Electrophotographic copying apparatus for copying manuscripts without interruptions

An electrographic apparatus which can obtain any desired number of copies of a manuscript by scanning it only one time by exposed light and which comprises a manuscript feed mechanism including upper and lower side feed mechanisms arranged above and below a manuscript feed path defined by a slit light exposure portion which projects a manuscript image therethrough, said upper side feed mechanism being movable with respect to said slit light exposure portion to define thin and thick manuscript feed paths, respectively.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to an electrographic apparatus which can obtain any 
desired number of copies of a manuscript by scanning it only one time by 
exposed light. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Various kinds of electrographic apparatuses have heretofore been proposed 
and used in practice. One of these conventional electrographic apparatuses 
is mainly used for obtaining copies of a thick manuscript such as books or 
the like, while the other electrographic apparatus is mainly used for 
obtaining copies of a sheet manuscript. 
In the electrographic apparatus mainly used for obtaining copies of the 
thick manuscript, in the case of obtaining copies of the sheet manuscript, 
the sheet manuscript is disposed on a manuscript carriage and urged 
against it by a manuscript holding cover. The manuscript carriage or a 
projection optical system is reciprocated for number of times 
corresponding to the number of sheets to be copied, thereby obtaining 
copies. In this case, the operation of opening and closing the manuscript 
holding cover in order to set the sheet manuscript on the manuscript 
carriage is troublesome in operation. In addition, wind pressure produced 
when the manuscript holding cover is opened and closed tends to displace 
or blow off the sheet manuscript set beforehand, thereby rendering the 
operation very inconvenient and bad in efficiency. In general, the kind of 
the manuscript to be copied belonging to the sheet manuscript is far 
larger than that belonging to the thick manuscript. As a result, the above 
is the important drawback inherent to the electrographic apparatus mainly 
obtaining copies of the thick manuscript. 
On the other hand, the electrographic apparatus mainly used for obtaining 
copies of the sheet manuscript is classified into one type in which the 
sheet manuscript is directly inserted into and passes through a light 
exposure portion so as to be scanned by exposed light and into another 
type in which if the sheet manuscript is introduced into the apparatus it 
is automatically set to a given position where it is repeatedly scanned by 
the exposed light for the number of times corresponding to the number of 
the sheet manuscripts to be copied and then is automatically discharged 
from the apparatus. 
The former type electrographic apparatus can insert the sheet manuscripts 
in succession into the light exposure portion and hence is very rapid in 
operation if compared with the above mentioned electrographic apparatus 
mainly used for obtaining copies of the thick manuscript and adapted to 
change a previous manuscript to the next manuscript after the previous 
manuscript has been scanned by the exposed light. 
In addition, the former type electrographic apparatus is not required to 
use a reciprocating mechanism for the manuscript carriage or projection 
optical system, so that the apparatus as a whole is simple in construction 
and can be manufactured in a less expensive manner. But, in the case of 
obtaining a plurality of copies from the same manuscript, the manuscript 
must repeatedly be inserted into the light exposure portion for number of 
times corresponding to the number of copies to be obtained, and as a 
result, the apparatus becomes very troublesome in operation and bad in 
efficiency. 
The latter type electrographic apparatus has the advantage that a desired 
number of copies can be obtained by inserting the sheet manuscript only 
one time into the apparatus. But, this apparatus has the drawback that the 
apparatus as a whole is complex in construction, that a manuscript feed 
path is complex in construction and hence is troublesome in feed operation 
and that the manuscript tends to be easily broken. 
The former type electrographic apparatus can obtain copies of the thick 
manuscript with the aid of a suitable auxiliary means. On the contrary, it 
is almost impossible to obtain copies of the thick manuscript by the 
latter type electrographic apparatus. To the electrographic apparatus 
mainly used for obtaining copies of the thick manuscript has been added a 
sheet manuscript feed mechanism which can automatically feed a sheet 
manuscript disposed on a manuscript carriage and automatically discharge 
it after a required number of sheets have been repeatedly scanned by the 
exposed light. But such kind of sheet manuscript feed mechanism is complex 
in construction and large in size and hence is generally used for an 
expensive high speed copying machine. 
The auxiliary means added to the former type electrographic apparatus 
mainly used for obtaining the sheet manuscript and operative to obtain 
copies of the thick manuscript comprises a sheet manuscript driving 
roller, its corresponding driven roller and an end driven roller 
independent of the driven roller and arranged at the outside of the driven 
roller, the end driven roller being co-operative with the driving roller 
so as to feed a light transmission thin plate for the thick manuscript and 
constructed such that in the case of obtaining copies of the thick 
manuscript the sheet manuscript feed driven roller is pushed aside or 
removed and the light transmission thin plate with the thick manuscript 
disposed thereon is held between the driving roller and the end driven 
roller so as to be fed and scanned by the exposed light. That is, the 
light transmission thin plate in such auxiliary means is fed at a given 
feed speed by means of a friction force produced between the driving 
roller and the end driven roller. But, in the case of obtaining copies of 
the thick manuscript by means of such auxiliary means, an operator is 
always required to hold down the thick manuscript by a pressure which is 
sufficient to prevent the thick manuscript from displacing or from rising 
during feed of the light transmission thin plate. As a result, 
unreasonable force is subjected to the light transmission thin plate while 
it is fed. The frictional force produced between the driving roller and 
the end driven roller for feeding the light transmission thin plate 
sandwiched therebetween comes changed. As a result, it is impossible to 
maintain the given feed speed, thereby inducing a blur in copy or an 
inclined displacement of the light transmission thin plate. As a result, 
in the case of using such auxiliary means, the operator is required to 
have a certain order of skill and operate with the greatest possible care. 
In addition, the end driven roller is projected from the surface along 
which the light transmission thin plate passes, so that the operator is 
also required to pay attention not to damage his finger or the manuscript 
got caught in the projected end driven roller. 
In the case of obtaining a plurality of copies from the same manuscript, 
the above mentioned operation must be repeated, so that the operation 
becomes more complex and the rate of damaging the precious manuscript 
becomes high. In addition, the separate need of the driven roller 
exclusively used for feeding the thick manuscript makes the apparatus 
complex in construction. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
An object of the invention, therefore, is to provide an electrographic 
apparatus which can eliminate the above mentioned drawbacks, that is, 
which can obtain copies of a sheet manuscript and thick manuscript without 
damaging the manuscript in a simple manner, and which can obtain a desired 
number of copies with an extremely high efficiency by scanning the 
manuscript only one time by exposed light. 
A feature of the invention is the provision of an electrographic apparatus 
comprising a substantially rectilinear manuscript feed path including a 
slit light exposure portion through which is projected a manuscript image; 
a manuscript feed mechanism including upper and lower side feed mechanisms 
arranged above and below said manuscript feed path at said slit light 
exposure portion with said manuscript feed path interposed therebetween, 
said upper side feed mechanism being mounted movably with respect to said 
slit light exposure portion; and a photosensitive body for memorizing said 
manuscript image projected through said slit light exposure portion 
thereon as an electrostatic latent image; the apparatus being constructed 
and arranged such that in the case of obtaining copies of a sheet 
manuscript said sheet manuscript is fed by said manuscript feed mechanism 
under a condition that said upper side feed mechanism is mounted on said 
lower side feed mechanism and scanned by exposed light by one time and in 
the case of obtaining copies of a thick manuscript a thick manuscript 
carriage on which is disposed said thick manuscript is fed by said lower 
side feed mechanism under a condition that said upper side feed mechanism 
is moved from said lower side feed mechanism and scanned by exposed light 
by one time, thereby producing on said photosensitive body an 
electrostatic latent image corresponding to said manuscript image and 
obtaining a plurality of copies on the basis of said electrostatic latent 
image.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of an electrographic apparatus according to the 
invention. Referring to FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 designates a main body 
which is provided along its upper surface with a manuscript feed path 
composed of a manuscript carriage 2, light exposure portion 3 and 
detachable manuscript discharge tray 4 rectilinearly arranged in the order 
as mentioned above. A sheet manuscript (not shown) is disposed on the 
manuscript carriage 2 and slidably moved toward the left as viewed in FIG. 
1. The sheet manuscript is held between feed rollers in the light exposure 
portion 3. The feed rollers cause the sheet manuscript to pass through the 
light exposure portion 3 at a given speed and discharge it onto the 
manuscript discharge tray 4. This sheet manuscript feed path is 
rectilinearly constructed as described above for the purpose of feeding 
the sheet manuscript without any trouble. In addition, in the present 
embodiment, the front end of the sheet manuscript feed path viewed in the 
advancing direction of the sheet manuscript is inclined downwardly for the 
purpose of effecting insertion and feed of the sheet manuscript in an 
extremely natural manner. The manuscript carriage 2 is provided at its one 
side with an edge guide 5 extending along the advancing direction of the 
manuscript and determining not only the position of the sheet manuscript 
to be inserted but also the position of a thick manuscript carriage to be 
described later and serving also as a guide for the manuscript. 
The main body 1 is provided at its one side with an operation board 6 
including an electric source switch 7, dial 8 for determining the number 
of copies to be obtained, stop button 9, light adjusting knob 10 and 
various kinds of display lamps 11. The dial 8 for determining the number 
of copies to be obtained is rotated so as to set a desired number of 
copies (1 to 20 in the present embodiment) to be obtained when the 
manuscript is scanned one time by exposed light. The stop button 9 is 
pushed to stop the copying operation when it is started when the dial 8 is 
set to any erroneous number of copies. The light adjusting knob 10 is 
moved forwardly or backwardly so as to change the brightness of a 
fluorescent lamp (not shown) incorporated into the light exposure portion 
3 and give a correct exposed light corresponding to the concentration of 
the manuscript. The display lamps 11 function to display the ON state of 
the electric source switch 7, start and end of the copying operation, 
presence and absence of a record sheet in a cassette to be described 
later, occurrence of jamming operation or the like. A record sheet supply 
cassette 12 encloses therein record sheets each having a given size and 
superimposed one upon the other. The cassette 12 is detachably mounted on 
one end surface of the main body 1. If it is desired to change the size of 
the record sheet, a cassette enclosing a record sheet having a desired 
size is selectively mounted on the main body 1. The main body 1 is 
provided at that end surface which is opposed to the end surface on which 
is mounted the cassette 12 with a discharge tray 13 for receiving a copy. 
One end of the discharge tray 13 is rotatably supported by the opposed 
side surfaces of the main body 1 and the free end of the discharge tray 13 
is rotated upwardly about its supporting shaft and releasably locked to 
the main body 1. 
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the manuscript feed path may be made 
horizontal and the manuscript carriage 2 may be provided at that side edge 
which is opposed to the edge guide 5 shown in FIG. 1 with another edge 
guide. 
FIG. 2 shows one embodiment of an interior construction of the 
electrographic apparatus shown in FIG. 1 in section. A seamless 
photosensitive drum 14 is rotatably journaled in the main body 1 and is 
rotated in a direction shown by an arrow when the electric source switch 7 
shown in FIG. 1 is made ON. In the present embodiment, the rotation of the 
photosensitive drum 14 causes a timing pulse to occur which controls 
various copying steps. At the same time, an erasion lamp 15 provided near 
the periphery of the photosensitive drum 14 is made ON and a cleaning 
brush 16 is rotated to erase the electrostatic latent image remained on 
the photosensitive drum 14 at the previous copying step and remove toner. 
The toner removed by the cleaning brush 16 is attracted toward a fan 17 
and seized by a filter 18, the fan 17 being rotated by another driving 
source at the same time as the rotation of the cleaning brush 16. The 
cleaning brush 16, filter 18 and fan 17 are arranged in a duct 19. 
In the present embodiment, the duct 19 is extended up to a transfer portion 
to be described later and a flow of air sucked by the rotation of the fan 
17 is used for the purpose of tearing off the record sheet closely adhered 
to the photosensitive drum 14 at the transfer portion. As soon as the 
electric source switch 17 is made ON, a heater 21 enclosed in a fixing 
device 20 is energized to raise its temperature. 
The cleaning brush 16 is rotatably mounted on an arm 23 which is rotated 
about a supporting shaft 22 by means of an operating mechanism (not shown) 
to cause the cleaning brush 16 to bring into contact with and separate 
from the photosensitive drum 14. 
If the photosensitive drum 14 is rotated by one turn to erase the toner and 
electrostatic latent image remained on the surface of the total surface 
thereof and becomes ready for starting the copying step, the above 
mentioned operating mechanism causes the cleaning brush 16 to separate 
from the photosensitive drum 14 and at the same time the erasion lamp 15 
becomes OFF. 
During the preparatory operation from the ON operation of the electric 
source switch 7 to the end of one rotation of the photosensitive drum 14, 
a sheet manuscript is disposed on the manuscript carriage 2 and slidably 
moved along the edge guide 5 toward the light exposure portion 3 until the 
front end thereof functions to operate a first microswitch 24. 
The first microswitch 24 functions to rotate through a clutch mechanism 
(not shown) a manuscript feed driving roller 25, thereby rotating a driven 
roller 26 and holding the front end of the sheet manuscript between the 
rollers 25, 26. As a result, the feed operation of the sheet manuscript is 
started. If the front end of the sheet manuscript causes a second 
microswitch 27 to operate, the above mentioned clutch mechanism is 
released. As a result, the manuscript feed driving roller 25 and driven 
roller 26 stop respective rotations to stop once the feed operation of the 
sheet manuscript held between the rollers 25, 26. This condition is 
maintained during the preparatory operation from the ON operation of the 
electric source switch 7 to the end of one turn of the photosensitive drum 
14. As soon as this preparatory operation is completed, the above 
mentioned clutch mechanism becomes driven again to cause the manuscript 
feed driving roller 25 and driven roller 26 to start their sheet 
manuscript feed operation again. 
The manuscript feed driving roller 25 is connected through the above 
mentioned clutch mechanism and a driving system (not shown) to the 
photosensitive drum 14 and rotated at a speed which is in synchronism with 
the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 14 to feed the sheet 
manuscript. 
If the feed operation of the sheet manuscript is started again, a 
fluorescent lamp 28 incorporated into the main body 1 and illuminating the 
manuscript becomes ON. As a result, the sheet manuscript passing along a 
stage glass 29 is exposed to light. A light image of the manuscript 
scanned by the exposed light is projected through a projecting optical 
system 30 to the photosensitive drum 14. In the present embodiment, the 
projection optical system 30 is composed of a converging optical fiber 
array. As a result, the manuscript illumination fluorescent lamp 28 may be 
composed of a slit-shaped fluorescent lamp having a high brightness and 
generating no high temperature heat, for example, and arranged near the 
manuscript scanning surface of the stage glass 29. 
The projection optical system 30 is provided at that side which is opposed 
to the fluorescent lamp 28 with a concave reflecting mirror 31 for 
illuminating the scanning surface of the stage glass 29 with a condensed 
light, thereby ensuring a required brightness and illuminating the 
scanning surface without casting a shadow thereon. 
The sheet manuscript passed over the stage glass 29 and scanned by the 
exposed light is held between a manuscript discharge driving roller 32 
adapted to be normally rotated as soon as the electric source switch 7 
shown in FIG. 1 is made ON and a driven roller 33 and discharged onto the 
manuscript discharge tray 4. 
During the lapse of time in which the sheet manuscript once stopped its 
feeding operation at the position of the second microswitch 27 is fed 
again and discharged onto the manuscript discharge tray 4, the 
photosensitive drum 14 which has completed the above mentioned preparatory 
operation is rotated in a continuous manner and the surface thereof is 
uniformly charged with a flow of corona ions directed from a corona 
discharge device 34 arranged near the periphery thereof and then 
illuminated with the light image directed from the projection optical 
system 30 to produce on the surface thereof an electrostatic latent image 
corresponding to the manuscript image. 
This electrostatic latent image is developed into a visible toned image by 
means of a developing device 35 arranged near the periphery of the 
photosensitive drum 14. In the present embodiment, the developing device 
35 makes use of a magnet brush developing system using a developing agent 
formed of two compositions. The developing device 35 comprises a container 
36 in which are arranged a magnet roller 37 rotatable in a direction shown 
by an arrow and applying toner particles to the photosensitive drum 14, a 
mixing blade 39 for mixing the toner particles with a carrier in a 
developing agent 38, a doctor blade 40 for restricting the length of 
bar-shaped developing agent 38 adhered to the magnet roller 37 and a 
scraper 41 for scraping off the developing agent 38 which has completed 
its developing action and adhered to the magnet roller 37. On the 
container 36 is detachably mounted or made integral therewith a toner 
supplying container 43 containing toner particles 42 and provided at its 
lower end with a knurled roller 44. The knurled roller 44 is rotated so as 
to supply the toner particles 42 to the developing container 36 and hence 
always maintain any desired concentration of the toner particles in the 
developing agent 38. 
In order to develop the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive 
drum 14 without deteriorating it, the carrier of the developing agent 38 
may be of one having a high resistance or the magnet roller 37 may be 
provided around its periphery with an insulating sleeve and either one of 
the magnet roller 37 and the insulating sleeve is rotated such that the 
developing agent 38 adhered to the photosensitive drum 14 is moved in a 
direction opposed to the rotating direction of the photosensitive drum 14. 
The developing device 35 may eventually be provided with a developing 
electrode. In this case, a variable developing bias voltage is applied 
between the developing electrode and the photosensitive drum 14 so as to 
control the developing concentration. 
The toned image produced on the photosensitive drum 14 by means of the 
developing device 35 is transferred at a transfer portion to a record 
sheet by means of a transfer roller 45 urged against the photosensitive 
drum 14 under a suitable pressure. The transfer roller 45 is formed of an 
electrically semiconductive resilient material. Between the transfer 
roller 45 and the photosensitive drum 14 is applied a suitable bias 
voltage having the same polarity as that of the electrostatic latent image 
for the purpose of forming an electric field which can transfer the toned 
image to the record sheet without damaging the electrostatic latent image 
on the photosensitive drum 14. 
As described above, record sheets 46 are enclosed in the cassette 12 and 
superimposed one upon the other. These record sheets 46 are fed from the 
cassette 12 one by one by means of a supply roller 47 at a timing which is 
suitable for transferring the toned image to the record sheet 46 by the 
transfer roller 45. The sheet supply roller 47 is rotatably mounted on an 
arm 49 which can rotate about a supporting shaft 48 in opposite directions 
shown by arrows and urged against the record sheet 46 in the sheet feed 
cassette 12 at the above mentioned timing so as to supply it. The main 
body 1 is provided with a record sheet detecting censor 50 for detecting 
presence or absence of the record sheet 46 in the cassette 12 mounted on 
the main body 1. The record sheet 46 supplied from the cassette 12 by 
means of the sheet supply roller 47 passes along a sheet guide 51 and is 
held between register rollers 52 and 53 which function to precisely 
correct the timing and feed speed of the record sheet 46. Then, the record 
sheet 46 passes along a sheet guide 54 and is fed between the 
photosensitive drum 14 and the transfer roller 45, thereby transferring 
the toned image produced on the photosensitive drum 14 to the record sheet 
46. 
The record sheet with the toned image transferred thereon is peeled off the 
photosensitive drum 14 by means of a peeling claw 55 and the flow of air 
sent through the duct 19 from the above mentioned fan 17. The peeled off 
record sheet passes along a sheet guide 56 and between a pair of feed 
rollers 57, 58 and through a record sheet feed path and is fed into the 
fixing devices 20, 20 arranged above and below the record sheet feed path. 
In the record sheet feed path between the transfer roller 45 and the feed 
rollers 57, 58 are arranged record sheet detecting censors 59, 59 for 
detecting a jam of the record sheet. 
As described above, as soon as the electric source switch 7 shown in FIG. 1 
is made ON, the heaters 21 of the fixing devices 20 are energized to raise 
the temperature during the above mentioned preparatory operation and 
copying operation to a sufficiently high fixing temperature by the time 
that the record sheet on which the toned image is transferred reaches to 
the fixing devices 20. Subsequently, the fixing temperature is maintained 
at a suitable value by means of a control device (not shown). The heater 
21 is composed of a resilient zigzag shaped-wire extending along the 
record sheet feed path. Such zigzag shaped-wire can absorb its thermal 
expansion by its resilient bent portion and hence is prevented from being 
hung down. 
After the fixing operation, the record sheet is discharged onto the copy 
discharge tray 13 by means of a pair of discharge rollers 60, 61. In the 
record sheet feed path between the fixing device 20 and the discharge 
rollers 60, 61 is arranged a record sheet detecting censor 62 for 
detecting jam of the record sheet. 
As soon as the electric source switch 7 shown in FIG. 1 is made ON, either 
one or both pairs of feed rollers 57, 58 and discharge rollers 60, 61 
become normally rotated. 
After the transfer step, the photosensitive drum 14 is further rotated to 
repeat the developing and transfer steps only, and as a result, a desired 
number of copies, in the present embodiment, as most 20 copies may be 
obtained on the basis of the same electrostatic latent image once produced 
on the photosensitive drum 14. In the case of obtaining a plurality of 
copies from one manuscript, the cleaning brush 16 is separated from the 
photosensitive drum 14 and the erasion lamp 15, manuscript illumination 
fluorescent lamp 28 and corona discharge device 34 are kept under their 
inoperative condition. In the present embodiment, the manuscript 
illumination fluorescent lamp 28 is made ON during a period from starting 
the feed of the manuscript to the end of one rotation of the 
photosensitive drum 14. Immediately after the last transfer step of the 
final copy of the desired number of copies, the cleaning brush 16 is 
brought into contact with the photosensitive drum 14 and the erasion lamp 
15 is made ON. As a result, the toner particles and electrostatic latent 
image remained on the photosensitive drum 14 are erased so as to ready the 
photosensitive drum 14 for the next copying step. In this case, if the 
next manuscript is not inserted into the light exposure portion 3, the 
photosensitive drum 14 is rotated for a given number of turns after the 
final transfer step and then is stopped and at the same time the rotation 
of the fan 17 is also stopped. 
During the above mentioned step of obtaining a plurality of copies, if the 
next sheet manuscript is inserted into the light exposure portion 3, this 
sheet manuscript functions in the same manner as in the case of the 
preparatory operation. That is, the front end of the sheet manuscript 
causes the first microswitch 24 to operate and is held between the 
manuscript feed driving and driven rollers 25 and 26 and then causes the 
second microswitch 27 to operate. Then, the sheet manuscript stands ready 
for completion of the step of obtaining a plurality of copies of the 
preceding manuscript. The final transfer step of obtaining a plurality of 
copies of the preceding manuscript is started and the toner particles and 
the electrostatic image remained on that part of the photosensitive drum 
14 at which the transfer step has been effected are erased by the cleaning 
brush 16 and erasing lamp 15. 
If this cleaned portion arrives at the corona discharge device 34, it 
becomes operated to uniformly charge the photosensitive drum 14. 
Meanwhile, the next sheet manuscript standing ready for its feed operation 
is fed by the manuscript feed driving and driven rollers 25 and 26 such 
that the next sheet manuscript passes over the stage glass 29 in 
synchronism with that movement of the uniformly charged portion of the 
photosensitive drum 14 which arrives at the position of the projection 
optical system 30. As a result, the next sheet manuscript is scanned by 
the exposed light in the same manner as described above. Thus, it is 
possible to obtain copies for a plurality of manuscripts without 
interruption. After the rear end of the preceding manuscript arrives at 
the light exposure portion 3, the operator can insert the next manuscript 
after a sufficient time. 
In the present embodiment, the dial 8 for determining the number of copies 
shown in FIG. 1 is of fixed one which is not automatically returned to its 
original position and the number of copies set beforehand is memorized in 
the apparatus at substantially the same time as the starting of the 
copying step. As a result, in the case of obtaining a plurality of copies 
from a plurality of manuscripts, if it is desired to change the number of 
copies from the next manuscript, it is possible to set the number of 
copies of the next manuscript when the next manuscript is waiting for its 
feed operation at the light exposure portion 3 or when the copies of the 
preceding manuscript are preparing. 
If the dial 8 for determining the number of copies is set to that number 
which is larger than the desired number of copies and the step of 
obtaining a plurality of copies is started, when the step of obtaining the 
copy corresponding to the desired order of copy is started, the stop 
button 9 shown in FIG. 1 is pushed. Then, after the end of this step of 
obtaining this copy results in the end of the step of obtaining the 
desired number of copies. 
As can be seen from the above, in the electrographic apparatus according to 
the present embodiment, if the electric electric source switch 7 is made 
ON to complete the preparatory operation required for rotating the 
photosensitive drum 14 by one turn, then it is possible to obtain one copy 
everytime the photosensitive drum is rotated by one turn. In the case of 
obtaining respective one copy from a plurality of manuscripts, if the 
manuscript from the second on is inserted into the light exposure portion 
3 before the end of one turn of the photosensitive drum 14 for the 
preceding manuscript, the manuscript from the second on once assumes a 
wait attitude and is fed as soon as the preceding manuscript completes its 
one turn to start the step of obtaining copies. As a result, in this case 
also it is possible to obtain copies without interruption. In this way, in 
the case of obtaining one copy, if the next manuscript is inserted into 
the light exposure portion after one turn of the photosensitive drum 14 
for the preceding manuscript, the copying step of this next manuscript is 
started when the front end thereof causes the second microswitch 27 to 
operate. In the case of obtaining a plurality of copies from a plurality 
of manuscripts, respectively, if the next manuscript is inserted into the 
light exposure portion 3 after the final copying step for the preceding 
manuscript, the copying step for this manuscript is started when the front 
end thereof causes the second microswitch 27 to operate. 
The above mentioned electrographic apparatus according to the invention is 
capable of obtaining any desired number of copies by passing the sheet 
manuscript only one time along the rectilinear short feed path. As a 
result, the apparatus is simple in copying operation and an opportunity of 
damaging the precious manuscript becomes extremely small. In the case of 
obtaining one copy and a plurality of copies from a plurality of sheet 
manuscripts, respectively, it is possible to obtain such number of copies 
without interruption, so that the apparatus is extremely high in 
efficiency. 
FIG. 3 shows the light exposure portion 3 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in greater 
detail. The manuscript feed driving roller 25 is composed of a plurality 
of spaced apart large diameter rollers to be described later and rotatably 
journaled in the main body 1 and connected through a clutch mechanism (not 
shown) to a driving system. The manuscript discharge driving roller 32 is 
also rotatably journaled in the main body 1, but is directly connected to 
the driving system with the clutch mechanism omitted. As described above, 
if the electric source switch 7 (FIG. 1) is made ON, the roller 32 becomes 
normally rotated. 
The manuscript feed driven roller 26 and discharge driven roller 33 are 
composed of a plurality of rollers rotatably mounted on roller shafts 70 
and 71, respectively. The roller shafts 70 and 71 are slidably engaged 
with bearing grooves 74 and 75 provided in a supporting body 73 rotatably 
mounted through a supporting shaft 72 on the main body 1. In the 
embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the supporting body 73 is composed of a 
rectangular casing open at its lower end and closed by an upper side 
manuscript guide member 77. The manuscript feed driven roller 26 and 
discharge driven roller 33 are urged against the manuscript driving roller 
25 and discharge driving roller 32 by means of a leaf spring 76 under the 
condition shown in FIG. 3. 
The supporting shaft 72 is located substantially on an extension line drawn 
from a rectilinear manuscript feed path formed by the manuscript feed 
driving and driven rollers 25 and 26 and manuscript discharge driving and 
driven rollers 32 and 33. The manuscript discharge tray 4 is provided with 
an edge 4a located at a position which is lower than the above mentioned 
extension line from the manuscript feed path by the thickness of the 
supporting body 73. As a result, if the supporting body 73 is rotated 
about the supporting shaft 72 by substantially 180.degree. to dispose it 
on the edge 4a of the manuscript discharge tray 4 as shown by dot and dash 
lines in FIG. 3, the manuscript feed driven roller 26 and discharge driven 
roller 33 are substantially aligned with the extension line drawn from the 
manuscript feed driving roller 25 and discharge driving roller 32 to 
provide a thick manuscript feed path to be described later. 
The supporting shafts 72, 72 and bearing members of the supporting body 73 
rotatably supported by the supporting shafts 72, 72 are spaced apart from 
each other as viewed in a direction perpendicular to the manuscript feed 
direction by a distance which is sufficient to permit the thick manuscript 
to pass therethrough. In the full line position shown in FIG. 3, the 
supporting body 73 is closed at its lower surface by the upper side 
manuscript guide member 77 which is spaced apart from the stage glass 29 
and from a lower side manuscript guide member 78 provided near the 
manuscript feed driving roller 25 to form a gap for defining the sheet 
manuscript feed path. The manuscript feed driven roller 26 and discharge 
driven roller 33 are projected from the upper side manuscript guide 77, so 
that in the position of the supporting body 73 shown by dot and dash lines 
in FIG. 3 the upper side manuscript guide 77 functions to prevent the 
roller shafts 70 and 71 from removing out of the bearing grooves 74 and 
75, respectively. The lower surface of the upper side manuscript guide 
member 77, that is, the surface opposed to the projection optical system 
30 when the supporting body 73 is located at the full line position shown 
in FIG. 3 is provided at least that range which corresponds to the 
effective picture surface of the projection optical system 30 with a white 
color painted portion having a reflecting power which is the same as that 
of a manuscript which is substantially white in color. The depth of the 
bearing grooves 74 and 75 from the upper side manuscript guide 77 to 
respective bases 74a and 75a are determined such that in the case of 
feeding the thick manuscript with the supporting body 73 located at the 
position shown by dot and dash lines in FIG. 3 even if the manuscript feed 
driven roller 26 and discharge driven roller 33 are pushed downwardly 
against the action of the leaf spring 76, these rollers 26 and 33 are 
slightly projected from the upper side manuscript guide 77. 
The thick manuscript feed mechanism for the electrographic apparatus 
according to the invention will now be described in greater detail with 
reference to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6. 
FIG. 4 shows the supporting body 73 rotated about the supporting shaft 72 
and disposed inside out on the edge 4a of the manuscript discharge tray 4 
so as to obtain copies of the thick manuscript. FIG. 5 shows one 
embodiment of the thick manuscript carriage adapted to dispose the thick 
manuscript thereon and carry it. FIG. 6 shows the mode of the thick 
manuscript carriage during its feeding on the manuscript feed driving 
roller 25. 
In the case of obtaining copies of the thick manuscript, the sheet 
manuscript edge guide 5 shown by dot and dash lines in FIG. 4 is slidably 
moved rearwardly as viewed in FIG. 4 to provide a thick manuscript edge 
guide 80. A method of changing over the edge guides 5 and 80 one from the 
other will be described in greater detail. Instead of slidably changing 
over the sheet manuscript edge guide 5 to the thick manuscript edge guide 
80, the sheet manuscript edge guide 5 may be removed or rotated upwardly. 
The manuscript feed driving roller 25 is composed of several short rubber 
rollers 25b spaced apart from each other and secured to a driving shaft 
25a rotatably journaled in the main body 1 and a pair of thick manuscript 
feed pinion gears 81 and 82 secured to those portions of the driving shaft 
25a which lie outside the rubber rollers 25b. The total length of the 
group of rubber rollers 25b is made one which is sufficient to feed a 
sheet manuscript having a maximum copy width allowable by the 
electrographic apparatus according to the present invention. The pinion 
gears 81 and 82 are arranged at those positions which do not prevent 
passage of the above mentioned sheet manuscript having the maximum copy 
width. 
The pinion gears 81 and 82 each has a pitch circle whose diameter is equal 
to a diameter of the rubber roller 25b. That is, if the thick manuscript 
is disposed on the thick manuscript carriage shown in FIG. 5 and fed, the 
speed of the thick manuscript is made equal to the feed speed of the sheet 
manuscript and to the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 14 (FIG. 
2). In addition, the pinion gears 81 and 82 are secured to the driving 
shaft 25a such that respective gear teeth are aligned with each other. 
A part of the outer periphery of each of the rubber rollers 25b and pinion 
gears 81, 82 for constituting the manuscript feed driving roller 25 is 
projected from the upper surface of the lower side manuscript guide 78 
through a window 78a provided therein. The rubber rollers 25b and pinion 
gears 81, 82 are projected such that the upper end of a tooth base circle 
of the pinion gears 81, 82 is aligned with the upper surface of the lower 
side manuscript guide 78 or is made slightly higher than the latter. The 
rear end of the window 78a as viewed in the feed direction of the 
manuscript is slightly bent downwardly or subjected to chamfering working 
for the purpose of preventing the front end of the sheet manuscript from 
engaging with the rear end of the window 78a. 
The lower side manuscript guide 78 is provided at its center part with a 
window 78b through which are projected actuators 24a and 27a of the first 
and second microswitches 24 and 27, respectively. 
The upper surface of the stage glass 29 is substantially aligned with the 
upper surface of the lower side manuscript guide 78. Between the upper 
surface of the stage glass 29 and the lower surface of the upper side 
manuscript guide 77 is formed the sheet manuscript feed path along which 
the sheet manuscript is fed. The upper surface of the stage glass 29 is 
located at a position which is near the lower side of the image surface of 
the projection optical system 30, that is, within a depth of field at the 
object side corresponding to the surface of the photosensitive drum 14. 
That is, the upper surface of the stage 29 is located at such position 
that when copies of the sheet manuscript are obtained there is no risk of 
out of focus being induced even when the sheet manuscript is raised from 
the upper surface of the stage glass 29 and fed along the lower surface of 
the upper side manuscript guide 77 and that when copies of the thick 
manuscript are obtained there is no risk of out of focus being induced 
even when the thick manuscript is disposed on the thick manuscript 
carriage shown in FIG. 5 and fed along a path which is higher than the 
sheet manuscript path by the thickness of the thick manuscript carriage. 
In order to prevent the front end of the sheet manuscript from catching 
the stage glass 29, that edge 29a of the stage glass 29 with which the 
manuscript makes at first contact is subjected to the chamfering working. 
In addition, the stage glass 29 is detachably mounted on the main body 1 
so as to clean the illumination fluorescent lamp 28, projection optical 
system 30, reflecting mirror 31 or the like arranged below the stage glass 
29. 
The manuscript feed driven roller 26 is opposed to the rubber roller 25b of 
the manuscript feed driving roller 25 and projected through a window 77a 
provided in the upper side manuscript guide 77. The manuscript discharge 
driven roller 33 in common with the manuscript feed driven roller 26 is 
composed of a plurality of short-rollers each projected through a window 
77b provided in the upper side manuscript guide 77. When copies of the 
sheet manuscript are obtained, the upper side manuscript guide 77 is 
provided at that portion thereof which corresponds to the window 78b 
provided in the lower side manuscript guide 78 with a window 77c. 
The front and rear edges of the upper side manuscript guide 77 as viewed in 
the manuscript feed direction are so inclined that the sheet and thick 
manuscripts can be fed in a smooth manner. 
A bearing portion 73a for rotatably supporting the supporting body 73 and 
the supporting shaft 72 are located outside the extension line drawn from 
the thick manuscript edge guide 80 as shown in FIG. 4 so as not to prevent 
the feed of the thick manuscript carriage to be described later. 
The thick manuscript carriage will now be described in greater detail with 
reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. In the present embodiment, a thick manuscript 
carriage 85 is composed of a light transmission Plate 86 adapted to 
dispose a thick manuscript thereon, raised edges 86a and 86b provided at 
both sides of the light transmission plate 86 and opposed in widthwise 
direction thereof and rack supporting edges 86c and 86d extending in 
parallel with the light transmission plate 86 and made integral with the 
raised edges 86a and 86b, respectively. All of these plate and edges are 
formed of light transmission plastics having a uniform thickness and made 
integral into one body. The rack supporting edges 86c and 86d are provided 
at their lower surfaces with racks 87 and 88 with their teeth facing 
downwardly, respectively. 
The light transmission plate 86 has a thickness t which is sufficient to 
make it mechanically strong and maintain its flatness within a range of 
the depth of field of the projection optical system 30 even when the 
manuscript surface is raised from the upper surface of the stage glass 29 
by an optical thickness of t/n where n is the refractive index of the 
light transmission plate 86. Such light transmission plate 86 may be 
formed of a transparent acryl plate having a thickness of 1 mm. 
The distance between the opposed raised edges 86a and 86b, that is, the 
width of the light transmission plate 86 is of one which permits a thick 
manuscript having a maximum copy width allowable by the electrographic 
apparatus according to the invention to be disposed thereon. 
The light transmission plate 86 is provided at one of ends in the 
lengthwise direction thereof with a raised end edge 90 for determining the 
position of the front end of the thick manuscript in its feed direction. 
The raised end edge 90 is partly broken away to form a notch 89. 
The notch 89 is located at a position which corresponds to the actuators 
24a and 27a of the first and second microswitches 24 and 27 and the base 
89a of the notch 89 is aligned with the front end of the thick manuscript 
which makes contact with the raised end edge 90. The height of the raised 
end edge 90 is so determined that when an open book, for example, is 
disposed on the light transmission plate 86 its thick cover does not make 
contact with the raised end edge 90. 
The teeth of the racks 87 and 88 are aligned with each other in a direction 
perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the light transmission plane 
86. The total length of the racks 87 and 88 is determined such that the 
racks 87 and 88 engage with the pinion gears 81 and 82, respectively, 
until the rear end of the thick manuscript having a maximum copy length 
allowed by the apparatus according to the invention passed through the 
effective picture surface of the projection optical system 30. 
The height of the teeth of the racks 87 and 88 is so determined that the 
pitch line thereof is aligned with the lower surface of the light 
transmission plane 86. 
As shown in FIG. 6, if the thick manuscript carriage 85 is disposed on the 
manuscript feed driving roller 25 so as to bring the racks 87 and 88 into 
engagement with the pinion gears 81 and 88 provided at both ends of the 
manuscript feed driving roller 25, a contact line between the rubber 
roller 25b of the manuscript feed driving roller 25 and the lower surface 
of the light transmission plate 86 is aligned with the pitch line where 
the pinion gears 81 and 82 engage with the racks 87 and 88, respectively. 
As a result, the peripheral speed of the rubber roller 25b is equal to 
that of the pitch circle of the pinion gears 81, 82, so that the thick 
manuscript carriage 85 is smoothly fed at a given speed. 
If the racks 87 and 88 are formed of plastic casting obtained by the same 
mold, it is possible to align these teeth by merely aligning one end of 
the racks 87 and 88 with the end of the rack supporting edges 86c and 86d. 
In addition, the thick manuscript carriage 85 composed of the light 
transmission plate 86, racks 87, 88, notch 89 and raised end edge 90 may 
be fomred of light transmission plastics and made integral into one body. 
The operation of obtaining copies of the thick manuscript by means of the 
above mentioned thick manuscript carriage 85 will now be described with 
reference to FIGS. 2 to 6. 
In the first place, a thick manuscript to be copied is disposed on the 
light transmission plate 86 of the thick manuscript carriage 85 with the 
manuscript surface faced downwardly and the front and side edges of the 
manuscript are brought into contact with the raised end edge 90 and side 
edge 86b, respectively. Then, the thick manuscript is urged against the 
thick manuscript carriage 85 such that the thick manuscript is closely 
adhered to substantially total surface of the light transmission plate 86. 
The thick manuscript carriage 85 is slidably moved toward the light 
exposure portion 3 while the side edge of the thick manuscript crriage 85, 
that is, the side edge of the rack 88 slightly makes contact with the 
thick manuscript edge guide 80. 
If the thick manuscript carriage 85 arrives at the light exposure portion 
3, the base 89a of the notch 89 causes the actuator 24a of the first 
microswitch 24 to push, thereby starting the rotation of the manuscript 
feed driving roller 25. Then, the racks 87 and 88 are brought into 
engagement with the pinion gears 81 nd 82, respectively, thereby starting 
the feed of the thick manuscript carriage 85. 
If the pinion gears 81, 82 cause the thick manuscript carriage 85 to feed, 
the base 89a of the notch 89 is urged against the actuator 27a of the 
second microswitch 27, thereby once stopping the feed of the carriage 85. 
Then, similar to the above described operation of obtaining copies of the 
sheet manuscript, the carriage 85 is fed again in response to the given 
timing of the copying step. At the same time, the manuscript illumination 
fluorescent lamp 28 is made ON to project the image of the thick 
manuscript disposed on the thick manuscript carriage 85 through the stage 
glass 29 and projection optional system 30 onto the photosensitive drum 
14. 
The front end of the thick manuscript carriage 85 which has passed over the 
stage glass 29 rides on the manuscript discharge driving roller 82 and is 
fed by it onto the manuscript driven roller 33 and manuscript feed driven 
roller 26 in the order as mentioned above. At this time, the rear 
half-portion of the thick manuscript is still scanned by the exposed 
light. As described above, the thick manuscript feed path composed of the 
manuscript feed driving roller 25, manuscript discharge driving roller 32, 
manuscript discharge driven roller 33 and manuscript feed driven roller 26 
makes one flat plane, so that the thick manuscript carriage 85 is 
effectively fed along this thick manuscript feed path. As a result, the 
image of the thick manuscript disposed on the thick manuscript carriage 85 
is not deviated from the depth of field of the projection optical system 
30 and hence is effectively projected onto the photosensitive drum 14. 
As described above, the thick manuscript carriage 85 is fed by mutual 
engagement between the racks 87 and 88 on the one hand and the pinion 
gears 81 and 82 on the other hand. As a result, if the thick manuscript 
carriage 85 is urged against the thick manuscript feed path under a 
pressure which is sufficient to prevent disengagement between the racks 
and the pinion gears, it is possible to feed the thick manuscript carriage 
85 in an extremely positive manner. In addition, the engagements between 
the racks 87, 88 and the pinion gears 81, 82 are effected at the left and 
right sides with respect to the feed direction of the thick manuscript 
carriage. In addition, the feed speeds at the left and right sides of the 
thick manuscript carriage are equal with each other, so that there is no 
risk of the thick manuscript carriage being inclined during its feed. The 
thick manuscript carriage 85 may be urged against the thick manuscript 
feed path under a pressure which is on the order of preventing the thick 
manuscript from floating as in the case of the conventional copying 
machines. As a result, in the case of obtaining copies of the thick 
manuscript by means of the electrographic apparatus according to the 
present invention, the operator can urge the thick manuscript against the 
thick manuscript carriage 85 for the purpose of preventing the thick 
manuscript from floating up and feed the carriage 85 in conformity with 
the operation of the electrographic aparatus, thereby effecting the 
copying operation in a positive manner. 
As described above, the electrographic apparatus according to the invention 
is capable of obtaining any desired number of copies of the manuscript by 
scanning it only one time by the exposed light. As a result, during the 
step of obtaining a plurality of copies, the apparatus as a whole is made 
light tight such that the electrostatic latent image produced on the 
photosensitive drum 14 is effectively maintained, that is, the surface of 
the photosensitive drum 14 is prevented from being illuminated with any 
exterior light. This light tight property of the apparatus can effectively 
be maintained when copies of the sheet manuscript are obtained by the 
supporting body 73 covering the light exposure portion 3. But, in the case 
of obtaining copies of the thick manuscript, the supporting body 73 is 
rotated about the supporting shaft 72 to the position shown by dot and 
dash lines in FIG. 3. As a result, after the passage of the thick 
manuscript any exterior light can pass through the projection optical 
system 30 without hindrance. As a result, there is a risk of the 
electrostatic latent image once produced on the photosensitive drum 14 
being erased by the incident exterior light. In practice, the exterior 
light on the order of indirect indoor illumination light does exert 
substantially no adverse effect upon the electrostatic latent image. But, 
a light source etc for indoor illumination arranged directly above the 
electrographic apparatus does exert a remarkably adverse effect upon the 
electrostatic latent image. 
An embodiment for obtaining a plurality of copies from a thick manuscript 
under the above mentioned condition will now be described with reference 
to FIG. 7. 
FIG. 7 shows a condition under which the thick manuscript disposed on the 
thick manuscript carriage has been scanned by the exposed light. In the 
present embodiment, the manuscript discharge tray 4 is provided at its 
front end as viewed in the feed direction of the manuscript with a stopper 
4b which makes contact with the front end of a thick manuscript carriage 
85 of a thick manuscript 91 which has been scanned by the exposed light 
and which functions to stop the feed of the thick manuscript carriage 85. 
Under such condition, the rear end portion of a light transmission plate 
86 of the thick manuscript carriage 85 is provided at that portion which 
is opposed to the stage glass 29 with a light interruption portion 9 
formed by a light interruption treatment such, for example, as a black 
paint coating. 
As a result, after the thick manuscript 91 has been scanned by the exposed 
light, the light interruption portion 92 functions to interrupt the 
incident exterior light onto the projection optical system 30. If this 
condition is maintained until the step of obtaining a plurality of copies 
is completed, the electrostatic latent image produced on the 
photosensitive drum 14 is effectively maintained, thereby obtaining any 
desired number of copies without deteriorating the picture quality. If the 
stopper 4b is too height, there is a risk of the stopper 4b being struck 
by the thick cover of books etc. and of the manuscript being displaced. As 
a result the height of the stopper 4b is made slightly higher than the 
thick manuscript carriage 85. 
As stated hereinbefore, the electrographic apparatus according to the 
invention has a number of advantages. In the first place, the apparatus is 
simple and compact in construction. Secondly, it is possible to obtain a 
plurality of copies of a sheet manuscript and thick manuscript by scanning 
such manuscript one time only by the exposed light, so that the apparatus 
can be manipulated with a high efficiency. Third, the use of substantially 
rectilinear manuscript feed path, one time exposure of light and 
obtainment of a plurality of copies ensures an extremely small rate of 
damaging the sheet manuscript. Fourth, since the manuscript feed path can 
easily be made open by rotating the supporting body 73, it is possible to 
confine the damage of the sheet manuscript to the minimum even when the 
light exposure portion 3 is clogged with the sheet manuscript. Fifth, 
since a combination of steps of obtaining copies renders it possible to 
effect the copying operation without interruption, particularly in the 
case of obtaining copies of the sheet manuscript the manuscript treatment 
becomes considerably high in efficiency if compared with the conventional 
electrographic apparatus for mainly obtaining copies of the thick 
manuscript. Sixth, even in the case of obtaining copeis of the thick 
manuscript, the thick manuscript can be fed in a simple and precise manner 
and it is possible to obtain a plurality of copies by scanning the thick 
manuscript by one time only by the exposed light in the same manner as in 
the case of the sheet manuscript, whereby the apparatus can easily be 
operated in the same manner as the conventional electrographic apparatus 
for mainly obtaining copies of the thick manuscript in general. Finally, 
the use of the actuator 24a of the first microswitch 24 for detecting the 
manuscript inserted into the light exposure portion 3 and located 
immediately before the manuscript feed driving roller 25 and its driven 
roller 26 and substantially at the center in the widthwise direction of 
the manuscript effectively prevents the sheet manuscript from being fed 
under its inclined state. That is, if the user inserts the sheet 
manuscript in a direction inclined at an angle to the manuscript feed 
driving roller 25 and driven roller 26, the actuator 24a is not pushed 
down by the sheet manuscript, so that the sheet manuscript is not held 
between the rollers 25, 26. It is possible to more efficiently prevent the 
sheet manuscript from being fed under its inclined state if the actuator 
24a is located nearer to the edge guide 5. 
The invention is not limited to the above described embodiments, but 
various modifications and alternations are possible. For example, as means 
for detecting the insertion of the sheet or thick manuscript into the 
manuscript feed path, use may be made of a photoelectric switch etc. 
instead of the microswitch. 
In addition, in the case of obtaining copies of the thick manuscript, the 
supporting body 73 has been rotated about the supporting shaft 72 and 
disposed on the edge 4a of the manuscript discharge tray 4. But, the 
supporting body 73 may be disposed on the base surface of the manuscript 
discharge tray 4 or supported by a suitable stopper. 
Alternatively, the manuscript discharge driving roller 23 composed of one 
elongate rubber roller may be composed of a plurality of short rubber 
rollers as in the case of the manuscript feed driving roller 25. 
Conversely, each of the manuscript feed driving roller 25, manuscript feed 
driven roller 26 and manuscript discharge driven roller 33 may be composed 
of an elongate rubber roller. In addition, use may be made of more than 
three pairs of the manuscript feed and discharge rollers instead of two 
pairs thereof. Similar to the manuscript feed driving roller 25, the 
manuscript discharge driving roller 32 may be provided at its each end 
with a pinion gear and hence it is possible to feed the thick manuscript 
carriage 85 with the aid of two pairs of pinion gears. The use of the two 
pairs of pinion gears ensures a reduction of the length of the racks 87 
and 88 of the thick manuscript carriage 85. In this case, the pinion gears 
are required to be secured to the manuscript discharge driving roller 32 
such that the teeth of the pinion gears are so adjusted in direction with 
respect to the teeth of the pinion gears 81 and 82 of the manuscript feed 
driving roller 25 that the racks 87 and 88 can correctly engage with these 
pinion gears. 
FIG. 8A shows an edge guide 5 detachably mounted on the manuscript carriage 
2. In the present embodiment, instead of changing over the sheet 
manuscript edge guide 5 to the thick manuscript edge guide 80 by slidably 
displacing the former to the latter, the edge guide 5 is removed to 
provide the thick manuscript edge guide 80 as shown in FIG. 8B. 
FIG. 9A shows an edge guide 5 rotatably mounted on the manuscript carriage 
2. In the present embodiment, the edge guide 5 is rotated upwardly about a 
supporting shaft 5' to provide the thick manuscript edge guide 80 as shown 
in FIG. 9B. 
In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 8A and 9A, the edge guide 5 is square in 
section. 
FIG. 10A shows an edge guide 5 which is L-shaped in section. In the present 
embodiment, the edge guide is also rotated upwardly about the supporting 
shaft 5' to provide the thick manuscript edge guide 80 as shown in FIG. 
10B. 
In addition, the feed mechanism for the thick manuscript carriage 85 may be 
composed of a pair of rack and pinion gear instead of two pairs of racks 
and pinion gears as described in the previous embodiment. 
The racks 87, 88 may be arranged along the side surface of the thick 
manuscript carriage 85 and the corresponding pinion gears 81, 82 may be 
arranged at the side surfaces of the light exposure portion 3 or 
supporting body 73. In this case also, use may be made of a pair of rack 
and pinion gear. Instead of using the rack-pinion gears, use may be made, 
for example, of a rack-helical gear, perforation-sprocket wheel, magent 
tape-magnet roller and the like. In addition, instead of using the 
seamless photosensitive drum 14, use may be made of a seamed 
photosensitive drum or screen photosensitive body for the purpose of 
effecting operation of obtaining desired copies. In this case, it is 
preferable to control each operation by means of a signal emitted in 
synchronism with the rotation of the photosensitive body. 
In the case of obtaining copies of the thick manuscript, the supporting 
body 73 may be removed from the manuscript feed path or may be rotated 
toward a direction perpendicular to the manuscript feed direction. In 
addition, the supporting body 73 may be rotated toward the manuscript 
carriage 2 so as to provide a rectilinear thick manuscript feed path. 
Alternatively, the manuscript feed driven roller 26 and manuscript 
discharge driven roller 33 may be composed of driving rollers as in the 
case of the manuscript feed driving roller 25 and manuscript discharge 
driving roller 32, that is, all of the rollers may be composed of driving 
rollers. Conversely, the rollers 26 and 33 provided for the supporting 
body 73 may be composed of driving rollers. 
Alternatively, the thick manuscript carriage 85 may be constructed such 
that it can hold the peripheral edge of the thick manuscript.