Xerox Corporation

William J McLaughlin

Thomas C Iaia, Jr

Robert P Siegel

Douglas A McKeown

James A Herley

Michael S Doery

Roger C Male

John A Adamek

Edward W Hanzlik

Robert W Schaffer

Colin R Dodd

Charles W Spehrly, Jr

A document handler 20 for presenting documents to the platen 23 of a copier 10 for copying with a vacuum belt platen transport system 32 having document transporting belts 35 movable under a substantially planar vacuum plenum backing and imaging background surface 33a overlying the platen, and a vacuum system 33 for applying a partial vacuum to a document sheet being transported by the movable belts over the platen; with a clamping and unclamping system for moving the vacuum plenum backing and imaging background surface 33a against the platen 23 to flatten the belts 35 and a document thereon against the platen for copying. During unclamping the surface 33a slightly fits away from the platen, while supplying the partial vacuum to lift a document away from the platen retained on the belts, by first lifting a first side of the surface 33a up away from the platen substantially before the opposite side, and then subsequently lifting the opposite side, to generate a controlled air flow for assisting in retaining the documents to the belts, and moving the belts when the surface is lifted away from the platen. During clamping the first side of the surface 33a moves towards the platen beginning slightly before the opposite side to generate a controlled air flow expulsion of air.

Document handler vacuum belt platen transport clamping system

A document handler 20 for presenting documents to the platen 23 of a copier 10 for copying with a vacuum belt platen transport system 23 having plural unapertured, thin, low-frictional, document transporting belts 35 with substantial exposed spaced 35a between the edges of the belts, the belts being movable under a substantially planar vacuum plenum backing and imaging background surface 33a overlying the platen, and a vacuum system 33 for applying a partial vacuum to a document sheet being transported by the movable belts; wherein the vacuum plenum surface 33a has multiple vacuum apertures 53 located under and overlaid by the edges of the belts 35, the belts extending in rows under the belt edges across the surface, but not extending into the exposed spaces between the belts. The belts are opaque and white and optically conceal the overlaid vacuum apertures 53. The surface also has multiple vacuum grooves 54 extending transversely in closely spaced parallel rows across the exposed spaces between the edges of adjacent belts but not passing under the belts. The vacuum grooves connect with the vacuum apertures for applying a partial vacuum to a document on the belts in the exposed spaces between the belts, but not applying a partial vacuum under the belts except at the outer edges, so that the belts are substantially riding on ungrooved and unapertured and non-vacuum areas of the vacuum plenum surface to substantially reduce frictional drag between said belts and this surface. Additional vacuum channeling 58 may be provided along a registration edge for additional vacuum holding force together with a vacuum edge seal 72 overlayed by the document edge.

Document handler vacuum belt platen transport system

A bottom vacuum corrugation feeder includes a vacuum chamber with a bi-level support surface that support a plurality of apertured belts. The bi-level support surface has a series of raised members on a portion of its surface that corrugate the bottom sheet of a stack of sheets that are supported on a stacking tray. The stacking tray inclues raised members on its stack support surface that allow the venting of air from an air knife positioned in front of the sheet stack for separating the bottom sheet in the stack from the remainder of the stack. Recesses are included in the stack support surface of the stacking tray in order to reduce vacuum leak around the front edge of the sheet stack.

Multiple plane corrugation-vented bottom vacuum corrugation feeder

A recirculating document handler having a document restack transport. The transport includes a series of spaced vacuum assisted drive belts for transporting successive documents to a position above a document stacking tray. A sensor is used to note the passage of a document lead edge past an input to the restack transport. After a delay which allows the document to be driven to the position above the stacking tray the document is separated from the drive belts by a knockdown bail and a reduction in the vacuum attraction between the document and the drive belts. The bail comprises a series of rods supported in locations between the drive belts which pivot into contact with the document and drive it into the stacking tray. The rods contact the document near its trailing edge to force the trail edge to the stacking tray.

Document restack transport

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Fairport, NY, United States of America

William J McLaughlin