Integrated chassis for automatic document feeder in a scanning unit
US5764384A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 17, 1994 |
| Grant date | Jun 9, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 17, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N1/193
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
In a scanning unit such as a facsimile machine, an automatic document feeder transports individual sheets from a stack of documents along a document path over a scanning window to an output tray. An upper guide member includes an integrated chassis which provides most of the functional features required for picking individual sheets from a stack of documents in an input tray and transporting the sheet past a scanning window. The various components incorporated in the integrated chassis include a document separation mechanism, pre-scanning pinch rollers, post-scanning pinch rollers, a spring-loaded limiter with minimal paper path obstruction, a hinging mechanism to facilitate manual access to the document path, a latching mechanism, referencing datums, and ESD grounding including ESD brushes adjacent the document path and an ESD shield for a circuit board housed in the upper guide member. In the preferred form, the integrated chassis is formed from an enlarged sheet metal plate which attaches to the underside of a manual control/display panel with the circuit board sandwiched therebetween.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.