US 4,068,946 A · Document feeding apparatus

Abstract

An apparatus for automatically and incrementally feeding a continuous fan-folded document to be copied having interconnected segments over a bed plate of a flash illumination photocopier for sequentially positioning each document segment on the bed plate. A drive assembly engages and moves the document having a motor supplying motive power to the drive assembly. The motor is coupled to the drive assembly through a clutch that controls the supply of motive power. A brake is coupled to the drive assembly to stop document movement when the clutch is disengaged to position each document segment on the bed plate. A control mechanism automatically engages the clutch and releases the brake to feed a subsequent document segment to the bed plate after a copy run of a given document segment has been completed. Engagement of the clutch and release of the brake is initiated simultaneously with the last flash in the copy of the photocopier illuminating strobe lamps. Subsequently, the control mechanism automatically disengages the clutch and engages the brake when the next document segment is correctly positioned on the bed plate for copying.

Claims16

Dependent claims

An apparatus for automatically incrementally feeding a continuous fan-folded document having interconnected segments over the illuminating station bed plate of an electrostatic photocopier and for sequentially positioning each segment of the document on the bed plate to be photocopied;

said apparatus comprising:
A. drive means for engaging the document and advancing it over the photocopier bed plate;
B. a motor for supplying motive power to said drive means;
C. clutch means through which said motor is coupled to said drive means for controlling the supply of motive power thereto;
D. brake means coupled to said drive means for stopping said drive means from advancing the document over the photocopier bed plate;
E. feed control means electrically connected to the photocopier to be signalled thereby
1. for engaging said clutch means and releasing said brake means when copying of a given segment of the document is completed to feed the next segment of the document to the photocopier bed plate, and
2. for engaging said brake means and releasing said clutch means when the next document segment is positioned on the photocopier bed plate and
F. lobe means connected to said feed control means to control the feeding of the next segment of said document.

6 more elements

In a flash illumination photocopier having an illumination station including a bed plate for receiving a document to be copied;

flash illumination means for illuminating the document received on the bed plate;
projection means for projecting the full document image;
an imaging station for receiving a copy sheet onto which the document image is projected by said projection means;
a flash trigger for flashing said illumination means while the copy sheet is in transit through the imaging station;
and copy counter means, programmable with the number of copies of a single document desired to be made in a copy run, for generating an end-of-run signal when production of the last copy in the copy run has been initiated;
an apparatus for automatically and incrementally feeding a continuous fan-folded document having interconnected segments over the bed plate and for sequentially positioning each document segment on the bed plate to be copied, said apparatus comprising:
A. drive means for engaging said document and advancing it over the bed plate;
B. a motor for supplying motive power to said drive means;
C. clutch means through which said motor is coupled to said drive means for controlling the supply of motive power thereto;
D. brake means coupled to said drive means for stopping said drive means from advancing the document;
E. control means connected to the photocopier flash trigger and copy counter means
1. for engaging said clutch and releasing said brake to feed the subsequent segment of the document to the bed plate when the copy counter means generates said end-of-run signal and substantially simultaneously with flash of said illumination means by the flash trigger to make the last copy of the copy run, and
2. for engaging said brake means and releasing said clutch means when the subsequent document segment is positioned on the bed plate;
and
F. cover means for shielding said drive means, movable between a paper loading and drive means shielding position.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Document feeding apparatus

Life of this patent

Document feeding apparatus

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16