| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20080296835 | MOVING CARRIAGE LATERAL REGISTRATION SYSTEM - A method of registering sheets laterally and in skew enables active sheet deskew without translating the sheet in the cross-process direction. A sensor carriage position is controlled to find the sheet edge after which deskew control can start. The average value of the carriage position can then be fed in a feedforward manner to move the image location to match the average paper position. This achieves good average lateral registration and active skew control at a reduced cost. | 12-04-2008 |
| 20090110426 | INTER-DOCUMENT ZONE GLOSS DEFECT ELIMINATOR - A method for reducing gloss variation in prints, in an electrostatic printing system having a fuser for fusing sheets having marking particles thereon, the method including transporting a first sheet to the fuser; transporting a second sheet to the fuser; and abutting a trailing edge of the first sheet to a leading edge of the second sheet prior to the trailing edge of the first sheet entering the fuser. | 04-30-2009 |
| 20090154976 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ENHANCED SHEET HOLD DOWN ON AN IMAGING TRANSPORT - A method of enhancing cut sheet edge hold-down on an imaging transport surface, the method including: (a) moving a cut sheet towards the sheet the imaging transport surface; (b) inducing a desired curl on one of the lead edge and trail edge of the cut sheet before the cut sheet enters the imaging transport surface, inducing a desired curl comprises inducing into the cut sheet a curl tending into the surface of the imaging transport surface. | 06-18-2009 |
| 20090162119 | METHOD FOR IMAGE TO PAPER (IOP) REGISTRATION: IMAGE ONE TO IMAGE TWO ERROR COMPENSATION - A method to reduce the misalignment between the image one and image two printed on the same or opposing side of the same sheet. The final error (skew, process and cross-Process) between the actual sheet orientation and the desired orientation during the transfer of an image while printing image one is measured and recorded. When the same sheet comes for printing image two, the error recorded during image one printing is retrieved and used to compensate the desired angular, process and cross-process registration of the sheet for image two printing so that the alignment of image one and image two is improved in comparison to systems that register the sheet without considering image one imaging errors. | 06-25-2009 |
| 20090194926 | PRINTING SYSTEM AND METHOD - A printing system includes a first sheet media source dispensing a length of sheet media and a second sheet media source dispensing pre-cut sheets of media. A merging unit is operative to receive the length of sheet media and position pre-cut sheets of media along the same. A marking unit receives and marks images on the length of sheet media as well as the pre-cut sheets positioned thereon. A separating unit is adapted to separate the pre-cut sheets from the length of sheet media. A cutting unit is adapted to divide the length of sheet media into marked and unmarked sheets of media. A sheet receiving unit is operative to receive the marked sheets of media and the pre-cut sheets of media. A method of printing on continuous feed and pre-cut sheet media is also included. | 08-06-2009 |
| 20090194927 | SHEET COMPILING SYSTEM AND METHOD - A compiling unit includes a collection tray and a variable-speed compiling system adapted to operate at at least two speeds to thereby receive a sheet of media at a higher speed and register the sheet of media within the collection tray at a lower speed. A control system is adapted to selectively operate the variable-speed compiling system at the at least two speeds. A printing system having a sheet media source, at least one marking engine, such a compiling unit and such a control system is included. A method of compiling sheet media is also included. | 08-06-2009 |
| 20090236792 | System of opposing alternate higher speed sheet feeding from the same sheet stack - In a printing system in which the print media sheets are alternately fed from the same stack in the same tray by two sheet feeders at opposite sides into different sheet paths, at least one of the sheet feeders is repositionable towards and away from the other for feeding different size sheets, and the connecting sheet path is repositionable with the repositioning of the sheet feeder. The repositioning of the sheet feeder and its associated sheet path may be automatic in coordination with the normal resetting of a tray stack edge guide with the loading of different size sheets into the tray. The enhanced rate sheet feeding may be for a dual print engine printing system and/or selectably common or reversed sheet facing. Alternating coordinated lifting of a nudger roll of one sheet feeder with operation of the opposing sheet feeder, and retard nips spaced from the stack, may be provided. | 09-24-2009 |
| 20090271373 | EMAIL RATING SYSTEM AND METHOD - What is disclosed is a novel email rating system and method which enables a user to rate an email based on characteristics selectable from several categories. Cumulative global email ratings for senders given by other receivers are stored in a centralized database accessible over a network. Cumulative local email ratings given by the receiver are also stored. Such information is retrieved, formatted, and displayed on the email for the email receiver at the time the sender's email is opened. Various other options and settings are also displayed. Ratings given the email sender are added to a data record associated with the sender and stored in a database. The sender is optionally provided with the receiver's rating. Additional features are also disclosed. | 10-29-2009 |
| 20100196072 | MODULAR COLOR XEROGRAPHIC PRINTING ARCHITECTURE - A printing apparatus comprises a plurality of substantially identical modules forming a common sheet path. Each module includes an image receptor, a supply of marking material of a predetermined type, and a marking engine for creating an image of marking material on the sheet. Within each module a transport receives a sheet, moves the sheet to receive the image from the marking engine, and makes the sheet available for printing by a subsequent module in the sheet path. A sheet sensing system within each module detects a position of the sheet and uses that information to adjust the position of the image to be transferred to the sheet. | 08-05-2010 |
| 20110049784 | SHEET BUFFERING SYSTEM - A combined sheet inverting and buffering system and method including a sheet drive for transporting sheets into a sheet collecting area. The sheet drive is selectively operable to transport the sheets in a first and second direction along a processing path. A holding device can hold a plurality of sheets. The sheet drive and holding device cooperate to compile the plurality of sheets into a stack wherein the sheets overlie each other in a shingled manner. A take away drive is in operative communication with the sheets for individually unloading the sheets from the sheet collecting area. | 03-03-2011 |
| 20110049787 | DRIVE ROLL / IDLER ROLL NIP RELEASE MECHANISM - A drive roll/idler roll nip release mechanism utilizes the motor used for the drive nip, coupled with one-way clutches, to power the nip release as a sheet is handed off to a downstream nip. A drive shaft is coupled to a first one-way clutch in one direction and an idler cam shaft is coupled to a second one-way clutch in the opposite direction. This allows the idler cam shaft to be driven only when the motor is reversed, and the drive shaft to be driven only when the motor is moving forward. The one-way clutch on the drive shaft allows the drive wheels to freewheel when the motor is reversed in order to engage the nip release. Thus, the nip release is activated while the drive nip continues to rotate in the direction of sheet motion. | 03-03-2011 |
| 20110112886 | CRITICAL PARAMETER/REQUIREMENTS MANAGEMENT PROCESS AND ENVIRONMENT - A critical parameter/requirements management process model for managing a development program for a product and an associated product structure-driven critical parameter/requirements management tool and environment is provided. In one embodiment, the process includes a product structure classification scheme, a parameter/requirements classification scheme, a parameter/requirements process and maturity model, and in-process and requirements conformance views. In one embodiment, the tool includes a user interface layer, a business layer, a data layer, and a database. The user interface layer may include a product structure feature group, an add/edit/link feature group, a manage maturity feature group, and a manage conformance feature group. The tool may be implemented as a web server accessible to user workstations operating as thin clients. The tool may be integrated with one or more other product development tools, such as a document-driven requirements management, configuration management, manufacturing/production control system, problem management, and phased product delivery process tools. | 05-12-2011 |
| 20110112887 | CRITICAL PARAMETER/REQUIREMENTS MANAGEMENT PROCESS AND ENVIRONMENT - A critical parameter/requirements management process model for managing a development program for a product and an associated product structure-driven critical parameter/requirements management tool and environment is provided. In one embodiment, the process includes a product structure classification scheme, a parameter/requirements classification scheme, a parameter/requirements process and maturity model, and in-process and requirements conformance views. In one embodiment, the tool includes a user interface layer, a business layer, a data layer, and a database. The user interface layer may include a product structure feature group, an add/edit/link feature group, a manage maturity feature group, and a manage conformance feature group. The tool may be implemented as a web server accessible to user workstations operating as thin clients. The tool may be integrated with one or more other product development tools, such as a document-driven requirements management, configuration management, manufacturing/production control system, problem management, and phased product delivery process tools. | 05-12-2011 |