A system for gathering one or more mail items. The system includes a first gathering mechanism configured to press against a first of the mail or other articles, wherein the first gathering mechanism is configured to expand from a compact state to an expanded state. The area of surface contact between a first one of the one or more mail items and the first gathering mechanism increases when the first holder mechanism is in the expanded state.

An image forming apparatus includes: a sheet feeding conveyor that feeds and conveys a recording medium to a conveyance path; an image former that performs image formation on the recording medium; a medium sensor that is disposed on an upstream side of the recording medium from the image former on the conveyance path and measures one or more sheet physical properties regarding the recording medium conveyed; a first hardware processor that determines a type of the recording medium on a basis of the sheet physical properties measured by the medium sensor; a second hardware processor that determines conveyance performance for the recording medium; and a third hardware processor that determines whether or not to perform the image formation on a basis of the conveyance performance in a case where the type of the recording medium determined by the first hardware processor is a type out of product specifications.

A conveying device includes: a first conveyance member that is provided upstream of the conveyance path; a guide member that is disposed, along the conveyance path, downstream of the first conveyance member in the conveying direction; and a second conveyance member that is disposed downstream of the guide member in the conveying direction and conveys the envelope guided by the guide member, downstream in the conveying direction, wherein the guide member has a flapper relief that has retracted away from the conveyance path such that a rise portion of the flapper generated due to the curve of the conveyance path passes through the flapper relief.

A method for franking mail items fed to a franking machine. The mail items are drawn from the underside of a stack for separation or are fed individually on a conveying section upstream of the franking machine to a printing unit for franking, after franking, are discharged in the opposite direction from the printing unit. The mail items are fed via a diverter section to the conveying section, after franking, are conveyed via the diverter section which is switched over to change the conveying direction into a depositing apparatus below the diverter section. The mail items are guided in the opening region of the franking machine into the printing position and are returned out of the printing position. The printing position of a mail item fed to the printing unit is determined by a print head movement-controlled from a readiness position pursuant to the format length of the mail item.

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.

A dispenser of barrier envelopes is formed of a pair of selectively interlocking open-top box-like structures. When interlocked, the pair of structures forms an interior chamber that is configured to store and protect one or more barrier envelopes inside from external contaminants such as viruses, bacteria and/or fungi. The dispenser of barrier envelopes includes a through opening for the purpose of dispensing the one or more envelopes to a user, and a spring in its interior chamber for directing the one or more envelopes toward the through opening.

A sheet feeding apparatus includes a stacking portion, a feed member provided above the stacking portion and configured to feed an uppermost sheet among the sheets stacked on the stacking portion, and a trailing-end regulating member movable in the sheet feeding direction and configured to regulate a position of a trailing end of the sheets stacked on the stacking portion in the sheet feeding direction. The trailing-end regulating member includes a support portion configured to support a lower surface of the sheets stacked on the stacking portion. The support portion has a projecting shape in which a center portion of the support portion in a sheet width direction projects upward as compared with end portions of the support portion in the sheet width direction.

A sheet processing apparatus for processing sheets includes: a stack tray on which a sheet is stacked; a discharge roller pair composed of first and second rollers and configured to discharge a sheet onto the stack tray, the second roller being configured to be movable between a pressure contact position to contact with the first roller and a retracting position to separate from the first roller; and a pressure contact/separation mechanism for moving the second roller from the retracting position to the pressure contact position. The pressure contact/separation mechanism changes the timing at which the second roller reaches the pressure contact position according to the type of a sheet to be discharged.

An automated system for transferring articles from a container. An item transfer system includes retainers configured to secure a first tray and a second tray, a movable paddle assembly, a frame, and a plurality of actuators. The system is configured to transfer articles from the first tray to the second tray by an automated process including securing the articles within the first tray with the paddle assembly, rotating the frame by approximately 90° to 100°, moving the paddle assembly in a series of linear translations to remove the items from the first tray and place the items into the second tray, rotating the frame back to its initial orientation, and releasing the items into the second tray.

Provided is an apparatus that can reduce a braking force of a medium separating mechanism to thereby reduce occurrence of paper jams only by attaching a medium supply device to an image forming apparatus body. The medium supply device is configured to be attached to an image forming apparatus body including a medium separating mechanism, and includes a medium conveying mechanism that supplies a recording medium from stacked recording media to a predetermined position, and first mechanism that reduces a braking force generated in the medium separating mechanism.