Sheet feeding device and image forming apparatus using the same
AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.
InventorMinoru Nagasawa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sheet feeding device of the present invention includes a cutter capable of being moved back and forth by hand between two reference positions outside of a sheet conveyance range. When the cutter is held in a halt at a position other than the reference positions, the sheet feeding device returns a sheet toward the upstream side by a preselected amount and then returns the cutter to one of the reference positions. Even when the cutter moved by hand for the replacement or the replenishment of a sheet is left in the sheet conveyance range, the cutter is prevented from again cutting the leading edge of the sheet when returning to the reference position. This protects the leading edge of the sheet from defective cutting.
Claims3
A sheet feeding device comprising:
- a sheet storing section configured to store an elongate sheet implemented as a roll;
- an outlet via which the sheet paid out from said sheet storing section is conveyed to a preselected position;
- feeding means driven by a reversible feed motor for feeding the sheet via said outlet;
- a cutter capable of being moved back and forth by hand between two reference positions located outside of and opposite sides of a widthwise range of the sheet;
- a drive section for causing said cutter to move back and forth with power;
- position recognizing means configured to recognize a position where said cutter is held in a halt;
- reverse conveying means configured to cause, when said position recognizing means determines that said cutter is held in a halt at a position other than said reference positions, said feeding means to return a leading edge of the sheet toward an upstream side in a direction sheet feed over said cutter by a preselected amount;
- and
- returning means configured to cause, when said position recognizing means determines that said cutter is held in a halt at a position other than said reference positions, said drive section to return said cutter to either one of said reference positions after said reverse conveying means has returned the sheet.
In an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet fed from a sheet feeding device, said sheet feeding device comprising:
- a sheet storing section configured to store an elongate sheet implemented as a roll;
- an outlet via which the sheet paid out from said sheet storing section is conveyed to a preselected position;
- feeding means driven by a reversible feed motor for feeding the sheet via said outlet;
- a cutter capable of being moved back and forth by hand between two reference positions located outside of and opposite sides of a widthwise range of the sheet;
- a drive section for causing said cutter to move back and forth with power;
- position recognizing means configured to recognize a position where said cutter is held in a halt;
- reverse conveying means configured to cause, when said position recognizing means determines that said cutter is held in a halt at a position other than said reference positions, said feeding means to return a leading edge of the sheet toward an upstream side in a direction sheet feed over said cutter by a preselected amount;
- and
- returning means configured to cause, when said position recognizing means determines that said cutter is held in a halt at a position other than said reference positions, said drive section to return said cutter to either one of said reference positions after said reverse conveying means has returned the sheet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.