Sheet Feeding Patents (Class 355/407)
  • Patent number: 6268909
    Abstract: In an image forming apparatus that folds plural sheets in folio, an image forming unit forms images an a recording area on the sheets and forms a margin between the recording area and another forming area. A projecting unit folds the sheets upon nipping the sheets between two rollers by projecting between the two rollers so as to nip a part of the sheets where the margin is formed at first. The projecting unit projects to the margin of prescribed width of images formed at an image forming apparatus body to fold the plural sheets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2001
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroki Honmochi, Seiichiro Adachi, Mitsushige Murata, Kazunori Sasa
  • Patent number: 6252653
    Abstract: A rotary apparatus for applying heat to develop an image on photosensitive copy paper or to desensitize the photosensitive paper against further exposure to light includes an elongated supporting framework including a base having a roll support stand at each end with spaced apart bearings for supporting a drive roll that is provided with a high friction, e.g. a rubber coated, surface. A drive motor is connected to the drive roll for rotating the drive roll, a hot shoe is supported on the framework adjacent to the roll, and a slip sheet is mounted between the hot shoe and the drive roll to provide a low friction surface for allowing the photosensitive sheet to slide easily through the apparatus as it is carried forward by frictionally contact with the drive roll. The hot shoe and slip sheet are both held in a fixed position. The bearings for the drive roll are able to be moved radially with respect to the axis of the drive roll and then secured, i.e. locked in a selected position with respect to the hot shoe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2001
    Assignee: Burgess Industries Inc.
    Inventors: Dennis M. Burgess, William J. Campbell
  • Patent number: 6246466
    Abstract: In a sheet pack hermetically containing sheets to be supplied to a recording apparatus in a box-shaped container, the container is provided with a plurality of feeding ports and a plurality of bearing ports for a sheet feeding device provided on the recording apparatus body side to feed the sheets from the feeding ports to bear against the sheets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2001
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hirofumi Hirano, Tetsuji Kurata
  • Patent number: 6239864
    Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, a paper positioning device includes a pair of side fences. At least one of the side fences includes a positioning surface which is inclined a the direction of paper conveyance. The positioning surface is arranged to contact the widthwise edge of a paper in a manner substantially parallel to the edge of the paper so as to reliably and accurately correct any skew of the paper even when the side fence has some play or positional deviation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2001
    Assignee: Ricoh Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masami Okamoto
  • Patent number: 6236450
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided with an automatic document feeder. Even if a document is jammed in the automatic document feeder, what is required of the user is to set all documents on a document tray once again, including the jammed document, documents from which image information have already been copied, and documents from which image information have not yet been copied. Of the documents re-set on the document tray, the documents from which image information have been copied are discharged onto a discharge tray, without executing a copying operation. In other words, a copying operation is executed only for the documents from which image information have not been copied. The number of documents from which image information are copied is counted by checking the outputs from an alignment sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2001
    Assignees: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha, Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Masahiko Ogura
  • Patent number: 6188468
    Abstract: An automatic manuscript document conveying apparatus which can freely set printing of a mark on a document, e.g. indicating completion of a reading or transmitting operation of the document, such that the mark is printed on the document based on a distance from a reading position in a first mode, and such that the mark is printed on the document based on a distance from a rear end of the document in a second mode. As a result, the apparatus can surely print the character on the document even in case that the document is short and the first mode is set, and even in a case that double or plural documents are conveyed and the second mode is set. When the second mode is set for the printing position, in a case that the read document is not shorter than the reading area, the mode is automatically changed over to the first mode. On the other hand, when the first mode is set, in a case that the read document is not longer than the reading area, the mode is automatically changed over to the second mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2001
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Masami Miyajima
  • Patent number: 6115110
    Abstract: A pressure developing unit moving along a surface of a cycolor medium to perform pressure development has a first rotating member that faces a platen and is capable of performing pressure development of a recording sheet, and a second rotating member that is capable of transmitting a load applied to the first rotating member to a carriage shaft. If the pressure developing unit is moved along the carriage shaft, the first and second rotating members move by revolving along the recording sheet and the carriage shaft respectively in a direction in which the pressure developing unit moves, so that there is no possibility of sliding friction being caused. The pressure developing unit can be moved along the carriage shaft causing only rolling friction. Thus, it is possible to reduce the size of a motor for moving the pressure developing unit and to realize thereby a recorder that is compact in size and low in power consumption.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2000
    Assignee: Cycolor System Inc.
    Inventor: Masao Gomi
  • Patent number: 6100959
    Abstract: A conveyor for a photo-processing apparatus having an exposing section and a developing section is disclosed. The conveyor conveys the photo-sensitive material from the exposing section to the developing section. A power source for conveying a photo-sensitive material in a vertical direction and a guide mechanism for guiding the photo-sensitive material in a lateral direction are installed in the conveyor. The lateral guidance of the photo-sensitive material by the guide mechanism is interlocked with the vertical conveyance by the power source to reduce the number of motors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2000
    Assignee: Noritsu Koki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masayuki Kojima, Seiji Minamiyama
  • Patent number: 6100962
    Abstract: An installation guide mechanism is provided which allows a paper roll to be easily set onto a roll shaft of a paper magazine. A roll guide is connected with a roll shaft by inserting an insertion hole open at the rear end surface of a roll guide onto a holder ring at the front end of the roll shaft in a paper magazine. A tapered portion is arranged at the front end of the roll guide. After aligning a paper roll with the roll guide so that the tapered portion is inserted into the center hole of the paper roll, the paper roll is guided by the roll guide and is moved onto the roll shaft. A magazine guide also can be installed on a floor located under a magazine engaging port arranged on a bottom of an outer surface of a photographic printing machine. A side guide and a center guide are configured on the magazine guide. A pair of side rollers, two pairs of ground contact rollers and a pair of extruded members are included.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2000
    Assignee: Noritsu Koki Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yasunori Kinoshita
  • Patent number: 6008886
    Abstract: An improved high speed package printer for producing a plurality of high quality photographs of varying size, shape, and style based on one or a plurality of different film negatives. The improved package printer of the present invention accomplishes the goal of increased throughput and speed through the use of an automatic paper-loading feature, ultrasonic proximity sensors for dynamically measuring paper-slack loops, off-center printing for eliminating the need to advance the paper for punching after each exposure, a rotational prism for creating 10".times.13" photographs without physically rotating the film, a 13-UP lens deck including 12 wallet lenses and a single 5".times.7" retro-focus lens for creating 12 wallet-sized photographs and one 5".times.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 28, 1999
    Assignee: Lifetouch Portrait Studios, Inc.
    Inventors: E. John Adolphi, Gerald A. Jensen, Michael Breckenridge, Todd Kuester, John Lawson, Patrick J. Galloway
  • Patent number: 6006012
    Abstract: A print control apparatus receives front-side data and back-side data from an external apparatus and causes a printer to print the received front-side and back-side data on front and back sides of a recording medium. The print control apparatus includes a unit for detecting a jam in the printer. It also includes a unit for executing a jam recovery function if the detection unit detects a jam during printing on the front side, and executing no jam recovery function if the detection unit detects a jam during printing on the back side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 21, 1999
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masaaki Shimizu
  • Patent number: 5884114
    Abstract: A photo and pressure sensitive printer permitting the feeding and discharging of a photosensitive recording medium at the front of the printer housing, having a compact design and slim built, which can easily be integrated into other equipment, such as a personal computer, etc., at low cost. A self-coloring microcapsule sheet supporting microcapsules is ejected from a cartridge at the front of the printer housing in the Y direction, and being preheated by a film heater to increase the sensitivity, a latent image is formed by exposure on the front face thereof while the exposure-scan is performed by a movement in the main scanning direction of a LED-type exposure head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 16, 1999
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takeo Iwasaki
  • Patent number: 5764382
    Abstract: A data reader in which a data reading unit reads character/picture images from an original document on a reading plane of the data reading unit as the original document is fed on the reading plane. The data reader comprises a restricting member disposed at a position facing at least a reading position of the data reading unit to be moved toward and away from the reading plane, the restricting member defining together with the reading plane a predetermined spacing therebetween into which the document is introduced, and also comprises an energization member for energizing the restricting member always toward the reading plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 9, 1998
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Yasuhiro Shiraishi
  • Patent number: 5739923
    Abstract: A picture image input device having the capabilities of a sheet fed scanner with respect to sheet-type original media and realizing the convenience of a hand scanner with respect to original media such as books and the like. The picture image input device includes a light source that emits light for reading an original medium, an image sensor, a projection optical system that composes an image of the original medium on the image sensor, a driving unit that moves the original medium relative to the image sensor and a folding joint unit that changes the usage state between one of an open state and a folded state. In the open state the picture image input device functions as a hand scanner. In the closed state the picture image input device functions as a sheet fed scanner. The reading position of the original medium is the boundary between a reading unit and a driving unit of the picture image input device in the folded state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1998
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Atsushi Kawahara