Patent ID: 8047537

Claim:
An apparatus for registering a sheet moved in a process direction along a transport path in a media handling assembly, a lateral direction extending perpendicular to the process direction, the apparatus comprising: a sheet registration nip assembly for changing characteristics of the sheet with respect to the transport path, the characteristics of the sheet including at least one of a skew position, process direction position and a lateral position of the sheet; a controller communicating a first signal to the sheet registration nip assembly to change a first sheet characteristic to a target characteristic, the first signal generated to impart the target characteristic to the sheet by the time the sheet reaches a preliminary registration datum, wherein a delivery registration datum is disposed downstream of the sheet registration nip assembly, the controller communicating a second signal to the sheet registration nip assembly to change a second sheet characteristic to the target characteristic, the second signal communicated when at least a portion of the sheet is disposed along the transport path between the preliminary registration datum and the delivery registration datum; a first sensor for measuring characteristics of the sheet at a first point along the transport path, wherein at the first point the sheet being disposed substantially upstream along the transport path of the sheet registration nip assembly, the first sensor communicating the first sheet characteristic to the controller; a second sensor for measuring characteristics of the sheet at a second point along the transport path, the second sensor measuring a portion of the sheet disposed downstream along the transport path of the sheet registration nip assembly, the second sensor communicating the second sheet characteristic to the controller; and an auxiliary nip assembly disposed laterally adjacent the second sensor, the preliminary registration datum being coincident with the second point.