Roll Systems, Inc.

William F Bolza

H W Crowley

Barry Mark Jackson

John W Clifford

Tamas Hetenyi

Richard A Sjostedt

James P Zamanakos

John M Fiske

Gregory Mercurio

James R Mazur

Edward J Zanchi

A system and method for cutting continuous web that provides a simplified and direct feed path during loading, and thereafter a more-complex serpentine feed path at an infeed unit for reliable infeed of the web, arranged as either a free loop or a moderately tensioned configuration. Downstream, an indexing drive intermittently pauses the web for the cutter knife to operate. The indexing drive and infeed unit's drive are synchronized by a controller to produce a small horizontally disposed buffer loop therebetween. The buffer loop is maintained within a predetermined range using a sensor, operatively with the controller, that measures the location of the end of the loop, modulating the drives to maintain the buffer loop's (returning) end within a predetermined location about the sensor's sensing field. The system includes an adjustment drive motor for moving a plurality of edge guide sets toward and away from each other in synchronization.

System and method for cutting continuous web

A system and method for utilizing web that is free of tractor pin feed holes comprises the driving of the web along a predetermined path within the utilization device. A web guide is provided in an upstream location from a utilization device element. The guide engages width-wise edges of the web and forms the web into a trough to stiffen the web. A drive roller and a follower roller impinge upon opposing sides of the web and rotate to drive the web through the guide. The drive roller is located adjacent to the guide according to a preferred embodiment. A registration controller is utilized to synchronize the movement of the web with the operation of the utilization device element. The controller includes a drive controller that controls the speed of either the drive roller or the utilization device element to maintain the web and the utilization device element in appropriate synchronization.

Method and apparatus for pinless feeding of web to a utilization device

A system and method for utilizing a continuous pinless web that is free of tractor pin feed holes within a utilization device that is originally adapted to feed web having tractor pin feed hole strips along its widthwise edges is provided. The utilization device can comprise an IBM high-volume laser printer having an image transfer drum synchronized to a pair of tractor pin feed drive units. A drive roller is operatively connected to the lower pin feed unit according to a preferred embodiment. A registration controller is utilized to synchronize the movement of the web with the operation of the utilization device element using a differential and a separate registration motor. The image transfer drum and drive roller are each synchronized to a central drive motor that generates pulses via an encoder. The pulses track the movement of the image transfer drum. A mark sensor reads marks on the web to synchronize actual movement of the web with the image transfer drum using the registration motor. The movement of the registration motor is averaged over the length of each section or page in the web to avoid jump discontinuities. The printer's fuser section draws web from the image transfer element at a controlled rate and with a desired steering alignment. Signals that emulate those originally generated by a skew/advance/retard sensor that tracks pin feed holes are generated by comparing fuser drive pulses to drive motor pulses and monitoring the location of the pinless web edge as it passes under a dedicated edge location sensor.

A high speed sheet feeder for use with utilization devices that process sheets comprises a source of sheets, that can include a web cutter and a transport unit having a surface along which the sheets travel in a downstream direction. The surface can include a pair of conveyors that act as sheet justifiers and have at downstream ends thereof wait stations that can comprise pairs of nip rollers. Sheets are halted at each wait station and simultaneously passed along the surface as a sheet request signal is received from the utilization device. The transport unit can further include a bump/turn module that receives sheets from the conveyors and passes them at 90.degree. angle to their initial direction of travel into the utilization device via a port in the utilization device adapted to feed sheets upon request.

High speed sheet feeder

A high speed sheet feeder for use with utilization devices that process sheets comprises a source of sheets, that can include a web cutter and a transport unit having a surface along which the sheets travel in a downstream direction. The surface can include a pair of conveyors that act as sheet justifiers and have at downstream ends thereof wait stations that can comprise pairs of nip rollers. Sheets are halted at each wait station and simultaneously passed along the surface as a sheet request signal is received from the utilization device. The transport unit can further include a bump/turn module that receives sheets from the conveyors and passes them at a 90.degree. angle to their initial direction of travel into the utilization device via a port in the utilization device adapted to feed sheets upon request.

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Chelmsford, MA, United States of America

William F Bolza