A system and control method for determining an amount of paper product dispensed from a dispenser or remaining in the dispenser is provided. The paper product is initially loaded in the dispenser as a paper product formation, such as a roll or stack of the product. At defined intervals, a digital image of an aspect of the paper product formation in the dispenser is taken and transmitted to a digital imager processor. A feature of the digital image that changes as the paper product formation decreases in size as the paper product is dispensed is analyzed and compared with a predetermined value of the feature at a predefined size of the paper product formation to determine an amount of the paper product dispensed or remaining in the dispenser.

A system and control method are provided for determining an amount of a product dispensed from or added to a product formation. At defined intervals, a mark is projected with a light source imager onto an aspect of the product formation that changes as the amount of product is depleted or added to the product formation. A digital image is taken of the aspect of the product formation that captures the projected mark and is transmitted to a digital imager processor, wherein a feature of the projected mark is analyzed that changes as the product formation decreases or increases in size as the product is dispensed or added. The analyzed feature is compared with a predetermined value of the feature at a predefined size of the product formation to determine an actual amount of the product on the product formation, or amount of product depleted from or added to the product formation.

A paper sheet storage device includes a supply reel that supplies a rolled tape; a winding drum around which a banknote is wound together with the tape supplied from the supply reel; a first detection unit that detects a supply amount of the tape supplied from the supply reel; and a second detection unit that detects the winding drum of which the outer diameter becomes equal to or larger than a predetermined outer diameter when the banknote is wound around the winding drum together with the tape.

An image forming apparatus, comprises: a setting unit configured to set a divider region in a group of images that are continuously printed during feeding from a feeding apparatus in which a roll-shaped printing medium has been set, the divider region being for separating the roll-shaped printing medium into a plurality of rolls. The setting unit sets the divider region based on the number of rolls indicating the count of the plurality of rolls, the number of rolls being required in terms of a configuration of a post-processing device that executes post-processing with respect to the roll-shaped printing medium on which printing has been performed by the printing unit.

The invention relates to a method for feeding and splicing sheets of material wound in bobbins (20, 21, 22, 23), the method including: providing a rotating wheel (10) having at least a first, a second, a third and a fourth bobbin holder (103, 104, 105, 106) defining a first, a second, a third and a fourth station; unwinding a first sheet of material (201) wound in a first bobbin (20) provided in the first station; detecting the amount of first sheet of material remaining in the first bobbin (20) in the first station; depending on the amount of first sheet of material (201), splicing the first sheet of material (201) unwound from the first bobbin with a second sheet of material (211) unwound from a second bobbin (21) present in the second station; preparing for splicing a third sheet of material in a third bobbin (22) present in the third station including: reading information about the third bobbin (22) contained in a sticker, label or tag; removing the sticker, label or tag from the third bobbin (22); and rotating the wheel (10) so that the substantially empty first bobbin (20) is moved to the fourth station and the third bobbin is moved to the second station. Further, the invention relates to an apparatus for feeding and splicing materials wound in bobbins (20, 21, 22, 23) for conducting the above method.

A transfer substrate recycling apparatus is a transfer substrate recycling apparatus including: a first pass line in which an elongated belt-shaped transfer substrate is unwound and conveyed; a second pass line in which an elongated belt-shaped self-adhesive film is unwound and conveyed; a controlling portion configured to control the conveyance of the transfer substrate; a first removal portion provided in the first pass line, the first removal portion being configured to remove an impurity on the transfer substrate by transferring the impurity onto the self-adhesive film; an inspection portion provided on a downstream side from the first removal portion in the first pass line, the inspection portion being configured to inspect a surface of the transfer substrate; and a second removal portion provided in the first pass line, the second removal portion being configured to remove a residual impurity detected by the inspection portion.

Provided is a bag making and packaging machine having superior workability in film joining work. A bag making and packaging machine is a bag making and packaging machine that uses film having at least one character or a figure printed on its front side, and is equipped with a film roll support unit, a conveyance unit, a bag making unit, and a light emitting component. The film roll support unit supports a film roll in which the film is wound in a roll. The bag making unit processes the film to make bags. The conveyance unit is positioned between the film roll support unit and the bag making unit. The conveyance unit feeds the film to the bag making unit. The light emitting component illuminates, from the direction of the front side of the film, the film positioned between the film roll support unit and the conveyance unit.

Disclosed are a substrate package, a method of fabricating the substrate package, and a system including the substrate package. The substrate package includes a stack of substrate sheets in an individual form, a continuous form, or a roll form. The stack has a sidewall defined by edges of the substrate sheets and a mark on the sidewall includes mark segments on respective edges. The mark segments vary such that one or more of the mark segments have a respective segment characteristic, such as a length. The segment characteristic can encode information about an attribute of the substrate sheet, such as a physical characteristic of the sheet.

The invention relates to a method for feeding and splicing sheets of material wound in bobbins (20, 21, 22, 23), the method including: providing a rotating wheel (10) having at least a first, a second, a third and a fourth bobbin holder (103, 104, 105, 106) defining a first, a second, a third and a fourth station; unwinding a first sheet of material (201) wound in a first bobbin (20) provided in the first station; detecting the amount of first sheet of material remaining in the first bobbin (20) in the first station; depending on the amount of first sheet of material (201), splicing the first sheet of material (201) unwound from the first bobbin with a second sheet of material (211) unwound from a second bobbin (21) present in the second station; preparing for splicing a third sheet of material in a third bobbin (22) present in the third station including: reading information about the third bobbin (22) contained in a sticker, label or tag; removing the sticker, label or tag from the third bobbin (22); and rotating the wheel (10) so that the substantially empty first bobbin (20) is moved to the fourth station and the third bobbin is moved to the second station. Further, the invention relates to an apparatus for feeding and splicing materials wound in bobbins (20, 21, 22, 23) for conducting the above method.

Disclosed are a substrate package, a method of fabricating the substrate package, and a system including the substrate package. The substrate package includes a stack of substrate sheets in an individual form, a continuous form, or a roll form. The stack has a sidewall defined by edges of the substrate sheets and a mark on the sidewall includes mark segments on respective edges. The mark segments vary such that one or more of the mark segments have a respective segment characteristic, such as a length. The segment characteristic can encode information about an attribute of the substrate sheet, such as a physical characteristic of the sheet.