Sheet feeder with mechanism for protecting input and discharge openings and image reading device including the same

A sheet feeder comprising:

• a sheet-feed opening for feeding sheets into a sheet transporting path that is provided inside a body of the sheet feeder;
• a sheet-discharge opening for discharging from the body of the sheet feeder the sheets that have passed through the sheet-transporting path;
• sheet-holding means for holding the sheets to be fed into the sheet-transporting path through said sheet-feed opening, said sheet-holding means being rotatably attached to the body of the sheet feeder, and said sheet-holding means being movable between a position where the sheet-holding means holds the sheets and a position where the sheet-holding means covers the sheet-feed opening;
• and
• discharged-sheet holding means for holding the sheets that have been discharged through said sheet discharge opening, said discharged-sheet holding means being rotatably attached to the body of the sheet feeder, and said discharged-sheet holding means being movable between a position where the discharged-sheet holding means holds the sheets that have been discharged from the sheet-discharge opening and a position where the discharged-sheet holding means covers the sheet-discharge opening;
• wherein one of the sheet holding means and the discharged-sheet holding means is disposed above the other when each are in the sheet holding position, and when the one of the sheet holding means and the discharged-sheet holding means disposed above the other in the sheet holding position is being subjected to inversion rotation whereby a surface thereof disposed opposite to a sheet-loading surface forms a surface of the body of the sheet feeder in order to cover one of the sheet-feed opening and the sheet-discharge opening;
• and
• wherein, when the other of the sheet holding means and the discharged-sheet holding means is used to cover the other of the sheet-feed opening and the sheet-discharge opening, the other of the sheet holding means and the discharged-sheet holding means is moved so that the sheet-loading surface of the other of the sheet holding means and the discharged-sheet holding means that was moved forms the surface of the body of the sheet feeder in order to cover the other of the sheet-feed opening and the sheet-discharge opening.

An image reading device comprising:

• a reading section that reads information of the sheets;
• and
• a sheet feeder, comprising:
• a sheet-feed opening for feeding sheets into a sheet transporting path that is provided inside a body of the sheet feeder;
• a sheet-discharge opening for discharging from the body of the sheet feeder the sheets that have passed through the sheet-transporting path;
• sheet-holding means for holding the sheet to be fed into the sheet-transporting path through said sheet-feed opening, said sheet-holding means being rotatably attached to the body of the sheet feeder, and said sheet-holding means being movable between a position where the sheet-holding means holds the sheets and a position where said sheet-holding means covers said sheet-feed opening;
• and
• discharged-sheet holding means for holding the sheets that have been discharged through said sheet discharge opening, said discharged-sheet holding means being rotatably attached to the body of the sheet feeder, and said discharged-sheet holding means being movable between position where said discharged-sheet holding means holds the sheets that have been discharged from the sheet-discharge opening and a position where the discharged-sheet holding means covers the sheet-discharge opening;
• wherein, when one of the sheet-feed opening and the sheet-discharge opening is to be covered, one of the sheet-holding means and the discharged-sheet holding means is subjected to inversion rotation whereby a surface of one of the sheet-holding means and the discharged-sheet holding means that is formed opposite to a sheet-loading surface thereof forms a surface of the body of the sheet feeder in order to cover the sheet-feed opening and the sheet-discharge opening;
• and
• wherein, when the other of the sheet-feed opening and the sheet-discharge opening is to be covered, the other of the sheet-holding means and the discharged-sheet holding the means is moved whereby the sheet-loading surface of the other of the sheet-holding means and the discharged-sheet holding means that was moved forms the surface of the body of the sheet feeder to cover the other of the sheet-feed opening and the sheet-discharge opening feeds the sheets to the reading section.

An image reading device comprising:

• a reading section that reads information of sheets;
• and
• a sheet feeder, comprising:
• a sheet-feed opening for feeding sheets into a sheet transporting path that is provided inside a body of the sheet feeder;
• a sheet-discharge opening for discharging from the body of the sheet feeder the sheets that have passed through the sheet-transporting path;
• sheet-holding means for holding the sheets to be fed into the sheet-transporting path through said sheet-feed opening, said sheet-holding means being rotatable attached to the body of the sheet feeder, and said sheet-holding means being movable between a position where the sheet-holding means holds the sheets and a position where the sheet-holding means covers the sheet-feed opening;
• and
• discharge-sheet holding means for holding the sheets that have been discharged through said sheet discharge opening, said discharged-sheet holding means being rotatably attached to the body of the sheet feeder, and said discharged-sheet holding means being movable between a position where the discharged-sheet holding means holds the sheets that have been discharged from the sheet-discharge opening and a position where the discharged-sheet holding means covers the sheet-discharge opening;
• wherein one of the sheet holding means and the discharged-sheet holding means is disposed above the other when each are in the sheet holding position, and when the one of the sheet holding means and the discharged-sheet holding means disposed above the other in the sheet holding position is being subjected to inversion rotation whereby a surface thereof disposed opposite to a sheet-loading surface forms a surface of the body of the sheet feeder in order to cover one of the sheet-feed opening and the sheet-discharge opening;
• and
• wherein, when the other of the sheet holding means and the discharged-sheet holding means is used to cover the other of the sheet-feed opening and the sheet-discharge opening, the other of the sheet holding means and the discharged-sheet holding means is moved so that the sheet-loading surface of the other of the sheet holding means and the discharged-sheet holding means that was moved forms the surface of the body of the sheet feeder in order to cover the other of the sheet-feed opening and the sheet-discharge opening,
• wherein the sheet feeder feeds the sheets to the reading section.