Auto document feeder and image scanning apparatus
AssigneesKabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorShoichi Taniguchi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gap indicator device is rotatably locked to an auto document feeder openably and closably installed to a scanner device of an image scanning apparatus, is rotated by being pressed by the scanner device, and includes a pointer or a scale to indicate a state of an image reading gap, as a gap between a platen guide and an image reading portion, through which an original document passes. The pointer or the scale is located at a position where it can be visually recognized from above when a cover of the auto document feeder is opened.
Claims16
An auto document feeder openably and closably installed to a scanner device, comprising:
- a document feed tray on which an original document is placed;
- a document conveying mechanism to convey the original document one by one from the document feed tray to an image reading portion of a scanning unit;
- a document storage tray on which the original document ejected by the document conveying mechanism is placed;
- and
- a gap indicator device that includes an indicator to indicate a state of an image reading gap between a conveying guide member and the image reading portion through which the original document passes, is rotatably locked to a frame, is rotated by being pressed by the scanner device, includes, at one end, an actuating lever portion in contact with a part of the scanner device, and includes, at the other end, the indicator provided with a pointer and having a scale.
An image scanning apparatus comprising:
- a scanner device including a document stand on which an original document is placed, and a scanning unit to optically read an image of the original document placed on the document stand;
- and
- an auto document feeder including a document feed tray on which the original document is placed, a document conveying mechanism to convey the original document one by one from the document feed tray to an image reading portion of the scanning unit,
- a document storage tray on which the original document ejected by the document conveying mechanism is placed, and a gap indicator device that includes an indicator to indicate a state of an image reading gap between a conveying guide member and the image reading portion through which original document passes, is rotatably locked to a frame, is rotated by being pressed by the scanner device, and includes, at one end, an actuating lever portion in contact with a part of the scanner device, and includes, at the other end, the indicator provided with a pointer and having a scale.
A state indicating method of an image reading gap of an image scanning apparatus, comprising:
- rotatably locking a gap indicator device including a pointer or a scale to an auto document feeder at a position where the pointer or the scale can be visually recognized from above when a cover of the auto document feeder openably and closably installed to a scanner device is opened;
- rotating an indicator including the pointer or the scale by pressing one end of the gap indicator device when the auto document feeder is closed;
- and
- indicating, by the pointer or the scale, a state of the image reading gap, as a gap between a platen guide and an image reading portion, through which an original document passes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.