US3994487A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Sheet handling apparatus
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
•
Filing: 1975-10-31
•
Granted: 1976-11-30
•
Expires: 1995-10-31
Abstract
Abstract Sheet handling apparatus for feeding just-burst sheets along a sheet path to a stacker mechanism where the sheets are stacked on end in the same order they entered. The stacker bed is adjustable to receive any of a predetermined sizes of sheets. A plurality of feeding means is spaced along the sheet path and these feeding means are actuated to feed the predetermined size sheet by setting the stacker bed in position. As the sheets are fed along the sheet path, each sheet can be selectively laterally offset to facilitate the separation of the sheets into sets of copies, data sets or jobs.
Inventors
- 👤 Harold Pershing Wicklund
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 08:35
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65H; B65H31/00; B65H31/04; B65H31/06; B65H31/20; B65H33/00; B65H33/06; B65H33/08; B65H35/00; B65H35/10; B65H2301/00; B65H2301/30; B65H2301/32; B65H2301/321; B65H2301/40; B65H2301/42; B65H2301/421; B65H2301/4214; B65H2301/42146; B65H2301/4219; B65H2301/42192; B65H2301/50; B65H2301/51; B65H2301/515; B65H2301/5151; B65H2301/51514; B65H2801/00; B65H2801/03; B65H2801/12; B65H2801/36
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
90 words
Apparatus for transporting sheets along a predetermined path at a predetermined velocity to a sheet receiving means comprising: a plurality of feeding means spaced along said path; means for selectively actuating each of said feeding means; sheet receiving means positioned at the end of said path for receiving said sheets in serial order; means for setting the sheet receiving means to receive a predetermined size sheet; and means actuated by said setting means for selectively actuating said feeding means for feeding said predetermined size sheet to said sheet receiving means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
90 words
Apparatus for transporting sheets along a predetermined path at a predetermined velocity to a sheet receiving means comprising: a plurality of feeding means spaced along said path; means for selectively actuating each of said feeding means; sheet receiving means positioned at the end of said path for receiving said sheets in serial order; means for setting the sheet receiving means to receive a predetermined size sheet; and means actuated by said setting means for selectively actuating said feeding means for feeding said predetermined size sheet to said sheet receiving means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
53 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of said feeding means comprises a driven feed roll and a pressure roll mounted for selective movement to a nipforming engagement with the feed roll, and wherein said means for selectively actuating each of the feeding means comprises means for actuating each of said pressure rolls.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
53 words
The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said sheet stacker means comprises a stacker bed member and means for setting the stacker bed member at a plurality of distances relative to said feeding means, each of said distances comprising the distance for stacking a predetermined size sheet on end in said sheet stacker means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
88 words
The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said means actuated by said setting means comprises a linear cam operatively associated with said sheet stacker means, a plurality of pivoted members each having two arms, said pivoted members each mounted with one arm adjacent to one of said pressure roll means and the other arm extending into operative relationship with said linear cam means so that the linear cam means selectively engages one or more of said pivoted members to move the corresponding pressure roll means to the operative position.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
112 words
Apparatus for transporting sheets along a predetermined path at a predetermined velocity to a sheet receiving means comprising: a plurality of feeding means spaced along said path; means for selectively actuating each of said feeding means; sheet receiving means positioned at the end of said path for receiving said sheets in serial order; means for setting the sheet receiving means to receive a predetermined size sheet; means actuated by said setting means for selectively actuating said feeding means for feeding said predetermined size sheet to said sheet receiving means; and means for selectively producing a lateral displacement of said sheet as it is moved along said predetermined path at said predetermined velocity.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
112 words
Apparatus for transporting sheets along a predetermined path at a predetermined velocity to a sheet receiving means comprising: a plurality of feeding means spaced along said path; means for selectively actuating each of said feeding means; sheet receiving means positioned at the end of said path for receiving said sheets in serial order; means for setting the sheet receiving means to receive a predetermined size sheet; means actuated by said setting means for selectively actuating said feeding means for feeding said predetermined size sheet to said sheet receiving means; and means for selectively producing a lateral displacement of said sheet as it is moved along said predetermined path at said predetermined velocity.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
53 words
The apparatus of claim 5 wherein each of said feeding means comprises a driven feed roll and a pressure roll mounted for selective movement to a nip-forming engagement with the feed roll and wherein said means for selectively actuating each of the feeding means comprises means for actuating each of said pressure rolls.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
56 words
The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said offset means comprises roll feeding means mounted at an angle to said sheet path and driven at a speed substantially faster than said predetermined velocity so that said sheet is laterally offset along said sheet path so that its speed along the sheet path equals the predetermined velocity.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
53 words
The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said sheet stacker means comprises a stacker bed member and means for setting the stacker bed member at a plurality of distances relative to said feeding means, each of said distances comprising the distance for stacking a predetermined size sheet on end in said sheet stacker means.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
88 words
The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said means actuated by said setting means comprises a linear cam operatively associated with said sheet stacker means, a plurality of pivoted members each having two arms, said pivoted members each mounted with one arm adjacent to one of said pressure roll means and the other arm extending into operative relationship with said linear cam means so that the linear cam means selectively engages one or more of said pivoted members to move the corresponding pressure roll means to the operative position.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
88 words
The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said means actuated by said setting means comprises a linear cam operatively associated with said sheet stacker means, a plurality of pivoted members each having two arms, said pivoted members each mounted with one arm adjacent to one of said pressure roll means and the other arm extending into operative relationship with said linear cam means so that the linear cam means selectively engages one or more of said pivoted members to move the corresponding pressure roll means to the operative position.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
88 words
The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said means actuated by said setting means comprises a linear cam operatively associated with said sheet stacker means, a plurality of pivoted members each having two arms, said pivoted members each mounted with one arm adjacent to one of said pressure roll means and the other arm extending into operative relationship with said linear cam means so that the linear cam means selectively engages one or more of said pivoted members to move the corresponding pressure roll means to the operative position.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
56 words
The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said offset means comprises roll feeding means mounted at an angle to said sheet path and driven at a speed substantially faster than said predetermined velocity so that said sheet is laterally offset along said sheet path so that its speed along the sheet path equals the predetermined velocity.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
53 words
The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said sheet stacker means comprises a stacker bed member and means for setting the stacker bed member at a plurality of distances relative to said feeding means, each of said distances comprising the distance for stacking a predetermined size sheet on end in said sheet stacker means.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
42 words
The apparatus of claim 5 additionally comprising control means for selectively producing a sheet offset signal and means for energizing said offset means when said sheet is at a predetermined position along said predetermined path in response to said sheet offset signal.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1979-11-30 | 1980-05-31 | 1980-11-30 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1983-11-30 | 1984-05-31 | 1984-11-30 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1987-11-30 | 1988-05-31 | 1988-11-30 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |