Patent ID: 6217018
Filing Date: 2001-04-17
Classification: B65H

Abstract:
A sheet feed mechanism for feeding sheet media in a printing device, comprisinga slidably retractable tray having a floor for supporting a stack of sheet media, anda pick mechanism including a friction roller for picking individual sheets from the stack of sheet media and advancing the sheets along a media path, the pick mechanism being configured such that in use the friction roller applies a compression force on the stack of sheet media to increase the friction force between the friction roller and the top sheet of the stack, whereby upon the stack of media being exhausted, the friction roller applies a compression force directly on the tray floor,wherein the tray floor includes a surface adapted to reduce the coefficient of friction between the friction roller and said surface in a region where the friction roller applies the compression force such that the friction force between the tray floor and the friction roller when the tray is being slid is reduced.