Abstract: The system is designed to provide a transport system with specified sheet-like material at a requested time. The system includes insert towers that provide the requested material at the appropriate time. Each insert tower contains multiple insert hoppers aligned vertically within the tower. Due to space constraints, the vertical arrangement of the hoppers enables the system to choose from significantly more different inserts than would be available from systems without vertical insert towers. The insert hoppers are loaded vertically within the insert hoppers which creates a horizontal queue of sheet-like material. Upon a request from a system computer, specified inserts are pulled and the insert tower delivers the insert to a transport system.

Abstract: A device for superposing sheets of paper comprising a lower vacuum conveyance unit for one row of sheets of paper (R1) and an upper vacuum conveyance unit for another row of sheets of paper (R2). The ends of the vacuum conveyance units can be adjusted independently from each other, crosswise to the direction in which the paper advances (P). One vacuum conveyance unit can be adjusted in a slanted position in relation to the direction in which the paper advances (P) so that it cuts across the vacuum conveyance unit on the opposite side.

Abstract: An automatic plate feeding system for loading plates of various sizes into a printing plate imaging device, which includes a plurality of trays staggered one on top of the other, and an arm mechanism for loading plates from the plurality of trays and feeding the loaded plates to the imaging device.

Abstract: A registration roller 30 is preferably interposed between a first tangent line L1 passing through a handling portion between a first sheet feed roller 38 and a first handling member 42, and a second tangent line L2 passing through a handling portion between a second sheet feed roller 40 and a second handling member 44 (or the registration roller 30 may also be disposed so as to project out slightly from this range), and also the registration roller 30 may be preferably disposed downwardly of a horizontal line L3 passing through an upper end of the first sheet feed roller 38. In case where the first sheet feed roller 38, the second sheet feed roller 40 and the registration roller 30 are disposed so as to be as close as possible to one another, the height dimensions of a sheet feed apparatus 28 can be reduced to a minimum.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus comprises a vertical type paper feed unit which feed paper into a printing unit, and a discharge unit which contains the paper discharged from the printing unit. The paper feed unit and the discharged unit are arranged in a vertical direction to the printing unit, which will allow the floor surface projection area to be reduced. Further, the paper is conveyed into one of discharge trays in accordance with its paper size. Thereby, the larger size paper is discharged underside the smaller size paper, accordingly, it does not occur for the paper discharged to the upper discharge tray to shield the paper on the lower stage discharge tray from the visual angle. Also, the confirmation of paper discharge and taking out can be easily carried out irrespective of the paper size.

Abstract: A collating apparatus according to the present invention comprises a plurality of paper feed trays; a paper feed section for conveying a plurality of sheets stacked on the plurality of paper feed trays one by one at predetermined timing; a collating and conveying section for collating the plurality of sheets conveyed from the respective paper feed trays of the paper feed section to provide collated matters and for conveying the collated matters to a discharge section; the discharge section for discharging the collated matters conveyed from the collating and conveying section to a stacker section; and the stacker section provided with a paper discharge tray for stacking the collated matters conveyed from the discharge section, provided with a pair of side fences positioned at both outer sides of the collated matters discharged onto the paper discharge tray and restricting an orthogonal direction to a discharge direction of the collated matters, and having a sorting unit for alternately offsetting the collated

Abstract: The present invention relates to a sheet feeding apparatus for delivery of sheets from multiple sheet stores. The sheet feeding apparatus comprises a sheet feed member such as an endless belt having a plurality of movable sheet receiving surfaces. A plurality of sheet transfer mechanisms move sheets from the sheet stores, which may be stationary, onto the receiving surfaces. Once on the receiving surfaces, the sheets are transported toward a common delivery position such as the entrance to the common paper path of a reprographic print engine.

Abstract: A paper feeding apparatus of a multi-functional machine capable of automatically feeding documents and printable paper one by one is provided. The paper feeding apparatus includes a sensor for sensing whether the documents are loaded, a separating unit for separating the picked-up documents or print papers by piece, and a lever moved up in the standby state so that a plurality of documents can be stacked and moved down when the document is picked up by a pick-up roller in order to automatically transfer all the loaded documents and the printable paper.

Abstract: A printer or copier has a paper feeder provided with a plurality of compartments which hold paper for feeding the paper to the printer and a circuit to control conveying of the paper to the printer. The paper feeder includes a drive to move the paper from the paper compartments to a conveying path where it is carried to the printer. A branching portion is provided in the conveying path. Further paper feeders may be connected in series to the first paper feeder, each paper feeder having a plurality of paper compartments and feeding the paper out of a lower paper feed path to the next paper feeder device.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus has a plurality of sheet containers, a plurality of sheet feeding units and a plurality of curving conveying routes for guiding the sheets to a common conveying route. One of the sheet containers is adapted to hold envelopes and other sheets of high rigidity, and the sheet feeding apparatus is constructed such that a radius of curvature of the curving conveying route for the envelope and other sheets of high rigidity is made larger than a radius of curvature of a second curving portion of another conveying route.

Abstract: An automated banking machine (10) includes a user interface (12) including an opening (20) for users to deliver and receive individual sheets and stacks of sheets to and from the machine. The machine includes a sheet handling mechanism therein including a first transport path (46) and a second transport path (42). Various devices for dispensing and receiving sheets (30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40) are positioned adjacent to the second transport path and dispense and/or receive sheets therefrom. The second transport path meets the first transport path at an intersection (60). The machine includes control circuitry (44) which controls the dispensing and movement of sheets along the sheet paths in response to inputs by customers. A sheet directing apparatus (110) is positioned adjacent to the intersection (60). The sheet directing apparatus (110) is selectively operative as a stack of sheets moves through the intersection to either add a sheet to the stack or to separate a sheet from the stack.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sheet feeding apparatus that has sheet feeding device for abutting against an upper surface of a sheet stacked and feeding out the sheet, biasing device for biasing the sheet feeding device toward the upper surface of the sheet, and lifting and lowering device for lifting and lowering the sheet feeding device, the lifting and lowering device including a holding member for engaging with the sheet feeding device and shifting the sheet feeding device in an up-and-down direction by a motor, and maintaining device for regulating the holding member so as to maintain the sheet feeding device at a position where the sheet feeding device is spaced apart from the upper surface of the sheet, in opposition to a biasing force of the biasing device.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for picking the top or the bottom sheet, as desired from a stack of sheets of documents to be scanned using opposed rollers or other members which apply differing amounts of frictional force to opposite faces of the sheet to be picked. The opposed rollers each have substantially the same coefficient of friction and are selectively rotated each in the same direction of rotation but with different torques to apply differential frictional forces to pick the desired sheet from the top or the bottom of the stack.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device that may be constructed using a first tray mounted in a frame and biased by an elastic member to bring the paper stacked on the first tray into engagement with a pickup roller. A finger is pivotally attached to the frame to force the paper loaded from the first tray to be loaded sequentially. A second tray is attached to the frame and has an end that forms a document guide that is interposed between the finger and the pickup roller. Alternatively, the second tray can end before the pickup roller and a film can be attached to the second tray to form a document guide that extends between the pickup roller and the finger. Regardless of the method used to form a document guide, the document guide allows a user to intersperse a manually fed document between documents that are being loaded from a separate tray using an automatic document loading process.

Abstract: A device for collating sheets of paper into a stack includes an elongated chute and at least one feeder. The chute has a transverse shape approximating the size of the sheets of paper to be fed into the chute. Each feeder feeds a sheet of paper into the chute so that the plane of the paper extends generally transverse to a vertical axis of the chute. The sheets of paper thus fed into the chute may then float downwardly on a cushion of air coming to rest in a bottom area of the chute.

Abstract: An apparatus has a paper cassette capable of accommodating a recording medium such as large-size recording sheets or OHP film, and an accommodating unit capable of accommodating recording sheets such as plain paper. The types of recording sheets that are accommodated in the paper cassette and accommodating unit are sensed by paper sensors. If the recording sheets accommodated in the paper cassette are large in size or consist of resin film, then one of these recording sheets is attracted by suction using a suction cup and is thus fed from the paper cassette. If the recording sheets accommodated in the accommodating unit are plain paper, one of these recording sheets is extracted from the accommodating unit by a rotating separation roller. The paper cassette and the accommodating unit are respectively provided with a feed unit relying upon the suction cup and a feed unit relying upon the separation roller.