Sheet feeding device and sheet feeding method
AssigneeKonica Minolta, Inc.
InventorYoshiyuki Masuda
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An aspect of the present invention includes: a sheet storage unit configured to store sheets; an air blowing unit configured to blow air; a duct configured as a flow passage to an air blowing outlet for blowing air sent from the air blowing unit toward the front end of an upper part of a sheet bundle stored in the sheet storage unit; a suction transport unit configured to suck a sheet floating from the sheet bundle upward and transport the sheet; a shutter member configured to block the flow passage in the duct; and an openable/closeable member configured to open an opening part of the duct, such that air staying in the duct by blocking the flow passage by the shutter member is discharged from the opening part.
Claims11
A sheet feeding device comprising:
- a sheet storage unit configured to store sheets;
- an air blowing unit configured to blow air;
- a duct configured as a flow passage to an air blowing outlet for blowing air sent from the air blowing unit toward the front end of an upper part of a sheet bundle stored in the sheet storage unit;
- a suction transport unit configured to suck a sheet floating from the sheet bundle upward and transport the sheet;
- a shutter member configured to block the flow passage in the duct;
- and
- an openable/closeable member configured to open an opening part of the duct, such that air staying in the duct by blocking the flow passage by the shutter member is discharged from the opening part in a direction away from the sheet storage unit.
A sheet feeding method of a sheet feeding device which includes a sheet storage unit configured to store sheets, an air blowing unit configured to blow air, a duct configured as a flow passage to an air blowing outlet for blowing air sent from the air blowing unit toward the front end of an upper part of a sheet bundle stored in the sheet storage unit, a suction transport unit configured to suck a sheet stored in the sheet storage unit upward and transport the sheet, a shutter member configured to block the flow passage in the duct, and an openable/closeable member configured to open and close an opening part of the duct, comprising:
- blocking the flow passage in the duct by the shutter member;
- and
- while the shutter member blocks the flow passage, driving the openable/closeable member so as to open the opening part of the duct such that air staying in the duct after the shutter member blocks the flow passage is discharged from the opening part in a direction away from the sheet storage unit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.