Famous Patents
3M employee and church chorister Art Fry needed something to temporarily mark pages in his hymnal. He was in luck because his colleague, Spencer Silver, accidentally developed a glue that was too weak for other purposes. After initially discouraging consumer response, Post-it Notes became a hit in 1979.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7770880 | Image forming apparatus, sheet feeding source selection method, and recording medium A technology for selecting a sheet feeding source in an image forming apparatus including a plurality of sheet feeding sources is disclosed. A rank is acquired for each of the sheet feeding sources from a search order. The search order defines ranks for possible set... | 08/10/2010 |
| 7604229 | Image forming apparatus and control method thereof An image forming apparatus which is capable of feeding paper from a paper feeding unit when paper types set in selected paper feeding units are all the same type even if the selected paper feeding units do not include a paper feeding unit in which a predetermined pa... | 10/20/2009 |
| 7398969 | System and method for supplying media to a device A system and method for supplying media to a device. The novel system includes a first tray for holding a first supply of media, a first mechanism including a shaft adapted to feed media from the first tray to the device when the shaft is rotated in a first directio... | 07/15/2008 |
| 7377506 | Image forming apparatus and control method therefor An image forming apparatus has a plurality of paper feed units setting index sheets. A storage section stores size information and index number information indicating the number of index sheets per set of paper sheet set in each paper feed unit, and a control sectio... | 05/27/2008 |
| 7376381 | Method and apparatus for printing image replacement documents A high performance printing system includes a paper tray for holding the blank paper prior to printing. The printer engine demands that the paper size be selected from a limited set of allowable paper sizes. A paper guide mechanism installed in the paper tray has a ... | 05/20/2008 |
| 7364153 | Sheet feeding device and image forming apparatus A sheet feeding device includes a cassette configured to accommodate recording media, and a recording media feeding member configured to feed out the recording media accommodated in the cassette. The cassette includes a tray main body part including a stacking plate... | 04/29/2008 |
| 7320461 | Multifunction flexible media interface system A flexible media integration system (10) includes a multifunction flexible media interface system (12). The interface system includes a plurality of flexible media input areas (22, 24, 26) for receiving flexible media (14), such as sheets... | 01/22/2008 |
| 7303187 | Image formation apparatus and paper feed control method therefor An image formation apparatus which has multiple paper feed units and performs plural types of processing including at least facsimile processing, comprising a paper feeding subject setting unit which sets availability of paper feeding of each of the paper feed units... | 12/04/2007 |
| 7292820 | Integrated media input tray including electronics A removable media tray for an image forming apparatus includes a housing, an exit port in the housing, a primary media stack, and a multi-purpose tray (MPT) input. Within the tray are first and second pick mechanisms operative to select a media sheet from the primar... | 11/06/2007 |
| 7290763 | Sheet feeding apparatus and image reading and recording apparatus provided with the same A first sheet feeding device and a second sheet feeding device for feeding sheets stacked on a first stacking portion and a second stacking portion, respectively, are driven by a driving force generated by a drive source. A controller controls the drive source so th... | 11/06/2007 |
| 7273211 | Paper-sheet handling apparatus A paper-sheet handling apparatus includes a cassette that stores a paper sheet; a cassette compartment that stores a plurality of the cassettes; a feeding mechanism that feeds out the paper sheet stored in the cassette; a conveying mechanism that conveys the paper s... | 09/25/2007 |
| 7267335 | Method of controlling sheet feeder apparatus A sheet feeder apparatus is controlled for sequentially feeding sheets to a predetermined processing position. A detection signal of a sheet stacked in a rise and lower tray located at a lower limit position is received before receiving a feed signal to start feedin... | 09/11/2007 |
| 7264238 | Feed paper apparatus A paper feed has a door and a paper carrying tray, and raises the tray as paper is fed. A first detector that detects the presence of paper is located below a paper feed position by a margin corresponding to a given number of paper sheets, and second detector that d... | 09/04/2007 |
| 7237772 | Image forming apparatus with control of sheet carrier to compensate for sheet conveying distance An image forming apparatus has an image former for forming an image on a sheet at a predetermined image-forming speed; a plurality of feeders; a carrier for carrying the sheet fed from either of the feeders to the image former; and a controller for controlling the c... | 07/03/2007 |
| 7198264 | Sheet supplying device In a sheet supplying device for feeding a sheet from a sheet stack configured by stacking plural sets of sheets collated by page order, each of which corresponds to one volume, for each set of sheets, in a state where the sheets are superimposed on one another so as... | 04/03/2007 |
| 7198263 | Dual tray selectable sheet picking assembly An imaging apparatus includes a printhead carrier system including a printhead carrier configured for movement along a scan path, a first sheet picking mechanism, a second sheet picking mechanism, and a selector device. The selector device is configured to select on... | 04/03/2007 |
| 7171153 | Image forming apparatus The image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit installed in a main body of the image forming apparatus and a tray stack including stacked media supplying units for supplying the media piece from selected one of the stacked media supplying units to the im... | 01/30/2007 |
| 7100912 | Paper feeding apparatus for a printer Provided a paper feeding apparatus used with a printer includes a pickup roller which draws out a paper stacked in a cassette and conveys the paper to a printer, a conveying roller which conveys the drawn-out paper onto a paper feeding route, and a feeding roller wh... | 09/05/2006 |
| 7091427 | Apparatus using resonance of a cavity to determine mass of a load A scale is provided, the scale including a cavity having a resonant frequency which is alterable with variations in mass of a load applied to the cavity. The scale also typically includes a comparator operatively coupled with the cavity to detect actual resonant fre... | 08/15/2006 |
| 7058353 | Paper detecting device of paper feeding cassette and an image forming apparatus having the same A paper detecting device to detect paper presence on a paper plate in a paper feeding cassette, and comprising a light-emitting device and a light-receiving sensor. In the paper feeding cassette, an end-fence is movably mounted, and at least one of the light-emittin... | 06/06/2006 |
| 7046954 | Recording apparatus and method for discriminating type of recording medium A recording apparatus having a discriminating unit for discriminating the type of a recording medium loaded on a loading unit. The discriminating unit discriminates the type of a subsequent recording medium responsive to the previous recording medium being fed by a ... | 05/16/2006 |
| 7027765 | Apparatus and method for identifying paper cassettes An apparatus and method for identifying paper cassettes. The apparatus for identifying paper cassettes includes first through N-th paper cassettes, wherein each of N-1 output ports (where N is a positive integer greater than 1) is connected to N-1 input ports, which... | 04/11/2006 |
| 6974127 | Drive apparatus for ink jet printer A drive apparatus of an ink jet printer using a single motor in which convey failure does not occur by preventing power from being transferred to the convey roller when paper is fed by the feed roller. In an ink jet printer where a sheet of paper stacked in a paper ... | 12/13/2005 |
| 6951428 | Print media loader In a printer having an input tray, a media loader insert is provided, the media loader insert including an insert body which defines a reduced-size media receptacle, the insert body being sized to securely fit within the input tray; and a width adjuster adjacent the... | 10/04/2005 |
| 6942212 | Mechanical media top level elevator A media handling mechanism in a printing device includes an input tray for holding a stack of media sheets at a top level. The input tray includes a platform on which the stack of media sheets rests. The media handling mechanism also has a driving means coupled to t... | 09/13/2005 |
| 6929414 | Reading/recording apparatus, reading control method, and program for implementing the method There is provided a reading/recording apparatus which is capable of properly conveying originals during original reading operation, even if there exists a state where a recording medium conveying device shares the same space with an original conveying path. A shared... | 08/16/2005 |
| 6810219 | Image forming apparatus capable of forming images on recording materials of various types and sizes An image forming apparatus is provided which is capable of forming images on recording materials of various types and sizes. The image forming apparatus includes a storing member for storing recording materials having an arbitrary size, a size-information input devi... | 10/26/2004 |
| 6701099 | Image forming apparatus capable of forming images on recording materials of various types and sizes An image forming apparatus is provided which is capable of forming images on recording materials of various types and sizes. The image forming apparatus includes a storing member for storing recording materials having an arbitrary size, a size-information... | 03/02/2004 |
| 6691998 | Image forming apparatus with separable medium cassettes and plural resist rollers A laser-beam printer includes a main unit and a plurality of tray units that can be stacked one upon the other under the main unit. Each of the tray units has a resist roller. The resist roller has a function of adjusting a deviation of a recording sheet ... | 02/17/2004 |
| 6688590 | Dual tray printer with single drive shaft and dual media picks A mechanism (120) which can be used in a printer (110), for example, for selectively moving sheets from first and second sheet stacks, including a rotating shaft (123), a mechanism for causing the rotating shaft (123) to rotate in first and second directi... | 02/10/2004 |
| 6685181 | Paper dispensing mechanism An article dispensing mechanism in which a plurality of stacks are mounted on a platform. Each has a plurality of articles such as paper sheets. The platform is moved from an article feeding position to a non-feeding position. An article feeding mechanism... | 02/03/2004 |
| 6655676 | Image formation apparatus An image formation apparatus including a paper feeding unit for selectively feeding color papers, each of which is assigned by an operation unit, and a controlling device, for controlling storing an assigned color paper data and an image data into a stora... | 12/02/2003 |
| 6431537 | Multiple card hopper for card printer A card printer has a card feed hopper assembly that will support stacks of two different size cards in hopper sections. The card feed hopper assembly is movable transversely of the printer to position the respective hopper sections to be aligned with a ca... | 08/13/2002 |
| 6244585 | Sheet processing apparatus with switching among plural types of paper Every time the paper size setting key is operated, the count value in the counter is increased by one. It is judged whether the count value in the counter after increment is greater than the maximum value Cm. If the count value of the counter is greater t... | 06/12/2001 |
| 6206360 | Printer having a plurality of paper cassettes and method of selecting a paper cassette from the paper cassettes A printer includes a plurality of cassettes and a cassette is selected from the cassettes. The printer comprises a print information memory, paper information memory, cassette information memory, cassette selector, and data editor. The print information m... | 03/27/2001 |
| 6176481 | Apparatus having conveying means of medium An apparatus has a paper cassette capable of accommodating a recording medium such as large-size recording sheets or OHP film, and an accommodating unit capable of accommodating recording sheets such as plain paper. The types of recording sheets that are ... | 01/23/2001 |
| 6161829 | Method and apparatus for paper feeding capable of handling multiple paper cassettes A paper feed apparatus which is capable of avoiding an erroneous transfer of recording sheets includes a plurality of selectable paper handling mechanisms and a controller. The paper handling mechanisms include a base plate storing recording sheets, an el... | 12/19/2000 |
| 6056285 | Sheet material feeding device and image forming device A sheet material feeding device includes: a press plate which is provided at a bottom portion of a cassette and on which sheet materials are loaded and which is swingable upward and downward; a feed roll which is positioned above the press plate and which... | 05/02/2000 |
| 6018356 | Printing apparatus and autocharger thereof An autochanger which can continuously operate a video printing apparatus without having recourse to intervention by an operator which includes a paper feed tray for containing a plurality of recording media and/or an ink ribbon cartridge are loaded in the... | 01/25/2000 |
| 5971519 | Image forming apparatus and image forming method, which select the appropriate recording medium corresponding to the image to print on it To assure that a plain paper or an exclusively usable paper is selected as a recording medium depending on requested image such as a full color image or a monochromatic image, the image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit for forming an image... | 10/26/1999 |
