Sheet feeding or delivering – Delivering – With transfer means between conveyor and receiver
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-02
2001-02-13
Ellis, Christopher P. (Department: 3651)
Sheet feeding or delivering
Delivering
With transfer means between conveyor and receiver
C271S304000, C271S258010, C271S258020, C271S902000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06186497
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvements in printer/copier architecture including a multiple output inverter that serves to interchange the trail edge of a sheet as the lead edge and interchanging the top side of a sheet with the bottom side of the sheet by employing a unique gating system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Inverters are used in copiers to enable automatic duplex as color highlighting copying or printing. The main function of an inverter is to interchange the trail edge of a sheet as the lead edge of the sheet and interchange the top side of a sheet with the bottom side of the sheet.
Many prior art printer/copier machines also include gating devices. Such gating devices include at least one removable guide at a crossroad for directing a sheet into a number of paper paths. Gates do not invert copy sheets, rather they serve to direct sheets to a desired path.
Many prior machines employ at least one inverter, as well as, multiple gating stations. However, this structure is cumbersome and require extraneous paper paths.
PRIOR ART
Present inverters that may be relevant include:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,374,049 which discloses an inverter system that includes multiple gates.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,649 discloses a multiple output inverter that employs a sheet pocket with a first end and a second end with rollers spaced a predetermined distance from the first end. The sheet pocket includes a plurality of sheet feeding nips with one of the nips being an inlet nip for directing a sheet into the first end of the sheet pocket and at least one other of the nips being an exit nip for directing a sheet out of the first end the sheet pocket, and bypass for selectively permitting a sheet to exit the sheet pocket through the second end thereof.
A tri-roll inverter is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,864 that includes a sheet corrugating nip and an output baffle at the corrugation nip with raised edges which contributes to corrugation of copy sheets driven out of the corrugation nip.
The present invention aims at providing a low cost inverter with a multi-function decision gate that directs output copy to a plurality of top side exit trays and a duplex path.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, in accordance with the purposes of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the low cost inverter apparatus of the present invention includes a dual positionable, multi-function gate and a stationary baffle that guide sheets toward catch or output trays or work in conjunction with reversible rolls to direct the sheets into a duplex path. The dual positionable gate and stationary baffle have points thereon that are positioned to use the beam strength of the sheets to align the sheets with a duplex nip that feeds the sheets into the duplex path.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
REFERENCES:
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patent: 4699367 (1987-10-01), Russel
patent: 4714241 (1987-12-01), Randall
patent: 5131649 (1992-07-01), Martin et al.
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patent: 5374049 (1994-12-01), Bares et al.
patent: 5513840 (1996-05-01), Fujita et al.
patent: 5655765 (1997-08-01), Asami et al.
patent: 5887868 (1999-03-01), Lambert et al.
patent: 6042098 (2000-03-01), Kubota et al.
Bower Kenneth W
Eipert William F.
Ellis Christopher P.
Henry II William A.
Xerox Corporation
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