Cassette and heating arrangement for photocopy machine

In a photocopy machine the combination comprising a housing having a copy sheet entry way and discharge slot, a copy sheet transport system including an intermittently driven in-feed roller, means acting upon a copy sheet to produce a developed image thereon during transport of the sheet from the entry way to the discharge slot, a copy sheet cassette including a shallow rectangular tray for a stack of copy sheets and having a front end and a rear end, the cassette including a fitted cover extending over the top of the tray but foreshortened to leave the front portion of the tray uncovered, the housing defining a receptacle at the entry way fitted to the front end of the cassette for plugging the cassette into the housing to a bottomed position in which the uncovered front portion of the cassette is totally accommodated within the housing and so that the front portion of the stack of sheets carried by the cassette lies below the in-feed roller for engagement thereby for feeding of sheets seriatim from the top of the stack, a heating element mounted in the housing to extend above the front end of the cassette and parallel thereto for heating the front portion of the stack to keep the leading edges of the sheets dry and therefore free of waviness as the sheets are transported through the machine, means for supplying current to the heating element, and means actuated automatically as the cassette is plugged into bottomed position for elevating the front portion of the stack into close proximity to the heating element.

In a photocopy machine the combination comprising a housing having a copy sheet entry way and discharge slot, a copy sheet transport system including an intermittently driven in-feed roller, means acting upon a copy sheet to produce a developed image thereon during transport of the sheet from the entry way to the discharge slot, a copy sheet cassette including a shallow rectangular tray for a stack of copy sheets and having a front end and a rear end, the cassette including a fitted cover having a foreshortened front edge so that the front portion of the tray is left uncovered, the housing defining a receptacle at the entry way fitted to the front end of the cassette for plugging the cassette into the housing to a bottomed position in which the uncovered front portion of the cassette is totally accommodated within the housing and so that the front portion of the stack of sheets carried by the cassette lies below the in-feed roller for engagement thereby for feeding sheets seriatim from the top of the stack, a first heating element in the cover of the cassette for heating the body portion of the stack, electrical terminals on the front edge of the cover connected to the first heating element, cooperating electrical terminals within the receptacle in the housing for engagement with the terminals on the cover when the cassette is plugged in to furnish current to the first heating element, a second heating element in the housing extending transversely in a position above the front end of the cassette serving to heat the front portion of the stack to keep the leading edges of the sheets dry and free of waviness as the sheets are transported through the machine, and means for supplying current to the second heating element.

In a photocopy machine the combination comprising a housing having a copy sheet entry way and discharge slot, a copy sheet transport system including an intermittently driven in-feed roller, means acting upon a copy sheet to produce a developed image thereon during transport of a sheet from the entry way to the discharge slot, a copy sheet cassette including a shallow rectangular tray for a stack of copy sheets and having a front end and a rear end, the cassette including a fitted cover extending over the top of the tray but foreshortened to leave the front portion of the tray uncovered, the housing defining a receptacle at the entry way fitted to the front end of the cassette for plugging the cassette into the housing to a bottomed position in which the uncovered front portion of the cassette is totally accommodated within the housing and so that the front portion of the stack of sheets carried by the cassette lies below the in-feed roller, a ramp plate in the tray under the front portion of the stack, means actuated upon plugging the cassette into a bottomed position for raising the ramp plate so that the front portion of the stack is raised clear of the bottom of the tray and so that the top sheet of the stack lies above the front edge of the tray and is in frictional engagement with the underside of the in-feed roller for feeding of the top sheet into the transport system, means including a heating element arranged adjacent the front portion of the stack for heating the same so that the leading edges of the sheets fed through the transport system are dry and free of waviness, and means for supplying current to the heating element.

In a photocopy machine the combination comprising a housing having a copy sheet entry way and discharge slot, a copy sheet transport system including a pair of intermittently driven in-feed rollers, means acting upon a copy sheet to produce a developed image thereon during transport of the sheet from the entry way to the discharge slot, a copy sheet cassette including a shallow rectangular tray for a stack of copy sheets and having a front end and a rear end, the cassette including a fitted cover extending over the top of the tray but foreshortened to leave the front portion of the tray uncovered, the housing defining a receptacle at the entry way fitted to the front end of the cassette for plugging the cassette into the housing to a bottomed position in which the uncovered front portion of the cassette is totally accommodated within the housing and so that the front portion of the stack of sheets carried by the cassette lies below the in-feed rollers, a heating element mounted in the housing to extend above the front end of the cassette and parallel thereto for heating the front portion of the stack to keep the leading edges of the sheets dry and therefore free of waviness as the sheets are transported through the machine, means for supplying current to the heating elements, the in-feed rollers being mounted for vertical movement and biased downwardly against the top sheet on the stack, the in-feed rollers in addition being widely spaced from one another along the width dimension of the sheet, the heating element being at least partly contained in the space between the in-feed rollers to permit the vertical movement thereof.

In a photocopy machine the combination comprising a housing having a copy sheet entry way and a discharge slot, a copy sheet transport system including an intermittently driven in-feed roller, means acting upon a copy sheet to produce a developed image thereon during transport of the sheet from the entry way to the discharge slot, a copy sheet cassette including a shallow rectangular tray for a stack of copy sheets and having a front end and a rear end, the cassette including a fitted cover extending over the top of the tray but foreshortened to leave the front portion of the tray uncovered, the housing defining a receptacle at the entry way fitted to the front end of the cassette for plugging the cassette into the housing to a bottomed position in which the uncovered front portion of the cassette is totally accommodated within the housing and so that the front portion of the stack of sheets carried by the cassette lies below the in-feed roller for engagement thereby for feeding of sheets seriatim from the top of the stack, a first heating element in the cover of the cassette, the cover being of sandwich construction including (1) an insulative top plate, (2) an extensive central plate including the heating element and (3) a thermally conductive bottom plate so that when the plates are secured together in compact relation the heating element is in intimate thermal engagement with the bottom plate for heating the body portion of the stack, a second heating element in the housing extending transversely in a position above the front end of the cassette, the second heating element serving to heat the front portion of the stack to keep the leading edge of the sheets dry and free of waviness as the sheets are transported through the machine, and means for supplying current to the heating elements.

In a photocopy machine the combination comprising a housing having a copy sheet entry way and discharge slot, a copy sheet transport system including an intermittently driven in-feed roller, means acting upon a copy sheet to produce a developed image thereon during transport of the sheet from the entry way to the discharge slot, a copy sheet cassette including a shallow rectangular tray for a stack of copy sheets and having a front end and a rear end, the cassette including a fitted cover extending over the top of the tray but foreshortened to leave the front portion of the tray uncovered, the housing defining a receptacle at the entry way fitted to the front end of the cassette for plugging the cassette into the housing to a bottomed position in which the uncovered front portion of the cassette is totally accommodated within the housing and so that the front portion of the stack of sheets carried by the cassette lies below the in-feed roller for engagement thereby for feeding of sheets seriatim from the top of the stack, a first heating element mounted in the cassette for heating the body portion of the stack, a second heating element mounted in the housing at the front end of the cassette and parallel thereto for heating the front portion of the stack to keep the leading edges of the sheets dry and therefore free of waviness as the sheets are transported through the machine, and means for supplying current to the heating elements to maintain a substantially constant average temperature thereof even during periods of non-use of the machine.