Apparatus for handling an original

An apparatus for handling a sheet comprising:

• feed means for feeding a sheet to a predetermined position and feeding out the sheet from the predetermined position;
• abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormality in the feeding-out operation of the sheet to be fed out by said feed means, said abnormality detection means having timer means for performing a timing operation for sensing an abnormality;
• and
• size sensing means for sensing the size of the sheet while the sheet is being fed to the predetermined position and prior to operation of said abnormality detection means;
• wherein said timer means performs the timing operation based on a first time period when the size of the sheet sensed by said sensing means is larger than a predetermined size, and performs the timing operation based on a second time period when the size of the sheet is smaller than the predetermined size.

An apparatus for handling an original comprising:

• feed means for feeding an original;
• detection means for detecting the original fed by said feed means;
• and
• discrimination means for discriminating a size of the original in accordance with data obtained during a period of time extending from a point in time when said detection means detects a leading edge of the original to a point in time when said detection means detects a trailing edge of the original;
• wherein said detecting means is arranged to detect the trailing edge of the original and thereafter further to repeatedly perform the detecting operation of the original for a predetermined period of time, and said discrimination means is arranged to perform the original size discriminating operation in accordance with the data on the condition that the original is not detected by said detection means during the predetermined period of time.

An apparatus for handling a sheet comprising:

• feed means for feeding the sheet;
• discrimination means for discriminating a size of the sheet upon detecting passage of the sheet fed by said feed means, wherein said discrimination means includes sensing means for sensing the sheet, and is arranged to discriminate the size of the sheet in accordance with a period of time from sensing a front edge of the sheet by said sensing means to sensing a back edge of the sheet by said sensing means;
• and
• abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormality in the feeding operation of the sheet at the downstream end of said sensing means with respect to a sheet feeding direction, said abnormally detection means having timer means for performing the timing operation for sensing the feeding abnormality;
• wherein said timer means performs the timing operation based on a first time when the size of the sheet discriminated by said discrimination means is larger than a predetermined size, and performs the timing operation based on a second time when the size of the sheet is smaller than said predetermined size.

An apparatus for handling an original comprising:

• feed means for feeding an original to a predetermined position and feeding out the original along a feed-out path of a predetermined length from the predetermined position;
• detection means for detecting the size of the original to be fed by said feed means, while the original is being fed, said detection means further outputting a reference signal for stopping the original to be fed by said feed means at the predetermined position;
• and
• control means for controlling said feed means to maintain a distance between an original and a subsequently fed original in accordance with the size of the original detected by said detection means,
• wherein said control means is arranged to control said feed means so as to initiate the feeding of a successive original to the predetermined position, if the size of a preceding original detected by said detection means is a first size, with a first timing prior to completion of delivery of said preceding original, and if the size of said preceding original is a second size, larger than the first size, with a second timing beginning later than the first timing.

An apparatus for handling an original comprising:

• feed means for feeding an original to a predetermined position and feeding out the original along a feed-out path of a predetermined length from said predetermined position, said feed means being arranged to cause the original to stop at the predetermined position;
• detection means for detecting the size of the original to be fed by said feed means, while the original is being fed;
• and
• control means for controlling said feed means to maintain a distance between an original and a subsequently fed original in accordance with size of the original detected by said detection means,
• wherein said control means is arranged to control said feed means so as to initiate the feeding of a successive original to the predetermined position, if the size of a preceding original detected by said detection means is a first size, with a first timing prior to completion of delivery of the preceding original, and in the event that the size of said preceding original is a second size, larger than the first size, with a second timing beginning later than the first timing.