Xerox Corporation

Kenneth Paul Moore

Brian Roy Ford

Michael J Linder

William R Haag

Frank Albert Porter

Ron Edward Dufort

Richard F Scarlata

Stephen Bradley Williams

Joseph Salvatore Vetromile

Bruce Allen Thompson

Douglas K Herrmann

Roger Gaylord Leighton

Adam Douglas Ledgerwood

Robert Alan Clark

Derek Albert Bryl

Timothy Gordon Shelhart

Paul N Richards

John D Gramlich

Aldwin A Roberts

Venkata Bharadwaj Chivukula

Todd Maurice Uthman

Lawrence Dee Dipzinski

Richard L Dechau

Brent Rodney Jones

Frederick T Mattern

Henry Thomas Bober

Aaron Michael Moore

James Lawton Giacobbi

Donald Richard Fess

David Charles Irving

Arthur Harold Kahn

Nicholas M Lamendola

Gary William Roscoe

D Gregory Yow

Lawrence Arnold Clark

Glenn M Keenan

Leslie R Kilian

Gregory A Ludgate

Gordon Byron Reid

Raymond C Bassett

Richard E Eisemann

John A Wargo

Jose J Soler

Glenn M Herbert

Donald L Miller

Russell McDonald

Patrick T Ferrari

Joseph Michael Ferrara

Leonid Buchman

Maurice Soucy

Stephen J Csaszar, Jr

Delbert N Dewald

Norman L Roof, Sr

In a system, at least two picker support elements are positioned adjacent a transport surface that is moving workpieces, and at least two picking elements are connected to each of the picker support elements. The picking elements have physical picking features that remove the workpieces from the transport surface and move the workpieces to another location. A controller is operatively connected to the picker support elements and the picking elements, and the controller independently controls the picker support elements and the picking elements to dynamically position the picking elements in coordination with a dynamic size, spacing, and transport speed of the workpieces being moved by the transport surface.

Flexible production collating system

A low cost, low complexity method and apparatus for improved productivity and reducing operator induced shut-downs when feeding multiple jobs of different media type, but the same size, from a single sheet tray includes providing media identification divider sheets that contain patterns of either simple bars or punched holes with the divider sheets loaded into the sheet supply tray on top of their corresponding sheet stack except the first one; providing a digital sensor that reads each media identification divider sheet pattern; and feeding media for the first job. When the first job is complete, remaining sheets for that job can be fed (optionally at high speed) to a purge tray. Media divider sheets for each successive job after the first job are sent to the purge tray for reuse later.

Multi-job feeder system

With a cleaning system/method, a user places a printing device in a cleaning mode, inserts a cleaning apparatus that includes a cleaning sheet into a paper supply tray of the printing device, and executes a cleaning operation on the printing device. With the system, a set of instructions is stored on a machine-readable medium. The set of instructions causes the printing device to execute a cleaning operation on a feed nip of the printing device. The cleaning sheet cleans the feed roller and the retard roller when it is positioned within the feed nip during the cleaning operation. The set of instructions cause the printing device to move the cleaning sheet into the feed nip and to rotate the feed roller and the retard roller for a predetermined time period, when the printing device is placed into a cleaning mode.

Cleaning structure and method for friction roll feeders

A printer extracts a media sheet from a plurality of media sheets in a media supply and moves the media sheet along a media path. A plurality of sensors on the media path generate signals as the media sheet moves past the sensors, and the printer identifies a cross-process direction dimension of the media sheet with references to signals generated by the sensors. The printer identifies the dimension of the print medium without requiring media size sensors in the media supply.

System and method for identification of media sheet size

In a system, one or more robotic arms are positioned adjacent a transport surface that is moving workpieces, and one or more picking elements are connected to each of the robotic arms. The picking elements have physical picking features that remove the workpieces from the transport surface and move the workpieces to another location. A controller is operatively connected to the robotic arms and the picking elements, and the controller independently controls the robotic arms and the picking elements to dynamically position the picking elements in coordination with a dynamic size, spacing, and transport speed of the workpieces being moved by the transport surface.

A system that avoids any stopping or reversing of the web direction in a continuous feed printer, instead maintaining consistent process speed, only requiring a slowing and speeding up of the web to cycle through the PR belt seam. This is done by forming a web loop and then immediately flattening the loop after passage of the seam through the transfer zone that includes two transfer BTR rolls with alternating transfer operations, but simultaneous transfer for short periods. Two vacuum assist rolls, one located between the two bias transfer rolls controls the formation of the web loop. A pair of nip forming rolls upstream of the first transfer station and a second vacuum assist roll downstream of the second transfer station control the size of the loop.

Simplified belt seam skip in continuous web feed machines

Systems and a method for image forming systems to skip over the non-printing photoreceptor area in order to not skip a label position on a continuous print web medium. A vacuum assembly is coupled to a controller that controls different vacuum pressures at each vacuum roller therein. The vacuum rollers provide drag and drive forces to skip a seam of the photoreceptor and a residual length based on the number and size of images on the photoreceptor.

Vacuum drive for web control at photoreceptor

A method and apparatus for improved productivity and reducing operator induced shut-downs when feeding multiple jobs from a single sheet tray includes providing bar-coded job divider sheets; loading the divider sheets into the sheet supply tray on top of their corresponding sheet stack; providing a bar-code sensor above the sheet supply that reads each divider sheet bar-code information; confirming that the bar-code information matches what is in the job cue; and setting subsystem operating parameters for that paper. Once the first divider sheet is sensed, it is then fed to a purge tray before the job starts. When the job is complete, remaining sheets for that job can be fed (optionally at high speed) to the purge tray on top of the corresponding divider sheet for reuse later. If too few sheets were loaded for the job, the feeder will cause a soft cycle down and flag the problem.

Multi-job feeder apparatus and method

Shaft-coupling assemblies using the same shaft but different removable coupling devices (pulleys or gears, etc). The coupling devices are located at any location on the shaft and can be the same or different sizes.

Coupling and shaft assembly

A vacuum transport includes a segmented, rigid or solid articulated belt combined with a vacuum plenum in each segment of the belt. Using a rigid segmented belt with a vacuum plenum connected to each segmented belt section eliminates ordinarily encountered drag friction in conventional vacuum transports by reducing the force necessary to move the belt with media thereon while simultaneously improving the motion quality of the move by driving the articulated rigid belt from the top side of the belt in a flat section.

Segmented rigid plate belt transport with a high motion quality drive mechanism

A method and apparatus for non-contact measurement of a media stack in an image production device is disclosed that may include detecting the position of an unfluffed media stack, setting a desired media stack height by changing a media elevator position using a media elevator control unit based on the detected unfluffed media stack position, determining if printing and fluffing has started, wherein if it is determined that printing and fluffing has started, detecting the position of the transition between the fluffed and unfluffed portions of the media stack using the one or more sensors, determining if the position of the transition between the fluffed and unfluffed portions of the media stack is below a predetermined threshold, wherein if it is determined that the position of the transition between the fluffed and unfluffed portions of the media stack is below the predetermined threshold, setting the desired media stack height by changing the media elevator position based on the detected position of the transition between the fluffed and unfluffed portions of the media stack.

Method and apparatus for non-contact measurement of a media stack in an image production device

A system and method of fully supporting, substantially planarly, a variable thickness stack of non-uniform thickness print media sheets on a single integral and substantially planer pivotal supporting tray which is automatically variably tilted in response to the height of the stack by being mounted on, and moved by, an existing elevator tray, the vertical movement of which automatically changes the pivotal tilt angle of the tray by a lever arm pivotal connection between the pivotal tray and a fixed position to maintain the top sheet of the stack substantially horizontal as the stack thickness changes while the elevator tray is simultaneously vertically moving the pivotal tray.

Automatically variably tilting supporting tray for non-uniform-thickness print media

In accordance with the present disclosure, there is provided a printing system. The printing system comprises a sheet feeding apparatus for feeding cut sheets in timed relationship into a sheet processor having a pitch. The sheet feeding apparatus includes a fixed take away roller, a first transport roller, and a second transport roller. The take away roller removes individual sheets from a feeder. A fixed length sheetpath exists between the take away roller, the first transport roller, and the second transport roller. The take away roller and/or optionally the first transport roller have a variable speed capability to vary the velocity thereof.

Media feeder feed rate

Disclosed herein is a sheet feeding apparatus including a blower for blowing air through a stack of sheets, and a controller configured to operate the blower at a high power setting for a predetermined time period based upon elapsed off time and to subsequently operate the blower at a target power setting. A printer, a method of controlling blower power, and a method of minimizing misfeeds are also disclosed.

Method and device for improving pressure control in a sheet feeder

An apparatus that is useful for acquiring and conveying a sheet includes a plenum having an opening for coupling a vacuum source to the plenum, a slide plate having a stop member positioned proximate a drop box opening in the slide plate, and a drop box adapted to slide within the drop box opening until a portion of the drop box engages the stop member so that the drop box is slidably installed in the slide plate. The apparatus may be used in an electrostatographic printing machine to improve top sheet acquisition.

System and method for improving top sheet acquisition in a printing machine

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, NY, United States of America

Kenneth Paul Moore