JPH012948A - Electrophotocopying machine with automatic adhesive paper feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates generally to electrophotographic copying devices, and more particularly to a copying device that makes copies using a device that automatically feeds paper continuously from the top of a stack of blank sheets.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In today's high-speed multi-copying machines, it is strongly required that the copying machine be equipped with a means for feeding sheets one by one into the main body of the machine. However, there are many problems in the analysis of sake during this period.

The force required to move the top sheet of the paper stack is likely to have self-reproaching results. In particular, increasing the friction between the top sheet and the drive that pulls sheets from the stack results in increased bonding between the top sheet and the sheets below it.

OBJECTS Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet feeder that applies minimal force to the topmost sheet of a sheet stack to reduce bonding between sheets.

An even more important consideration in the design of the top feeder is to take into account the bond between the top sheet and the remaining sheets of the stack. This combination essentially requires 2
There are two types. One of them is created by air pressure. That is, the force required to vertically lift a sheet of paper increases as the lid moves away from the edge of the sheet. Due to the edge-to-edge alignment and pliability of the paper, the top paper interacts with the paper below it as if a vacuum were created, and the atmospheric pressure on the top paper resists upward movement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to design a paper feeding device which avoids exerting lifting forces away from the edges of the paper, and more particularly, to first lift the edges of the paper to be drawn from the paper stack. The objective is to design a paper feeding device that reduces the required force.

A further difficulty in separating the top sheet from the sheet below it is overcoming the mechanical bonding of the fibers along the edges of the sheet. Typically, 1.2 sheets of paper in a series will exhibit this type of fiber bonding. It is, therefore, another object of the present invention to provide a paper feeder in which the edges of each sheet are prevented from bonding so that the fibers and bonding of each sheet with the paper beneath it are removed.

It has previously been believed that the easiest way to separate sheets in a mechanical paper feeder is to slide one sheet relative to another. Basically, copying machines currently use paper feeding devices in which paper feeding rollers engage with the front edge of a stack of paper in the paper feeding direction and slide the paper forward by friction.

A second pad or roller engages the back side of the sheet and prevents other sheets entrained by the sheet from being fed into the machine. This system relies on the friction of the feed roller being higher than that of the return roller or pad below the paper being fed.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for first lifting the edges of a sheet to be pulled from a stack and then sliding the sheet forward for feeding into a reproduction system.

As discussed above and detailed below, the paper feeder of the present invention is particularly useful in electrophotographic copiers that continuously make copies using a continuous paper feeder.

The apparatus of the present invention is configured to operate so as to continuously pull out sheets from above a stack of sheets and feed the sheets one by one into a copying machine. Copying machines that are effective using this device are C, And
erson, United States Patent Application No. 732.608, filed May 10, 1985, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. This device is referred to herein.

Structure The paper feeding device of the present invention is provided in particular with a piece of adhesive adhesive whose main material is butyl acrylate, commonly known as Po5t-Itj Pad, manufactured by 3M Cocoation, which is adjacent to the paper stack. It has a cartridge with a knob. The adhesive must - be tacky and - leave no residue or damage when removed from the paper to which it is applied. The cartridge is placed on the leading edge of the topmost paper in the paper stack in the paper feed direction, and the cartridge is then rotated away from the paper feed direction while maintaining a minimum amount of pressure on the top of the paper stack. do. This effectively sticks the adhesive strip on the cartridge to the edge of the top sheet. The movement away from the sheet feed direction then lifts the top edge of the sheet away from the edges of the sheets below it, bringing the sheet on top. The paper below this (hereinafter referred to as the second paper) is the paper that tries to keep the paper flat due to the downward pressure generated by IJ twisting and applied to the vicinity of the front edge of the second paper. This in combination with the lateral strength of will keep it in place. The printer then moves in the paper feed direction and feeds the paper onto the path to the copying machine.

It is desirable that the paper feed roller be placed in contact with the paper stack. The forward movement of the cartridge causes the cartridge to approach the paper feed rollers, and the paper is pressed between the cartridge and the rollers. The rotation of the rollers moves the paper forward. The paper removal element removes the paper from the adhesive strip of the cartridge by rotation of the paper feed roller. When the paper feeding cycle is completed by removing and transporting the paper, the cartridge returns to the standby position and prepares for the next automatic paper feeding.

It is desirable to provide an additional element for the purpose of separating the top sheet from the stack of sheets. This element has a barrier or fence across the front of the paper stack of equal or slightly higher height than the paper stack. When the front edge of the paper to be drawn is lifted,
It automatically rises above the fence level and can be pulled out over the fence. Any residual adhesion between the paper being pulled out and the remaining paper stack is removed by the fence, and the bound paper stack is not moved forward.

These and other objects of the invention are achieved by suitable embodiments described below with reference to the drawings.

The purpose of this invention is to supply a thin strip of adhesive material (IJ tab 22) to the front edge of the topmost sheet of a stack of blank sheets. A schematic diagram of the operation of this system is shown in Figures 1B and 1.
Shown in Figure C. The top paper 19 of the paper stack is attached to the adhesive strip 2
2, the leading edge 20 (FIG. 1B) contacts and adheres to the strip. To cause this adhesion, arrow 24
A certain downward pressure is applied to the strip 22, as shown in FIG.

The arcuate surface carrying the adhesive strip 22 is then pivoted in the direction indicated by arrow 26 away from the path by which the paper is to be drawn from the stack. At the same time, the downward pressure indicated by arrow 24 is at least partially maintained. As a result, paper 1
The leading edge of sheet 9 is lifted from the remaining stack of sheets. The combination of the beam intensity of the second paper 19-2 below the top paper 19-1 and the downward pressure applied to the paper 19-2 is
-2 while the front edge of the top sheet 19-1 is lifted;
Keep it level. It is desirable to provide a barrier 28 proximate to the leading edge of the stack and at least the height of the stack.

The front edge of the top sheet 19-1 is lifted above this wall and can be pulled out above one barrier in the direction opposite to arrow 26.

FIG. 1A is a front view showing the adhesive paper peeling cartridge 10 in a rest position. The rest position of this cartridge will be indicated below by its center line 4. The structure of the peel-off cartridge itself is structurally substantially equivalent to known carbon film typewriter cartridges. It carries an adhesive paper strip, and the adhesive paper strip is a car)
A long hole 7 extending perpendicularly to the plane of the paper at the bottom of the IJ Tsuji 10
move through. This adhesive surface is circulated through the elongated hole 7 along the route shown by broken lines 7A and 7B. The exposed surface of the adhesive paper is made of a temporary, non-residue adhesive, such as butyl acrylate. The adhesive material is selected on the basis that it will not leave any residue or damage on the paper if it is temporarily removed from the paper to which it is attached. The cartridge can also be used to continuously remove and advance sheets as shown diagrammatically in FIGS. 1B and 1C. In order to regularly supply fresh adhesive surface to the top surface of the paper stack at the location of the elongated hole 7, the adhesive in the cartridge 10 is
9 is one arm 1 of the bifurcated cartridge support lever 16.
4 with a pin 18. Pin 18, which fits one end between two fingers 20, 22, can be advanced by a small amount at the completion of each sheet feeding cycle.

1i of the cartridge providing for the pick-up and advancement of the sheet 19 shown in outline in FIGS. 1B and 1C! The movement is
It is controlled by movement of cam follower 30 in response to rotation of cam 32. The chronological positions reached by the cartridge 10 to achieve the effect described with respect to FIGS. 1B and 1C are shown in FIGS. 1A12.3 and 4. The timing of the paper peeling action is shown in FIG. First paper pick up
In a step (shown in FIG. 2), the cam 32 rotates and pushes against the axle 34 (causing forward movement of the arm 16 carrying the portion 36 and the cartridge 10, so that the centerline of the cartridge comes to the position indicated by numeral 5.

What should be noted is that the adhesive edge of the cartridge (its elongated hole 7)
The cartridge is retracted from position 4 to position 5 and the cartridge is moved backwards from position 4 to position 5 to bring the effective exposure width across the sheet stack (indicated by dashed lines 7A, 7B in FIG. 1) into contact with the leading edge of sheet 19. It must be moved towards the top paper. The reason for this is that the rest position at position 4 is located at the barrier 2 provided to prevent the paper stack from moving forward.
To break through 8, it is slightly above the paper.

The lateral movement of the cartridge 10 is caused by the rotation of the cam 32.
This occurs by moving the cam follower 30 as the face of the cam 62 rotates past the wheel 34. The downward force required to press the cartridge 10 onto the paper 19 shown in FIG. provided by a spring 46. This arm 54 pivots about a point 56 and has an end bearing 58 that slides within a notch 60 in the forked arm 16. The downward pressure on point 52 exerted by spring 46 pulls bearing 5B down towards lower arm 14, exerting a relatively weak but sufficient downward force on cartridge 51.
0 is given to the leading edge of the paper 19. This tension spring 46 is designed to exert downward pressure on the cartridge in this position 5, thereby ensuring proper adhesion of the adhesive strip to the leading edge of the top paper.

This pressure needs to be fully effective only at the end of the cartridge position at position 5, after which the IJ screw moves from position 5 (Figure 2) to position 6 (Figure 6). You can partially release it as you move. However, it is necessary to maintain a certain minimum pressure.

The basic lifting and lowering movement of the cartridge is carried out by the cam follower 6.
4 and rotates the cam follower arm 66 against the support shaft 56.
It is controlled by a cam 62 that rotates around the cam 62. A small projection 68 is provided on the cam 62 to briefly create maximum downward pressure pressing the cartridge 10 against the leading edge of the sheet.

It should be noted that the cam is designed such that the maximum downward force provided by the spring 46 is present to maximize the probability of ejecting a sheet while the cartridge is in position 5. and the timing is set (Fig. 5).

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which the cartridge is stopped at a position defined by center line B. The cartridge may be slightly further away from the stack of sheets than when it is in position 5. However, some pressure is still applied to the top surface of the paper stack 19. More specifically, the cartridge has now also rotated away from the exit passageway 70 so that the elongated hole 7
is away from the paper surface, so now the straight lines 40, 41
The front edge of the paper 19 that is stuck to the IJ knob is wound up by the backward movement of the IJ edge. The leading edge of the uppermost sheet is separated from the two-sheet sheet and raised above the height of the barrier 28 that restrains the sheet stack.

When separating from the second paper at the front edge of the top paper,
It is helpful for a slight pressure drop to occur on the east side of the sheet while the IJ jig is pivoted away from the leading edge of the sheet stack as shown diagrammatically in FIGS. 1B and 1C. The total amount of cartridge retraction is determined by the rotation of the cam 32 surface relative to the follower surface 34 and the distance that the bearing 58 can slide within the clearance. Lifting cam follower surface 6
2 has been moved to a lower position on the intermediate or cam surface, and the cartridge itself is therefore slightly raised in position relative to the paper stack, as shown in FIG. This is also shown in the timing diagram of FIG.

The upward curling of the leading edge of the paper 19 causes the cartridge 10 to move forward, allowing the paper 19 to be entrained over the top of the barrier 28: ζ. Since there is a slight frictional engagement between the paper 19 and the adjacent paper on the east side of the paper, only one paper is taken out.

In Fig. 4, the center line of the car and truck 10 is at the 4th position i'''
'1: Indicates a troubled state. The cartridge 10 is
Since the IE is positioned slightly lower than its initial position shown in Figure 2, it contacts the rotating roller 90, which is aligned with the cartridge at the center of the paper (fCli''').
It is a soft rubber discharge roll that sips. By moving the centerline of the cartridge to position 4, paper 19 is captured between the cartridge and rollers 90. roller 9
The rotation of the paper 19 transports the paper 19 to the paper stripping finger 92, and the paper 19 is released from the cartridge and carried into the insertion path 94 between the pair of rollers 96, 97. Movement of the cartridge from the position shown in FIG. 3 to the position shown in FIG. 4 is effected by continuous rotation of the cam 32 through the cam follower surface 34, and the small diameter portion of the cam 62 is supported by the biasing force of the spring 9B. Arm 16 is retracted. By returning the cam follower 64 to the smaller diameter portion of the cam 62, the cartridge is held at the same height as the stack of sheets shown in FIG. The further reduced height of the cam surface in the area reached by the cam follower 64 at the point indicated by the second line in FIG. 5 returns the cartridge to the initial 101 position shown in FIG. As mentioned above, the cartridge 10 carrying the adhesive material for adhering the strip is structurally similar to a typewriter ribbon cartridge. Thus, the movement of the cartridge periodically advances the material coated with adhesive, thereby periodically exposing new groups of adhesive strips.

Effects As described above, according to the present invention, the paper is not damaged even when it is used repeatedly in the paper feeding mode, and the reliability is high for feeding one paper at a time, and the cost is low! It? This makes it possible to provide a quiet system. By studying the disclosure of this invention, it is likely that one would be able to conceive of alternative embodiments of this invention. For example, it is easy to implement means to reduce the height of the barrier as the stack height decreases, thereby making it easier to withdraw the dose. Therefore, it is intended that the scope of the present invention be limited to the scope of the patent application H.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

, 'j', I A diagram shows the paper feeding device of the embodiment of the present invention; ζt
(The cartridge for feeding paper is the first
Or the state in which the body is in the 11th position iν"I [a side view showing exclusive use, Figure 1B and +C"l are the cartridges for lifting and taking out the paper] - [・An explanatory diagram explaining the 13th work, Figure 2 1) A side view showing the cart of FIG. 1 in the position shown diagrammatically, with the dead mark strip on it touching the leading edge of the paper -ψ: 6 is a side view showing the cartridge shown in FIG. 1 in the position diagrammatically shown in FIG. a side sectional view showing a state in which the unit moves forward so as to carry the paper and feed it to the copying machine;
FIG. 5 is a timing diagram when moving through positions 4, 5, and 6 shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 5.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] (1) Toner that can be charged to one polarity is transferred from the surface of a photoreceptor drum that can be charged to an opposite polarity to the surface of a blank sheet of paper, converting the front side of the blank sheet into the intended copy, and the blank sheet is the back side of the toner. In an electrophotographic copying machine, the toner is transferred by engaging the peripheral surface of the transfer drum in contact with the photoreceptor drum and inserting the toner into the nip between the photoreceptor drum and the transfer drum. A paper feeding device for transporting blank sheets one by one from the paper stack to the entrance path to the transfer nip is located close to the paper stack, and includes an adhesive paper cartridge for taking out only one sheet from the paper stack. , the cartridge,
means for moving the sheet from a first position adjacent to the stack of sheets, where the cartridge engages the top sheet of the stack, to a second position for moving the sheet of paper from the stack of sheets and into the entry path. A device characterized by: (2) When the cartridge is in the first position, the moving means is configured to lift the front edge of the sheet for separating and drawing the sheet from the sheet bundle for transporting the sheet to the entrance path. 2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, including means operative to move the second position to a third position which is a greater distance from the entrance path than the second position. (6) A barrier is provided adjacent to the edge of the paper stack facing the entrance path, the barrier being at least as high as the edge of the paper stack so that only one blank sheet is fed into the entrance path. 2. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that it has a height of . (4) Further comprising a discharge roller adjacent to an edge of the sheet stack facing the entrance path, and means for rotating the discharge roller to feed the single sheet of paper into the entrance path. An apparatus according to claim 1. (5) The cartridge moving means has means for moving the cartridge to a second position adjacent to the ejection roller, and the blank paper is captured between the ejection roller and the cartridge. 5. Apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that rotation of the ejection roller feeds said paper into said inlet path. (6) the cartridge is cylindrical and has an adhesive surface strip extending parallel to the edge of the single blank sheet;
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the adhesive surface strip contacts and retains the leading edge of the single blank sheet of paper to feed the sheet into the entry path. (7) means for rotating said cartridge in a direction away from said inlet path, said adhesive strip holding a leading edge of said single blank sheet for separating and transporting said single blank sheet; 7. A device according to claim 6, characterized in that the device is capable of lifting and lifting. (8) a barrier is provided adjacent to the edge of the stack facing the entry path, the barrier being at least as wide as the edge of the stack so that only a single blank sheet is fed into the entry path; 8. Device according to claim 7, characterized in that it has a height of . (9) The paper is automatically fed to the image transfer section via the entrance path,
In a copying apparatus in which the intended image is formed on a single blank sheet of paper, a paper feeder that feeds the single blank sheet one sheet at a time from a stack of sheets to the entrance path to the image transfer area; a transfer cartridge including an adhesive region extending parallel to a leading edge of said single blank sheet facing said entrance path; drive means for the cartridge for moving the cartridge from its second position to a third position in which the blank paper is fed into the inlet path, whereby a leading edge of the blank sheet is separated from the stack of sheets; and a barrier means adjacent to said stack of sheets for preventing movement of said stack of sheets into said entry path as said single blank sheet moves. (10) The sheet stack further includes a discharge roller adjacent to an edge facing the entrance path, and means for rotating the discharge roller to feed the single sheet of paper into the entrance path. An apparatus according to claim 9. (11) The cartridge moving means has means for moving the cartridge to a second position adjacent to the ejection roller, and the blank paper is captured between the ejection roller and the cartridge. 11. Apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that rotation of the ejection roller feeds said paper into said inlet path. (12) means for rotating said cartridge away from said inlet path, said adhesive strip gripping a leading edge of said single blank sheet for separating and transporting said single blank sheet; 12. Device according to claim 11, characterized in that it is capable of holding and lifting. (13) The apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising means for reducing the height of the barrier as the height of the stack of sheets decreases. (14) The paper stack further includes a discharge roller adjacent to an edge facing the entrance path, and means for rotating the discharge roller to feed the single sheet into the entrance path. 14. The apparatus according to claim 13. (15) The cartridge moving means has means for moving the cartridge to a second position adjacent to the ejection roller, and the blank paper is captured between the ejection roller and the cartridge. 14. Apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that rotation of the ejection roller feeds said paper into said inlet path. (16) When the cartridge is in the third position,
means for pressing said cartridge against said stack of sheets, whereby the beam intensity of a second sheet below the topmost sheet of said stack of sheets separates said blank sheet from said second blank sheet; 3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that it assists in: