U.S. patent application number 11/125869 was filed with the patent office on 2006-11-16 for automatic printer stack edge guide alignment information.
This patent application is currently assigned to Xerox Corporation. Invention is credited to Joseph Azzopardi, John F. Lombardo.
Application Number | 20060255531 11/125869 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37418386 |
Filed Date | 2006-11-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060255531 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Azzopardi; Joseph ; et
al. |
November 16, 2006 |
Automatic printer stack edge guide alignment information
Abstract
In a typical print media sheets feeding system, sheet stacks of
different dimensions are stacked into, and then fed from, a sheet
stacking tray having opposing stack edge guides, at least one of
which the operator must first manually reposition close to the
sides of a stack being newly loaded of different dimensions to
insure proper sheet feeding. There is provided here an electronic
stack edge guide positioning confirmation system with a
repositionable sheet stack edge proximity sensing system
repositioning with the repositionable stack edge guide and
providing an automatic warning signal against the feeding of sheets
if the opposing edge guides are not positioned in close proximity
with the corresponding opposing sides of the particular stack of
sheet currently loaded in the tray, if the width of the latest
loaded stack differs and/or the side guides have not been properly
reset to the currently loaded stack size.
Inventors: |
Azzopardi; Joseph;
(Brampton, CA) ; Lombardo; John F.; (Woodbridge,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PATENT DOCUMENTATION CENTER
XEROX CORPORATION
100 CLINTON AVE., SOUTH, XEROX SQUARE, 20TH FLOOR
ROCHESTER
NY
14644
US
|
Assignee: |
Xerox Corporation
|
Family ID: |
37418386 |
Appl. No.: |
11/125869 |
Filed: |
May 10, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
271/171 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65H 2801/21 20130101;
B65H 9/101 20130101; B65H 1/04 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
271/171 |
International
Class: |
B65H 1/00 20060101
B65H001/00 |
Claims
1. In a sheet stacking tray for stacking print media sheets of
different sheet stack dimensions in at least one sheet stacking
area for feeding said sheets from said stack with a sheet feeder,
said sheet stacking tray having at least one manually
repositionable sheet stack edge guide repositionable to provide an
edge guide for at least one side of said sheet stack for said
different particular sheet stack dimensions, there is provided an
electronic stack edge guide positioning confirmation system with a
repositionable sheet stack edge proximity sensing system that is
automatically repositionable with said at least one repositionable
sheet stack edge guide, said electronic stack edge guide
repositioning confirmation system providing with said
repositionable sheet stack edge proximity sensing system an
automatic warning signal against the feeding of said sheets from
said stack with said sheet feeder if said sheet stack edge guide
has not been positioned in at least close proximity to said at
least one side of said sheet stack sheet stack stacked into said
sheet stacking tray.
2. The sheet stacking tray of claim 1 wherein said electronic stack
edge guide repositioning confirmation system is adapted to provide
electrical information indicative of said at least one side guide
being positioned sufficiently closely adjacent to at least one side
of said sheet stack in said sheet stacking tray to substantially
engage said at least one side of said stack in said sheet stacking
tray.
3. The sheet stacking tray of claim 1 wherein said electronic stack
edge guide repositioning confirmation system is adapted to provide
electrical information indicative of said at least one side guide
being positioned sufficiently closely adjacent to said at least one
side of said sheet stack in said sheet stacking tray when said at
least one side guide is positioned within approximately 2 mm of
said one side of said sheet stack.
4. The sheet stacking tray of claim 1 wherein said electronic stack
edge guide repositioning confirmation system provides an operator
error signal when said at least one side guide is positioned not
more than approximately 3 mm away from said one side of said sheet
stack in said sheet stacking tray.
5. The sheet stacking tray of claim 1, further including a separate
stack loading sensor for providing an electrical signal in response
to the loading of a stack of sheets into said sheet stacking tray,
independently of the stack dimensions, and wherein said electronic
stack edge guide repositioning confirmation system provides an
operator error signal when said at least one side guide is
positioned more than approximately 3 mm away from said one side of
said sheet stack in said sheet stacking tray or said electrical
signal indicative of the loading of a stack of sheets into said
sheet stacking tray is provided from said separate stack loading
sensor.
6. An improved sheet feeding method in which stacks of print media
sheets of variable dimensions may be stacked into and then fed from
a sheet stacking tray, said sheet stacking tray having at least one
stack edge guide which is manually repositionable for the
particular dimensions of the particularly dimensioned stack of
print media sheets currently stacked into that sheet stacking tray,
in which said repositioning of said at least one stack edge guide
to at least closely adjacent to at least one side of said
particular dimensioned stack in said sheet stacking tray
automatically provides, with an electrical sensing system that is
repositionable with said at least one side guide, electrical
information indicative of said at least one repositionable side
guide being positioned sufficiently closely adjacent to at least
one side of said particular dimensioned stack in said sheet
stacking tray for proper sheet feeding.
7. The improved sheet feeding method of claim 6 wherein said
sensing system providing electrical information indicative of said
at least one side guide being positioned sufficiently closely
adjacent to at least one side of said particular dimensioned stack
in said sheet stacking tray is provided when said at least one side
guide is substantially engaging said at least one side of said
particular dimensioned stack in said sheet stacking tray.
8. The improved sheet feeding method of claim 6 wherein said
sensing system providing electrical information indicative of said
at least one side guide being positioned sufficiently closely
adjacent to said at least one side of said particular dimensioned
stack in said sheet stacking tray is provided when said at least
one side guide is within at approximately 1 mm of said one side of
said stack.
9. The improved sheet feeding method of claim 6 wherein said
sensing system providing electrical information indicative of said
at least one side guide being positioned sufficiently closely
adjacent to at least one side of a particularly dimensioned stack
in said sheet stacking tray provides an operator error signal when
said at least one side guide is positioned more than approximately
3 mm away from said one side of said stack in said sheet stacking
tray.
10. The improved sheet feeding method of claim 6 wherein said
sensing system providing electrical information indicative of said
at least one side guide being positioned sufficiently closely
adjacent to at least one side of said particular dimensioned stack
in said sheet stacking tray provides an operator error signal when
said at least one side guide is positioned more than approximately
3 mm away from said one side of said particular dimensioned stack
in said sheet stacking tray in combination with the detection of
the loading of a stack into said sheet stacking tray by a separate
stack loading sensor.
11. The improved sheet feeding method of claim 6 wherein said
sensing system comprises an electronic stack edge guide
repositioning confirmation system with a repositionable sheet stack
edge proximity sensing system that is automatically repositionable
with said at least one repositionable sheet stack edge guide, said
electronic stack edge guide positioning confirmation system
providing with said repositionable sheet stack edge proximity
sensing system an automatic warning signal against the feeding of
said sheets from said stack with said sheet feeder if said sheet
stack edge guide has not been repositioned into at least close
proximity to said at least one side of a sheet stack stacked into
said sheet stacking tray.
12. The improved sheet feeding method of claim 6 wherein an
opposing sheet stack edge guide with a separate sheet stack edge
proximity sensor is provided in said sheet stacking tray, and
wherein both said separate sheet stack edge proximity sensor and
said electrical sensing system repositionable with said
repositionable side guide both provide electrical signals
indicative of respective sides of a stack of sheets loaded
therebetween being positioned sufficiently closely adjacent to both
said repositionable side guide and said opposing sheet stack edge
in said sheet stacking tray for proper sheet feeding.
Description
[0001] Disclosed in the embodiments herein is a system for
automatically determining when a different size of paper or other
print media has been stacked into a particular paper tray for a
printer and/or if the stack side or end guides are properly
positioned relative to that stack of print media for good sheet
feeding.
[0002] By way of background certain known printer products, such as
the Xerox Corporation "Igen3".RTM. printer, have sensors that can
signal, at least approximately, the respective positions of sheet
stack side or end guides in a sheet stacking tray, and a graphical
user interface (GUI) that can accept manual operator input of
information on the selected tray and paper size to be printed, and
controller software that warns the operator by comparisons -of
those inputs that the stack guides are not in the correct position
for the selected paper size from that tray.
[0003] In contrast, the disclosed embodiments do not require, or
depend on the accuracy of, any manual operator input of new
information on the currently loaded sheet stack dimensions. The
disclosed embodiments provide an automatic check and direct
confirmation that the stack guides are in fact properly set or
reset to be closely adjacent to or contacting the sides of the
actual stack loaded into that tray at that time. If a stack of
different size sheets is subsequently loaded into that tray and its
stack guides have not been reset to those new stack dimensions for
proper sheet feeding, and/or proper stack alignment, a potential
sheet feeding fault condition may be automatically signaled to the
printing system user or operator.
[0004] Merely by way of examples of patents on sheet feeding
systems involving sheet size sensing and/or repositionable side
guide sensing are Xerox Corp. U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,771 issued Apr.
30, 1996 to Robert F. Rubscha; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,946,527 issued
Aug. 31, 1999 by David L. Salgado et al.
[0005] A specific feature of the specific embodiments disclosed
herein is to provide in a sheet stacking tray for stacking print
media sheets of different sheet stack dimensions in at least one
sheet stacking area for feeding said sheets from said stack with a
sheet feeder, said sheet stacking tray having at least one manually
repositionable sheet stack edge guide repositionable to provide an
edge guide for at least one side of said sheet stack for said
different particular sheet stack dimensions, there is provided an
electronic stack edge guide positioning confirmation system with a
repositionable sheet stack edge proximity sensing system that is
automatically repositionable with said at least one repositionable
sheet stack edge guide, said electronic stack edge guide
repositioning confirmation system providing with said
repositionable sheet stack edge proximity sensing system an
automatic warning signal against the feeding of said sheets from
said stack with said sheet feeder if said sheet stack edge guide
has not been positioned in at least close proximity to said at
least one side of said sheet stack sheet stack stacked-into said
sheet stacking tray.
[0006] Further specific features disclosed in the embodiments
herein, individually or in combination, include those wherein the
sheet stacking tray wherein said electronic stack edge guide
repositioning confirmation system is adapted to provide electrical
information indicative of said at least one side guide being
positioned sufficiently closely adjacent to at least one side of
said sheet stack in said sheet stacking tray to substantially
engage said at least one side of said stack in said sheet stacking
tray; and/or wherein said electronic stack edge guide repositioning
confirmation system is adapted to provide electrical information
indicative of said at least one side guide being positioned
sufficiently closely adjacent to said at least one side of said
sheet stack in said sheet stacking tray when said at least one side
guide is positioned within approximately 2 mm of said one side of
said sheet stack; and/or wherein said electronic stack edge guide
repositioning confirmation system provides an operator error signal
when said at least one side guide is positioned not more than
approximately 3 mm away from said one side of said sheet stack in
said sheet stacking tray; and/or further including a separate stack
loading sensor for providing an electrical signal in response to
the loading of a stack of sheets into said sheet stacking tray,
independently of the stack dimensions, and wherein said electronic
stack edge guide repositioning confirmation system provides an
operator error signal when said at least one side guide is
positioned more than approximately 3 mm away from said one side of
said sheet stack in said sheet stacking tray or said electrical
signal indicative of the loading of a stack of sheets into said
sheet stacking tray is provided from said separate stack loading
sensor; and/or an improved sheet feeding method in which stacks of
print media sheets of variable dimensions may be stacked into and
then fed from a sheet stacking tray, said sheet stacking tray
having at least one stack edge guide which is manually
repositionable for the particular dimensions of the particularly
dimensioned stack of print media sheets currently stacked into that
sheet stacking tray, in which said repositioning of said at least
one stack edge guide to at least closely adjacent to at least one
side of said particular dimensioned stack in said sheet stacking
tray automatically provides, with an electrical sensing system that
is repositionable with said at least one side guide, electrical
information indicative of said at least one repositionable side
guide being positioned sufficiently closely adjacent to at least
one side of said particular dimensioned stack in said sheet
stacking tray for proper sheet feeding; and/or wherein said sensing
system providing electrical information indicative of said at least
one side guide being positioned sufficiently closely adjacent to at
least one side of said particular dimensioned stack in said sheet
stacking tray is provided when said at least one side guide is
substantially engaging said at least one side of said particular
dimensioned stack in said sheet stacking tray; and/or wherein said
sensing system providing electrical information indicative of said
at least one side guide being positioned sufficiently closely
adjacent to said at least one side of said particular dimensioned
stack in said sheet stacking tray is provided when said at least
one side guide is within at approximately 1 mm of said one side of
said stack; and/or wherein said sensing system providing electrical
information indicative of said at least one side guide being
positioned sufficiently closely adjacent to at least one side of a
particularly dimensioned stack in said sheet stacking tray provides
an operator error signal when said at least one side guide is
positioned more than approximately 3 mm away from said one side of
said stack in said sheet stacking tray; and/or wherein said sensing
system providing electrical information indicative of said at least
one side guide being positioned sufficiently closely adjacent to at
least one side of said particular dimensioned stack in said sheet
stacking tray provides an operator error signal when said at least
one side guide is positioned more than approximately 3 mm away from
said one side of said particular dimensioned stack in said sheet
stacking tray in combination with the detection of the loading of a
stack into said sheet stacking tray by a separate stack loading
sensor; and/or wherein said sensing system comprises an electronic
stack edge guide repositioning confirmation system with a
repositionable sheet stack edge proximity sensing system that is
automatically repositionable with said at least one repositionable
sheet stack edge guide, said electronic stack edge guide
positioning confirmation system providing with said repositionable
sheet stack edge proximity sensing system an automatic warning
signal against the feeding of said sheets from said stack with said
sheet feeder if said sheet stack edge guide has not been
repositioned into at least close proximity to said at least one
side of a sheet stack stacked into said sheet stacking tray; and/or
wherein an opposing sheet stack edge guide with a separate sheet
stack edge proximity sensor is provided in said sheet stacking
tray, and wherein both said separate sheet stack edge proximity
sensor and said electrical sensing system repositionable with said
repositionable side guide both provide electrical signals
indicative of respective sides of a stack of sheets loaded
therebetween being positioned sufficiently closely adjacent to both
said repositionable side guide and said opposing sheet stack edge
in said sheet stacking tray for proper sheet feeding.
[0007] The disclosed system may be operated and controlled by
appropriate operation of conventional control systems. It is well
known and preferable to program and execute imaging, printing,
paper handling, and other control functions and logic with software
instructions for conventional or general purpose microprocessors,
as taught by numerous prior patents and commercial products. Such
programming or software may, of course, vary depending on the
particular functions, software type, and microprocessor or other
computer system utilized, but will be available to, or readily
programmable without undue experimentation from, functional
descriptions, such as those provided herein, and/or prior knowledge
of functions which are conventional, together with general
knowledge in the software or computer arts. Alternatively, the
disclosed control system or method may be implemented partially or
fully in hardware, using standard logic circuits or single chip
VLSI designs.
[0008] The term "reproduction apparatus" or "printer" as used
herein broadly encompasses various printers, copiers or
multifunction machines or systems, xerographic or otherwise, unless
otherwise defined in a claim. The term "sheet" herein refers to a
usually flimsy physical sheet of paper, plastic, or other suitable
physical substrate for images, whether precut or web fed.
[0009] As to specific components of the subject apparatus or
methods, or alternatives therefor, it will be appreciated that, as
is normally the case, some such components are known per se in
other apparatus or applications, which may be additionally or
alternatively used herein, including those from art cited herein.
For example, it will be appreciated by respective engineers and
others that many of the particular components illustrated herein
are merely exemplary, and that the same novel motions and functions
can be provided by many other known or readily available
alternatives. All cited references, and their references, are
incorporated by reference herein where appropriate for teachings of
additional or alternative details, features, and/or technical
background. What is well known to those skilled in the art need not
be described herein.
[0010] Various of the above-mentioned and further features and
advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the
specific apparatus and its operation or methods described in the
examples below, and the claims. They may be better understood from
this description of these specific embodiments, including the
drawing figures (which are approximately to scale) wherein:
[0011] FIG. 1 is a schematic partial and partially broken away top
view of one example of one otherwise conventional sheet tray and
its sheet feeder with one example of repositionable stack edge
guides and one example of the sensing system described herein to
signal proper alignment of the stack edge guides with the
particular size of the sheets in the particular stack loaded into
the tray at that time; and
[0012] FIGS. 2 and 3 are enlarged and partial end views of the
embodiment of FIG. 1, with a stack of sheets loaded therein, and
with two different respective sensor examples.
[0013] Describing now in further detail the exemplary embodiments
with reference to the Figures, a general background discussion will
first be provided.
[0014] The system of the disclosed embodiments add paper stack edge
proximity sensors to otherwise conventional or existing (but
modified as described) stack side and/or end guides, such as those
already provided in most sheet feeder paper trays, drawers or
cassettes (these terms may be generically referred to herein as
trays). These modifications help to ensure proper positioning of
the repositionable stack side and/or end guides (hereinafter
referred to herein as stack guides) relative to the stack of sheets
being loaded into that particular tray, or a particular stacking
area thereof in the case of a tray with more than one stacking
area, by the operator or customer. This can provide useful feedback
signals if the guides were not reset appropriately relative to the
newly loaded stack for good sheet feeding. For example, correct
repositioning of the stack guides relative to the particular
dimensions of a stack of print media reduces the opportunity for
skewed sheet input, which can cause skewed printing and/or paper
jams.
[0015] As noted, the present system can provide an automatic check
and signal confirmation that the stack guides are in fact
sufficiently adjacent to the actual stack of sheets then in a
particular tray for proper stacking alignment and/or feeding and a
fault or warning signal may be provided if the stack guides have
not been properly reset to the current stack dimensions. This does
not require, or depend on the accuracy of, manual operator input of
information on the size of the print media. In particular, the
stack dimensions currently loaded in the tray selected for sheet
feeding for the current print job, which will be the source of
miss-feeds. However, the present system can also provide a GUI
signal to the operator of failure to properly reset the stack edge
guides immediately at any time, such as immediately after loading
sheets into any tray (whether that tray is being currently selected
for sheet feeding or not) and/or checking after the closing of that
or any sheet stacking tray.
[0016] Further by way of background in that respect, when a user
inserts a stack of print media sheets into a typical present sheet
feeder, little or no automatic feedback is available to the
printing system and/or to the user to ensure that the sheets have
been inserted correctly or that the stack guides have been adjusted
correctly to that particular sheet stack's dimensions. Yet correct
adjustment of the stack guides, especially the stack edge guides
parallel to the sheet feeding direction, is important for feeding
control of the sheets with respect to sheet skew and edge
registration. Improperly stacked sheets and/or miss-adjusted stack
guides can result in excessive skew or other sheet registration
errors, even image misprints, and in some cases, sheet miss-feeds
or multi-feeds causing printer jams and shutdowns.
[0017] Currently, many trays and sheet feeders employ a "Document
Present" (or presence) Sensor (DPS) to simply detect the presence
of any size stack of documents loaded into a particular tray
stacking area. However, that of course provides no information as
to whether or not the stack of sheets is within properly positioned
(closely adjacent or contacting) stack guides reset to that
particular stack's lateral or length dimensions. The disclosed
embodiments adds additional sensors to the paper guides to detect
when a paper guide is sufficiently close to the side or end of the
stack to ensure correct control of the sheets being fed. Both types
of sensors may be checked at the start of a printing run and a
logical AND may be applied, such that feeding from the stack would
only be initiated if both (or all) sensors are triggered
concurrently, thus ensuring that a stack of sheets has been loaded
into the tray and that the tray paper guides(s) have been correctly
adjusted to that stack. If any one of the sensor inputs is not
triggered, a fault condition may be declared, and the user may be
directed to correct the condition via the machine's GUI and/or
other alarm system, locally or remotely.
[0018] In the Figures, there is schematically or partially shown an
otherwise typical sheet tray 10 with a sheet stacking area 10A for
stacking sheets of different dimensions between repositionable
stack edge guides 12A and 12B for feeding those sheets with a sheet
feeder 20, and an added stack edge guide stack proximity sensor 40,
which may be connected to an otherwise conventional printer or
feeder module controller 100, optionally along with the DPS sensor
30 noted above. The sheet feeder 20 assembly for this tray 10 is
shown in a partially cut-away view with feed rolls 22, 24, and also
showing one example of an approximate placement of the DPS sensor
30. The controller 100, and the printer 200 to which the sheets are
being sequentially fed to be printed from selected stacks thereof
in the tray 10 or other trays, may be otherwise conventional and
thus are only shown schematically here.
[0019] For a side-registered system, one of the stack edge or side
guides may be a fixed or stationary wall surface. However, in this
particular (known) example of FIG. 1, as in the above-incorporated
patents, the two movable (side) guides 12A and 12B are examples of
stack edge guides suitable for a center-registered sheet feeding
system. Thus, the two stack edge guides 12A and 12B may be
mechanically linked or synchronized to move toward or away from
each other in unison, such as by the rack and pinion linkage shown
in FIG. 1 or shown in those above-cited patents. In this case, it
is possible to only add one sensing system 40 to only one of the
two stack edge guides (12B here), on only one side of the stacking
area 10A, yet still ensure that both side guides are moved to
within the desired proximity of both sides of the loaded document
stack. In the case of a side-registered feeder, with one fixed and
one movable guide, the sensing system 40 may be located in the
movable stack edge guide.
[0020] It will be appreciated by those in the art that the stack
edge guides may optionally or additionally provide an edge tamping
function in some types of sheet feeders. It will also be
appreciated, as shown for example in the above-incorporated
patents, that electrical signals corresponding to the approximate
reset position of the stack edge guides such as 12B may also be
automatically provided, such as from stack edge guide position
sensors under the stacking tray, such individual sensors, a
variable resistance strip, or a multiple sensors array such as 44
shown in FIG. 1. However, if the particular paper tray does not
have such edge guide position sensors, then the subject sensing
system may provide the only information to the printer than that
the stack edge guides have been reset to the dimensions of the
sheet stack being fed from. Even if the system does have edge guide
position sensors, such as 44, that typically does not provide
sufficiently accurate enough positional information about the
desired close spacing of the edge guide from the edge of the stack
for optimum sheet feeding, even if the standardized dimensions of
the stack being loaded had been accurately manually entered into
the controller 100, such as "letter size," "A4," and the like.
Actual sheet dimensions can vary due to manufacturing sheet cutting
tolerances and humidity. Also, typically the stack edge guide
movement system for its repositioning is simple and low cost, with
considerable movement tolerances relative to the tray, whereas the
subject sensors are independent of that because the sensing
elements are on the actual vertical sheet guiding surface of the
stack edge guide itself, repositioned with the repositioning of the
stack edge guide, and are approximately sensing the actual distance
between that sheet guiding surface of the stack edge guide and the
actual sheet stack edge, that is, when they are sufficiently close
enough to one another for optimum sheet feeding, or not.
[0021] Referring further to FIGS. 2 and 3, it will be appreciated
that the stack edge guide stack proximity sensing system 40 may be
of a suitable type to make initial direct or indirect contact with
the side 14 of the document stack facing the side guide 12B on
which it is mounted, and with which it moves. Alternatively, as
shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the stack edge guide stack proximity sensor
40 may be of a non-contact but close spacing detecting type, such
as the lever switch 44 with actuating arm 44A of FIGS. 1 and 2, or
the vertical array of multiple optical sensors 50 of FIG. 3. Both
of these sensors 44 and 50 may be provided with an elongated
vertical detection area as shown to provide for better detection of
the appropriate edge guide setting position for an irregular stack
in which some sheet edges may stick out laterally from the stack
more than other sheets at different levels in the stack height.
[0022] Although not limited thereto, it is believed that confirming
via the subject stack edge guide sensor system 40 or the like that
a stack edge guide has been accurately reset to within
approximately 1 mm of the side of the stack, or not more than 2 mm
away per side, should provide satisfactory sheet feeding in most
cases from most stacks with most sheet feeders.
[0023] Regardless of whether the system is center or side
registered, preferably both side guides need the subject stack edge
proximity sensors. Otherwise an operator could install a smaller
size print media stack biased to only the one side guide having the
proximity sensor and fool the system, even if the other side of the
stack is spaced a long distance away from the opposing side guide
because the operator failed to reset the side guides to engage both
sides of the stack upon loading the new stack. (Of course in a
side-registered system one of the side guides may be a fixed
position vertical side wall of the tray.) A logical "AND" decision
gate signal based on the inputs from both of the side guides
sensors and the DPS can ensure that documents are inserted fully
prior to job start and the side guides properly reset to the stack
size.
[0024] The same basic operational principles may be applied if a
repositionable stack end or length guide or guides such as 15 in
FIG. 1 are also provided in the tray 10. In that case, additional
such sensing systems, such as the above sensing system 40, may be
additionally provided on the repositionable end guide 15 and also
connected to the controller 100 for concurrent triggering to
automatically signal proper positioning of all the stack edge
guides to the particular dimensions of the stack loaded into the
tray at that time.
[0025] It will be appreciated that various of the above-disclosed
and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be
desirably combined into many other different systems or
applications. Also that various presently unforeseen or
unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations or
improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in
the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following
claims.
* * * * *