Nec Corporation

Masahiko Noguchi

Tsutomu Sasage

Kiyoshi Tsuda

Kunio Hiromori

Hiroyuki Nagatani

Toshiharu Kubota

An apparatus applicable to a sheet article processing system for temporarily accumulating sheet articles which come in arbitrarily one by one or in a bunch and sending them out one by one at predetermined intervals. The apparatus includes a drive mechanism capable of starting and stopping the movement of a suction belt instantaneously, a sensor responsive to the leading edge of a sheet article which has been nipped by a downstream transport path, and a sensor responsive to the presence/absence of an interval between successive sheet articles which occurs between the downstream transport path and a reverse belt. Other sensors are provided for determining an interval between successive articles. A pick-up roller pair is driven at a controllable speed in matching relation to the interval between successive articles determined.

Apparatus for feeding sheet articles

The invention maintains the focus of a reader in a postal sorting and transporting system which is equipped to read an image of an address on either side of a mail article. The address reading apparatus uses two address readers disposed on opposite sides of a transfer path over which the mail articles travel. An address-carrying surface detector is disposed along the transfer path and upstream of the two address readers. Two floating roller pairs are provided at the inlet and the outlet of the address readers, to hold the mail article therebetween. A pressure roller driving mechanism responds to an output signal delivered from the address-carrying surface detector for selectively fixing one roller of either roller pair at a predetermined distance from the mail article's address carrying surface so that the distance between the address carrying surface and the appropriate address reader is kept constant. This constant distance fixing compensates for variations in the thickness of the mail article in order to maintain an accurate focus.

Address reading apparatus for mail article

Flat article feeding apparatus comprises a feeder comprising a feed belt for feeding approximately flat articles one by one in a feeding direction and a predetermined number of idler pulleys. The idler pulleys are individually urged towards the feed belt so that the idler pulleys are in contact with one of the flat articles that is fed on the feed belt as a particular article. The idler pulleys are driven so as to feed the particular article reversedly relative to the feeding direction. The apparatus is applicable to feeding the flat articles successively to a utilizing device which is typically a bar code printer. For this purpose, the feeder and the idler pulleys are controllably driven in response to a completion signal which the utilizing device produces upon completion of a predetermined process.

Flat article feeding apparatus comprising a plurality of reversedly

The invention provides a machine for aligning and feeding flat articles such as letters, postcards, and the like. The flat articles are transported while in a standing mode and while being vibrated to align them. A conical roller is rotatably mounted near the end of the transport path and is oriented to direct the articles in a direction opposite the direction of travel. The conical roller has at least one flat side to vibrate the standing articles so that they will feed one-by-one.

Aligning-and-feeding apparatus for flat articles

A flat article feeding apparatus has a stacker for accumulating a plurality of flat articles, in a standing state. A main suction chamber is arranged to confront a side of the flat articles which accumulate in the stacker. A perforated suction belt moves around the main suction chamber for picking up the flat article, one by one. A pair of confronting transfer belts transfer the flat articles within a pinch of the confronting belts, as they are delivered from the suction belt. An intake belt is positioned between the suction belt and the transfer belts. The intake belt flares outwardly to form an angle .theta., with respect to the flat artcle transfer direction. Fins are mounted on a roller which supports the intake belt in order to guide the oncoming flat articles carried by the belt. The speed V.sub.1 of the intake belt or fins is set at (V/cos .theta.) with respect to the transfer speed V.sub.2 of the flat article.

Flat article feeding apparatus

A card item stacker comprises a base member having an upwardly directed principal surface for stacking card items in a predetermined direction, an endless belt extended along the base member for conveying stacked card items, and a guide plate for vertically holding the stacked card items. The endless belt has teeth spaced apart on a belt surface. Each of the tooth surfaces of the endless belt has first and second end portions transversely of the predetermined direction. The first end portion leads the second end portion in a conveying sense of the predetermined direction and is more protruded than the second end portion. At least the first end portion is protruded from the principal surface. The guide plate is engaged with two adjacent ones of the teeth while each card item does not fall within the teeth. The card items can be slided in a sense opposite to the conveying sense.

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Tokyo, Japan

Masahiko Noguchi