Sheet variable corrugating and feeding nip
US5280901A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 24, 1993 |
| Grant date | Jan 25, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 24, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG03G2215/0089
- WIPO fieldHandling
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A sheet feeding and corrugating system, especially for output of image substrate sheets of a reproduction apparatus, wherein the sheets are fed in a normal path through a sheet feeding nip comprising plural spaced sheet feeding rollers. Both feeding and variable corrugating of flimsy or stiff sheets is provided by spherical balls freely mounted in generally vertical ball retainers providing for vertical movement and dual axis rotation against the sheet feeding rollers to define the sheet feeding nip and by additional similar balls (in additional similar ball retainers) intermediately of the feed rollers, which additional balls are unsupported vertically except by bottom-of-travel retainers so that these additional intermediate balls roll gravity-loaded against a sheet being fed through the nip to provide sheet corrugation varying automatically with the stiffness of the sheet, and are freely liftable up to the level of the nip by stiff sheets resisting corrugation. These balls may be readily added to or removed to independently increase or decrease the sheet nip and/or corrugation forces at their respective locations transverse the nip. A sheet side shifting mechanism can laterally …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.