JP2000072269A - Document feeding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To positively prevent the perforation of each document and mechanical parts from being damaged by letting a gate part be bent and folded at a joint part as a fulcrum due to a reaction caused by the abutment against the surface of each document when an upper unit is opened/closed while each document is left as is over a document table. SOLUTION: In this document feeding device, a reset gate regulating the tip end position of each document set over a document table, permits a gate part 1d against which the tip end of each document is hit, to be supported so as to be capable of being bent at the joint part 1c, and when the gate part 1d abuts against the surface of each document, any damage to each document and a set gate 1 can be avoided by letting the gate part 1d be bent and folded at the joint part 1c acting as a fulcrum.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a document feeder for feeding a document to a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a scanner or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, an original reading apparatus such as a copying machine has
There is an automatic document feeder (ADF) that feeds a plurality of originals one by one from a bundle of originals to a reading position by setting a plurality of originals in a stack. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 8-337325 and 10-20567 disclose this type of document feeder. When a document is set, a document set claw is projected into a document conveyance path to position the leading end of the document. The document discloses that the document setting claw is retracted from the conveyance path when the document is started to be fed out thereafter so as not to hinder the document feeding. In addition, there is also known an apparatus in which an upper unit of the apparatus can be opened and closed at a boundary of a document conveyance path so that the jammed document can be easily removed when the document is jammed at the time of feeding the document ( For example, see JP-A-5-178493.

In the technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-20567, a dedicated driving source (not shown) is used to protrude a document setting claw into a conveyance path or to retract the document setting claw from the conveyance path. (Solenoid). This is disadvantageous in reducing the cost of the device and simplifying the mechanical configuration. Therefore, conventionally, there is a document feeder provided with a set gate that performs the same function as the document setting claw without requiring a dedicated driving source.

FIG. 11 is a schematic side view showing a mechanical configuration of a document feeder in a conventional document feeder having a set gate. In FIG. 11, a set gate 52 is rotatably attached to a rotating shaft 51a of a nager roll 51. The set gate 52 regulates the position of the leading edge of a document when the document is set on a document table (tray or the like) (not shown), which does not hinder the setting (butting) of a large number of documents vigorously. It has enough strength so that there is no. The nudger roll 51 sequentially sends out the originals set on the original platen. A feed roll 53 and a retard pad 54 are provided on the sending side. The feed roll 53 and the retard pad 54 separate the originals sent out by the nudger rolls 51 one by one and send them to a downstream transport roll (not shown).

[0005] The rotation shaft 53a of the feed roll 53 is arranged in parallel with the rotation shaft 51a of the nudger roll 51. A swing bracket 55 is swingably attached to a rotation shaft 53 a of the feed roll 53, and a rotation shaft 51 of the nadger roll 51 is attached to a tip end of the swing bracket 55.
a is attached. With this configuration, when the swing bracket 55 swings around the rotation shaft 53a of the feed roll 53, the nager roll 51 moves up and down in conjunction with the swing bracket 55. In addition, Naja Roll 51
And the feed roll 53 are housed in a housing 56. A stopper 56a is formed integrally with the housing 56. On the other hand, at the base of the set gate 52, a projection 52a is formed which comes into contact with the stopper 56a when the nager roll 51 is moved upward.

In such a mechanical configuration of the document feeding section, the document is set so as to be pressed in the direction of arrow A on a document table (not shown). At this time, since the leading edge of the document is abutted against the set gate 52, a rotational force due to the abutment is applied to the set gate 52. However, in this state, the rotation of the set gate 52 is prevented by the abutment of the stopper 56a and the projection 52a, so that the position of the leading end of the document is regulated by the set gate 52.

After that, when the document feeding is started, the swing bracket 55 swings by the driving of an actuator (not shown), and in conjunction therewith, the nager roll 51 is dropped downward as shown in FIG. It is. As a result, the rotation of the set gate 52 by the stopper 56a is released, and the
It comes into contact with. In this state, when the nudger roll 51 is rotated by driving a motor (not shown), the original P in contact with the roll is sent out. At this time, set gate 5
No. 2 moves from the position indicated by the broken line to the position indicated by the solid line in FIG.

[0008]

By the way, during use of the document feeder, for example, after setting a document as usual, it is unclear whether the document is properly set, and the upper unit is opened or the document is jammed. In some cases, such as when the original cannot be properly removed and the original remains, as shown in FIG. 13A, the upper unit may be opened and closed while the original P is placed on the original platen.

In such a case, for example, when a large number of documents (document bundles) P are placed as shown in FIG. 13 (b), the end of the set gate 52 is brought into contact with the document surface while the upper unit is being closed. The set gate 52 may be deformed or damaged by a reaction force accompanying the collision. When the number of originals is small (especially in the case of one original),
There is a possibility that the set gate 52 may penetrate the document and make a hole.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method for removing a document and mechanical parts even when an upper unit is opened and closed in a situation where a document is placed on a document table. An object of the present invention is to provide a document feeder that is not likely to be damaged.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a document feeder for feeding a document set on a document table, and for regulating a leading end position of the document set on the document table. The present invention employs a configuration having a gate having a leading end abutted thereon, and a regulating means having a joint for bending and supporting the gate in a direction opposite to the abutting direction of the leading end of the document.

In this document feeder, when the upper unit is opened and closed while the document is placed on the platen, the gate abuts on the document surface while the upper unit is being closed. At this time, the gate portion is bent at the joint portion by the reaction force due to the contact with the document surface, thereby avoiding perforation of the document and damage to the mechanical components.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a document feeder for feeding a document set on a document table between a first position separated from the document and a second position capable of contacting the document. Moving means for moving the feeding means, regulating means for regulating the leading end position of the document set on the document table, and when the feeding means is moved from the first position to the second position by the moving means, An evacuation means for evacuation of the regulating means to a position where the regulating means does not come into contact with the document in conjunction with the moving operation is adopted.

In this document feeder, when the feeding means is moved from the first position to the second position, the regulating means retreats to a position where it does not come in contact with the document in conjunction with the moving operation. If the feeding means is always moved to the second position when the upper unit is opened, the regulating means does not come into contact with the document when the upper unit is opened and closed.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. First, the configuration and operation of a document feeder to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 1, a document to be conveyed is
The document is set on a document tray (document table) 2 with its leading end abutting against a set gate 1. At this time, the setting sensor 3 detects that a document is set on the document tray 2, and the size sensor 4 detects the size of the set document. When a start button (not shown) is pressed in this state, the roll rotation motor starts. When the motor starts up at a constant speed, the nager roll 5 is dropped on the document by a solenoid (not shown). Thereafter, when the driving force of the motor is transmitted by a clutch (not shown), the rotation of the nudger roll 5 causes the uppermost document to be sent out to the transport path R.

The originals thus fed are separated one by one by a feed roll 7 and a retard pad 8.
It is sent further downstream. Thereafter, the original is transferred to the platen roll 11 via the take away roll 9 and the registration roll 10 in order. At this time, the passage of the document is detected by the feed sensor 12 on the downstream side of the feed roll 7, and after a predetermined time from this detection timing,
The rotation of the feed roll 7 by the motor is stopped. In addition, before the registration roll 10, the passage of the document is detected by the registration sensor 13, and after a predetermined time from the detection timing, the rotation drive of the takeaway roll 9 is stopped. At this time, the leading end of the document strikes the stopped registration roll 10, and the take-away roll 9 rotates by a fixed amount from that point to form a loop upstream of the registration roll 10. As a result, the alignment of the leading edge of the document in the transport path R and the skew correction are performed. Subsequently, upon receiving the document reading start signal, the registration roll 10 and other rolls are driven again, whereby the document is sent to the document reading position S via the platen roll 11. At the document reading position S, the document is fed at a constant speed by the platen roll 11, and the image recorded on the document surface is read by an optical system (not shown).

Thereafter, the document is transferred to a first discharge roll 15 via an out roll 14. At this time, if the reading of the document is one-sided reading, the document is discharged to the discharge tray 16 by the first discharge roll 15 as it is. On the other hand, in the case of double-sided reading, after the rear end of the document that has been read on one side passes through the first branching section 17, the document is fed back by the first discharge roll 15 in the direction opposite to the discharge direction. As a result, the original is sent to another transport route R1 with the first branch 17 as a boundary, and is again fed to the take away roll 9. After that, after the other side of the original is read by the same operation as described above, the original is again returned to the first discharge roll 15.
Passed to. This time, when the trailing end of the document passes through the second branching section 18, the first discharge roll 15 rotates in reverse,
As a result, the document is sent to another discharge route R2 with the second branch 18 as a boundary, and is discharged to the discharge tray 16 by the second discharge roll 19 disposed at the end of the route. Thus, in either one-sided reading or two-sided reading, the document is discharged to the discharge tray 16 without disturbing the page order. In FIG. 1, four sensors 20a to 20d are sensors for detecting the passage of a document at each of the arrangement positions in order to realize the above-described document transport system.

Here, the set gate 1, the nudger roll 5, the feed roll 7, and the like are housed in a housing (described later), and together with the housing, constitute the upper unit 21 of the document feeder. The upper unit 21 has a structure that can be opened and closed around the transport path R with the pivot 21a at the unit corner as a fulcrum, mainly for the purpose of facilitating the operation of removing a jammed document.

Next, a specific embodiment of the document feeder according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a mechanical configuration of a document feeder as a first embodiment of the document feeder according to the present invention, and FIG. In FIGS. 2 and 3, two feed rolls 7, 7 are attached to the rotating shaft 7a at predetermined intervals. Each of the feed rolls 7 has a one-way clutch incorporated therein. A gear 22 and a clutch 23 are attached to one end of the rotating shaft 7a. Gear 2
2 is for transmitting the driving force of a motor (not shown) to the rotating shaft 7a, and the clutch 23 is for intermittently transmitting the driving force.

Further, on the rotating shaft 7a, spacers 24, 24 are mounted inside the two feed rolls 7, 7, respectively, and a drive gear 25 is mounted inside the spacer 24 (right side in FIG. 2). ing. In addition, a swing bracket 26 is engaged between the other (left side in FIG. 2) spacer 24 and the drive gear 25. The swing bracket 26 is swingably supported about a rotation shaft 7 a of the feed roll 7 (a fulcrum). On the side surface of the swing bracket 26, a stud 26 is provided in parallel with the rotation shaft 7a.
a is attached. The stud 26a swings the swing bracket 26 by receiving a driving force of a keep solenoid (not shown).

On the other hand, the two nager rolls 5, 5 serve as feeding means in the present invention, and these nager rolls 5, 5 are arranged on a rotating shaft arranged in parallel with the rotating shaft 7 a of the feed roll 7. 5a are attached at predetermined intervals. A driven gear 27 is mounted inside one of the nager rolls 5 (the right side in FIG. 2). The driven gear 27 meshes with an idle gear 28 attached to one side surface of the swing bracket 26, and the idle gear 28 meshes with the drive gear 25 on the feed roll 7 side. The rotating shaft 5a is rotatably engaged and supported on both sides of the bracket at the tip end (free end) of the swinging bracket 26. Set gates 1 and 1 are rotatably attached to both ends of a rotating shaft 5a located outside each nadger roll 5.

Here, the driving force of the motor (not shown) is
When transmitted to the rotating shaft 7a via the clutch 2 and the clutch 23, the transmitted driving force is also transmitted to the rotating shaft 5a via the driving gear 25, the idle gear 28, and the driven gear 27. As a result, the respective rotating shafts 7a and 5a rotate in the same direction, so that the feed roll 7 and the nudger roll 5 attached thereto also rotate in the same direction.

When the stud 26a is pulled upward by the driving force of a keep solenoid (not shown), the swinging movement of the swing bracket 26 causes the nager roll 5 to move upward together with the rotating shaft 5a. Go to The position of the nudger roll 5 at this time is the “first position separated from the document”. On the other hand, when the drive of the keep solenoid (not shown) is released from the state in which the nudger roll 5 is moved to the first position, the weight of the rotating shaft 5a and the components (such as the nudger roll 5) attached to the rotation shaft 5a are reduced. As a result, the swing bracket 26 swings in the direction opposite to the previous direction, whereby the nudger roll 5 is dropped downward. The position of the nudger roll 5 at this time is a "second position where it can come in contact with the document". In this case, the keep solenoid serves as a driving source of a moving unit that moves the nudger roll 5 between the first position and the second position.

Next, the structure of the set gate 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to a perspective view of FIG. The set gate 1 serves as a restricting means for restricting the leading end position of the document set on the document table, as described above. The set gate 1 mainly includes a cylindrical fitting portion 1a and this fitting portion 1a. It comprises a base 1b protruding from the outer peripheral surface of 1a, and a gate 1d connected to the base 1b via a joint 1c.

The fitting portion 1a is rotatably fitted on the rotating shaft 5a of the nadger roll 5. A projection 1e is formed integrally with the base 1b, and an engagement pin 1f is provided beside the projection 1e by press fitting or the like. When the nudger roll 5 moves to a position (second position) where the nudger roll 5 can come into contact with the document, the engagement pin 1f comes into contact with the document transport guide 29 during the movement.

On the other hand, in the joint 1c, a slit is formed at the tip of the base 1b, and the end of the gate 1d is inserted into the slit. A support pin 1g is provided in the joint 1c so as to penetrate the tip (slit) of the base 1b and the end of the gate 1d inserted therein.
The gate 1d is swingably supported on g as a fulcrum.
Further, a stopper boss 1h is provided on one side surface of the gate portion 1d.
Is provided. This stopper boss 1h is
b abuts on the notch of the tip, thereby the gate 1
The movement (oscillating movement) of d in the direction of arrow C is regulated.

Next, a description will be given of the operation function of the original feeding section having the above configuration. First, when a document is set on a document table (tray or the like), the leading edge of the document is set to the position of the set gate 1 with the nudger roll 5 moved upward (first position) as shown in FIG. Gate 1d
Is hit. At this time, the base 1 of the set gate 1
The protrusion 1e formed on the shaft 30b abuts against the stopper 30a of the housing 30, whereby the rotation of the fitting portion 1a fitted on the rotating shaft 5a is restricted, and at the same time, the movement of the gate portion 1d in the direction of the arrow C. Is the stopper boss 1h (Fig. 4
See). Therefore, the position of the leading edge of the document is reliably regulated by the set gate 1.

Next, when the feeding of the document is started, the swing bracket 55 swings about the rotation shaft 7a by the release of the drive of the keep solenoid (not shown), and in conjunction with this, the swing bracket 55 is shown in FIG. The nager roll 5 is dropped downward (the second position) as described above. At this time, the protrusion 1e of the set gate 1 is disengaged from the stopper 31a, and the rotation restriction of the fitting portion 1a is released. Further, the engaging pin 1f provided on the set gate 1 abuts on the document conveying guide 29 during the lowering of the nager roll 5, and the fitting portion 1a of the set gate 1 moves on the rotating shaft 5a due to the rotating force accompanying this. Rotate clockwise as shown. As a result, the gate portion 1d swings about the support pin 1g as a fulcrum, and is displaced to the position indicated by the broken line in the figure.

In this state, when the nudger roll 5 is rotated by driving a motor (not shown), the original in contact with the roll is sent out. At this time, the gate portion 1 of the set gate 1
Since d moves from the position indicated by the broken line to the position indicated by the solid line with the support pin 1g as a fulcrum due to the pressing force accompanying the feeding of the document, there is no obstacle to the document feeding.

Here, as shown in FIG. 6A, with the nudger roll 5 moved upward (first position), the leading end of the document P is abutted against the set gate 1 (gate 1d). After setting, sending out the original P (roll rotation)
If the upper unit (see FIG. 1) is opened and closed without performing the above operation, the tip (lower end) of the gate 1d abuts on the uppermost surface of the document P while the upper unit is being closed. At this time, the gate portion 1d of the set gate 1 is bent with the support pin 1g as a fulcrum as shown by a broken line in the figure due to the reaction force due to the contact with the document surface. At this time, the direction of bending of the gate portion 1d is opposite to the direction in which the stopper boss 1h (see FIG. 4) controls the movement (the direction in which the leading edge of the document abuts).

As a result, even when the upper unit is opened and closed while the original P is placed on the original table, an excessive load does not act on the set gate 1 and the original P. The breakage of the gate 1 and the perforation of the document P can be reliably prevented.

On the other hand, if the upper unit is opened and closed while the original is placed on the original platen with the nager roll 5 positioned below (second position), the above-mentioned FIG. As shown in b), the tip of the gate portion 1d supported by the support pin 1g abuts on the original surface while the upper unit is being closed. At this time, the position of the set gate 1 is displaced in the clockwise direction in the figure due to the contact between the engagement pin 1g and the document transport guide 29, and therefore, the gate portion 1d has a reaction force due to the contact with the document surface. Retreats from the broken line position to the solid line position in the figure. As a result, the set gate 1 as described above
It is possible to reliably prevent the document from being damaged and the original from being perforated.

As described above, according to the document feeder of the first embodiment, the state in which the nudger roll 5 is moved upward (first position) or downward (second position) In addition, it is possible to reliably avoid problems caused by opening and closing the upper unit.

In FIG. 4, the set gate 1
Does not have an engaging pin 1f, and the joint 1c makes the gate 1
When the rotating shaft 5a of the nager roll 5 is rotated, the set gate 1 rotates around the rotating shaft 5a as shown in FIG. 6B. The gate 1 may not return to its original position, and may not fulfill its original function (positioning function of the leading edge of the document). On the other hand, when the engagement pin 1f is provided, the rotation of the set gate 1 is restricted by the contact of the engagement pin 1f with the document transport guide 29, so that it is possible to prevent the set gate 1 from turning around. it can.

FIG. 7 is a schematic side view showing a second embodiment of the document feeder according to the present invention, particularly showing a mechanical configuration of a document feeder. In the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping description will be omitted. In the second embodiment,
As in the first embodiment, the gate portion 1 of the set gate 1
d is swingably supported by the support pin 1g. A stopper boss (omitted in FIG. 7) is provided on the joint portion 1c including the support pin 1g as in FIG. 4 so that the gate portion 1d can be bent in a direction opposite to the abutting direction of the leading end of the document. It is supported by.

However, the set gate 1 is not provided with the engaging pin 1f (see FIG. 4) employed in the first embodiment, and the swing bracket 26
Is prevented by a stopper pin 26b provided at the front end. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, when the rotation shaft 5 a of the nager roll 5 is rotated in a state where the nager roll 5 is dropped downward (second position), the set gate 1 is turned around itself. Stopper pin 2
6b is prevented.

In such a mechanical configuration, as shown in FIG. 7, with the nudger roll 5 moved upward (first position), the leading end of the document P is set to the set gate 1 (gate 1).
If the upper unit is opened and closed without feeding the original P (rotating the roll) after the original is set against d), as in the first embodiment, the upper unit is opened and closed. The gate portion 1d is bent at the support pin 1g by the reaction force as shown by the broken line in the figure, so that the set gate 1 is not damaged due to opening and closing of the upper unit and perforation of the document P can be prevented.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8, the upper unit is opened and closed while the original is placed on the original table while the nager roll 5 is moved downward (second position). In such a case, since the set gate 1 is supported in a state of being gravity-balanced with respect to the rotating shaft 5a, a problem may occur depending on the number of documents placed on the document table.

That is, when the number of documents placed on the document table is large, the gate portion 1d of the set gate 1 is bent at the joint 1c by the reaction force caused by the contact with the document surface, which poses a particular problem. Never. On the other hand, when the number of documents placed on the platen is small, especially in the case of a single document, a hole is formed in the document before the gate portion 1d is bent by a reaction force due to contact with the document surface. There is a possibility that it will happen.

To solve such a concern, an open / close sensor for detecting the open / closed state of the upper unit is provided. When the open / closed sensor detects the open state of the upper unit, a keep solenoid (not shown) is drive-controlled. The nudger roll 5 is always moved upward (first position). Thus, when the upper unit is closed, the gate portion 1d always bends due to contact with the document surface, so that not only the set gate 1 can be damaged but also the perforation in the case of a single document can be prevented. .

FIG. 9 is a schematic side view of a third embodiment of the document feeder according to the present invention, particularly showing a mechanical configuration of a document feed section. In addition, also in this third embodiment,
The same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals,
Duplicate description will be omitted. In the third embodiment, as a configuration of the set gate 1, a gate portion 1 d against which the leading edge of the document is abutted is formed integrally with the base portion 1 b, and the joint portion 1 c as in the first and second embodiments is provided.
(See FIG. 4) is not provided. That is, set gate 1
Does not have a structure that bends due to contact with the document surface due to opening and closing of the upper unit. However, beside the base 1b, the rotating shaft 5a of the nager roll 5 is provided.
An engaging pin 1f protrudes in parallel with the above. When the nudger roll 5 is moved downward (first position) by the swing operation of the swing bracket 26, the engagement pin 1 f comes into contact with the document transport guide 29 during the movement. ing.

In this mechanical configuration, when a keep solenoid (not shown) is drive-controlled to swing the swing bracket 26 and the nudger roll 5 is moved downward (second position) in conjunction with this. During the movement, the engagement pin 1f of the set gate 1 comes into contact with the document transport guide 29. Due to this contact, a rotational force acts on the set gate 1, so that the set gate 1 rotates clockwise in the drawing according to the rotational force. Thereby, at the time when the nager roll 5 is dropped downward (moved to the second position), FIG.
As shown at 0, the set gate 1 (gate portion 1d) is retracted to a position where it does not come in contact with the document, and is placed in the upper unit. In this case, the engagement pin 1f and the document transport guide 29 function as retraction means for retreating the set gate 1 to a position where it does not come in contact with the document in conjunction with the lowering operation of the nudger roll 5.

In this state, even if the upper unit is opened and closed, the set gate 1 (gate portion 1d) is retracted upward in a state of being housed in the upper unit, so that contact between the set gate 1 and the document occurs. Absent. For this reason, for example, an open / close sensor that detects the open / close state of the upper unit is provided,
When the open state of the upper unit is detected by the open / close sensor, a keep solenoid (not shown) is drive-controlled to constantly move the nager roll 5 downward (second position), thereby opening and closing the upper unit. Set gate 1 accompanying
This can prevent the document from being damaged and the original from being perforated. By the way, when the upper unit is closed, the closed state is detected by the open / close sensor, and the detection signal is received to move the nudger roll 5 upward (first position). In the same manner as described above, the position of the leading edge of the document can be regulated by the set gate 1.

[0044]

As described above, according to the document feeder according to the first aspect, when the upper unit is opened and closed with the document placed on the platen, the reaction force due to the contact with the document surface. As a result, the gate portion is bent at the joint portion, so that it is possible to reliably prevent perforations in the document and damage to mechanical components.

According to the document feeder of the second aspect, when the upper unit is opened, the feeding means is moved to the second position by the moving means so that the regulating means does not contact the document. Since the upper unit is retracted to the position, the restricting means does not come in contact with the document when opening and closing the upper unit. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent perforation of a document and damage to mechanical components due to opening and closing of the upper unit.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a document feeder to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a mechanical configuration of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a view taken in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a set gate according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram (part 1) illustrating the operation of the mechanical configuration of the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory view (2) of the mechanical configuration of the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a schematic side view showing a mechanical configuration of a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an operation explanatory view of a mechanical configuration of the second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a schematic side view showing a mechanical configuration of a third embodiment.

FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory view of the mechanical configuration of the third embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a side view showing a conventional mechanical configuration.

FIG. 12 is an operation explanatory view of a conventional mechanical configuration.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a conventional problem.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... set gate, 1b ... base, 1c ... joint,
1d gate part, 1f engagement pin, 1g support pin, 1
h: Stopper boss, 5: Nager roll, 21: Upper unit, 26: Swing bracket, 29: Document transport guide, P: Document

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2H076 BA15 BA48 BA49 3F343 FA03 FB02 FB03 FB04 FC27 GA01 GB01 GC01 GD01 HA12 HB01 KA03 KA06 KB05 KB06 KB08 LA04 LA15 LC12 LD25

Claims (2)

[Claims] A feeding unit for feeding a document set on a document table; a gate unit for regulating a leading end position of the document set on the document table; A document feeder, comprising: a regulating unit having a joint part that supports the document so that it can be bent in a direction opposite to the abutting direction of the leading end of the document. 2. A feeding means for feeding a document set on a document table, and a moving means for moving the feeding means between a first position separated from the document and a second position capable of contacting the document. Regulating means for regulating the leading end position of the document set on the document table; and moving the feeding means from a first position to a second position by the moving means.
And a retracting means for retracting the regulating means to a position where it does not come in contact with the document when the document feeding apparatus is moved to the position.