US 8,554,124 B2 · Printing medium feeding apparatus and image forming apparatus having the same

Abstract

A printing medium feeding apparatus includes a feeding part which feeds a printing medium, and a printing medium aligning roller part which aligns a leading edge of the printing medium fed from the feeding part and transfers the aligned printing medium to an image forming part which forms an image on the printing medium, wherein the printing medium aligning roller part comprises a pair of rollers which transfer the printing medium to the image forming part, and an aligning shutter which is rotationally coupled to at least one of the pair of rollers, which rotates when the leading edge of the printing medium contacts the aligning shutter with a pressure greater than a reference pressure in a reference direction and guides the leading edge of the printing medium fed from the feeding part toward the reference direction.

Drawings

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Drawings

Claims12

Dependent claims

A printing medium feeding apparatus comprising:

a feeding part which feeds a printing medium;
and
a printing medium aligning roller part which aligns a leading edge of the printing medium fed from the feeding part and transfers the aligned printing medium to an image forming part which forms an image on the printing medium, wherein the printing medium aligning roller part comprises:
a pair of rollers which transfer the printing medium to the image forming part, and
an aligning shutter which is rotationally coupled to one of the pair of the rollers, rotates according to whether the printing medium contacts the aligning shutter with a pressure greater than a reference pressure in a reference direction, and guides the leading edge of the printing medium fed from the feeding part toward the reference direction,
wherein the feeding part comprises a plurality of feeding cassettes which feed a first printing medium from a first direction and a second printing medium from a different second direction to the printing medium aligning roller part,
wherein the aligning shutter comprises:
a shutter main body which is rotationally coupled to a rotational shaft of the roller to which the aligning shutter is rotationally coupled to, and
a guiding surface which protrudes from one side of the shutter main body to contact the leading edge of the first printing medium and the leading edge of the second printing medium and guide the respective leading edges of the first and the second printing mediums in the same reference direction,
wherein the guiding surface has a semicircular, concave shape so that the leading edges of the first and the second printing mediums are smoothly guided in the same reference direction by the semicircular, concave shape.

7 more elements

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

a printing medium feeding apparatus comprising:
a feeding part which feeds a printing medium;
and
a printing medium aligning roller part which aligns a leading edge of the printing medium fed from the feeding part and transfers the aligned printing medium to an image forming part which forms an image on the printing medium, wherein the printing medium aligning roller part comprises:
a pair of rollers which transfer the printing medium to the image forming part, and
an aligning shutter which is rotationally coupled to one of the pair of the rollers, rotates according to whether the printing medium contacts the aligning shutter with a pressure greater than a reference pressure in a reference direction, and guides the leading edge of the printing medium fed from the feeding part toward the reference direction;
the image forming part which forms the image on the printing medium fed from the printing medium feeding apparatus;
and
a discharging part which discharges the printing medium on which the image is formed to an outside of the image forming apparatus,
wherein the feeding part comprises a plurality of feeding cassettes which feed a first printing medium from a first direction and a second printing medium from a different second direction to the printing medium aligning roller part,
wherein the aligning shutter comprises:
a shutter main body which is rotationally coupled to a rotational shaft of the roller to which the aligning shutter is rotationally coupled to, and
a guiding surface which protrudes from one side of the shutter main body to contact the leading edge of the first printing medium and the leading edge of the second printing medium and guide the respective leading edges of the first and the second printing mediums in the same reference direction,
wherein the guiding surface has a semicircular, concave shape so that the leading edges of the first and the second printing mediums are smoothly guided in the same reference direction by the semicircular, concave shape.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Description6,999 words

Summary1,544 words

#This application claims the benefit of Korean Application No. 2006-130387, filed Dec. 19, 2006, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

#1. Field of the Invention

#Aspects of the present invention relate to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus having an improved printing medium feeding apparatus.

Brief description of the drawings6 figures

#These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

#FIG. 1A is a schematic view illustrating a configuration of a conventional feeding apparatus;

#FIG. 1B is a sectional view illustrating a configuration of a conventional paper aligning roller part shown in FIG. 1A;

Detailed description5,304 words

#Reference will now be made in detail to the present embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below so as to explain the present invention by referring to the figures.

#FIG. 2 is a schematic view illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 3A and 3B are sectional views illustrating an operating process of a paper aligning roller part 240 shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIGS. 2, 3A and 3B, the image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a feeding apparatus 200 which stores printing media P, such as sheets of paper, transparency sheets, stationary, letterhead, etc., and individually feeds one of the printing media P to an image forming part 300, the image forming part 300 which forms an image on the printing medium P fed from the feeding apparatus 200, a discharging part 400 which discharges the printing medium P on which the image is formed by the image forming part 300, and a casing 100 which accommodates the feeding apparatus 200, the image forming part 300, and the discharging part 400. It is understood that aspects of the present invention are not limited to being applied to an image forming apparatus having the “C” shape feeding path design of the image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 2, and may instead be applied to image forming apparatuses having “S” shape feeding path designs or other designs.

#The feeding apparatus 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first feeding cassette 210 which is detachably attached inside the casing 100 to feed a printing medium P along a feeding path to the image forming part 300 according to a printing signal, a second feeding cassette 220 which is coupled to an external side of the casing 100 to feed another printing medium P to the inside of the casing 100 along another feeding path, and a third feeding cassette 230 which is disposed in a lower part of the first feeding cassette 210 to feed another printing medium P to the image forming part 300 along another feeding path. Also, the feeding apparatus 100 includes the paper aligning roller part 240 which guides each of the printing media P fed from the first, the second, and the third feeding cassettes 210, 220, and 230, respectively, in a reference direction and aligns a leading edge Pf of each of the printing media P moving to the image forming part 300. Hereinafter, it is understood that components which are described using the word “paper,” such as the paper aligning roller part 240 and the paper transfer part 230, are not limited to being used with paper, and may instead be used with many different types of printing media P, such as transparency sheets, envelopes, recycled paper, etc.

Facts

Application

11/956,781Filed 14 Dec 2007

Priority

KR 10-2006-013038719 Dec 2006

Published

US 2008/0145128 A119 Jun 2008

Granted

8 Oct 2013

Term ends

28 Oct 2030

Estimated · how

20 years from earliest known nonprovisional domestic filing plus recorded patent term adjustment, including 1,049 days of adjustment. Maintenance-fee lapses, terminal disclaimers and statutory extensions have not been checked. The continuity chain may be incomplete; this is not an enforceability determination.

Classification5 codes

B65H 9/06
Registering, e.g. orientating, articles; Devices therefor: movable stops or gauges, e.g. rising and falling front stops
B65H 5/062
By rollers or balls, e.g. between rollers: between rollers or balls
B65H 9/004
Registering, e.g. orientating, articles; Devices therefor: deskewing sheet by abutting against a stop, i.e. producing a buckling of the sheet
B65H 2404/722
Stops, gauge pins, e.g. stationary: movable in operation

Timeline

19 Dec 2006Priority claimedKR 10-2006-0130387
14 Dec 2007Application filedUS 11/956,781
17 Dec 2007Assigned to Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.assignment of assignor's interest
19 Jun 2008PublishedUS 2008/0145128 A1
8 Oct 2013GrantedUS 8,554,124 B2
21 Feb 2017Assigned to S-Printing Solution Co., Ltd.assignment of assignor's interest
17 Aug 2018Assigned to HP Printing Korea Co., Ltd.change of name
21 Nov 2018Assigned to HP Printing Korea Co., Ltd.corrective assignment to correct the documentation evidencing the change of name previously recorded on reel 047370 frame 0405. assignor(s) hereby confirms the change of name.
16 Oct 2019Assigned to HP Printing Korea Co., Ltd.change of legal entity effective aug. 31, 2018
17 Oct 2019Assigned to Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.confirmatory assignment effective november 1, 2018
12 Oct 2026TodayWithin its term
28 Oct 2030Term endsEstimated, includes 1,049 days of adjustment

Printing medium feeding apparatus and image forming apparatus having the same

Life of this patent

Printing medium feeding apparatus and image forming apparatus having the same

Life of this patent

Life of this patent

Abstract

Drawings

Drawings

Claims12

Description6,999 words

Drawings

Classification5 codes

Life of this patent

Description6,999 words