초록 ▼

Mechanism unit(s) 6 functioning as automatic-feed cassette(s) and mechanism unit(s) 7 functioning as manual-feed tray(s) together form a single integral module, constituting hybrid paper supply module 5. Manual-feed mechanism unit(s) 7 is or are arranged below transport paths 36, 37, which extend to

Mechanism unit(s) 6 functioning as automatic-feed cassette(s) and mechanism unit(s) 7 functioning as manual-feed tray(s) together form a single integral module, constituting hybrid paper supply module 5. Manual-feed mechanism unit(s) 7 is or are arranged below transport paths 36, 37, which extend toward printing unit(s) 3. Furthermore, path(s) along which recording paper P taken up from automatic-feed cassette mechanism unit(s) 6 is transported and path(s) along which recording paper P taken up from manual-feed mechanism unit(s) 7 is transported are made to intersect within the module, decreasing length(s) of respective path(s).

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A hybrid paper supply module comprising: at least one automatic-feed cassette mechanism units for containing one or more recording media for recording an image at least one image forming unit of at least one image forming apparatus at least one manual-feed mechanism units per

What is claimed is: 1. A hybrid paper supply module comprising: at least one automatic-feed cassette mechanism units for containing one or more recording media for recording an image at least one image forming unit of at least one image forming apparatus at least one manual-feed mechanism units permitting the placement therein or thereon of one or more of said recording media by one or more users; wherein said at least one automatic-feed cassette mechanism unit and said at least one manual-feed mechanism unit comprises a single module; and further comprises, at least one common feed mechanism selectively permitting one or more of said recording media to be fed from either at said at least one of the automatic-feed cassette mechanism unit or said at least one manual-feed mechanism unit; said at least one common feed mechanism being arranged so as to permit switching between, a first transport mode wherein one or more of said recording media is fed from said at least one automatic-feed cassette mechanism unit and is transported to-said at least one of the image forming unit, a second transport mode wherein one or more of said recording media is fed up from said at least one manual-feed mechanism unit and is transported to said at least one of the image forming unit, and a third transport mode wherein one or more of said recording media id fed from said at least one manual-feed mechanism unit and is delivered to said at least one automatic-feed cassette mechanism unit. 2. A hybrid paper supply module according to claim 1 wherein said at least one automatic-feed cassette mechanism unit and said at least one manual-feed mechanism unit respectively include one or more paper feed mechanisms and one or more paper separator mechanisms for permitting the feed of only a single sheet of said recording media. 3. A hybrid paper supply module according to claim 1 and further comprising: at least one first transport paths for transporting one or more of said recording media fed from said at least one automatic-feed cassette mechanism unit; and at least one second transport paths for transporting one or more of said recording media fed from said at least one manual-feed mechanism unit; and at least one common transport paths wherein said at least one first transport path and said at least one second transport paths mutually intersect and extend toward said at least one image forming unit. 4. A hybrid paper supply module according to claim 3 wherein: said at least one manual-feed mechanism unit includes one or more manual-feed trays for holding one or more of said recording media placed thereat by one or more users; and wherein said at least one of said manual-feed trays includes multiple leaves arranged such that when not in use said manual feed tray can be folded so as to permit storage thereof at side of said hybrid paper supply module. 5. A hybrid paper supply module according to claim 4 wherein; said at least one of the manual-feed tray, when stored, comprises one side wall of the hybrid paper supply module; and when deployed permit the holding of one or more of said recording media, and permits access to one or more recording medium transport paths. 6. A hybrid paper supply module according to claim 4 wherein; said at least one manual-feed tray is configured so as to permit extension in multiple stages when in one or more deployed states thereby permitting one or more recording media to be placed thereat. 7. A hybrid paper supply module according to claim 4 wherein: said at least one manual-feed tray includes one or more guide members having one or more placement locations for constraining said one or more recording media placed thereat by abutting against one or more side edges extending in one or more transport directions of said recording media; said wherein at least one of the said guide members is supported so as to permit sliding movement thereof in or on said at least one manual-feed tray. 8. A hybrid paper supply module according to claim 4 wherein: said at least one manual-feed mechanism unit is slidably moveable within said module so as to provide access to one or more of said recording media transport paths; and in the event that one or more of said recording media becomes jammed in one or more of said recording medium transport paths, sliding movement of said at least one manual-feed mechanism unit provides access to at least one of said recording medium transport paths for providing removal of said jammed recording medium therefrom. 9. A hybrid paper supply module according to claim 1 wherein said at least one common feed mechanism comprises: one or more takeup rollers operably moveable between one or more automatic-feed-shifted positions for feeding said one or more of said recording media from at least one automatic-feed cassette mechanism unit and one or more manual-feed-shifted positions for feeding said one or more recording media from said at least one manual-feed mechanism unit; one or more separator mechanisms for separating said one or more of said recording media fed by at least one of said the takeup rollers; and one or more transport paths guiding at least one of said recording media toward said at least one image forming unit. 10. A hybrid paper supply module according to claim 1 or 9 wherein recording medium transport operations during said third transport mode are carried out during an absence of image forming operation. 11. A hybrid paper supply module according to claim 1 or 9 wherein recording medium transport operations during the said third transport mode are one carried out only if at least one of said recording medium placed in or on at said least one manual-feed mechanism unit is the same size as said at least one size of said recording medium placed in or on said at least one automatic-feed cassette mechanism unit. 12. A hybrid paper supply module according to claim 1 or 9 wherein: said at least one automatic-feed cassette mechanism unit and said at least one manual-feed mechanism unit are arranged so as to be mutually adjacent and substantially horizontal; and wherein recording medium transport operations during said third transport mode include a slew transport mode wherein one or more of said recording media fed from said at least one manual-feed mechanism unit or is transported horizontally, without flipping, toward said at least one automatic-feed cassette mechanism unit. 13. A hybrid paper supply module according to claim 12 wherein: said at least one of the separator mechanisms includes one or more separator rollers and one or more separator plates, and wherein at least one of the separator plates comes in contact with at least one of the separator rollers; and during said slew transport mode, at least one of the separator plates is oriented so as to be substantially parallel to an imaginary line drawn connecting said at least one manual-feed mechanism unit and said at least one automatic-feed cassette mechanism unit, and wherein one or more of said recording media fed from said at least one manual-feed mechanism unit is transported horizontally to said at least one automatic-feed cassette mechanism unit. 14. A hybrid paper supply module according to claim 1 or 9 wherein: said at least one automatic-feed cassette mechanism unit and said at least one manual-feed mechanism unit are arranged so as to be mutually adjacent substantially horizontal; and wherein recording medium transport operations during said third transport mode includes a switchback transport mode which is carried out when one or more of said recording media fed from said at least one manual-feed mechanism unit is delivered, with flipping, to said at least one automatic-feed cassette mechanism unit. 15. A hybrid paper supply module according to claim 14 wherein: said at least one of the separator mechanism includes one or more separator rollers and one or more separator plates, and wherein at least one of the separator plates comes in contact with at least one of said separator rollers; and during said switchback transport mode, at least one of said separator plates is first oriented so as to guide, one or more of said recording media fed from said at least one manual-feed mechanism unit, to said at least one transport paths extending toward said at least one image forming unit one or more of said recording media is fed from said at least one manual-feed mechanism unit and is guided to at least one of said transport paths, and thereafter, with at least one of said separator plates oriented so as to guide said one or more of said recording media present in said at least one transport path to said at least one the automatic-feed cassette mechanism unit, and, one or more of said recording media is transported or from at said at least one transport paths to said at least one automatic-feed cassette mechanism unit. 16. A hybrid paper supply module according to claim 15 wherein: during said switchback transport mode, with at least one of said takeup rollers in at least one manual-feed-shifted position for feeding one or more of said recording media from said at least one manual-feed mechanism unit, and with at least one separator plate in at least one manual-feed-inclined orientations for guiding said one or more recording media toward said one or more transport paths from said at least one manual-feed mechanism unit, said one or more recording media fed from said at least one manual-feed mechanism unit is first guided to said at least one of said transport paths, and thereafter, with at least one of said separator rollers rotating in a reverse direction, and with at least one of said separator drive plates in an automatic-feed-inclined orientations for guiding one or more of said recording media from at least one of said transport paths toward said at least one automatic-feed cassette mechanism unit, one or more of said recording media is transported from said at least one transport paths to said at least one of the automatic-feed cassette mechanism unit. 17. A hybrid paper supply module according to claim 16 wherein: during said switchback transport mode, when at least one recording medium of said one or more recording medium is transported from said at least the transport path to said at least one automatic-feed cassette mechanism unit, movement of an upstream edge of said at least one recording medium as it is carried along with at least one outside circumferential surface of at least one of said separator rollers while at least one of said separator rollers is rotating, causes said at least one of the recording medium or media to be fed into a region between at least one of the separator rollers and at least one of the separator or plates and to be transported toward said at least one automatic-feed cassette mechanism unit from said at least one transport path. 18. A hybrid paper supply module according to claim 1 or 9 wherein: recording medium transport operations during said third transport mode is such that in said slew transport mode, one or more of said recording media is selectively fed from said at least one manual-feed mechanism unit without flipping, to said at least one automatic-feed cassette mechanism unit, or in said switchback transport mode, one or more of said recording media is selectively fed from said at least one manual-feed mechanism unit, with flipping, to said at least one automatic-feed cassette mechanism unit, and if during execution of recording medium transport operations in accordance with said third transport mode, it is desired that image formation should be carried out on more than one surface of said one or more recording media placed in or on at said least one manual-feed mechanism unit when transported toward said at least one image forming unit pursuant to at said second transport mode, then said one or more recording media is delivered in said switchback transport mode from said at least one manual-feed mechanism unit to said automatic-feed cassette mechanism unit, but if it is desired that image formation should not be carried out on more than one surface of said one or more recording media placed in or on said at least one manual-feed mechanism unit when transported toward said at least one image forming unit pursuant to said second transport mode, then said one or more recording media is delivered in said slew transport mode from said at least one manual-feed mechanism unit to said at least one automatic-feed cassette mechanism unit. 19. A hybrid paper supply module according to claim 1 wherein: said at least one common feed mechanism includes one or more takeup rollers moveable between one or more automatic-feed-shifted positions for feeding one or more of said recording media from said at least one automatic-feed cassette mechanism unit and between one or more manual-feed-shifted positions for feeding one or more of said recording media from said at least one manual-feed mechanism unit; one or more separator mechanisms for separating one or more of said recording media being fed by at least one of said takeup rollers; and one or more transport paths for guiding at least one of said recording media to said at least one image forming unit. 20. A hybrid paper supply module according to claim 19 wherein: at least one of said one or more takeup rollers and at least one of said one or more separator mechanisms receive drive power from at least one common drive source for carrying out recording medium feed operations and recording medium separation operations; and wherein at least one drive direction of said at least one common drive source is changeable, so as to permit switching between a plurality of feed mechanism units from which one or more of said recording media is fed, depending upon whether one or more of said recording media is to be fed from said at least one automatic-feed cassette mechanism unit or whether one or more of said recording media is to be fed from said at least one manual-feed mechanism unit. 21. A hybrid paper supply module according to claim 19 or 20 wherein: at least one of said separator mechanisms includes one or more separator rollers and one or more separator plates and wherein, at least one of said separator plates contacts at least one of said separator or rollers; at least one of said takeup rollers and at least one of said separator rollers are mutually connected so as to permit transmission of motive force by means of one or more belts; and wherein, in absence of image forming, at least one of said takeup rollers remains in at least one neutral positions between at least one of said automatic-feed-shifted positions and at least one of said manual-feed-shifted positions; but during image forming, at least one of said takeup or rollers moves from said at least one neutral position to said at least one automatic-feed-shifted position in the event that said at least one separator roller is driven in one rotational direction, but at least one of the takeup rollers moves from said at least one neutral position to said at least one of the manual-feed-shifted position positions in the event that said at least one separator roller is driven in rotational fashion in an opposite rotational direction. 22. A hybrid paper supply module according to claim 21 wherein said at least one separator plate is arranged so as to permit one or more changeable angles of inclination so that, when feeding one or more of said recording media from said at least one automatic-feed cassette mechanism unit, one or more automatic-feed-inclined orientations is assumed for guiding one or more of said recording media toward one or more of said transport paths from said at least one automatic-feed cassette mechanism unit; but when feeding one or more of said recording media from said at least one manual-feed mechanism unit, one or more manual-feed-inclined orientations is assumed for guiding one or more of said recording media toward one or more of said transport paths from said at least one manual-feed mechanism unit. 23. A hybrid paper supply module according to claim 22 further comprising: one or more stopper elements, located at or near at least one of said separator plates, for maintaining said at least one separator plate in either one of said automatic-feed-inclined orientations or one of said manual-feed-inclined or orientations. 24. A hybrid paper supply module according to claim 21 wherein: following termination of said image forming operations, in order to cause at least one of the takeup rollers to move and return to said at least one neutral position, at least one drive sources produces motion of at least one of said takeup rollers, and is driven in a direction opposite to said at least one direction that said at least one of said takeup rollers was driven during initiation of said image forming operations. 25. A hybrid paper supply module according to claim 24 wherein: following termination of said image forming operations, and substantially concurrently with the movement and return of said at least one of said feed rollers to said at least one neutral position, at least one of said separator plates returns to said one neutral orientation between said at least one automatic-feed-inclined orientation for guiding one or more of said recording media toward said one or more transport paths from said at least one automatic-feed cassette mechanism unit and said at least one manual-feed-inclined orientation for guiding one or more of said recording media toward one or more of said transport paths from at least one manual-feed mechanism unit; and following termination of said image forming operations, at least one of said separator plates returns to said at least one neutral orientation before at least one drive belt spanning at least one of said takeup rollers and at least one of said feed rollers completes one full circuit of operation. 26. An image forming apparatus equipped with one or more hybrid paper supply modules according to claim 1 wherein image formation is carried out on one or more recording media fed by at least one common takeup mechanism from either at least one of the automatic-feed cassette mechanism unit or at least one manual-feed mechanism unit and supplied to at least one image forming unit.