Paper mixing preventing apparatus

Abstract

Disclosed is a paper mixing preventing apparatus which prevents a paper sheet stacked on a paper buffering unit, a paper arranging unit, or a stacker tray on a paper feeing path and a succeeding feeding sheet from being out of sequence. A lower unit and an upper unit are installed between a stacked paper sheet and the succeeding paper sheet. A pressing plate of the upper unit and the support plate of the lower unit move, so the support plate of the lower unit is rotated together with the pressing plate to prevent the succeeding paper sheet from being damaged. The associated movements of the lower unit and the upper unit are released at a position where the pressing plate of the upper unit is moved, and the lower unit primarily returns to its initial state and the upper unit returns to its initial state subsequently.

1 . A paper mixing preventing apparatus comprising:
 a lower unit including a first shaft, a support plate fixed to the first shaft, and a lever supported by at least one end of the first shaft and configured to move in association with a rotation direction of the first shaft; and   an upper unit including a second shaft installed parallel to the first shaft, a pressing plate fixed to the second shaft and disposed on a side facing the support plate of the lower unit, and a lever pushing member installed in the pressing plate,   wherein the support plate of the lower unit is rotated about the first shaft by a predetermined angle by a contact between the lever pushing member and the lever when the pressing plate of the upper unit is rotated about the second shaft, and   wherein the contact between the lever of the lower unit and the lever pushing member of the upper unit is released if the pressing plate of the upper unit is rotated by more than a predetermined angle so that the upper unit returns to an initial state thereof after the lower unit primarily returns to an initial state thereof.   
     
     
         2 . The paper mixing preventing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein one of a paper buffering unit, a paper arranging unit, and a stacker tray is installed under the lower unit. 
     
     
         3 . The paper mixing preventing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the lever of the lower unit is movably supported in a central axis direction of the first shaft, and the lever pushing member makes contact with a side surface of the lever of the lower unit and returns to an initial state thereof while pushing the side surface of the lever when the upper unit returns to an initial state thereof. 
     
     
         4 . The paper mixing preventing apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the lever pushing member and the side surface of the lever are inclined with respect to each other. 
     
     
         5 . The paper mixing preventing apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein a lower surface of the lever pushing member makes contact with an upper surface of the lever when the lever pushing member is located at an upper portion of the lever, and the inclined surface of the lever pushing member and the inclined surface of the lever make contact with each other when the lever pushing member is located at a lower portion of the lever. 
     
     
         6 . The paper mixing preventing apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the lever is resiliently supported by a resilient member so as to be movable in a central axis direction of the first axis. 
     
     
         7 . The paper mixing preventing apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein a paper detecting sensor is installed on a rear side of the lower unit to detect a paper sheet being fed, the upper unit is driven by a signal of the paper detecting sensor, the pressing plate of the upper unit presses a rear end of the paper sheet being fed and the support plate of the lower unit is rotated in association with the pressing operation of the pressing plate so as not to interfere with the pressing operation of the pressing plate with respect to the rear end of the paper sheet. 
     
     
         8 . The paper mixing preventing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the lower unit returns to an initial state by a resilient member. 
     
     
         9 . The paper mixing preventing apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the resilient member is a spring. 
     
     
         10 . The paper mixing preventing apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the resilient member is a spring.