A mail processing system utilizes a conveyor to shingle or de-shingle mailpieces as they move through the processing system and utilizes belts to move the mailpieces. A first shingling conveyor moves a first mailpiece to overlap with a second mailpiece to create shingled mailpieces. A second shingling conveyor moves a first mailpiece away from a second mailpiece to de-shingle them to create singulated mailpieces. A camera takes images of the mailpieces in the conveyor and image analysis software is used to determine dimensional aspects of the mailpieces that are used to control the belt speeds to move mailpieces with respect to each other. A mail processing system may include a mail processing station that scans addresses, applies postage and/or weighs the mailpieces. Mail may be de-shingled prior to being weighed and then re-shingled for subsequent processing, or mail may be shingled prior to passing through a scale if weighing is not necessary.

An endless conveyer belt is stretched between drive and idle rollers. A carriage is arranged so as to reciprocate along the endless conveyer belt. A suction box is arranged between upper and lower belt portions of the endless conveyer belt and fixed to the carriage. A stopper plate is fixed to the carriage and extends across a conveyer surface and upward from the conveyer surface. A conveyance roller pair is arranged at the upstream end of the conveyer surface. A region of the conveyer surface from a stopper plate to the upstream end u forms a sheet accumulation area. A cover sheet covers a region upstream of the suction box in the sheet accumulation area. The cover sheet is subjected to tension in the longitudinal direction by a winding-type constant force plate spring and continually tensed spaced apart from the endless conveyer belt.

A tape autoloading device includes a tape leading-end processing device, which forms the leading end of a carrier tape into a predetermined shape, and a transfer device, which carries the carrier tape in a first direction different from the tape longitudinal direction and transfers the carrier tape to the next step. Tape leading-end processing device includes a feeding device for conveying the carrier tape along a conveyance path formed in a groove in a guide member, a pressing device for pressing the upper surface of the carrier tape, and a cutting device for cutting the leading-end of the carrier tape. The transfer device includes a guide device for guiding the carrier tape having a leading end formed into a predetermined shape, a gripping device for gripping the leading end of the carrier tape, and a moving device for moving the carrier tape in the first direction.

A self-contained no-feed-roll computer controlled corrugated board or paperboard sheet feeder apparatus 200 is configured to upgrade an installed corrugated board processing machine (e.g., 10) and includes a feed table surface 210 for boards (e.g., 2) having drive wheels (222W, 224W, 226W) in an initial variable velocity zone 220 which drives the board in a first motion profile through a first vacuum zone, and a second velocity zone 230 which then drives the board in a second motion profile through a second vacuum zone Retrofittable sheet feeder 200 also includes a controller 300 configured to receive predetermined velocity signals from the host machine 10 and generate (i) a first initial variable velocity control signal for initial variable velocity zone 220 and (ii) a second velocity control signal for second velocity zone 230 in response.

Embodiments of a system and method for shingulating, singulating, and synchronizing articles in an article feeder system are disclosed. The article feeder system may include a shingulating device configured to receive a stack of articles and to produce a positively lapped stack of articles, a plurality of picking devices configured to pick one or more articles from the positively lapped stack of articles and to produce one or more singulated articles, and one or more synchronization devices configured to deliver the one or more singulated articles to one or more sorter windows.

A sheet feeding device comprises a bottom plate, an auxiliary tray and a tilt table. The bottom plate is configured to move along a vertical axis. The auxiliary tray is disposed on the bottom plate. The tilt table includes a lower table disposed on the bottom plate, an upper table rotatably connected to the lower table at one end of the upper table by a pivot, and a resilient member disposed between the upper table and the lower table, the resilient member configured to press the upper table upward. The auxiliary tray and the upper table are configured to receive and hold sheets in a stack.

A sheet feeding device includes: a stacker that stacks sheets of paper; a suction conveyor disposed vertically above the sheets stacked in the stacker for sucking and conveying the sheets; a blower that blows air onto the sheets; and a regulating member disposed on a downstream side of the suction conveyor in a conveyance direction, facing an outlet of the sheets of the suction conveyor and projecting vertically upward, wherein the suction conveyor includes: horizontal portions provided on both ends in a width direction; and a recess provided in an intermediate portion and recessed vertically above the horizontal portions, and a lower limit of a projection height of the regulating member is set so that, when there is a vertical gap between a vertical upper end portion of the regulating member and the horizontal portions, a length of the gap is less than twice a thickness of the sheets.

A feeding apparatus for feeding a sheet-shaped medium includes: a stacking plate on which sheet-shaped media are stacked; a suction transport belt that is disposed above the stacking plate and causes a topmost one of the stacked sheet-shaped media to be sucked onto a belt lower surface and then rotates to carry out the topmost sheet-shaped medium to a destination; and a surrounding member that is provided in a hanging-down manner at least at left and right positions in a carrying-out direction around the suction transport belt so as to be movable up and down, surrounds a space below the belt lower surface, and is moved upward by contact with the sheet-shaped medium that is being sucked.

A sheet feeding device, which is included in an image forming apparatus, includes a reference face, a sheet loader, an air blowing device, an air drawing device, and a conveying body. The reference face stands upwardly at a downstream side of a sheet conveying direction. The sheet loader includes a body and a leading end disposed downstream from the body in the sheet conveying direction. The sheet loader moves upwardly to a position where the leading end rotates downwardly to the body. The air blowing device blows air toward a sheet bundle loaded on the sheet loader and lift an uppermost sheet of the sheet bundle. The air drawing device is configured to draw the uppermost sheet. The conveying body conveys the uppermost sheet in the sheet conveying direction while the uppermost sheet is in contact with the air drawing device due to attraction by air.

A sheet feeding device includes: a sheet storage that stores a plurality of sheets; a conveyer that conveys, in a sheet conveyance direction, sheets stored inside the sheet storage; a driver that drives the conveyer in such a manner that a conveyance speed of the sheet is switchable between two or more speeds; a corrector that corrects inclination of the sheet more on a downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction than the conveyer is; a first sheet detector that detects a sheet positioned at a first predetermined position between the conveyer and the corrector; and a hardware processor that controls the driver to change a conveyance speed of the sheet conveyed by the conveyer in accordance with a detection result of the first sheet detector.