An apparatus (100) for a large format printer (400) to support a spindle (102) of a roll of media comprises at least one supporting member (104, 104a, 104b, 104c) to support the weight of the spindle (102) when the spindle is loaded into the apparatus (100). The apparatus also comprises a cradle (108) to support the spindle (102) as it is loaded onto or unloaded from the at least one supporting member (104). The cradle (108) is moveable between a first position to receive the spindle (102) and a second position when the spindle is supported by the at least one supporting member (104). The apparatus also comprises a shock absorbing member (110) in contact with the cradle (108). The cradle moves between the first and second positions as the spindle (102) is loaded into the apparatus (100) and the shock absorbing member (110) absorbs kinetic energy of the cradle (108) as it moves from the first position to the second position.

This invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a system and method for inserting contents into envelopes that generally reduces the number of operative device components, locates all components in a readily and accessible location, reduces the number of adjustments needed to change envelope size and contents size, provides an efficient and aesthetically pleasing design, allows for a highly flexible arrangement of backup hoppers to primary hoppers for feeding envelope contents and otherwise affords a substantial number of improvements over currently available envelope inserters. The illustrative embodiment includes a feed table with a low-slung swing arm for handling contents, a pivoting feed table that exposes the operative components on the underside, a novel raceway belt with projecting lugs for transporting contents to the insertion area, a primary and secondary contents hopper backup system, a mechanism for easily adjusting for different-sized envelopes, and a variety of other novel features.

A contact-and-separation system includes a first roller, a second roller, and a contact-and-separation device. The first roller contacts a belt. The second roller is opposed to the first roller. The contact-and-separation device contacts or separates the belt to or from the second roller via a sheet conveyed. The contact-and-separation device includes an eccentric cam, a motor, and a circuitry. The eccentric cam is mounted on an end of a rotation shaft of the first roller. The motor rotates the eccentric cam. The circuitry controls the motor to rotate the eccentric cam to contact or separate the belt to or from the second roller via the sheet conveyed. The circuitry controls the motor to decelerate a rotation speed of the motor on contact or separation of the belt to or from the second roller between the first roller and the second roller.

A manual feed tray is located at a side surface of a main housing. A supply roller conveys a sheet on the manual feed tray toward a print engine. A pressure plate is movable between a contact position at which the sheet on the manual feed tray contacts the supply roller and a separated position at which the sheet on the manual feed tray is separated from the supply roller. A push-up cam pushes up the pressure plate from the separated position to the contact position. The push-up cam includes a contact portion configured to contact the pressure plate. A controller is configured to: when performing printing on a plurality of sheets, after moving the pressure plate from the separated position to the contact position, convey the plurality of sheets by intermittently driving the supply roller while maintaining the pressure plate at the contact position.

A sheet transporting device includes: plural pairs of transporting rolls that are arranged adjacent to one another in a direction of transport of a sheet; and a component configured to switch individual positions of the plural pairs of transporting rolls between a nipping position and an unnipping position, the component being a single switching component capable of switching a state of nipping by the plural pairs of transporting rolls between a state where all of the plural pairs of transporting rolls are in the nipping position, a state where some of the plural pairs of transporting rolls are in the nipping position while remaining ones of the plural pairs of transporting rolls are in the unnipping position, and a state where all of the plural pairs of transporting rolls are in the unnipping position.

A sheet binding device includes a pressurizing unit that pressurizes a sheet bundle to bind the sheet bundle, a pressurizing section that is disposed in the pressurizing unit and configured to be moved from a waiting position separated from the sheet bundle to a pressurizing position at which the pressurizing section pressurizes the sheet bundle, a drive motor that actuates the pressurizing unit, and a controller that controls the drive motor such that the pressurizing section is engaged with the sheet bundle at a predetermined setting velocity.

Disclosed is a corrugated paperboard sheet feeding apparatus which comprises: a plurality of sheet feeding rollers rotatable to feed a bottommost one of a plurality of stacked corrugated paperboard sheets; an up-and-down member movable up and down with respect to the plurality of sheet feeding rollers; a drive motor; a motion conversion mechanism configured to convert a unidirectional rotation of the drive motor into a motion for causing the up-and-down member to be moved up and lowered, and transmit the converted motion to the up-and-down member; and an up-and-down control section configured to perform variable speed control for the unidirectional rotation of the drive motor, according to a given up-and-down speed control pattern, wherein the up-and-down control section is operable to change the up-and-down speed control pattern in conformity to a sheet length of the corrugated paperboard sheet in a feeding direction.

A sheet conveyance apparatus is equipped with a first rotator, a second rotator conveying a sheet together with the first rotator, a cam member changing a position of the second rotator with respect to the first rotator, a drive unit rotating the cam member, and a load portion applying load on a rotation of the cam member. The load portion includes a contact member having a cam surface formed on a side surface in an axial direction of the cam member, an abutment member capable of abutting against the cam surface, and a biasing member biasing one of the contact member and the abutment member toward the other, a biasing force of the biasing member converted into a force, applying load to the rotating cam member, by the cam surface opposing to a rotating direction in which the cam member is driven by the drive unit.

An apparatus and a corresponding method for singling value documents, in particular banknotes, includes a support means and a conveyor belt for picking a single value document from a stack of value documents lying on the support means. The singling device has a positioning device by which at least a portion of the conveyor belt can be moved back and forth relative to the support means between a first position and a second position. In the first position the conveyor belt cannot touch the stack lying on the support means. In the second position the conveyor belt can touch the lowermost value document of a stack lying on the support means and pick the former from the stack at least partially.

In a sheet feeding apparatus without increase in size and without fluctuation in sheet feeding interval, a clutch is brought into a disconnected state after a separation roller separates from a feed roller.