Document reading device

• US 20060098250A1
• Filed: 11/08/2005
• Published: 05/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: K.Mizra LLC
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ito, Tetsushi, Hiraoka, Shinichiroh, Yamanaka, Hisashi
• Granted Patent: US 7,570,400 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/498
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00543 Allowing easy access, e.g. for maintenance or in case of paper jam H04N1/00538 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00551 Top covers or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/12 using the sheet-feed movement or the medium-advance or the drum-rotation movement as the slow scanning component, e.g. arrangements for the main-scanningsheet-feed movement by translatory movement of a flat picture-bearing surface H04N1/1008; main-scanning using oscillating or rotating mirrors H04N1/113; using multi-element arrays H04N1/19

Abstract

A document reading device includes a movable member and a flexible document holder. The document holder is fixed at a first end to a free end of the movable member. The document holder is also fixed at a second end to the vicinity of a right-side end of a bottom surface of the document reading device. A portion of the document holder positioned immediately below a pivot axis of the movable member is not fixed to the bottom surface. When the movable member is pivoted to expose a portion of a document transport path, the document holder, except for the first and second ends as fixed to the bottom surface, hangs down without being folded.

Claims

1. A document reading device configured to read an image of an original document placed on a document platen, comprising:

a document tray for an original document to be stacked thereon;

an output tray for receiving the original document that is output after an image thereof is read;

a document transport path on which the original document is transported, the original transport path leading from the document tray through an image reading area to the output tray;

a movable member that serves as part of a bottom surface of the document reading device, the movable member being supported pivotably around a pivot axis that is perpendicular to a document transport direction on the document transport path, and the movable member having a free end and a pivotal end; and

a document holder that includes a flexible sheet, the document holder being positioned so as to extend over the whole length and breadth of the document platen,

wherein the movable member is pivotable from a position to cover a portion of the document transport path to a position to expose the portion toward the document platen, and

wherein the document holder is fixed at portions other than a portion that is positioned immediately below the pivot axis, to the bottom surface of the document reading device.

2. The document reading device according to claim 1,

wherein the document holder is fixed to the bottom surface of the document reading device at respective ends thereof in the document transport direction.

3. The document reading device according to claim 1,

wherein the document holder has a first end that faces the free end, an intermediate portion that faces a portion of the movable member other than the free end and the pivotal end, and a second end, and

wherein the document holder is fixed to the bottom surface of the document reading device at the first and second ends and at the intermediate portion.

4. The document reading device according to claim 1,

wherein the document holder has a first end that faces the free end, an intermediate portion that faces a portion of the movable member other than the free end and the pivotal end, and a second end, and

wherein the document holder is fixed to the bottom surface of the document reading device at the first end and at the intermediate portion, and the document holder is attached at the second end to the bottom surface so as to be movable along a direction parallel to the document transport direction.