Device for indicating the size of copy sheets and the coverage of copying

Claim 2

A copying machine, comprising feed tray means for releasably receiving a copy sheet cassette containing a plurality of copy sheets, the size of said plurality of copy sheets being one of a plurality of selected different sizes; a transparent plate for supporting an original for copying; a plurality of indicator lamps arranged along one edge of said plate and visible from outside the machine, each lamp being spaced a predetermined distance from one end of said plate perpendicular to said edge, said predetermined distance corresponding to the maximum extremity of the coverage of copying and corresponding to copy sheets of a selected one of said plurality of different sizes contained in said cassette received by said tray means; switch means for detecting the size of the last recited sheets; and electrical circuit means for turning on one of said plurality of inDicator lamps in response to the detection of size by said switch means.

Claim 3

A copying machine according to claim 1 further comprising means adapted to feed a copy sheet from a cassette received by said feed tray means to a predetermined intermediate position in contact with said switch means, said switch means being actuated by the sheet in said intermediate position to energize said circuit means to turn on one of said indicator lamps.

Claim 4

Apparatus for indicating the presence of and length of copy sheets in a copying machine, comprising: a. feed tray means pivotably supported at its lower end for movement between a cassette mounting position and a copy sheet feed position; b. a copy sheet cassette of fixed length closed on all sides and open at one end only for containing a plurality of copy sheets, the length of the cassette being one of a plurality of selected different cassette lengths, the length of the copy sheets contained therein corresponding to the cassette length and the copy sheets extending outwardly at their leading edge from said open end of the cassette, said feed tray means releasably receiving the cassette when in its cassette mounting position; c. a guide plate positioned adjacent said open end of a cassette when said feed tray means is in its copy sheet feed position; d. means positioned adjacent said guide plate and adjacent said open end of the cassette when said feed tray means is in its copy sheet feed position for feeding the copy sheets from the cassette onto said guide plate; e. first switch means mounted adjacent said guide plate and adapted to be actuated by a copy sheet after it is fed by said feeding means from the cassette onto said guide plate; f. first signal means associated with said first switch means by an electrical circuit and responsive to the actuation of said first switch means by a copy sheet to indicate the presence of at least one copy sheet and thereby to indicate the presence of a cassette of the shortest of the selected lengths upon said feed tray means; g. second switch means mounted adjacent said feed tray means in a position such that it is adapted to be actuated by a cassette of a selected length longer than the shortest of the selected lengths as the cassette is positioned upon said feed tray means and not to be actuated by a cassette of the shortest of the selected lengths; and h. second signal means associated with said second switch means by an electrical circuit and responsive to the actuation of said second switch means to indicate the presence of a cassette of a length longer than the shortest of the selected lengths, whereby said first and second signal means differentiate between cassettes and copy sheets contained therein of two different selected lengths available to be used for copying.

Claim 5

Apparatus for indicating the presence of and length of copy sheets in a copying machine, comprising: a. feed tray means pivotably supported at its lower end for movement between a cassette mounting position and a copy sheet feed position; b. a copy sheet cassette of fixed length closed on all sides and open at one end only for containing a plurality of copy sheets, the length of the cassette being one of a plurality of selected different cassette lengths, the length of the copy sheets contained therein corresponding to the cassette length and the copy sheets extending outwardly at their leading edge from said open end of the cassette, said feed tray means releasably receiving the cassette when in its cassette mounting position; c. a guide plate positioned adjacent said open end of a cassette when said feed tray means is in its copy sheet feed position; d. means positioned adjacent said guide plate and adjacent said open end of the cassette when said feed tray means is in its copy sheet feed position for feeding the copy sheets from the cassette onto said guide plate; e. first switch means mounted adjacent said guide plate and adapted to be actuated by a copy sheet after it is fed by said feeding means from the cassette onto said guide plate; f. first signal means associated with said first switch means by an electrical circuit and responsive to the actuation of said first switch means by a copy sheet to indicate the presence of at least one copy sheet and thereby to indicate the presence of a cassette of the shortest of the selected lengths upon said feed tray means; g. second switch means mounted adjacent said feed tray means in a position such that it is adapted to be actuated by a cassette of a selected length longer than the shortest of the selected lengths as the cassette is positioned upon said feed tray means and not to be actuated by a cassette of the shortest of the selected lengths; and h. second signal means associated with said second switch means by an electrical circuit and responsive to the actuation of said second switch means to indicate the presence of a cassette of a length longer than the shortest of the selected lengths, whereby said first and second signal means differentiate between cassettes and copy sheets contained therein of two different selected lengths available to be used for copying.

Claim 6

Apparatus according to claim 3 further comprising: i. third switch means mounted adjacent said feed tray means and spaced longitudinally of said feed tray means a defined distance from said second switch means, said third switch means being positioned such that it is adapted to be actuated by a cassette of a selected length longer than the shortest of the selected lengths and longer than the second-mentioned length as the cassette is positioned on said feed tray means and not to be actuated by a cassette of the shortest or the second-mentioned of the selected lengths; and j. third signal means associated with said third switch means by an electrical circuit and responsive to the actuation of said third switch means to indicate the presence of a cassette of a length longer than the shortest or the second-mentioned of the selected lengths whereby said first, second and third signal means differentiate between cassettes and copy sheets contained therein of three different selected lengths available to be used for copying.