U.S. patent application number 12/618985 was filed with the patent office on 2011-02-24 for sheet feeding apparatus with sheet releasing mechanism.
This patent application is currently assigned to PRIMAX ELECTRONICS LTD.. Invention is credited to Wei-Hsun Hsu, Wen-An Huang, Chung-Kai Wang, Chao-Min Yang.
Application Number | 20110042884 12/618985 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43597039 |
Filed Date | 2011-02-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110042884 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hsu; Wei-Hsun ; et
al. |
February 24, 2011 |
SHEET FEEDING APPARATUS WITH SHEET RELEASING MECHANISM
Abstract
A sheet feeding apparatus includes a sheet releasing mechanism,
a casing, a sheet feeding channel, a sheet pick-up module and a
driving shaft. The sheet releasing mechanism includes a control
lever and a base. The control lever includes a protruding part. The
base includes a first restriction groove and a second restriction
groove. When the protruding part is accommodated within the first
restriction groove, the sheet releasing mechanism is in a
sheet-holding status. When the protruding part is accommodated
within the second restriction groove, the sheet releasing mechanism
is in a sheet-releasing status.
Inventors: |
Hsu; Wei-Hsun; (Taipei,
TW) ; Huang; Wen-An; (Taipei, TW) ; Yang;
Chao-Min; (Taipei, TW) ; Wang; Chung-Kai;
(Taipei, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
KIRTON AND MCCONKIE
60 EAST SOUTH TEMPLE,, SUITE 1800
SALT LAKE CITY
UT
84111
US
|
Assignee: |
PRIMAX ELECTRONICS LTD.
Taipei
TW
|
Family ID: |
43597039 |
Appl. No.: |
12/618985 |
Filed: |
November 16, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
271/10.11 ;
271/127 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65H 3/0684 20130101;
B65H 2402/64 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
271/10.11 ;
271/127 |
International
Class: |
B65H 5/06 20060101
B65H005/06; B65H 1/08 20060101 B65H001/08 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 21, 2009 |
TW |
098128170 |
Claims
1. A sheet feeding apparatus with a sheet releasing mechanism, said
sheet feeding apparatus comprising: a casing having a first
sidewall and a second sidewall; a sheet feeding channel arranged
between said first sidewall and said second sidewall; a sheet
pick-up module comprising a sheet separation roller and a sheet
separation slice; and a driving shaft connected to said sheet
pick-up module for driving said sheet separation roller, wherein
both terminals of said driving shaft are respectively coupled to
said first sidewall and said sheet releasing mechanism; wherein
said sheet releasing mechanism is operated in a sheet-holding
status or a sheet-releasing status, and said sheet releasing
mechanism comprises: a control lever comprising a protruding part
for adjusting said sheet releasing mechanism to be in said
sheet-holding status or said sheet-releasing status; and a base
disposed on said second sidewall for supporting said control lever,
and comprising a first restriction groove and a second restriction
groove for accommodating said protruding part, wherein said sheet
releasing mechanism is in said sheet-holding status when said
protruding part is accommodated within said first restriction
groove, and said sheet releasing mechanism is in said
sheet-releasing status when said protruding part is accommodated
within said second restriction groove.
2. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said
control lever further comprises: a handle part for changing a
position of said control lever such that said protruding part is
accommodated within said first restriction groove or said second
restriction groove; a pivotal part; and a first collar for
accommodating a terminal of said driving shaft, wherein said base
further comprises a receptacle for accommodating said pivotal
part.
3. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said
protruding part further comprises a first gliding surface, and a
second gliding surface is formed in said first restriction groove,
wherein said first gliding surface is contacted with said second
gliding surface when said sheet releasing mechanism is in said
sheet-holding status.
4. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said
protruding part further comprises a third gliding surface, and a
fourth gliding surface is formed in said second restriction groove,
wherein said third gliding surface is contacted with said fourth
gliding surface when said sheet releasing mechanism is in said
sheet-releasing status.
5. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said
receptacle comprises: a mouth portion, wherein said pivotal part of
said control lever is permitted to be detached from said receptacle
through said mouth portion; and a curvy bottom surface for
supporting said pivotal part.
6. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said
control lever further comprises a second collar, which is sheathed
around said driving shaft for facilitating fixing said driving
shaft.
7. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1 further
comprising an upper cover pivotally coupled with said casing,
wherein said upper cover is permitted to be uplifted when said
upper cover is rotated in an opening direction, and said opening
direction is the same as a direction of moving said protruding part
from said first restriction groove to said second restriction
groove.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a sheet feeding apparatus,
and more particularly to an automatic sheet feeding apparatus with
a sheet releasing mechanism.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] With the maturity of automatic sheet feeding technologies,
automatic sheet feeding apparatus are widely used in a diversity of
document processing machines such as printers, copiers and
multifunction peripherals. The automatic sheet feeding apparatus
are used for successively feeding a stack of documents into the
inner portion of the document processing machine so as to implement
associated operations and achieve the labor-saving purpose.
[0003] FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating a conventional
automatic sheet feeding apparatus. As shown in FIG. 1, the
automatic sheet feeding apparatus 1 comprises a sheet pick-up
roller 10, a sheet separation roller 11, a sheet separation slice
12 and a sheet feeding channel 13. The sheet separation roller 11
is sheathed around a driving shaft 14. As such, upon rotation of
the driving shaft 14, the sheet separation roller 11 is
simultaneously rotated. For feeding a document by the automatic
sheet feeding apparatus 1, the document should be fed into a sheet
entrance 16 by the sheet pick-up roller 10 and then transported to
the sheet separation roller 11. The sheet separation roller 11 and
the sheet separation slice 12 collectively offer a friction force
on the document, so that only one document is allowed to be fed
into the sheet feeding channel 13 for each time. Regardless of
which kind of automatic sheet feeding apparatus is used, the
document is readily jammed by using the sheet pick-up roller to
feed the document. In a case that the evenness of the sheet-like
document is insufficient, or in another case that too many
documents are simultaneously fed by the sheet pick-up roller 10 to
result in a double feeding problem, the possibility of getting jam
of the document in the region between the sheet separation roller
11 and the sheet separation slice 12 is largely increased. Since
the document is securely held between the sheet separation roller
11 and the sheet separation slice 12, the jammed document is not
easily pulled out. If the jammed document is directly pulled out by
exerting a pulling force on the document, the automatic sheet
feeding apparatus 1 is readily suffered from a breakdown or the
document is possibly broken.
[0004] For solving these drawbacks, the conventional automatic
sheet feeding apparatus 1 usually has an additional sheet releasing
mechanism. In a case that the automatic sheet feeding apparatus 1
is suffered from the jamming problem, the user may control the
sheet releasing mechanism to shift the axle center of driving shaft
14 from the position A to the position B. As a consequence, the
sheet separation roller 11, which is mounted on the driving shaft
14, is also deviated from its original axle center and no longer in
close contact with the jammed document. Under this circumstance,
the user may pull out the jammed document between the sheet
separation roller 11 and the sheet separation slice 12. An
automatic sheet feeding apparatus having a sheet releasing
mechanism is disclosed in for example Taiwanese Patent Publication
No. 1303608.
[0005] FIG. 2 is a schematic exploded view illustrating a sheet
releasing mechanism disclosed in Taiwanese Patent Publication No.
1303608. As shown in FIG. 2, the sheet releasing mechanism 2
comprises a base 20 and a control lever 21. The control lever 21
comprises a pivotal part 211, a collar 212 and a handle part 213.
The collar 212 is arranged between the pivotal part 211 and the
handle part 213. The pivotal part 211 is substantially a
cylindrical post serving as a rotating shaft of the control lever
21. The collar 212 is substantially a circular channel sheathed
around the driving shaft 14 of an automatic sheet feeding apparatus
1 (see FIG. 1).
[0006] FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic views illustrating a process
of removing a jammed document by using the sheet releasing
mechanism disclosed in Taiwanese Patent Publication No. 1303608.
For positioning the sheet releasing mechanism 2, the control lever
21 and the base 20 comprise a salient 214 and an indentation 201,
respectively. When the salient 214 is engaged with the indentation
201, the control lever 21 is fixed onto the base 20. During normal
feeding operation of the automatic sheet feeding apparatus 1, the
engagement of the salient 214 and the indentation 201 prevents the
control lever 21 from being rotated with respect to the base 20.
Under this circumstance, the operation of the driving shaft 14 is
not influenced by the control lever 21. In a case that the
automatic sheet feeding apparatus 1 has a jamming problem, the user
could stir the control lever 21 in the direction indicated by the
arrow D (as shown in FIG. 3A), so that the salient 214 is
disengaged from the indentation 201. Next, the user could stir the
handle part 213 of the control lever 21 in the direction indicated
by the arrow C (as shown in FIG. 3B) in order to rotate the collar
212 of the control lever 21. As a consequence, the sheet separation
roller 11, which is mounted on the driving shaft 14, is deviated
from its original axle center and no longer presses the jammed
document.
[0007] Since the sheet releasing mechanism 2 has no additional
structure for fixing the control lever 21 after the salient 214 of
the control lever 21 is disengaged from the indentation 201, the
control lever 21 is readily rocked back and forth. The rocking
condition of the control lever 21 is troublesome during the process
of pulling out the jammed document.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet
feeding apparatus with an easy-to-use sheet releasing
mechanism.
[0009] In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there
is provided a sheet feeding apparatus with a sheet releasing
mechanism. The sheet feeding apparatus includes a casing, a sheet
feeding channel, a sheet pick-up module and a driving shaft. The
casing has a first sidewall and a second sidewall. The sheet
feeding channel is arranged between the first sidewall and the
second sidewall. The sheet pick-up module includes a sheet
separation roller and a sheet separation slice. The driving shaft
is connected to the sheet pick-up module for driving the sheet
separation roller. Both terminals of the driving shaft are
respectively coupled to the first sidewall and the sheet releasing
mechanism. The sheet releasing mechanism is operated in a
sheet-holding status or a sheet-releasing status. The sheet
releasing mechanism includes a control lever and a base. The
control lever includes a protruding part for adjusting the sheet
releasing mechanism to be in the sheet-holding status or the
sheet-releasing status. The base is disposed on the second sidewall
for supporting the control lever. The base includes a first
restriction groove and a second restriction groove for
accommodating the protruding part. When the protruding part is
accommodated within the first restriction groove, the sheet
releasing mechanism is in the sheet-holding status. When the
protruding part is accommodated within the second restriction
groove, the sheet releasing mechanism is in the sheet-releasing
status.
[0010] In an embodiment, the control lever further includes a
handle part, a pivotal part and a first collar. The handle part is
operated for changing a position of the control lever such that the
protruding part is accommodated within the first restriction groove
or the second restriction groove. The first collar is used for
accommodating a terminal of the driving shaft. The base further
includes a receptacle for accommodating the pivotal part.
[0011] In an embodiment, the protruding part further includes a
first gliding surface, and a second gliding surface is formed in
the first restriction groove. When the sheet releasing mechanism is
in the sheet-holding status, the first gliding surface is contacted
with the second gliding surface.
[0012] In an embodiment, the protruding part further comprises a
third gliding surface, and a fourth gliding surface is formed in
the second restriction groove. When the sheet releasing mechanism
is in the sheet-releasing status, the third gliding surface is
contacted with the fourth gliding surface.
[0013] In an embodiment, the receptacle includes a mouth portion
and a curvy bottom surface. The pivotal part of the control lever
is permitted to be detached from the receptacle through the mouth
portion. The curvy bottom surface is used for supporting the
pivotal part.
[0014] In an embodiment, the control lever further includes a
second collar, which is sheathed around the driving shaft for
facilitating fixing the driving shaft.
[0015] In an embodiment, the sheet feeding apparatus further
includes an upper cover pivotally coupled with the casing. The
upper cover is permitted to be uplifted when the upper cover is
rotated in an opening direction. The opening direction is the same
as a direction of moving the protruding part from the first
restriction groove to the second restriction groove.
[0016] The above objects and advantages of the present invention
will become more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in
the art after reviewing the following detailed description and
accompanying drawings, in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating a conventional
automatic sheet feeding apparatus;
[0018] FIG. 2 is a schematic exploded view illustrating a sheet
releasing mechanism disclosed in Taiwanese Patent Publication No.
1303608;
[0019] FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic views illustrating a process
of removing a jammed document by using the sheet releasing
mechanism disclosed in Taiwanese Patent Publication No.
1303608;
[0020] FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the
outward appearance of an automatic sheet feeding apparatus
according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the
internal portion of the automatic sheet feeding apparatus according
to an embodiment of the present invention, in which the upper cover
is uplifted;
[0022] FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a
relation between the sheet pick-up module, the driving shaft and
the sheet releasing mechanism of the automatic sheet feeding
apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0023] FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a
relation between the sheet pick-up module, the driving shaft and
the sheet releasing mechanism of the automatic sheet feeding
apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention and
taken from another viewpoint;
[0024] FIG. 8 is a schematic exploded view illustrating a sheet
releasing mechanism of the automatic sheet feeding apparatus
according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0025] FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a
sheet releasing mechanism in the sheet-holding status according to
an embodiment of the present invention; and
[0026] FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a
sheet releasing mechanism in the sheet-releasing status according
to an embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0027] FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the
outward appearance of an automatic sheet feeding apparatus
according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in
FIG. 4, the automatic sheet feeding apparatus 3 comprises a casing
30, a sheet feeding channel 31 and an upper cover 32. The upper
cover 32 is pivotally coupled with the casing 30. In a case that
the automatic sheet feeding apparatus 3 is suffered from a jamming
problem, the upper cover 32 could be uplifted in the direction
indicated by the arrow E (as shown in FIG. 5) in order to pull out
the jammed document.
[0028] FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the
internal portion of the automatic sheet feeding apparatus according
to an embodiment of the present invention, in which the upper cover
is uplifted. The automatic sheet feeding apparatus 3 further
comprises a sheet pick-up module 33, a driving shaft 34 and a sheet
releasing mechanism 35. The casing 30 comprises a first sidewall
301 and a second sidewall 302. The sheet feeding channel 31 is
arranged between the first sidewall 301 and the second sidewall
302. The sheet pick-up module 33 comprises a sheet pick-up roller
331, a sheet separation roller 332 (see FIG. 7) and a sheet
separation slice 333 (see FIG. 6). Both terminals of the driving
shaft 34 are respectively coupled to the first sidewall 301 and the
sheet releasing mechanism 35. The sheet separation roller 332 is
sheathed around the driving shaft 34 (see FIG. 7). As such, upon
rotation of the driving shaft 34, the sheet separation roller 332
is simultaneously rotated. During operation of the automatic sheet
feeding apparatus 3, a power source (not shown) of the automatic
sheet feeding apparatus 3 provides motive power to the driving
shaft 34, thereby driving rotation of the sheet pick-up roller 331
and the sheet separation roller 332. Upon rotation of the sheet
pick-up roller 331, the document placed on a sheet input tray 36 of
the automatic sheet feeding apparatus 3 is fed by the sheet pick-up
roller 331 and then transported to the sheet separation roller 332.
Meanwhile, the top surface and the bottom surface of the document
are respectively contacted with the sheet separation roller 332 and
the sheet separation slice 333, and thus the document is held
between the sheet separation roller 332 and the sheet separation
slice 333. The sheet separation roller 332 and the sheet separation
slice 333 collectively offer a friction force on the document, so
that one only document is allowed to be fed into the sheet feeding
channel 31 by the sheet pick-up module 33 for each time.
[0029] FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a
relation between the sheet pick-up module, the driving shaft and
the sheet releasing mechanism of the automatic sheet feeding
apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
7 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a relation between
the sheet pick-up module, the driving shaft and the sheet releasing
mechanism of the automatic sheet feeding apparatus according to an
embodiment of the present invention and taken from another
viewpoint. Please refer to FIGS. 6 and 7. The sheet releasing
mechanism comprises a control lever 351 and a base 352. The base
352 is disposed and fixed on the second sidewall 302 for supporting
the control lever 351. The control lever 351 comprises a handle
part 3511, a protruding part 3512, a first collar 3513, a second
collar 3514 and a pivotal part 3515. The protruding part 3512 and
the first collar 3513 are arranged between the handle part 3511 and
the pivotal part 3515. The first collar 3513 is sheathed around the
first terminal of the driving shaft 34 for accommodating the first
terminal of the driving shaft 34. The second collar 3514 is
sheathed around the driving shaft 34 for facilitating securely
fixing the driving shaft 34 on the control lever 351. As such, the
first terminal of the driving shaft 34 is synchronously moved with
the first collar 3513 and the second collar 3514. Moreover, the
base 352 has a receptacle 3521 for accommodating the pivotal part
3515 (see FIG. 8). The receptacle 3521 has a curvy bottom surface
35211 for supporting the pivotal part 3515, so that the pivotal
part 3515 is rotatable within the receptacle 3521. In a case that
the automatic sheet feeding apparatus 3 is suffered from a jamming
problem, the user could stir the handle part 3511 of the control
lever 351 in the direction indicated by the arrow F. As such, the
first collar 3513 is moved in an arc-shaped trajectory, wherein the
pivotal part 3515 is served as a center point, and the distance
between the first collar 3513 and the pivotal part 3515 is the
radius. Since the first terminal of the driving shaft 34 is
deviated from the original position, the sheet separation roller
332 is no longer contacted with the jammed document, and the
document is not securely held between the sheet separation roller
332 and the sheet separation slice 333. Under this circumstance,
the jammed document could be easily pulled out from the region
between the sheet separation roller 332 and the sheet separation
slice 333.
[0030] FIG. 8 is a schematic exploded view illustrating a sheet
releasing mechanism of the automatic sheet feeding apparatus
according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter,
the operating principles and the features of the sheet releasing
mechanism will be illustrated with reference to FIG. 8. As shown in
FIG. 8, the base 352 has a first restriction groove 3522 and a
second restriction groove 3523 for accommodating the protruding
part 3512. In a case that the handle part 3511 of the control lever
351 is stirred in the direction F, the protruding part 3512 is
moved in an arc-shaped trajectory, wherein the pivotal part 3515 is
served as a center point, and the distance between the protruding
part 3512 and the pivotal part 3515 is the radius. Along the
arc-shaped trajectory, the protruding part 3512 is moved from the
first restriction groove 3522 to the second restriction groove
3523. After the jamming condition is eliminated, the handle part
3511 of the control lever 351 is stirred in a direction reverse to
the direction F, so that the protruding part 3512 is moved from the
second restriction groove 3523 to the first restriction groove 3522
along the arc-shaped trajectory.
[0031] During the automatic sheet feeding apparatus 3 is normally
operated, the sheet releasing mechanism 35 is in a sheet-holding
status. At this moment, the protruding part 3512 is accommodated
within the first restriction groove 3522 to facilitate fixing the
control lever 351 on the base 352. Under this circumstance, the
rocking condition of the control lever 351 is considerably reduced
and the adverse influence on the operation of the automatic sheet
feeding apparatus 3 is minimized. On the other hand, during the
process of releasing the jammed document, the sheet-releasing
status. At this moment, the protruding part 3512 is accommodated
within the second restriction groove 3523 to facilitate fixing the
control lever 351 on the base 352. Since the rocking condition of
the control lever 351 is considerably reduced, the user could
easily pull out the jammed document without the need of an
additional auxiliary tool.
[0032] Please refer to FIG. 8 again. The protruding part 3512 of
the control lever 351 further comprises a first gliding surface
35121 and a third gliding surface 35122. In addition, a second
gliding surface 3524 and a fourth gliding surface 3525 are
respectively formed in the first restriction groove 3522 and the
second restriction groove 3523.
[0033] FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a
sheet releasing mechanism in the sheet-holding status according to
an embodiment of the present invention. When the sheet releasing
mechanism 35 is in the sheet-holding status, the protruding part
3512 is accommodated within the first restriction groove 3522, and
the first gliding surface 35121 is contacted with the second
gliding surface 3524. FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view
illustrating a sheet releasing mechanism in the sheet-releasing
status according to an embodiment of the present invention. When
the sheet releasing mechanism 35 is in the sheet-releasing status,
the protruding part 3512 is accommodated within the second
restriction groove 3523, and the third gliding surface 35122 is
contacted with the fourth gliding surface 3525. Due to the contact
relation between corresponding gliding surfaces of the sheet
releasing mechanism 35, the user does not need to stir the handle
part 3511 of the control lever 351 in the direction G (see FIG. 8)
to have protruding part 3512 detach from the first restriction
groove 3522 or the second restriction groove 3523. On the other
hand, by moving the handle part 3511 of the control lever 351 in
the direction F or in a direction reverse to the direction F, the
protruding part 3512 could be smoothly glided out of the first
restriction groove 3522 or the second restriction groove 3523 and
moved between the first restriction groove 3522 and the second
restriction groove 3523. As a consequence, the user could pull out
the jammed document without difficulty.
[0034] Moreover, the direction of opening the upper cover 32 of the
automatic sheet feeding apparatus 3 is the same as the direction of
moving the protruding part 3512 from the first restriction groove
3522 to the second restriction groove 3523 (see FIG. 5). For
switching the sheet releasing mechanism 35 from the sheet-releasing
status to the sheet-holding status, the user may directly close the
upper cover 32 toward the casing 30 without the need of moving the
handle part 3511 of the control lever 351 in a direction reverse to
the direction F. That is, during the process of closing the upper
cover 32, the upper cover 32 will be contacted with the handle part
3511, thereby exerting a pulling force on the handle part 3511. In
response to the pulling force, the protruding part 3512 is glided
out of the second restriction groove 3523 and moved to the first
restriction groove 3522.
[0035] Please refer to FIG. 8 again. The receptacle 3521 of the
base 352 further has a mouth portion 35212. If the jamming problem
of the automatic sheet feeding apparatus 3 is too serious, or if
the sheet pick-up module 33 or the driving shaft 34 is damaged and
needs to be replaced with a new one after a long-term use period,
the user could detach the control lever 351, which supports the
sheet pick-up module 33 and the driving shaft 34, from the base
352. As such, the sheet pick-up module 33 or the driving shaft 34
will be replaced with a new one. In particular, a process of
detaching the control lever 351 from the base 352 will be
illustrated as follows. Firstly, the user stirs the handle part
3511 of the control lever 351 such that the protruding part 3512 is
moved to the second restriction groove 3523. Then, the handle part
3511 of the control lever 351 is stirred in the direction G such
that the protruding part 3512 is detached from the second
restriction groove 3523. Afterwards, the control lever 351 is
rotated to a detaching position such that the pivotal part 3515 is
detached from the mouth portion 35212 of the receptacle 3521.
[0036] From the above description, the protruding part 3512 of the
control lever 351 is accommodated within the first restriction
groove 3522 or the second restriction groove 3523 of the base 352
when the sheet releasing mechanism 35 of the automatic sheet
feeding apparatus 3 is in the sheet-holding status or the
sheet-releasing status. As a consequence, the rocking condition of
the control lever 351 is considerably reduced. Moreover, since the
gliding surfaces 35121 and 35122 are respectively contacted with
the gliding surfaces 3524 and 3525 when the sheet releasing
mechanism 35 is in the sheet-holding status or the sheet-releasing
status, the control lever 351 could be easily manipulated.
Therefore, the user could pull out the jammed document of the
automatic sheet feeding apparatus 3 in a more convenient
manner.
[0037] While the invention has been described in terms of what is
presently considered to be the most practical and preferred
embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention needs not be
limited to the disclosed embodiment. On the contrary, it is
intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements
included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims which
are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to
encompass all such modifications and similar structures.
* * * * *