Abstract: A method and apparatus for handling bill jams within a currency processing device is provided. The device includes a transport mechanism adapted to transport bills along a transport path, one at a time, from the input receptacle past an evaluation unit into a plurality of output receptacles. At least one of the output receptacles includes a holding area and a storage area. A plurality of bill passage sensors are sequentially disposed along the transport path that are adapted to detect the passage of a bill as each bill is transported past each sensor. An encoder is adapted to produce an encoder count for each incremental movement of the transport mechanism. A controller counts the total number of bills transported into each of the holding areas and the total number of bills moved from a holding area to a corresponding storage area after a predetermined number of bills have been transported into the holding area.

Abstract: A media cassette comprises a housing defining a closeable pick window; an urging plate biased towards the pick window for urging a stack of media items towards the pick window; a detent located distal from the pick window for limiting movement of the urging plate when the pick window is closed; and a detent moving mechanism operable to move the detent when the pick window is opened. The media cassette allows the urging plate to exert less force on the stack of media items by expanding the space available for media items located within the cassette by activating the detent moving mechanism.

Abstract: A media cassette includes a body having a removable lid. The media cassette comprises a housing defining a closeable pick window; an urging plate biased towards the pick window for urging a stack of media items towards the pick window; a detent located distal from the pick window for limiting movement of the urging plate; and a detent moving mechanism operable to move the detent. The detent moving mechanism may be operated by engaging the removable lid or by insertion of the cassette into a media handler. The media cassette allows the urging plate to exert less force on the stack of media items by expanding the space available for media items located within the cassette by activating the detent moving mechanism.

Abstract: A method for use in a sheet feeder having a sheet stacking unit with a bottom plate to support a sheet bundle in which air is blown against a side edge of the sheet bundle near the topmost sheets of the bundle, thereby lifting these sheets from the bundle, and separating the uppermost sheet from the bundle, and conveying this sheet away from the bundle, wherein the lifting of the sheets when the bundle is nearly depleted is assisted by forcing an element situated underneath the bundle to push against the bundle solely when air is blown against the side edge of the bundle. A sheet feeder suitable for applying the present method and an imaging apparatus for incorporating the sheet feeder is also provided.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus for use in an image forming apparatus includes a document glass installed on an upper side of the image reading body on which a document is placed; an image reading sensor installed under the document glass for stopping after being transferred to a predetermined position or for reciprocating in a straight direction parallel to the document glass; a cover for opening and closing the upper surface of the document glass; an automatic document feeder (ADF) for feeding the document to the position to which the image reading sensor is fixed; a document discharging plate for discharging the document fed through the automatic document feeding unit; first and second guide members for guiding to allow the document fed through the automatic document feeding unit to be discharged to the document discharging plate, the first and second guide members being installed at a predetermined interval to expose the document toward the image reading sensor; and a guide film installed to cover the interval

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus including a cross-directionally moving device for moving a sheet in a direction crossing a sheet discharging direction, and a cross-side restricting member for receiving one side edge of the sheet moved in the crossing direction by the cross-directionally moving device, and restricting the movement of the sheet, wherein the cross-directionally moving device moves the next sheet from a position between the other side edge of the sheet received by the cross-side restricting member and the cross-side restricting member to the cross-side restricting member.

Abstract: A print media feeder apparatus suitable for use in an image-forming device is provided. The apparatus comprises an elevator tray holding a stack of print media connected to a housing by a transmission system. The housing comprises a hoist drum that is connected to one end of a shaft for connecting the housing to the transmission system. A spring enclosure encasing a spring is fixed on the other end of the shaft. The load of print media is transmitted to the hoist drum, from which it is further transmitted to the spring through the shaft. This results in the displacement of the spring and a corresponding vertical movement of the elevator tray to position the print media at the desired feeding level.

Abstract: A credential production device is provided. The credential production device includes a card holder. The card holder includes a housing having a base and a card press. The card press is configured to apply a load to a top card of a stack of cards supported above the base. The load includes a perpendicular load component oriented perpendicularly to the base and having a magnitude that increases as a thickness of the stack of cards decreases.

Abstract: An adjustable paper cassette is provided that may be expanded and contracted by sliding movable frames relative to a base frame and then coupling fixing protrusions to desired fixing holes. Therefore, paper sheets having various sizes may be loaded in the paper cassette, and the size of an image forming apparatus with the paper cassette and the packing size of the image forming apparatus may be reduced without limitation on the size of the paper cassette.

Abstract: In an image scanning apparatus, when documents on a document tray are sequentially transferred, different control steps are performed according to a scanning speed when an upper surface height of the documents is lowered thereby turning off a height detection sensor. In a low scanning speed, the document tray is elevated one time until the upper surface height becomes a target height which is higher by a predetermined distance since a height detection sensor is turned on at an inter-transfer time between completion of document transfer and start of a subsequent document transfer. In an intermediate scanning speed, the document tray is elevated little by little in each transfer of one document at the inter-transfer time until the upper surface height reaches the target height. In a fast scanning speed, the transfer of the document is tentatively interrupted, the document tray is elevated one time until the upper surface height reaches the target height, and the transfer of the document is resumed.

Abstract: A document conveying apparatus comprises an inlet channel for receiving at least one document. A drive member is positioned for engagement with at least one document in the channel and is operable to move at least one document from the channel. An elongated member is associated with the channel and is movable to a first position towards the drive member which biases the at least one document towards the drive member. One portion of the elongated member is movable to a second position away from the drive member so as to allow insertion of at least one additional document into the inlet channel. Another portion of the elongated member is movable towards the drive member to bias the at least one document in the inlet channel into engagement with the drive member when the one portion of the elongated member is moved to the second position.

Abstract: A device for supplying sheets including a main body; a sheet feed cassette; a lift plate; a lift plate lifter mechanism; and a drive device for the mechanism; in which a lift side coupling gear is engaged with a drive side coupling gear of the drive device when the sheet feed cassette is stored in the main body, and is displaceably supported in a direction of toward and away from with respect to the drive side coupling gear in a range where the engagement of the gears is not released.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sheet feeder, which can reliably feed a sheet without requiring the extra operation of a regulating member, and an image forming apparatus. The sheet feeder comprises an intermediate plate 4 provided in a cassette body 2 so as to rotate in up and down directions around a rotation fulcrum portion 4a. The cassette body 2 has a freely movable rear end regulating member 5. The rear end regulating member 5 has a holding portion 5a which prevents the rotation fulcrum portion 4a of the intermediate plate 4 from being detached from the cassette body 2. In the transportation, the rear end regulating member 5 is set to a position where the holding portion 5a prevents the rotation fulcrum portion 4a of the intermediate plate 4 from being detached from the cassette body 2 and the intermediate plate 4 can rotate.

Abstract: A sheet transport apparatus includes a pair of transporting rollers, a table and a table drive mechanism. The pair of transporting rollers consist of a driving roller and a driven roller. On the table are stacked a plurality of recording media to be supplied to the pair of transporting rollers. The table drive mechanism moves the table between two positions of a transport position and a standby position. The table drive mechanism descends the table to the standby position, from the transport position, after the uppermost recording medium of the recording media stacked on the table at the transport position is sandwiched between the driving roller and the driven roller.

Abstract: A sheet feeding tray includes a frame member, and freely upwardly swingable plural bottom plates arranged on the frame member side by side perpendicular to a sheet feeding direction. The bottom plates cooperatively support a stack of envelope recording mediums. A lifting device having plural curvature sections is provided. The plural curvature sections are respectively arranged below the bottom plates to scuff and lift the lower surface of the plural bottom plates at a section downstream of the sheet feeding direction. The plural curvature sections each include a different outline in accordance with a difference of a decreasing amount of a thickness of the stack during sheet feeding. The different outlines enable the topmost surface of the stack to be almost horizontal.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus has a cassette retracting mechanism which retracts a sheet supplying cassette to a mounting position when the sheet supplying cassette is to be mounted on an apparatus main body, and protrudes the sheet supplying cassette from the apparatus main body when the sheet supplying cassette is to be detached, and which, when the sheet supplying cassette is to be mounted on the apparatus main body, brings a separating member provided on the sheet supplying cassette into contact with a sheet feeding roller provided in the apparatus main body immediately after the cassette retracting mechanism has generated a maximum retracting force, and when the sheet supplying cassette is to be detached, generates a maximum pushing-out force immediately after the separating member has been spaced apart from the sheet feeding roller, to thereby protrude the sheet supplying cassette from the apparatus main body.

Abstract: An aspect of the invention provides a paper feeding cassette that comprises a cassette body; a front face wall disposed at a front end of the cassette body so as to be elevated from a bottom wall of the cassette body; a medium-stacking member disposed so as to be swingable about a support shaft relative to the cassette body by using the support shaft as a swinging center, the medium-stacking member configured to have a medium thereon stacked inside the cassette body; and a biasing unit configured to bias the medium-stacking member so as to bring the medium into contact with a feeder, wherein the front face wall comprises a face which regulates the medium along a trajectory drawn by a front end of the medium-stacking member in accordance with a swinging movement of the medium-stacking member.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for providing paper stack level calibration in a reproduction apparatus. According to various aspects of the invention, methods are provided for continuous feeding with a transition from one supply to another, and leaving a controlled number of sheets in the prior supply.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus provided with a sheet stacking portion for supporting sheets thereon, a sheet feeding roller for feeding the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking portion, and a manually moving member for selectively moving the sheet stacking portion between a first position in which sheets stacked on the sheet stacking portion are brought into pressure contact with the sheet feeding roller and a second position in which the stacked sheets are spaced apart from the sheet feeding roller, the manually moving member being disposed above the sheet stacking portion and in a direction orthogonal to a sheet feeding direction, and an image forming apparatus having the sheet feeding apparatus.

Abstract: In a recording material guiding device, a second guide member 606 is comprised of a hopper swinging surface 23c, an edge guide member 25 including a second side end guide member 25a, and a liftup preventing guide 251. The hopper swinging surface 23c is engaged in an opening provided in a side surface of a reference end guide 24 serving as a first guide member 603. The second guide member 606 can be slid in a main scanning direction with respect to the reference end guide 24 (first guide member 603). During recording a gap d1 can be formed between the second side end guide member 25a and a side end Pa of the recording paper P by sliding the second side end guide member 25a from a first position 604 to a second position 605, so that frictional contact can be prevented at the side end Pa of the recording paper P on the second side end guide member side.

Abstract: When a paper feed cassette is again mounted, a pressing portion of a pressing member is brought into contact from the front side on a second surface of an extending portion of a contacting member, and the contacting member is pressed by the pressing member to be displaced from the retract position to the contact position. At this time, the pressing portion of the contacting member presses a pressed portion of a disc member to rotate a third cam itself in the counterclockwise direction in the drawing. Accordingly, the lift lever locked by the third cam is released, and an end portion of an arm member is allowed to move upward.

Abstract: A paper feeder comprising an actuator and a sensor mounted on a main body, the actuator being capable of contacting an upper surface of a sheet placed on a bottom plate provided in a sheet tray as the bottom plate is raised, thereby allowing the sensor to detect that the sheet is present. The paper feeder further comprises a through bore formed in the bottom plate for receiving the actuator when a sheet is absent from the sheet tray, so that the sensor may detect that the sheet is absent, and a push-out guide provided on peripheries of the through bore for contacting the actuator in the through bore as the sheet tray is pulled out, thereby pushing the actuator upward out of the through bore.

Abstract: A paper feeing cassette of an image forming apparatus includes a paper stacking plate on which a sheet of paper is stacked; a lift unit placed under the paper stacking plate, lifting by a rotating pivot, the rotating pivot being connected to a driving motor using a connection portion and rotated, and ascending the paper stacking plate; and a release unit separating the connection portion from the rotating pivot, disconnecting the driving motor from the rotating pivot, descending the paper stacking plate by its weight, and separating the sheet of paper from a pickup roller.

Abstract: During transit of media cassettes there is a need to secure stacked media within the cassette to prevent this stack from moving and becoming disarrayed. Previously this has been achieved by using a pusher plate to urge the stack of media items to one end of the cassette by locking that pusher plate during transit. A ratchet bar is provided in the media cassette lid which engages with the pusher plate assembly to lock it during transit. The ratchet bar is coupled to a cam which is arranged to engage a dispenser when the media cassette is loaded into an ATM or similar. When the media cassette is inserted into the dispenser the cam automatically drives the ratchet bar which rotates and in so doing disengages the pusher plate assembly. By housing the ratchet bar in the media cassette lid, space savings are achieved and in addition, users are prevented from using the pusher plate locking mechanism to facilitate overfilling of the media cassette.

Abstract: An image generating apparatus capable of effectively suppressing double paper feeding and reducing the number of components is obtained. This image generating apparatus comprises a paper feed roller feeding papers, a push-up member pressing the papers against the paper feed roller and a control portion controlling driving of the paper feed roller and the push-up member. The control portion carries the papers in a paper feed direction by rotating the paper feed roller, thereafter carries the papers oppositely to the paper feed direction by a prescribed distance while lifting the push-up member, and thereafter lowers the push-up member.

Abstract: A recording medium feeding device including: a feeding member that feeds a recording medium; a plate on which the recording medium is placed; a power outputting section that outputs a power for elevating the plate in a direction of pressing the recording medium against the feeding member; and a power transmitting section that transmits the power outputted from the power outputting section to the plate, the power transmitting section being adapted so as not to transmit the power to the plate, when a repulsive force against the power for elevating the plate is larger than a predetermined value.

Abstract: A paper supply apparatus to supply paper to printing devices such as printers or copiers. The paper supply apparatus includes a knock-up plate on which papers are stacked, a pick-up roller that feeds the papers into the printing device by picking up the papers stacked on the knock-up plate, a lifter that lifts the knock-up plate so that the papers stacked on the knock-up plate continuously contact with the pick-up roller, a motor for driving apparatuses in the printing device, a spring clutch that connects the motor to the lifter to transmit power, and a brake lever that selectively transmits power according to height variations of the pick-up roller via the spring clutch. In the paper supply apparatus, since the knock-up plate can be lifted using the power of the motor that is used for driving other apparatuses of the printing device, an exclusive motor for supplying paper is unnecessary, thereby reducing the number of parts and power consumption.

Abstract: A device for moving a sheet of media in a device or machine for handling stacks of media is provided. The device includes a roll, an arm, and a bias element. The roll may be in contact with the sheet of media. The arm may be coupled to the roll. The bias element has a first end and a second end. Either the first end of the bias element is adjustably coupled to the arm or the second end of the bias element is adjustably coupled to the body. The body supports the bias element. The first end of the bias element may be coupled to the arm and the second end may be capable of adjustably coupling with the body in at least two positions (e.g., two or more of a nominal load setting, a reduced load setting, and an increased load setting).

Abstract: An auto-document feeder re-ingestion stop includes an auto-document feeder having a lower input tray and an upper output tray, the upper output tray having a length which is shorter than the length of input tray so that exiting or exited media depends onto the input tray, a flexible stopper depending from the upper output tray and inhibiting the exited media from being re-ingested by paper-to-paper friction during feeding of media in the input tray.

Abstract: In a sheet storing portion, a sheet tray which supports a sheet and a side regulating plate which moves depending on a sheet size to regulate a side end of the sheet are arranged. A notched portion to make it possible to move the side regulating plate is formed in the sheet tray, and a swingable auxiliary tray which constitutes the same plane as that of a sheet support surface of the sheet tray is arranged in the notched portion to prevent the sheet from being hanged down at the notched portion of the sheet tray. A hole into which the auxiliary tray can be inserted is formed in a side surface of the side regulating plate for the sheet. When the sheet tray moves upward to a predetermined position, the auxiliary tray is designed such that the auxiliary tray is brought into contact with a contact portion formed on an upper end of the hole and is swingably retreated downward, so that a sheet regulating surface of the side regulating plate can be assured.

Abstract: To reduce the number of components and further to provide a downsized sheet feeder, a shaft is arranged to a lower side of a sheet receiver stacking sheets, and gears are respectively attached to each opposite end of the shaft to mesh with rack portions. The gears move, upon gear's rotating, up and down along the rack portions. Another gear in mesh with the gear is further formed to transmit a torque from a driving source to the gear.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a chassis, a paper feed roller, a lifting member, and a biasing member. The chassis has a first side surface, a second side surface, and a bottom surface that connects the first and second side surfaces. The bottom surface has one of a first L-shaped projecting portion and a first coupling hole unitarily formed thereon. The paper feed roller is rotatably supported by the first and second side surfaces of the chassis and configured to convey paper. The lifting member is pivotably supported by the bottom surface of the chassis, and has a main portion and the other of the first L-shaped projecting portion and the first coupling hole unitarily formed on the main portion. The first L-shaped projection is pivotably coupled to the first coupling hole, such that the lifting member is pivotably coupled to the bottom surface.

Abstract: A slide cassette is slidably provided in a main cassette of a sheet cassette. When a sheet with a size larger than that of a sheet which may be stored in the main cassette is stored, the slide cassette is sled and moved to extend the sheet cassette. There is provided a fixing portion which may fix the slide cassette and the main cassette in a state in which the sheet cassette is in a shortened or an extended state by sliding the slide cassette. The fixing portion releases the fixing by an operation in which the slide cassette is sled in a shortening direction or extending direction.

Abstract: A coil spring 103 is wound around a rotational shaft 15 with its one end portion 103a being inserted into an engagement groove 100a formed in a side wall of a direct-coupled gear 100 and with its other end portion 103b being inserted in an engagement groove 93a provided in a front wall 93 of a paper cassette 6. The elastic force generated by the coil spring 103 functions as a pressing force for restraining the torque of the rotational shaft 15 that is generated by the driving force from a DC motor 70. The amount of the elastic force increases as the height of a paper pressing plate 8 increases. Accordingly, a variation in the height of the topmost sheet 3, which will possibly occur due to changes in the amount of recording medium 3 placed on a mounting plate 8, can be restrained.

Abstract: A media pick assembly has a media tray for retaining a stack of media in a peripheral device, an auto-compensating mechanism disposed adjacent to the media tray, the auto-compensating mechanism movable through an operating range including a starting angular position and an ending angular position, and a media biasing member engaging the auto-compensating mechanism and providing a discontinuous force on the auto-compensating mechanism through the operating range.

Abstract: An apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium is disclosed which includes: a first drive source; a photoreceptor driven for movement by a driving force applied thereto from the first drive source; a support member supporting the recording medium to be fed toward the photoreceptor, displaceable between a receiving position allowing reception of the recording medium on the support member, and a feeding position allowing feeding of the recording medium from the support member toward the photoreceptor; and a drive mechanism operable by a driving force applied thereto from the first drive source to displace the support member from the receiving position to the feeding position.

Abstract: A paper feeding device includes a stacking plate for stacking sheets. The stacking plate is movable vertically within a range from a lower limit position to a pick-up position. The stacking plate has a first surface facing the lower limit position and a second surface facing the pick-up position. The paper feeding device also includes a driving device for driving the stacking plate. The paper feeding device has a locking member for locking the staking plate in the lower limit position. The locking member has a deformable section for contact with the second surface of the stacking plate. The deformable section becomes deformed by a driving force applied through the stacking plate as locked in the lower limit position by the driving device, to unlock the stacking plate.

Abstract: In a sheet stacking and unloading system in which sheets are stacked on a stacking tray which is then moved from its sheet stacking position to an unloading position for removing the sheet stack from the stacking tray, and the stacking tray has a sheet stacking surface partially interrupted by at least one handhold area for allowing manual lifting access underneath a portion of a stack, there is automatically inserted into the handhold area at least one supplemental sheet stack supporting member to provide supplemental sheet stacking support, preventing the sheets from sagging in those areas, which supplemental sheet stack supporting member is automatically removed from the handhold area when the stacking tray is moved to its unloading position.

Abstract: A transporting device moves sheet-like objects. The transporting device has an elevator plate mounted to be liftable and lowerable on a loading surface to load an object to be moved; a drive part to lift and to lower the elevator plate via gears; and a controller to execute a preparatory operation to operate the drive part in a direction only by a drive amount corresponding to the gear backlash during the time after the drive part has completed an elevator plate drive operation in one direction until the start of an elevator plate drive operation in another direction.

Abstract: A sheet feed mechanism for a device such as a printer, with a chassis 2 configured to support a stack of sheets 4. A top sheet engaging member 6 for engaging the top-most sheet 40 of the stack and moving it relative to the remainder of the stack 4. A stack engaging structure 8 for engaging the stack 4 and biasing its top sheet 40 against the top sheet engaging member 6. The stack engaging structure 8 having a friction surface 18 extending parallel to the stack engaging structure's direction of travel. A lock mechanism 12 mounted to the chassis 2 for limited relative movement thereto, the lock mechanism 12 having a biased contact foot 32 for engaging the friction surface 18 to secure the stack engaging structure 8 to the lock mechanism 12 for movement therewith.

Abstract: A paper feed cassette capable of inhibiting a paper from being warped in a direction substantially perpendicular to a paper feed direction while minimizing increase in the number of component and inhibiting the paper from being plastically deformed into a curved shape is obtained. The paper feed cassette includes a cassette body storing the paper, a first lift member for lifting up the paper so as to bring the paper into contact with a paper feed roller in printing, and a second lift member for lifting up the paper so as to produce bending caused by droop of the rear in the paper feed direction of the paper due to the paper's own weight in printing.

Abstract: A paper feed has a door and a paper carrying tray, and raises the tray as paper is fed. A first detector that detects the presence of paper is located below a paper feed position by a margin corresponding to a given number of paper sheets, and second detector that detects the presence of paper is located below the first detector. If an open state of the door is detected, the paper carrying tray is lowered to a position where the second detector ceases to detect the presence of paper. If the first and second detectors detect the presence of paper after the tray is lowered, the tray is lowered to the position where the second detector ceases to detect the presence of paper. If a closed state of the door is detected after the tray is lowered, the tray is raised so that the uppermost one of paper sheets on the tray is situated in the paper feed position.

Abstract: A system for feeding and transporting documents includes a feeder stage and a transport stage. The feeder stage includes a feeder and a hopper assembly. The hopper floor carries the document stack, and includes a flag providing a force to move the documents along the hopper floor toward the feeder and to feed a document with a presentation force. A vibration source means vibrate the hopper floor such that the hopper floor vibration is stronger at the far end and weaker at the near end to cause a dynamic weight of the document stack to be reduced through vibration, particularly at the hopper floor far end when the document stack is large so as to reduce variation in the presentation force at the feeder.

Abstract: A push-up member of this image generating apparatus includes a first push-up member integrally having a first assembly engaging portion provided between a first spring clip portion and a first engaging portion and a second push-up member integrally having a second assembly engaging portion rotatably engaging with the first assembly engaging portion, and the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion are engaged with each other in assembling by engaging the first assembly engaging portion and the second assembly engaging portion with each other while mounting first and second ends of a spring member on the first push-up member and the second push-up member respectively and rotating the second push-up member about the engaging position between the first assembly engaging portion and the second assembly engaging portion against urging force of the spring member.

Abstract: The feeding apparatus includes a pressure plate cam gear which contacts and separates a pressure plate with and from a feeding roller rubber in a forward rotation of a stepping motor, then interrupts the drive power transmission to the pressure plate, then transmits the driving power again to the pressure plate by a reverse rotation of the stepping motor to return the pressure plate to a separated state and terminates the drive power transmission to the pressure plate, a gear portion provided at an end of a feeding roller shaft for transmitting the driving power from the stepping motor to the feeding roller rubber, and a control circuit for reversing the stepping motor after a leading end of a recording medium is detected by a PE sensor lever.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus for an image forming device prevents a sheet jammed in a pickup roller from being damaged when a sheet feeding cassette is separated to remove the jammed sheet. The sheet feeding apparatus for the image forming device includes a sheet feeding cassette being removably installed in the image forming device and having a handle hole for adhesion and removal, a sheet pressure plate hinge-fixed in the sheet feeding cassette, to load and support sheets, an elastic member to elastically support the sheet pressure plate to be upwardly slanted, and a down lever installed at the lower portion of the sheet pressure plate to be moved forward or backward. When the down lever is pulled through the handle hole, the sheet pressure plate is downwardly rotated to compress the elastic member, and when the down lever is pushed, the sheet pressure plate returns to the original position by the elastic member.

Abstract: A sheet storage cassette includes: a case provided with a storage portion; a stacking plate on which a sheet is placed; and a lifting unit that lifts the stacking plate. The lifting unit has: a driving gear that communicates with an output gear of the device main body in a state where the sheet storage cassette is received in the device main body, is rotated by driving force transmitted from the output gear, and is provided with an engaged part; a swing portion that has an engaging part engaged with the engaged part, and lifts the stacking plate by a rotation of the driving gear; and a reverse rotation allowing unit that allows the driving gear to rotate in an opposite direction to a direction of lifting the stacking plate when inserting the sheet storage cassette into the device main body.

Abstract: A sheet feeding cassette is configured so as to be able to be attached to and removed from an image forming apparatus main body having an image forming section and is equipped with a box-shaped accommodation portion capable of accommodating a plurality of sheets. A grip to be used for holding the sheet feeding cassette with a hand is provided close to the front surface of the sheet feeding cassette so as to be located above a sheet placement surface on which sheets are to be placed in the accommodation portion. An angle formed by the sheet placement surface and a straight line passing through the grip and the center of gravity of the sheet feeding cassette is larger than or equal to 5°.

Abstract: A paper feeding apparatus of an image forming device having a feeder opening and closing unit to automatically rotate a paper feeder between a storing position and a paper feeding-standby position selectively employing a driving source driving a transporting unit with a pickup roller and a feed roller. The paper feeding apparatus automatically opens the paper feeder to the paper feeding-standby position when the image forming device is used, and automatically closes the paper feeder to the storing position to minimize space when the image forming device is not in use, thereby accommodating a user and minimizing a size of the image forming device.

Abstract: A system for determining the amount of media available to a printing device is presented. The system comprises a sensor and a disc containing one or more visual cues perceptible to the sensor. The disc is rotated by a coupled lifting member to lift a media handling tray to present any media stored thereon to a receiving printing device. The sensor generates a signal based, at least in part, on the visual cues provided from the rotated disc.