Mita Industrial Co., Ltd.

Kiyotaka Arai

Masahiro Murakami

Masahiko Nakao

Tooru Himeji

In a sheet conveying unit, two conveying sections turn linked and spaced apart such that sheet jams arising in the course of conveyance through the conveying sections can be easily cleared single-handedly. Wherein the sheet-conveying unit functions to turn over, convey and store sheets in a dual-sided copying section inside a copying machine main body (1), it may include a main frame (30) that is withdrawable frontward from the copying machine main body (1); an intermediate tray (31) storing the reversed sheets; a lower conveyor (32); an upper conveyor (33); and a linkage (34). The upper and lower conveyors (33, 32) have upper and lower conveying guides (50, 45) and upper and lower conveying rollers (51, 46), respectively, and both conveyors are open/closable on the main frame (30) disposed above the intermediate tray (31). One end of the linkage (34) is pivotably fit in the upper conveying guide (50), and the other end is engaged in the lower conveying guide (45) so that both conveying guides (45, 50) turn linked and spaced apart at predetermined intervals and lock at the predetermined intervals.

Sheet conveyor single-handed parting engagement mechanism

A sheet feeding roller holding mechanism includes a sheet feeding roller which is detachably mounted on one end of a sheet feeding shaft. A body frame holds the other end of the sheet feeding shaft. The sheet feeding shaft is supported by a supporting member at the end of the shaft proximate the body frame, and a plate part is mounted to the body frame to support the supporting member. The body frame further supports a vibration preventive member. A part of the vibration preventive member abuts on a predetermined portion of the plate part, the supporting member or the sheet feeding shaft in a manner so as to prevent deformation. The vibration preventive part may include an elastic member. This roller holding mechanism may be used in an image forming apparatus.

Sheet feeding roller holding mechanism

A sheet feeding mechanism for feeding sheets is described including an advance preventive member which is abuttable on the sheet feeding roller by a spring. The advance preventive member functions to prevent multiple feeding of sheets. The sheet feeding cassette has a first sheet advance preventive part which acts on a second sheet advance preventive part on the advance preventive member when the sheet feeding cassette is moved toward or away from the sheet feeding roller, to thereby separate the advance preventive member from the sheet feeding roller against the urging force of a spring. Specific designs of the first and second sheet advance preventive parts may be included to vibrate and rotate a roller of the advance preventive member.

Sheet feeding mechanism for feeding sheets and sheet guiding equipment

A paper cassette is provided having on its bottom surface cassette rails and contact portions. The cassette rails are located in front of the contact portions by a predetermined distance. When the paper cassette is withdrawn, the cassette rails separate away from corresponding rollers before the contact portions come in contact with corresponding stoppers, after which the paper cassette remains supported only by support rails at the contact portions.

Device for supporting a paper cassette

A sheet feeding apparatus provided with an urging device to urge the lift shaft, the lift gear or the lift plate in a direction opposite the insertion direction of the sheet feeding cassette, so as to disengage the lift shaft from the lift shaft drive. Insertion of the sheet feeding cassette pushes the lift shaft, lift gear or lift plate against the urging device, thereby engaging the lift shaft with the lift shaft drive. Alternately, rather than employing the urging device, the sheet feeding cassette may pull the lift shaft out of engagement with the lift drive by pulling the lifted lift plate in direction opposite the insertion direction of the sheet feeding cassette.

Sheet feeding equipment

A paper feeding device includes a cassette-receiving section defined in a housing of an apparatus to which the paper feeding device is applied, and a cassette adapted to be detachably loaded into the cassette-receiving section. According to a first aspect, at least one of the cassette or the housing has an inclined portion for conducting the cassette to a cassette-loading opening along a table. According to a second aspect, the under surface of the cassette-receiving section is defined by a first guiding portion extending from the lower edge of the opening for loading, an inclined guiding portion extending in an upwardly inclined manner from the first guiding portion and a second guiding portion extending from the inclined guiding portion. According to a third aspect, the cassette-receiving section has provided therein a first guiding portion extending from the lower edge of the opening for loading, a second guiding portion disposed above the first guiding portion and an inclined guiding portion for conducting projecting guide portions provided on opposite side walls of the cassette to the second guiding portion.

Paper feeding device

A paper feed unit for image forming apparatuses comprising a paper feed roller assembly having a paper feed shaft rotatably supported in the body of the image forming apparatus and a paper feed section slidably mounted on the paper feed shaft for removal therefrom and fixed to the paper feed shaft for integral rotation therewith, the rotation of said paper feed section causing a roller of said paper feed roller assembly to rotationally contact the paper, thereby feeding the paper; and a paper detection switch so fixed to a given mounting portion adjacent to the paper feed section as to detect the presence of the paper to be fed by the paper feed roller assembly and mounted in such a way as to slide following a slide in the paper feed section when unfixed from the mounting portion.

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Osaka, Japan

Kiyotaka Arai