Sheet supply apparatus for typewriters, having slewing rollers engaging a platen roll, and method

Apparatus for supplying single sheets in feed cycles to an automatic writing apparatus, such as an automatic typewriter, output printer, or the like, in which the writing apparatus has a rotatable platen (2) and a slewing mechanism (44, 44', 45) in operative association with the rotatable platen to transport sheets to and about the platen upon rotation thereof in a sheet feeding direction,

• said apparatus comprising
• a supply or feed roller (15) in frictional engagement with a sheet (11) being supplied to the writing apparatus;
• a positive drive connection means (3, 10) coupled, respectively, to the platen (2) and to said apparatus for deriving a positive drive connection, rotating in synchronism with the platen upon rotation of the platen in the sheet feeding direction;
• and a drive train (12, 14, 20;
• 21;
• 22, 26, 24;
• 28, 38, 40) between the positive drive connection means (10) on said apparatus and the feed roller (15),
• said drive train including a lost motion (28, 38) which is dimensioned to provide for positive drive of the feed roller to feed the sheet (11) to the slewing mechanism (44, 44', 45) at the beginning of a feed cycle and then, after gripping of the sheet by the sheet slewing mechanism, disengaging to interrupt positive drive connection between the platen (2) and the feed roller, and remaining disengaged until the end of the feed cycle, the platen (2) during each cycle rotating about an angular distance such that a discrete area of the circumference of the platen has traveled through a path of a predetermined length.

Single-sheet transport supply apparatus to supply single sheets, particularly paper sheets (11), to a writing apparatus (1), particularly an automatic typewriter, output printer, or the like,

• having a rotatable platen (2) transporting sheets thereabout and a sheet slewing mechanism (44, 44', 45) for feeding the sheets about the platen upon rotation of the platen;
• and a first gear (3) secured to the platen to rotate therewith,
• said apparatus comprising
• an engagement gear (10) positioned for engagement with the first gear secured to the platen;
• a feed roller (15) positioned for feeding of a sheet (11) from a stack of sheets (19) to the platen and the slewing mechanism thereof;
• a drive train (12, 14, 20;
• 21;
• 22, 26, 24;
• 28, 38, 40) connecting the engagement gear (10) to the feed roller,
• said drive train including an overrunning clutch (17) to permit free rotation of the feed roller (15) upon interruption of positive drive connection between the feed roller and the platen;
• a one-way clutch (49) located within said drive train and transmitting rotary movement of the platen via said gear and said engagement gear in one direction of rotation of the platen only;
• means (43, 47, 41) establishing a reference position for the topmost sheet (11) of the stack (19);
• and wherein said drive train further includes an intermitting motion transmission (28, 38) for transmitting rotation of the platen to drive the feed roller (15) only for a restricted angle of rotation of the platen for feeding a sheet from the reference position to the platen and the slewing mechanism, while permitting free rotation of the feed roller upon continued rotation of the platen and slewing of the paper sheet having been fed thereto about the platen during printing thereon by the writing apparatus, and to provide for initial feed of a subsequent topmost sheet (11) from the stack always from a predetermined position of the stack and after rotation of the platen about a predetermined angular distance, as determined by the transmission ratio of the drive train and the intermittant transmission.