Sheet feeding or delivering – Feeding – Multiple supplies
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-27
2001-12-04
Skaggs, H. Grant (Department: 3651)
Sheet feeding or delivering
Feeding
Multiple supplies
C271S009110, C271S009120, C271S276000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06325369
ABSTRACT:
Priority is claimed under United Kingdom Application No. 9821216.0 entitled “Sheet Feed Assembly” filed on Sep. 30, 1998 by the same inventor.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a sheet feeding apparatus, particularly for use in printing machines such as copiers and printers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In a typical sheet-fed printing machine, blank sheets are provided in a store and are fed singly from the store to a printing station where an image is transferred onto the paper in a conventional manner. The imaged sheet is then fed to an output station. An example of a typical reprographic printing machine is described in U.S. Pat, No. 5,146,286 which describes a particularly compact architecture in which the functions of copy sheet feeding and stacking are combined into one apparatus. Another example of a reprographic printing machine is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,545.
There is a continuing need to enable images to be reproduced on sheets of different type. In simple reprographic machines this requires that prior to the printing operation, a sheet of the particular type required is loaded into the sheet store for feeding to the copying station. More sophisticated reprographic machines include a number of sheet stores enabling sheets to be drawn from a selected one of those stores depending upon the type of sheet required. In a simple example, the different type of sheet may comprise sheets of different sizes, for example A4 and A3. At present, relatively complex sheet feeding apparatuses are needed to convey sheets from the different stores to the copying/printing station.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a sheet feeding apparatus for delivering sheets from a plurality of sheet stores to a common delivery position comprises (1) a sheet feed member having a plurality of movably mounted receiving surfaces positioned in opposing directions for receiving a sheet and for moving the sheet toward the common delivery position and (2) a plurality of sheet transfer mechanisms for transferring sheets from the sheet stores to the receiving surfaces, each transfer mechanism being positioned to feed a receiving surface.
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Skaggs H. Grant
Xerox Corporation
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