Multi-size paper cassette having a sheet size indicator

Abstract

A multi-size paper cassette for a printer, such as an electrophotographic or laser jet printer and having a cassette housing which is adapted to receive a back wall and paper receiving shelf in slidable engagement with housing side walls during paper size adjustment and loading of paper into the cassette. A cammed shaft member having a predefined contoured slot therein is pivotally mounted on one of the upstanding side walls of the cassette housing and has an end face aligned with a plurality of indicia marked openinging in a front wall of the cassette housing. The cammed shaft member is operative to receive a driver pin within its contoured slot, and the driver pin and adjoining paper receiving shelf are driven backward and forward in the cassette during paper size adjustment and paper loading. During this operation, the horiozntal motion of the driver pin in the slot during a paper size setting produces a pivotal rotation of the cammed shaft member and moves the end face thereof vertically to a desired one of the paper size indicia marked openings on the front wall of the cassette. The cassette further includes paper width adjustment member which is mounted in another contoured slot within the paper receiving shelf extending from the movable back wall, and this paper width adjustment member moves perpendicular to the edge of the paper as the shelf slides along the floor of the cassette. In this operation, the adjustment member comes to rest at the correct paper width and corresponding to the correct paper length visual indication on the cassette front wall.