Electrophotography – Document handling – Original
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-17
2004-03-30
Chen, Sophia S. (Department: 2852)
Electrophotography
Document handling
Original
C399S367000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06714757
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium. In particular, the present invention relates to an image reading apparatus that supports both of a flow reading method and an original fixing method and has a size that is smaller than that of a conventional one, and relates to an image forming apparatus equipped with this image reading apparatus. Also, the present invention relates to an image reading apparatus that is capable of increasing productivity by preventing the occurrence of a time that is unnecessarily consumed to move an image reading means, and relates to an image forming apparatus equipped with this image reading apparatus.
2. Related Background Art
Conventionally, there has been used an image forming apparatus that reads an image recorded on an original (reads the original) and forms this read image on a recording medium such as recording paper. As a method for reading the original, there have been known so-called flow reading method and original fixing method.
With the flow reading method, a contact image sensor (hereinafter referred to as the “CIS”) or the like for reading an original is fixed below an original base glass and the original is moved to pass through a region (a reading region) of this original base glass above the CIS, thereby reading the original using the CIS. On the other hand, with the original fixing method, an original is abutted against an original abutting board formed in the vicinity of one end portion of the original base glass, and the original is placed on the original base glass. The CIS is moved in a predetermined reading direction under this condition, thereby reading the original.
Image forming apparatuses that are capable of performing the flow reading method are classified into a type where a conveying member for conveying an original is arranged on the entire upper surface of an original base glass and a type where a sheet feeding unit for feeding an original to a reading region is arranged in one end portion of an original base glass. In the case of the type where there is used this sheet feeding unit, it is not required to arrange a conveying member on the entire upper surface of the original base glass, whereby weight reduction is realized.
A conventional example of the image forming apparatus of the type where the sheet feeding unit described above is used will be described with reference to FIG.
10
.
FIG. 10
is a schematic diagram showing an example of the conventional image forming apparatus.
The image forming apparatus
10
is broadly divided into a reading portion
20
for reading an original and an image forming portion
100
for forming an image read by this reading portion
20
on a recording medium.
The reading portion
20
includes an automatic original feeding unit
30
having an original placing tray
32
on which an original is placed, a plurality of conveying rollers
34
for conveying the original placed on the original placing tray
32
to a reading region
22
in which the original is to be read, and an original discharging tray
36
on which the original having passed through the reading region
22
is placed. In the reading region
22
, there is arranged a platen glass
24
above which the original passes. Also, a CIS
26
is arranged below the platen glass
24
. The original placed on the original placing tray
32
is fed to the reading region
22
by the plurality of conveying rollers
34
, is read by the CIS
26
while passing through the reading region
22
, and is discharged to the original discharging tray
36
while being guided by a conveying guide base
38
.
The image forming apparatus
10
is also equipped with an original base glass
40
for fixing and reading an original. Also, an original abutting board
42
, against which an original placed on the original base glass
40
is abutted, is arranged in the vicinity of one end portion of the original base glass
40
. In the case where the original is read with the original fixing method described above, a user abuts the original against the original abutting board
42
to position the original on the original base glass
40
, and the original is read by moving the CIS
26
in a reading direction (a direction indicated by an arrow E).
The original read with the flow reading method or the original fixing method in the manner described above is formed on a recording medium in the image forming portion
100
arranged below the original base glass
40
. A construction of this image forming portion
100
will be described later with reference to FIG.
10
.
In the image forming apparatus
10
described above, the conveying guide base
38
becomes an indispensable construction element in the case of the flow reading method and the original abutting board
42
becomes an indispensable construction element in the case of the original fixing method. The conveying guide base
38
and the platen glass
24
are arranged outside of the original abutting board
42
so as to avoid the original abutting board
42
. Consequently, the platen glass
24
for performing a flow reading operation is provided separately from the original base glass
40
, thereby the size of the image forming apparatus
10
is increased accordingly.
Also, in a conventional image reading apparatus that reads an image of an original fed by such an automatic original feeding apparatus and in an image forming apparatus equipped with this image reading apparatus, an image reading unit
1106
is ordinarily positioned at a stand-by position for performing a leftward fixed reading operation indicated by a broken line in FIG.
11
. In the case where a flow reading operation is performed, it is required to move the image reading unit from this stand-by position to a rightward predetermined reading position indicated by a solid line in this drawing. Consequently, in the case where a flow reading operation is performed, a redundant time is consumed to move the image reading unit
1106
from the stand-by position to the reading position, which elongates an image reading operation start time for the first sheet.
In view of this problem, in order to shorten the image reading operation start time for the first sheet, for instance, there is proposed a construction where before a user performs an operation to designate the start of a reading operation, when an original S is placed on an original placing tray
1102
of the automatic original feeding apparatus, a sensor
1104
detects this situation and the image reading unit
1106
starts to move from a stand-by position to a reading position in advance on the basis of a detection signal from this sensor
1104
.
However, with this method, once the original S is set on the original placing tray
1102
, the image reading unit
1106
starts to move. Consequently, in the case where the user of the apparatus erroneously places an original on the original placing tray
1102
and the original should be placed on an original base glass
1127
, or in the case where a reading operation is performed by directly placing the original S on the original base glass
1127
after an original reading operation that uses the automatic original feeding apparatus is performed, it becomes impossible to start the reading operation until the image reading unit
1106
returns to the stand-by position.
That is, there occurs a time that is unnecessarily consumed to move the image reading unit
1106
. Also, in the case where there occurs such a time that is unnecessarily consumed to move the image reading unit, the productivity of the image forming apparatus is decreased.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the circumstances described above, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that supports both of a flow reading method and an original fixing method and also has a size that is smaller than that of a conventional one.
Also, the present invention has been made in view of the stated current circumstances, and another object of the present inve
Amagai Yoshihide
Kitan Tomonori
Yukinari Kenichi
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