Claims
- 1. A paper feeder comprising:
- (a) an opening section having an upper part which is openable when the paper feeder is in a paper feeding state during which paper sheets are picked up and fed;
- (b) a paper feed table disposed below said opening section which can be lifted to the opening section or lowered therefrom while being held horizontal and onto which the paper sheets are loaded from above through the opening section; and
- (c) a pick-up member for picking up the paper sheets stacked on the paper feed table one after another for feeding, starting with a top sheet.
- 2. The paper feeder as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least a part of the pick-up member projects to a position above the paper sheets stacked on the paper feed table, and is retractable therefrom.
- 3. The paper feeder as claimed in claim 2, wherein the retraction of the part of the pick-up member from the position above the paper feed table is done, by allowing the part to pivot upwardly about an axis located on a side of the paper feed table.
- 4. The paper feeder as claimed in claim 2, wherein a paper presence/absence detector has at least a part which projects to a position above the paper sheets stacked on the paper feed table, for detecting the presence/absence of paper sheets stacked on the paper feed table and said part is retractable from said position concomitantly with the retraction of the part of the pick-up member from the position above the paper feed table.
- 5. The paper feeder as claimed in claim 4, wherein the retraction of the part of the paper presence/absence detector from the position above the paper feed table is done by allowing the part of the paper presence/absence detector to pivot about an axis located on the side of the paper feed table, being engaged with the part of the pick-up member which pivots upwardly about the axis.
- 6. The paper feeder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the opening section is provided with an openable cover.
- 7. The paper feeder as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least a part of the pick-up member projects to a position above the paper sheets stacked on the paper feed table, and is retractable therefrom concomitantly with opening of an openable cover provided at the opening section.
- 8. The paper feeder as claimed in claim 7, wherein the retraction of the part of the pick-up member from the position above the paper feed table is done in such a way that a shaft located on a side of the paper feed table and adapted to support at least the part of the pick-up member so as not to rotate forwardly and backwardly is rotated concomitantly with opening of the openable cover so that a link mechanism allows the part of the pick-up member to pivot upwardly about the axis of the shaft.
- 9. The paper feeder as claimed in claim 2 or 7, wherein the part of the pick-up member is a pick-up roller.
- 10. The paper feeder as claimed in claim 7, wherein a paper presence/absence detector has at least a part which projects to a position above the paper sheets stacked on the paper feed table, for detecting the presence/absence of paper sheets stacked on the paper feed table and said part is retractable from said position concomitantly with the retraction of the part of the pick-up member from the position above the paper feed table, the retraction of the part of the pick-up member being concomitant with opening of the openable cover.
- 11. The paper feeder as claimed in claim 10, wherein the retraction of the part of the paper presence/absence detector from the position above the paper feed table is done in such a way that a shaft located on a side of the paper feed table and adapted to support the part of the paper presence/absence detector so as to rotate forwardly and backwardly and the part of the pick-up member so as not to rotate forwardly and backwardly is rotated concomitantly with opening of the openable cover so that a link mechanism allows the part of the pick-up member to pivot upwardly about the axis of the shaft together with the part of the paper presence/absence detector engaged with the upwardly pivoting part of the pick-up member.
- 12. The paper feeder as claimed in claims 4 or 10, wherein the part of the paper presence/absence detector is a paper absence detection lever which pivots downwardly so that its tip portion is fitted into a hole defined at the paper feed table when there is no paper sheet stacked on the paper feed table, and the part of the pick-up member is a pick-up roller.
- 13. A paper feeder, wherein paper sheets stacked on a paper feed table are picked up one after another for feeding, starting with a top sheet, comprising:
- (a) holding means for holding the paper feed table such that the paper feed table can be lifted or lowered being held horizontal;
- (b) feeding level maintaining means for lifting the paper feed table held horizontal by the holding means, for paper feeding, such that the top sheet of the paper sheets stacked on the paper feed table is kept at a predetermined feeding level; and
- (c) loading level maintaining means for lowering the paper feed table held horizontal by the holding means, for loading, such that when there is no paper sheet stacked on the paper feed table, the paper feed table is kept at a predetermined loading level that is lower than the predetermined feeding level; and such that when paper sheets are stacked on the paper feed table, the top sheet of the paper sheets is kept at the loading level, whereby paper sheets to be replenished can be loaded onto the paper feed table at the loading level.
- 14. The paper feeder as claimed in claim 13,
- wherein an opening section is provided, the opening section being openable at the upper part thereof when the paper feeder is in a paper feeding state during which the paper sheets are picked up and fed, and through the opening section, paper sheets are loaded from above; and
- wherein when there is no paper sheet on the paper feed table, paper sheets are loaded onto the paper feed table kept at the predetermined loading level by the loading level maintaining means; and when there are paper sheets stacked on the paper feed table, paper sheets are loaded onto the top sheet of the stacked paper sheets. The top sheet being kept at the predetermined loading level by the loading level maintaining means.
- 15. The paper feeder as claimed in claim 14, wherein the opening section is provided with an openable cover.
- 16. The paper feeder as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 15,
- wherein the holding means has an endless rope at least on each of opposite sides of the paper feed table, each of the endless ropes being extended in figure-of-eight fashion so as to form vertical portions on a plane parallel with an ascending/descending plane of the paper feed table; and
- wherein the paper feed table is suspended in a horizontal condition, being secured to the vertical portions of the respective endless ropes thus extended, whereby the paper feed table is so supported as to be lifted or lowered being held horizontal.
- 17. The paper feeder as claimed in claim 16, wherein the endless ropes are wound around a plurality of pairs of pulleys disposed on the respective sides of the paper feed table in figure-of-eight fashion, the pulleys in each pair being aligned vertically and the pairs being aligned along both of the sides.
- 18. The paper feeder as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 15,
- wherein the feeding level maintaining means comprises (a) belt member extended on a side of the paper feed table in the ascending/descending directions thereof and including an engaging member which is brought into engagement with the underside of the paper feed table and
- (b) a driving mechanism for driving the belt member in the ascending/descending directions of the paper feed table; and
- wherein for paper feeding, the driving mechanism actuates the belt member, with the engaging member of the belt member being engaged with the underside of the paper feed table in order to lift the paper feed table such that the top sheet of the paper sheets stacked thereon is maintained at the predetermined feeding level.
- 19. The paper feeder as claimed in claim 18, wherein the belt member is an endless rubber belt which is wound around a pair of pulleys, the pulleys being vertically aligned on the side of the paper feed table.
- 20. The paper feeder as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 15,
- wherein the loading level maintaining means comprises an elastic member for imparting an elastic tension force in the ascending direction of the paper feed table; and
- wherein for loading, the paper feed table is lowered against the elastic tension force of the elastic member as paper sheets are loaded, such that when there is no paper sheet on the paper feed table, the paper feed table is kept at the predetermined loading level and such that when there are paper sheets stacked on the paper feed table, the top sheet of the paper sheets is kept at the predetermined loading level.
- 21. The paper feeder as claimed in claim 20, wherein the elastic member is a tension coil spring.
- 22. The paper feeder as claimed in any one of claims 6, 7 or 15, wherein the openable cover is a two-foldable cover.
- 23. The paper feeder as claimed in claim 22,
- wherein the two-foldable cover is composed of a first half cover and a second half cover which are engaged with each other at their first sides so as to pivot about an axis extending along the first sides; and
- wherein the second half cover is engaged with the main body of the paper feeder at a second side thereof which is opposite to the first side, such that the second side can pivot about an axis extending along the second side.
- 24. The paper feeder as claimed in claim 23, wherein the two-foldable cover is designed such that for opening the two-foldable cover, the first half cover is raised and then moved towards the second half cover in such a manner that a second side of the first half cover opposite to the first side slides on an end face of the main body of the paper feeder so that the rear face of the first half cover comes to face to the rear face of the second half cover.
- 25. The paper feeder as claimed in claim 23, wherein the two-foldable cover is designed such that when the two-foldable cover is in its opening state, the second half cover stands substantially upright being prevented from pivoting in the cover-opening direction in relation to the main body of the paper feeder, whilst the first half cover inclines in the cover-opening direction and leans against the second half cover being supported at the first side thereof so that the opening state can be maintained.
- 26. The paper feeder as claimed in claim 23 wherein the first and second half covers have the same configuration and are disposed symmetrically, being pivotally engaged with each other.
Priority Claims (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
5-007028 |
Jan 1993 |
JPX |
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5-066984 |
Mar 1993 |
JPX |
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This patent application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. Ser. No. 08/011,727 filed on Feb. 1, 1993, and now U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,901.
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JPX |
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JPX |
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Entry |
Patent Abstracts of Japan, Publciation No. JP 2043133, Date: 13 Feb. 1990 Title: Large Volume Paper Feeding Device. |
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Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
11727 |
Feb 1993 |
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