Eastman-kodak Company

James A McGlen

Ronald C Holzhauser

Robert C Smith, Jr

Thomas K Hilbert

Gary P Lawniczak

Gary B Bertram

Matthew J Russel

Michael H Parsons

John P Swapceinski

Erik V Anderson

A particulate material collection bottle for a reproduction apparatus includes an opening for receiving a tube through which particulate material is fed. A detent at the opposite end of the bottle from the opening fits in a complementary detent in the receiving apparatus to wedge the bottle between the detent and the tube. To permit the opening to receive a barb on the tube it is oblong in shape and has a compressible seal around its exterior. Recessed rib portions of opposing side walls form a handle to assist insertion of the bottle in the apparatus. A projection from one wall of the apparatus is positioned to activate a sensing means to indicate the presence of the bottle in its appropriate position. A foldable paper seal is positioned below the opening. It can be folded across the opening after a full bottle has been removed.

Particulate material collection bottle for reproduction apparatus

A sheet collection mechanism includes three tray portions defining a slanted receiving surface. The surface extends from a lower stop against which sheets are stacked upward to a position below an egress for sheets and is long enough to stack long sheets without interference between the leading edge of an egressing sheet and the stack. To stack shorter sheets the downstream edges of two upper tray portions are selectively raiseable to cause the leading edge of a sheet to engage the stack downstream of the stacks' trailing edge. An auxiliary drive roller is positioned to cooperate with the downstream part of one of the upper trays when raised to assist in driving short sheets to the stop.

Sheet collection mechanism for stacking long and short sheets

A recirculating document feeder for a copier/duplicator removes sheets seriatim from the bottom of a stack of sheets, circulates a removed sheet to a position for copying, and then returns the sheet back onto the top of the stack of sheets. A sheet separator engages the sheet that initially is on top of the stack for separating the sheets in the stack that have been circulated along the path from those sheets in the stack that have not been circulated along the path. In response to feeding of the top sheet of the stack along the path, the separator is retracted and then returned to the top of the stack after the top sheet has been circulated for copying. The separator is driven along a generally rectilinear path and guided along that path by a pin in the separator that travels along a slot formed partially in each of two facing surfaces.

Sheet separator apparatus for recirculating feeder

A document feeder is mounted for pivotal movement about a side edge portion of a copier/duplicator between a first position over an exposure station or platen of the copier/duplicator and a second position away from the exposure station so that individual documents sheets, books or the like can be manually placed directly on the exposure station for copying. As the feeder moves from its first position to its second position the feeder first pivots about one axis and then, subsequently, about a second axis offset further from the platen than the first axis. Thus the feeder is stepped away from the edge of the copier exposure station to provide a relatively large area that is available for receiving a book or large document on the exposure station for copying. A counterbalancing arrangement is provided for balancing the weight of the feeder as it moves between its two positions.

Apparatus for mounting a document feeder on a copier/duplicator

An improved receiver sheet transport for use in apparatus for transferring related transferable marking particle images seriatim, from spaced areas on a member onto a receiver sheet. The apparatus moves a receiver sheet successively into transfer relation with the related transferable images on the member. The receiver sheet is attached to the apparatus with a portion of such sheet intermediate the lead and trail edges being self-supporting. An aligning mechanism engages the lead edge of the receiver sheet so that the sheet is aligned with an area on the member. A guiding member guides the receiver sheet into engagement with the aligning mechanism. Transfer of such related images onto the sheet in accurate superimposed register is effected when such self-supporting portion is in transfer relation with related transferable images on the image-carrying member. The guiding member and the aligning mechanism are mounted for movement to a first position at which an aligned receiver sheet is urged by the guiding member into clamped engagement with the apparatus, or to a second position at which such receiver sheet is out of clamped engagement with the apparatus and the guiding member and aligning mechanism are remote from such receiver sheet.

Receiver sheet transport with a guiding member and aligning mechanism

Copy sheets having a re-fusable xerographic toner along an edge thereof are bound into booklets by arranging the sheets in a stack and re-fusing the toner so that the re-fused toner adheres adjacent sheets together. The re-fusing operation can be accomplished after each group of a few sheets is received from a copier so that the finisher operation can be carried on at the same rate copies are produced by the copier. Alternately, a larger stack of sheets can be bound together in an off-line basis by a simple heating step.

Binding method

Document feeding apparatus feeds document sheets to an exposure position along a recirculating sheet path or along a non-recirculating sheet path. The feeding means has a vacuum belt for moving a sheet traveling along either sheet path past the exposure position. A document sheet can be fed to the belt for advancement to the exposure position through a slot located in a generally vertically disposed orientation and having an opening at the lower end thereof adjacent to the belt. Preferably, registration means are provided adjacent the belt at the lower end of the slot for preregistering the lower edge of a document sheet being fed through the slot to the belt. Rollers are provided for urging the document sheet against the belt, both when sheets are fed to the belt in a non-recirculating (document positioner) mode and when sheets are fed in the recirculating feeder mode of operation. One set of rollers, which is used for holding a sheet against the belt when in the non-recirculating mode of operation, is held in a retracted or disengaged position when the apparatus is operating in the document positioner mode of operation.

Sheet feeding apparatus

Copy sheets having a re-fusable xerographic toner along an edge thereof are bound into booklets by arranging the sheets in a stack and re-fusing the toner so that the re-fused toner adheres adjacent sheets together. The re-fusing operation can be accomplished by a heating shoe and a patterned heating bar after each group of a few sheets is received from a copier so that the finisher operation can be carried on at the same rate copies are produced by the copier. Alternately, a larger stack of sheets can be bound together in an off-line basis by a simple heating step.

Binding apparatus and method

In an electrographic development apparatus having a magnetic brush and a sump wherein an auger transports developer from the sump to the brush, the auger being disposed in a tube located next to an inclined surface extending between the tube and the magnetic brush. The tube is provided with a plurality of openings. As the auger rotates it transports developer from the sump through the tube out of its opening to the inclined surface where it is distributed to the magnetic brush.

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, NY, United States of America

James A McGlen