Abstract: Even if a sheet surface detection mechanism outputs a signal indicating that an uppermost sheet among blown-up sheets is within a conveyance range, if a trailing edge sheet surface sensor outputs a signal indicating that the uppermost sheet among the blown-up sheets is lower than the conveyance range when the conveyed uppermost sheet passes by the trailing edge sheet surface sensor, a lifting and lowering portion is controlled to lift the tray so that the uppermost sheet is positioned within the conveyance range.

Abstract: A sheet feeder includes a sheet stacking unit that stacks sheets, a sheet feeding unit that sequentially feeds the uppermost sheet of a stack of sheets stacked in the sheet stacking unit, an airflow supply unit that supplies an airflow to a side surface of the stack of sheets from an opening, a shield member that is disposed between the opening and the stack of sheets and a mechanism that changes the airflow from the airflow supply unit with respect to a stacking direction of the sheets by changing a relative position between the opening and the shield member in a direction other than the stacking direction of the sheets.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device includes a stacking unit configured to allow sheets to be stacked thereon; side end regulating members configured to make contact with both side ends of the stacked sheets so that positions of the side ends are regulated; a feeding unit configured to feed one sheet at a time from the stacked sheets; an air supply unit; and an air blow unit including a blow port from which air supplied from the air supply unit is blown against a side end of the stacked sheets, the air blow unit being housed in each of the side end regulating members. Each side end regulating member has an opening for exhausting the air that is blown from the blow port unit to the stacked sheets. An orientation of the blow port is adjustable about an axial line perpendicular to a plane corresponding to a surface of the stacked sheets.

Abstract: A sheet feeder attracts a topmost sheet on a sheet conveyor belt as a conveying member and conveys the sheet toward an image forming unit in a subsequent step. The sheet feeder includes a vane rotation direction control unit that serves as a suction direction control unit controlling a direction in which a suction blower as an air suction unit sucks air to be reversed as a positive pressure generating unit that generates a positive pressure in a sheet suction unit. The vane rotation direction control unit controls the direction in which the suction blower sucks air to be reversed immediately after a feeding operation ends to generate the positive pressure in the sheet suction unit.

Abstract: A sheet-supplying device has a sheet-accommodating tray, a raising/lowering unit, a first position sensor, a second position sensor, a controlling unit. The raising/lowering unit raises and lowers the sheet-accommodating tray substantially. The first position sensor detects a first position indicating a position in the stacked direction of one end portion of a topmost sheet stacked in the sheet-accommodating tray. The second position sensor detects a second position indicating a position in the stacked direction of another end portion of the topmost sheet. The controlling unit controls the raising/lowering unit to raise or lower the sheet-accommodating tray based on both the first position detected by the first position sensor and the second position detected by the second position sensor so that one end of the topmost sheet in the stacked status is positioned at a prescribed position in the stacked direction.

Abstract: This paper feeder brings the uppermost paper sheet of a plurality of stacked paper sheets into contact with paper feed rollers and feeds out the paper sheet in a paper feeding direction by the drive thereof. Side fences for guiding both side edges of the paper sheet on a paper feeding table are provided with a pair of blowing units for blowing air to both side edges of the paper sheet, whose air quantity can be controlled independently of each other. When skewing occurs, the blowing units are controlled to blow a larger quantity of air to the paper side edge having larger friction against a lower paper sheet as compared with the quantity of air to the other paper side edge. In paper feeding, problems such as skewing, multi-feeding and idle feeding can be addressed.

Abstract: A media feeding apparatus that includes a media storage device, a blowing device, a media feeding member, and a media holding member, the media storage device storing media, the blowing device blowing toward side surface of the media, the media feeding device feeding the media sequentially, and the media holding member holding the media at a substantially same position as the media feeding device with respect to the media feeding direction.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus which includes a sheet loading tray for stacking sheets; a suction and conveyance section which is placed above stacked sheets on the sheet loading tray and sucks and conveys a sheet in the sheet conveying direction; an air blowing section which blows air at the stacked sheets on the sheet loading tray and causes the sheet to float up; and a skew correction section which corrects a skew of the sheet conveyed by the suction and conveyance section.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a separation and extraction apparatus includes an extraction unit, separation unit, air supply mechanism, detector, and controller. The extraction unit extracts and conveys one or more paper sheets from a stack of paper sheets. The separation unit separates one paper sheet from the other paper sheet(s) of the one or more paper sheets. The air supply mechanism supplies air toward a side surface of the stack. The detector detects a bundle state of the stack, which is related to a contact state between the paper sheets. The controller sets an extraction condition depending on the bundle state, which includes drive conditions for the extraction unit, separation unit, and air supply mechanism.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus includes a sheet stacking unit, a suction conveyance unit configured to convey an uppermost sheet stacked on the sheet stacking unit, a suction unit configured to adsorb the sheets onto the suction conveyance unit, and an adsorption completion detection unit. In the sheet feeding apparatus, when the tab-attached sheets are stacked on the sheet stacking unit and fed such that their tab portions are on the downstream side in a sheet feeding direction, the suction unit starts to adsorb the sheet in response to a sheet feeding signal, and the suction conveyance unit starts to convey the sheet immediately after the adsorption completion detection unit detects the completion of the adsorption. When the sheets other than the tab-attached sheets are fed, the suction unit previously adsorbs the sheet onto the suction conveyance unit, and the suction conveyance unit starts to convey the sheet in response to the sheet feeding signal.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus including: a sheet loading table; and an adsorption conveyance section having: multiple belts with through-holes; and an air suction section in an inside of the belts and absorbs air through the through-holes; wherein the conveyance section sucks air, allows the sheet to be adsorbed to the belt, and conveys it; the adsorption conveyance section further includes: a first roller provides driving force to the belts; a second roller rotated by the belts, and a third roller between the first roller and the second roller and rotated by the belts, and the belts are supported by those rollers; and an outer surface of the belts mostly protrudes towards the sheets on the table at a central part of the third roller in a cross section perpendicular to the conveyance direction containing a shaft of the third roller.

Abstract: There is provided a sheet feeding device in which a sheet is discriminated at preliminary loosening before feeding, and is set to be controlled according to the type of the sheet by a simple configuration without requiring a special configuration. In the sheet feeding device in which air is blown onto a sheet stack, and a sheet floating at the uppermost level by the blowing is absorbed and conveyed, a sheet type is discriminated, based on a moving amount of the tray, at preliminary loosening before sheet feeding after setting the sheet in a tray.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus includes a back end detecting sensor which detects a back end side in a conveying direction of the topmost sheet stacked on the sheet tray, a front end detecting sensor which detects a front end side in the conveying direction of the topmost sheet, and a CPU. The CPU disables start of a sheet feeding operation of a feeding unit in a case where the back end detecting sensor and the front end detecting sensor do not detect the sheet when the sheet tray is lifted toward the feeding unit and then stopped in a predetermined position. Accordingly, a state that a feeding failure is possibly caused is detected before feeding the sheets so as to eliminate the wasteful feeding operation.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus which can prevent decrease in useful lives of components for air sheet feeding without bringing about throughput degradation when performing an image forming operation using a plurality of sheet supply units. When a sheet is fed from a first sheet supply unit having a fan that is driven so as to supply sheets, then a sheet is supplied from a second sheet supply unit, and then a sheet is supplied form the first sheet supply unit again, and in a case where a suspension time period over which no sheet is supplied from the first sheet supply unit is longer than a preparation time period from when driving of the fan is started to when the fan is brought into a driving state required to supply a sheet, driving of the fan is temporarily stopped.

Abstract: A sheet-supplying device, including: a sheet stacking plate on which plural sheets are stacked; an air-suction sheet conveying mechanism which draws up a sheet and conveys the sheet; an air-suction detecting sensor which detects that the air-suction sheet conveying mechanism has drawn up the sheet; a floating-air blowing section which blows air against side edges of the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking pate to float the sheet; and a control section which controls the floating-air blowing section to conduct a sheet supplying operation, wherein the control section selects a first sheet supplying mode or a second sheet supplying mode, based on at least one of: information of a size of the sheets; information of a thickness of the sheets, and information of a type of the sheets.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus is provided with a sheet feeding device 60, a first air blow device 40 to blow air towards a side edge of a sheet bundle and a sheet side regulation member 71. The sheet side edge regulation member is provided with an air outlet 72 to blow air towards the side edge of the sheet bundle and an exhaust outlet 73 to exhaust air accumulated between a sheet separated from the sheet bundle and the sheet bundle.

Abstract: An aeration device adapted to aerate one or more sheets of a stack of sheets includes a side blower configured to selectively provide an air stream at an outlet thereof along an airstream direction so as to impinge against at least a portion of the stack. A height detecting device is configured to detect a height of an uppermost sheet of the stack. A side blower adjustment device is configured to adjust a height of the side blower and/or an angle of the airstream direction so as to track, by the air stream, the uppermost sheet of the stack based on an input from the height detecting device.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device includes a loading tray configured to receive a plurality of sheets thereon; a sheet transporting unit which transports the uppermost sheet among the sheets to an image forming unit; a blowing unit which blows air to one end portions of the sheets to lift the end portion of the uppermost sheet to separate the sheets from each other; a rear end regulating member which is disposed behind the rear ends of the sheets; and side end regulating members which are disposed next to both side ends of the sheets. A portion of the side end regulating members at which the side end regulating members come in contact with the sheet is provided with an emission portion allowing air to be emitted from the blowing unit.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus and an image forming apparatus which can certainly feed sheets without being influenced by an aging change of fan characteristics are provided. An air is blown to sheets stacked on a tray by an air blowing mechanism having a plurality of fans which are independently rotated, thereby loosening the sheets. Prior to starting the feeding of the sheet, rotational speeds of the fans of the air blowing mechanism are controlled so as to be set to target rotational speeds which have been preset every plural fans so that a wind pressure which can loosen the sheets in the driving state of all fans is obtained.

Abstract: A sheet separating device includes: an air blowing unit that is configured to blow air toward a side face of stacked sheets being stacked with a plurality of sheets to separate the sheets by forming an air layer between the sheets; and a sheet pressing unit that is configured to apply a pressing force on the uppermost sheet in the stacked sheets while the uppermost sheet is separated from other sheets, the pressing force having a downward component and a component in a direction along the uppermost sheet.

Abstract: A recording-medium feeding device feeds a recording medium by separating loaded recording media sheet by sheet. An air outlet blows air to the recording media from a lateral side with respect to a direction of feeding the recording-medium. The air outlet is formed cross a recording-medium feeding plane, such that an upper edge in an upstream of the recording-medium feeding direction is higher than an upper edge in a downstream of the recording-medium feeding direction.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device includes a sheet storing unit in which sheets are stacked; a lifting unit that lifts and lowers the sheets; an air blowing unit that blows air to an end faces of the stacked sheets; a feeding roller that is pressed against an upper surface of an uppermost sheet of the sheets and feeds the uppermost sheet by rotating; and a supplying roller that supplies the uppermost sheet, wherein the lifting unit is driven so that height of the uppermost sheet, which is fed by the feeding roller while air is blown by the air blowing unit, is set to be lower than height of the uppermost sheet, which is fed by the feeding roller while air is not blown by the air blowing unit.

Abstract: A sheet feeding unit includes a side warm-air mechanism that blows air toward a side surface of a sheet stack S from a warm-air outlet. The sheet feeding unit controls the lift mechanism so as to perform a sheet separating operation every time a predetermined number of sheets P are fed during a continuous sheet feeding operation.

Abstract: A sheet supply device includes a sheet storing section on which sheets are stacked and are stored; a sheet feed unit controlled by a controller that feeds the sheets stored in the sheet storing section to a next process; and an air blower controlled by the controller that blows air to the sheets stored in the sheet storing section, the air blower has an air nozzle and a mechanism that can adjust a height of the air nozzle in an up-down direction, and the mechanism increases or decreases the air flow rate of the air being blown to the sheets, wherein a force provided by the air blower to push up the sheets is exerted on the sheets, such that a less force is exerted when the sheets are being fed compared to when the sheets are not being fed.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided which can effectively adapt stacked sheets of paper to the surrounding environment. A controller controls a moving member to move a position at which air is blown to an end portion of a sheet bundle in up and down direction of sheets of paper being stacked. The driving of an air blower is controlled so that the air volume when air is blown toward the lower-side end portion of the sheet bundle by the air blower is larger than the air volume when air is blown toward the upper-side end portion of the sheet bundle. By moving the position at which air is blown by the air blower in the up and down direction, it is possible to effectively adapt the stacked sheet bundle to the surrounding environment, compared with a case where air is simultaneously blown to the entire sheet bundle.

Abstract: An upper limit detection sensor detects that a top face position of a sheet stack on a tray reaches an upper limit position which enables feeding of sheets one by one by a sheet feeding portion and a lower limit detection sensor detects that the top face position of the sheet stack on the tray reaches a lower limit position which enable feeding of sheets one by one. When the sheet stack is loosened by blowing air against a side face of the sheet stack on the tray with an air spouting nozzle provided on an air loosening device, if a sheet floated by air from the air loosening device exceeds an upper limit position of a feeding enabled range, the lowering amount of the tray is controlled so that at least a sheet next to the sheet to be fed is not lower than a lower end position of the air spouting port of the air loosening device.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus and sheet feeding device capable of feeding sheets without skewing or multi-feeding of sheets using a small number of side air blowing drive sources. The sheet feeding device has a plurality of side discharge nozzles comprising side discharge outlets for blowing air onto the respective side edge surfaces of a paper stack, and two sirocco fans which are communicatively connected in series as a side air blowing drive source, and are communicatively connected, via a side discharge drive source chamber and a side discharge relay tube (duct), to the plurality of side discharge nozzles. The respective side discharge nozzles capable of moving in linkage with side fences, and an immovable fixed side discharge nozzle are disposed at different distances from the leading edge of the loaded and set paper stack with respect to a sheet feeding direction.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus 80 includes a lifter plate 23 that is disposed in a sheet storage case 4 and stacks a sheet 7a, an air heater 14 and a fan 11 that blow heated air to the sheet 7a stacked on the lifter plate 23, and a control device 16 that changes a control condition of the heated air blown by the air heater 14 and the fan 11 based on a storage period of time of the sheet 7a on the lifter plate 23.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for sheet feeding from a media stack in an image production device is disclosed. The method may include fluffing a stack of media with a predetermined amount of air flow, sensing sheet separation in the media stack using a bar code scanning device, determining if the sheet separation meets predetermined criteria, wherein if the sheet separation does not meet the predetermined criteria, adjusting the air flow used for fluffing the media stack.

Abstract: A sheet feed device includes an air flow generating part that generates an air flow for floating a sheet; a feed member that feeds a sheet by rotating, while applying a load to the top one of sheets stacked; and a transport condition sensing unit that is positioned not to obstruct an air flow generated by the air flow generating part and senses a transport condition of a sheet fed by the feed member.

Abstract: A starting unit starts, in parallel with a blowing operation for a first tray, a blowing operation for a second tray that is to perform a feeding operation next. When a predetermined time elapses after starting the blowing operation for the second tray, a feeding unit switches from the first tray to the second tray, and feeds the recording medium from the second tray. When the blowing operation is performed for a number of trays before switching the trays and the number of trays is equal to or larger than a predetermined number, a control unit limits the number of trays for performing the blowing operation.

Abstract: A sheet supply apparatus including: a suction conveyance mechanism which suctions a topmost sheet of a plurality of sheets stacked and conveys the suctioned sheet to a sheet conveyance path; an outlet elevation mechanism which moves an air outlet to and from a first position at which the air outlet faces the side of the stacked sheets and a second position at which the air outlet faces a side of the sheet suctioned onto the suction surface; a suction detection sensor; a sheet supply detection sensor; and a control section which moves the air outlet to the first position or to the second position by controlling the outlet elevation mechanism based on detections by the sensors.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device has a sheet accommodating portion for accommodating a sheet stack, a sheet carrying plate for carrying the sheet stack and a pickup roller that dispatches the uppermost sheet of the stack. An elevator displaces the sheet carrying plate between a sheet feeding position where an upper face of the sheet stack contacts the pickup roller and a separating position where the upper face of the sheet stack is separated from the pickup roller. A first warm air mechanism blows warm air toward a side face of the sheet stack. A controller causes the first warm air mechanism to blow warm air to the side face of the sheet stack and causes the elevator to displace the sheet carrying plate between the sheet feeding position and the separating position.

Abstract: A fluffer section and method for controlling a fluffer port in an image production device is disclosed. The fluffer section may include a variable port configuration device that contains a plurality of fluffer port configurations, a stepper motor that moves the variable port configuration device, a variable-speed pressure blower that blows air to fluff a media stack, and a fluffer port control unit that receives an input from one or more sensors that sense at least one of media type, media weight, temperature, and humidity, selects a fluffer port configuration from a plurality of fluffer port configurations based on the received sensor input, sends a signal to the stepper motor to move the variable port configuration device to the selected fluffer port configuration, and sends a signal to the variable-speed pressure blower to blow air to fluff a media stack using the selected fluffer port configuration.

Abstract: A sheet feeding unit includes a side warm-air mechanism that blows air toward a side surface of a sheet stack S from a warm-air outlet. The sheet feeding unit controls the lift mechanism so as to perform a sheet separating operation every time a predetermined number of sheets P are fed during a continuous sheet feeding operation.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device for feeding a sheet-form recording medium includes: a sheet accommodating portion for accommodating a sheet stack constituted by a plurality of sheets of the sheet-form recording medium; and a first warm air unit having a first blowing port for blowing warm air toward an upper face of the sheet stack accommodated in the sheet accommodating portion. The sheet feeding device preferably further includes a second warm air unit having a second blowing port for blowing warm air onto a side face of the sheet stack that is parallel to a sheet feeding direction.

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus and a sheet take-out apparatus that prevents a sheet conveyed by a take-out portion from hanging-down and falling, when the take-out portion is stopped due to an emergency. If a take-out emergency process state occurs during the take-out of sheets, the sheet take-out apparatus stops upward movement of a backup plate, moves down feed stoppers, and presses a sheet bundle from above to prevent the sheet on the uppermost surface from being taken out. The sheet take-out apparatus also keeps a rotor air valve on and takes out the sheet caught in a sheet take-in port. When residual sheets on the backup plate are later detected, the sheet take-out apparatus moves down the position of the backup plate, turns off air valves for the rotor, fixed absorbing unit, and handling, and loads a hanging-down sheet on the backup plate, to prevent the sheet from scattering.

Abstract: A printer for sheets of porous media supplied from a stack of such sheets. The printer has a printhead, a sheet pick-up assembly having a conduit connected to a reversible air supply, the conduit having an outlet directed towards a top sheet of the stack for directing an airstream onto the top sheet such that air penetrates the top sheet and generates an air cushion lifting the top sheet from a second sheet, the reversible air supply configured to suck air into the outlet after the top sheet has lifted from the second sheet to hold the top sheet against the outlet and a sheet feed mechanism for displacing the conduit to draw the top sheet away from the stack.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device blows air on a sheet stack supported on a tray, raises several sheets, attracts an uppermost sheet to an attraction conveying belt, and conveys the attracted sheet. The sheet feeding device includes a next-sheet detection mechanism for detecting the height of a second sheet subsequent to the uppermost sheet.

Abstract: A sheet-supplying device has a sheet-accommodating tray, a raising/lowering unit, a first position sensor, a second position sensor, a controlling unit. The raising/lowering unit raises and lowers the sheet-accommodating tray substantially. The first position sensor detects a first position indicating a position in the stacked direction of one end portion of a topmost sheet stacked in the sheet-accommodating tray. The second position sensor detects a second position indicating a position in the stacked direction of another end portion of the topmost sheet. The controlling unit controls the raising/lowering unit to raise or lower the sheet-accommodating tray based on both the first position detected by the first position sensor and the second position detected by the second position sensor so that one end of the topmost sheet in the stacked status is positioned at a prescribed position in the stacked direction.

Abstract: An upper limit detection sensor detects that a top face position of a sheet stack on a tray reaches an upper limit position which enables feeding of sheets one by one by a sheet feeding portion and a lower limit detection sensor detects that the top face position of the sheet stack on the tray reaches a lower limit position which enable feeding of sheets one by one. When the sheet stack is loosened by blowing air against a side face of the sheet stack on the tray with an air spouting nozzle provided on an air loosening device, if a sheet floated by air from the air loosening device exceeds an upper limit position of a feeding enabled range, the lowering amount of the tray is controlled so that at least a sheet next to the sheet to be fed is not lower than a lower end position of the air spouting port of the air loosening device.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device includes a sheet accommodating portion for accommodating a sheet stack. A sheet carrying plate carries the sheet stack and has an upstream end supported in the sheet accommodating portion for rotation. A pickup roller contacts an upper face of the sheet stack and dispatches an uppermost sheet. An elevator displaces the sheet carrying plate between a feeding position where the upper face of the sheet stack contacts the pickup roller and a separating position where the upper face of the sheet stack is separated from the pickup roller. A first warm air mechanism blows warm air toward a side of the sheet stack in the sheet accommodating portion, the side being parallel to the sheet feeding direction. A controller controls the elevator so that the sheet carrying plate is displaced between the feeding position and the separating position during a warm air blowing operation.

Abstract: There is provided a sheet feeding device in which a sheet is discriminated at preliminary loosening before feeding, and is set to be controlled according to the type of the sheet by a simple configuration without requiring a special configuration. In the sheet feeding device in which air is blown onto a sheet stack, and a sheet floating at the uppermost level by the blowing is absorbed and conveyed, a sheet type is discriminated, based on a moving amount of the tray, at preliminary loosening before sheet feeding after setting the sheet in a tray.

Abstract: A media stack sheet media stack fluffer jet flow is provided to a first plurality of media stack sheets in a media stack. The media stack sheet media stack fluffer jet flow then is provided to a second plurality of media stack sheets in the media stack. The second plurality of media stack sheets are positioned either above or below the first plurality of media stack sheets. Also, a sequence of momentary jet flows form a media stack sheet fluffer jet flow, which is then provided to a plurality of media stack sheets in a media stack.

Abstract: A loosening fan provided in an air blowing unit blows at sheets stacked on a tray to loosen the sheets. When, during a sheet feeding operation, a multi-feed detection unit detects a multi-feed condition, the loosening fan is controlled such that an air pressure that enables the sheets to be loosened is obtainable. Therefore, the occurrence of multi-feed conditions can be reduced.

Abstract: A printer comprising: a support structure; a feed arrangement positioned on the support structure and configured to feed an endmost sheet of print media from the stack and including a movable pick-up assembly, the pick-up assembly having an array of spaced apart nozzles configured to direct air on to respective locations along said topmost sheet so that said topmost sheet can be picked-up from the stack by moving said pick-up assembly; a pair of rollers configured to engage with said endmost sheet fed from said feed arrangement; a printing station configured to print ink upon said endmost sheet engaged by said rollers; and an air displacement mechanism connected to the nozzles to displace air out of some expulsion nozzles and into some other suction nozzles, wherein said pick-up assembly is capable of rotational movement.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for fluff management in an image production device is disclosed. The method may include fluffing a stack of media with a predetermined amount of air flow, sensing sheet separation in the media stack, determining if the sheet separation meets predetermined criteria, wherein if the sheet separation does not meet the predetermined criteria, adjusting the air flow used for fluffing the media stack.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for processing sets of sheets. The apparatus includes a frame, a hopper for moving a stack of sheets, a pre-singulator for separating a portion of a sheet from the stack, a sheet peeler for peeling part of a pre-singulated sheet from the stack, a sheet picker for gathering peeled sheets into a set, and a sheet discharger for clearing the set of sheets. The sheet peeler may include at least one rotating drum. The sheet picker may include one or more augers.

Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming apparatus including: a plurality of paper feed trays in which paper sheets are to be stacked; paper feed units each provided to each of the plurality of paper feed trays, the paper feed units sucking or discharging air in accordance with setting values corresponding to types of paper sheet to carry the paper sheets stacked in the respective paper feed trays toward a paper path; a storage unit to store the setting values for the paper feed units according to the types of paper sheet; an input unit to input a change instruction value for changing at least one of the setting values; and a control unit to change the at least one of the setting values stored in the storage unit into the change instruction value and to store the changed at least one of the setting values into the storage unit.

Abstract: A fluffer section and method for controlling a fluffer port in an image production device is disclosed. The fluffer section may include a variable port configuration device that contains a plurality of fluffer port configurations, a stepper motor that moves the variable port configuration device, a variable-speed pressure blower that blows air to fluff a media stack, and a fluffer port control unit that receives an input from one or more sensors that sense at least one of media type, media weight, temperature, and humidity, selects a fluffer port configuration from a plurality of fluffer port configurations based on the received sensor input, sends a signal to the stepper motor to move the variable port configuration device to the selected fluffer port configuration, and sends a signal to the variable-speed pressure blower to blow air to fluff a media stack using the selected fluffer port configuration.