Patent ID: 6089566
Filing Date: 2000-07-18
Classification: B65H

Abstract:
A sheet supply and transfer device for printers, comprising a sheet supply tray adapted to support a stack of sheets, the tray having a pair of side fences for aligning opposite sides of the stack of sheets therebetween, means for transferring the sheets one by one from the sheet supply tray toward a printing portion of the printer, and a pair of pinch rollers for guiding the sheet formed with a printed image at the printing portion in a direction of transfer thereof by pressing the printed sheet at opposite edges thereof on a surface where the printed image is formed, the device further comprising:means for detecting a distance between the pair of side fences and generating a signal indicating the distance, andmeans for setting the pair of pinch rollers to respective positions corresponding to one of predetermined regular sheet sizes when the distance between the side fences indicated by the signal is within such a first numerical value range predetermined for the one regular sheet size that defines a lower limit and an upper limit thereof predetermined for the one regular sheet size so as to allow the pair of pinch rollers regularly set for the one regular sheet size to guide the printed sheets acceptably in spite of irregularities in stacking of the sheets on the sheet supply tray.