Miscellaneous hardware (e.g. – bushing – carpet fastener – caster – Hinge – Including means to hold or retard hinged members against...
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-10
2004-02-03
Knight, Anthony (Department: 3676)
Miscellaneous hardware (e.g., bushing, carpet fastener, caster,
Hinge
Including means to hold or retard hinged members against...
C016S325000, C016S335000, C016S286000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06684456
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of Korean Application No. 01-82249, filed Dec. 21, 2001, in the Korean Industrial Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic document or paper feeder (referred to below as an automatic document feeder) applied to office machines such as a multifunction printer, a facsimile machine, a copier, etc., and more particularly, to a hinge apparatus to open and close an upper member such as the automatic document feeder used in the office machine, which can prevent the upper member from unexpectedly closing during the opening thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, an office machine such as a facsimile machine, a multifunction printer and the like comprises a scanning apparatus to scan data recorded in a document, a facsimile apparatus to transmit the scanned data or receive data through a communication circuit, and a printing apparatus to print or output the scanned data, the data received through the communication circuit, or data inputted from a computer on a printing paper. Among these components, the scanning apparatus is an apparatus essential to transmit the data recorded in the document through the communication circuit or print them on the printing paper.
Referring to
FIG. 1
, there is illustrated a general scanning apparatus
1
which is used in an office machine such as a multifunction printer, a facsimile machine, and the like. The scanning apparatus
1
comprises an automatic document feeder
2
to automatically transport a document D into the inside thereof. The automatic document feeder
2
has a document-storing frame
5
to store the document D disposed at an upper part of the office machine and pick-up and transport rollers
6
and
6
′ to pick up and transport the document D, a scanner
8
to read data from the document D transported through the automatic document feeder
2
, a white roller
8
′ to make the document D come into contact with the scanner
8
, and a document-discharging part
9
to discharge the document D transported through the scanner
8
and the white roller
8
′ to the outside of the document feeder
2
.
As illustrated in
FIG. 2
, in the automatic document feeder
2
, the components therein are generally disposed to be opened and closed by two hinge apparatuses
10
and
10
′ mounted between a lower frame
3
of the automatic document feeder
2
and a main frame
4
of the main body of the office machine, so that attaching and detaching the document feeder
2
to and from the main body of the office machine or removing a jam generated therein during scanning of document can be easily carried out.
As illustrated in
FIG. 3
, FIG.
4
and
FIG. 5
, a conventional hinge apparatus
10
or
10
′ comprises a fixing frame
16
having projected brackets
19
and
19
′ secured with screws
20
and
20
′ on fixing bosses
14
and
14
′ formed at one side of a lower surface of the lower frame
3
of the automatic document feeder
2
, a hinge body
26
inserted and settled in mounting grooves
41
and
41
′ formed at the main frame
4
and having supporting guides
27
and
27
′ projected upward from both sides of an upper part thereof, and a hinge shaft
11
having a fixing end
12
extended through a penetrated bore
18
of the fixing frame
16
and support holes
28
and
28
′ in the supporting guides
27
and
27
′ and then secured with an C-shaped ring
36
to rotatably support the fixing frame
16
and the hinge body
26
with respect to each other.
To prevent the automatic document feeder
2
from unexpectedly falling and closing by its own gravity when it is opened, the hinge apparatus
10
or
10
′ is provided with a position-fixing member. The position-fixing member is composed of a position-fixing cam
17
integrally formed with the fixing frame
16
and having a penetrated bore
18
to receive the hinge shaft
11
and cam surfaces
21
,
21
′ and
22
, a position-fixing plate
23
to maintain a position of the fixing frame
16
and guiding a movement thereof by engaging with the cam surfaces
21
,
21
′ and
22
of the position-fixing cam
17
, and an elastic spring
25
to elastically press the position-fixing plate
23
against the position-fixing cam
17
.
The cam surfaces
21
,
21
′ and
22
of the position-fixing cam
17
include first and second fixing cam surfaces
21
and
21
′ formed as flat surfaces and a guide cam surface
22
formed as a curved surface. An upper surface of the position-fixing plate
23
is formed into a flat surface, so that it can be in face-to-face contact with the first and second fixing cam surfaces
21
and
21
′ to restrain the movement of the fixing frame
16
when engaged therewith and in sliding contact with the guide cam surface
22
when engaged therewith.
Also, the position-fixing plate
23
and the elastic spring
25
are inserted and supported in a receiving opening
29
formed between the supporting guides
27
and
27
′ of the hinge body
26
, and the receiving opening
29
at a lower part thereof is stopped with a support cover
31
having a protrusion
32
to support the elastic spring
25
. The support cover
31
is fixed to the hinge body
26
by screws
33
and
33
′.
Operation of the hinge apparatus
10
and
10
′ described above will now be explained.
As illustrated in
FIG. 4
, assuming that the lower frame
3
of the automatic document feeder
2
is closed against the main frame
4
of the main body, the position-fixing plate
23
is positioned in the position engaged with the first cam surface
21
of the position-fixing cam
17
by the elastic spring
25
to maintain the lower frame
3
in a closed position.
In this state, when one side end of the lower frame
3
is separated from the main frame
4
and raised by a user, for example, to remove a jammed document, the position-fixing cam
17
is rotated counterclockwise about the hinge shaft
11
supported in the support holes
28
and
28
′ of the supporting guides
27
and
27
′, and thereby the position-fixing plate
23
is separated from the first cam surface
21
of the position-fixing cam
17
and slid to come into contact with the curved guide cam surface
22
.
When the lower frame
3
of the automatic document feeder
2
is further rotated and almost vertically positioned, the position-fixing plate
23
is engaged with the second fixing cam surface
21
′. At this time, since the upper surface of the position-fixing plate
23
and the second fixing cam surface
21
′ are elastically engaged with each other with the aid of the elastic spring
25
by a nip on the top of the position-fixing plate
23
having a certain length and width, the automatic document feeder
2
is prevented from freely falling and closing as long as there is no external force applied thereto. Thereafter, when an end of the fixing frame
16
is engaged with a corresponding side face of the hinge body
26
, the lower frame
3
is not rotated any longer and the automatic document feeder
2
is maintained in an opened position.
Operation of closing the automatic document feeder
2
is carried out in the reverse order to the operation explained above.
However, to solve problems such as when the automatic document feeder
2
is unexpectedly closed during opening thereof, the conventional hinge apparatus
10
and
10
′ as explained above should have the structure such that the elastic spring
25
presses the position-fixing plate
23
against the position-fixing cam
17
having the cam surfaces
21
and
21
′,
22
in the form of curved and flat surfaces, i.e., the structure such that the elastic spring
25
entirely prevents the automatic document feeder
2
from unexpectedly falling and closing by its own weight. Accordingly, the elastic spring
25
should be designed to have an elastic fo
Boswell Christoopher J.
Knight Anthony
LandOfFree
Hinge apparatus to open and close an upper member used in an... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Hinge apparatus to open and close an upper member used in an..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Hinge apparatus to open and close an upper member used in an... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3323830