1: In Platinum you don't have to beat the E4, but in White you do, as the Poke Transfer Lab is in a post game location. Pokemon Bank is not used to transfer from Gen 4 to Gen 5, but instead uses a pre-installed app on the 3DS called "DS Download Play." Here is a tutorial for how to transfer from Gen 4 to Gen 5.
2: Held items can only be traded, not transferred. Any held items of Pokemon you transfer will be sent back to the bag of the game that they were transferring from.
3: Pokemon aren't copied when you transfer them. If you transfer a one-time-catch Legendary out of a game, it is unobtainable forever in that game, unless you reset it. Any Pokemon you transfer will need to be caught again if you wish to still have one.
4: Any console in the 3DS family is compatible with Pokemon Bank. I'll also say that in order to transfer from Gen 5 to Pokemon Bank, you need to download Poke Transporter on your 3DS, which is a free app.
Hope I could help! If you have any more questions, please ask!