Photocopying machine sheet separation device
AssigneeMinolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorNaohiro Akisato
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sheet separation device has a copy sheet guide which directs a sheet of copy paper to means for forwarding copy paper to requisite stages subsequent to an exposure stage. The copy sheet guide is engageable by a stop which is disengaged by the leading edge of a sheet of copy paper, and the guide is rotatable by an independent drive source which is not effective until disengagement of the stop, whereby less force is required to be applied by the copy paper to disengage the stop.
Claims12
In a photocopying machine comprising a pair of slippage rolls through which an original document and a sheet of copy paper are passed subsequent to exposure of the copy paper, the rotary speed of constituent rolls of said pair of slippage rolls being such that said copy paper is caused to precede said original document at least during initial passage of said original document and said copy paper through said slippage rolls so as to separate, automatically said copy paper from said original document, a sheet separation device comprising;
- separator guide means including at least one plate element and a support shaft on which said plate element is freely rotatable, said plate element having a peripheral notched portion in which the leading edge portion of said copy paper is engaged so as to be guided along an orbit out of the path of the original document,
- stop means which engage said separator guide means to hold said notched portion at a position to face the leading edge portion of said copy paper exiting from said slippage rolls, and, in turn, is disengaged from said separator guide means by being contacted by the leading edge portion of said copy paper,
- initial drive means coupled to said separator guide means for forcibly rotating said separator guide means in a direction of disengaging said notched portion from the leading edge portion of said copy paper when said stop means is disengaged from said separator guide means, and
- subsequent drive means coupled to said separator guide means for continuously rotating said separator guide means at a speed lower than the peripheral speed of said slippage rolls to the waiting position where said separator guide means is again engaged with said stop means.
In a photocopying machine comprising a pair of slippage rolls through which an original document and a sheet of copy paper are passed subsequent to exposure of the copy paper, the rotary speed of constituent rolls of said pair of slippage rolls being such that said copy paper is caused to precede said original document at least during initial passage of said original document and said copy paper through said slippage rolls, and transport and forwarding means for directing said copy paper to requisite stages for postexposure treatment of said copy paper, a sheet separation means comprising;
- separator guide means including at least one plate element and a support shaft on which said plate element is freely rotatable, said plate element having a center of gravity which is eccentric with respect to the rotary axis of said separator guide means, and having a peripheral notched portion which is disposed on a line which is generally tangential with respect to the periphery of said separator guide means and which will engage the leading edge portion of said copy paper exiting from said slippage rolls, and further having a peripheral stepped portion,
- a pivotally mounted stop means including a first portion which when in a first position will engage said peripheral stepped portion of said separator guide means, whereby said separator guide means is held stationary with said notched portion of said separator guide means being near the exit of said slippage rolls and being inclined with respect to the path followed by said copy paper exiting from said slippage rolls and said center of gravity of said separator guide means being out of vertical alignment with and nearer to said first portion of said stop means than the rotary axis of said separator guide means when said separator guide means is held stationary by said stop means, and said stop means normally pivoting to said first position, and a second portion which when said stop means is in said first position lies between the exit of said slippage rolls and said periphery of said separator guide means and is contacted and acted upon by the leading edge portion of said copy sheet exiting from said slippage rolls, whereby said stop means is disengaged from said separator guide means and said separator guide means is rotated due to the action of said center of gravity thereof moving to a position of equilibrium, and said notched peripheral portion of said separator guide means is moved towards a position of alignment permitting entry thereinto and engagement thereby of said leading edge portion of said copy sheet exiting from said slippage rolls,
- gear drive wheel means which is actuated during actuation of said slippage rolls,
- gear wheel means fixedly attached to said separator guide means and comprising a toothed peripheral portion which is engageable by said drive wheel means when said separator guide means is rotated from said stationary position due to said action of said center of gravity thereof subsequent to said disengagement of said stop means therefrom, and a toothless portion which is located facing said drive wheel means when said separator guide means is held in said stationary position by said stop means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.