Automatic document feeder

Abstract

An automatic document feeder includes a separating roller disposed adjacent to one end of a table on which a stack of documents to be fed is placed for separating the bottom-most document from the stack. The feeder also includes a feed roller which is fixedly mounted on a first shaft on which the separating roller is fixedly mounted. A friction roller is rotatably supported as being pressed against the separating roller and a transport roller is rotatably provided as being pressed against the feed roller. The separating and feed rollers are provided coaxially, but they are comprised of different materials to provide a stable document feeding operation. The separating roller is preferably comprised of a rubber material having a hardness ranging from 25 to 30 degrees, and the feed roller is preferably comprised of a chloroprene material having a hardness on the order of 60 degrees. If the separating roller is split into two sub-rollers spaced apart axially, the feeder is preferably provided with an auxiliary roller in the space between the sub-rollers and coaxially with the transport roller so as to provide a smooth feed operation irrespective of the thickness of the document.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.