Patent ID: 7854429
Filing Date: 2010-12-21
Classification: B65G

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for transferring a sheet from an upstream side to a downstream side, said apparatus comprising: an evacuation mechanism; a belt member, provided with a plurality of vacuum suction holes to allow the belt member to vacuum-suck the sheet, for transferring the vacuum-sucked sheet, in response to activating the evacuation mechanism; a belt support member for supporting the belt member from therebeneath when the evacuation mechanism is in a deactivated state, said belt supporting member being provided with a plurality of evacuation passages communicating the evacuation mechanism and the respective vacuum suction holes of the belt member; and a pair of sheet support members, disposed on respective opposite sides of the belt member, for supporting the sheet at a height position higher than that of an uppermost region of an outer peripheral surface of the belt member by a given distance, in such a manner as to define an interspace between the uppermost region of an outer peripheral surface of the belt member and a bottom surface of the sheet when the evacuation mechanism is in the deactivated state, wherein, in response to activating the evacuation mechanism, an air in the interspace between the belt member and the sheet is evacuated from the vacuum suction holes and through the evacuation passages, so that the belt member is displaced upwardly by a resulting vacuum suction force to vacuum-suck the sheet and transfer the sheet.