Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Tamami Nagasawa

Kozo Takahashi

Takahiro Fukunaga

Masayuki Ida

A copying machine has a top wall with a slit which remains covered during a copying operation by a board for carrying an original to be copied. When the machine is not in use, the board can be moved so as to expose the slit. The slit is elongated transversely to the direction of motion of the board and a passage is provided under the top wall and through a reflector member such that a tubular cleaner member can be not only inserted through the slit to reach an internal component such as the charger wire which requires cleaning but also moved transversely along the slit. Thus, the internal component can be cleaned without removing the top wall.

Copying machine having top wall with slit for cleaning access

A stack of sheets contained in a containing member is loosened at the downstream edges in the feeding direction by air injected from an air injecting device, and fed one by one seriatim from the sheet on top in a predetermined feeding direction by a vacuum suction feeder disposed above the containing member. At this time, an upwardly directed impact is applied to the downstream edges in the feeding direction of the sheets from an impact generating device, thereby improving looseness of the downstream edge faces in the feeding direction by the air. The sheet fed from the containing member is returned to the bottom of the stack of sheets on the containig member. At this time, a claw formed on a feed roller pushes up the upstream edges in the returning direction of the sheet so as to force the sheet completely into the containing member.

Recirculating sheet feeding apparatus

In a recirculating feeder, for example for a copying machine, a stack of sheets is placed on a placing member. A detection protrusion, which is rotatable about an axis extending along the placing member, contacts the underside of the stack. A spring urges the detection protrusion in an upward direction so that a top sheet of the stack comes in contact with a pressing member. As the top sheet of the stack is fed, sheets are returned to the placing member under the detection protrusion to form another stack of sheets. After the detection protrusion has urged the last sheet of a stack upward and this last sheet is fed, the detection protrusion cooperates with a sensor to indicate the feeding of the stack is completed. Thereafter, the detection protrusion can rotate to come in contact with the underside of another stack of sheets and the operation can be repeated.

Recirculating sheet feeder

A mechanism for reciprocating an original table of a copying apparatus, comprising a driving means for reciprocating the original table, and two clutch means for transmitting a driving force to said moving means, one of which is used when moving said original table forward and the other of which is used when moving said original table backward. The mechanism further comprises: one solenoid which is movably mounted; a change-over means for changing the position of the solenoid from a first position to a second position and vice versa in response to the movement of the original table; and a transfer means for actuating selected one of the clutch means in response to the operation of the solenoid, the selected one corresponding to the position of the solenoid.

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Osaka, Japan

Tamami Nagasawa