Eastman-kodak Company

Henry Paul Mitchell, Jr

Michael Thomas Dobbertin

James Douglas Shifley

Theophilus C Wituszynski

David James Cornell

Gregory R Jantsch

Larry J Mortellaro

Miguel A Triana

A metering skive for a dry electrophotographic (EP) printer is mounted on a retractable skive mount. The skive mount is spring-loaded to a mounting block, and a stop pin sets the distance between the skive mount and the mounting block. A movable spacer with a plurality of laterally-separated regions of respective, different thicknesses is mounted between the head of the stop pin and the mounting block. A retractor can be operated to pull the skive mount towards the mounting block so the spacer can be moved to select a desired spacing between the mounting block and the skive mount, and thus a desired gap between the metering skive and the toning member in the printer.

Metering apparatus for electrophotographic printer

A method of operating a vacuum corrugated belt feeder with positive air pressure-separator during a feed cycle wherein the vacuum and the positive pressure air are controlled by a vacuum valve and a positive air pressure valve respectively, wherein the paper is taken away by a belt which is activated when a feed clutch is energized, comprising actuating the vacuum at the start of the feed cycle and de-actuated the vacuum when the feed clutch is de-energized, and pulsing the positive air pressure separator by actuating and de-actuating the positive air pressure separator during the feed cycle.

Pulsed airknife control for a vacuum corrugated feed supply

An apparatus for facilitating handling particularly tab stock in a sheet feeder, having a top feed vacuum corrugated feed head assembly for feeding sheets seriatim from a sheet supply stack. The facilitating apparatus includes a platform adapted to support a sheet supply stack of the tab stock type. A tab stock sheet supply stack is located on the platform in relation to the top feed vacuum corrugated feed head assembly. A force is applied to the tab stock sheet supply stack, such force having at least a component in a direction relative to such tab stock sheet supply stack to prevent individual tab stock sheets in such stack from prematurely moving out of control of the top feed vacuum corrugated feed head assembly.

Apparatus for facilitating handling tab stock in a top feed vacuum

Apparatus for feeding sheets seriatim from a sheet supply stack. The apparatus comprises a sheet feed head assembly including a plenum, a vacuum source in flow communication with the plenum, and a mechanism, such as a feed belt, for example, associated with the plenum for urging a sheet acquired by vacuum in a sheet feeding direction away from the sheet supply stack. The sheet supply stack is supported, for example in a hopper on a support platform, so as to maintain the topmost sheet in such stack at a predetermined level in spaced relation with respect to the urging mechanism of the sheet feed head assembly. A first positive air supply directs a flow of air at the sheet supply stack to levitate the top several sheets in the supply stack to an elevation enabling the topmost sheet to be acquired by vacuum from the sheet feed head assembly plenum; and a second positive air supply directs a flow of air at an acquired sheet to assure separation of any additional sheets adhering to such topmost sheet.

Growing community of inventors

Webster, NY, United States of America

Henry Paul Mitchell, Jr