Translating nip registration device
First Claim
1. An apparatus for advancing a sheet in a primary sheet feeding direction and for deskewing and side registering the sheet, comprising:
- means, located in a home position, for advancing the sheet in the primary sheet feeding direction, deskewing the sheet and translating the sheet in a direction substantially transverse to the primary sheet feeding direction;
means for sensing the sheet, said advancing and translating means moving in unison with the deskewed sheet in a direction substantially transverse to the primary sheet feeding direction from the home position to a side registration postion, said sensing means detecting the sheet in the side registration position; and
means for storing the registration position.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus to bilaterally register and deskew sheets in an electrophotographic printing machine by driving the sheet against a pair of stalled drive rolls and then activating the drive rolls when the sheet is deskewed. The drive rolls are then laterally translated while the sheet is within the nips of the drive rolls. The proper side registration position of the sheet is sensed and stored and the sheet is brought to that proper registration position. Once the sheet has passed through the drive rolls, the rolls return to the center of the paper path to receive subsequent sheets. A stepper motor is used to translate the roll pairs in a lateral direction and the pulse counts are utilized to store the side registration and sheet acquisition positions thereby eliminating the need for a home position sensor or switch.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. An apparatus for advancing a sheet in a primary sheet feeding direction and for deskewing and side registering the sheet, comprising:
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means, located in a home position, for advancing the sheet in the primary sheet feeding direction, deskewing the sheet and translating the sheet in a direction substantially transverse to the primary sheet feeding direction; means for sensing the sheet, said advancing and translating means moving in unison with the deskewed sheet in a direction substantially transverse to the primary sheet feeding direction from the home position to a side registration postion, said sensing means detecting the sheet in the side registration position; and means for storing the registration position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An apparatus for advancing a sheet in a primary sheet feeding direction and for deskewing and side registering the sheet, comprising:
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means, located in a home position, for advancing the sheet in the primary sheet feeding direction and deskewing the sheet including a roll pair defining a drive nip, and means for translating said roll pair in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of a roll of said roll pair; and means for sensing the sheet, said advancing means moving in unison with the deskewed sheet in a direction substantially transverse to the primary sheet feeding direction from the home position to a side registration position, said sensing means detecting the sheet in the side registration position, wherein said translating means moves said roll pair in response to a signal from said sensing means and wherein said translating means further comprises a stepper motor, means for counting the steps of the stepper motor, and means for storing a particular count responsive to a signal from said sensing means.
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9. An apparatus for advancing a sheet in a primary sheet feeding direction and for deskewing and side registering the sheet, comprising:
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means, located in a home position, for advancing the sheet in the primary sheet feeding direction and deskewing the sheet; means for sensing the sheet, said advancing means moving in unison with the deskewed sheet in a direction substantially transverse to the primary sheet feeding direction from the home position to a side registration position, said sensing means detecting the sheet in the side registration position wherein said advancing means returns to the home position from the side registration position in response to said sensing means detecting the sheet; and means, responsive to a signal from said sensing means, for storing the side registration position of said advancing means and returning said advancing means to said stored side registration position when said advancing means moves, from the home position to a position spaced from the side registration position wherein said advancing means returns to the home position from the side registration position in response to said sensing means detecting the sheet.
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10. An electrophotographic printing machine of the type in which a sheet is advanced in a primary sheet feeding direction and is deskewed and side registered, wherein the improvement comprises:
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means, located in a home position, for advancing the sheet in the primary sheet feeding direction, deskewing the sheet and translating the sheet in a direction substantially transverse to the primary sheet feeding direction; means for sensing the sheet, said advancing and translating means moving in unison with the deskewed sheet in a direction substantially transverse to the primary sheet feeding direction from the home position to a side registration position, said sensing means detecting the sheet in the side registration position; and means for storing the registration position. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. An electrophotographic printing machine of the type in which a sheet is advanced in a primary sheet feeding direction and is deskewed and side registered, wherein the improvement comprises:
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means, located in a home position, for advancing the sheet in the primary sheet feeding direction and deskewing the sheet including a roll pair defining a drive nip, and means for translating said roll pair in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of a roll of said roll pair; and means for sensing the sheet, said advancing means moving in unison with the deskewed sheet in a direction substantially transverse to the primary sheet feeding direction from the home position to a side registration position, said sensing means detecting the sheet in the side registration position, wheren said translating means moves said roll pair in response to a signal from said sensing means and wherein said translating means further comprises a stepper motor, means for counting the steps of the stepper motor, and means for storing a particular count responsive to a signal from said sensing means. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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21. A method for deskewing and side registering a sheet in an electrophotographic printing machine comprising the steps of:
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advancing the sheet in the primary sheet feed direction until a portion of the sheet engages a non-operative roll pair so as to deskew the sheet; actuating the roll pair after deskewing the sheet to advance the sheet in the primary sheet feed direction; moving the roll pair in unison with the advancing sheet in a direction transverse to the primary sheet feed direction from a home position to a side registration position; and sensing the presence of the sheet in the side registration position; and storing the registration position. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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23. A method for deskewing and side registering a sheet in an electrophotographic printing machine comprising the steps of:
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advancing the sheet in the primary sheet feed direction until a portion of the sheet engages a non-operative roll pair so as to deskew the sheet; actuating the roll pair after deskewing the sheet to advance the sheet in the primary sheet feed direction; moving the roll pair in unison with the advancing sheet in a direction transverse to the primary sheet feed direction from a home position to a side registration position; sensing the presence of the sheet in the side registration position; storing the home position of said roll pair and returning said roll pair to the stored home position after each sheet exits roll pair; and storing the sensed proper side registration position of said roll pair and returning said roll pair to the stored side registration position when said roll pair moves, from the home position to a position spaced from the side registration position.
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Specification