Patent ID: 8020858

Claim:
An apparatus for registering the leading edge of a sheet moved substantially in a process direction along a path in a media handling assembly, a lateral direction extending perpendicular to the process direction, the apparatus comprising: a first nip assembly and a second nip assembly, the first and second nip assemblies being spaced apart from one another; a first sheet leading edge sensor, the first sheet leading edge sensor detecting an arrival of a leading edge of a sheet at a point in the process direction, wherein the arrival is associated with engagement of the first and second nip assemblies with the sheet, the first sheet leading edge sensor being disposed laterally between opposed lateral edges of the sheet; a controller imparting a rotational skew velocity to the sheet using the first and second nip assemblies, a center of rotation of the skew velocity being offset laterally from a center of the sheet leading edge, wherein the skew velocity center of rotation is coincident with a lateral position of the first sheet leading edge sensor; and a differential drive system operatively connected to the first nip assembly, the second nip assembly and the controller, the differential drive system inducing the rotational skew velocity to the sheet.