Eastman-kodak Company

Xerox Corporation

Bruce E Crayton

Richard J Olson

Hector J Sanchez

John L Howard

James F Wilson

John J Bigenwald

Ronald A Phillips

Kenwood Francis Block

Carl H Zirngibl

An attaching and securing apparatus for removably attaching a first module of an office machine to a second module thereof. The attaching and securing apparatus includes (a) a first lug member on the first module having a first set of aligning features and a first screw receiving hole; (b) a second lug member on the second module having a second screw receiving hole for aligning with the first screw receiving hole, and a second set of aligning features for aligning with the first set of aligning features; (c) a ratchet device located inside at least one of the first and the second screw receiving holes for receiving and retaining a screw inserted therethrough, the ratchet device including at least one biased and deflectable spring member having a first normal position for reducing a diameter of the at least one screw receiving hole, and a second deflected position for engaging threads of an inserted screw and for effectively retaining the inserted screw within the first and the second screw receiving holes; and (d) a removable screw for manually and easily inserting through the first and the second screw receiving holes, the screw having a root diameter, surface features, and an outside diameter essentially equal to the diameter of each of the first and the second screw receiving holes, thereby enabling easy manual securing and removable attachment of the first module of the office machine to the second module thereof.

Module to module attaching and securing apparatus

A sheet stacking and lifting cassette tray assembly for reliably and effectively feeding sheets of different basis weight for use in a reproduction machine. The sheet stacking and lifting cassette tray assembly includes a cassette frame including a frame floor, and frame side walls; a plurality of sheet stacking and lifting subassemblies mounted within, and to, the frame side walls for applying selectable values of sheet lifting normal forces against a sheet feedhead. Each sheet stacking and lifting subassembly of the plurality of sheet stacking and lifting subassemblies includes a pivotable stacking and supporting plate, and a set of springs having a spring rate for providing a normal force having a particular value for lifting a stack of sheets. The sheet stacking and lifting cassette tray assembly also includes a selecting device for engaging a first number of the plurality of sheet stacking and lifting subassemblies so as to prevent the first number of the plurality of sheet stacking and lifting subassemblies from applying a normal force for lifting, thus varying a number of the sheet stacking and lifting subassemblies applying a normal force to a stack of sheets of a given basis weight, and thereby enabling reliable and effective feeding of sheets from such stack without sheet feeding miscues.

Cassette tray assembly for feeding sheets of different basis weight

Apparatus and method are provided for cyclically controlling the metering of photosensitive sheet material into an exposure station, cutting the material to a selected length, exposing the material to form a latent image thereon and advancing the sheet onto a rotating drum upon which the sheet is processed by the application of heat. To minimize the size of the apparatus and to reduce the time between exposures of successive prints the drum is made relatively small but rotated at a correspondingly higher rate with appropriate processing time provided by having each portion of the sheet remain on the drum for more than one revolution of the drum. Rotation of the drum is controlled by a counting mechanism to ensure that the drum has turned a sufficient number of revolutions to fully process the sheet and remove same from the apparatus. The apparatus also controls a stripper element so that this element is actuated at an appropriate time in a print cycle to remove the processed sheet from the drum.

Apparatus and method for making prints

Film magazine or the like

A film threading device for use with cameras and/or projection devices is adapted to grasp the end of the outer convolution of a roll of film, tape or the like strip and guide it toward the film gate. In operation, first and second movable members, such as belts or pulleys, engage the periphery of the wound strip. The first movable member provides the film drive causing the wound film to rotate in an unwind direction. The second movable member provides a stripping action which drives the leading edge of the wound film away from a core and the film is guided by the moving member toward the nip of a thread pressure roller and a thread drive roller. The film is then guided to the film gate.

Automatic film threading device

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, NY, United States of America

Bruce E Crayton