U.S. patent application number 11/483717 was filed with the patent office on 2007-01-18 for paper feeding mechanism capable of automatically adjusting paper-feeding angle.
This patent application is currently assigned to Avision Inc.. Invention is credited to Chih-Jen Tsai.
Application Number | 20070013123 11/483717 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37613180 |
Filed Date | 2007-01-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070013123 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Tsai; Chih-Jen |
January 18, 2007 |
Paper feeding mechanism capable of automatically adjusting
paper-feeding angle
Abstract
A paper feeding mechanism capable of automatically adjusting a
paper-feeding angle applied in an electronic apparatus is provided.
The electronic apparatus includes a casing. The paper feeding
mechanism is used for feeding a piece of paper into the casing. The
paper feeding mechanism includes a tray and an elastomer. The tray
is rotatably connected to the casing. The elastomer is disposed in
the tray and reaches the casing for supporting the tray. The
elastomer is deformed according to the paper load, and drives the
tray to rotate with respect to the casing, so that the
paper-feeding angle is automatically adjusted.
Inventors: |
Tsai; Chih-Jen; (Taitung,
TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BIRCH STEWART KOLASCH & BIRCH
PO BOX 747
FALLS CHURCH
VA
22040-0747
US
|
Assignee: |
Avision Inc.
|
Family ID: |
37613180 |
Appl. No.: |
11/483717 |
Filed: |
July 11, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
271/145 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65H 2701/1912 20130101;
B65H 1/26 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
271/145 |
International
Class: |
B65H 1/00 20060101
B65H001/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 14, 2005 |
TW |
94123971 |
Claims
1. A paper feeding mechanism capable of automatically adjusting a
paper-feeding angle used in an electronic apparatus, wherein the
electronic apparatus comprises a casing, the paper feeding
mechanism is used for feeding a piece of paper into the casing, and
the paper feeding mechanism comprises: a tray rotatably connected
to the casing; and an elastomer disposed in the tray and reaching
the casing for supporting the tray, wherein the elastomer is
deformed according to the paper load and drives the tray to rotate
with respect to the casing, so that the paper-feeding angle is
automatically adjusted.
2. The paper feeding mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the
paper feeding mechanism comprises: a connector disposed on one side
of the tray for mounting the tray on the casing.
3. The paper feeding mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the
electronic apparatus further comprises: a rotary spindle disposed
on the casing, wherein the connector is rotatably connected to the
rotary spindle.
4. The paper feeding mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the
tray includes a detachable structure, and when the connector is
dismounted from the rotary spindle, the tray is detached from the
casing.
5. The paper feeding mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the
tray comprises: a top plate having a first surface on which the
paper is placed, wherein the first surface is parallel to the
paper; and a side plate having a second surface, wherein the second
surface is deflected and connected to the first surface, and one
end of the elastomer is projected from the second surface.
6. The paper feeding mechanism according to claim 5, wherein the
tray further comprises a recess disposed on the second surface and
equipped with a bottom surface, and the other end of the elastomer
is disposed on the bottom surface.
7. The paper feeding mechanism according to claim 6, wherein the
tray further comprises a positioning piece projected from the
bottom surface, and the elastomer is connected to the positioning
piece.
8. The paper feeding mechanism according to claim 5, wherein the
casing has a casing surface, the paper-feeding angle is defined as
the contained angle between the extending line of the casing
surface and the first surface, when the paper load becomes heavy,
the elastomer is compressed to expand the paper-feeding angle
larger, and when the paper load becomes light, an elastic restoring
force of the elastomer is applied to contract the paper-feeding
angle smaller.
9. The paper feeding mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the
elastomer includes a compression spring.
10. The paper feeding mechanism according to claim 1 wherein the
elastomer includes an elastic plate.
11. The paper feeding mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the
elastomer includes a torsional spring.
Description
[0001] This application claims the benefit of Taiwan application
Serial No. 94123971, filed Jul. 14, 2005, the subject matter of
which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The invention relates in general to a paper feeding
mechanism, and more particularly to a paper feeding mechanism
capable of adjusting the paper-feeding angle.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] With the advance in science and technology, electronic
apparatuses with paper feeding mechanism, such as scanners,
printers, facsimile machines and copiers, have become an
indispensable appliance to modern people in their everyday life and
have gained a wider popularity in both the household sector and the
business sector in recent years. The main function of the paper
feeding mechanism is to feed the documents into the electronic
apparatus, so that the contents of the document are scanned,
copied, stored or transmitted to a remote end.
[0006] The paper feeding mechanism includes a tray, a casing and a
paper-feeding spindle. A paper-feeding slot is formed between the
tray and the casing. The paper placed on the tray slides into the
paper-feeding slot by gravity, enabling the upper-most paper to
contact the paper-feeding spindle. Since the surface of the
paper-feeding spindle is not slippery, the contacted paper is fed
into the casing to be copied or scanned by the electronic apparatus
when the paper-feeding spindle rotates.
[0007] According to the prior arts, the tray of the paper feeding
mechanism is normally fixed on the paper-feeding slot. The
contained angle between the tray and the casing is fixed. When the
paper slides into the paper-feeding slot by gravity, the contact
between the paper and the paper-feeding spindle varies with the
amount of the paper and the height of the paper pile. The problem
of multiple feed or miss feed would arise when the contact between
the paper and the paper-feeding spindle is too tight or too
loose.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a
paper feeding mechanism capable of automatically adjusting
paper-feeding angle to resolve the problems of multiple feed and
miss feed.
[0009] The invention achieves the above-identified object by
providing a paper feeding mechanism used in an electronic
apparatus. The paper feeding mechanism capable of automatically
adjusting a paper-feeding angle is provided. The paper feeding
mechanism is used for feeding a piece of paper into the casing of
the electronic apparatus, including a tray and an elastomer. The
tray is rotatably connected to the casing. The elastomer is
disposed in the tray and reaches the casing for supporting the
tray. The elastomer is deformed according to the paper load and
drives the tray to rotate with respect to the casing, so that the
paper-feeding angle is automatically adjusted.
[0010] Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention
will become apparent from the following detailed description of the
preferred but non-limiting embodiments. The following description
is made with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is a decomposition diagram of a paper feeding
mechanism capable of automatically adjusting paper-feeding angle
according to a first embodiment of the invention;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a 3-D rear view showing the paper feeding
mechanism of FIG. 1 disposed in the casing of an electronic
apparatus;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an electronic apparatus
capable of automatically adjusting paper-feeding angle when the
paper load is light according to the first embodiment of the
invention;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the electronic apparatus
of FIG. 3 when the paper load is heavy;
[0015] FIG. 5 is a decomposition diagram of a paper feeding
mechanism capable of automatically adjusting paper-feeding angle
according to a second embodiment of the invention; and
[0016] FIG. 6 is a decomposition diagram of a paper feeding
mechanism capable of automatically adjusting paper-feeding angle
according to a third embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0017] The paper feeding mechanism capable of automatically
adjusting a paper-feeding angle of the invention adopts an
elastomer incorporated with a rotary tray. When the elastomer is
deformed, the tray is driven to rotate so that the paper-feeding
angle is adjusted automatically. The paper feeding mechanism of the
invention is used in an electronic apparatus, such as a scanning
device or an outputting device with scanning, printing, faxing or
copying functions.
First Embodiment
[0018] Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. FIG. 1 is a decomposition
diagram of a paper feeding mechanism capable of automatically
adjusting paper-feeding angle according to a first embodiment of
the invention. FIG. 2 is a 3-D rear view showing the paper feeding
mechanism of FIG. 1 disposed in the casing of an electronic
apparatus. The paper feeding mechanism 100 capable of automatically
adjusting angle is used for feeding paper into a casing 200. The
casing 200 includes a casing surface 200a and a rotary spindle 210.
The rotary spindle 210 is disposed on the casing surface 200a. The
paper feeding mechanism 100 includes a tray 110 and an elastomer
121. The tray 110 rotatably connected to the casing 200 includes a
top plate 112 and a side plate 115. The top plate 112 has a first
surface 112a on which the paper is placed. The first surface 112a
is parallel to the paper. The side plate 115 has a second surface
115a. The second surface 115a is deflected and connected to the
first surface 112a. The paper feeding mechanism 100 further
includes a connector 116 disposed on the side plate 115 for
connecting the tray 110 to the rotary spindle 210 of the casing
200. The elastomer 121 is disposed in the tray 110 and reaches the
casing 200 for supporting the tray 110.
[0019] The tray 110 is flexibly connected to the casing 200 via the
connector 116. One end of the elastomer 121 reaches the casing
surface 200a but is not fixed on the casing surface 200a.
Therefore, when the connector 116 is detached from the rotary
spindle 210, the tray 110 can be dismounted from the casing 200.
Moreover, the rotary spindle 210 is designed to be a circular rod,
so that the connector 116 can rotate smoothly around the rotary
spindle 210 to drive the tray 110 to rotate. When the tray 110
rotates around the rotary spindle 210, the first surface 112a also
rotates with respect to the casing surface 200a.
[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, the tray 110 of the first embodiment
further includes a recess 118 and a positioning piece 119. The
recess 118 disposed on the second surface 115a has a bottom
surface. The other end of the elastomer 121 is connected to the
positioning piece 119 and contacts the bottom surface of the recess
118. In the first embodiment, the elastomer 121 is exemplified by a
compression spring, but the invention is not limited thereto.
[0021] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view
of an electronic apparatus capable of automatically adjusting
paper-feeding angle when the paper load is light according to the
first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view
of the electronic apparatus of FIG. 3 when the paper load is heavy.
The electronic apparatus capable of automatically adjusting
paper-feeding angle includes a casing 200 and a paper feeding
mechanism 100 (as shown in FIG. 1). A paper-feeding angle .theta.
is defined as a contained angle between the extending line of the
casing surface 200a and the first surface 112a. The heavier the
paper load is, the larger the paper-feeding angle .theta. will be
consequently. The lighter the paper load is, the smaller the
paper-feeding angle .theta. will be consequently. Several pieces of
paper are placed on the first surface 112a. The paper load is
carried by the tray 110. The paper is driven to move as the tray
110 rotates around the rotary spindle 210 of FIG. 2. One end of the
elastomer 121 reaches the casing surface 200a, while the other end
reaches the tray 110.
[0022] As shown in FIG. 3, when the paper is placed on the tray
110, the paper load compresses the elastomer 121 via the tray 110
until the first elastic restoring force generated by the deformed
elastomer 121 balances with the paper load. Meanwhile, the
paper-feeding angle .theta. is .alpha..
[0023] As shown in FIG. 4, when the paper load carried by the tray
110 becomes heavier (that is, the paper load is increased), the
first elastic restoring force generated by the elastomer 121 is
unable to balance the downward gravity of the paper load.
Therefore, the increased paper load enables the tray 110 to rotate
downwardly; meanwhile, the paper load continues to compress the
elastomer 121 until the second elastic restoring force generated by
the deformed elastomer 121 achieves a new balance with the paper
load. Meanwhile, the paper-feeding angle .theta. is .beta., where
.beta. is larger than .alpha.. That is, through the change in the
elastic restoring force of the elastomer 121, the paper-feeding
angle .theta. is expanded larger as the paper load becomes heavier,
and the paper-feeding angle .theta. is contracted smaller as the
paper load becomes lighter.
Second Embodiment
[0024] Referring to FIG. 5, a decomposition diagram of a paper
feeding mechanism capable of automatically adjusting paper-feeding
angle according to a second embodiment of the invention is shown.
The paper feeding mechanism 300 differs from the paper feeding
mechanism 100 of the first embodiment in the elastomer 151 and the
side plate 155. As for remaining similar components, the same
reference numbers are used and are not repeated here.
[0025] As shown in FIG. 5, the elastomer 151 of the second
embodiment exemplified by an elastic plate whose one end is fixed
on the side plate 155 and whose the other end reaches the casing
200 of FIG. 2. Like the compression spring 121, the elastomer 151
also has an elastic restoring force. Therefore, when the paper load
changes, the downward gravity of the paper load can achieve a new
balance with the elastic restoring force, thereby adjusting the
paper-feeding angle .theta..
Third Embodiment
[0026] Referring to FIG. 6, a decomposition diagram of a paper
feeding mechanism capable of automatically adjusting paper-feeding
angle according to the third embodiment of the invention is shown.
The paper feeding mechanism 400 differs from the paper feeding
mechanism 100 of the first embodiment in the elastomer 161 and the
side plate 165. As for remaining similar components, the same
reference numbers are used and are not repeated here.
[0027] As shown in FIG. 6, the elastomer 161 of the third
embodiment exemplified by a torsional spring whose one end is fixed
on the side plate 165 and whose the other end reaches the casing
200 of FIG. 2. Like the compression spring 121, the elastomer 161
also has an elastic restoring force. Therefore, when the paper load
changes, the downward gravity of the paper load can achieve a new
balance with the elastic restoring force, thereby adjusting the
paper-feeding angle .theta..
[0028] According to the electronic apparatus disclosed in the above
embodiments of the invention, the design of the paper feeding
mechanism incorporates the elastomer with the rotary tray. The
elastomer used for supporting the rotary tray is deformed according
to the paper load, and drives the tray to rotate with respect to
the casing, so that the paper-feeding angle is automatically
adjusted. Consequently, the problems of multiple feed and miss feed
are resolved.
[0029] While the invention has been described by way of example and
in terms of a preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the
invention is not limited thereto. On the contrary, it is intended
to cover various modifications and similar arrangements and
procedures, and the scope of the appended claims therefore should
be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such
modifications and similar arrangements and procedures.
* * * * *