# US 6,126,160 A · Sheet feeding control for image reading device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 6,126,160 A - Document ID: US6126160A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 09/290,118 - Filed: 1999-04-12 - Granted: 2000-10-03 - Earliest claimed: 1999-04-12 - Assignees: Eastman Kodak Company - Inventors: Thomas W. Ebert; Robert M. Westcott; Randall R. Maysick - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US6126160A ## CPC - G03G 15/60: {Apparatus which relate to the handling of originals (for photographic purposes in general G03B)} - B65H 5/34: Varying the phase of feed relative to the receiving machine - B65H 7/18: Modifying or stopping actuation of separators - H04N 1/00567: {Handling of original or reproduction media, e.g. cutting, separating, stacking} - H04N 1/00588: {to the scanning position (H04N1/00572, H04N1/00594 take precedence)} - H04N 1/00602: {Feed rollers} - H04N 1/0062: {Removing sheets from a stack or inputting media} - H04N 1/00628: {Separating, e.g. preventing feeding of two sheets at a time} - H04N 1/00657: {Compensating for different handling speeds of different apparatus or arrangements for handling a plurality of sheets simultaneously, e.g. mechanical buffering} - H04N 1/00681: {Detecting the presence, position or size of a sheet or correcting its position before scanning (H04N1/047 takes precedence; mode signalling H04N1/333; skew detection or correction in image signals H04N1/3878)} - H04N 1/00713: {Length} - H04N 1/00734: {Optical detectors} - H04N 1/00745: {Detecting the leading or trailing ends of a moving sheet} - H04N 1/00774: {Adjusting or controlling} - B65H 2301/4452: Regulating space between separated articles - B65H 2511/11: Length - B65H 2511/514: Particular portion of element - B65H 2513/512: Starting; Stopping - B65H 2513/52: Age; Duration; Life time or chronology of event - B65H 2701/1311: leading edge - B65H 2701/1313: trailing edge - G03G 2215/00316: Electronic image supplied to the apparatus - G03G 2215/00333: detecting feeding of documents - G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY - B65H: HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract The present invention relates an image reading device and a sheet feeding method for feeding sheets or documents to the image reading device. In the device and method of the present invention, a controller which is associated with at least one of a sheet feeder or a feed sensor, controls an engagement and disengagement of the sheet feeder based on a comparison of a length of a first document fed into the image reading device with subsequent documents. With the device of the present invention, it is possible to increase document throughput rates by controlling the gap between documents. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image reading device comprising: a sheet feeder for feeding a document to be read into a document travel path; a feeder sensor located in said document travel path which senses a lead edge and a trail edge of a first document in said travel path to determine a length of said first document; and a controller associated with at least one of said sheet feeder and said feeder sensor, said controller controlling an engagement and disengagement of said sheet feeder based on a length of subsequent documents introduced into said document travel path with respect to said first document. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) An image reading device according to claim 1, wherein said controller is adapted to control said sheet feeder so as to feed documents in a fixed gap mode and to cancel said fixed gap mode when a subsequent document is longer than said first document. ### Claim 3 A sheet feeding method comprising the steps of: feeding a first sheet into a document travel path of an image reading device; sensing a leading edge and a trailing edge of said first sheet; determining a length of said first sheet based on said step of sensing the leading and trailing edges of said first sheet; and controlling a feeding of subsequent sheets based on a length of the subsequent sheets with respect to the length of said first sheet. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) A method according to claim 3, comprising the further steps of: feeding said first sheet and said subsequent sheets in a fixed gap mode; and canceling said fixed gap mode when a length of a subsequent sheet is greater than said first sheet. ### Claim 5 A sheet feeding method comprising the steps of: feeding a first sheet by a sheet feeder into a document travel path of an image reading device; sensing a leading edge of said first sheet by a first sensor; sensing a leading edge of said first sheet downstream of said first sensor by a second sensor and disengaging said sheet feeder in response thereto; engaging said sheet feeder and calculating a length of said first sheet when a trailing edge of said first sheet is sensed by said first sensor, such that a length of said first sheet is used as a basis for an overlength threshold for subsequent sheets; feeding a second sheet by said sheet feeder into said document travel path and starting a sheet overlength timer based on said overlength threshold when a leading edge of said second sheet is sensed by said first sensor, said second sheet being fed in a fixed gap mode in which a fixed gap is provided between subsequently fed sheets; disengaging said sheet feeder and starting a sheet feeder timer when said leading edge of said second sheet reaches said second sensor; determining if said sheet feeder timer has expired, such that if said sheet feeder timer has expired, said second sheet is longer or of the same length as said first sheet, and said method comprises the further step of engaging said sheet feeder; and determining if said overlength timer has expired, such that if said overlength timer has expired, said second sheet is longer than said first sheet, and said method comprises the further steps of disabling said fixed gap mode, disengaging said sheet feeder, and engaging said sheet feeder when a trailing edge of said second document is sensed by said first sensor. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) A method according to claim 5, wherein if said step of determining if said sheet feeder timer has expired determines that the sheet feeder timer has not expired, said second sheet is shorter than said first sheet and said method comprises the steps of: canceling the sheet feeder timer and the overlength timer when the trailing edge of said second document is sensed by said first sensor; and engaging said sheet feeder. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) A method according to claim 5, wherein if said step of determining if said overlength timer has expired determines that the overlength timer has not expired, said second sheet is the same length as said first sheet and said method comprises the step of: canceling the overlength timer when the trailing edge of said second document is sensed by said first sensor.