US3698602A - Gravity-fed storage device - Google Patents

Gravity-fed storage device Download PDF

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Publication number
US3698602A
US3698602A US52152A US3698602DA US3698602A US 3698602 A US3698602 A US 3698602A US 52152 A US52152 A US 52152A US 3698602D A US3698602D A US 3698602DA US 3698602 A US3698602 A US 3698602A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
elements
chips
roller
wall
compartment
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US52152A
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English (en)
Inventor
Oliver W Gnage
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Eastman Kodak Co
Original Assignee
Eastman Kodak Co
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Eastman Kodak Co filed Critical Eastman Kodak Co
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3698602A publication Critical patent/US3698602A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
    • G03G15/00—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern
    • G03G15/65—Apparatus which relate to the handling of copy material
    • G03G15/6502—Supplying of sheet copy material; Cassettes therefor

Definitions

  • ABSTRACT A storage device is provided in an electrophotographic apparatus which includes a storage chamber for storing and dispensing photoconductive elements or chips seriatim wherein the chips are fed from an upper receiving end of the storage compartment to a lower dispensing end thereof by gravity and are held in a substantially horizontal position as they travel from the upper chip receiving end to the lower chip dispensing end to reduce jamming.
  • the chips are fed into the storage chamber by a pair of offset pressure rollers which hold the chips substantially horizontal until its forward end extends over a pair of guide rails attached to the side of the storage compartment so that notches in the photoconductive elements engage the rails.
  • the storage compartment takes the form of a parallelepiped having offset upper and lower ends with sloping side walls so that the chips slide downwardly and forwardly on a cushion of air formed between the chips.
  • the lowermost chip is fed from the storage chamber by a pusher mechanism which causes the chips to be moved forwardly off of supporting feet.
  • a spring detent deflects the chip downwardly onto transport rollers which advance the chips through the electrophotographic apparatus.
  • This invention relates to a storage chamber for storing and feeding photoconductive chips in an electrostatic apparatus, and more particularly to a gravity-fed storage chamber.
  • a gravity-fed storage device having a housing forming a storage compartment or chamber with an upper element-receiving end and a lower element-dispensing end and guide means within the housing extending between the upper and lower ends and engageable by guide engaging means on the elements to maintain the elements in a generally horizontal position as they are fed by gravity from the upper end to the lower end of the housing.
  • the housing also includes element retaining means adjacent the lower end for supporting the elements within the housing and to facilitate dispensing of elements seriatim from the storage compartment.
  • a storage compartment in the form of a parallelepiped having offset upper and lower ends is provided with an entrance slot at the upper end through which a photoconductive element or chip is fed by means of axially offset pressure rollers wherein the upper roller is spaced further from the entrance slot than the lower roller so that the chip is held in a generally horizontal position as it is fed into the housing causing the forward end thereof to be held above the guide rails until substantially the entire chip is within the storage chamber.
  • the guide rails and a sloping rear wall of the parallelepiped-shaped storage compartment support the chip in a generally horizontal position so that it floats by gravity downwardly on a cushion of air to the lower end of the storage compartment until it comes to rest at the bottom or upon other chips in the storage chamber.
  • each guide rail is provided with forwardly extending foot and a foot or lip is provided at the lower edge of the sloping rear wall to support the lowermost chip in a chip dispensing position.
  • the chip is dispensed by means of a pusher mechanism which pushes the chips forwardly off of the feet and thelip.
  • the leading end of the chip is deflected downwardly by a spring biased detent on the housing so that the chip clears the feet and is moved onto support rollers of a conveyor system to advance the chip to the next station.
  • FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of an electrophotographic apparatus incorporating the gravityfed storage device of this invention
  • FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the storage device of this invention showing details of the storage chamber
  • FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view, taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2, showing how a chip engages rails in the storage compartment.
  • the photoconductive chips are fed by magnetic rollers 8 past a charging station 10, such as a corona charging device, to place a generally uniform electrostatic charge on the photoconductive surface thereof and onto a multisided roller 12 which changes the direction of the chip to cause it to be moved down by additional rollers 8 to a lower plane.
  • the chip again changes direction upon coming in contact with a further multisurfaced roller 12 so that it begins moving in a direction opposite to its initial direction to an exposure station 14 where the charged surface is exposed to an image from an original 16 which is illustrated as being illuminated by light sources 18.
  • the electrostatic image thus formed due to dissipation of the electrostatic charge in the exposed areas is developed at a developing station 20 and this image is transferred to a suitable receiver (not shown) at a transfer station 22.
  • a transfer station 22 After transfer the photoconductive chip is fed by a series of rollers 8 and 12 to a cleaning station 24 to remove any residual toner particles from the surface of the photoconductive chip.
  • the chip C is then fed by upper and lower pressure rollers 26 and 27 which insert the cleaned chip into the top of storage compartment I-I.
  • the photoconductive element or chip C as best seen in FIG. 3, includes a conductive base, such as steel, having a photoconductive surface or sheet 30 thereon which is narrower than the conductive base to form lateral edges 32. These edges are provided with notches 34 for engaging rails in the storage chamber and includes tabs 36 which serve as spacers for the chips C when they are in the storage compartment I-I.
  • the storage compartment or housing H is formed as a parallelepiped having offset upper and lower ends which includes the first and second opposed side walls 38 and 40, respectively, which are interconnected by a third front wall 42 and fourth rear wall 44, as shown.
  • a top wall 46 is provided which cooperates with the upper end of side walls 38 and 40 and front wall 44 to provide an entrance slot 48 at the upper end of rear wall 44 through which a chip is fed by opposed pressure rollers 26 and 27.
  • guide rail 4 is attached respectively to side walls 38 and 40 which extend generally parallel to the front and rear walls 42 and 44, respectively. The upper ends of the guide rails are spaced from top wall 46 and extends downwardly to the bottom end forming a bottom opening. Each rail terminates in a forwardly extending foot 52 which engages an edge 32 adjacent a notch 34 of the lowermost chip C to support it at the bottom of storage chamber H.
  • the trailing end of the chip is supported by lip 54 at the lower end of rear wall 44.
  • a photoconductive chip is passed between pressure rollers 26 and 27 which are advantageously axially offset so that the axis of upperroller 26 is spaced further from entrance slot 48 than the axis of roller 27, as shown in FIG. 2.
  • Lower roller 28 may be magnetic as are rollers 8 and includes an endless non-magnetic belt 56 which extends around idler roller 58 spaced below lower roller 27.
  • the offset axis arrangement of upper roller 26 and lower roller 27 holds the leading end of the chip in a substantially horizontal position so that it clears the upper end of guides 4 and as it leaves the nip of the rollers will fall down over the guides, as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2.
  • roller 27 is magnetic and photoconductive chips C have a conductive backing, the trailing end of the chip is attracted to roller 27 which would tend to follow the roller around and hence draw back out of the storage compartment 2 after it has been inserted therein. This is prevented by belt 54 which causes it to be separated therefrom and to drop into the storage chamber.
  • Guide rails 4 and the sloping rear wall 44 cooperate to hold the chips in substantially horizontal position as they fall or slide due to the influence of gravity from the upper end of the storage chamber to the lower end. This simple structure minimizes the possibility that the chips will jam.
  • the lowermost chip is supported by feet 52 adjacent the forward end thereof and is supported at the rear end by a lip 54 extending inwardly from rear wall 44 and is held in place by a spring detent 60 at the lower end of front wall 42, as shown.
  • the lower end of rear wall 44 is provided with a recess 62 in lip 54 to permit a pusher mechanism P to push the lowermost chip from the storage compartment onto rollers 8.
  • the pusher mechanism is illustrated as being connected to rear wall 44 by a bracket 64 and includes a pusher pin 66 which is normally spring-urged by a spring 68 in a direction away from the lowermost chip. The righthand end of pusher pin 66, as viewed in FIG.
  • a simple storage device has been provided for gravity-feeding photoconductive elements or chips from the upper end of a storage chamber to a lower end wherein the chips are maintained in substantially horizontal position.
  • Such a mechanism is simple in construction and unlikely to jam in operation. Furthermore, it is economical and requires a minimum amount of space.
  • a gravity-fed storage device for storing and dispensing seriatim a plurality of substantially identical flat rectangular photoconductive elements having guide engaging means formed in lateral edges of such elements, the storage device comprising:
  • first and second opposed side walls interconnected with third and fourth opposed front and rear walls, respectively, forming a parallelepiped storage compartment for a' plurality of such elements, said compartment having rectangular offset upper and lower ends which are slightly larger than and correspond in configuration to the elements;
  • guide means on said first and second opposed side walls and extending generally parallel to said third and fourth walls between said upper end and said lower end for engagement with the guide engaging means of such elements and cooperating with one of said third and fourth walls for maintaining such elements in a substantially horizontal position as they are fed through said compartment by gravity from said upper end to said lower end;
  • a storage device as claimed in claim 1, further including:
  • a storage device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said supporting means include:
  • a storage device as claimed in claim 4 wherein: said element is magnetically attractible to said lower dispensing a plurality of flat photoconductive elements seriatim, the elements each having guide-engaging notches, the storage compartment including:
  • first and second opposed side walls interconnected with third and fourth opposed front and rear walls, respectively, forming a parallelepiped storage compartment having offset upper and lower ends;
  • top wall interconnecting said side walls and said front wall but spaced above the upper end of said rear wall to form an entrance slot for said elements
  • a lip extending from the lower end of said rear wall toward said front wall for supporting the trailing edge of an element, said lip having a central recess therein;
  • a reciprocatable member mounted for movement through said recess to push the element off said feet and said lip, the leading edge of the element being deflectible downwardly by said spring detent to guide the element away from said feet.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Sheets, Magazines, And Separation Thereof (AREA)
  • Collation Of Sheets And Webs (AREA)
  • Pile Receivers (AREA)
US52152A 1970-07-06 1970-07-06 Gravity-fed storage device Expired - Lifetime US3698602A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US5215270A 1970-07-06 1970-07-06

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3698602A true US3698602A (en) 1972-10-17

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US52152A Expired - Lifetime US3698602A (en) 1970-07-06 1970-07-06 Gravity-fed storage device

Country Status (4)

Country Link
US (1) US3698602A (de)
CA (1) CA939404A (de)
DE (1) DE2133424A1 (de)
FR (1) FR2100300A5 (de)

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3937454A (en) * 1975-05-16 1976-02-10 Colwill Richard H Sheet recirculator
USRE29178E (en) * 1974-05-16 1977-04-12 Sheet recirculator
US4023670A (en) * 1976-01-14 1977-05-17 Eastman Kodak Company Automatic master frame transport apparatus
US4547058A (en) * 1983-12-27 1985-10-15 Eastman Kodak Company Sheet film buffer station
US8586168B2 (en) 2010-07-08 2013-11-19 Abo Consulting, Llc Side notch paper

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
USRE29178E (en) * 1974-05-16 1977-04-12 Sheet recirculator
US3937454A (en) * 1975-05-16 1976-02-10 Colwill Richard H Sheet recirculator
US4023670A (en) * 1976-01-14 1977-05-17 Eastman Kodak Company Automatic master frame transport apparatus
US4547058A (en) * 1983-12-27 1985-10-15 Eastman Kodak Company Sheet film buffer station
US8586168B2 (en) 2010-07-08 2013-11-19 Abo Consulting, Llc Side notch paper

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FR2100300A5 (de) 1972-03-17
DE2133424A1 (de) 1972-01-20
CA939404A (en) 1974-01-01

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