An items processing apparatus for placement and singulation of flat items has a placement device and a feed deck and a separation device. A portion of the placement device is arranged below the placement deck of the apparatus. The feed deck has an opening for an separation roller, and a portion of the separation device arranged above the feed deck. This portion and the separation roller form a gate of the separation device for the singulation of a stack of flat items. A control computer controls the placement device and separation device. The placement device is equipped for edge alignment of a stack of flat items with different formats and has at least two transport elements, which enable an automatic displacement of the stack transverse to the transport direction and placement of the stack at an alignment wall, as well as a transport of the stack in the transport direction toward the feed deck of the separation device, as well as a displacement of the stack counter to the transport direction. A movement assembly is provided to move the portion of the separation device in a direction counter to the transport direction. The control computer controls the alignment state of the transport elements of the placement device of the items processing apparatus, and controls the movement of the portion of the separation device. The aforementioned portion enables a displacement of the stack counter to the transport direction.

Described herein is a conveyor belt including: —a support structure; —a mobile belt; —a plurality of rollers, which are associated to the support structure and are suitable to support and move the belt along a closed path. Said plurality of rollers includes a drive roller and at least three idler rollers. Two rollers are supported directly by the support structure, while two rollers are supported by a mobile frame, which is slidingly associated to the support structure to be moved between a retracted position, in which a roller arranged at the second end is positioned completely inside said support structure, and an extracted position, in which said roller protrudes outside the support structure. In the transition between the two positions, the length of the useful conveyor area of the belt varies and is compensated by an equivalent variation in length of another portion of the closed path.

A sheet processing apparatus includes first and second sheet processing modules, a connecting module, and a storage module. In each of the first and second sheet processing modules, a sheet received from an entrance port is identified by an identifying unit, and if the sheet is qualified, the sheet is transported to a first communication port through a first transport path. In the connecting module, a first diverter mechanism is configured to permit sheet transport between a second communication port and a selected one of the first and second sheet processing modules. The storage module is disposed for receiving and storing the sheet from the connecting module.

A sheet processing apparatus includes first and second sheet processing modules, a connecting module, and a storage module. In each of the first and second sheet processing modules, a sheet received from an entrance port is identified by an identifying unit, and if the sheet is qualified, the sheet is transported to a first communication port through a first transport path. In the connecting module, a first diverter mechanism is configured to permit sheet transport between a second communication port and a selected one of the first and second sheet processing modules. The storage module is disposed for receiving and storing the sheet from the connecting module.

A registration system for a printing device and a method for controlling the same are disclosed. For example, the registration system includes at least one sensor to detect a position of a print media, at least one laterally adjustable nip, wherein the laterally adjustable nip moves along an inboard direction and an outboard direction, a motor coupled to the at least one laterally adjustable nip to move the at least one laterally adjustable nip a desired amount of movement based on the position of the print media and a width of the print media, and a processor communicatively coupled to the at least one sensor and the motor to calculate a desired amount of movement based on the position of the print media and control the motor to move the at least one laterally adjustable nip by the desired amount of movement.

A conveyor belt includes: a support structure; a mobile belt; a plurality of rollers, which are associated to the support structure and are suitable to support and move the belt along a closed path. The plurality of rollers includes a drive roller and at least three idler rollers. Two rollers are supported directly by the support structure, while two rollers are supported by a mobile frame, which is slidingly associated to the support structure to be moved between a retracted position, in which a roller arranged at the second end is positioned completely inside the support structure, and an extracted position, in which the roller protrudes outside the support structure. In the transition between the two positions, the length of the useful conveyor area of the belt varies and is compensated by an equivalent variation in length of another portion of the closed path.

A registration system for a printing device and a method for controlling the same are disclosed. For example, the registration system includes at least one sensor to detect a position of a print media, at least one laterally adjustable nip, wherein the laterally adjustable nip moves along an inboard direction and an outboard direction, a motor coupled to the at least one laterally adjustable nip to move the at least one laterally adjustable nip a desired amount of movement based on the position of the print media and a width of the print media, and a processor communicatively coupled to the at least one sensor and the motor to calculate a desired amount of movement based on the position of the print media and control the motor to move the at least one laterally adjustable nip by the desired amount of movement.

A flexible lance drive device is disclosed that has, in a compact housing, a drive motor between an inner and an outer wall, a linear array of pairs of driven upper and lower drive rollers outside the outer wall coupled to the drive motor via shafts extending through both of the inner and outer walls. Each driven roller is fastened to its shaft via a quick release device. A drive sprocket is fastened to each shaft outside the inner wall. The drive motor is coupled to each of the drive sprockets via a serpentine belt carried outside the inner wall. The lower driven rollers are rotatably carried by the inner and outer walls. The upper driven rollers are rotatably carried by a block positioned between the inner and outer walls and coupled to the lower driven rollers by a pair of parallel links releasably biased by a piston driven linkage.

A transport module for flat items comprising at least one transport element borne in a transport element carrier having a drive shaft is designed for installation in a station of an item processing system and, after installation, is borne rotatably around an axis of the drive shaft. It is one of multiple transport modules of an identical design. The transport element has, on one side, a lower friction coefficient than on the other side of an equator and is driven by the drive shaft via transmission means of the transport module. The transport element carrier carries the transmission means of the transport module and has a spring assembly allowing it to be shifted in the direction of gravity and contrary to it.

A placement station for placing flat items has multiple transport elements extending through a related opening in a placement deck of the placement station. All transport elements are driven by a single drive motor via toothed belt discs and toothed belts. At least one trigger sensor is arranged in the placement station on the exit side of the mail-item flow. The drive motor and the trigger sensor are electrically connected with means for controlling the transport speed of the flat items. Each transport element is carried by a transport module. The placement station has multiple transport modules, each extending with a transport element mounted on its head side through a related opening in a placement deck of the placement station. The transport modules are lowerable below the placement deck in a direction contrary to a spring force. The direction of traction can be changed by turning at least one transport module before or during operation of the placement station. Each transport element has a barrel-shaped body with an equator, wherein different friction values of said body of the transport element are provided on both sides of the equator. The transport modules are directionally positioned such that the half of the body of the transport element with the higher friction value is closest to the alignment wall.