Programmable, mechanical system for feeding cut sheet paper to a printer

摘要

A mechanical system for feeding cut sheet paper to a printer from one of several cassettes. A mechanical selector is mounted in each cassette so that it can drive a paper feed roll mounted in that cassette. The cassettes include insert guides which allow each cassette to be replaceably mounted in at least one side rail secured on the printer. The side rail has guides that receive and automatically locate each cassette on the printer with a simple "drop in" engagement. The side rail supports a gear train or an equivalent power transmission arrangement that has a common drive and extends to all of the cassettes. A power input gear of each selector engages an associated gear of the gear train. The selectors each include a combination mechanism that allows the selector to transmit power only after the drive shaft has supplied a programmed pattern of rotations and counter-rotations to the selectors. A unique association between the programmed pattern of rotations and the selection of a given cassette is established either by varying the "combinations" of the selectors or by using the same combination but varying the gear ratio between the drive shaft and the power input gear of the selector.