Electrophotographic Duplicator In Which Copy Paper Is Cut To The Length Of The Original

Abstract

A cutting device is provided for use in an electrophotographic duplicator so that rolled printing paper can be cut in accordance with the length of an original placed on a mounting table. To determine the length to be cut an indicator is slidably mounted along a side edge of the table so that a pointer of the indicator can be moved into alignment with one edge of the original whose other edge rests against an index on the table. The movement of the indicator rotates a plate on which is mounted a microswitch and the microswitch controls the operation of the cutting device. A cam plate is rotatable about an axis coincidental with the rotation axis of the plate carrying the microswitch, and the cam plate is rotated upon initiation of the feed of the rolled printing paper. The distance between the operation portion of the cam plate and the microswitch is determined in accordance with the length of the original, whereby the cutting device will be operated to feed a length of printing paper equal to the length of the original.

Parent Case Text

CROSS-RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a division of our earlier application Ser. No. 672,252 filed Oct. 2, 1967, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,533,691.

Description

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a cutting device for use in an electrophotographic duplicator which employs a roll of printing paper.

An object of the invention is to provide a device which controls the cutting device such that the length of the printing paper drawn from the roll will be equal to the length of an original placed on a mounting table of the duplicator.

In accordance with the invention, there is provided a cutting device for use in an electrophotographic duplicator as described above, and having an index on the mounting table for engaging one edge of the original and drawing means for removing printing paper from the roll. The cutting device comprises cutting means in the path of travel of the printing paper and between the drawing means and the roll to cut the paper, and control means coupled to the cutting means to activate the same when a given length of paper has been drawn past said cutting means equal to the length of the original on the table.

The control means comprises an indicator slidably supported adjacent the mounting table for movement from the index to the other edge of the original. The indicator includes a pointer extending towards the table for being aligned with the other edge of the original.

The control means comprises means coupled to the pointer and to the cutting means for operating the cutting means at a particular period after initiation of the drawing means such that the length of paper cut is equal to the length of the original. Such means for operating the cutting means comprises electrically operated means for actuating the cutting means, a switch controlling operation of the electrically operated means, and means for operating the switch at a particular time after initiation of the drawing means in accordance with the setting of the indicator.

The means for operating the switch comprises a rotatable cam plate which is operated upon initiation of the operation of the drawing means; a second plate supported adjacent the cam plate for rotation about a common axis therewith and supporting said switch, and means coupling the second plate and indicator to position the plate and switch thereon in accordance with the position of the indicator so that after initial operation of the drawing means the cam plate will travel through the angular distance between the operational portion of the cam plate and the switch whereupon the switch will be actuated and the cutting means will cut the paper after a length thereof has been drawn past the cutting means equal to the length of the original.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electrophotographic duplicator according to this invention,

FIG. 2 is a sectional view through the duplicator,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a positioning device to cut the printing paper fed from a roll in any length in accordance with the length of an original,

FIG. 4 is a front view of the device in FIG. 3, and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a cutting device which cooperates with the positioning device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In FIG. 1, both end edges of a transparent original receiving table 1 are fixed to the top plate of the duplicator with metal fittings 2a and 2b. The original O, turned upsidedown, and positioned on said table 1 with the front end Oa engaged against metal fitting 2a, is pressed against the table 1 by a pressing member 3 having one edge thereof pivotably connected to the top plate. The pressing plate 3 is of a material suitable for pressing the original O closely against the table 1, for example, a comparatively heavy rubber plate. On the front of the duplicator housing are provided a movable operating member 4 adapted for being positioned adjacent the other end of the original O for controlling cutting of the printing paper in accordance with the length of the original as will be explained later, a starting button 5, a positioning dial 6 indicating the number of times to repeat the operation of the duplicator, an exposure adjusting knob 7, and an electric power switch 8. On the right side plate 9 of the duplicator housing is an outlet slot 11 for the finished printing paper 10. The left side plate 12 of the duplicator housing is removably secured to the housing. By removing the side plate 12 from the housing, a roll of printing paper 13 (see FIG. 2) can be loaded into the duplicator.

In FIG. 2, the roll of printing paper 13 is shown rotatably supported by engagement of a shaft 16 into a notch 15a of a frame plate pivoted to a fixed member. The front end 13a of the printing paper drawn off the roll of printing paper is drawn to a cutting device comprising a fixed blade 17 and a movable blade 18. On the frame plate is pivoted a printing paper pressing roller 20 in order to pressure contact the printing paper against a roller 19 which is comparatively small in diameter. The roller 19 dekinks the curl of the printing paper.

A pair of drawing rollers 21 and 22 provided on the left side of the cutting device begin to rotate when the starting button 5 (see FIG. 1) is pressed, and stop automatically after one revolution of the roller 21. This revolution depends on the operation of a one revolution clutch the details of which are not essential to an understanding of the present invention and therefore will not be explained herein. Such details are present in our parent application as referred to at the beginning of the application. When said drawing roller 21 completes one revolution, an end 13a of the printing paper is caught by a pair of feeding rollers 23 and 24 rotating continuously, and is advanced rightwards through a slit 26 in a partition 25. On the right side of the slit 26 is provided a pair of charging devices 28 which face each other and have wire electrodes 27 extending in the direction across the printing paper path. The printing paper, after passing through said charging devices, is ejected out onto spaced belts 31 by rollers 29 and 30. The printing paper drawn from the printing paper roll through said feeding rollers 23 and 24 is cut automatically to the length corresponding to that of the original O.

FIG. 3 shows a device to determine the time to operate the movable blade of the cutting device in order to cut the printing paper in accordance with the length of the original O. In FIG. 3, the operating member 4 is shown with a pointer 4a fixed thereto which shifts along the side edge of the original receiving table 1 and a wire 34 connected to member 4 is stretched around a pair of pulleys 32 and 33. By sliding operating member 4 along a guide bar 35, the pulley 33 is rotated. To eliminate slip between the wire 34 and the pulley 33, both ends of the wire 34 are wound on the pulley 33 in respective opposite directions, and are fastened to pulley 33. A gear 37 is fixed to a shaft 36 of pulley 33, and transmits rotation to a segment gear 39 through an idler 38. An actuator 41 of a microswitch 40 fixed to the inner surface of the segment gear 39 is in pressure contact with the periphery of a one revolution disk 43 which is freely rotatable on the shaft 42 of segment gear 39. The disk is driven in rotation through one revolution from a given datum position by means of the aforementioned one revolution clutch. In the course of rotation of disk 43 in the direction of the arrow, the contact point of the microswitch 40 is closed by insertion of actuator 41 into a notch 43a of the disk 43, whereupon a rotary solenoid 44 on the movable blade 18 of the cutting device (see FIG. 5) is excited, and by rotating the movable blade 18, in FIG. 5, about 30.degree. in the clockwise direction, the printing paper is cut. The disk 43 is stopped automatically after exactly one revolution from the position shown in FIG. 4 after the starting button 5 is pushed. The relative position between the notch 43a of the disk 43 and the actuator 41 of the microswitch 40 is determined by the position of the operating member 4. Now, when the operating member 4 is shifted rightwards, the pulley 33 and the gears 37-39 are rotated in the direction shown by the arrow, and the microswitch 40 is shifted in the direction approaching the notch 43a of the disk 43, and as a result, the operation time of the microswitch is shortened so that the printing paper is cut shorter. Thus, the angle .theta. (see FIG. 4) between the actuator 41 of the microswitch 40 and the notch 43a determines the initiation of operation of the cutting device. Then, during the rotation of the disk 43 through the determined angle .theta., the printing paper is drawn out from the printing paper roll in a length equal to the distance between the pointer 4a and the front end Oa of the original O, and is cut.

In FIG. 2, when the front end 13a' of the printing paper 13' cut according to the length of the original and drawn out onto the belts 31 reaches the right end of the belts 31, the belts 31 are stopped, and a movable exposure device 45, at the same time, begins to move rightwards. The activation of the belts 31 is initiated at the same time the starting button 5 is pushed, and the belts travel a distance which is fixed regardless of the length of the cut printing paper. That is, belts 31 move a distance corresponding to the distance between the position where the front end 13a of the rolled printing paper 13 begins to move at the same time said starting button 5 is pushed, and the position of the front end 13a' of the cut printing paper, and is stopped automatically. Thereafter the belts 31 are moved at the same time the exposure of the printing paper is completed, and feeds the exposed printing paper into a developing plate 46.

The peripheral speed of each of the paper feeding rollers 21, 23 and 29 is the same as the running speed of the belts 31. Each of the rollers 21, 23 and 29 and rollers 47 and 48 around which the belts 31 pass cooperate with one another in a manner described in our parent application but not repeated herein.

In the top plate of a printing paper suction case 71, a number of suction holes 72 are provided to attract the printing paper against belts 31. The attracted printing paper is maintained in a preferably flat condition.

In FIG. 2, the movable exposure device 45 which exposes the printing paper fixed on the belts 31 is shown to comprise a duplicating lens 74 with a reflecting mirror 73 at the rear, reflecting mirrors 75a and 75b which are inclined at 45.degree. to the imaginary horizontal plane including the optical axis of said lens 74 and the reflecting surfaces of which face the original O side and the printing paper 13' side respectively, an illumination tube 76 for illuminating said original O, reflecting plates 77a and 77b for reflecting the light from the illumination tube 76 to the original effectively, shutters 80 and 81 with the outer edges 80a and 81a fixed to a pair of windup spindles having a winding function respectively and with the inner edges 80b and 81b fixed to both ends of the movable exposure device, and an adjusting plate 82 for the movable exposure device. The above-mentioned elements are mounted on an optical supporting frame 83. The supporting frame 83 is supported in the duplicator housing by a guide rail (not shown in the drawings) so as to reciprocate between the stationary original) and the temporarily stopped printing paper. The exposure is performed on the printing paper while supporting frame 83 is moving leftwards from the position shown in FIG. 2, and thereafter the supporting frame 83 moves back to the initial position as shown in FIG. 2. The time when the movable exposure device 45 begins to shift leftwards is the same as when the belt 31 is stopped when the printing paper 13' moves to the position shown in FIG. 2. The shifting range of the movable exposure device 45 is changed in accordance with the length of the printing paper on the exposure position, and more accurately, in accordance with the position of the operating member 4 which determines the length of the printing paper to be cut for this purpose. At the lower portion of operating member 4 there is fixed a microswitch 84 as shown in FIG. 3. An actuator 84a of microswitch 84 occupies a position in the shifting path of the movable exposure device 45, and switches the microswitch 84 by contact with the advancing exposure device whereupon the exposure device is reversed and moves back to its original position. For example, in the case of the printing paper being cut long, the movable exposure device is moved to the position at 45', and in the case of the printing paper being cut short, the exposure device is moved to the position at 45". Then the exposure device is immediately moved back from such positions to its original position. In this way, it is very advantageous for rapid duplication to give the movable exposure device 45 the minimum movement in accordance with the size of the cut printing paper.

In FIG. 2, at the same time that the movable exposure device 45 is moved back to its initial position after one reciprocation, the belts 31 which have remained stationary begin to move and feed the exposed printing paper 13' bearing a latent electrostatic image onto the developing plate 46. A developer injection tank 102 provided in the upper portion of the developing plate 46 is connected to a comparatively large developer tank 103. The developer within developer tank 103 is continuously supplied into said developer injection tank 102 by a pump (not shown in the Figures), and the developer in the injection tank 102 flows into said developing plate 46 through holes provided side-by-side on the side wall of injection tank 102. Then, the developer overflows out of the rear end 46a of the developing plate 46 and flows back into the developer tank 103.

The printing paper which has passed through the developing plate 46, wherein the development is completed and a visual image is obtained, is forwarded towards an ejection roller 106, passing between a hard roller 104 and a rubber roller 105. The wet printing paper advanced by rollers 104 and 105 is dried by air blown out of a ventilation opening 107a, and is discharged from the duplicator through the slot 11 by means of ejection roller 106. For the air forcibly discharged out of a ventilation device 107, there are employed the air in the suction case 71 which is suctioned by a suitable blower and the air for cooling the lighting lamp 76.

The electrophotographic duplicator, as described above, comprises a device to cut loaded rolled printing paper to any size in accordance with the length of an original, a charging device to load the printing paper, a belt conveyor which carries the cut printing paper in a flat condition through the vacuum action of a paper suction case and which stops automatically when said printing paper is positioned at the predetermined exposure position, a developing device housing developer which circulates for obtaining clear toner images at all times, a blower device for drying the wet developed printing paper, a transparent original receiving table with a pressing plate fixed to the upper portion of said belt conveyor, a movable exposure device the shifting range of which between said original receiving table and said belt conveyor is changed in accordance with the length of the cut printing paper and which reciprocates over a minimum stroke effective for the exposure so as to speed up the duplicating operation, and means to transport the exposed paper through the developing device and the blower device to a discharge slot.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A cutting device for use in an electrophotographic duplicator having a mounting table with an index for support of an original with one edge thereof against said index, and drawing means for removing printing paper from a roll, said cutting device comprising cutting means in the path of travel of the printing paper and between the drawing means and the roll to cut the paper, and control means coupled to the cutting means to activate the latter when a given length of paper has been drawn past said cutting means equal to the length of the original on the table, said control means comprising an indicator slidably supported adjacent said mounting table for longitudinal movement adjacent the original for alignment with the other edge of the original remote from said index, and means coupled to said indicator and to said cutting means for operating the cutting means in accordance with the position of the indicator to cut the printing paper at a particular time after a given length of the printing paper has been drawn past said cutting means such that the length of paper cut is equal to the length of the original.

2. A cutting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said indicator includes a pointer extending towards said table for being aligned with said other edge of the original.

3. A cutting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for operating the cutting means comprises electrically operated means for actuating the cutting means, a switch controlling operation of the electrically operated means, and means for operating said switch at a particular time when a given length of the printing paper has been drawn past said cutting means after initiation of the drawing means in accordance with the setting of the indicator.

4. A cutting device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said means for operating said switch comprises cam means operated upon initiation of operation of the drawing means; a plate supporting said switch adjacent the cam means and adjustable in position with respect thereto such that the cam means actuates the switch after a given length of the printing paper has been drawn past said cutting means dependent on the distance of the switch from the cam means, and means coupling said plate and indicator to position the plate in accordance with the position of the indicator.

5. A cutting device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said plate and cam means are rotatable about a common axis and the means coupling the plate and indicator comprises a connector between the indicator and the plate to position the switch in a particular angular relation with respect to the initial position of the cam means.

6. A cutting device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said cam means has an operative portion in initial datum position which undergoes rotation through one revolution after each initiation of operation of the drawing means, said switch causing operation of the cutting means after the operative portion of the cam means has rotated through a predetermined angle from said datum position to actuate said switch.

7. A cutting device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said plate is a gear and said connector comprises a second gear operatively coupled to the first gear in driving relation, and means coupling said indicator and said second gear to rotate the latter in conjunction with the travel of the indicator to and from said index.

8. A cutting device as claimed in claim 7, wherein said cutting means comprises a fixed cutter and a rotatable cutter, said paper passing between said cutters and being cut when the rotatable cutter is rotated.

9. A cutting device as claimed in claim 7 wherein said means coupling the indicator and second gear comprises a wire connected to said slide and displaceable therewith, to rotate said second gear as the wire undergoes displacement by the movement of the indicator.