A document feeder for transferring original documents placed in a stack one at a time in succession into a copying position on an exposure platen of a copy machine includes an endless belt having a run parallel to a surface of the platen of the copy machine. The endless belt comprises a sheet of a thin, opaque flexible material formed in a continuous loop with a plurality of parallel ridges extending longitudinally of the belt around its outer surface for frictional engagement with an original document to enable the transferring and holding of the original document. The belt moves the document across the platen into a position where the document is retained by an end gate which engages one end of the document until the desired number of copies are produced. When the end gate is moved to an open position, the document is discharged and the next document is fed into place for copying.
Apparatus for transporting sheetlike originals past an exposure plate (10) of a copying apparatus, of the kind in which a flight of at least one endless belt (25) is driven over the exposure plate, is provided with a device (80) for applying a solid abherent material (85) to that surface of the belt (25) which comes into contact with the exposure plate (10).
A document feeder for an electrostatic copier of the type which includes instrumentalities for flash illuminating a document placed by an operator at the illuminating station of the copier. The document feeder includes an evacuatable enclosure having apertured upper and lower walls, and a flexible perforated belt endlessly looped about the enclosure. In addition, the document feeder includes instrumentalities for driving the belt in an endless path of travel including an upper belt run, wherein the belt perforations are disposed in air flow communication with the upper wall apertures, and a lower belt run, wherein the belt perforations are disposed in air flow communication with the lower wall apertures. When a document is delivered to the upper belt run, air drawn through the belt perforation holds the document in contact with the belt as the belt feeds the document to the lower belt run, where air drawn through the belt perforations holds the document in contact with the belt as the belt moves the document through the copier's illuminating station. Preferably, apparatus is provided for blocking movement of the document, but not the belt, through the illuminating station. During such time as the document is blocked, the moving belt slips relative to the blocked document.
A copying apparatus which includes an original document platform, an original document transport device, an engaging/guiding member having an engaging face at its portion confronting one side edge face of an original document platform, a holding device for holding the engaging/guiding member so that the engaging face is movable upward and downward, and backward and forward, a first driving section for displacing the engaging/guiding member backward and forward, a second driving section for displacing the engaging/guiding member upward and downward, and a control device for controlling the first and second driving sections in such steps as to cause the engaging/guiding member to retreat backward, to move upward or downward, and to advance forward.
An evaporative cooler for pouches containing a liquid or semi-liquid material such as tomato paste. The cooler includes a housing, a plurality of generally horizontal endless conveyor assemblies arranged one above the other within the housing in vertically spaced relation and each including an endless conveyor member trained over feed and discharge pulleys at the feed and discharge ends of the conveyor assembly. The upper runs of the conveyor assemblies are driven in successively opposite longitudinal directions within the housing so that a pouch may be deposited on the feed end of the uppermost conveyor assembly, move in one longitudinal direction along the upper run of the uppermost conveyor assembly to the discharge end of the uppermost conveyor assembly for discharge onto the feed end of a lower conveyor assembly, thereafter move in an opposite longitudinal direction along the upper run of the next lower conveyor assembly to the discharge end of the lower conveyor assembly for discharge onto the feed end of a yet lower conveyor assembly and proceed in this manner progressively along all of the conveyor assemblies until discharged from the discharge end of the lowermost conveyor assembly.
An original document feeder for copying machines, for automatically positioning originals of any substance on the exposure surface, so avoiding opening and closing the original pressing cover at each change of original, and with a considerable reduction in idle times. The feeder comprises a set of friction rollers of flexible material mounted on a single shaft, these facing each other in a transverse slot so as to compel each original sheet to bend in such a manner as to exert a force against the rollers which is greater the higher the substance or rigidity of the sheets. The feeder is also provided for a device for automatically aligning the originals, and a timer system for coordinating the conveying stages of the originals with the copying machine cycle.
