Sheet feed device

Claim 2

Sheet feed means, for recording apparatus for recording an image on a sheet, the sheet feed means comprising:- a plurality of sheet holding means, disposed one above another, each capable of holding a stack of sheets, and supporting means for supporting each of said plurality of sheet holding means in a predetermined normal position thereof, in a forwardly drawable state; each of said sheet holding means comprising-: an individual sheet feed passage, for passing therethrough a sheet fed from the stack of sheets in the sheet holding means, and a sheet feed sub-passage penetrating through the sheet holding means, from bottom to top; the sheet feed sub-passages being disposed so as to be serially aligned to constitute a common sheet feed passage which is operatively connected with each of the individual sheet feed passages, when the members of said plurality of sheet holding means are set in their normal positions, in the supporting means, the common sheet feed passage allowing the passage therethrough of a sheet fed from any of the individual sheet feed passages.

Claim 3

Sheet feed means as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sheet feed sub-passages are disposed forwardly of the sheet holding means.

Claim 4

Sheet feed means as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein each of said sheet holding means comprises:- a guide plate defining said individual sheet feed passage, arranged for guiding sheets, fed one-by-one from the top of the stack of sheets held in the sheet holding means, to the common sheet feed passage.

Claim 5

Sheet feed means as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein each of the sheet holding means comprises:- a first passage side wall extending from bottom to top of the sheet holding means; a second passage side wall, shorter than the first passage side wall, disposed to face the lower portion of the first passage side wall approximately in parallel therewith, the first and second passage side walls defining the sheet feed sub-passage of the sheet holding means concerned, the sub-passage having an inlet at the bottom, an open-sided portion in the upper part thereof, through which the individual sheet feed passage of the sheet holding means is joined to the sub-passage, and an outlet at the top of the first passage side wall.

Claim 6

Sheet feed means as claimed in claim 4, further comprising:- frame means to which the supporting means is secured; and a plurality of pairs of feed rollers, provided in correspondence to respective sheet holding means, each of the pairs comprising a drive roller and a follower roller, for sheet advancement, and being disposed above the said outlet of the sheet feed sub-­passage of the corresponding sheet holding means, each drive roller being disposed on the frame means and each follower roller being disposed in the corresponding sheet holding means, the drive roller and the follower roller of a pair being disposed so that the two rollers are pressed together when the relevant sheet holding means is in its normal position, whereby a sheet held in a sheet holding means is fed to the roller pair corresponding to that sheet holding means through the sheet feed passage of that sheet holding means, and is then advanced through the sheet feed sub-passage of that sheet holding means by the roller pair towards the outlet opening of the sub-­passage of the uppermost sheet holding means.

Claim 7

Sheet feed means as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein at least one of the said plurality of sheet holding means comprises means for indicating the type of sheets held in the holding means, the indicating means comprising:- a signal actuator unit displaceably disposed on a wall of the sheet holding means concerned; and a sensor secured to a wall of the supporting means, such that the sensor engages with the actuator unit, operable to output an indicating signal, whereby the indicating signal output is alterable, in correspondence to the sheet type of sheets held in the sheet holding means concerned, by displacing the signal actuator unit.

Claim 8

Sheet feed means as claimed in claim 6, wherein the signal actuator unit comprises:- a groove formed in a side wall of the sheet holding means concerned; and a slide cam slidable step-wise along the groove with a step pitch p, having a plurality of projecting portions and a plurality of non-projecting or indented portions, and wherein the sensor comprises:- a plurality of microswitches disposed side by side, each of said microswitches having an actuating button movable in the axial direction thereof, the actuating buttons being positioned in alignment, with pitch p, and the microswitches being capable of outputting a variety of combinations of ON and OFF output signals of individual microswitches.

Claim 9

Sheet feed means as claimed in claim 7, wherein the signal actuator unit comprises a resistor disposed on a side wall of the sheet holding means concerned, displaceable in a given direction, the resistor having a linearly varying resistance in the given direction; and wherein the sensor comprises an electrical resistance measuring instrument having two parallel measuring terminals which contact the resistor, measuring the resistance between the two measuring terminals.

Claim 10

Sheet feed means as claimed in claim 7, comprising signal processing circuitry having:- signal generator means for generating an analog signal based on the combinations of ON and OFF output signals of individual microswitches; an analog/digital converter means, arranged to receive the analog signal generated in the signal generator means, and to convert the analog signal to a digital signal; and identification means for identifying the digital signal.

Claim 11

Sheet feed means for recording apparatus for recording an image on a sheet, the sheet feed means being capable of holding sheets of a plurality of sheet types and selectively feeding said sheets to sheet conveying means, and the sheet feed means comprising:- a housing having a pair of facing side walls; a plurality of pairs of rails disposed along the side walls of the housing, the pairs being arranged one pair above another, spaced one pair from another; a plurality of sheet holding means, each of which is supported, forwardly drawably, by a corresponding pair of rails, stacked one above another and spaced from each other with a small intervening space; and a sheet discharge outlet discharging a fed sheet, the outlet being disposed at an upper portion of the sheet feed means; each of the sheet holding means comprising:- a guide path passing through the sheet holding means from bottom to top, a guide plate for guiding a sheet fed from the stack of sheets in the sheet holding means, guiding the sheet into the guide path; the guide paths in the respective sheet holding means being disposed such that in combination they form a common guide path passing through the stack of sheet holding means, from bottom to top of the stack, extending to the discharge outlet, when all the sheet holding means are set at predetermined positions.

Claim 12

Sheet feed means for recording apparatus for recording an image on a sheet, the sheet feed means being capable of holding sheets of a plurality of sheet types and selectively feeding said sheets to sheet conveying means, and the sheet feed means comprising:- a housing having a pair of facing side walls; a plurality of pairs of rails disposed along the side walls of the housing, the pairs being arranged one pair above another, spaced one pair from another; a plurality of sheet holding means, each of which is supported, forwardly drawably, by a corresponding pair of rails, stacked one above another and spaced from each other with a small intervening space; and a sheet discharge outlet discharging a fed sheet, the outlet being disposed at an upper portion of the sheet feed means; each of the sheet holding means comprising:- a guide path passing through the sheet holding means from bottom to top, a guide plate for guiding a sheet fed from the stack of sheets in the sheet holding means, guiding the sheet into the guide path; the guide paths in the respective sheet holding means being disposed such that in combination they form a common guide path passing through the stack of sheet holding means, from bottom to top of the stack, extending to the discharge outlet, when all the sheet holding means are set at predetermined positions.

Claim 13

Recording apparatus for recording an image on a sheet including sheet holding means for holding a plurality of sheets stacked in alignment in the sheet holding means, the sheet holding means including:- a sheet feed through-passage penetrating the sheet holding means from bottom to top of the sheet holding means, the sheet feed through-passage having an inlet opening at the bottom and an outlet opening at the top of the sheet holding means.

Claim 14

Recording apparatus for recording an image on a sheet including sheet holding means for holding a plurality of sheets stacked in alignment in the sheet holding means, the sheet holding means including:- a sheet feed through-passage penetrating the sheet holding means from bottom to top of the sheet holding means, the sheet feed through-passage having an inlet opening at the bottom and an outlet opening at the top of the sheet holding means.

Claim 15

Recording apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the sheet feed through-passage of the sheet holding means allows passage of the sheet fed from the bottom of the sheet holding means, through the inlet opening of the through-passage.

Claim 16

Recording apparatus as claimed in claim 11 or 12, comprising:- a plurality of further sheet holding means, each having the same structure and dimensions as the sheet holding means of claim 11 or 12; and supporting means for supporting all of the sheet holding means, stacked one above another, with each of the sheet holding means at a predetermined normal position thereof, with the result that the through-passages are aligned with each other operatively forming a common passage penetrating the stack of sheet holding means from bottom to top.

Claim 17

Recording apparatus as claimed in claim 11, 12 or 13, further comprising:- a sheet hopper disposed beneath the or all of the sheet holding means, said sheet hopper having a sheet discharge outlet at the top side thereof, whereby the said discharge outlet of the sheet hopper is disposed facing the inlet opening of the through-passage, such that a sheet held in the sheet hopper is allowed to pass through the through passage.