Eastman-kodak Company

Nexpress Solutions, Inc.

Franz Allmendinger

Markus Weber

Heinz Michels

Helmut Ettischer

Helmut Funk

Arno Ebner

Peter Schmidt

Joachim Buck

Siegfried Garbe

Volker Konig

Roland Wiest

Karsten Konig

Volker Koenig

Christoph Munsch

Volker H Koenig

Timo Straub

Jochen H Graeber

Manfred Baumann

Generating and adjusting temperature values (T , T , T ) in a fixing roller (FR), which is mounted in a copy machine, can be switched to various operational states (W, A, and F) and can be used for fixing of toner images transferred on imaging materials (P). The fixing roller can be heated by a heating unit (H ) connected to a control/adjustment unit (CU), can be switched to generate and adjust predetermined temperature values (T , T , T ), and its heating level (Ph) can be regulated. The temperature values (T , T , T ) at the outer surface (FS) can be measured by at least one temperature sensor (ST). The outer surface of the fixing roller can be cooled by blowing airflow (AJ, AJ ) supplied by a controllable cooling unit (CO). The cooling unit (CO) creates a cooling strip (CA, CA ) on the outer surface of the fixing roller, and the blowing air level (Pc) can be controlled and adjusted by a control/adjustment unit acting upon the compressed air source (BL, AS).

Method and device for generating and adjusting temperature values in a fixing roller of a toner image fixing unit

The invention relates to a device (,) for detecting a stack height of sheets (,) stacked in an input and/or output tray (,) of an apparatus, said device comprising a feeler (,) cyclically controlled and driven by means of a drive unit (,) and a control unit toward the sheet stack (,) in the stacking direction into a sensing position, and a sensor (,) detecting the sheet stack height and recognizing the sensing position of the feeler. To create a device which on the one hand has a simple, compact design along with freely selectable measurement steps and high measurement accuracy at each stack height, and on the other hand allows quiet and vibration-free operation, a controllable stepping motor (,) is provided, by means of which the feeler (,) is movable from a predeterminable initial position (y, z&prime;) toward the sheet stack (,) and into the sensing position (y&prime;, z), such that the stack height can be determined on the basis of the number of motor steps detected from the initial position until the sensing position of the feeler is recognized.

Device for detecting a sheet stack height in a tray

A device for delivering, depositing, and aligning sheets in a stack container of an apparatus by a sheet handling device. The sheet handling device includes a delivery mechanism delivering sheets along a sheet delivery direction, and a sheet deposition mechanism. The sheet deposition mechanism, driven in a circulating fashion, has a sheet alignment and hold-down member. The delivered and deposited sheets are aligned against a sheet stop lying at right angles to the sheet delivery direction and are held down on the sheet stack container. To provide precise, reliable, and rapid stacking of sheets, the sheet deposition mechanism is independently controlled for completely guided lowering and deposition of a delivered sheet. Moreover, the sheet deposition mechanism and the sheet alignment and hold-down member can be operated in a discontinuously circulating fashion and in synchronism with sheet delivery. Further, the sheet deposition mechanism is provided with a conveying device having at least one resilient finger for carrying a delivered sheet such that by the fingers, during their lowering movement, a delivered and fed-in sheet is carried at one of its end regions and can be lowered and deposited onto the sheet stack in uniform and completely guided fashion.

Device for delivering, depositing, and aligning sheets in a stack container

Sheet stacks (4) removed from a collecting station (1) by a transport gripper (5) are deposited onto a vertically movable depositing table (6) so as to rest against stops (8, 10). The stops (8, 10), which are attached to stationary, horizontally movable pull-out rails (11), have first and second vertical surfaces (8a and 8b) which are interconnected by oblique surfaces (8c), the second surfaces (8b) being set back with respect to the first surfaces (8a). The upper surface of the deposited sheet stack (4) is kept at a functionally correct depositing level by two sensors (17, 18), of which one is associated with the center area and one with the staple area (12, 13). The deposited sheet stack (4) strikes against the first surfaces (8a) with its end face, and is then released by the transport gripper (5). Lowering the depositing table (6) causes the end face of the sheet stack (4) to enter the area of the set-back surfaces (8b), allowing it to rest without hindrance flat on the deposited stack (7). Raising the depositing table (6) causes the sheet stack (4) to be displaced laterally by the oblique surfaces (8c) of the stops (8, 10), and aligned flush with the deposited stack (7) by the first surface (8a).

Sheet-depositing device

A collecting station (1) has a first (3) and a second lateral side guide (4) which are movable transversely to the direction of transport (A). The first side guide (3) has a rigid alignment surface (3a) with a convex, arcuate surface and, for the alignment of a deposited sheet, is moved at a first, high speed to an intermediate position and from there at a second, lower speed to the alignment end position. The second side guide (4) is provided with flexible bristles (5) which compensate for sheet tolerances and which are inclined downwards at an angle of 45.degree.. When the first side guide (3) comes to a standstill, the second side guide (4) is moved at a high speed to the alignment end position, then at a high speed back to an intermediate position in which contact with the sheets is no longer established, and thereafter at a lower speed back again to the alignment end position. For the return of the side guides (3 or 4), firstly the second side guide (4) and then the first side guide (3) are moved.

Apparatus for the alignment of stacked sheets to be deposited

A carrier (2) of an apparatus (1) is pivotably mounted on a shaft (6) and can be moved by means of a stepper motor (34) via a cable (40). Apparatus (1) is positioned above tray surface (29) of storage container (28) and has a motor-driven impeller (27) and motor-driven separating fingers (25, 26). Driving motors (7 and 13, respectively) and their appropriate drawing means (12 and 20, 24 respectively) for impeller (27) and for separating fingers (25, 26) respectively are arranged on carrier (2). The sheets are individually arranged on top of one another to form a stack on tray surface (29) and are aligned by impeller (27) on front stopping edge (41), while separating fingers (25, 26) serve to temporarily retain subsequently arriving sheets as long as the finished stack of sheets still lies on tray surface (29). Apparatus (1) is guided via a device for measuring the height of the stack of sheets into a position with respect to the upper side of the stack such that impeller (27) and separating fingers (25, 26) are always correctly positioned for operation with respect to the upper side of the stack whatever the height of the stack. The apparatus can also be moved by stepper motor (24) into raised positions regardless of the height of the stack of sheets.

Apparatus for stacking and aligning individual sheets

At the free end of a pivotable arm (1) of an aligning device, two wheels (4, 6) of identical diameters are mounted for independent rotary movement, such wheels being driven by a shaft (2). The wheels (4, 6) are each eccentrically offset from the axis of rotation (2a) of shaft (2) by the same amount (26, 27)and are uniformly spaced about said axis. With respect to a plane running perpendicularly to the axis of rotation (2a) of shaft (2), each wheel (4, 6) is mounted at an acute angle (.alpha.) such that adjacent wheels (4, 6) are arranged in a V-shaped configuration. The eccentrically (26, 27) and the angular position (.alpha.) of the wheels (4, 6) are related such that the contact surface (4b and 6b) of each wheel (4 and 6, respectively) resting on the sheet to be aligned carries out a movement transversely to the sheet-entrance direction (A) and towards the lateral limiting wall (18).

Device for stacking and aligning individually supplied sheets

A device for directing individually supplied sheets onto a sheet depositing surface includes a feeder for feeding sheets along a sheet path onto the surface and a pivotably mounted sheet directing element that includes a first arm which extends across the sheet path. The pivotable directing element includes a weight mounted thereto above its pivot axis for increasing the moment of inertia of the pivotable directing element.

Device for directing sheets onto a depositing surface

A device for aligning supplied sheets into a stack in a collecting tray includes a pivotable arm that has a free end. First and second drivable wheels are mounted at the free end of the pivotable arm for contacting each supplied sheet to be aligned. A lifting device including an electromagnet is connected to the pivotable arm for lifting the pivotable arm, and a control device is connected to the electromagnet for selectively controlling lifting and lowering of the pivotable arm and first and second drivable wheels.

Device for aligning individually supplied sheets

A device for stapling sheets comprises a collecting tray (1) which is downwardly inclined to the direction of entrance 'A' of sheets and has a support surface (2) and a pivotable abutment (3) associated with the front portion of the sheets. Between abutment (3) and support surface (2), a free space (6) is provided in which a stapling unit (10, 15) is movable for setting to a number of different stapling positions. The free space (6) is covered by a cover (9) in an area where no staples are to be applied. A tongue (7a) of a hold-down element (7) rests on the cover (9). Tongue (7a) and cover (9) extend into a recess (3a) of the abutment (3), with an upper limiter (3b) of recess (3a) being arranged above tongue (7a) and serving as an abutment for a limited pivotal movement of hold-down element (7, 7a). A second support of the sheets in the stapling area is provided by a pivotably mounted, spring-biased cover element (20) which overlaps the free space (6) and extends into the path of movement of the stapling unit (10, 15) such that it can be deflected aside by said unit.

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Aichwald, Germany

Franz Allmendinger