Medium supply apparatus
AssigneeRiso Kagaku Corporation
InventorsEiji Hori, Yoshihisa Morita
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A medium supply apparatus includes: a placement mount on which a plurality of media are placed; a transportation mechanism that transports an uppermost medium of the plurality of media placed on the placement mount; and an aspiration mechanism that aspirates air to attract the uppermost medium to the transportation mechanism, wherein the aspiration mechanism includes a blocking means for blocking air aspiration performed by the aspiration mechanism, in such a manner as to prevent another medium of the plurality of media that is located below the uppermost medium from being attracted to the transportation mechanism.
Claims9
A medium supply apparatus comprising:
- a placement mount on which a plurality of media are placed;
- a transportation mechanism that transports an uppermost medium of the plurality of media placed on the placement mount, the transportation mechanism including a plurality of through holes facing the plurality of media and through which air is aspirated, and which attract the uppermost medium when all of the through holes are unblocked, and when fewer than all of the though holes are unblocked, the unblocked through holes attract the uppermost medium;
- and
- an aspiration mechanism that aspirates air to attract the uppermost medium to the transportation mechanism, wherein
- the aspiration mechanism includes a shutter blocking the passage of air through one of the through holes thereby blocking air aspiration performed by the aspiration mechanism, in such a manner as to prevent another medium of the plurality of media that is located below the uppermost medium from being attracted to the transportation mechanism, while the aspirating mechanism aspirates air through the other through holes not blocked by the shutter to attract the uppermost medium to the transportation mechanism.
A medium supply apparatus comprising:
- a placement mount on which a plurality of media are placed;
- a transportation mechanism that transports an uppermost medium of the plurality of media placed on the placement mount;
- and
- an aspiration mechanism that aspirates air to attract the uppermost medium to the transportation mechanism, the aspiration mechanism comprising an aspiration area facing the transportation mechanism and facing the plurality of media on the placement mount and through which air is aspirated through the transportation mechanism to attract the uppermost medium to the transportation mechanism,
- wherein the aspiration mechanism includes a shutter movable between a blocking position to block air from flowing through a portion of the aspiration area denoted as a blocked portion of the aspiration area, while leaving an unblocked aspiration area not blocked by the shutter, and an open position at which the shutter does not block air from flowing through the aspiration area so that the aspiration area attracts the uppermost medium, and
- wherein when the shutter is in the blocking position, the unblocked aspiration area attracts the uppermost medium to the transportation mechanism, and the blocked portion of the aspiration area blocked by the shutter prevents another medium of the plurality of media that is located below the uppermost medium from being attracted to the transportation mechanism.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.