The unwinder includes a pair of tailstocks adapted to engage and support a reel to be unwound and a peripheral unwinding device adapted to coact with a reel in the unwinding station. There is also provided a shuttle adapted to insert reels into the unwinding station, movable between a loading position of the reel on the shuttle and a position aligned with the pair of tailstocks, to transfer a reel from the shuttle to the tailstocks or vice versa. In use, the peripheral unwinding device is positioned under the reel of web material, so that the force exerted by the peripheral unwinding device on the reel being unwound has a component that is subtracted from the weight force of the reel.

A medium transport method, which is performed by a medium transport device having a transport unit which includes rollers that can pinch a medium and which transports the medium, includes inserting the medium to a predetermined position, pressing a side end portion of the medium against a side surface guide, and pinching the medium with the rollers, and transports the medium.

A belt replacement device may include: a base portion having a belt placed thereon, the belt being wound in a roll shape; a rotating portion mounted on the base portion, and rotating the belt wound in a roll shape; a transporting portion holding and transporting the belt passed through the rotating portion; a guide portion guiding the belt discharged through the transporting portion; and a loading portion to which the belt dropped from the guide portion is loaded, and the belt replacement device can improve winding workability for the belt.

A bag-making and packaging machine has a film supply unit that supplies film to a bag-making and packaging unit. The film supply unit has holding mechanisms each having a shaft that holds a film roll, a holding mechanism support frame supporting the holding mechanisms, a moving mechanism that rotates the holding mechanism support frame to move each holding mechanism between a film roll setting position and a film supply position, a splicing mechanism splicing a trailing end portion of the film of the roll of one of the holding mechanisms and a leading end portion of the film of the roll of another one of the holding mechanisms, and a film drawing mechanism that rotates the shafts of the holding mechanisms to draw the film independently from the film rolls attached to the shafts of the holding mechanisms and changes the drawing speed of the film during bag-making and packaging.

A dispenser having a feed roller that at least partially engages sheet material to facilitate dispensing thereof, and a cutting mechanism disposed within a chamber defined by a body of the feed roller. The cutting mechanism including a cutting blade and at least one movable support connected thereto. The at least one support further is operatively connected to the body of the feed roller and is actuated with rotation thereof to move the cutting blade into and out from one or more openings defined along the body of the feed roller to at least partially cut or perforate a selected portion of the sheet material as the sheet material is dispensed.

An image forming apparatus includes: a housing; a feed tray insertable into and removable from the housing and accommodating a sheet-shaped medium; a feed roller feeding the sheet-shaped medium; an image forming device; and a movement mechanism. The feed tray includes: a first accommodation portion accommodating a roll body, a first sheet-shaped medium being rolled in a roll shape as the roll body; and a second accommodation portion accommodating a second sheet-shaped medium which is shorter than the first sheet-shaped medium. The movement mechanism moves to a first position where the feed roller contacts the first sheet-shaped medium unrolled from the roll body accommodated in the first accommodation portion and a second position where the feed roller contacts the second sheet-shaped medium accommodated in the second accommodation portion.

An image forming apparatus includes: a housing; a feed tray insertable into and removable from the housing and accommodating a sheet-shaped medium; a feed roller feeding the sheet-shaped medium; an image forming device; and a movement mechanism. The feed tray includes: a first accommodation portion accommodating a roll body, a first sheet-shaped medium being rolled in a roll shape as the roll body; and a second accommodation portion accommodating a second sheet-shaped medium which is shorter than the first sheet-shaped medium. The movement mechanism moves to a first position where the feed roller contacts the first sheet-shaped medium unrolled from the roll body accommodated in the first accommodation portion and a second position where the feed roller contacts the second sheet-shaped medium accommodated in the second accommodation portion.

An image forming apparatus includes a housing, a feeding tray capable of being inserted into and pulled out from the housing, a feed roller, and one or more detection units. The feeding tray includes a first accommodation part in which a roll body having a configuration where a sheet-shaped medium is rolled in a roll shape is accommodated and a second accommodation part in which a plurality of sheet-shaped media are accommodated in a state of being stacked. The feed roller feeds a sheet-shaped medium from the feeding tray toward a conveying path. The image forming unit forms an image on a sheet-shaped medium provided in the conveying path. The one or more detection units detect whether a sheet-shaped medium is arranged in a predetermined position in the feeding tray.

An image forming apparatus includes a housing, a feeding tray capable of being inserted into and pulled out from the housing, a feed roller, and one or more detection units. The feeding tray includes a first accommodation part in which a roll body having a configuration where a sheet-shaped medium is rolled in a roll shape is accommodated and a second accommodation part in which a plurality of sheet-shaped media are accommodated in a state of being stacked. The feed roller feeds a sheet-shaped medium from the feeding tray toward a conveying path. The image forming unit forms an image on a sheet-shaped medium provided in the conveying path. The one or more detection units detect whether a sheet-shaped medium is arranged in a predetermined position in the feeding tray.

A dispenser, apparatus, system and method for automatically dispensing portable or sterile items from a continuous length of packages of items ideally packaged as a stack, including a support shaped and configured to support the stack, a feed mechanism arranged in flow communication relative to the support for feeding the stack towards a dispensing point, a separation means extending from the feed mechanism, shaped and configured for separating an item from the stack at the dispensing point, an electric motor configured to drive the feed mechanism; and a sensor shaped and configured to detect a dispensing parameter, wherein in use, the dispenser is activated by a user providing the dispensing parameter to the sensor thereby activating the feed mechanism to automatically feed the stack towards the dispensing point such that the separation means separates the item from stack thereby allowing for the item to be dispensed.