Copier and sheet stripping finger therefor

Claim 2

A copier including a drum rotatable in one direction about an axis and having a peripheral surface and means for carrying a copy sheet on said peripheral surface; means defining a forwarding path for copy sheets from said drum; stripping finger means positioned adjacent said drum; stripping tip means of said stripping finger means positioned in contact with said drum; means biasing said stripping tip means against said peripheral surface of the drum; wheel means; shaft means carried by said stripping finger means and mounting said wheel means for rotation about an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of said drum and located immediately downstream of said stripping tip means in the direction of the sheet movement along said forwarding path; said drum and said wheel means sharing a common tangential plane from which any point on the drum surface moves during its approach to said stripping tip means, and to one side of which the drum and wheel means both lie, said stripping finger means being shaped and positioned to lie entirely to said one side of said common tangential plane, the stripping tip means being spaced from said tangential plane.

Claim 3

A copier as set forth in claim 1, wherein said stripping finger means and said wheel means consist of two stripping fingers and two wheels respectively, the stripping fingers being spaced in a direction parallel to said drum axis, and each wheel being located adjacent a respective one of said stripping fingers.

Claim 4

A copier as set forth in claim 1, wherein said wheel means have contoured circumferential surface means of undulating form.

Claim 5

A copier as set forth in claim 1, wherein the stripping finger means have means defining a concavely undercut lower surface.

Claim 6

A copier as set forth in claim 1, and including means mounting the stripping finger means for pivoting about an axis subStantially parallel to the axis of the drum; and wherein said stripping tip biasing means comprise means for gravity biasing said finger means for pivoting movement about said axis.

Claim 7

A copier as set forth in claim 1, wherein said biasing means exert a biasing force on said tip means of the order of 1 gram.

Claim 8

A copier as set forth in claim 1, wherein said stripping tip means includes planar surface means extending in a plane parallel to said drum axis, and an edge to said planar surface means said edge being blunt when viewed along a direction perpendicular to said plane.

Claim 9

A copier including a drum rotatable in one direction about an axis and having a peripheral surface and means for carrying a copy sheet on said peripheral surface; means defining a forwarding path for copy sheets on said drum; stripping finger means positioned adjacent said drum; stripping tip means of said stripping finger means positioned in contact with said drum; means biasing said stripping tip means against said peripheral surface of the drum; wheel means; radially outer edges for said wheel means, the wheel means having an axial cross-section which tapers towards said outer edges; and means mounting said wheel means for rotation about an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of said drum and located immediately downstream of said stripping tip means in the direction of copy sheet movement along said forwarding path; said drum and said wheel means sharing a common tangential plane from which any point from the drum surface moves during its approach to said stripping tip means, and to one side of which the drum and wheel means both lie, said stripping finger means being shaped and positioned to lie entirely to one side of said common tangential plane, and the stripping tip means being spaced from said tangential plane.

Claim 10

A copier including a drum rotatable in one direction about an axis and having a peripheral surface and means for carrying a copy sheet on said peripheral surface; means defining a forwarding path for copy sheets on said drum; stripping finger means positioned adjacent said drum; stripping tip means of said stripping finger means positioned in contact with said drum; means biasing said stripping tip means against said peripheral surface of the drum; wheel means; radially outer edges for said wheel means, the wheel means having an axial cross-section which tapers towards said outer edges; and means mounting said wheel means for rotation about an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of said drum and located immediately downstream of said stripping tip means in the direction of copy sheet movement along said forwarding path; said drum and said wheel means sharing a common tangential plane from which any point from the drum surface moves during its approach to said stripping tip means, and to one side of which the drum and wheel means both lie, said stripping finger means being shaped and positioned to lie entirely to one side of said common tangential plane, and the stripping tip means being spaced from said tangential plane.

Claim 11

A copier including a drum rotatable in one direction about a horizontal axis and having a peripheral surface and means for carrying a copy sheet on said peripheral surface; means defining a forwarding path for copy sheets from said drum; stripping finger means positioned adjacent said drum below a horizontal plane including said axis; stripping tip means of said stripping finger means positioned in contact with said drum; means defining a longitudinally extending rib projecting downwardly from said finger means and tapering towards said stripping tip means; means biasing said stripping tip means against said peripheral surface of the drum; wheel means; and means mounting said wheel means for rotation about an axis parallel to said axis of rotation of said drum and located immediately downstream of said stripping tip means in the direction of copy sheet movement along said forwarding path; said drum and said wheel means sharing a common tangential plane from which any point from the drum surface moves during its approach to said stripping tip means, said drum and wheel means both lying to one side of said tangential plane; said stripping finger means being shaped and positioned to lie entirely to one side of said common tangential plane, and the stripping tip means being spaced from said tangential plane.

Claim 12

A copier including a drum rotatable in one direction about a horizontal axis and having a peripheral surface and means for carrying a copy sheet on said peripheral surface; means defining a forwarding path for copy sheets from said drum; stripping finger means positioned adjacent said drum below a horizontal plane including said axis; stripping tip means of said stripping finger means positioned in contact with said drum; means defining a longitudinally extending rib projecting downwardly from said finger means and tapering towards said stripping tip means; means biasing said stripping tip means against said peripheral surface of the drum; wheel means; and means mounting said wheel means for rotation about an axis parallel to said axis of rotation of said drum and located immediately downstream of said stripping tip means in the direction of copy sheet movement along said forwarding path; said drum and said wheel means sharing a common tangential plane from which any point from the drum surface moves during its approach to said stripping tip means, said drum and wheel means both lying to one side of said tangential plane; said stripping finger means being shaped and positioned to lie entirely to one side of said common tangential plane, and the stripping tip means being spaced from said tangential plane.

Claim 13

A copier as set forth in claim 9, wherein said wheel means have contoured circumferential surface means of undulating form.

Claim 14

A copier as set forth in claim 9, wherein the stripping finger means have means defining a concavely undercut lower surface.

Claim 15

A copier as set forth in claim 9, and including means mounting the stripping finger means for pivoting about an axis substantially parallel to the axis of the drum; and wherein said stripping tip biasing means comprise means for gravity biasing said finger means for pivoting movement about said axis.

Claim 16

A copier as set forth in claim 9, wherein said stripping tip means includes upwardly facing planar surface means extending in a plane parallel to said drum axis; and an edge to said planar surface means, said edge being blunt when viewed in a direction perpendicular to said Plane and said downwardly projecting rib being shaped to taper towards and to terminate at said edge.