A sheet handling apparatus comprising a rotary drum having an outer peripheral wall with perforations, and a number of separate chambers, a suction system for controlling a flow of air through the perforations, thereby to attract sheets to the peripheral wall of the drum, and a stationary shutter member for blocking the flow of air through the perforations when they pass through a predetermined angular range. The number of separate chambers extend in axial direction and are distributed over the periphery of the drum. A disk-shaped manifold at the first axial end of the drum is co-rotatably with the drum. The manifold forms a number of radial channels each connected to one of said chambers and having an opening at a radially inward end of each channel. The stationary shutter member is arranged for blocking an opening of a channel to block air flow from a radially inward end of a channel.

A cardboard conveyor device forms sub negative pressure regions communicative to a main negative pressure region by using wind shield structures of a plate body structure, thus saving power consumption of an aspirator. The plate body structure is for example formed by three plate bodies, the plate body of a middle layer has air holes, the plate body of an upper layer has first interval spaces penetrating the plate body of the upper layer, and the plate body of a lower layer has second interval spaces penetrating the plate body of the lower layer. Each of the first interval spaces is communicative to the corresponding second interval space via the corresponding air holes, and the second interval spaces are communicative to the main negative pressure region. Thus, the sub negative pressure regions can provide a negative pressure to the cardboard being conveyed.

A paper transfer device includes a paper transfer unit that transfers a paper laid on a transfer surface beneath an inkjet head, a downstream-side transfer portion that is disposed on a downstream side of the transfer unit along a transfer direction of the paper and transfers the paper along a downstream-side transfer path extending downward from the transfer surface, a paper leading portion that leads the paper from the transfer unit to the downstream-side transfer portion, and a controller that controls the paper leading portion to press the paper after a leading end of the paper is led to the downstream-side transfer portion by the paper leading portion.

Conveying apparatus comprising: (1) a conveyor belt comprising a load bearing belt having an exterior surface and an interior surface, the belt having a plurality of channels therethrough, (2) mounting material on the exterior surface of the belt, and (3) a resilient engagement covering. Also a method of using the apparatus in conjunction with means for applying a negative pressure.

An assembly for transferring information to and/or from flexible sheet media in a highly advantageous curved configuration is disclosed. The sheet material includes a length and a width defining first and second opposing surfaces. The assembly includes support means for supporting the sheet the curved configuration across its width, having the first surface inwardly oriented with respect to the curved configuration. Thereafter, moving means moves the flexible sheet material so supported in a direction along a read/write path generally parallel to the sheet material length and transverse to the direction of curvature. A read/write arrangement is provided which is configured for reading and/or writing information across the width of the first surface of the sheet as the sheet is moved along the path in the curved configuration. In one feature, means is provided for rotationally moving the read/write arrangement in a predetermined way in the housing such that the read/write arrangement is in a confronting relationship with the first, inwardly oriented surface and cooperates with the movement provided by the sheet material moving means so as to cause the read/write arrangement to sequentially read information from and/or write information to the inwardly oriented, first surface of the sheet as the read/write arrangement traverses the width of the flexible sheet material while the latter is on the read/write path in the curved configuration. In another feature, a read and/or write operation may be performed on the second, outwardly oriented surface of the sheet material.

A transport mechanism and method are provided for transporting sheets of a print medium in a printing system. The transport mechanism includes a first conveyor device having a first conveyor body configured to hold a plurality of sheets of print medium and to convey the sheets along the transport path, and a transfer system including a second conveyor device having a second conveyor body configured to hold the sheets and to convey the sheets further along the transport path. The transfer system is configured to transfer the sheets from the first conveyor body to the second conveyor body in a transfer region. The second conveyor body is adjacent the first conveyor body in the transfer region, and the transfer system includes a suction device configured to provide an under-pressure at the second conveyor body for contactless transfer of the sheets from the first conveyor body to the second conveyor body.

A method for transferring a sheet in a sheet transport assembly from a supplying conveyor to a receiving conveyor. The method includes arranging a contact side of a sheet in contact with a transport belt of the supplying conveyor, advancing the sheet on the transport belt in a transport direction along a process unit, which applies a process to a process side of the sheet opposite to the contact side, and to a transfer area where the sheet is transferred to a receiving conveyor. To correct for curl deformation of the sheet, air flow is directed onto the process side of sheet, which urges the sheet towards a supporting element. The air flow is controlled in response to a curl deformation behavior of the sheet.

Conveying systems and methods are provided that selectively controls gas-propelling devices to move objects over the conveyer table at different speeds and in different directions. The systems and methods include a conveyer table having of an array of gas-propelling devices that propel gas from a surface of the table. Each of the of gas-propelling devices can have layers arranged in a stack and a through-hole in the stack and the table. The surfaces of each of the layers are exposed in the interior of the through hole and a heating/cooling device selectively heats and/or cools the layers to generate thrust.

A sheet feeding apparatus includes: a second conveyance belt disposed on an upstream side of a first conveyance belt in a sheet conveyance direction; a second absorption section configured to absorb the sheet stored in the sheet storage section to suck the sheet on the second conveyance belt; and a control section configured to perform a stopping operation for stopping at least one of a conveyance operation of the second conveyance belt and an absorption operation of the second absorption section during a conveyance operation of the first conveyance belt.

A sheet feeding apparatus includes a support portion; a feed unit; an air blowing unit including an air blowing portion, a first air outlet, and a second air outlet; and a control unit, wherein the first air outlet is disposed to blow the air in a case where the sheet is a first sheet or a second sheet shorter than the first sheet, wherein the second air outlet is disposed to blow the air in a case where the sheet is the first sheet, and wherein in a case where the sheet is the first sheet, the control unit controls the amount of fan airflow to a first airflow, whereas in a case where the sheet is the second sheet, the control unit controls the amount of the fan airflow to a second airflow larger than the first airflow.