Claims
- 1. A sheet feeding apparatus comprising:
- sheet containing means for accommodating stacked sheets, with the sheets having a predetermined length in their conveying direction;
- sheet feeding means for feeding a sheet in a sheet feeding direction by contacting the stacked sheets in said sheet containing means;
- guide means for guiding the sheet fed by said sheet feeding means, said guide means being shiftable to open a sheet feeding path, a distance between an upstream side end of said guide means with respect to the sheet feeding direction and said sheet feeding means being shorter than the length of the sheet in its conveying direction; and
- spacing means for separating said sheet feeding means from the stacked sheets in response to the shifting of said guide means.
- 2. A sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said sheet feeding means is movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to a sheet feeding direction.
- 3. A sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said sheet feeding means includes a roller having a sheet feeding surface for providing a sheet feeding force by contacting the sheet along its entire surface.
- 4. A sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said guide means includes a guide member rotatably supported for guiding the sheet.
- 5. A sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, further including a support means for shiftably supporting said sheet feeding means.
- 6. A sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said support means includes a supporting member which supports said sheet feeding means at its end and is rockably supported.
- 7. A sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said guide means includes a guide member rotatably supported for guiding the sheet.
- 8. A sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said guide means has an engagement portion engageable with said supporting member to shift the latter when said guide member is rotated.
- 9. A sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, further including a sheet separating means for separating the sheets fed by said sheet feeding means.
- 10. A sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said sheet separating means includes a separating member for contacting the sheet and for separating the sheets by a friction force.
- 11. A sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said sheet separating means includes a first rotary member for feeding the sheet in the same direction as said sheet feeding direction to which the sheet is fed by said sheet feeding means, and a second rotary member for pinching and feeding the sheet in cooperation with said first rotary member and feeding the sheet in a direction opposite to said sheet feeding direction when a plurality of sheets are pinched.
- 12. A sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said sheet containing means is shiftable in the direction orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction.
- 13. A sheet feeding apparatus comprising:
- sheet containing means for accommodating stacked sheets, with the sheets having a predetermined length in their conveying direction;
- sheet feeding means for feeding a sheet in a sheet feeding direction by contacting the stacked sheets in said sheet containing means;
- sheet feeding path for passing the sheet fed by said sheet feeding means therethrough;
- guide means provided shiftably to open said sheet feeding path by shifting thereof, a distance between an upstream side end of said guide means with respect to the sheet feeding direction and said sheet feeding means being shorter than a sheet length in its conveying direction;
- jam detecting means for detecting a jam condition in said sheet feeding path; and
- spacing means for separating said sheet feeding means from the stacked sheets in response to the detection of the jam condition by said jam detecting means.
- 14. A sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said sheet feeding means is movable in a direction transverse to the sheet.
- 15. A sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said sheet feeding means includes a roller which can contact the sheet with its periphery.
- 16. A sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said sheet feeding path includes a guide member for guiding the sheet, said guide member being shiftable to open said sheet feeding path.
- 17. A sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said jam detecting means emits a jam signal when the sheet does not pass through a predetermined zone in said sheet feeding path within a predetermined time period.
- 18. A sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 13, further including a support means for shiftably supporting said sheet feeding means.
- 19. A sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said support means includes a supporting member which supports said sheet feeding means at its end and is rockably supported.
- 20. A sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said spacing means includes an actuator for shifting said sheet feeding means in response to the detection of the jamming condition by means of said jam detecting means.
- 21. An image forming apparatus comprising:
- containing means adapted for accommodating stacked sheets and shiftable from a predetermined position of a body of the image forming apparatus;
- feeding means for feeding a sheet in a sheet feeding direction by contacting the stacked sheets in said containing means;
- image forming means for forming an image on the sheet fed by said feeding means;
- guide means for guiding the sheet along a feeding path from said feeding means to said image forming means:
- a cover provided on the body of the image forming apparatus and movable to open said feeding path, a distance between an upstream side end of said guide means with respect to the sheet feeding direction and said feeding means being shorter than a sheet length in its conveying direction; and
- spacing means for separating said feeding means from the stacked sheets in response to the movement of said cover.
- 22. An image forming apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said containing means is shiftable in a direction perpendicular to a sheet feeding direction to which the sheet is fed by said feeding means.
- 23. An image forming apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said feeding path includes a guide member for guiding the sheet, said guide member being shiftable to open said feeding path.
- 24. An image forming apparatus according to claim 21, said guide member shifts in response to movement of said cover.
- 25. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- sheet accommodating means for accommodating stacked sheets therein, with the sheets having a predetermined length in their conveying direction;
- sheet feeding means for feeding a sheet in a sheet feeding direction by contacting the stacked sheets in said accommodating means;
- guide means for guiding the sheet fed by said sheet feeding means, said guide means being shiftable to open a sheet feeding path, with a distance between an upstream side end of said guide means with respect to the sheet feeding direction and said feeding means being shorter than a length of the sheet in its conveying direction;
- spacing means for spacing said sheet feeding means from the stacked sheet in response to the shifting of said guide means; and
- image forming means for forming images on the sheet guided by said guide means.
- 26. A image forming apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said sheet accommodating means is shiftable between a first position capable of feeding the sheet and a second position incapable of feeding the sheet, and further having means for causing the sheet accommodated in said sheet accommodating means to contact said sheet feeding means after causing said sheet accommodating means to shift from a non-feeding position to a feeding position.
- 27. A sheet feeding apparatus, comprising:
- sheet stacking means for stacking sheets therein;
- sheet feeding means for feeding the sheets in a sheet feeding direction by contacting the sheets stacked in said sheet stack means;
- a sheet feeding path, disposed along a side wall openable to a main body of said sheet feeding apparatus, for introducing the sheet fed out by said sheet feeding means, said sheet feeding path having a guide shiftable to open the sheet feeding path, with said guide being opened in response to opening said side wall, and a distance between an upstream end of said guide and said sheet feeding means being shorter than a length of the sheet in the feeding direction; and
- spacing means for spacing said sheet feeding means from said sheet stacking means in response to shifting of said guide.
- 28. A sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 27, wherein said sheet feeding means has a rotary member which gives a feeding force to the sheet by rotating while contacting the sheet.
- 29. A sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 27, wherein said spacing means has a link mechanism for shifting said guide to said sheet feeding means for spacing said sheet feeding means from the sheet.
- 30. A sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 27, further having support means for rotatably supporting said guide.
- 31. A sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 27, further comprising separating means disposed between said guide and said sheet feeding means for allowing only one sheet at a time to pass from the stack of sheets.
- 32. A sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 31, wherein said separating means has a first rotary member rotating in a first direction to feed the sheet in the sheet feeding direction, and a second rotary member rotating in a second direction opposite to the first direction and contacting the sheet in cooperation with said first rotary member.
- 33. A sheet feeding apparatus, comprising:
- sheet stacking means for stacking sheets therein;
- sheet feeding means for feeding the sheets in a sheet feeding direction by contacting the sheets stacked in said sheet stack means;
- image forming means for forming an image on the sheets;
- a sheet path, disposed along a side wall openable to a main body of said sheet feeding apparatus, for introducing the sheet fed from said sheet feeding means to said image forming means, said sheet feeding path having a guide shiftable to open the sheet path, with said guide being opened in response to opening said side wall, and a distance between an upstream end of said guide and said sheet feeding means being shorter than a length of the sheet in the sheet feeding direction; and
- spacing means for spacing said sheet feeding means from the sheet stacked in said sheet stacking means in response to shifting of said guide.
- 34. A sheet feeding apparatus, comprising:
- sheet containing means for accommodating stacked sheets therein, with the sheets having a predetermined length in their conveying direction;
- sheet feeding means for feeding sheets in a sheet feeding direction by contacting the stacked sheets in said sheet containing means;
- guide means for guiding the sheet fed by said sheet feeding means, said guide means being shiftable to open a sheet feeding path; and
- spacing means for separating said sheet feeding means from the stacked sheets in response to the shifting of said guide means.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
63-205008 |
Aug 1988 |
JPX |
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Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/394,541 filed Aug. 16, 1989, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (8)
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0322818 |
Jul 1989 |
EPX |
0089756 |
Jul 1981 |
JPX |
0179877 |
Oct 1983 |
JPX |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
394541 |
Aug 1989 |
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