Adjustable paper jam responsive device for an electrostatic copier

Claim 1

An electrostatic copier including means for forming a developed image on a sheet of paper, an enclosure within which the developed image is heatable for bonding to the sheet of paper, electrically energizable means for heating the developed image, a source of supply of electrical power from which the heating means is energizable, means for moving the sheet of paper in a predetermined path of travel within the enclosure, and means for disabling energization of the heating means in response to the sheet of paper becoming jammed within the enclosure, said disabling means comprising: a. switching means for electrically connecting the heating means to the source and disconnecting the heating means therefrom; b. a grating disposed to obstruct the passage of the sheet of paper out of said predetermined path of travel, the grating pivotally attached to tHe enclosure for movement in and out of contact with the switching means to respectively connect the heating means to the source and disconnect the heating means from the source, the grating being normally held in contact with the switching means by gravity and being movable out of contact with the switching means by the sheet of paper, and c. an adjustable weight attached to the grating for balancing the weight of the grating about the pivot axis of the grating, and said adjustable weight adapted to be sufficiently adjustable to permit adjustment thereof for pivoting the grating both into and out of contact with the switching means to facilitate adjusting the weight of the grating on the switching means to a predetermined level ensuring pivotal movement of the grating by the sheet of paper in the event that the paper moves out of said predetermined path of travel and into contact with the grating.