Xerox Corporation

Wayne R Smith

Donald R Ryan

Henry Thomas Kremers

Kevin R Mathers

Clifford L George

William A Sullivan

Craig A Smith

Raphael F Bov, Jr

William G Miller

Robert A Coons, Jr

Jacob W Patla

Gerard R Sturnick

Paul W Eakin

Gerald Abowitz

Wolfgang H Tinz

A production and finishing system, particularly a printing and finishing system, for electronic management and control of a wide range of finishing processes characterized by input from multiple production operations and equipment that, depending upon the job, may be variably applied to work pieces that themselves are highly variable between different jobs. Particular emphasis is demonstrated in relation to printing and finishing operations for printed documents. The principles of the present invention, however, apply to such production and finishing systems as, without limitation, textile production (which may include printing, cutting, sewing, and finishing), packaging operations for various consumer and industrial products, and printed wiring board production, etc. The present invention is particularly applicable to many operations where processes for production of work pieces are managed separately from processes for finishing and packaging of such work pieces.

Apparatus and method for describing, planning and automatically programming complex finishing tasks

A sheet turning apparatus includes a vacuum source used to capture and hold a sheet onto a rotatable disc that is connected to a servo motor. Actuation of the servo motor causes rotation of the disc which in turn rotates the sheet 90&#xb0;.

Sheet rotator

A method for a finishing module coordinator controller used in a finishing system comprised of finishing devices controlled separately from production equipment. The method comprises receiving finishing job description information, including identification of job segments of the job; and using such information for programming at least one finishing device. The method further comprises tracking performance of the job and adjusting the job model and device performance in response to conditions during performance of the finishing job.

Finishing module coordinator apparatus and method for assembler/finisher systems

A method for a production monitor controller used in a finishing system wherein the controller uses information concerning the constraints of devices within the system to break the job into job segments wherein each job segment conforms to the constraints of the devices operating on the job segment. A method for creating a job model comprised of a hierarchy of nodes that together describe the job and each of its components. Elements of the of the production monitor controller.

Production monitor controller apparatus and method for assembler/finisher systems

A post-printer open-architecture device includes a document input region for receiving documents from a document printing apparatus and a document output region for outputting post-processed documents. An open-architecture document post-processing region is located intermediate the document input and output regions and includes a transport surface for conveying documents from the document input region to the document output region. A module mounting assembly releasably receives and secures at least one document post-processing module in an operative position to perform one or more post-processing operations on a document conveyed on the transport surface. Suitable post-processing modules to be connected to the module mounting assembly include ink-jet printing modules, color application modules, magnetic ink character recognition conversion modules, magnetic ink character recognition verification modules, bar-code reader modules, brail embossing modules, perforation modules, slitting modules, foil application modules, envelope stuffing modules, and postage metering modules.

Post-printer open architecture device

A tape containing a supporting substrate and a magnetic layer coated thereover. This tape can be selected for thermal fusing processes where the coating, after heating of the tape which is in contact with a nonmagnetic image, transfers into the image and renders it magnetic. The corrected image can then be selected for MICR processes and devices.

Magnetic tapes and processes

A system that prints onto the spine or edges of a book includes a thermal ink jet printer having a printhead configured and positioned to traverse the spine or edge of books. The ink jet printer has a book support that facilitates the positioning of a book adjacent the printhead. Imaging by the printhead onto the spine or edge of the book is controlled by a computer with appropriate software. An adjustment device is connected to the printhead for controlling the positioning of the printhead with respect to the spine or edge of the book in order to compensate for different fonts sizes and book thicknesses.

Ink jet book spine printing system

A fraud prevention system for magnetic ink character recognition includes providing a colored, highly reflective media and magnetic media over a non-magnetic toned image which can be an on-line or off-line component of an imaging apparatus. Colored media and magnetic ink are applied to selected characters from a thin film that includes a layer of colored media and a layer of magnetic media by utilizing a heater member to promote release of the colored and magnetic media to the previously toned characters.

Security of negotiable instruments thru the application of color to

A low cost and efficient system for magnetic ink character recognition provides a magnetic image over a non-magnetic toned image which can be an on-line or off-line component of an imaging apparatus. Magnetic ink is applied to selected characters from a thin film that includes a magnetic media by utilizing a heater member to promote release of the magnetic ink to the previously toned characters.

Application of MICR media to xerographic images

A flash exposure, full frame electrostatographic printing system is disclosed as having a document support drum and an optical arrangement for scanning a document for exposing the same to a moving photoreceptor belt. The optical arrangements for flash exposure and scanning have most of their respective parts in common. A mirror is incorporated into the optical arrangement for scanning and is movable into and out of the optical path thereof.

Optical system for scanning and flash exposing of document

A toner cartridge for use in a copying machine for supplying fresh toner to the developer for the machine is disclosed as being formed with an elongated opening to permit discharge of toner when inverted. A removable flexible strip covers the opening and is detachably held to the cartridge by adhesive material. The strip comprises a flattened sleeve having the edges of one of its sides adhesively held onto the cartridge across the opening and a pulling member retained in the sleeve with one of its ends connected to one end of the sleeve so that a gradual pulling of the other end of the member progressively removes the sleeve as the same is turned within itself or inside out thereby carrying toner particles adhering to the sleeve within the sleeve.

Toner cartridge with removable sleeve closure

A finishing station for a reproducing machine provides for the collecting, sorting, corner registration of collated sets, finishing as by stapling or other means and the collection of collated sets. In particular, the sorter comprises a plurality of copy sheet collating trays arranged in a vertical array, means to transport copy sheets from the reproducing machine to the sorter, corner registration means for the collated sets within the tray, means to maintain the corner registration of the collated copy sheets as they are transported while in the tray to a finishing station, a finishing station and a finished collated set collection station.

Output station for reproducing machine

A document registering and feeding apparatus comprising a flexible registration and feeding member for driving a document into registration engagement with a side registration member and for feeding a document in a direction substantially parallel to the side registration member. The flexible registration and feeding member comprises a flexible rotatable drive shaft and a generally cylindrical deformable scuffer wheel fixed to one end of the drive shaft, the wheel being in pressure contact with the base surface and adjacent to but spaced from the side registration member.

Document registering and feeding apparatus

An electrostatic reproduction machine having an improved control circuit to control turn on of a discharge lamp positioned to discharge a moving photoconductive belt member prior to development thereof. The control circuit enables a first mode of operation for copying standard length documents of 81/2 inches in length and a second mode of operation for copying documents greater in length than 81/2 inches without erasing image areas by the discharge lamp. For the second mode of operation an RC adjustable circuit enables a suitable delay before lamp turn on. A machine operator can easily select the desired mode of operation.

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Pittsford, NY, United States of America

Wayne R Smith