US 4,429,863 AGranted

Manual/automatic paper feed mechanism in a copying machine

AssigneeSharp Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsFukusaburo Itoh, Kazushige Mizumoto, Yoshikazu Nishikawa

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Abstract

A copying machine includes a single paper supply roller for selectively conducting the paper supply in a manual supply mode wherein a copy paper is introduced through a manual inlet and in an automatic supply mode wherein a copy paper is supplied from a copy paper cassette. A copy paper biasing member is associated with the copy paper cassette so that the copy paper is depressed toward the operating region of the paper supply roller. A manual paper supply guide plate is rotatably secured to the copying machine so that the manual paper supply guide plate takes a first position wherein the manual paper supply guide plate is located under the paper supply roller for conducting the manual paper supply, and a second position not to interfere with the automatic paper supply from the copy paper cassette. A correlation mechanism is connected to the copy paper biasing member to disable the copy paper biasing member when the manual paper supply guide plate is located at the first position.

Claims4

Dependent claims

A manual/automatic paper supply system for use in a copying machine comprising in combination:

a paper feed system including a paper feed roller;
a cassette holder for holding a copy paper cassette beneath said paper feed system;
biasing means for directing copy paper contained in said copy paper cassette toward an operating region of said paper feed roller;
a paper supply means for the manual feed of individual sheets of copy paper to said copying machine juxtapositioned to said paper feed system above said cassette holder said paper supply means comprising a manual paper supply guide plate and a paper feed guide plate, said paper supply means being capable of occupying a first position such that said paper feed guide plate is located beneath said paper feed roller for conducting the manual supply of copy paper to said copying machine upon selection of a manual paper feed mode, and a second position such that said paper feed guide plate is displaced from said operating region of said paper feed roller means upon selection of an automatic paper feed mode;
said paper supply system being rotatably secured to said copying machine such that said paper feed guide plate will pivot from said first position to said second position and back to said first position, into and out of the operating region of said paper feed roller in response to the selection of said manual or automatic mode of operation;
and
a correlation means for disabling said biasing means when said paper supply means is located in said first position.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.