Abstract: A card elevating/lowering device for use with cards may include a card storage part in which the cards are stacked and accommodated, and an elevating/lowering mechanism by which the cards accommodated in the card storage part are elevated and lowered. The elevating/lowering mechanism may be provided with a placing table on which the cards accommodated in the card storage part are placed and an urging member which urges the placing table in an upper direction, and a spring constant of the urging member may be substantially equal to a weight per unit thickness of the card.

Abstract: This is a stacking tray especially useful in a paper marking system. When papers containing an ID or credit card attached are stacked, an uneven stack results where the card portion is thicker than the paper without the card. This presents a difficult situation for moving the stack onto a transport to a printer or other stations. To correct this uneven or thicker stack from hindering paper feed, two paper plate supports are provided, one a vertically movable plate and the other a fixed plate support. The ID card or credit card portion of the paper is always loaded onto the vertically movable plate thereby providing a substantially flat top stack for easy movement of the sheets from the stack.

Abstract: A banknote store comprises a rotatable structure such as a drum which has a number of banknote storage regions arranged around its periphery. Each stores a stack of banknotes, the stacks growing inwardly as banknotes are added. The drum can be rotated to bring each storage region into proximity to means for delivering banknotes to and/or retrieving banknotes from the store.

Abstract: Described is a portable cradle which includes a removable planar surface, a base and a plurality of vertical support members removably coupled to the base and supporting the planar surface above the base. Each vertical support member includes a biasing member urging the planar member upward away from the base with a total biasing force applied to the planar member being selected based on property of materials to be supported on the planar surface so that a position of an upper surface of the supported materials remains substantially constant as a quantity of materials supported on the planar surface is changed.

Abstract: A pallet positioner includes a support frame that consists of a main upright structure with a pair of spaced, parallel outriggers extending horizontally at ground level. The distal ends of the outriggers are connected by a flat, low-profile ramp. The upright structure includes a pair of vertical guide masts rigidly mounted on a horizontal base bracing the proximal ends of the outriggers. A cantilevered carrier with a rotatable platform is mounted laterally for vertical motion along the vertical guide masts. A pneumatic bellows and an air reservoir in the base are adapted to raise and provide self-leveling to the platform. Two hydraulic cylinders provide dampening and a stabilizing effect. The flow of hydraulic fluid in the cylinders is used to control the motion of the carrier. A braking system under the platform prevents its rotation at ground level.

Abstract: A pallet positioner includes a support frame that consists of a main upright structure with a pair of spaced, parallel outriggers extending horizontally at ground level. The distal ends of the outriggers are connected by a low-profile ramp. The upright structure includes a pair of vertical guide masts rigidly mounted on a horizontal base bracing the proximal ends of the outriggers. A pneumatically and hydraulically controlled, or electrically and hydraulically controlled, cantilevered carrier with a rotatable platform is mounted for vertical motion along the vertical guide masts. When the carrier travels downward, the carrier stops automatically at a level above the outriggers and must be manually restarted. A braking system under the platform prevents rotation thereof at ground level.

Abstract: When both a wafer transfer means in a first transfer device and a wafer transfer means in a second transfer device move downward at the same time, the amount of exhaust air by an exhaust fan is increased by the control of a control section, whereby the down flow of clean air is intensified. Turbulence of air flow caused when both the wafer transfer means in the first transfer device and the wafer transfer means in the second transfer device move downward at the same time is absorbed by the down flow intensified as described above.

Abstract: A system for conveying folded web and forming discrete stacks of folded web comprising a conveyor that receives a stack of folded output web from a web folder and separator. The conveyor drives the web from an upstream end, adjacent the web folder and separator, to a downstream end. A supporting surface, which can comprise a plurality of pivoting rails biased by a spring, selectively supports the web remote from and off of the conveyor so that a compressed stack can be formed adjacent the folder and separator. At selected times, the stack is moved by the supporting surface into communication with the folder and separator so that it can be conveyed downstream. An elevator platform can be located at the downstream location for receiving successive stacks thereon. The elevator ascends and descends so that the tops of the successive stacks are aligned with the conveyor for receipt of a further stack thereon.

Abstract: A roll chucking apparatus is disclosed. The roll defines opposed side openings. The roll chucking apparatus includes a platform from supporting the roll. Lift structures vertically adjust the platform. Sensing structures sense an increase or decrease in the platform load upon the attempted initial insertion of opposed chucking pins into the opposed side openings. The lift structures vertically moves the platform and the roll until correct vertical alignment with the chucking pins occurs.

Abstract: A method of controlling a drive unit of a pile-lifting device located at a sheet-fed printing machine includes starting-up the drive unit with a first mode of operation selected by an electronic current wherein rated torque is high and rated speed is low for respectively lifting and lowering the pile and, after a given period of time, following the starting-up of the drive unit, switching to a second mode of operation of the drive unit wherein the rated torque is low and the rated speed is high if the speed has exceeded a preset value during a lifting of the pile, and has not exceeded a preset value during a lowering of the pile; and a device for performing the method.