Passive "pinwheel" copy sheet rotator
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorJohn D. Zoltner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An in-line passive "pinwheel" copy sheet rotator in a rotating disc configuration for use in a copier, intermediate module or the like rotates copy sheets 90 or 180 degrees as desired. The disc has four quadrants and is used in combination with and positioned in-line with a sheet transport such as a ball-on-belt registration mechanism and an edge guide for registering the sheets once they have been rotated. Copy sheets come into contact with fins on the disc due to their movement by the ball-on-roll transport and are rotated along with the disc. A deflector is positioned over a portion of the disc in order to enhance the guiding of copy sheets into the disc by reducing the inertia of the disc after each copy is rotated and indexes each quadrant through the application of drag on the fins.
Claims31
A copy sheet rotator adapted to change the direction of sheets in transit for further processing, comprising:
- sheet transport means within a predetermined plane for moving sheets in a particular direction, and disc means positioned in-line with said sheet transport means, said disc means being adapted for rotation and having a planar surface that extends in the plane of said sheet transport means and a series of protrudable fins for protruding outward from said planar surface, said fins being adapted to intercept sheets transported by said sheet transport means and rotate said disc means due to the momentum of the sheets and thereby change direction of the sheets.
A device for rotating sheets either 90 or 180 degrees while they are in transit on a sheet transport means within a predetermined plane, comprising:
- a passive rotatable disc having a planar surface positioned within said predetermined plane, said disc including a plurality of raised portions on said planar surface threreof that are adapted to intercept the sheets individually and rotate with the sheets due to the momentum of the sheets in transit.
A copy sheet rotator, comprising:
- a sheet transport which transports copy sheets in a given plane, and a rotator means having at least one vane extending from a surface positioned within said given plane and in the direction of feed of the copy sheets thereof and adapted such that a copy sheet being transported by said sheet transport contacts said at least one vane and drives the rotator means and is itself rotated therewith.
A copy sheet rotator adapted to change the direction of sheets in transit for further processing, comprising:
- sheet transport means for moving sheets in a particular direction within a predetermined plane and disc means positioned in-line with said sheet transport means, said disc means being adapted for rotation and having a planar surface within said predetermined plane and a series of protrudable fins for protruding outward from said planar surface, said fins being adapted to intercept sheets transported by said sheet transport means and rotate said disc means due to the momentum of the sheets and thereby change direction of the sheets, and deflector means positioned over a portion of said disc means in order to enhance the guiding of sheets into said disc.
A device for rotating sheets while they are in transit on a sheet transport means within a predetermined plane, comprising:
- a passive rotatable disc positioned within said predetermined plane, said disc including a plurality of raised portions on a surface thereof within said predetermined plane that are adapted to intercept the sheets individually and rotate with the sheets due to the momentum of the sheets in transit and deflector means positioned over a portion of said passive rotatable disc in order to enhance the guiding of sheets into said disc.
A copy sheet rotator, comprising:
- a sheet transport positioned within a predetermined plane and a rotator means having a planar surface positioned in said predetermined plane of said sheet transport and at least one vane extending from a surface thereof and adapted such that a sheet being transported by said sheet transport contacts said at least one vane and drives the rotator means and is itself rotated therewith and deflector means positioned over a portion of said rotator means in order to enhance the guiding of sheets into said rotator means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.