In order to provide web handling which mitigates marking of the web, externally-pressurized porous media gas bearings are used for vacuum rollers, which provide differential tension, and also for air turns, which provide non-contact turning of webs. The porous media gas bearings mitigate three of the biggest issues with the current technology, including cost, high flow rates and low pressure, and web marking. By introducing positive pressure or both, various configurations are presented which allow for improved differential tension, or non-contact conveyance. By also employing externally-pressurized radial bearings, more alternatives are provided, including conveyance and lateral motion of webs without the use of motors. Lastly, employing novel lightweight materials allows for yet other configurations which also employ some of the same aforementioned benefits.

A sheet supplying device includes: an air blow opening configured to blow air to a side portion of an uppermost part of stacked sheets; and a flow adjuster extending from above the air blow opening over an edge of a top sheet of the stacked sheets and configured to cause an air flow blown from the air blow opening to travel along an upper surface of the top sheet of the stacked sheets.

An aspect of the present invention includes: a sheet storage unit configured to store sheets; an air blowing unit configured to blow air; a duct configured as a flow passage to an air blowing outlet for blowing air sent from the air blowing unit toward the front end of an upper part of a sheet bundle stored in the sheet storage unit; a suction transport unit configured to suck a sheet floating from the sheet bundle upward and transport the sheet; a shutter member configured to block the flow passage in the duct; and an openable/closeable member configured to open an opening part of the duct, such that air staying in the duct by blocking the flow passage by the shutter member is discharged from the opening part.

The invention relates to a method and a device for arranging sheets in an overlapping position in a transfer unit arranged between a first processing station and a second processing station following the first processing station in a transport direction of the sheets. The sheets to be overlapped are transported from the first processing station to the transfer unit, in a transport plane and each individually lying behind one another. A respective rear, in the transport direction, edge of the sheets coming from the first processing station, is raised relative to the transport plane exclusively by the use of blown air, and a second subsequent sheet is slid under the rear edge of the respective preceding first sheet.

The invention relates to a method and a device for arranging sheets in an overlapping position in a transfer unit arranged between a first processing station and a second processing station following the first processing station in a transport direction of the sheets. The sheets to be overlapped are transported from the first processing station to the transfer unit, in a transport plane and each individually lying behind one another. A respective rear, in the transport direction, edge of the sheets coming from the first processing station, is raised relative to the transport plane exclusively by the use of blown air, and a second subsequent sheet is slid under the rear edge of the respective preceding first sheet.

An aspect of the present invention includes: a sheet storage unit configured to store sheets; an air blowing unit configured to blow air; a duct configured as a flow passage to an air blowing outlet for blowing air sent from the air blowing unit toward the front end of an upper part of a sheet bundle stored in the sheet storage unit; a suction transport unit configured to suck a sheet floating from the sheet bundle upward and transport the sheet; a shutter member configured to block the flow passage in the duct; and an openable/closeable member configured to open an opening part of the duct, such that air staying in the duct by blocking the flow passage by the shutter member is discharged from the opening part.

Methods of conveying a glass ribbon are provided that each includes the step of conveying the glass ribbon over a support device with a cushion of fluid supporting the glass ribbon over the support device. Each method further includes the step of monitoring a physical contact event between the glass ribbon and the support device by detecting an acoustic signal associated with the physical contact event. In further examples, glass ribbon conveying apparatus are provided that each includes a support device configured to support a glass ribbon over the support device with a cushion of fluid. Each apparatus further includes an acoustic sensor configured to monitor a physical contact event between the glass ribbon and the support device by detecting an acoustic signal associated with the physical contact event.

A sheet stacking device (77) is provided with a sheet discharge platform (76) on which image forming sheets (P), which have been subjected to heating and drying processing after images are formed using ink, are stacked; and a nozzle (162) that blows air to a side surface of a sheet bundle in a horizontal direction. Air is blown to the sheet bundle stacked on the sheet discharge platform (76) while the height of the sheet discharge platform (76) is adjusted by a sheet discharge platform raising and lowering device (100) so that a gap is formed between the sheets in the vertically middle portion of the sheet bundle. According to the sheet stacking device (77), a plurality of image forming sheets (P) can be efficiently cooled on the sheet discharge platform. Accordingly, the occurrence of blocking can be suppressed.

A sheet discharging device includes a shift tray 202 on which a sheet P1 is stacked, a discharging roller 6 that discharges a sheet P2 onto the shift tray 202, a blowing device 230 that sends air to a lower surface of the sheet P2 discharged by the discharging roller 6, a blocking member 231 that blocks air sent to the lower surface of the sheet P2 from a blowing port 230-2 of the blowing device 230, and a control unit that controls the blocking amount of the blocking member 231. The blocking amount is determined based upon sheet information including sheet-type information, sheet-size information, and sheet-thickness information, for example.

A feeding device includes a supply unit that supplies air between plural stacked media and that floats the media, a feeding unit that makes the media floated by the supply unit stick thereto and that feeds the media, a separating unit that supplies the air obliquely downward to a front surface side of a second medium positioned immediately below a first medium stuck to the feeding unit from a downstream side to an upstream side in a medium feeding direction and that separates the second medium from the first medium, and a blasting unit that blasts the air obliquely downward to the front surface side of the second medium from the downstream side to the upstream side in the medium feeding direction and that has a blasting angle of the air with respect to the medium feeding direction larger than a supply angle of the air of the separating unit.