Sheet feeding or delivering – Feeding – Multiple supplies
Reexamination Certificate
1997-10-27
2001-08-14
Skaggs, H. Grant (Department: 3651)
Sheet feeding or delivering
Feeding
Multiple supplies
C271S009130
Reexamination Certificate
active
06273414
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a sheet feeding apparatus mounted in an image forming apparatus such as a photocopier, a printer, and the like.
2. Description of Related Art
As an image forming apparatus such as a photocopier, a printer, etc., a mechanism has been proposed in which a sheet feeding means is set in containing multiple sheets to automatically feed the sheets and after a pickup roller takes up the sheets, a feed roller and a retard roller cooperate to convey the sheets one by one to form images. Another known apparatus conveys sheets fed manually one by one to form images, in order for feeding differently sized sheets and special sheets such as thick papers and envelops.
To render such an image forming apparatus smaller, a conveying means for conveying sheets that are fed from a sheet containing means is also made smaller, and thereby, the radius of curvature of a curving portion in a conveying route is made relatively small as to be capable of conveying merely the regular cut sheets that are ordinarily used. With such a conventional art, however, when automatically feeding a special sheet such as a rigid thick sheet or envelop, the apparatus cannot feed the sheet along a sheet guide forming a curving portion due to a small radius of curvature at the curving portion in the conveying route, thereby raising a problem that the apparatus fails to stably feed sheets upon occurrence of paper jams or conveyance defects.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention solves the above problem. It is an object of the invention to provide a sheet feeding apparatus capable of sufficiently feeding rigid sheets such as thick papers and special sheets such as envelops and to provide an image forming apparatus in which this sheet feeding apparatus is mounted.
A representative constitution of the invention to achieve the foregoing object is a sheet feeding apparatus including a plurality of sheet containing means for containing sheets, a plurality of sheet feeding means for feeding respective sheets contained at the sheet containing means, and a plurality of conveying routes for merging respective sheets fed by the respective sheet feeding means into a common conveying route, wherein a radius of curvature of a first curving portion where at least one conveying route among the plural conveying routes merges into the common conveying route is larger than a radius of curvature of a second curving portion where other conveying routes merge into the common conveying route.
The invention, since thus constructed, allows rigid sheets such as thick papers or special sheets such as envelops to pass the first curving portion at which the radius of curvature is relatively large and to be introduced into the common conveying route, thereby being capable of adequately feeding rigid sheets such as thick papers or special sheets such as envelops.
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Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Skaggs H. Grant
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