US 5,305,996 AGranted

Paper hopper

AssigneeFujitsu Limited

InventorsTatsuhiro Taniwa, Tetsuya Fujimoto, Toshio Fukushima, Hirohiko Kubo, Wataru Miki

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

An inexpensive large-capacity paper hopper capable of energizing a paper feed table with a constant lift force irrespective of the quantity of paper sheets remaining thereon, thereby performing stable paper feeding. To achieve such a paper hopper, a paper hopper, wherein a paper feed table is lifted or lowered being kept in a horizontal condition and paper sheets stacked on the paper feed table are sequentially sent out from the top sheet for feeding, is arranged such that the paper feed table is so suspended by a wire suspending device as to be lifted or lowered in a horizontal condition, and an elastic tensile force of extension coil springs included in a lift force exerting device is so exerted to the paper feed table that the direction in which the restoring displacement of the extension coil springs takes place becomes coincident with the direction of lifting the paper feed table.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A paper hopper wherein a paper feed table is lifted and lowered being kept in a horizontal condition and paper sheets stacked on the paper feed table are sequentially sent out from a top sheet for feeding, the paper hopper comprising:

(a) wire suspending means having an endless wire rope at at least each of one pair of opposite sides of the paper feed table, each endless wire rope being extended in figure-of-eight fashion in such a manner that parts of the endless wire rope form vertical portions parallel to an ascending/descending plane of the paper feed table;
and fixing the paper feed table to the vertical portions of the extended endless wire ropes in order to suspend it in a horizontal condition so that the paper feed table can be lifted or lowered being kept in a horizontal condition;
and
(b) lift force exerting means for exerting a lift force to the paper feed table, the exerting means having at least one resilient member for exerting an elastic tensile force to the paper feed table such that the direction of lifting the paper feed table is coincident with the direction in which the restoring displacement of the resilient member takes place.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.