Dual Sheet Feeder for Typewriters, Output Printers or the Like

The present invention relates to a sheet feeding apparatus for use with office machines, such as typewriters, computer or word processor output printers and the like, and more particularly to a sheet feeding apparatus which has the capability of, selectively, feeding sheets from more than one supply stack, as desired. For example, one supply stack may carry sheets with an organizational letterhead, another supply stack may carry bill or invoice heads, and yet another supply stack may carry envelopes. The material in the various stacks, for simplicity, will hereinafter be referred to as "sheets" or "copy materials", respectively. The apparatus is versatile and may be used with only a single stack of copy material, and it is so arranged that it can, on demand, be expanded further for subsequent attachment of holders to feed from additional stacks of copy material.

It has previously been proposed--see the referenced Swiss Pat. No. 638,436--to supply single sheets or copy material from a stack to a platen of a writing or printing type office machine, such as a typewriter, an output printer, a word processor printer or the like. A separating roller engages the topmost sheet or copy material from a stack and supplies it to an input slit between the platen and a counter roller, or counter surface. The separating rollers frictionally engage the top sheet and are coupled over a free wheeling, or overrunning clutch arrangement of gearing, so that, when the gearing is driven, the sheet is fed; when the sheet is grasped by the driven platen, the separating rollers can run freely, not requiring any further drive, or, if the drive for the separating roller continues to operate, the separating rollers can overrun the drive speed of the drive to the separating rollers; that is, they can freely operate at the higher speed. The gearing, or drive arrangement for the separating roller can receive drive powered directly from the platen of the typewriter, printer or the like which, for simplicity, may be referred to hereinafter as a "printer".

One known arrangment utilizes a printer platen which, in order to feed a sheet, first rotates in a direction counter to the sheet feeding direction. Such counter rotation, which may also be used for alignment of a sheet, will be referred to as the "reverse" or "sheet aligning direction" of rotation of the roller. To feed a sheet, the platen, then, rotates first in the sheet aligning or reverse direction over a predetermined angle of rotation; thereafter, it rotates forwardly, or in the sheet feeding direction, for a certain angular distance, which may be small. Thereafter, the platen again reverses, and operates in reverse, or sheet aligning direction, for a predetermined distance, and until the sheet reaches the gap between the platen and a first pressure roller, so that the sheet can then be grasped. The platen then again reverses and pulls the sheet into the printer by rotation of the platen in the sheet feeding, or forward direction.

The sequential operation, first forwardly--for example to eject a previously printed sheet--then reversely by a predetermined angle, then forwardly by a second predetermined angle, then again reversely, and then again forwardly requires a relatively expensive and complex ratchet and direction sensing apparatus as well as programming of an office machine, such as a word processor, computer output printer or automatic or semi-automatic typewriter.

It is an object to provide a sheet feeding apparatus which avoids the necessity of repetitive reverse and forward rotation of the platen, and which is simple and reliable; and which, additionally, permits feeding copy material from various stacks, preferably expandable as to the number--so that, for example, different preprinted copy material may be handled by the printer.

Briefly, a drive arrangement is coupled through the separating rollers, the driving arrangement including gearing with an overrunning clutch, as generally known. The drive arrangement is driven from a coupling element which is engaged with the platen by a slip-free rotation transmitting coupled arrangement.

In accordance with a feature of the invention, the gearing includes means to sense the angular extent of rotation of the coupling element when the platen operates in the reverse, or sheet aligning direction; the separating rollers are then driven after the reverse rotation, over a predetermined angle after reverse rotation has been sensed and upon subsequent rotation of the platen in the forward, or sheet feeding direction. Rotation of the coupling element, with the platen, over at least a limited angular extent in the direction controlled by the then forwardly rotating platen, that is, the platen which is operating in the sheet feeding direction.

The arrangement has the advantage that the platen need reverse only once, and the mechanism can be simplified. By associating different predetermined angles over which the coupling means rotates with a positioning discontinuity such as different supply stacks, the angular extent of rotation--derived by the angular rotation of the platen--can be used to control the selection of the stack from which the copy material will be fed. Thus, by a simple programming step of controlling angle of rotation of the platen--in reverse direction--a selection can be made if the copy material to be supplied to the printer is, for example, a letterhead, or an envelope.

The drawings illustrate:

FIG. 1, a schematic cross section taken through the apparatus;

FIG. 2, an exploded perspective view of the apparatus with the intermediate frame and the printer;

FIG. 3, a side view of the apparatus;

FIG. 4, a section taken along the line IV--IV of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5, a schematic view of the gearing in the initial position;

FIG. 6, a schematic view corresponding to FIG. 5, but with a coupled right wheel;

FIG. 7, a schematic view according to FIG. 5 with the right wheel being rotated;

FIG. 8, a schematic side view of a second embodiment;

FIG. 9, a section taken along the line IX--IX of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10, a section taken along the line X--X of FIG. 9; and

FIGS. 11 and 12, a schematic illustration of the feeding of paper at the platen 10.

The apparatus is used to feed sheets or copy material selectively from a first supply stack 2 or a second supply stack 3 to an office machine 19, for instance a typewriter or printer. These sheets are then guided around the platen 10 and when they leave the platen they are placed on an output stack 4. The two supply stacks 2, 3 are each resting on a pivotable bottom 5, each of which is loaded by a spring 6. The two supply stacks 2, 3 along with the respective pivotable bottoms 5 are each held by a laterally adjustable, V-shaped support 21, 23. The holders 21, 23 are so located with respect to the platen 10 that the feed paths of the copy elements thereon, being fed by respective rollers 7, 8, are of identical lengths. The uppermost sheet of each supply stack 2, 3 rests against a drivable separating roller 7, 8 in frictional engagement. In the vicinity of the lowermost edge of the supply stack, each stack has a corner separator 9 known per se, having at its corners the shape of a short protruding tab and forcing the uppermost sheet, when it is fed, or moved forward, to protrude beyond this corner, thereby preventing feeding of two of the same kind of sheet at a time. To enable single sheets to be fed manually into the printer, a funnel 11 is provided, embodied by guide plates 16. The separating rollers 7, 8, at least the jacket of which is of soft rubber, are each mounted on a shaft 12, 14, via a respective overrunning, or free wheeling connection 13, such that when the uppermost sheet is withdrawn these separating rollers 7, 8 can rotate without simultaneously positively driving the drive shafts 12, 14. The rotational movement of these drive shafts 12, 14 is derived from the platen 10, on the shaft of which is mounted a gear 18, which via an intermediate gear 20 drives a further gear 22, which is mounted on a shaft 24. A further gear 26 is also rigidly secured on the shaft 24, and on the same shaft 24 are also two drive rollers 28 mounted in a rotationally fixed manner, which deliver the sheets discharged from the platen to the output bin 4. The intermediate gear 20, the gear 22 and the shaft 24 are located on an intermediate frame 30, which can be mounted as a separable unit on the shaft of the printer 19 and removed from it as well. This intermediate frame permits ready adaptation to various brands and types of printers. In the mounted state of the intermediate frame 30, the intermediate gear 20 engages the gear 18 mounted on the shaft of the platen 10. On the other side, the unit 15 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 can be removably mounted on the intermediate frame 30, the gear 26 of the intermediate frame 30 being coupled with the drive wheel 32. Recesses 34 are provided on both the side panels of the intermediate frame 30 and the side panels 25 of the unit 15 that is to be placed upon it, so as to permit engagement with the appropriate shaft.

The drive gear 32, via a clutch 45, 80 (see FIG. 4) and a toothed belt 36 and gear wheel 39, drives a first gear 38 (FIG. 2), rotatably supported on the shaft 14. A second gear 40, of the same size and rotatably supported on the shaft 12, meshes with the first gear 38. One ratchet 42, 44 is rigidly connected to each of the shafts 12, 14 and one latch 46, 48 (FIGS. 5-7) is capable of engaging each ratchet 42, 44. These latches 46, 48 are each pivotably supported on a respective gear 38, 40 and are spring loaded in the direction of the associated ratchet 42, 44. A respective deflection latch 55, 56 is pivotably supported on each side wall 25 and is intended for cooperation with the latches 46 and 48, respectively. These deflection latches 55, 56 are spring loaded such that each rests against a respective stop 58, 60 integral with the housing. A positioning wheel 50, 52 is connected in a rotationally fixed manner with each ratchet 42, 44 and is provided on its circumference with a notch 62, 64 which is engaged by a stay element 66. This substantially T-shaped stay element 66 is embodied such that its upper middle part 70 is pivotable, relative to the locking element 68 extending transversely thereto, about a pin 73 protruding through an oblong slot 69 in the middle part and is additionally movable in the oblong slot in the longitudinal direction relative to the middle part 70. Located at the ends of the middle part 70 are rollers 71, 72, each of which engages a notch 62, 64 of these positioning wheels 50, 52. The middle part 70 is urged downward by springs 67 (FIG. 4), so that it can selectively pivot about one of the rollers 71, 72. The locking element 68 is urged by a further spring 75 in the direction of the clutch 45, 80. The lower end of the locking element 68 of this stay element 66 rests against an eccentric element 74, which actuates the clutch 45, 80.

As shown in FIG. 4, the drive wheel 32 is joined to the belt roller 37 via a spiral spring clutch 80. This spiral spring clutch 80 is of an embodiment known per se and includes a spiral spring 82, which with one end 83 engages the eccentric element 74. In one rotational direction the spring 82 acts as a free wheeling element and in the other rotational direction it acts as a friction clutch which connects the drive wheel 32 to the belt roller 37 by friction as long as the eccentric element 74 is not arrested by means of the contact of one shoulder 76 with the locking element 68. Between the bearing bolt 31 and the drive wheel 32, there is also an overrunning, or free wheeling connection 45, which locks in the direction opposite the spiral spring clutch 80.

When the platen 10 (FIG. 2) rotates in the sheet feed direction--that is, the direction of the arrow V in FIG. 1--this rotation is transmitted to the gears 18, 20, 22 and 32. This rotation corresponds to a rotation which is identical to the rotational direction A of FIG. 5. Since the stay element 66 strikes the eccentric element 74, the spiral spring clutch 80 is disengaged, so that the belt roller 37 is stopped.

Now if a sheet is to be drawn from one of the two supply stacks 2 or 3, this operation is initiated by rotating the platen 10 in reverse, after the previously printed sheet has been deposited in the output bin 4. The selection of whether a sheet is to be taken from the supply stack 2 or 3 is determined by a variable angle of rotation during the reverse rotation--that is, counter to the forward or sheet feeding direction. To this end, the printer or the like is programmed accordingly. FIG. 5 shows the initial position, and A represents the sheet feeding direction.

As soon as the platen 10 is rotated in reverse--that is, counter to the sheet feeding direction--the drive wheel 32 moves in the direction of the arrow B (FIG. 6). Via the overrun free wheeling element 45, the gear 37 is rotated, which drives the toothed belt 36. The toothed belt 36 drives the upper belt wheel 39, which is mounted loosely on the shaft 14 and is rigidly connected with the gear 38. A pivotable, spring loaded latch 46 is supported on this gear 38. Upon rotation in the direction of the arrow B, the latch 46 travels unhindered past the spring loaded deflection latch 55. The gear 38, rotating in the direction of the arrow C, meshes with the same-sized gear 40, which is rotating in the direction of the arrow D. As a result of this rotation, the latch 48, resting resiliently against the ratchet 44, comes to rest against the shoulder 86. If the direction of rotation is now reversed, that is, if a sheet is to be introduced in the sheet feed direction according to the arrow V in FIG. 1, then the rotation causes the ratchet 44, together with the separating roller 7 mounted on the shaft 12, to rotate in the direction of the arrow E (FIG. 7). As a result, the stay element 66 is pivoted about the roller 71, which acts as a pivot, because the roller 72 moves out of the notch 62 since the positioning wheel 50 is rotating together with the gear 40. As a result of this raising of the stay element 66, its locking element 68 is disengaged from the eccentric element 74. Thus the separating roller 7 mounted on the shaft 12 is now driven via the spiral spring clutch 30 and feeds a sheet in the direction toward the platen 10. As shown in FIG. 7, the latch 46 is thereupon raised beyond the shoulders 84 by the deflection latch 55, so that the shaft 14 is not driven. After one full revolution of the positioning wheel 50 has been completed, the roller 72 returns into the notch 62, causing the stay element 66 to assume its position shown in FIG. 5. At the same time, the latch 48 is raised above the shoulder 86 by its contact with the deflection latch 56, causing the drive of the shaft 12 to be interrupted. As rotation continues, the locking element 68 comes to rest against the eccentric element 74, thereby breaking off the frictional connection of the spiral spring clutch 80. This sheet feeding movement is large enough that the sheet is grasped by the platen 10, which then advances the sheet further, line by line, during the printing operation. The separating roller now rotates without positive drive of the shaft 12 via the overrunning gear 13.

Contrarily, if the other separating roller 8 is to be driven, this is accomplished in that the reverse rotation of the platen 10 counter to the sheet feeding direction is performed about a smaller angle of rotation. Beginning at the position of the gearing shown in FIG. 5, the reverse rotation of the platen 10 causes the drive wheel 32 and thus the toothed belt 36 and the upper belt wheel 39 together with the gear 38 to be driven counter to the direction of the arrow A. As a result, the latch 46 mounted on the gear 38 rotates as well. The ratchet 42 and the positioning wheel 52 along with it remain stationary at first. As soon as the latch, which is pressed by spring loading toward the center of the gear 38, reaches the vicinity of the shoulder 84, this latch 46 locks into place. The reverse rotation is now interrupted. Any slight further movement that might take place has the effect solely of raising the deflection latch 55 somewhat, which only increases the force pressing the latch 46 against the ratchet 42. If subsequently the platen 10 is again rotated in the sheet feeding direction, the effect is that the latch 46 rotates the ratchet 42 as well, and as a result drives the separating roller 8 mounted on the shaft 14. Since the positioning wheel 52 is thereby driven with it, the roller 71 of the stay element 66 moves out of the notch 64 of the positioning wheel 52, causing the locking element 68 of the stay element to be disengaged from the eccentric element 74. Now as soon as a complete revolution has taken place, the roller 71 drops back into the notch 64 of the positioning wheel 52, and as a result the eccentric element 74 is arrested by the locking element 68, and the spiral spring clutch 80 is disengaged. In the meantime, however, the sheet that is to be printed has entered the insertion gap of the platen, which then grasps the sheet and transports it further. Since the separating rollers are provided with an overrunning gear, or free wheeling connection, the shaft 14 no longer needs to be positively driven.

Because of the V-shaped arrangement of the two supply stacks 2, 3, the distance to the insertion gap of the platen 10 is the same for both stacks, which simplifies the control of the selective sheet feeding.

By means of the disengageable spiral spring clutch 80 in cooperation with the stay element 66, the two gears 38, 40 are always in the same position at the beginning of an insertion or sheet feeding operation, regardless of the angle of rotation previously executed by the platen 10 in the sheet feeding direction V.

In the exemplary embodiment described above, two supply stacks 2, 3 are provided. However, the invention is equally applicable to apparatus having only a single stack. In that case, the stack 2, for instance, and the associated separating roller 7, shaft 12, gear 40, ratchet 44, latch 48, deflection latch 56 and positioning wheel 50 could be omitted, and the middle part 70 would then be pivotably secured, in place of the roller 72, on the side wall 25.

If three supply stacks are to be provided, for example one stack for letterheads, one for blank sheets and a further stack for envelopes to be addressed, then a further separating roller and associated gear, ratchet and positioning wheel can be provided for the third supply stack. Instead of the middle part 70, a balancing beam arrangement, for example, could be provided, so that the locking element 68 can be raised by all three positioning wheels.

FIGS. 8-10 show a further exemplary embodiment having three supply stacks 3a, 3b, 3c; again, this apparatus comprises an intermediate frame and a unit mountable on it. The intermediate frame is embodied analogously to the first exemplary embodiment. For the sake of clarity, only the shaft 24 and the gear 26 of this intermediate frame are shown here.

The drive wheel 32 again meshes with the gear 26 and is joined via the clutch 80, 45' with a gear 37', which corresponds to the belt roller 37 of the first exemplary embodiment. The overrunning gear, or free wheeling connection, is embodied here as a spiral spring clutch 45', and it locks when rotation is counter to the sheet feeding direction. The second spiral spring clutch 80 is identical to that of the first embodiment and it locks in the sheet feeding direction, as long as it is not disengaged by the arresting of the eccentric element 74.

The three ratchet latch holders 38a, b, c are disposed coaxially with one another and are rigidly joined to one another via a sleeve 51. The ratchet latch holder 38a has teeth on its outside and meshes with the gear 37'. The sleeve 51 is rotatable on a bolt 49 integral with the housing. Associated with each ratchet latch holder 38a, b, c is a ratchet 42a, b, c; a positioning wheel 52a, b, c rigidly connected with the ratchet 42a, b, c; and a gear 47a, b, c. These gears 47a, b, c each mesh with a further gear 53a, b, c. The gears 53a and 53b are rigidly connected with the associated shafts 14a, 14b of the separating rollers 8a, 8b, and the separating rollers 8a, b again have overrunning gears 13a, b. The gear 53c is an intermediate gear, which drives a further gear 54 connected with the shaft 14c. The third separating roller 8c is supported on the shaft 14c.

The supply stacks 3a, 3b associated with the separating rollers 8a, 8b are disposed one above the other, while the third supply stack 3c is located opposite them, as shown schematically in FIG. 8. For the sake of clarity, the stay element 66 and the side wall 25 have been left out in FIG. 8.

The three deflection latches 55a, b and c are pivotably supported on a common pin 57 (FIG. 10) integral with the housing and are each pressed by a respective spring, not shown, against a common stop pin 58 integral with the housing. The three associated latches 46a, b, c, each being pivotably supported on one of the ratchet latch holders 38a, b, c, are offset from one another at an angle in the basic position (FIG. 8), so that the reverse rotational angle by which the platen must rotate in order for the latches 46a, b, c to lock into place in the associated ratches 42a, b, c is different for each of the three ratchets 42a, b, c. In FIG. 9, for the purposes of illustration, the pivot shafts of the latches 46a, b, c are rotated into the plane of the drawing.

The stay element 66 (FIG. 6) here comprises a locking element 68 supported in a longitudinally displaceable manner and urged by a spring 75 in the direction of the eccentric element 74; a pin 73 is secured on the locking element 68. One pivoting lever 70a, b, c is associated with each of the positioning wheels 52a, b, c and the pivot levers 70a, b, c are supported at one end on a common pin 77 integral with the housing. At the other end, they each bear a roller 71a, b, c which rolls off on the associated positioning wheel 52a, b, c. The pivot levers 70a, b, c are loaded by a spring 67a and by similar springs 67b, 67c (not seen in FIG. 10) and each have an oblong slot 69a, b, c which is engaged by the pin 73. The locking element 68 is thereby raised, as soon as one of the three positioning wheels 52a, b, c is rotated, and so the associated roller 71a, b, c is thereby raised up out of the notch 64a, b, c.

Operation is analogous to that of FIGS. 1-7, but the forward rotational direction A of the drive wheel 32 is reversed. As rotation in the forward direction A continues, the shoulder 76 of the eccentric element 74 rests on the locking element 68, so that the spring clutch 80 is disengaged and the gear 37' does not rotate. The apparatus is in the basic position shown in FIG. 8. If the platen is now rotated in reverse, then first and latch 46a assumes the position shown in FIG. 10, in which it engages the shoulder 84a of the ratchet 42a. If the platen is then rotated forward, then as in the first exemplary embodiment the latch 42a and hence the gears 47a, 53a, the shaft 14a and the separating roller 8a rotate as well, so that a sheet is delivered from the supply stack 3a to the platen. The pivoting arm 70a is raised by the positioning wheel 52a and carries the locking element 68 with it. This movement is interrupted after one revolution of the ratchet latch holder 38a, when the latch 46a meets the deflection latch 55a. At the same time, the roller 71a enters the notch 64a, so that as the gear 32 continues to rotate, the shoulder 76 meets the locking element 68, and the basic position has once again been attained.

The other two separating rollers 8b, 8c are driven by means of appropriately larger angles of reverse rotation.

In the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 8-10, it is readily possible to omit the third supply stack 3c and the associated separating roller 8c, shaft 14c, gears 54, 53c, 47c and the ratchet latch holder 38c, ratchet 42c, positioning wheel 52c and pivot arm 70c in accordance with the wishes of a customer, that is, to manufacture apparatuses having a variable number of supply stacks with one basic embodiment. This simplifies both manufacture and warehousing.

Once the sheet that is to be introduced is grasped between the platen 10 and the first pressure roller 17 (FIG. 1), that is, once the associated separating roller 7, 8 has made one complete revolution, the sheet protrudes beyond the pressure roller 17 by a certain length 88 (FIG. 11). In order to increase the accuracy of register, or alignment, it is possible first to rotate the platen in reverse, counter to the sheet feeding direction V, by a length longer than the length 88, so that the sheet reemerges at the back from the gap between the platen 10 and the pressure roller 17 (FIG. 12), and only then to feed the sheet in its final alignment. Since the front edge of the sheet is then gripped at a precisely defined point on the circumference of the platen, high accuracy of registration, or alignment, is attainable without having to demand great precision of the apparatus itself.