Abstract A power transmitting and zero position restoring device for use with a copy sheet feeding apparatus including a magazine with a displaceable bottom plate on which copy sheets are stacked; a rack and pinion arrangement for elevating the bottom plate so that the top sheet of the stack is brought into contact with and removed by a feed roller; an output shaft for operating the elevating pinions; a spring clutch system for communicating a power drive with the output shaft; and a gear system between the spring clutch system and the output shaft for maintaining the bottom plate in the elevated position, when the spring clutch system is disengaged in response to the copy sheet contact with the feed roller, by preventing reverse rotation of the output shaft for a predetermined period. The spring clutch system comprises an annular drive member and juxtaposed driven member, bearingly mounted on the output shaft; a coil spring wound on the outer peripheral surface of the drive and driven members; a control sleeve disposed outwardly of the coil spring; and a ratchet wheel on the control sleeve adapted to be engaged by a pawl member. The clutch system is engaged and disengaged by the respective disengagement and engagement of the ratchet wheel with a pawl connected to the feed roller. The gear system comprises a planetary gear, which interacts with a gear on the driven member and a gear on the output shaft, and a rotatable member on which the planetary gear is mounted. When the rotatable means is fixed, by the engagement of a pawl member with teeth on its outer periphery, driving power is transmitted through the planetary gear from the driven member to the output shaft. Upon disengagement of the clutch by the engagement of the pawl with the ratchet wheel in response to the contact of the feed roller with the copy sheet stack, power transmission ceases and the output shaft is urged to reverse rotation by the weight of the bottom plate and copy cheet stack acting through the rack and pinion arrangement. Reverse rotation of the output shaft is prevented until engagement of the pawl member with the teeth on the rotatable member is released, whereupon rotation of the rotatable member permits the planetary gear to ride over the driven member and output shaft gearing, so that reverse rotation of the output shaft occurs, returning the bottom plate to its initial or zero position in the magazine. Appropriate circuitry is provided with suitable switching which actuates the release of a clutch locking pawl for clutch actuation upon the pushing of an operation button, and which actuates pawl release and rotatable member operation in response to the removal of the top sheet from the copy sheet stack. The clutch disengagement pawl is released upon the reverse rotation of the output shaft and the clutch locking pawl is brought into engagement with the ratchet wheel by coacting with the rotatable member pawl release.
Inventors
👤 N Yanagawa
Bibliographic Details
Application Number—
JurisdictionUS
Data Sourcegoogle_patents
Last Synchronized2026-11-02 11:09
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65H; B65H1/00; B65H1/08; B65H1/14
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
161 words
A copy sheet feed apparatus for use in copying machines comprising: a. a copy sheet magazine having a displacable bottom plate therein on which copy sheets are stacked; b. means for removing the top sheet from the copy sheet stack; c. means for raising said bottom plate within said magazine to feed the top sheet of the stack to the removing means; d. a source of driving power; e. clutch means for connecting said driving power source to said raising means; f. means for actuating said clutch means; g. means for deactivating said clutch means in response to the engagement of the removing means with the top copy sheet; h. means for maintaining the bottom plate in the raised position upon deactivation of the clutch means; and i. means for releasing the bottom plate maintaining means in response to the removal of a copy sheet from the stack to permit the bottom plate to return to the bottom of the magazine.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
161 words
A copy sheet feed apparatus for use in copying machines comprising: a. a copy sheet magazine having a displacable bottom plate therein on which copy sheets are stacked; b. means for removing the top sheet from the copy sheet stack; c. means for raising said bottom plate within said magazine to feed the top sheet of the stack to the removing means; d. a source of driving power; e. clutch means for connecting said driving power source to said raising means; f. means for actuating said clutch means; g. means for deactivating said clutch means in response to the engagement of the removing means with the top copy sheet; h. means for maintaining the bottom plate in the raised position upon deactivation of the clutch means; and i. means for releasing the bottom plate maintaining means in response to the removal of a copy sheet from the stack to permit the bottom plate to return to the bottom of the magazine.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
80 words
Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said clutch means comprises: j. driven means having first gear means thereon; k. engaging means for operatively coupling said source of driving power and said driven means to supply driving power to said driven means; l. second gear means on said raising means; and m. third gear means for coupling said first and second gear means to transmit driving power to said raising means from said driven means when said engaging means is engaged.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
99 words
Apparatus as in claim 2 wherEin said third gear means comprises: n. a planetary gear having: i. a first set of teeth engaging said first gear means; and ii. a second set of teeth engaging said second gear means; and wherein said means for maintaining the bottom plate in the raised position comprises: o. a rotatable member on which said third gear is mounted for transmitting the driving force between said first and second gear means when said bottom plate maintaining means is fixed and for riding over said first and second gear means when said rotatable member rotates.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
83 words
Apparatus as in claim 2, wherein said releasing means comprises: p. a solenoid having an operator reciprocable between two positions; q. pivoting means connected to said operator; and r. a first pawl on said pivoting means for locking said clutch means when said operator is in one of the two positions; and wherein said bottom plate maintaining means comprises: s. a second pawl on said pivoting means for engaging said rotatable member when said operator is in the other of the two positions.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
81 words
Apparatus as in claim 4 wherein said source of driving power and said driven means comprise matching sleeve-like portions and wherein said engaging means comprises: t. a coil spring wound on the outer peripheral surface of said sleeve-like portions; and u. a control sleeve disposed outwardly of said coil spring having a ratchet wheel provided on its outer-peripheral surface with teeth adapted to be engaged by at least one of said pawls whereby said control means can be engaged and disengaged.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
45 words
Apparatus as in claim 5 wherein said clutch deactivating means comprises: a third pawl which engages the teeth of said ratchet wheel, said third pawl being normally maintained in engagement with the ratchet wheel and being released from engagement therewith for engaging said clutch means.