Sheet-feeding apparatus having sheet storing means with sheet removal from either side
AssigneeSanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
InventorKiyoshi Sakamoto
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sheet feeding apparatus which is used for front-loading type copy machines and the like, adapted to store laterally two kinds of sheets either of different sizes and/or of different storing directions in one cassette. The two kinds of sheets are taken out selectively and separately and fed to the copying machine assembly. In a preferred embodiment, the two kinds of sheets are stored in a storing device and each kind is taken out from an opposite side thereof. The sheet-feeding apparatus when used with an image forming apparatus provides for multifunctions such as multiple copying and double-face copying.
Claims20
A sheet-feeding apparatus which feeds rectangular sheets to an apparatus for processing the sheets, comprising:
- a single tray means having opposing sides for storing a stack of each of two kinds of sheets either of different sizes or arranged in different storing directions with an edge of the sheets of each stack being adjacent to one of said opposing sides;
- and
- take-out means for selectively taking out sheets separately from each stack in a respective different direction from the respective adjacent opposing side of said tray means.
An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- means for forming an image on a sheet;
- a single tray storing means having opposing sides laterally divided into a first region and a second region each for storing a stack of sheets, sheets from the stack in each region to be fed selectively to said image forming means;
- and
- take-out means for selectively taking out separately sheets from the stack in each region from respective opposing sides of said storing means in respective opposite directions to feed said sheets to said image forming means.
An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- image forming means having a developing unit for developing a latent image of an image holding medium, a transferring unit for transferring the image developed by said developing unit to sheets, and a fixing unit for fixing the transferred image;
- means for feeding sheets to said image forming means;
- a transmitting path for transmitting again the sheets on which an image has been fixed to said image forming means;
- means for temporarily storing the sheets on which the image has been fixed;
- means for changing over the conveyance of the sheets on which the image has been fixed to one of said feeding means and said temporarily-storing means;
- and
- first means for taking out in different directions the sheets stored in said temporarily-storing means.
A sheet feeding apparatus which feeds rectangular sheets to an apparatus for processing the sheets, comprising:
- means having opposing sides and an inner structure of point symmetry for storing a stack of each of two kinds of sheets either of different sizes or arranged in different storing directions;
- and
- take-out means for selectively taking out separately in a respective different direction from opposing sides of said storing means each of the two kinds of sheet stored therein.
An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- means for forming an image on a sheet;
- storing means including a plurality of first storing cases each laterally divided into a first region and a second region for storing a stack of sheets in each region to be fed sequentially to said image forming means, each said first storing case storing two kinds of sheets either of different sizes or of different storing directions in said first region and said second region respectively, and one second storing case whose size is substantially the same as that of said plurality of first storing cases and which stores only one kind of sheets;
- and
- take-out means for selectively taking out separately the sheets from each region from respective opposing sides of said first storage case to feed said sheets to said image forming means;
- and
- said take-out means takes out selectively twice the number plus one of the number of said plurality of first and second storing cases of kinds of sheets stored in said storing means to be fed to said image forming means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.