Abstract: A sheet feeding device which feeds a sheet by loosening a sheet by loosening sheets by blowing air to the end portions of the sheets, comprising: a sheet tray provided to be capable of lifting up/down supporting the sheets; air blowing means which loosens the sheets by blowing air to the end portion at the topside of the sheets supported by the sheet tray; and a pair of restricting members which restricts both end portions in the direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction of the sheet with sheet opposing faces opposing the end portions of the sheets, wherein the interval between the sheet opposing faces at the top side of the pair of the restricting members is set larger than the interval between the sheet opposing faces below the position in which air is blown to the sheets with the air blowing means.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling a fluffer port in an image production device is disclosed. The method may include receiving an input from one or more sensors; the one or more sensing at least one of media type, media weight, temperature, and humidity, selecting a fluffer port configuration from a plurality of fluffer port configurations based on the received sensor input, and sending a signal to fluff a media stack using the selected fluffer port configuration.

Abstract: A sheet feed device includes a sheet storage portion, a pick-up unit, a sheet-feed separation unit, and an air blower. The sheet storage portion stores a stack of sheets. The pick-up unit picks up the sheets stored in the sheet storage portion. The sheet-feed separation unit separates and feeds one by one the sheets picked up by the pick-up unit. The air blower blows air against a lateral side face of the stack of sheets stored in the sheet storage portion. The pick-up unit picks up the sheets while the air blower blows air and before the sheet-feed separation unit starts to operate.

Abstract: In a paper feeding apparatus, a paper feeding unit has a paper mounting surface provided with an air-blowing outlet. The paper feeding structure feeds an uppermost sheet of a stack of paper on the paper mounting surface. An air pump supplies air to an air-blowing outlet, a first air-blowing member and a second air-blowing member. The air-blowing outlet is so provided as to blow air to an approximately whole undersurface of the paper stacked on the paper mounting surface. When air is being supplied to the air-blowing outlet, an electronic control unit inhibits the feeding of sheets of paper by the paper feeding unit.

Abstract: A method for use in a sheet feeder having a sheet stacking unit with a bottom plate to support a sheet bundle in which air is blown against a side edge of the sheet bundle near the topmost sheets of the bundle, thereby lifting these sheets from the bundle, and separating the uppermost sheet from the bundle, and conveying this sheet away from the bundle, wherein the lifting of the sheets when the bundle is nearly depleted is assisted by forcing an element situated underneath the bundle to push against the bundle solely when air is blown against the side edge of the bundle. A sheet feeder suitable for applying the present method and an imaging apparatus for incorporating the sheet feeder is also provided.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device, having: a sheet feeding tray which stacks a paper sheet bundle formed by a plurality of sheets; a first blower which blows air to a side edge of the paper sheet bundle stacked on the sheet feeding tray; a second blower which blows air to a leading edge of the paper sheet bundle in a sheet conveyance direction from a forward side of the paper sheet bundle in the sheet conveyance direction; and an adsorption conveyance section which adsorbs a topmost sheet of the paper sheet bundle stacked on the sheet feeding tray and conveys the topmost sheet, wherein a first area in which the adsorption conveyance section is provided, and a second area in which a ventilation port of the first blower is provided, respectively includes an overlapping area in which the first area and the second area overlap on the sheet conveyance direction.

Abstract: A method maintains an environment within an interior of a sheet feeder during dead-cycling of an image forming device to which the sheet feeder is operatively connected. The method jets pulses of air into the interior of the sheet feeder that houses two or more pieces of media therein while the image forming device is dead-cycling. By the method, the attractive forces between two pieces of adjacent media. In a stack are reduced or minimized, and feeding of multiple sheets can be reduced or eliminated.

Abstract: A document conveying apparatus (1) includes a conveying unit (30) inside a document feeding section (10), and the conveying unit (30) includes two fans (34) for cooling the inside of the document conveying apparatus (1). The fans (34) are arranged to pass air from upstream to downstream with respect to the document conveying direction. Thus, the stream of air produced by the fan (34) flows along the document conveying direction so that a document sheet is conveyed without being affected by a braking effect. Moreover, the air stream produced by the fan (34) flows along the document conveying passage (13) both on the air intake side and the air exhaust side of the fan (34). This facilitates the conveying of a document sheet by pulling it on the air intake side of the fan (34) and pushing it on the air exhaust side of the fan (34).

Abstract: Unstacker apparatus (1) for unstacking flat items (E), the unstacker apparatus comprising a flat item feed magazine (M) in which the flat items are disposed in a stack and on edge and are moved in a certain direction (D) until they reach an unstacking plate (6) disposed in alignment with said feed magazine, whereupon they are ejected one-by-one in a perpendicular direction (P) that is perpendicular to said certain direction (D), the unstacker apparatus further comprising a blower member (13) which is disposed so as to blow a jet of air onto the flat items, and which is mounted in a manner such as to be retractable into the unstacking plate.

Abstract: An air blowing portion blows air toward an edge surface on a downstream side in a sheet feeding direction of a sheet. A presser portion presses an upper surface of the sheet at both side edge portions in a width direction of the sheet, thereby allowing, throughout an entire region of the sheets in a sheet feeding direction, a central portion in a width direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction of the sheet to blow up with the air blown by the air blowing portion.

Abstract: Non-contact manipulating devices and methods can include a fluid distribution member including a first fluid port configured to dispense fluid and create a Bernoulli effect to attract an article to be manipulated by the manipulating device while maintaining a gap between the article and the fluid distribution member. The fluid distribution member can further include a second fluid port configured to dispense fluid to assist in maintaining the gap. The non-contact manipulating devices and methods can further include a controller configured to control a fluid flow through at least the second fluid port to help maintain the gap.

Abstract: In a method and an apparatus for guiding sheets to a sheet processing machines, provision is made to reduce the adhesion forces between sheets following one another by the trailing edge of the respective first sheet of a sheet stream being lifted. The sheet is lifted using a blowing/suction nozzle or a suction nozzle.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus for feeding a stack of sheets in a direction of movement to a process station, including: an elevator tray for holding stacks of sheets; a feed head for picking up a sheet from the stack of sheets when a vacuum force; air knife for blowing air between individual sheets in the stack of sheets, the sheet feeding apparatus having a first mode of operation for feeding a single stack of sheets from the sheet tray and a second mode of operation for feeding first stack of sheets and a second stack of sheets from the elevator tray.

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 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 sheet cassette including a sheet stacking case configured to contain sheets, the sheet stacking case having a securing mechanism for securing an air supply unit supplying air, and a duct for sending the air supplied from the air supply unit to end portions of the contained sheets, thereby allowing the air supply unit to be attached to blow the air only when necessary.

Abstract: During the gathering process, an individual signature is respectively withdrawn from several collections of identical signatures, wherein the various decollated signatures are delivered to a collecting conveyor in order to form stacks. In this case, the sheets need to be reliably and carefully decollated. The invention proposes that the sheets (3) of a collection are made available in the form of a stack (4), wherein the stack (4) is essentially supported by an air cushion (LP), that the bottom sheet (3) is at least regionally lifted off the stack (4) with the aid of a separating tool (30), that the air cushion (LP) is produced between the bottom sheet (3) and the residual stack (4), and that the sheet (3) is delivered to the collecting conveyor (10). The lifted-off sheet is completely separated from the stack by the air cushion such that the sheet can be transported out of the magazine with absolutely no friction relative to the stack (4) situated above the separated sheet.

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 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: A feeding unit is detachably attached to a sheet cassette in which sheets are loaded. The feeding unit includes a sheet tray on which sheets are loaded, and a fan for blowing air against the side surface of a stack of sheets loaded on the sheet tray, the sheet tray and the fan being held in a case.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for maintaining density and positioning of a grouped sheet articles, such as for feeding of sheet articles from or into the group. One or more pneumatic sensing systems can be used to monitor and control pressure of sheet articles within the group. Dynamic adjustment can be made to the density and position of the sheet articles in the group such as by controlling a motorized belt to move at least a portion of the group of sheet articles in response to an indication to do so from a controller in communication with the pneumatic sensor.

Abstract: This invention relates to a picker assembly for a printer having rollers to feed a sheet of porous print media past a printhead. The picker assembly includes a pivot rod linked to a pick-up bar by means of swing arms, a motor connected to the pivot rod operatively reciprocated between a stack of sheets and the rollers. The assembly also includes a number of fluid ports located on the pick-up bar, said ports having pads to facilitate contact with the print media, and a pump configured to deliver air to and extract air from the fluid ports via a fluid delivery manifold and a fluid extraction manifold, respectively. Further included is a valve arrangement alternately connecting the delivery manifold and extraction manifold to the pump in time with the reciprocating motion of the pivot rod, so that the sheet is lifted from the stack and fed between the rollers each time the pivot bar is reciprocated from the stack to the rollers.

Abstract: A gripping unit for gripping a paper from a top surface of a stack includes a first and a second friction wheel having rotation axes that are mainly parallel with respect to each other. The friction wheels are arranged to exert a friction force on sections of a paper. Further, the gripping unit comprises an actuator on which the first friction wheel is mounted for moving the first friction wheel towards the second friction wheel. The first friction wheel is arranged to rotate with respect to its axis during the movement towards the second friction wheel such that a paper section on which the first wheel exerts the friction force is forced into the direction of the second friction wheel.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a sheet feeding apparatus which separates and feed a sheet one by one using a loosening fan which blows air from an air blowing portion for loosening the sheet on a tray. The rotating speed of the sheet loosening fan is adjusted while the sheet supported by the tray is not located in front of a position where the air is blown from the air blowing portion.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus provided with a fan for blowing air against sheets stacked on a sheet tray, a position detecting sensor for detecting the position of the sheets floated up by the fan, and a tray lifting and lowering mechanism for lifting and lowering the sheet tray. The tray lifting and lowering mechanism is controlled on the basis of a result of detection by the position detecting sensor.

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 printer includes a support structure. A feed arrangement is positioned on the support structure and is configured to feed an endmost sheet of print media from the stack. The feed arrangement includes 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 is configured to engage with said endmost sheet fed from said feed arrangement. A printing station is configured to print ink upon said endmost sheet engaged by said rollers. An air displacement mechanism is connected to the nozzles to displace air out of some expulsion nozzles and into some other suction nozzles.

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 printing station has a pair of opposed printhead assemblies between which said endmost sheet can be fed so that concurrent duplex printing can be performed on the endmost sheet.

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 includes an axle pivotally mounted with respect to the support structure, a pair of arms extending from either end of the axle, and a pick-up bar extending between the arms and along which said array is aligned.

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 expulsion nozzles are interposed with said suction nozzles.

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 each suction nozzle has a suction cup mounted to said pick-up bar.

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 high speed printer for printing on sheets of porous media supplied from a stack of such sheets includes opposed pagewidth printheads. A sheet pick-up assembly is positioned operatively upstream of the pagewidth printheads. The sheet pick-up assembly has a gas conduit in fluid communication with a reversible gas supply, an outlet of the gas conduit being oriented so that the outlet is directed towards a top sheet of the stack such that a stream of gas can be directed out of the outlet and onto the top sheet to penetrate the top sheet and generate a cushion of gas between the first sheet and a second sheet to separate the first and second sheets. The reversible gas supply reverses the direction of the stream of gas back into the outlet to draw the first sheet against the outlet. A sheet feed mechanism is operatively arranged with respect to the, or each printhead and has a displacement mechanism for displacing the gas conduit to feed the first sheet from the stack.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device, having: a sheet feeding tray which stacks a paper sheet bundle formed by a plurality of sheets; a first blower which blows air to a side edge of the paper sheet bundle stacked on the sheet feeding tray; a second blower which blows air to a leading edge of the paper sheet bundle in a sheet conveyance direction from a forward side of the paper sheet bundle in the sheet conveyance direction; and an adsorption conveyance section which adsorbs a topmost sheet of the paper sheet bundle stacked on the sheet feeding tray and conveys the topmost sheet, wherein a first area in which the adsorption conveyance section is provided, and a second area in which a ventilation port of the first blower is provided, respectively includes an overlapping area in which the first area and the second area overlap on the sheet conveyance direction.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a sheet feeding apparatus including a blower for blowing air through a stack of sheets, and a controller configured to operate the blower at a high power setting for a predetermined time period based upon elapsed off time and to subsequently operate the blower at a target power setting. A printer, a method of controlling blower power, and a method of minimizing misfeeds are also disclosed.

Abstract: An air current distributing apparatus includes: a cylinder having a first air port communicated with a supply source of an air current and also having a second, a third, a fourth and a fifth air port respectively communicated with an injection port of the air current; a main rotor rotated in the cylinder; and a subrotor rotated in the cylinder, wherein the main rotor has a cutout portion for selectively communicating the first air port with at least one of the second and the third air port according to the rotary position, and the subrotor has a cutout portion for selectively communicating the first air port with at least one of the fourth and the fifth air port according to the rotary position. When the air current distributing apparatus is used, a plurality of air currents are formed by one blower.

Abstract: A sheet feed apparatus including: a sheet storage tray that store a plurality of sheets; an suction belt that suctions an uppermost one of the sheets and conveys the sheet along a sheet conveyance surface; a nozzle including, first ejection openings that are disposed on both side ends across a substantially center portion of the suction belt and eject air toward the plurality of sheets, and a second ejection opening that is disposed at the substantially center portion of the suction belt and ejects air toward the suction belt; and a projecting member that projects downward with respect to the sheet conveyance surface, the projecting member being provided at a position opposite the nozzle with respect to the suction belt.

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: A feeding unit is detachably attached to a sheet cassette in which sheets are loaded. The feeding unit includes a sheet tray on which sheets are loaded, and a fan for blowing air against the side surface of a stack of sheets loaded on the sheet tray, the sheet tray and the fan being held in a case.

Abstract: A feeding unit is detachably attached to a sheet cassette in which sheets are loaded. The feeding unit includes a sheet tray on which sheets are loaded, and a fan for blowing air against the side surface of a stack of sheets loaded on the sheet tray, the sheet tray and the fan being held in a case.

Abstract: Sheet separation, feeding and printing with reduced image deletions of various types of print media sheets from a stack thereof, especially coated print media sheets with high humidity adhesion difficulties, is assisted by a sheet air puffer for a sheet separator/feeder having an automatically variably heated air supply. This may be accomplished by electronically obtaining information on the selected type of print media sheets to be fed from the sheet separator/feeder, and the ambient conditions, including at least the humidity, and by combining that information in an electronic look-up table additionally provided with set points to produce a control signal for variable air puffer temperature and strength.

Abstract: A device for guiding a print carrier includes nozzles. The nozzles have tongues bounded by at least one at least approximately comb-shaped contour. A machine includes the guiding device and a method is provided for producing the guiding device.

Abstract: A method maintains an environment within an interior of a sheet feeder during dead-cycling of an image forming device to which the sheet feeder is operatively connected. The method jets pulses of air into the interior of the sheet feeder that houses two or more pieces of media therein while the image forming device is dead-cycling. By the method, the attractive forces between two pieces of adjacent media. In a stack are reduced or minimized, and feeding of multiple sheets can be reduced or eliminated.

Abstract: When a top sheet of a sheet stack stacked on a sheet tray capable of moving up and down is fed by sheet feeding device, air is blown to the end face of the sheet stack by air blowing device for improving a separation characteristic. The quantity of blown air for the top sheet to rise by a specified amount is determined based on a signal from rising sheet detecting device for detecting the top sheet rising by air blown by the air blowing device, and air is blown based on the determined air quantity when the sheet is fed by the sheet feeding device.

Abstract: A paper feeding apparatus of a printer is provided and includes a double feed prevention unit. The paper feeding apparatus includes a finger unit for generating a curl at a front edge portion of the paper picked up by the pick-up roller. The finger unit presses the front edge portion of the paper that is mounted on the knock-up plate. A ventilation device is also provided to form an air gap under the picked paper by injecting air in the air chamber toward the front edge portion of the paper.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device which blows air to placed sheets, separates and conveys the sheets includes a sheet containing portion which contains the sheets, an air blowing portion which blows air to the sheets contained in the sheet containing portion, and an air supply unit which supplies air to the air blowing portion. The air supply unit is constituted by connecting two or more centrifugal fans, and the air blown out from an upstream side fan in an air flow passage is sucked by an adjacent downstream side fan via a spiral flow passage.

Abstract: An air duct is disposed in the vicinity of a heating member generating the heat for heating sheets stacked in a sheet tray, and the air in the air duct is heated by the heat generated by the heating member. The air duct is connected to an air blowing portion blowing the air toward the sheets stacked in the sheet tray, and the air in the air duct that is heated by the heat generated by the heating member is blown toward the sheets stacked in the sheet tray by the air blowing portion.

Abstract: An apparatus (32) for separating a sheet of print media from a stack (30) of porous sheets includes a sheet conveyor for conveying a topmost sheet (30.1) of print media which has been separated from the stack (30) to a printing station (12) of a printer (10). A separator (44) is associated with the sheet conveyor for separating the sheet of print media from the stack (30). The separator (44) includes a fluid delivery arrangement (46) for blowing fluid on to a top surface of the stack (30) for effecting separation of the topmost sheet (30.1) of print media from the stack (30). A capturing arrangement (54) is carried by the sheet conveyor for capturing at least a part of the topmost sheet (30.1) and for facilitating conveyance of the topmost sheet by the sheet conveyor to the printing station (12).

Abstract: A sheet feeding device which blows air to placed sheets, separates and conveys the sheets includes a sheet containing portion which contains the sheets, an air blowing portion which blows air to the sheets contained in the sheet containing portion, and an air supply unit which supplies air to the air blowing portion. The air supply unit is constituted by connecting two or more centrifugal fans, and the air blown out from an upstream side fan in an air flow passage is sucked by an adjacent downstream side fan via a spiral flow passage.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a sheet feeding apparatus which separates and feed a sheet one by one using a loosening fan which blows air from an air blowing portion for loosening the sheet on a tray. The rotating speed of the sheet loosening fan is adjusted while the sheet supported by the tray is not located in front of a position where the air is blown from the air blowing portion.