Tohoku Ricoh Co., Ltd.

Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Kenji Endo

Mitsuo Sato

Toshiharu Hasegawa

Masayuki Shima

Yoshiharu Kanno

Hidetoshi Aizawa

Kiyohiko Yakuwa

Naoki Ashikaya

A sheet feeding device for an image forming apparatus includes a plurality of separator pads each having a particular coefficient of friction with respect to sheets for separating the sheets one by one. An automatic switching mechanism automatically replaces the separator pads. The automatic switching mechanism includes a pad pressure switching section, a pad angle switching section, a ball screw with a worm wheel mounted thereon, a ball nut meshing with the ball screw, a worm meshing with the worm wheel for moving a movable member in the widthwise direction of the sheets via the ball screw, a pad motor for causing the worm to rotate, and a sensor responsive to the position of the movable member. The device automatically selects one of the separator pads and an angle thereof in order to set up optimal sheet feed conditions matching with environmental conditions including temperature and humidity.

Sheet feeding device for an image forming apparatus

A sheet feeding apparatus for image processing systems such as a stencil duplicating machine or a copying machine comprises a sheet feeding time sensor, and a control unit. The control unit compares a sheet feeding time detected by the sheet feeding time sensor with a predetermined reference sheet feeding time, and controls a revolution speed of a sheet feeding roller during or after a sheet feeding operation.

Sheet feeder with dynamic speed control

A printer for printing an image on a paper paid out by a pick-up roller and separated from the other papers by a separating device includes a kind-of-paper setting device for allowing the operator of the printer to select and input the kind of papers to be used. A controller automatically selects, among transport conditions stored beforehand in correspondence to the kinds of papers, optimal transport conditions matching with the kind of papers input by the operator in response to a signal received from the kind-of-paper setting device. The operator should only select and input the kind of papers while watching an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) provided on an operation panel. The printer obviates troubles relating to the transport of papers.

Printer

A paper feeder for feeding papers to an image forming apparatus and a paper tray elevation device therefore are disclosed. A first tray is movable up and down with a plurality of papers stacked thereon. A paper feed member feeds the papers from the first tray in a preselected direction of paper feed. A second tray is positioned beside the first tray in substantially the horizontal direction and movable up and down with a plurality of papers stacked thereon. A shifting device shifts the entire paper stack from the second tray to the first tray. A horizontal elevating mechanism elevates the first tray while maintaining it in substantially the horizontal position. An interlocking mechanism at least elevates, when papers of greater in size than the papers to be stacked on the first or second tray are stacked over the first and second trays in a single stack, the second tray in interlocked relation to the elevation of the first tray while maintaining the second tray in substantially the horizontal position. The papers of greater size are capable of being stacked over the first and second trays and fed by the paper feed member.

Paper feeder and paper tray elevation device therefor

A sheet feeding apparatus for image producing systems such a stencil duplicating machine, a printer, and a copying machine. The sheet feeding apparatus comprises a sheet feed roller, a sheet feeding pressure regulator, a pair of register rollers, a sheet feeding time detector, and a control unit. The control unit compares a sheet feeding time detected by the sheet feeding time detector with a predetermined reference sheet feeding time, and controls a sheet feeding pressure on the basis of a compared result during a sheet feeding operation.

Sheet feeding apparatus

A sheet feed device for feeding a sheet to a printer or similar image recorder which records an image on the sheet. A table is disposed below and operatively connected to the image recorder. A plurality of trays are received in the table, and each is loaded with a stack of sheets. The trays each has a base disposed in the tray and an elevation plate elevatably mounted on the base. A sheet feed mechanism feeds the sheets from a desired one of the trays to the image recorder. A drive mechanism is associated with each of the trays for moving the base in a predetermined direction over a predetermined distance within the tray. When the sheet is deviated in position from an image to be recorded, the device automatically corrects the deviation within a short period of time.

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Shibata-gun, Japan

Kenji Endo