Method of and apparatus for feeding sheets
AssigneeFuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
InventorsTadashi Fujii, Yuzuru Ootsuka
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for feeding a sheet has a pair of suction cups movable into and out of a cassette, a displacing mechanism for displacing the suction cups between a position in the cassette and a sheet delivering mechanism to cause the suction cups to transfer a stimulable phosphor sheet from the cassette to the sheet delivering mechanism, and a piping system connecting the suction cups to a vacuum pump for attracting the stimulable phosphor sheet to the suction cups, and for ejecting air from the suction cups toward a surface to be attracted of the stimulable phosphor sheet when the suction cups are moved into the cassette. The stimulable phosphor sheet can smoothly and reliably be removed from the cassette while the suction cups are effectively prevented from being deformed.
Claims20
A method of feeding a sheet, comprising the steps of:
- placing at least one sheet in a sheet removal position;
- moving a suction cup to said sheet removal position;
- ejecting air from said suction cup toward a surface to be attracted to said sheet;
- evacuating said suction cup to cause said suction cup to attract the surface to be attracted to said sheet;
- and
- moving said suction cup which has attracted said sheet away from said sheet removal position.
An apparatus for feeding a sheet, comprising:
- a suction cup movable into and out of a receptacle which stores at least one sheet and is open in a loading section;
- a displacing mechanism for displacing said suction cup between a position in said receptacle and a sheet delivering mechanism to cause said suction cup to transfer said sheet from said receptacle to said sheet delivering mechanism;
- and
- a piping system for attracting said sheet with said suction cup, and for ejecting air from said suction cup toward a surface to be attracted to said sheet when said suction cup is moved into said receptacle.
An apparatus for feeding a sheet, comprising:
- a suction cup movable into and out of a receptacle which stores at least one sheet and is open in a loading section;
- and
- a displacing mechanism for displacing said suction cup between a position in said receptacle and a sheet delivering mechanism to cause said suction cup to transfer said sheet from said receptacle to said sheet delivering mechanism;
- said suction cup having a skirt for attracting said sheet, said skirt having on a free end thereof an annular convex lip of arcuate cross section having a bottom portion for contacting a surface of said sheet, said annular lip being curved away from the surface to be contacted, so as to form an annular recess which faces away from the surface to be contacted.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.