Copy paper feeding cassette

In a cassette for containing a stack of copy sheets and insertable into a reproducing machine for individual successive feeding to the machine of the uppermost sheet in the stack,

• a pair of opposed side walls of the cassette, each said side wall including an open gate through which copy sheets being loaded into or removed from the cassette can be grasped,
• a pair of reinforcing members, each carrying an elastic member thereon for pressure contact with at least the uppermost copy sheet in the stack when the cassette is fully inserted into the reproducing machine,
• means pivotally mounting each said reinforcing member to a respective one of said side walls proximate the front end of the cassette for pivotal movement about said means between a first position in which each said reinforcing member is disposed at a position removed from the gate of its respective side wall, and a second position in which each said reinforcing member substantially horizontally spans the gate of its respective side wall to reinforce said respective side wall by bridging said gate thereof and in which each said elastic member is thereby maintained in pressure contact through said gate with at least the uppermost copy sheet in the stack contained in the cassette, and
• guide means on each said reinforcing member for cooperative engagement with a portion of the reproducing machine to cause said reinforcing member to be automatically moved from said first to said second position thereof as the cassette is inserted fully into said reproducing machine from a location exterior thereto,
• whereby said first position of the reinforcing members in the noninserted condition of the cassette enables ready access to sheets contained in or being placed into the cassette through said gates without interference from said reinforcing members, and said automatic pivotal movement of said reinforcing members to said second position as the cassette is inserted into the reproducing machine insures that said side wall reinforcing function of said reinforcing members in spanning said gates, and said disposal of the elastic members in pressure contact with at least the uppermost copy sheet in the stack, will be attained when the cassette is fully inserted into the reproducing machine.