Abstract: A paper feeding mechanism and method which reliably feeds individual sheets stacked on a base plate. When a full stack of sheets resides on the base plate, as the sheets are removed one-by-one from the top of the stack, the base plate pivots about an end of the base plate. After the base plate pivots to a predetermined level, a pin passing through an oblong hole in a side support connected to the base plate contacts an end of the oblong hole and changes the pivot position of the base plate to the position of the pin. Also, a separating claw is raised as the sheets are removed from the stack. As the sheets from the stack are removed, the base plate supporting the sheets is raised. The raising of the base plate causes the rotation of a cam member. As the cam member rotates, the changing cam surface which contacts a separating member connected to the separating claw causes the separating claw to be raised.

Abstract: A sheet feeder for feeding a sheet from a sheet stacker. The sheet feeder includes: a main body of the sheet stacker for holding plural stacked sheets; a movable bottom plate, provided on the bottom portion of the main body and supported bivotally on an axis, for supporting the plural stacked sheets; a lifting lever for lifting the movable bottom plate; and plural pickup rollers, aligned on an axis in a direction perpendicular to a sheet feeding direction, for having a pressure contact with a sheet of the plural stacked sheets on the movable bottom plate, and for feeding the sheet from the main body in the sheet feeding direction. In the sheet feeder, a protruded portion is formed either on the movable bottom plate or on the lifting lever so that a contact portion where the movable bottom plate comes in contact with the lifting lever is of a point contact, and the contact portion is provided at the center of the closest two of the pickup rollers in the direction of their axis.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sheet supplying apparatus which has a sheet supporting unit for supporting a sheet, a first abutment member for regulating a tip end of the sheet supported by the sheet supporting unit, a displaceable second abutment member for regulating the tip end of the sheet supported by the sheet supporting unit, and a sheet supply for feeding out the sheet supported by the sheet supporting unit An angle between a surface of the sheet supported by the sheet supporting unit and a sheet abutment surface of the second abutment member is smaller than an angle between the surface of the sheet and a sheet abutment surface of the first abutment member.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sheet supplying apparatus having a sheet support for supporting sheets, a sheet supply roller for feeding out the sheet on the sheet support, a drive unit generating normal and reverse rotating forces, for driving the sheet supply roller, a shift unit for shifting the sheet support between a sheet supply position and a waiting position, a one-way clutch for transmitting a rotating force generated by the drive unit to the shift unit, and an auxiliary shift device for shifting the sheet support in a direction opposite to a shifting direction of the sheet support by the shift unit through a rotating force when the reverse rotating force is generated by the drive unit.

Abstract: A sheet-feed device including: a hopper having a surface on which sheets are stacked; at least one sheet-feed roller for abutting a surface of an uppermost sheet of the sheets so that rotation of the at least one sheet-feed roller feeds the uppermost sheet in a sheet-feed direction; a wall portion formed at a front edge, with respect to the sheet-feed direction, of the hopper, the wall portion including: a slanting surface gradually slanting in the sheet-feed direction with increasing distance from the surface of the hopper; and an indentation portion formed at a position corresponding to position of the at least one sheet-feed roller and receded away from the slanting surface in the sheet-feed direction.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sheet supply apparatus comprises a rocking sheet support plate for stacking sheets, a sheet supply, device capable of contacting with the sheets stacked on the sheet support plate for supplying them, a rotation control for controlling rotation of the sheet supply device by transmitting or not transmitting a driving force from a drive source, a cam for shifting the sheet support plate to abut or separate the sheet supply device and the sheet, and a rotation transmitting device for transmitting rotation to the cam.

Abstract: A print media feeding apparatus is disclosed that can convey both thin documents and thick documents. By a simple manual manipulation, additional pressure can be exerted between the knock up plate and the pick up roller when thick documents are positioned therebetween. When thin documents are to be fed, less pressure is exerted by the knockup plate on the pick up roller. When thick sheets of paper are being conveyed, a bell crank is positioned to increase spring pressure on the documents. When thin papers are being conveyed, a bell crank is rotated to another position where the bell crank decreases from the spring pressure exerted on the knock up plate. By adjusting the pressure exerted on the documents, documents having varying thicknesses can be conveyed by the same feeding tray.

Abstract: A sheet supplying apparatus is provided including a sheet stacking unit for stacking a plurality of sheets, a first roller for supplying an uppermost sheet on the sheet stacking unit and a second roller for supplying a lowermost sheet on the sheet stacking unit. A separation roller is disposed between the first and second sheet supply rollers to pass a single sheet toward a predetermined direction and to separate the other sheets from the single sheet for return. The first and second sheet supply rollers and the separation roller are made of the same material, and the first and second sheet supply rollers are disposed upstream of the separation roller in a sheet supplying direction.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus for separating stacked sheets one by one and feeding the sheets includes a rotative feeder rotating in a feeding direction for feeding the sheets; a retard roller disposed so as to be capable of contacting the rotative feeder rotating in reverse direction for separating the sheets one by one; a driver for driving the rotative feeder and the retard roller; a clutch for transmitting drive power from the driver to the rotative feeder when in a powered-on state, and for rendering the rotative feeder in a rotation free state without transmitting the drive power of the driver to the rotative feeder when in a powered-off state. The apparatus further includes a controller for, before the start of feeding of the sheets, rendering the rotative feeder in the rotation free state while the controller renders the clutch in the powered-off state and controlling the driver to rotate the retard roller in the reverse direction to the feeding direction of the sheet.

Abstract: A sheet-supply device including: a hopper for supporting a stack of sheets on a surface thereof and including a sheet guide for aligning a side of the stack of sheets into alignment with a sheet-feed direction; a rotational shaft disposed confronting the hopper and extending in an axial direction perpendicular to the sheet-feed direction; a first sheet-feed roller and a second sheet-feed roller provided on the rotational shaft and for abutting a surface of an uppermost sheet of the stack of sheets so that rotation of the first sheet-feed roller and the second sheet-feed roller feeds the uppermost sheet in the sheet-feed direction, the first sheet-feed roller being disposed nearer the sheet guide than is the second sheet-feed roller; and a first collar and a second collar provided freely rotatable around the rotational shaft, the first collar being positioned substantially centered between the pair of sheet-feed rollers, the second collar being disposed between the first collar and the first sheet-feed roller.

Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes an electrostatic latent image carrying body, an electric charger for uniformly electrifying, the carrying body, an optical exposure unit to form an electrostatic latent image on the carrying body, a developer for developing the electrostatic latent image to form a toner image on the carrying body, a transfer unit for transferring the toner image from the carrying body onto a printing sheet, a fixing unit for fixing the toner image to the printing sheet, a cleaner for cleaning to remove residual toner from the carrying body and a toner returning mechanism for returning the residual toner removed by the cleaner to the developer. The developer includes a housing in which a toner chamber is defined, a developing roller rotatably mounted in the housing, an agitator rotatably mounted in the housing so as to be positioned in the toner chamber, a partitioning member provided in the housing for defining a carrier chamber adjacent to the developing roller.

Abstract: An adjustable, pivoting paper tray that enhances the feeding of a full ream of shorter than standard size paper by a feed roll from the paper tray without encountering stack normal force relief impediments includes a half ream sized adjustable backstop. The backstop has floating or articulating fingers resting on the ream of paper in the paper tray that slide downward as each sheet is feed from the paper tray. This movement of fingers allows every sheet to be fed from the sheet stack.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device for feeding sheets from a tray one by one and an image forming apparatus having the same are disclosed. A tray loaded with a stack of sheets, a separating member for separating a sheet paid out from the tray from the other sheets, and a driven conveyor roller are sequentially arranged around a single pick-up roller. With this arrangement, it is possible to reduce to a load to act on the sheet being conveyed by the pick-up roller and conveyor roller, and to prevent accidental continuous feed or simultaneous feed of a plurality of sheets.

Abstract: A sheet feeder capable of providing accurate separation of an uppermost sheet from remaining sheets of a sheet stack stored in a hopper regardless of a size and rigidity of the sheets. The sheet feeder includes a sheet feed roller positioned in confrontation with the hopper for feeding the sheet in a sheet feeding direction. An outlet end portion of the hopper is provided with a wall to which the leading edge of the sheet abuts. The wall is provided with a slanted surface sloping toward the sheet feeding direction, and a stop member protrudable from or retractable into the slanted surface. The stop member is biased in the protruding direction by a coil spring. When the sheets having high rigidity are stored in the hopper, the leading edge of the sheet pushes the stop member into the slanted surface (51) and the uppermost sheet is separated from the remaining sheets by the slanted surface.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device for an image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a sheet sustaining portion for sustaining a stack of sheets loaded on a bottom plate. Even when a great number of sheets are stacked on the bottom plate, the sustaining portion reduces a load to act on the bottom plate and thereby prevents the bottom plate and sheets from warping or sinking. This allows a pick-up roller to press the sheet stack with an adequate force and feed the sheets stably one by one.

Abstract: The current invention generally discloses methods, devices and systems for feeding an image-carrying medium of various sizes to an image-generating machine and more particularly discloses the methods, devices and system of applying a desirable initial pressure to a pile of an image-carrying medium towards a predetermined direction according to the medium size and the initial stack size and of continuously decreasing the pressure as the stack size is reduced.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus for separating stacked sheets one by one and feeding the sheets which includes a feed roller for feeding sheets, a retard roller for separating the sheets one by one between the retard roller and the feed roller, and a torque limiter for transmitting a predetermined torque to the retard roller. The sheet feeding apparatus also includes a roller shaft for movably supporting the retard roller, a gear for transmitting a drive force to the roller shaft of the retard roller, a coupling member for coupling the retard roller and the gear, and universal joints connecting the gear with the coupling member, and the coupling member with the roller shaft, respectively. The torque limiter is disposed on the coupling member.

Abstract: The present invention provides an automatic sheet feeding apparatus to be freely fixed and unfixed to the recording apparatus having sheet feeding cassette which stores the recording sheet is rotatably fitted in the posture from roughly perpendicular to inclined as against the sheet feed driving unit, and a space to insert the recording sheet is formed when the said sheet feeding cassette is in roughly perpendicular position and the recording sheet is separately fed to the recording apparatus when the said sheet feeding cassette is in inclined position.

Abstract: A multi-use cutter is especially useful for cutting standard size paper and card stock into business card sizes. The preferred model of the multi-use cutter will measure six inches deep by fifteen inches tall by fifteen and a half inches wide and will be powered by standard 115 volt alternating current power source. The paper stock is sequentially fed into the cutter and can be collected in catch trays. The starting feed stock size can be varied by simply changing the size of the paper guide. Where the cutters are set to produce an American standard sized two by three and a half inch business card, the starting feedstock can be of any size.

Abstract: The invention provides a sheet feeding device in which a lifter member of a lifter unit for maintaining the level of the topmost sheet of the sheets loaded in a sheet holding unit at a substantially constant height is made movable along the direction of removal of the sheet holding unit in order to move the moving lifter away from the sheet holding unit if the lifter being released downward gets caught by the sheet holding unit being removed, thus allowing reliable removal of the sheet holding unit.

Abstract: A tray for a sheet processing apparatus having a receptacle, a lifting plate movable between a low position and a high position, an elastic member for elastically moving the lifting plate to the high position from the low position, a lid mounted on the receptacle pivoting about an axis and movable between an open position and a closed position, and a pushing member for pushing the lifting plate toward the low position against an elastic force of the elastic member when the lid moves into the open position, and characterized in that the pushing member is mounted on the lid and maintains the lid in the open position against the elastic force of the elastic member.

Abstract: A feeding device which feeds paper sheets accommodated in a paper supply tray detachable from a body of an image forming apparatus. Paper sheets stacked in the paper supply tray is induced to make pressure contact with a feed roller in conjunction with attachment of the paper supply tray to the body of the apparatus, and release the pressure contact between paper sheets and the feed roller in conjunction with detachment of the paper supply tray from the body of the apparatus. The feed roller has on an exterior surface at least one portion having a friction coefficient lower than the rest portion of the exterior surface, and is stopped its rotation in a state that the lower friction coefficient portion contacts with an uppermost paper sheet when paper feeding is completed, so as to prevent paper jams caused by shifting or deformation of the uppermost paper sheet during attachment or detachment of the paper supply tray to the body of the apparatus.

Abstract: A U-turn high capacity sheet feeder including: a sheet storing tray for holding a stack of sheets of paper, having a stack advancing spring for advancing a stack of sheets of paper; a transfer roll; a feed roll and a drive mechanism controlled to separate an individual sheet of paper from the sheet storing tray to the transfer roll for allowing it to be further driven by the transfer roll to a host machine; a U-turn baffle channel for guiding an individual sheet of paper moving away from the sheet storing tray to the transfer roll; a pivotable baffle channel for guiding an individual sheet of paper from the U-turn baffle channel to the host machine and for supporting the individual sheet of paper against the feed roll of the host machine; a control mechanism for determining the timings of the engagement of the feed roll and the drive mechanism for transporting individual sheets of paper one by one into the feed zone of the host machine in conjunction with feeding cycle of the host machine; and a housing, whic

Abstract: An automatic paper feed apparatus includes a sheet stacking device for stacking and storing a plurality of sheets, a rotary paper feed device brought into contact with the sheet to feed it, a biasing device for biasing the sheets stacked toward the rotary paper feed device, a separator having an inclined surface for bringing the sheet fed into contact with the inclined surface to separate only one sheet and supply the separated one sheet to the downstream side, and a maintaining device, brought into contact with the uppermost surface for maintaining the uppermost sheet at a position corresponding to the inclined surface against a biasing force of the biasing device.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sheet supplying and conveying apparatus comprising a sheet supporting means for supporting sheets, a convey roller contacted with the sheet supported by the sheet supporting means with predetermined sheet supplying pressure and adapted to feed out the sheet and convey the sheet around the convey roller by rotation of the convey roller, a separation rotary member urged against the convey roller with predetermined separation pressure and adapted to separate the sheets fed out by the convey roller one by one, a torque limiter for permitting rotation of the separation rotary member in a sheet conveying direction when rotational torque directing toward the sheet conveying direction and having a value greater than a predetermined value acts on the separation rotary member and for preventing the rotation of the separation rotary member in the sheet conveying direction when the rotational torque having a value smaller than the predetermined value acts on the separation rotary member,

Abstract: The present invention provides a sheet supplying apparatus having a sheet stacking device for stacking and supporting sheets, a sheet supply roller having different radial dimensions along a periphery thereof to feed out the sheets from the sheet stacking device, and a separation unit having a feed rotary member rotated in a sheet feeding direction and a reverse rotary member rotated in a direction opposite to the sheet feeding direction to separate the sheets fed out by the sheet supply roller one by one.

Abstract: A paper feeding apparatus of simple structure which enables supply of paper onto a paper feeding tray and replacement of the paper thereon with an excellent operability. The paper feeding tray is rotated to be engaged with a locking piece of an engaging member and held at a standby position. At this position, the paper feeding tray presses the locking piece, while the engaging member rotates around a supporting shaft and a disengaging piece moves onto the rotational track of a disengaging element. After supplying paper onto the paper feeding tray or replacing the paper thereon, when a roller drive gear of the paper feeding roller rotates, the disengaging element presses the disengaging piece, the engaging member moves in the axial direction, the locking piece withdraws, and the locking piece is disengaged from the paper feeding tray, thereby returning the paper feeding tray to a paper feeding position.

Abstract: The feed device comprises a supply chamber (6) with a forward wall (9) having an inclined plane (45) provided with retaining elements for the stack of sheets contained in the supply chamber in the form of strips of cut pile fabric (48) whose fibers retain the sheets by their forward edge. A drive shaft (23) carries drive rolls (20) comprising a sector (100) with high coefficient of friction to drive the top sheet from the stack and a sector (101) with low coefficient of friction permitting sliding of the sheet during an alignment phase of the sheet. The drive shaft (23) is actuated by a drive mechanism (50) comprising a clutch with a toothed pinion (62) having two discontinuities defining rest and stop positions of alignment coacting with a clutch and retaining lever (66) controlled by reverse rotation of the drive motor (58) of the printer. An advancing mechanism (54) permits effecting engagement of the toothed pinion (62) with an intermediate pinion (61) upon a clutch control.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus has a plurality of sheet trays each of which stores sheets to be fed. The sheet stored in the sheet trays is brought to a sheet feeding position by a plurality of sheet positioning mechanisms corresponding to the sheet trays, and is fed, one by one, at the sheet feeding position by a plurality of sheet feeding mechanisms corresponding to the sheet trays. Further, the sheet feeding apparatus has a motor which drives one of the sheet positioning mechanisms and the one of the sheet feeding mechanisms which corresponds to a sheet tray different from the sheet tray corresponding to the sheet feeding mechanism driven by the motor.

Abstract: A high capacity portable sheet cassette tray assembly for supporting and positioning a stack of sheets for feeding reliably, one at a time, in a sheet using machine. The high capacity cassette tray assembly includes a cassette frame for removing and reinstalling into a sheet supply station of the sheet using machine. The cassette frame has a front end over which sheets are fed into the machine, and forward feed corner snubbers that are mounted to the front end of the cassette frame. The high capacity cassette tray assembly also includes a liftable base plate mounted within the cassette frame for supporting a high capacity stack of sheets having a topmost sheet. Further, the high capacity cassette tray includes a constant angle parallelogram lifting assembly that has a rear end connected to the cassette frame, and a front end connected to the liftable base plate for lifting and supporting the base plate and a topmost sheet of a stack of sheets on the base plate.

Abstract: A trailing end regulating device is slidably and rotatably supported by a bottom plate of a sheet cassette so as to regulate trailing ends of sheets supported on an intermediate plate in the sheet cassette. The trailing end regulating device is supported to be orthogonal to a sheet supporting surface of the intermediate plate by a guide which is mounted on the intermediate plate. Thus, the trailing end regulating device can constantly be maintained in an orthogonal state even if the intermediate plate rotates due to a change in the amount of sheets loaded, and the trailing end position of the sheets can appropriately be regulated. It is thus possible to maintain a constant amount of engagement between the sheets and separation claws used to separated the sheets from each other.

Abstract: To feed a plurality of cut sheets of paper to a recorder, in a one-by-one picking up manner, a stack plate supports the cut sheets placed on a paper stacking side thereof, a spring member is provided on an opposite side to the paper stacking side of the stack plate, a feed roller is rotated to force out in a paper feed direction a top sheet of the cut sheets placed on the stack plate, as the stack plate is elastically urged by the spring member toward the feed roller, a pawl member separates the top sheet from the rest, as it is forced in the paper feed direction by the feed roller, and a convex stripe part is provided on the paper stacking side of the stack plate, the stripe part extending in a crossing direction with the paper feed direction.

Abstract: A printer including an automatic paper feeder having a stacker section capable of setting a plurality of sheets of paper therein, wherein a bottom of said stacker section is formed by a bottom itself of a printer case. In addition, the printer may include a hopper disposed in the stacker section to urge the paper upwardly, a pair of swinging members each having a separation pawl located above a corner of the paper and a pressing-down portion for pressing down the hopper, each of the swinging members being supported swingably about a shaft located between the separation pawl and the pressing-down portion and an operation lever having a pair of actuating portions capable of pressing downward the swinging members and supported rotatably above the stacker section.

Abstract: A media separation system is provided for separating individual sheets from a stack of media. The media separation system has a pressure plate positioned at an angle to support the stack of sheets along an incline. The pressure plate has an upper and lower end, with a relieved area formed in the lower end of the pressure plate. The media separation system also has a pick roller disposed in juxtaposition to the relieved area of the pressure plate to engage and separate a top sheet from the stack of sheets. The pick roller has a width that is more narrow than that of the relieved area in the pressure plate. A spring-like mechanism is provided to urge the pressure plate toward the pick roller to cause the pick roller and the pressure plate to work cooperatively to depress the sheets of media beneath the pick roller into the relieved area of the pressure plate. This causes formation of a primary depression in the stack of sheets.

Abstract: A paper sheet feeder device for a printer apparatus includes a plate on which a stack of paper sheets is mounted, a paper feeder roller arranged above the front end of the paper feeder plate and rotated to pick up the paper sheets from the paper feeder plate, a cover for supporting the paper feeder plate to cause the paper sheets to be in contact with the paper feeder roller, and a paper sheet separator pad arranged adjacent to the front end of the paper feeder plate to introduce the paper sheets from the paper feeder plate to a certain position on the outer circumference of the roller and cooperate with the roller to separate the top one from the other paper sheets on the paper feeder plate. In particular, the cover includes a projecting section for freely swingably supporting the rear end of the paper feeder plate when it is projected outside through an opening formed in a side of the printer apparatus, and a spring for urging the paper feeder plate to the roller.

Abstract: An apparatus which advances sheets from different stacks of sheets. In one mode of operation, two stacks of sheets are supported side by side. A sheet feeder associated with each stack of sheets advances successive uppermost sheets from the respective stack to a transfer station of a printing machine. Alternatively, a single sheet feeder mounted movably in the sheet feeding apparatus may be employed to advance successive sheets from each of the stack of sheets, in lieu two sheet feeders. In the absence of these stacks of sheets, another oversized stack of sheets may be positioned in the sheet feeder. This oversized stack of sheets extends from a first sheet storing section into a second sheet storing section. When two stacks of sheets are disposed in the sheet feeder, one stack is positioned in the first sheet storing section and the other stack is positioned in the second sheet storing section. In this way, the sheet feeding apparatus has capability of feeding multiple size sheets.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sheet supplying apparatus having a sheet stacking device for stacking and supporting sheets, a sheet supply roller having different radial dimensions along a periphery thereof to feed out the sheets from the sheet stacking device, and a separation unit having a feed rotary member rotated in a sheet feeding direction and a reverse rotary member rotated in a direction opposite to the sheet feeding direction to separate the sheets fed out by the sheet supply roller one by one.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sheet supplying apparatus including a sheet cassette removably mountable to the sheet supply apparatus and having a rockable sheet support plate for supporting sheets, and a biasing device for biasing the sheet support plate toward a sheet supply device of the sheet supplying apparatus for feeding out the sheets; a locking device for locking the sheet support plate at a position spaced apart from the sheet supply device in opposition to a biasing force of the biasing means; a releasing device for releasing a locking condition of the locking device when the sheet cassette is mounted to the sheet supplying apparatus; and a buffer device for reducing a shifting speed of the sheet support plate effected by the biasing device when the locking condition of the locking device is released by the releasing device. The present invention further provides an image forming apparatus including such sheet supplying apparatus.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sheet supplying apparatus comprising first and second frames shiftable relative to each other, a sheet receiving portion provided on the first frame for receiving a sheet, and a rotary member provided on the second frame for cooperating with the sheet receiving portion to thereby pinch and supply the sheet when a relative position between the first and second frames is in a first configuration and separated from the sheet receiving portion when the relative position between the first and second frames is in a second configuration.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sheet supply apparatus comprising a lifter device for maintaining a height of an upper surface of a sheet stack supported by a sheet supporting device substantially constant by lifting or lowering the sheet supporting device, and a supply device for feeding out an uppermost sheet from the sheet stack maintained in a constant height position by the lifter device, and wherein the lifter device comprises a clutch member for transmitting a predetermined amount of rotation from a drive gear, a rock member for rocking a ratchet pawl by the rotation transmitted by the clutch member, a ratchet gear engageable by the ratchet pawl and rotated by a rocking movement of the ratchet pawl, a lifter member connected to the ratchet gear and adapted to lift the sheet supporting member by rotation of the ratchet gear, and an actuation device shifted in accordance with the height of the upper surface of the sheet stack rested on the sheet supporting device and adapted to actuate the clutch member

Abstract: The provision of the overlapped transfer-preventing mechanism having a pivot 5a integrated with the lower separating roll 5 which is variably separated from the upper separating roll 4 rotably driven, the lower separating rolls is rotable in a direction opposite to said paper supplying direction when the lift plate 37 is lifted up in a paper-supplying position.

Abstract: A sheet supplying apparatus has a sheet container for stacking and supporting sheets, a support for supporting the sheet container, and a sheet supplying device for feeding out the sheet contained in the sheet container supported by the support by applying a feeding force to the sheet. The support can support one of a plurality of kinds of sheet containers having different maximum sheet stacking abilities, the sheet containers including a shiftable sheet support place on which the sheets are stacked and a pressurizing device capable of biasing the sheet support plate toward the sheet supplying device to urge the sheets stacked on the sheet support plate against the sheet supplying device, and the pressurizing device biasing the sheet support plate toward the sheet supplying device in response to an operation for placing the sheet container on the support.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sheet supplying apparatus having an extendible sheet support for supporting sheets, a sheet supply for feeding out the sheets supported by the sheet support, a shiftable separating claw capable of separating the sheets fed by the sheet supply, one by one, by engaging from corners of the sheets supported by the sheet support, a regulator for shifting the separating claw toward the sheet support in response to insert and retracting movements of the sheet support and a second separator for separating the sheets rested on an upper surface of the separating claw shifted toward the sheet support by the regulator, one by one, when the sheets are fed out by the sheet supply.

Abstract: A paper feeding device of an image forming apparatus having a paper feeding roller for feeding, one by one, paper pieces stacked in a paper feeding tray. Disposed at the main body of the image forming apparatus are (i) a placing member on which the stacked paper pieces are placed such that the tips thereof are ready for feeding, (ii) a biasing member for upwardly biasing the placing member, (iii) a pair of pawl members for separating, one by one, the stacked paper pieces, and (iv) a pushing-down member for pushing down the placing member as necessary. Against the biasing member, the pushing-down member pushes down the placing member, thus forming a space for setting the paper pieces between the placing member and the pawl members. The stacked paper pieces are inserted into the space through a paper feeding opening. When the pushing-down operation of the pushing-down member is released, the biasing member causes the placing member to be pushed up.

Abstract: A paper feeder is arranged so that a hand-carry type portable printer per se is mounted thereon, and a magnetic repulsion and/or a mechanical engagement are utilized to properly orientate and position the printer with respect to the base frame, when mounting the printer on the base frame.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus includes an endless belt which is postioned to be adjacent to a rear part of a sheet stand on which trailing edges of a pile of sheets are loaded. The endless belt includes a holding member to hold a leading edge of a sheet that is being returned to the sheet stand so that the endless belt conveys the sheet together with the holding member and inserts the sheet being returned to the sheet stand under the pile of sheets. A single stopper is provided on the sheet stand to align the sheets of the pile as well as the sheets inserted under the pile.

Abstract: A paper feeding apparatus of the present invention, in which it is adapted such that a paper tray holding plural sheets of paper in a pile is supported by a fulcrum for rotation round the same and the paper tray is rotated by a paper setting mechanism so that the topmost copy paper of the paper held in the paper tray is brought into abutment with a feed roller and fed to a printing portion. As the drive power source of the paper setting mechanism and the feed roller, a constituent of a paper feeding mechanism, is used only a single motor rotatable in both normal and reverse directions. The normal or reverse rotation of the motor is selectively transmitted by a drive gear mechanism to the paper setting mechanism or the paper feeding mechanism, and thereby, it is made possible to selectively drive either the paper setting mechanism or the paper feeding mechanism using only a single motor. Thus, it is made possible to make the apparatus smaller and to reduce the cost of parts.

Abstract: A device for unpiling sheets one at a time from a pile of sheets placed perpendicular to a supporting surface, includes a pressure arm engaging a first face of the pile. A single friction drive roller has an axis perpendicular to the supporting surface, arranged at a predetermined distance from the supporting surface. The second face of the pile is engaged with the roller along a first edge. A low-friction abutment is arranged in the vicinity of the roller, separated from the supporting surface by the roller and has a surface parallel to the roller axis and offset relative to the roller. A pad is disposed substantially perpendicular to the supporting surface and is movable towards the abutment along a second edge located downstream of the first edge.

Abstract: A sheet feeder of the present invention allows a sheet feed cassette having a small capacity and a sheet feed cassette having a large capacity to be installed to a sheet feed unit by making not only members for connection between each sheet feed cassette and the sheet feed unit but also their positional relationship in common.

Abstract: Image forming apparatus including sheet feeding apparatus, sheet conveying apparatus, sheet delivering apparatus, structure for supporting the sheet conveying apparatus and sheet delivering apparatus and having an opening side, sheet storing apparatus, and structure for guiding the sheet storing apparatus such that the sheet forming apparatus is detachable from the sheet feeding apparatus at the same opening side.