Retard feeder
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorsIan A Parks, Neil Flynn, Samuel Hagos, Christopher Pearce, Stephen P Wood, Richard G Hubbard, Allan D Mciver, Justin Chase
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for providing increased performance in fully active retard feeders includes driving a feed roll and retard roll pair of a reprographic apparatus backwards periodically at the start of the machine or during idle periods to compensate for contamination buildup and/or roll “set” when left in position overnight.
Claims10
A method for removing roll set and debris contamination from separation and retard rolls of a sheet feeder before feeding a first sheet from a sheet stack;
- comprising:
- providing a sheet feeder, said sheet feeder including a separation roll that feeds sheets to a downstream location and a retard roll that forms a sheet feeding nip therewith;
- providing a motor drivingly connected to said separation and retard rolls;
- energizing a controller, said controller being operatively connected to said motor and adapted when energized to send a signal to actuate said motor to rotate said separation and retard rolls in a backwards direction without touching said sheets prior to feeding said first sheet from said sheet stack;
- removing said roll set and debris contamination from said separation and retard rolls with said backwards rotation of said separation and retard rolls;
- and
- sending said signal from said controller to said motor in response to expiration of predetermined time periods.
A method for removing roll set and debris contamination from separation and retard rolls of a sheet feeder positioned within a printer before feeding a first sheet from a sheet stack;
- comprising:
- providing a sheet feeder, said sheet feeder including a separation roll that feeds copy sheets to a downstream location and a retard roll in mating relationship therewith;
- providing a motor drivingly connected to said separation and retard rolls;
- energizing a controller, said controller being operatively connected to said motor and adapted when energized to send a signal to actuate said motor to rotate said separation and retard rolls in a backwards direction without touching said copy sheets prior to feeding said first sheet from said sheet stack;
- removing said roll set and debris contamination from said separation and retard rolls by rotating said separation and retard rolls in said backwards direction;
- and
- sending said signal periodically from said controller to said motor during periods when said printer is not being used by an operator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.