Pitney Bowes Inc.

Other

Robert J Edwards

Kenneth W Lowell

Harry E Luperti

Richard F Stengl

Thomas M Helit

An improvement for an apparatus conveying sheets of paper seriatim along a deck between a plurality of roller pairs, including lower driven rollers and corresponding upper biased idler rollers. The improvement comprises a roller and guide plate assembly pivotably mounted on the deck. The roller and guide plate assembly includes a guide plate operatively coupled to rigid support shafts and upper roller assemblies of the roller pairs, and means for supporting the guide plate a fixed distance above the deck. The guide plate is mounted to at least two shaft support blocks, the rigid support shafts for the upper roller assemblies being mounted to the support blocks above the guide plate, the guide plate including slots through which the biased upper rollers of the upper roller assemblies extend therethrough to cooperate with the corresponding lower driven rollers to convey sheets across the deck. One of the shaft support blocks is pivotably mounted to the deck whereby the roller and guide plate assembly is pivotable between a raised position and a lowered operating position. There is a locking mechanism, including a support bracket and means for locking the roller and guide plate assembly to the support bracket in the lowered operating position, the roller and guide plate assembly being supported by a lower leg of the support bracket when the roller and guide plate assembly is in a lowered operating position.

Roller/guide plate assembly for ninety degree document transfer unit

In a document collating and stuffing apparatus wherein documents are collated along a longitudinally extending transport deck having an upstream end and a downstream end, the documents being fed from a plurality of feeding stations serially positioned above the transport deck, and at least one of the feeding stations including a platform mounted thereto, an improvement to the feeding station comprising structure for adjustably positioning the platform at one of a raised position and a lowered position, the raised position causing the feed station to feed the documents directly to the transport deck before a next upstream collation is transported on top of the fed document by pusher structure, and the lowered position causing the platform to support documents fed thereto until the next upstream collation is transported along the transport deck under the platform by the pusher structure at which time the document is transported on top of the collation by the pusher structure.

Adjustable over/under guide plate for sheet feeder

A mounting apparatus for an optical reader which provides adjustment of the reader along two axes. The apparatus comprises a support member having a slotted section defined by first and second arms projecting from each end of the support member and extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. There is a plate member adjacent and operatively coupled to the support member for clamping the support member to the support shaft, whereby the support member can be adjustably positioned in the first direction. A travelling nut is slidably positioned in the slotted section, and has an aperture in which the optical reader is held. The travelling nut includes a threaded hole engaged by a threaded portion of a thumb screw. The thumb screw extends through apertures in the first and second arms and into the slotted section for adjusting the position of the travelling nut in the second direction.

Apparatus for synchronizing data reading capabilities of an optical

An apparatus for diverting individual sheets and stacks of sheets from being folded comprises a buckle chute folder having a pair of feed rollers, which form an entrance nip to the buckle chute, and at least one buckle chute. There is a stop member assembly adjacent the buckle chute. The stop member assembly includes a plurality of stop fingers coupled to a solenoid, wherein operation of the solenoid moves the stop fingers from a fold position to a divert position. In one embodiment, the solenoid is a rotary solenoid, with the stop fingers being coupled to the shaft of the rotary solenoid. The stop fingers extend through the buckle chute when the solenoid is de-energized, and the stop fingers pivot out of the chute when the solenoid is energized. The sheets being conveyed into the buckle chute by the feed rollers engage the stop fingers to initiate a fold in the sheets when the stop fingers are in a fold position. Thesheets are conveyed through the buckle chute without a fold when the stop fingers are in the divert position. The buckel chute has an divert end opposite an entrance end adjacent to the feed rollers.

Diverting apparatus and method for in-line inserting equipment

An improvement in a collating machine for stacking sheets of paper fed seriatim from a singulating feeder in the same order as the sheets appear in the singulating feeder. The collating machine includes at least one upper belt and one lower belt for frictionally engaging and transporting the sheets, and ramp structure for lifting a succeeding sheet of paper over and onto a preceding, stopped sheet to form a collation. The improvement comprises a device for stopping each of the sheets, including at least one straight, vertical member against which the leading edge of each sheet abuts while the collation is being accumulated. The ramp structure and the stopping device are the upstream and downstream ends of a stacking section in the collating machine. There is a device, adjacent the stopping device, for transporting the collation from the stacking section. The transporting device is engaged when a last sheet has been stacked to form the collation, wherein the stopping device withdraws to allow the collation to pass when the transport device is engaged.

Sheet collator with alignment apparatus

In a reversible collating machine for stacking sheets of paper fed seriatim thereto from a singulating feeder in the same or reverse order as the sheets appear in the singulating feeder, the collating machine comprising a plurality of upper and lower belts suspended over a plurality of pulleys, each of the belts having an upper and lower reach wherein the lower reach of the upper belts and the upper reach of the lower belts frictionally engage and transport the sheets of paper, a plurality of upper ramp guide blocks secured to a frame, wherein each of the upper ramp guide blocks includes at least two idler rollers for defining a path for the upper belts, an improvement comprises a removable idler roller shaft having rotatably mounted thereto one of the idler rollers for each of the upper ramp guide blocks, wherein each of the upper ramp guide blocks has a first slot in which the idler roller shaft rests and a second slot perpendicular to the first slot in which the one idler roller rotatably fits when the idler roller shaft is placed in the first slot, wherein the lower reach of each upper belt is routed over the one idler roller for reverse order collation and wherein the lower reach of each upper belt is bypasses the upper ramp guide block for same order collation, the idler roller shaft being removable for routing the lower belt for same or reverse collation.

Standard and reverse collator using a removable idler roller shaft

A nonslip foot assembly for the lower end of a crutch, cane, walker or other walking aid. An expansible sleeve is anchored in the end of the crutch by rotating a threaded bolt in order to squeeze the sleeve between a pair of nuts. The end of the bolt projects out of the crutch and is pivotally pinned to a nonslip foot formed by a rigid disk bonded to a resilient pad having a plurality of projecting fingers. The fingers flex when applied to a hard surface and their resiliency applies a firm gripping force even if the surface is slippery. The fingers are able to dig into carpets and other soft surfaces to provide a firm grip without damaging the surface.

Growing community of inventors

Ridgefield, CT, United States of America

Robert J Edwards