Image forming apparatus, document reading device and conveyance method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11150585-B2
Application number	US-202016797974-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 21, 2020
Priority date	Mar 13, 2018
Publication date	Oct 19, 2021
Grant date	Oct 19, 2021

Abstract

An image forming apparatus comprises a tray, a conveyor, a detector and a movement mechanism. The tray accommodates at least one document. The conveyor conveys the document placed on the tray. The detector detects that the document is placed on the tray. The movement mechanism moves the tray from a first position to a second position closer to the conveyor than the first position based on the detection that the document is placed on the tray, and after moving the tray from the first position to the second position, moves the tray to the first position based on a setting of a mixed stacking mode in which mixing of the documents with different sizes on the tray is permitted.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
a tray configured to accommodate a document;
a conveyor configured to convey the document placed on the tray;
a detector configured to detect that the document is placed on the tray;
a mover configured to move the tray from a first position to a second position closer to the conveyor than the first position based on a detection that the document is placed on the tray; and
a processor configured to control the mover to maintain the tray at the first position upon determining a selection of a mixed stacking mode in which mixing of documents with different sizes on the tray is permitted.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the mover is configured to maintain the tray at the first position until the processor receives an input to begin document reading.

3. The image forming apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to, after determining that the mixed stacking mode is selected, determine whether the detector has detected a presence of the document.

4. The image forming apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to control the mover to widen an available space to accommodate the document after the document tray has been moved from the first position to the second position.

5. The image forming apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to cause the mover to maintain the document tray at the first position after a user selects the mixed stacking mode, regardless of when the user places the document on the document tray.

6. The image forming apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
in the mixed stacking mode, a first document having a first size and a second document having a second size are oriented such that a shorter side of each of the first and second documents is aligned along a first direction of the document tray, or a longer side of the first document and a shorter side of the second document are aligned along the first direction of the document tray.

7. A document reading device, comprising:
a tray configured to accommodate a document;
a conveyor configured to convey the document placed on the tray;
a detector configured to detect that the document is placed on the tray;
a mover configured to move the tray from a first position to a second position based on a detection that the document is placed on the tray, and
a processor configured to control the mover to maintain the tray at the first position upon determining a selection of a mixed stacking mode in which mixing of documents with different sizes on the tray is permitted.

8. The document reading device according to claim 7 , wherein
the mover is configured to maintain the tray at the first position until document reading is started, the first position being farther from the conveyor than the second position.

9. The document reading device according to claim 7 , wherein the processor is configured to, after determining that the mixed stacking mode is selected, determine whether the detector has detected a presence of the document.

10. The document reading device according to claim 7 , wherein the processor is configured to control the mover to widen an available space to accommodate the document after the document tray has been moved from the first position to the second position.

11. The document reading device according to claim 7 , wherein the processor is configured to cause the mover to maintain the document tray at the first position after a user selects the mixed stacking mode, regardless of when the user places the document on the document tray.

12. The document reading device according to claim 7 , wherein
in the mixed stacking mode, a first document having a first size and a second document having a second size are oriented such that a shorter side of each of the first and second documents is aligned along a first direction of the document tray, or a longer side of the first document and a shorter side of the second document are aligned along the first direction of the document tray.

13. A conveyance method, including:
moving a tray from a first position to a second position closer to a conveyor than the first position based on detection that a document is placed on the tray;
after moving the tray from the first position to the second position, moving the tray to the first position based on a selection of a mixed stacking mode in which mixing documents with different sizes on the tray is permitted;
moving the tray from the first position to the second position based on an input to start document reading; and
maintaining the tray at the first position upon determining a selection of a mixed stacking mode in which mixing of documents with different sizes on the tray is permitted.

14. The method according to claim 13 , further comprising:
maintaining the tray at the first position until receiving the input to start the document reading.

15. The method according to claim 13 , further comprising:
after determining that the mixed stacking mode is selected, determining whether a detector has detected a presence of the document.

16. The method according to claim 13 , further comprising:
widening an available space to accommodate the document after a previous movement of the document tray from the first position to the second position.

17. The method according to claim 13 , further comprising:
maintaining the document tray at the first position after a user selects the mixed stacking mode, regardless of when the user places the document on the document tray.

18. The method according to claim 13 , wherein
in the mixed stacking mode, a first document having a first size and a second document having a second size are oriented such that a shorter side of each of the first and second documents is aligned along a first direction of the document tray, or a longer side of the first document and a shorter side of the second document are aligned along the first direction of the document tray.

19. The method according to claim 18 , wherein the first direction is orthogonal to a conveyance direction of the documents.

20. The method according to claim 18 , wherein the second direction is orthogonal to the first direction.

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk
• Toshiba Tec Kk

Inventors

• Yoshimura Yoshio

Classifications

• G03G15/5025 Primary

  by measuring the original characteristics, e.g. contrast, density · CPC title

• B65H2513/512

  Starting; Stopping · CPC title

• H04N1/00718

  Skew · CPC title

• H04N1/0057

  Conveying sheets before or after scanning (arrangements for conveying sheets as part of the scanning operation H04N1/04 and subgroups) · CPC title

• B65H2511/416

  of material · CPC title