Xerox Corporation

Eastman-kodak Company

Stephen J Wenthe

Thomas N Taylor

Richard E Smith

Sukumaran K Menon

David Arlen Caswell

William J Woznicki

In a continuous form document feeder for a copier, for incrementally feeding a computer form or the like web document from a fan-folded stack thereof to the imaging station of a copier with a web feeder, the improvement in the supply hopper in which the fan-fold web stack is stacked and from which the web is unfolded and fed out to be copied with said web feeder, wherein said supply hopper has a generally horizontal main stack supporting floor for supporting the principal portion of the stack of fan-fold web, a downstream stack edge retaining low wall extending upwardly not substantially above the maximum height of the stack of web to be fed from the supply hopper and adjacent the end of the supply hopper from which the web is to be fed out to be copied, this low wall being adapted to retain one end of the stack of fan-fold web in the supply hopper but to provide low friction and low angle feeding of the web from the stack thereover, and a raised stack floor portion adjacent the end of the supply hopper opposite from the low wall and extending upwardly from the main floor to slightly tilt upwardly (relative to the rest of the stack) the end of the stack of fan-fold web in the supply hopper opposite from the low wall sufficiently to substantially reduce variations in the resistance to unfolding and feeding of the web from the stack thereof by the web feeder. This raised stack floor portion preferably extends upwardly at approximately 10 degrees to the main floor and is adapted to raise the upstream end of the stack by at least approximately 1 centimeter relative to the rest of the stack.

Computer forms web copying apparatus

In a sheet feeder wherein sheets are fed from the bottom of a stack of the sheets in a stack support there is disclosed an automatic integral plural mode sheet stack sensor which, in a first mode, controls a variable pneumatic feeding means in response to sensing the height of the stack of sheets, and which, in a second mode, provides a signal indicative of the feeding from the stack support of all of the sheets in the stack. As further disclosed, a finger member is resettable on top of the stack of sheets, and a first switch is actuable by a first position of the finger member to increase the output of an air knife for assisting the bottom sheet feeder when the finger member is reset on top of the stack of sheets and the height of the stack of sheets exceeds a preset level, and a second switch is actuable for the second mode by the dropping of the finger member into a second position in response to all of the sheets being fed out from under the finger, and a fed sheet counter is connected to control the same variable pneumatic control so as to override the first mode control from the sheet stack sensor if a number of sheets is counted exceeding a preset count before the second mode signal.

Dual mode stack sensor

In a document handling system for feeding a computer forms web across the copying platen of a copier, the improvement in laterally registering the computer forms web transversely of the feeding direction of the web over the platen without utilizing the sprocket holes of the computer forms web with apparatus compatible with individual document feeding and registration comprising a lateral undercut platen registration edge channel extending in the feeding direction of the computer forms web over the platen, and a slightly angled frictional roller over the platen frictionally laterally urging the computer forms web laterallly against the lateral registration edge and frictional feeding plural driven roller nip pairs adjacent the downstream edge of the platen for applying a rotational skewing force to the computer forms web urging it against the lateral registration edge in cooperation with the computer form feeding frictional roller, and by at least one roller nip pair adjacent the lateral platen registration edge having a slightly larger effective diameter and therefore slightly faster attempted web feeding velocity than the other roller nip pairs.

Device for lateral registration of computer form documents for copying

A document handler employing a vacuum belt feeder having an air knife to aid in sheet separation. The quantity of air discharged from the air knife is varied in accordance with the number of documents placed in the document handler as determined by counting the documents fed through the document handler during the initial feed cycle.

Method for feeding documents to a copy machine

A sheet inverter which accommodates the reversal of motion of sheets of different sizes within a curved fixed length inversion chute having a variable buckle control provided by highly flexible and low force spring members chordally intersecting the inverter chute which provide assistance in positively feeding the sheet back out of the chute, after it has been positively buckled therein against the chute end, but allows the undisturbed formation of buckles of various dimensions within the chute depending on the size of the sheet.

Inverter with variable buckling control

Vacuum feeder for feeding sheets having holes adjacent to a marginal edge of the sheets. Removable port-closure members are inserted through and close the feeder ports which are aligned with the holes in the sheets to be transported by the feeder.

Port-closure for vacuum sheet feeder

A receiver member guide mechanism for a receiver member bearing a toned image, the mechanism including an open-wound helical spring wrapped tightly in a second helix around a support shaft. The shaft is positioned to locate the spring beneath the receiver member travel path. The shaft is rotated at a high rate of speed so that if a receiver member drops below the normal travel path, the lead edge of the member will be struck by the convolutions of the spring and redirected back into the travel path. The orientation of the convolutions of the spring is selected such that the peripheral surface of the convolutions provide only point contact with a receiver member so as to prevent smearing of the toned image.

Sheet handling apparatus

An apparatus in which an article is illuminated by a light source moving thereacross. Vibration of the light source is minimized during the movement thereof.

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, NY, United States of America

Stephen J Wenthe