An article of footwear, motorized lacing system, and method includes a motor, a transmission, operatively coupled to the motor, a power source, operatively coupled to the motor, a lace spool, operatively coupled to the motor via the transmission, configured to spool and unspool the lace based on operation of the motor, a printed circuit board, and a housing. The housing contains the motor, the transmission, the power source, the lace spool and the printed circuit board, the printed circuit board positioned between an interior surface of the housing and at least one of the power source and the motor, wherein the interior surface includes a post that extends through a hole formed in the printed circuit board. A flexing of the interior surface causes force on the housing to be at least partially imparted on the at least one of the power source, the transmission, and the motor.

An article of footwear, method, and motorized lacing system includes a motor, including a motor shaft, a spool, coupled to the motor shaft, configured to spool and unspool the lace based on the turning of the motor shaft, a processor circuit, and a three-dimensional encoder. The three-dimensional encoder defines a major axis and has a surface having a tabs extending from a drum, an optical sensor, positioned within optical range of the cylindrical encoder, configured to output a signal to the processor circuit indicative of a detected one of the tabs, and a beam break, positioned between the three-dimensional encoder and the optical sensor, forming a pair of slits. The optical sensor is positioned to view the tabs through the pair of slits, wherein the processor circuit is configured to operate the motor based, at least in part, on the signal as received from the optical sensor.

A sheet conveying apparatus includes a rotating member to covey a sheet and a drive transmission having a first, gear in a first engaging portion, a second gear in a second engaging portion, and an urging member. In a state where the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion are engaged with each other and the first gear is rotating in a first direction, a first surface of the first engaging portion transmits a driving force of a driving source from the first gear to the second gear. The first surface is inclined so that either engaging portion can retract, in the direction against the urging force of the urging member, to disengage with the other engaging portion while the first engaging portion rotates. A direction of twist of helical teeth in the first gear is configured to generate an axial force with respect to the urging direction.

An image reading apparatus includes a medium support section that supports a medium before feeding, a reading section that reads the medium that feeds from the medium support section, a transport roller that is disposed upstream of the reading section and transports the medium to the reading section, and a load applying device that applies a load against rotation of the transport roller. The transport roller is disposed on a rotating shaft that extends in a medium width direction that intersects the medium transport direction, and the load applying device imparts the load by pressing a transport roller driving gear that is disposed at one end of the rotating shaft in a direction from the one end of the rotating shaft to the other end thereof.

A creel, such as may be used to supply fiberglass roving to a production process, includes an enclosure and a number of rotatable axles held within the enclosure. Each of the axles is of a shape and size to be inserted into a bobbin of roving. The creel also includes a drive mechanism coupled to each of the plurality of rotatable axles, the drive mechanism synchronizing the rotation of the axles. Bobbins of roving may be stacked on the axles and connected to provide continuous roving. As roving is drawn from the creel, the rate of rotation of the axles may be selected to counteract twisting of the roving that would otherwise result.

Separation strips in a dam aid in the separation of adjacent sheets of media being fed from a stack of sheets so that only one sheet is fed to a process station and, more particularly, to separating the uppermost or top sheet of a stack of sheets from the next adjacent sheet during feeding of the top sheet from the stack of sheets of media. When a lift plate is present that adjusts the height of the media stack, rotation of the separation strips to maintain a constant separation angle improves media feed reliability. Curvature of the separation strips may also maintain the separation angle as the lift plate raises the position of the top media sheet.

A feeder module for a multi-function product including a tray having a first axial direction and a second axial direction, at least two first sensors disposed at the tray in the second axial direction, a clamping member movably assembled to the tray in the second axial direction, and a control unit is provided. A document placed on the tray is driven to move into the multi-function product in the first axial direction. The clamping member has at least two shielding pieces moving in the second axial direction. The first sensors located on moving paths of the shielding pieces generate different sensing states according to whether the first sensors being shielded by the shielding pieces or not. A control unit electrically connected to the first sensors determines a width of the document according to the sensing states of the at least two first sensors.

Separation strips in a dam aid in the separation of adjacent sheets of media being fed from a stack of sheets so that only one sheet is fed to a process station and, more particularly, to separating the uppermost or top sheet of a stack of sheets from the next adjacent sheet during feeding of the top sheet from the stack of sheets of media. When a lift plate is present that adjusts the height of the media stack, rotation of the separation strips to maintain a constant separation angle improves media feed reliability. Curvature of the separation strips may also maintain the separation angle as the lift plate raises the position of the top media sheet.

A web material advancement arrangement is provided with an entry drive system. The web material advancement arrangement can receive a web material from a storage roll and advance the web material through a machine, such as a packaging machine. The entry drive system may be arranged at the entry end of the web material advancement arrangement to push the web material in a downstream direction from the entry end toward the exit end of the web material advancement arrangement The entry drive system may include a motor that simultaneously rotates a pair of drive sprockets which may push clip assemblies that carry outer edges of a web material so that rotation of the drive sprockets pushes the web material in a downstream direction.

A medium conveying apparatus includes a drive roller, a driven roller, and a supporting portion. The drive roller includes a drive body portion and a drive contact portion. The drive contact portion is formed of a material having a smaller friction coefficient or a higher surface hardness than the drive body portion, and is formed with a groove portion along a circumferential direction. The driven roller includes a driven contact portion which comes into contact with the drive contact portion at a non-conveying position, and a plurality of protrusion portions which protrude outwardly in a radial direction. The plurality of protrusion portions are arranged in the groove portion at the non-conveying position. The drive contact portion is formed with a pair of guide portions which guide, to the groove portion, the protrusion portions of the driven roller moving from a conveying position to the non-conveying position.