Sheet lateral positioning device

Abstract

An apparatus for registering a sheet along a transport path, including a plurality of spaced apart sheet feeding nip sets of plural sheet feeding nips in the sheet transport path, the plural sheet feeding nips of the sheet feeding nip sets comprise plural drive wheels and plural mating idlers, steerable drive mechanism for changing the drive wheel to idler alignment to thereby transport the sheet along the paper path while imparting a lateral motion to the sheet as it is transported along the paper path.

1 . An apparatus for laterally positioning a sheet along a transport path, comprising:
 a plurality of spaced apart sheet feeding nip sets in said sheet transport path, each one of the sheet feeding nip sets comprise drive wheels and mating idlers,   a steerable drive mechanism for changing the mating idlers drive wheels alignment to thereby transport the sheet along the paper path while imparting a lateral motion to the sheet as the sheet is transported along the paper path; and   an entrance sheet feeding nip and an exit sheet feeding nip, said entrance sheet feeding nip and said exit sheet feeding nip having both drive wheels and mating idlers aligned parallel relative to each other.   
   
   
       2 . An apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said drive wheels are mounted on one of the drive shafts in a fixed position and are aligned in a position substantially perpendicular to said paper path transport direction. 
   
   
       3 . An apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein each of said mating idlers are mounted on one of the idler shafts wherein each one of said idler shafts being rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the transport plane. 
   
   
       4 . An apparatus according to  claim 3 , further comprising an actuator for rotating said idler drive shafts so that the sheet is moved both in a direction along the paper path and a lateral direction to the path. 
   
   
       5 . An apparatus according to  claim 4 , further comprising a sensor located along an edge of the sheet in the paper path. 
   
   
       6 . An apparatus according to  claim 5 , further comprising a controller, responsive to a signal from said sensor, for rotating said idler shafts so that the sheet is moved both in a direction along the paper path and a lateral direction to the path. 
   
   
       7 . An apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein said actuator comprises a rack and pinion system having connecting members connects each one of said idler shafts for common movement. 
   
   
       8 . (canceled) 
   
   
       9 . An apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein lateral compliance of said mating idlers is less than or equal to one half the lateral compliance of said drive wheels. 
   
   
       10 . A method of laterally positioning a sheet, consisting of:
 feeding said sheet into a first pinch nip having a first orientation;   successively feeding said sheet into successive pinch nips having a second orientation in which the idlers of each successive nip are aligned to one another and are aligned differently than the idlers of the first pinch nip;   feeding said sheet to a final pinch nip having said first orientation.