Sheet reversing in copying machine and other sheet-handling machines
AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.
InventorSotohiro Tsujihara
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sheet-reversing device suitable for use in copying machines and other sheet-handling machines has a main roller and a feed-in and a feed-out roller which are frictionally driven by the main roller. The axes of those rollers remain fixed with respect to each other. When a sheet is fed to the nip between the main roller and the feed-out roller, it is transported without reversing, but when fed up to the nip between the main roller and the feed-in roller, it enters into a switchback path and the formerly trailing edge of the sheet is fed to the nip between the main roller and the feed-out roller and then is reversely transported (trailing edge first). By selecting the appropriate inlet path, the sheet is selectively reversed.
Claims11
Apparatus comprising:
- a main sheet inlet for receiving sheets leading edge first, which branches into a normal sheet inlet and a reverse sheet inlet, an inlet switch which is located at the branching point and has a normal position for directing the sheets leading edge first into the normal sheet inlet and a reversing position for directing the sheets leading edge first into the reverse sheet inlet, a switchback path, and an outlet path;
- a main roller rotating in a selected direction;
- a feed-in roller which is in rotational contact with the main roller adjacent the reverse sheet inlet to feed sheets therefrom into the switchback path leading edge first;
- and
- a feed-out roller which is in rotational contact with the main roller adjacent the normal sheet inlet and the switchback path, to feed sheets from the normal sheet inlet into the outlet path leading edge first and to feed sheets which have been fed into the switchback path leading edge first, from the switchback path into the outlet path trailing edge first;
- wherein a sheet fed leading edge first into the main sheet inlet travels, depending on the position of the inlet switch, either (i) into the normal sheet inlet leading edge first, then into the nip between the main roller and the feed-out roller and then into the outlet path leading edge first, or (ii) into the reverse sheet inlet leading edge first, then into the nip between the main roller and the feed-in roller, then into the switchback path leading edge first, then out of the switchback path trailing edge first and into the nip between the main roller and the feed-out roller trailing edge first and then into the outlet path trailing edge first.
Apparatus as in claim1 including a pair of reversible rollers which are disposed in the switchback path and are normally out of contact with each other but are brought into contact after the leading edge of a sheet passes between them and the trailing edge of the sheet clears the feed-in roller, and then rotate in an expelling direction to feed the trailing edge of the sheet out of the switchback path and toward the point of engagement between the feed-out roller and the main roller.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.