Document hold-down device and method for holding down document

• US 6,351,624 B1
• Filed: 07/28/2000
• Issued: 02/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Hiruta, Koichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Sophia S.
• Application Number:
  US09/628,798
• Time in Patent Office: 578 Days
• Field of Search: 399/362, 399/377, 399/379, 399/380, 355/25, 355/75, 355/76, 358/497
• US Class Current: 399/380
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/605 Holders for originals or exposure platens for photographic purposes in general G03B

Abstract

The document pressing device according to the present invention includes a document table which is mounted on a main body and supports a document, a document cover which covers the document table and presses the document against the document table, an adjusting hinge which supports an opening and closing fulcrum of the document cover and is slidable in the thickness direction of the document according to the thickness of the document supported on the document table, a holding member which can hold an opening and closing side of the document cover and slides in the thickness direction of the document in synchronization with the sliding movement of the adjusting hinge, a hook which is fitted to an opening and closing side of the document cover and engages with the holding member to give the document cover a pressing force to press the document against the document table, and a release member for releasing the engagement of the hook from the holding member.

Claims

1. A document pressing device, comprising:

document supporting means mounted on a main body for supporting a document;

document covering means for covering the document supporting means and pressing the document against the document supporting means;

adjusting means for supporting an opening/closing fulcrum of the document covering means and being slidable in a thickness direction of the document according to the thickness of the document supported by the document supporting means;

holding means which can hold an opening and closing side of the document covering means for sliding in the thickness direction of the document in synchronization with the sliding movement of the adjusting means;

engaging means disposed on the opening and closing side of the document covering means for engaging with the holding means to give the document covering means a pressing force for pressing the document against the document supporting means; and

engagement releasing means for releasing the engagement of the engaging means from the holding means.

2. A document pressing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the holding means slides in the thickness direction of the document on the side opposed to the side where the adjusting means is disposed in the vicinity of the document supporting means, and the engaging means is engaged with the holding means on the side opposite to the side of the document covering means supported by the adjusting means.

3. A document pressing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the adjusting means supports the document covering means in the vicinity of both ends on any side of the document covering means.

4. A the document pressing device as claimed in claim 1 further comprising transferring means for transferring the sliding movement of the adjusting means to the holding means.

5. A document pressing device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the transferring means includes:

first conversion means for changing the sliding movement of the adjusting means to rotation movement;

link means for transferring the rotation movement of the first conversion means toward the holding means; and

second conversion means for changing the rotation movement of the first conversion means transferred by the link means to the sliding movement of the holding means.

6. A document pressing device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the link means comprises a combination of a plurality of gears which are intervened between the first conversion means and the second conversion means and transfer the rotation movement of the first conversion means to the second conversion means.

7. A document pressing device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the link means comprises a wire member which is put around the first conversion means and the second conversion means to transfer the rotation movement of the first conversion means to the second conversion means.

8. A document pressing device, comprising:

a document table disposed on a main body to support a document;

a document cover which covers the document table to press the document against the document table;

an adjusting hinge configured to support an opening/closing fulcrum of the document cover and being slidable in a thickness direction of the document according to the thickness of the document supported by the document table;

a holding member which can hold an opening and closing side of the document cover to slide in the thickness direction of the document in synchronization with the sliding movement of the adjusting hinge;

a hook disposed on the opening and closing side of the document cover to engage with the holding member to give the document cover a pressing force to press the document against the document table; and

a release member to release the engagement of the hook from the holding member.

9. A document pressing device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the holding member slides in the thickness direction of the document on the side opposed to the side where the adjusting hinge is disposed in the vicinity of the document table, and the hook is engaged with the holding member on the side opposite to the side supported by the adjusting hinge of the document cover.

10. A document pressing device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the adjusting hinge supports the document cover in the vicinity of both ends of any side of the document cover.

11. A document pressing device according to claim 8 further comprising:

a transferring member for transferring the sliding movement of the adjusting hinge to the holding member.

12. A document pressing device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the transferring member includes:

a first gear to change the sliding movement of the adjusting hinge to a rotation movement;

a link member to transfer the rotation movement of the first gear toward the holding member;

and a second gear to change the rotation movement of the first gear transferred by the link member to the sliding movement of the holding member.

13. A document pressing device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the link member comprises a combination of a plurality of gears which are disposed between the first gear and the second gear and transfer the rotation movement of the first gear to the second gear.

14. A document pressing device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the link member comprises a wire member which is put around the first gear and the second gear and transfers the rotation movement of the first gear to the second gear.

15. A document pressing method for pressing a document against a document table by covering the document placed on the document table mounted on a main body by a document cover, comprising the steps of:

an adjusting step to slide an opening and closing fulcrum of the document cover in the thickness direction of the document according to a thickness of the document supported by the document table and slide a holding member for holding an opening and closing side of the document cover in the thickness direction of the document in synchronization with the sliding movement of the opening and closing fulcrum;

an engaging step to engage a hook fitted to the document cover with the holding member to press the document against the document table by the document cover; and

a releasing step to release the engagement of the hook from the holding member.

16. A document pressing method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the engaging step is performed in synchronization with the operation to cover the document table with the document cover.