Xerox Corporation

Michael S Doery

Henry Thomas Bober

William J McLaughlin

John A Adamek

Edward W Hanzlik

In a copier, automatically providing tabbed sheets in the output of the copy sheets of the copier, with an integral, on-line, copy sheet tab cutting system. Selectably varying the tab cutting position and cut tab size provides sequentially varied tabs. A selected tab may be cut on any selected sheet being fed through the regular copy sheet (paper) path of a xerographic or other copier or printer. This may be done by temporarily stopping and registering the leading edge of the selected sheet, and then shear cutting off the untabbed areas of the trailing edge of the sheet by moving an shear cutting assembly transversely across the direction of movement of the copy sheet path of the copier upstream of the lead edge registration position at slightly less than the sheet width distance, and providing irregular width cutting of the sheet (non-cutting of the tab area). The latter may be provided by a tab interruption or offset of mating tab cutting shear wheels on the shear cutting assembly, and this may be variably repositioned by indexed rotation of the shear wheels to change the tab cutting position.

Copier on-line variable tab cutter

An apparatus which binds a set of sheets by applying a tape having an adhesive thereon to the spine of the set of sheets. A heated plate is resiliently urged into contact with the tape with a force selected to optimize adhesive melt and flow.

Binding apparatus

The invention is a simple method for quickly defining page numbers for signature production, calculating a check value based on the total of page numbers, and displaying document identities and orientations on the platen for each signature to form a booklet. In particular, the operator enters the number of pages to appear in the booklet, the control calculates the number of pages in the finished book, the total number of signatures and a check value. The pagination of signatures is displayed for ease of operator orientation.

Interactive system for signature production

In an automatic document handling system for recirculating a set of document sheets seriatim in a page order to and from the imaging station of a copier for making precollated copy sheet sets, wherein the document handling system has a control system and two document trays, the improvement for higher speed document recirculation for copying on a copier having a high copying rate comprising: an automatic document sheet separating system controlled by said control means for automatically, during the first circulation of the set of document sheets, separating the set of document sheets into two half-sets of alternate page document sheets, odd and even, and restacking the half-sets respectively in the two document trays, and an automatic alternate document sheet cooperative feeding system actuated automatically by the control means on the second and subsequent copying circulations of the document set to feed document sheets alternately and overlapping in time from the two document sheet half-sets in the two document trays so as to feed document sheets at the high copying rate and in page seriatim order to be copied on said copier, and to automatically in the second and subsequent, but not the last, copying circulations, to reseparate the document sheets after they are copied in their return to the two document trays. A system specifically for handling duplex documents is also disclosed.

Alternative feeding document recirculation

A recirculating document handler having a document restack transport. The transport includes a series of spaced vacuum assisted drive belts for transporting successive documents to a position above a document stacking tray. A sensor is used to note the passage of a document lead edge past an input to the restack transport. After a delay which allows the document to be driven to the position above the stacking tray the document is separated from the drive belts by a knockdown bail and a reduction in the vacuum attraction between the document and the drive belts. The bail comprises a series of rods supported in locations between the drive belts which pivot into contact with the document and drive it into the stacking tray. The rods contact the document near its trailing edge to force the trail edge to the stacking tray.

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, NY, United States of America

Michael S Doery