Feed Cassette

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a feed cassette for containing therein copy mediums or the like, and more particularly to such a feed cassette which singly is capable of feeding various sizes of copy mediums.

2. Description of the Prior Art

In copying machines or the like, a cassette system has recently been proposed to enhance the efficiency and speed of the office work. The conventional system has been such that particular cassettes are required to contain particular sizes of copy mediums and in use, any desired one of these cassettes loaded with copy mediums may be inserted into a feed device in a copying machine or the like. Such a system has been efficient in that replacement of copy mediums can be readily done by replacement of the cassette, but it has been undesirable in that a variety of cassettes must be prepared for various sizes of copy mediums, and this has led to the need to provide a space for the storage of spare cassettes, which has, in turn, offered disadvantages with respect to moisture-proof and dust-proof effects.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a feed cassette which singly is capable of feeding various sizes of copy mediums.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a feed cassette in which a side plate is movable in accordance with various sizes of copy mediums.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a feed cassette in which a limit plate is movable in accordance with the lengths of copy mediums.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a feed cassette in which a limit plate is movable in accordance with different sizes of copy mediums and is removable from the cassette.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a feed cassette in which a side plate or a limit plate can be set to a predetermined position in accordance with the sizes or lengths of the copy mediums.

In order that different sizes of copy mediums may be fed by a feed cassette of the type, on which an inner plate supporting thereon copy mediums or the like is normally biased upwardly by compression springs to permit the copy mediums to be fed one by one, it is necessary that a side plate be movable to match the sizes or widths of the copy mediums and that the inner plate supporting thereon the copy mediums be also movable in accordance with the copy mediums, or the like. Likewise, a limit plate must be movable to match the sizes or lengths of the copy mediums.

The present invention solves the above-noted problems. According to the present invention, the inner plate for supporting thereon copy mediums or the like is divided into two members and these two inner plate members are pivotably mounted on a side plate, which is slidable along a guide plate. A member spans compression springs provided within the cassette and is controlled to move vertically. The inner plate is movable by the upward force of the compression springs and under the guidance of said member and is slidable with the movement of the side plate so that the inner plate is movable without being interfered with by the compression springs. A limit plate movable to match the lengths of the copy mediums is removable from and slidable on the upper surfaces of guide plates provided in the inner plate and in the bottom plate of the cassette.

Thus, according to the present invention, a transverse side plate and a longitudinal limit plate are movable to thereby enable various sizes of copy mediums to be fed by a single cassette, and the necessity of preparing particular cassettes for particular sizes of copy mediums as was conventional is eliminated resulting in a great convenience.

According to the prior art, where it is desired to use various sizes of copy mediums, it has been necessary to prepare a corresponding variety of cassettes, whereas the present invention only requires a single cassette to be used for various sizes of copy mediums.

Also, if a copy medium container portion is installed within a copying machine and various sizes of copy mediums are selectively contained in such a container portion, it is possible to use such various sizes of copy mediums, but this involves a great deal of time for replacement of the copy mediums, because it is not of the cassette type. According to the present invention, if there is only one spare cassette capable of containing various sizes of copy mediums, these different sizes of copy mediums can be simply loaded into a copying machine and thus, only two cassettes are enough to enable various sizes of copy mediums to be effectively used.

The invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description of some specific embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the feed cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines II-- II of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the feed cassette according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines IV-- IV of FIG. 3.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the cassette of the present invention comprises a cassette body 1 and a reference side plate 2, which provides the reference for positioning copy mediums and which is secured to the cassette body 1. A separator pawl 3 for separating copy mediums one by one is pivotably mounted on the reference side plate 2, on the side thereof which is adjacent a feeder means 10 mounted within the body of a copying machine. The cassette further comprises a movable side plate 4, which is movable in the direction of the arrow C in accordance with the sizes of the copy mediums. The movable side plate 4 is slidable along a guide plate 5 provided substantially centrally of the cassette body, and a separator pawl 3'; for separating copy mediums one by one, is pivotably mounted on the movable side plate 4 on that side thereof which is adjacent the aforesaid feeder means 10. An inner plate 6, for supporting thereon a charge of copy mediums, is pivotable about a shaft 7 provided in the cassette body 1, and another inner plate 8 is also pivotable about a shaft 9 secured to the movable side plate 4 and is movable with such side plate 4. Compression springs 11 and 11' are provided within the cassette on that side thereof which is adjacent the feeder means, and a plate-like member 13, having spring seats 12 and 12' secured to the inner plate 6 by screws, spans the compression springs 11 and 11'. The inner plate 6 is vertically movable with the platelike member 13 and normally biased upwardly, for rotation about the shaft 7 by the springs 11 and 11', and into engagement with the separator pawls 3 and 3' so as to be stopped thereby. The portion of the inner plate 8 which is adjacent the feeder means 10 rests on the plate-like member 13 so as to be normally biased upwardly for rotation about the pivot 9 by the springs 11 and 11' through the agency of the plate-like member 13, and the inner plate 8 is slidable on the plate-like member 13 with the movement of the movable side plate 4.

The movable side plate 4 may be moved along the guide plate 5 in accordance with the sizes or widths of the copy mediums and may be locked by a stop plate 20, received in a corresponding rectangular opening 14 formed in the guide plate 5. A limit plate 15 movable in accordance with the sizes or lengths of the copy mediums is attached to the inner plate 6 and is movable in the direction of the arrow D. The limit plate 15 may be locked by a stop plate 16, received in a corresponding rectangular opening 17, formed in the inner plate 6. There is further provided a paper keep pad 18 for providing registration between the copy mediums and for separating them one by one, and a cover 19 is provided for the purposes of maintaining a moisture-proof and dust-proof cassette.

To charge the above-described cassette with copy mediums, the limit plate 15 is slid in the direction of the arrow D, in accordance with the size of the copy mediums to be inserted, until it is locked by the stop plate 16. Likewise, the movable side plate 4 is slid along the guide plate in the direction of the arrow C in accordance with the size of the copy mediums, until it is locked by the stop plate 20. Subsequently, a charge of copy mediums is placed on top of the inner plates 6 and 8 and these plates with the copy mediums are manually forced down nearly to the bottom of the cassette body 1 against the force of the compression springs 11 and 11', whereby the charge of copy mediums is received under the separator pawls 3 and 3'. Then, release of the manual force permits the plate-like member 13 and, accordingly, the inner plates 6 and 8 to be raised by the upward force of the springs 11 and 11' so that the charge of copy mediums is urged into contact with the underside of the separator pawls 3 and 3'. The copy mediums are now ready for feeding.

In the above-described embodiment, the reference side plate 2 is secured to the cassette body 1 and the movable side plate 4 is slidable along the guide plate 5, whereas it is also possible to make the plate-like member 13 vertically movable, independently, and to make the inner plate 6 pivotable with respect to the reference side plate 2 so that the plate-like member 13, with one end of the inner plate 6 resting on top thereof is slidable, and to make the reference side plate 2 slidable along a guide member to move the inner plate 6.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show another embodiment of the present invention in which a cassette body 1 has secured thereto a reference side plate 2 which provides the reference for positioning copy mediums, and a separator pawl 3, for separating copy mediums one, by one is pivotably mounted on the reference side plate on the side thereof which is adjacent to feeder means 10, provided within the body of a copying machine. A movable side plate 4 is provided, which is movable in the direction of the arrow C in accordance with the sizes of the copy mediums, and is slidable along a guide plate 5 provided in the bottom of the cassette body. A separator pawl 3' for separating copy mediums one by one is pivotably mounted on the movable side plate 4 on the side thereof which is adjacent the feeder means 10. An inner plate 6 for supporting thereon a charge of copy mediums, is pivotable about a shaft 7 secured to the cassette body. Likewise, another inner plate 8 is also pivotable about a shaft 9, secured to the movable side plate 4, and is movable with such side plate 4.

Compression springs 11 and 11' are provided within the cassette on that side thereof which is adjacent the feeder means 10, and a plate-like member 13, having spring seats 12 and 12' secured to the inner plate 6 by screws, spans the compression springs 11 and 11'. The inner plate 6 is vertically movable with the plate-like member and normally biased upwardly for rotation about the shaft 7 by the springs 11 and 11' and into engagement with the separator pawls 3 and 3' so as to be stopped thereby.

The portion of the inner plate 8 which is adjacent the feeder means 10, rests on the plate-like member 13 so as to be normally biased upwardly for rotation about a pivot 9 by the springs 11 and 11' through the agency of the plate-like member 13, and the inner plate 8 is slidable on the upper surface of the plate-like member 13 with the movement of the movable side plate 4.

The movable side plate 4 may be moved along the guide plate 5 in accordance with the sizes or widths of the copy mediums and may be locked by a stop plate 20 received in a corresponding rectangular opening 14 formed in the guide plate 5. A limit plate 15, movable in accordance with the sizes or lengths of the copy mediums, is attached to the upper surface of the inner plate 6 or to a guide plate 21 and is movable in the direction of the arrow D. The limit plate 15 may be locked by a stop plate 16, received in a corresponding rectangular opening 17 or 22 formed in the inner plate 6 or in the guide plate 21.

As previously described, the limit plate 15 of the present invention, movable in the lengthwise direction of the cassette, may be attached to either the inner plate 6 or the guide plate 21. The inner plate 6 and the guide plate 21 are formed with limit plate guide slots 23, 24, 25 and 26 which cooperate with guide dowels 27, secured to the limit plate 15, to limit the movement of the limit plate. The guide slots 23, 24, 25 and 26 are provided with enlarged portions 23', 24', 25' and 26', respectively, so that the limit plate 15 may be removed from the inner plate 6 or the guide plate 21, when the guide dowels 27 of the limit plate arrive at the enlarged portions of the guide slots.

As is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the inner plate, for supporting thereon a stack of copy mediums, is not formed as a unitary construction, but about one-half of the inner plate, which is adjacent the feeder means 10, is made pivotable, whereby a constant load is applied to the inner plate irrespective of the lengths of the copy mediums. Thus, not only stable feed of copy mediums is ensured, but also mechanical strength is increased to improve the operating characteristics and the number of the components may be reduced by employing common parts, thereby reducing the cost of the entire cassette.

Reference numeral 18 designates a paper keep pad which is useful for providing registration between the copy mediums and to facilitate separation of the copy mediums one by one, and reference numeral 19 denotes a cover, serving the purpose of rendering the cassette moisture-proof and dust-proof.

To charge the above-described cassette with copy mediums, the limit plate 15 is slid in the direction of the arrow D in accordance with the size of the copy mediums to be inserted, until it is locked on the inner plate 6 or the guide plate 21 by the stop plate 16. Likewise, the movable side plate 4 is slid along the guide plate 5 in the direction of the arrow C in accordance with the size of the copy mediums until it is locked by the stop plate 20.

Subsequently, a stack of copy mediums is placed on top of the inner plates 6 and 8, and these plates, with the copy mediums, are manually forced down nearly to the bottom of the cassette body 1 against the force of the compression springs 11 and 11', whereby the stack of copy mediums is received under the separator pawls 3 and 3'. Then, release of the manual force permits the plate-like member 13, and accordingly the inner plates 6 and 8 to be raised by the upward force of the springs 11 and 11' so that the stack of copy mediums is urged into contact with the underside of the separator pawls 3 and 3'. The copy mediums are now ready for feeding.

Again, in the embodiment described just above, the reference side plate 2 is secured to the cassette body 1 and the movable side plate 4 is slidable along the guide plate 5, whereas it is also possible to make the plate-like member 13 vertically movable, independently, and to make the inner plate 6 pivotable with respect to the reference side plate 2 so that the plate-like member 13, with one end of the inner plate 6 resting on top thereof, is slidable, and to make the reference side plate 2 slidable along a guide member to move the inner plate 6.