Bell + Howell Company

Trans Technology Corp.

Hughes-avicom International, Inc.

Other

Dwight G Westover

Raymond M McManaman

Andrew J Scherer

Dickey J Berry

Rafn Stefansson

William H Spencer

Charles M Smith

Jon B Wells

Lamar M Fidler

Ronald E Loosen

Richard A Bertagna

Bayani E Roldan

A mechanism for releasably retracting and storing a length of electrical cord (96,98,100,102,104) is formed of first and second pairs of cord pulleys (60,62,82,84) mounted at opposite ends of an elongated retractor frame (18). An intermediate section of a cord is stored in the frame and has one end (92) of the stored section fixed to the frame, with the other end (106) extending from the frame. The stored cord section is wound around the two pairs of cord pulleys (60,62,82,84), and one pair of pulleys (60,62) is slidably mounted for motion toward the other pair of pulleys (82,84) with a detachable latch (126) to lock the movable pulleys in position adjacent the fixed pulleys in a cord extended position. Springs (70,72) entrained around force direction changing spring pulleys (66,68) constantly urge the slidable pulleys (60,62) to an initial position wherein the cord is retracted. Pulling on one end (106) of the cord extends a length of the stored cord section from the frame and latches the mechanism in cord extended position. A second pull on the cord releases the latch to enable the springs to retract the cord into the mechanism.

Cord retractor mechanism

An upright wall mountable or portable computer terminal (10) includes a keyboard (16) which can be moved to a number of locked positions, including stowed (flat) for fingerpoking, extended out in a typing position, lowered, angled and flipped over with the keyboard (16) inside. The keyboard (16) is supported by a mechanism (20) which extends from a frame (22) of the terminal (10) and includes a shaft (40) which rotatably supports an upper edge portion of the keyboard (16). Rack and pinion units (24) rotatably support the ends (40a) of the shaft (40) and enable rotation and up and down movement of the shaft (40) and thereby the keyboard (16) without skewing. A spring loaded latch (70) enables the keyboard (16) to be locked in a desired position with overforce breakaway.

Computer terminal including multi-position attached keyboard

Apparatus for transporting documents comprising a first plate member having a document engaging edge along a transport path, for engaging the document on one side thereof; a second plate member having a document engaging edge along the transport path, for engaging the document on the same side as does the first plate member edge; a first drive belt having a document engaging surface along the transport path, for engaging the document on the document's other side; and a second drive belt having a document engaging surface along the transport path, for engaging the document on the same side as does the first drive belt. The plate members and the belts are situated with the first plate member edge, the first belt surface, the second plate member edge and the second belt surface arranged in successive vertically spaced relation such that the belts urge the sheet against the plate member edges when the sheet is engaged by the belt surfaces and the plate member edges. The transport apparatus has particular application as a preloader transport for applying documents from a document feeder to a document loader. There is also disclosed a novel track configuration along which upstanding documents may be advanced.

Document transport apparatus

A light sensor device along a sheet transport track, having light emitting and sensing means in one of the track's two spaced apart walls, for emitting light energy and sensing the light energy reflected back from a sheet interposed between the walls and in the path of the emitted light energy. The sensor device also includes light absorbing means in the other wall of the track for absorbing the light energy emitted from the light emitting and sensing means when the sheet is not interposed between the light emitting and sensing means. The light absorbing means includes a transparent cylindrical member having a polished end surface for receiving the emitted light energy, the cylinder's other end surface and the cylinder's cylindrical surface being light energy absorbent.

Light sensor apparatus for sheet transport

Apparatus for loading automatically fed documents and manually fed documents into a document transport. The loader apparatus includes a plurality of document driver devices situated along a track and capable of automatically accommodating documents of various thicknesses and sizes, the driver devices being actuable for downwardly driving received documents for registering their bottom edges along a horizontally extending registration surface, as well as for controllably gating the documents, and for forwardly driving the upstanding documents along the track and into a document processing transport. A preloader transport is provided for applying documents to the loader issuing from automatic feeder apparatus. The loader's track configuration includes an undercut registration surface for supporting the document's bottom edge in such manner as to decrease the likelihood of document distortion during the loading process. An improved light absorption device is provided in combination with a reflective light sensor for sensing position of the documents within the track.

Methods and apparatus for stacking predetermined sheets of various intermixed sizes in a stacking location by advancement of stacking devices into that location, selectively guide further sheets past the stacking location. That guiding of further sheets past the stacking location is mechanically slaved to the advancement of the stacking devices into the stacking location. Where the stacking devices are withdrawn from the stacking location preparatory to each stacking of a predetermined sheet, the guiding of that predetermined sheet into the stacking location is mechanically slaved to such withdrawal of the stacking devices. Where the sheets are stacked against a movable wall, an unobstructed space for receiving each sheet guided to the stacking location is permanently preserved between the movable wall and the withdrawn stacking devices.

Stacking methods and apparatus

A support for an optical device such as an optical read head, permits the optical device to be positionable along a linear path. The support includes a precision bar and two gibs, with first and second adjustable means for securing the gibs to one another and slideably to the bar.

Adjustable support for optical device

Sheet feeding systems provide a sheet receiving nip at a peripheral region of a rotary sheet transport and arrange sheets in a stack having a stack and formed by a bottom sheet and spaced from the nip by a distance shorter than the minimum length of any of the sheets. The stack is temporarily lifted from a stack rest, and the bottom sheet is removed therefrom. Sheet jams are prevented by advancing any bottom sheet to the rotary sheet transport in a plane intersecting that rotary sheet transport at a distance from the nip. Each bottom sheet is further advanced from that intersecting plane to the nip, and such advanced bottom sheet is engaged with the nip for transport away from the stack with the rotary sheet transport. The stack end is returned to the stack rest after said removal of a bottom sheet, and the temporary stack end lifting, sheet advancing, sheet engaging and stack end returning steps are repeated individually for further bottom sheets advanced from the stack end.

Sheet feeding methods and apparatus

Objects are received between first and second cutting elements of a cutter, which is suspended via the first cutting element from a rod-like object to be cut. The first cutting element, which preferably is formed as a cutter suspension including a cutting blade, is moved into the rod-like object toward the second element, until that object has been cut. The cutter preferably is mounted on an elongate handle, and rotary motion of such handle is translated into movement of the cutting elements toward each other. A quick release mechanism permits quick release action of the second element and an elongate member permits holding of the first cutting element onto the object, while the second element is pushed with the elongate handle toward the object.

Methods and apparatus for cutting rod-like objects

Apparatus for linearly adjusting the position of devices, and in particular, apparatus for adjusting focus of an image on a light sensitive surface of an image sensor device included in an optical character recognition read head. The apparatus includes a first mechanism for adjustably positioning a lens assembly for adjusting focus at the image plane, and a second device for adjustably supporting the image sensor device for adjusting the position of its light sensitive surface to coincide with the plane of the focused image.

Linear adjustment apparatus

Sheet transporting apparatus and methods provide an elongate guide for the sheet in contact with the drive belt. The guide is bowed along an arc extending into the transport path in parallel to the direction of sheet transport. The drive belt is bowed by that guide and is driven along the path for moving the sheet along the bowed guide. The sheet guide may also be tilted on an axis extending in the direction of sheet transport. Preferably, the sheet guide is tilted by different angular amounts at different points along the transportation path to provide a skew adjustment for the traveling sheet.

Sheet transport with bowed guide

Terminal

Methods and apparatus for sensing advancement of a web from a web supply remove the web from the supply in successive distinct and constant increments. Each constant increment is sensed upon its removal from the supply. Advancement of the web is then determined from the sensed constant increments. The requisite constant increments may be provided by advancing web from the supply and selectively arresting the supply to limit the advanced web to the constant increment for each advance.

Web advancement sensing methods and apparatus

Service access to a transport channel is facilitated by providing a corner for receiving a margin or seam of a wall of the transport channel. A bias is exerted on the margin for pushing such margin into the corner and releasably biasing the wall into a position in which it laterally contains the transport channel. The bias is such as to permit manual tilting of the wall away from the transport channel for service access. After termination of such tilting, the bias restores the wall to its normal position at the transport channel.

Transport channel systems

Methods and apparatus for ascertaining movement of a device from a first position to a second position couple a ratchet member and pawl combination to that movable device. Clicks indicative of the movement of the device are generated by effecting relative motion between the ratchet member and pawl in accordance with the movement of the device from the first to the second position. An ascertainment is then made from the generated clicks whether the movement of the device has in fact resulted in the desired movement from the first to the second position. The invention is of particular utility in the monitoring of character segments in printing devices, but is not limited to such an application.

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Sierra Madre, CA, United States of America

Dwight G Westover