Sheet feeding or delivering – Feeding – Separators
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-06
2003-04-22
Walsh, Donald P. (Department: 3651)
Sheet feeding or delivering
Feeding
Separators
C271S121000, C271S137000, C271S167000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06550761
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic paper feeder, and more particularly to an integrated paper presser and stopper for an automatic paper feeder.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An automatic paper feeder is frequently included in various kinds of office automation equipment, such as image-scanning device, photocopier, printer, etc., so that paper sheets to be scanned, copied or printed could be automatically separated and fed via the automatic paper feeder.
FIG. 1
illustrates a scanner
1
and a conventional automatic paper feeder
2
associated therewith. The scanner
1
is internally provided with an optical scanning module
11
, a pair of guide bars
12
, and related optical components, such as focusing lens, image sensor, driving mechanism, etc. The optical scanning module
11
is moved along the guide bars
12
under control of a control circuit of the scanner
1
, and a sheet of paper
3
to be scanned is fed with the automatic paper feeder
2
for image scanning.
FIG. 2
shows an internal structure of the automatic paper feeder
2
of FIG.
1
. The automatic paper feeder
2
mainly includes a paper tray
21
, a paper feeding roller
22
, a paper pressing plate
23
, a stopping plate
24
, a paper separating mechanism
25
, and a paper separating plate
26
. Paper sheets
3
to be fed are stacked on the paper tray
21
and held in place under a pressure applied by the paper pressing plate
23
on the paper sheets
3
. Meanwhile, lower ends of the stacked paper sheets
3
are positioned against the stopping plate
24
. A main function of the paper separating mechanism
25
is to provide a proper gap between the stopping plate
24
and the paper feeding roller
22
and to apply a proper pressure against the paper separating plate
26
.
When the paper feeding roller
22
rotates, it brings a lowermost sheet of paper
3
in the paper tray
21
to move in a direction indicated by arrow I toward the gap between the paper feeding roller
22
and the paper separating plate
26
. In the event two or more sheets of paper
3
are fed toward the gap, a difference between the friction coefficients of the paper feeding roller
22
and the paper separating plate
26
would allow only the paper in contact with the paper feeding roller
22
to move through the gap. Therefore, the stacked paper sheets
3
could be separately fed for scanning one by one.
In the conventional automatic paper feeder
2
having the above-described structure, separated paper pressing plate
23
and stopping plate
24
are provided to compressively hold and stop, respectively, paper sheets
3
stacked on the paper tray
21
. These two components are mounted in the automatic paper feeder
2
through their respective fixing mechanisms, and therefore complicate the structure of the automatic paper feeder
2
.
Number of paper sheets
3
stacked on the paper tray
21
varies depending on actual needs. When there are more sheets of paper
3
stacked on the paper tray
21
for subsequent process, more units of stopping plate
24
might be required to stop the stacked paper sheets
3
at different stages. However, the automatic paper feeder would become more complicate in its structure and assembling when several stopping plates
24
are to be included in its very limited internal space.
Therefore, it is desirable to develop a paper pressing and stopping structure that does not complicate the whole structure of the automatic paper feeder and the assembling thereof.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A primary object of the present invention is to provide an integrated paper presser and stopper for an automatic paper feeder, so that a reduced space is needed in the automatic paper feeder to effectuate the functions of pressing and stopping paper sheets stacked on the paper tray.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an integrated paper presser and stopper for automatic paper feeder that may include increased number of paper stopping sections to achieve enhanced paper stopping effect when there are a large amount of paper sheets stacked on the paper tray. The provision of multiple paper stopping sections on a one-piece paper presser and stopper also reduces difficulties in subsequent separation of paper sheets.
To achieve the above and other objects, the structure according to the present invention mainly includes a fixing section, a paper pressing section downward extended from the fixing section at an inclined angle toward a paper-out end of the paper tray, a first bent section formed at a lower end of the paper pressing section to define a first gap, a paper stopping section downward extended from the first bent section at an inclined angle toward the pauper-out end of the paper tray, and a second bent section formed at a lower end of the paper stopping section to define a second gap which is smaller than the first gap. Preferably, a torsional elastic element is further associated with the fixing section to provide the integrated paper presser and stopper with a compression stress.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5044622 (1991-09-01), Cattin
patent: 5350168 (1994-09-01), Sheridan
patent: 5499807 (1996-03-01), Nakamura et al.
patent: 5570876 (1996-11-01), Samii
patent: 5573338 (1996-11-01), Morikawa et al.
Bower Kenneth W
Rosenberg , Klein & Lee
Umax Data Systems Inc.
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