Electrophotography – Document handling – Original
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-01
2001-11-20
Brase, Sandra (Department: 2852)
Electrophotography
Document handling
Original
C399S367000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06321064
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a document feeding apparatus and more particularly relates to a document feeding apparatus for supplying a document from a paper feeding tray on a platen glass of an image processing apparatus such as an electrophotographic reproducing machine and an image scanner, reading an image of the document on the platen glass, and then delivering the document to a paper delivery tray.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is publicly known to use a document feeding apparatus so-called as an automatic document feeder (ADF) in order to supply automatically a document to a document reading portion in an image forming apparatus such as an electrophograhic reproducing machine.
The necessity of a document feeding apparatus capable of processing dual-surface documents has been recently increased.
Such a dual-surface document feeding apparatus is described in the Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 175279/95, for example. The document feeding apparatus has first and second modes. In the first mode, a one-sided document is delivered directly to a paper delivery tray after one side surface of the document is read. In the second mode, a dual-surface document is once fed through a document feeding path to the paper delivery tray after a first surface of the document is read, returned from the paper delivery tray, and then fed again to the document feeding path through a duplex feeding path. Then, the dual-surface document is fed again to the paper delivery tray after a second surface of the document is read, returned from the paper delivery tray, fed again to the document feeding path through the duplex feeding path, and delivered to the paper delivery tray so that the dual-surface documents are stacked one by one on the tray in regular sequence in page order, with the first surface of the documents on the underside. Specifically, the dual-surface document is circulated by a roller for delivering the document to the entrance of the paper delivery tray and for reversing the inside and outside of the document, and by the duplex feeding path for feeding the document from the paper delivery tray to the document feeding path. Further, the dual-surface document is reversed by said roller, and delivered to the paper delivery tray by said roller through a path which has been used for the document whose second surface is read.
However, in the conventional document feeding apparatus as mentioned above, the document must be passed three times through the document reading portion, if the document is a dual-surface document and the documents are stacked one by one on the paper delivery tray in regular sequence in page order. In this case, in the last time of the passing of the document, the document must be passed through the reading portion in spite of the fact that it is not necessary to read the document at the reading portion. As a result the document reading portion becomes dirty, errors occur in image reading, and cleaning of the document reading portion is required frequently.
Further, the document must be passed through the document reading portion after the reading of the document has been completed, and no succeeding document can be fed, so that the processing time of the dual-surface document cannot be shortened.
Furthermore, in such a conventional document feeding apparatus, the paper delivery tray is arranged directly below the paper feeding tray, and the documents are delivered to the same paper delivery tray irrespective the document size, so that a document of short length delivered on the paper delivery tray may be difficult to find because the document is hidden by the paper feeding tray. In addition, the document may be hard to take out because the document is covered by the paper feeding tray.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59466/83 discloses a document feeding apparatus having two paper delivery trays arranged up and down, wherein an interruption copied document is delivered to an extra paper delivery tray. However, this document feeding apparatus has such a problem that the recognition and taking out of the document delivered to the paper delivery tray of the lower stage are disturbed by the paper delivery tray of the upper stage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a document feeding apparatus in which the document reading portion is prevented from being soiled, the feeding and handling time of the dual-surface document can be shortened, and the document delivered in the paper delivery tray can be recognized easily and taken out easily, while solving the above mentioned defects of the conventional document feeding apparatus.
The above-described object is achieved in the present invention by a document feeding apparatus comprising a paper feeding tray on which a document is placed, a transfer unit that transfers the document placed on the paper feeding tray to a reading position, a paper delivery tray for receiving the document from said reading position, a platen cover for a platen glass of an image processing device, a first paper delivery port for delivering to said paper delivery tray a document whose length in the transfer direction of the document is shorter than a predetermined value, and a second paper delivery port for delivering to said paper delivery tray a document whose length in the transfer direction of the document is longer than the predetermined value, wherein said reading position, said second paper delivery port, and said first paper delivery port are arranged in order with a space therebetween in the transfer direction of the document.
Further, the above-described object is achieved by a document feeding apparatus comprising a paper feeding tray, a transfer unit that transfers a document placed on the paper feeding tray to a reading position, at least two paper delivery trays for receiving the document from said reading position, and a platen cover for a platen glass of an image processing device, wherein said paper delivery trays are positioned above said platen cover, and a paper delivery path for delivering the document to one of said paper delivery trays is formed between the other of said paper delivery trays and said platen cover.
The above and other objects as well as advantageous features of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the appended claims, and the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5296908 (1994-03-01), Hatano et al.
patent: 5430536 (1995-07-01), Fullerton et al.
patent: 5515153 (1996-05-01), Tokunoh
patent: 5791645 (1998-08-01), Takada
patent: 5839044 (1998-11-01), Taruki
patent: 6081688 (2000-06-01), Okada et al.
patent: 58-59466 (1983-04-01), None
patent: 7-175279 (1995-07-01), None
Iino Makoto
Kawano Masanobu
Mizubata Tsuyoshi
Shida Toshio
Watanabe Yasuhito
Brase Sandra
Frishauf, Holtz Goodman, Langer & Chick, P.C.
Konica Corporation
LandOfFree
Document feeding apparatus does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Document feeding apparatus, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Document feeding apparatus will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2575558