Automatic page-turning device
First Claim
1. An automatic page-turning device for turning pages of a book or the like as placed in an opened condition to expose a first page to be turned at one side of a spine and a second page in a stack of turned pages at the opposite side of the spine, comprising:
- carrier means opposing an outer edge portion of said first page in a first position and being movable to a second position in which said carrier means opposes an outer edge portion of said second page;
means for applying a vacuum to said carrier means in said first position for causing adherence of said first page thereto and the transport of said first page therewith toward said second position;
means associated with said carrier means for isolating said first page from the effect of said vacuum during the travel of said carrier means from said first position toward said second position and thereby releasing said first page from said carrier means;
page guiding means cooperative with said carrier means and movable therewith for receiving said first page as released from said carrier means and carrying said first page at least until said carrier means passes said spine of the book or the like; and
means for withdrawing said first page from said guiding means and stacking the same against said second page during final movement of said carrier means to said second position.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An automatic page-turning device for turning pages of a book or the like as placed in an opened condition to expose a first page to be turned at one side of a spine and a second page in a stack of turned pages at the opposite side of the spine, comprises a carrier drum having a perforated peripheral wall and being bodily movable from a first position opposing an outer edge portion of the first page of the opened book to a second position in which the carrier drum opposes an outer edge portion of the second page, a suction device by which a vacuum is applied to the interior of the carrier in its first position for causing adherence of the first page thereto and the transport of the first page with the carrier drum toward the second position, with the first page being isolated from the effect of the vacuum at a position of the carrier drum intermediate its first and second positions for releasing the first page from the carrier drum and permitting the reception of such released first page by a page guiding member movable with the carrier drum and carrying the released first page at least until the carrier drum passes the spine of the book or the like, and a reverting roller in parallel, side-by-side relationship with the carrier drum and being movable therewith for withdrawing the first page from the page guiding member and stacking the same against the second page during final movement of the carrier drum to its second position. The automatic page-turning device is desirably applied to an optical reader system in which an optical reading element, such as, a CCD line sensor, is movable with the carrier drum in the course of the movement of the latter between its first and second positions for reading information on the exposed pages.
84 Citations
60 Claims
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1. An automatic page-turning device for turning pages of a book or the like as placed in an opened condition to expose a first page to be turned at one side of a spine and a second page in a stack of turned pages at the opposite side of the spine, comprising:
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carrier means opposing an outer edge portion of said first page in a first position and being movable to a second position in which said carrier means opposes an outer edge portion of said second page; means for applying a vacuum to said carrier means in said first position for causing adherence of said first page thereto and the transport of said first page therewith toward said second position; means associated with said carrier means for isolating said first page from the effect of said vacuum during the travel of said carrier means from said first position toward said second position and thereby releasing said first page from said carrier means; page guiding means cooperative with said carrier means and movable therewith for receiving said first page as released from said carrier means and carrying said first page at least until said carrier means passes said spine of the book or the like; and means for withdrawing said first page from said guiding means and stacking the same against said second page during final movement of said carrier means to said second position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. An automatic page-turning device for automatically turning pages of a book or the like, comprising:
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support means for supporting said book or the like thereon and being movable relative to said book or the like between predetermined first and second positions; retainer means for retaining said book or the like in place while said support means moves relative thereto between said first and second positions; means defining a source of vacuum; page carrier means associated with said support means for movement therewith and with said source of vacuum for picking up a page to be turned with vacuum from said source and carrying said page to be turned during movement in a first direction with said support means from said first position to said second position; vacuum interrupting means associated with said page carrier means for isolating the latter from said source of vacuum and thereby freeing the pickup up page from said carrier means; page holder means for receiving the picked up page released from said page carrier means and moving together with said support means and said page carrier means; and reverting means for pulling said picked up page out of said page holder means and situating the same in a stack of turned pages of said book and the like. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. An optical reader system for reading information in a book or the like comprising:
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optical reading means for opposing pages of said book or the like and for reading information thereon; and an automatic page-turning device for turning pages of a book or the like as placed in an opened condition to expose a first page to be turned at one side of a spine and a second page in a stack of turned pages at the opposite side of the spine, comprising; carrier means opposing an outer edge portion of said first page in a first position and being movable to a second position in which said carrier means opposes an outer edge portion of said second page; means for applying a vacuum to said carrier means in said first position for causing adherence of said first page thereto and the transport of said first page therewith toward said second position;
means associated with said carrier means for isolating said first page from the effect of said vacuum during the travel of said carrier means from said first position toward said second position and thereby releasing said first page from said carrier means;page guiding means cooperative with said carrier means and movable therewith for receiving said first page as released from said carrier means and carrying said first page at least until said carrier means passes said spine of the book or the like; and means for withdrawing said first page from said guiding means and stacking the same against said second page during final movement of said carrier means to said second position. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60)
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Specification