Abstract:
A sheet feeding apparatus including a resilient rotatable separator roller which includes a radial cut permitting radial attachment and detachment from a rotatable shaft. A fixing device is provided for fixing the roller to the shaft.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to the improvement of a paper feeding means in a copying machine or the like. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Conventional paper feeding means of copying machine or the like, generally include a number of notched friction rollers which are attached to a rotatable shaft and which are brought into pressure contact with the upper surface of a pile of papers for forwarding with the upper-most positioned paper. In order to replace such a notched friction roller when it is abraded it is necessary to detach the bearing of the rotatable shaft. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to in a paper feeding means comprising a rotatable shaft and at least one of notched friction roller being attached to said shaft, being brought into contact at pressure with the upper surface of a pile of paper and forwarding the upper-most positioned paper, which said notched friction roller is attached said rotatable shaft so that said roller can be attached to the detached from the shaft by being moved in the radial direction of the shaft. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front view of the essential part of an electrophotographic copying machine to which the invention pertains, 
     FIG. 2 to FIG. 4 are perspective views respectively showing the essential parts of an embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are perspective views respectively showing the essential parts of another embodiment of the invention and 
     FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are a perspective view and a vertical side sectional view respectively showing a modification of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a paper feeding tray; 2 is a paper loading plate upwardly biased by a spring; 3 is a pile of copy papers placed on the paper loading plate; 4 is a notched friction roller coming into contact at pressure with a pile of papers 3 and forwarding the upper-most positioned paper; 5 is a rotatable shaft equipped with notched friction roller 4; 6 is a swing-arm for making rotatable shaft 5 upward to a position where notched friction roller 4 is not brought into contact at pressure with a pile of papers 3 when the papers are not fed; and M represents a driving source for rotatable shaft 5. In the present invention, notched friction roller 4 is constituted so that it is mounted to rotatable shaft 5 from the radial direction thereof, and is also attachable to and detachable from said rotatable shaft without detaching said shaft 5. 
     FIG. 2 to FIG. 4 respectively show a notched friction roller 4, of the present invention. The roller 4 is diametrically cut in half to form halves 4a, 4a&#39;, of frictional material such as natural rubber or synthesized rubber surrounding respective a portions of a boss 4b, 4b&#39;. The boss 4b, 4b&#39; is made of a rigid material such as metal or hard plastic, and is cut in half on the diametrical surface. Thereof the portions of the bosses 4b and 4b&#39; protruding from roller portions 4a 4a&#39; have washer based holes provided therein at the positions corresponding to each other to receive screw 4c and an unillustrated nut for uniting the halved roller portions 4a and 4a&#39; together. On the rotatable shaft 5 to be equipped with said notched friction roller 4, a through hole 5a in which screw 4c can be screwed is provided at the position where notched friction roller 4 is equipped thereto. The notched friction roller 4 is then fitted to rotatable shaft 5 so that the halves 4a and 4a&#39; are arranged with said rotatable shaft 5 therebetween them and the washer based holes of bosses 4b and 4b&#39; coinciding in position with the through hole 5a of rotatable shaft 5, and so that screw 4c and the nut can be screwed in the washer based holes, and thus the halves can be united in a body around shaft 5. If the joining surfaces of the resilient roller portions 4a 4a&#39; are cemented by a binding agent, the joined surfaces are not separated from each other at all during use. 
     FIG. 5 to FIG. 8 respectively show a notched friction roller 14 made of elastically frictional material which is only partically cut in half on the diametrical surface thereof. In said notched friction roller, 14 rotatable shaft 5 can be fit into the axle hole by broadening the cut surface of said roller 14 as shown in FIG. 5. On the end surface of notched friction roller 14 and on each side of the cut surfaces thereof, hole 4d is respectively provided in parallel with the axle, and shaft 5a screw hole 5b is provided at the position on rotatable shaft 5 where the notched friction roller 14 is to be mounted. Accordingly, fork-shape protrusions 4g of shaft fixing member 4f which is made of a rigid material, are fitted in respective holes 4d of notched friction roller 14 the shaft fixing member 4f has fixing portion 4l which faces against rotatable shaft 5, and which is fixed to rotatable shaft 5 by screw 14c, passing through hole 5b and a hole in portion 4h. Thus the notched friction roller is mounted to shaft 5. FIG. 6 shows an embodiment, wherein fixing member 4f is in the shape of letter z, and is screwed down to rotatable shaft 5 on the side thereof which is inserted into holes 4d FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 respectively show another embodiment, wherein the shaft fixing member 4f&#39; is forms in the shape of   and the shaft fixing member is inserted and the screwing down is made on the opposite side to the inserted side. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, there may be a danger of shifting of notched friction roller 14 away from fixing member 4f, and to the contrary, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, there is no danger of shifting of roller 14 because said notched friction roller 14 is prevented from shifting by the head of lock screw 4c and by the vertical portion of fixing member 4f&#39;. In addition, the protruded portions of and 4f&#39; fixing member 4f prevent the cut surfaces of notched friction roller 14 from separating and prevents slippage between rotatable shaft 5 and said notched friction roller 14. As described above, according to the present invention, notched friction roller can easily be removed from the rotatable shaft without detaching the rotatable shaft.