Xerox Corporation

Stephen A Demchock

Richard A Van Dongen

Raymond D Wilcox

Thomas Acquaviva

LeRoy A Baldwin

Ronald R Wierszewski

Mary A Roux

Thomas W Rathbun

Techniques are disclosed for supporting objects in a tray and moving different portions of the objects at different rates for inputting or outputting from an objects processor. These techniques may be applied to stacking objects that has a thickness at one end greater than the thickness at another end, for example, resulting in stacking height of the thicker end increasing faster than the stacking height of the other thinner end.

Tray for non-uniform thickness objects

A leveling device assists in support of stackable objects having a non-uniform thickness, such as DocuCards, in a stackable tray. The stackable tray includes a pivoting tray that can be pivoted from a full sheet stack position to an empty sheet stack position. A valley removal mechanism is provided on the pivoting tray to variably support an intermediate portion of the bottom of the stack to compensate for and remove a valley created intermediate ends of the stack due to an aggregate effect of stack media of non-uniform thickness. The valley removal mechanism preferably includes a support surface that contacts a bottom of the stack, a ramp defining a ramp profile, and a ramp follower that guides the support surface to a variable orientation that compensates for the valley as the stack height changes.

Leveling device for removing valleys in stacked objects

A method of controlling the velocity of a copy substrate in an electrophotographic reproduction machine which includes a substrate registration system for transporting and registering the substrate and a toner image traveling to a toner image transfer point at a transfer velocity. The method includes decelerating the substrate from a process velocity to a low velocity, where the transfer velocity is greater than the low velocity and less than the process velocity, registering the substrate via the substrate registration system, and accelerating the substrate to the transfer velocity for image transfer.

Method and apparatus for controlling the velocity of copy substrates during registration

An electrophotographic printing machine of the type having a duplex tray for collecting sheets having an image formed on one side thereof. Successive sheets collected in the duplex tray are advanced therefrom to the processing stations of the printing machine to have an image formed on the other side thereof. The duplex tray has at least one backstop member positioned thereon and adapted to engage an edge of the sheets being collected. The backstop member stops movement of the sheets and is adapted to deflect upon being contacted by the sheet edge. When the leading edge of the sheet engages the backstop member, the backstop member deflects and absorbs energy. This also increases the sheets contact area and minimizes denting and deletions of the image edge of the sheet edge contacting the backstop member.

Sheet tray with an energy absorbing backstop and scuffer mechanism

A plural mode automatic document handling system for a copier adapted to feed either conventional document sheets or continuous computer form web documents over the imaging station platen of the copier without using sprocket feeding, which includes a platen cover unit pivotably openable relative to said platen, with frictional drive roller sets upstream and downstream of the platen for feeding continuous computer form web over the platen having a first set of feed wheels mounted to the platen cover unit and pivotable therewith and a mating, opposing, second set of feed wheels stationarily mounted to the copier, which opposing sets of feed wheels form non-slip nips when the platen cover unit is closed over the platen, but which nips are opened when the platen cover unit is opened to allow intermediate web position loading of a computer form web. A system is also provided for doing so without interference by the platen transport. A CF mid-form start registration system is provided for automatically advancing a selected intermediate web position into a desired registration position for automatic feeding and copying after the intermediate web position loading and after the platen cover unit has been pivotably closed. There is a common input for inputting either conventional document sheet documents or one end of continuous computer form web documents to the automatic document handling system, and a common document path for feeding eiher document from the common input over the platen of the copier through the same platen transport. Additional roller drives are provided in the common document path adjacent the platen for conventional document sheets, which are automatically disengaged in response to sensing of the acquisition of web documents.

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, NY, United States of America

Stephen A Demchock