US 9,313,350 B2Granted

Image processing devices and sheet feeding devices

AssigneeBrother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsYoshinori Osakabe, Satoru Nakakita

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An image processing device comprises a first feeding unit coupled to a second feeding unit via a sheet feeding path and is configured to feed a sheet toward the second feeding unit in a sheet feeding direction via the sheet feeding path. The first feeding unit comprises a first shaft configured to rotate in the sheet feeding direction, and the second feeding unit comprises a second shaft configured to rotate in the feeding direction. The first feeding unit and the second feeding unit are configured to feed and hold the sheet simultaneously. The image processing device further comprises a first supporting member which rotatably supports the first shaft, a second supporting member which rotatably supports the second shaft, and a third supporting member which rotatably supports the first shaft and/or the second shaft at a location different than the first supporting member and/or the second supporting member.

Claims17

Dependent claims

An image processing device comprising:

an image processing portion;
a shaft having a first supported portion, a second supported portion, and a third supported portion positioned between the first supported portion and the second supported portion;
a frame comprising a first supporting portion configured to support the first supported portion and a second supporting portion configured to support the second supported portion;
a sheet guide configured to guide a sheet;
a third supporting portion disposed on the sheet guide and configured to support the third supported portion;
a drive roller attached to the shaft, positioned between the first supported portion and the second supported portion, and configured to convey the sheet being image-processed by the image processing portion;
and
a driven roller configured to be driven by the drive roller,
wherein the sheet guide comprises:
an outer portion facing a sheet path through which the sheet is to be conveyed by the drive roller, and
an inner portion opposite from the outer portion and facing away from the sheet path,
wherein the third supporting portion is disposed on the inner portion of the sheet guide and comprises a bearing portion which has a supporting surface extending in a circumferential direction,
wherein the supporting surface of the bearing portion, which is stationary relative to the sheet guide and disposed opposite to the sheet path relative to the sheet guide, is configured to contact and rotatably support the third supported portion of the shaft to which the drive roller is attached, and
wherein the sheet guide, which extends downstream of a nip point where the drive roller and the driven roller nip the sheet, has an opening such that the drive roller, which is attached to the shaft that has the first supported portion, the second supported portion, and the third supported portion, protrudes through the opening and contacts the driven roller to nip the sheet.

11 more elements

An image processing device comprising:

an image processing portion;
a shaft having a first supported portion, a second supported portion, and a third supported portion positioned between the first supported portion and the second supported portion;
a frame comprising a first supporting portion supporting the first supported portion and a second supporting portion supporting the second supported portion;
a sheet guide configured to guide a sheet;
a third supporting portion disposed on the sheet guide and configured to support the third supported portion;
a drive roller attached to the shaft, positioned between the first supported portion and the second supported portion, and configured to convey the sheet being image-processed by the image processing portion;
and
a driven roller configured to be driven by the drive roller,
wherein the sheet guide comprises:
an outer portion facing a sheet path through which the sheet is to be conveyed by the drive roller, and
an inner portion opposite from the outer portion and facing away from the sheet path,
wherein the third supporting portion is disposed on the inner portion of the sheet guide and comprises a bearing portion configured to contact and rotatably support the third supported portion of the shaft to which the drive roller is attached,
wherein the bearing portion is stationary relative to the sheet guide and disposed opposite to the sheet path relative to the sheet guide, and
wherein the sheet guide, which extends downstream of a nip point where the drive roller and the driven roller nip the sheet, has an opening such that the drive roller, which is attached to the shaft that has the first supported portion, the second supported portion, and the third supported portion, protrudes through the opening and contacts the driven roller to nip the sheet.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/405,086Filed 24 Feb 2012 · continuation
Priority: JP 2007-34087428 Dec 2007
Published: US 2012/0175837 A112 Jul 2012
Granted: 12 Apr 2016
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification14 codes

B65H 5/062
By rollers or balls, e.g. between rollers: between rollers or balls
H04N 1/0057
Handling of original or reproduction media, e.g. cutting, separating, stacking: conveying sheets before or after scanning
H04N 1/00588
Conveying sheets before or after scanning: to the scanning position
H04N 1/00591
Conveying sheets before or after scanning: from the scanning position

Family

Application12/341,494Parent of this continuation · filed 22 Dec 2008
US 2012/0175837 A1Pre-grant publication · published 12 Jul 2012
US 8,210,517 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2009/0166962 A1Published application
US 9,313,350 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.