Article dispensing – Plural sources – stacks or compartments – With discharge means for each source
Reexamination Certificate
1997-12-29
2001-01-09
Ellis, Christopher P. (Department: 3651)
Article dispensing
Plural sources, stacks or compartments
With discharge means for each source
C271S171000, C271S167000, C271S121000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06170701
ABSTRACT:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY
This application makes reference to, incorporates the same herein, and claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C. § 119 from an application for Paper Feeding Device earlier filed in the Korean Industrial Property Office on Dec. 27, 1996 and there duly assigned Serial No. 59059/1996
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a paper feeding device, and particularly to an improved paper feeding device capable of improving the image quality of a last sheet when printing a plurality of envelopes or postcards each having a size smaller than the standard size, i.e., A4 size, by means of a printing unit such as an image forming device.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
Office automation facilities include a receiving part which is called as a knockup plate or pack holder on which a plurality of documents or printable media are loaded so that the document and printable media can be fed to perform the scanning operation of the document or to print on the printable media; and a paper feeding device has a pickup device for feeding the document or the printable media loaded in the receiving part by one by one.
It is often necessary to load unusually small print media, such as envelopes and postcards for feeding into a machine one by one. Such small print media may require the use of only one feeding roller instead of two, to feed a sheet of print media into a machine. In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,434 for a Removable Dual Bin Envelope Feed Tray For An Image Reproduction Machine to Sellers, U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,283 for a Sheet Feeding Apparatus Having Sheet Separating Means With Adjustable Feeding Force to Yanagi et al, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,480,247 for a Sheet Supplying Apparatus to Saujawa et al each disclose paper feeding apparatus' that can accommodate the insertion of envelopes or postcards. I have not seen a paper feeding device that insures that the last envelope or postcard in a stack can be fed successfully into a machine. I have also not seen the use of a sliding plate on a paper feeding device for accommodating envelopes and postcards to successfully feed every last one envelope or postcard without noise or misfeeding.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a paper feeding device capable of preventing a noise or a misfeeding, which prevents one friction pad from being contacted to its corresponding pickup device which are necessary for printing standard papers, even if the last sheet of envelopes or postcards is printed by the other friction pad.
It is also an object to provide a pack holder with a sliding plate that can be utilized whenever envelopes or postcards are to be printed on, the sliding plate being slid to cover one of the pair of friction pads thus allowing a third friction pad on the sliding plate to protrude further from the base of the pack holder than the other friction pad.
It is yet another object of the present invention to enable just one friction pad and one feeding roller to be contacted when feeding postcards and envelopes.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a paper feeding device includes: a first loading unit having a first plate and a pair of first friction pads established on the first plate facing a pair of feeding rollers, and loading a first paper; and a second loading unit having a second plate and a pair of second friction pads established on the second plate, and loading a second paper smaller than the first paper.
In the case that the second paper is supplied, the second loading unit is moved so that the second friction pad can be located at one of the first friction pads. Preferably, between a pair of the first friction pads on the first plate, a receiving groove for receiving the second loading unit is formed. Preferably, at one of side walls of the receiving groove corresponding to a pair of the first friction pads, an oblique section having a predetermined curvature is formed. Preferably, a slot is extended from the receiving groove to a part where the one of a pair of the first friction pads is formed across the oblique section. Preferably, the second plate is received by the receiving groove and the a bolt hole is formed at a part of the second plate corresponding to the slot. After a bolt is inserted through the bolt hole and the slot, the bolt and a nut are locked in the bolt hole. Preferably, at the backside of the second plate, a backside guiding groove having an area larger than the longitudinal section of the first friction pad. Preferably, the first paper is a A4 size paper and the second paper is an envelope or a post card having a size smaller than the A4 size.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a paper feeding device includes: at least two feeding rollers which are formed at a rotation shaft apart from each other; and friction pads which are formed corresponding to the feeding rollers at a knockup plate, wherein, the gap between each friction pad and each feeding roller is equally formed at a first feeding mode, and the gap between each friction pad and each feeding roller varies at a second feeding mode.
Preferably, the second feeding mode is a mode for feeding postcards or envelopes, and the gap between the feeding roller and the friction pad of one end in which the postcards and envelopes are inserted is formed smaller than the gap between the feeding roller and the friction pad of the other end.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4343461 (1982-08-01), Tominori et al.
patent: 4406447 (1983-09-01), Fichte et al.
patent: 4457507 (1984-07-01), Ishikawa et al.
patent: 5069434 (1991-12-01), Sellers
patent: 5333852 (1994-08-01), Milillo et al.
patent: 5348283 (1994-09-01), Yanagi et al.
patent: 5364087 (1994-11-01), Schieck
patent: 5370380 (1994-12-01), Suzuki et al.
patent: 5384631 (1995-01-01), Matsunami
patent: 5480247 (1996-01-01), Saikawa et al.
patent: 5547181 (1996-08-01), Underwood
patent: 5611528 (1997-03-01), Nakamura et al.
patent: 5660384 (1997-08-01), Kovach et al.
patent: 405201557A (1993-08-01), None
Bower Kenneth W
Bushnell , Esq. Robert E.
Ellis Christopher P.
Samsung Electronics Co,. Ltd.
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