Eastman-Kodak Company

Nexpress Solutions, Inc.

Elringklinger Ag

Joachim Buck

Armin Diez

Juergen Ries

Helmut Funk

Gert Scheufler

Franz Allmendinger

Stefan Dwenger

Mark Laderer

Heinz Michels

Helmut Bloser

Rolf Hascher

Tobias Schmidt

Jochen Hantschel

Heinz-Guenter Bethmann

Jochen H Graeber

Volker H Koenig

Michael Grotz

Stefan Herter

Christian Honeck

Florian Schwarz

Heinrich Rot

André Wiechert

Moritz Bertsch

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 staple wire cutting element (4) is mounted displaceably on a stapling device (1) in which staple wire segments are shaped into a staple and driven into a sheet stack. A control lever (8) that is in engagement with a radial cam unit (6) engages the cutting element (4). The radial cam unit (6) is driven via an overrunning clutch (10), one end of which has a gear (11) which is fixed to the radial cam unit (6) and engages into a gear (5b) of a stepping motor (5). The other end of the overrunning clutch (10) has a gear (12) which is fixed to a transport wheel (13) for staple wire transport. A gear (27), which is mounted displaceably along its rotation axis and is mounted rotatably about the same rotation axis as the gear (5a), engages into the gear (12). The gears (5b, 27) are equipped at their sides facing one another with tooth sets (28). For backward transport of the wire segment which is ready for staple shaping, the displaceable gear (27) is brought into engagement with the gear (5b), thus allowing the wire to be transported backward, bypassing the overrunning clutch (10).

Stapling device

A staple wire supply roll is positioned on a threading-in device that can be moved out of a stapling apparatus, and the leading end of the wire is transported by means of a thread-in transport device, through a flexible guide tube, to a stapling device. A sensor positioned on the stapling device signals the end of the threading-in operation when the leading end of the staple wire passes by. By pushing the threading-in device into the apparatus, the staple wire transport device of the stapling device is set in motion, as a result of which the leading end of the staple wire is transported to a location which positions the leading end of the wire in device. The staple wire is transported, in accordance with the thickness of the sheet stack measured by a sensor, by a stepping motor, which at the same time drives a radial cam unit. The radial cam unit moves a cutting device into a position in which the transported staple wire segment is positioned symmetrically with respect to a shaper and driver of the stapling device and cut, and then shaped into a staple and driven into the sheet stack.

Method and device for preparing, manipulating, and processing a staple

Growing community of inventors

Laichingen, Germany

Joachim Buck