward from the lower housing portion.

Abstract: An apparatus for collecting and stacking in an inverted orientation large copy sheet discharged from the exit port of a whiteprint, blueprint or similar copying machine. A receptacle trough is provided for arresting and captivating the leading edges of the copy sheets as the sheets are discharged seriatim from the exit port of the machine. A stacking tray is disposed adjacent the receptacle trough for receiving the copy sheets inverted and in sequential order while the sheets remain captivated by the receptacle trough.

Abstract: Apparatus for separating moving superposed fabric layers includes structure defining upper and lower spaced-apart, opposed surfaces between which the superposed fabric layers are conveyed. Provision is made for directing jets of gaseous fluid along the surfaces generally in the direction of movement of the superposed fabric layers. Portions of the surfaces diverge away from the layers and from the direction in which the jets are moving, and are located downstream of the locations from which the jets issue. As a result, a vacuum is created between the superposed fabric layers and the upper and lower surfaces adjacent the diverging portions thereof causing the layers to separate. Because of their direction, the jets also impart a forward force on the separated fabric layers generally in the direction of movement of the fabric preventing the fabric from flapping, curling or bunching up between the plates during separation.

Abstract: An image transfer device includes a member for carrying a transfer material thereon and an image bearing member having an image thereon, the transfer material carrying member being subjected to a transfer corona therethrough to transfer the image from the image bearing member onto the transfer material. When the transfer material is separated from the transfer material carrying member by a separation pawl, that portion of the transfer material carrying member from a position in which the transfer material is in close contact with the carrying member to another position in which the transfer material is separated from the carrying member by the separation pawl is charged by a pair of corona chargers with the transfer material carrying member being located therebetween, so that the transfer material can more readily be separated from the carrying member.

Abstract: The device comprises a glue roller which picks up adhesive from a tray or tank, a scraper that wipes the glue roller, leaving the adhesive at prescribed points only, and a contact roller which takes sheets of wrapping material through an area where adhesive is applied to them. The contact roller is disposed about an axis parallel to the axis of the glue roller through positioned downstream thereof in the direction of movement of the sheets, such that a guide may be located beneath the contact roller adjacent to the cladding of the roller, designed to afford support to sheets carried by the contact roller and existing from the area where the adhesive is applied.

Abstract: An article transport arrangement for conveying articles along a pair of generally parallel transport paths from a first location to a second location includes a pair of vacuum belt conveyors which extend between the first and second locations, generally above the transport paths. A vacuum arrangement for applying a suction force to the articles in excess of that applied to the articles by the vacuum belt conveyors is positioned opposite the vacuum belt conveyors so as to ingest articles through a pair of collection openings.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for feeding sheet shaped blanks to an article. The blanks are extracted from a magazine by a blank conveyor at a first point, and, occasionally, more than one blank is erroneously extracted. To ensure that only one blank is conveyed to the article, all but one blank are removed at a second point. In the preferred embodiment, the blank or blanks is or are in such a fashion so as to permit a suction conveyor belt to detach all but one blank from the blank conveyor. Once detached, the erroneously extracted blanks are removed via air suction, and the remaining blank is conveyed to the article at a third point.

Abstract: In a copy paper separating device for use in a transfer type electrophotographic copying machine which includes a conductive carrier member, preferably in the form a conductive endless belt extended between a pair of pulleys. The conductive carrier member is disposed in the periphery of the photosensitive member to which a copy paper is brought into contact for the transfer of a toner image formed on the photosensitive member. The potential of the conductive carrier member is maintained nearly at zero level during the first step of the separating operation; whereas, the potential of the carrier member is increased to a predetermined value of the polarity opposite to that of the toner image during the second step.

Abstract: A transfer sheet separating/conveying member is formed of an electrically conductive material, and has its part disposed close to or in contact with the peripheral surface of a photosensitive drum for movement in the same direction as the drum. The separating/conveying member is applied with a voltage of the same polarity as that of a voltage applied to the transfer sheet. An insulating material covers at least a portion of the laterally opposite sides of the separating/conveying member which are located opposite to the drum surface. A corner of the separating/conveying member which is not covered by the insulating material and remains exposed is shaped into a rounded form.

Abstract: An electrostatic copying apparatus has a rotatable photosensitive drum including a first peripheral layer on which a visible image is formed and a second peripheral layer which is adjacent to the first peripheral layer along a shaft of the drum and on which a toner image is not formed, and a peeling mechanism for peeling a copying paper from the photosensitive drum, a transfer device including a transfer roller which is rotatably disposed in opposition to the photosensitive drum and cooperates with the photosensitive drum to nip a copying paper therebetween, and a DC power source for applying a surface electrical potential to the transfer roller to electrically attract the visible image from the photosensitive drum to the copying paper. In the copying apparatus, the transfer roller includes a first roller portion in opposition to the first peripheral layer of the photosensitive drum and a second roller portion coaxial with the first roller portion.

Abstract: An apparatus for stripping an adherent cover sheet from a photosensitive film sandwich. A leader from a roll extends over a film having a cover sheet and is attached to an edge of the cover sheet. When the roll is driven, the leader wraps on it and strips the cover sheet from the film which had previously been fixed in a stationary position.