Reading device and image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11930136-B2
Application number	US-202117540830-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 2, 2021
Priority date	Aug 23, 2021
Publication date	Mar 12, 2024
Grant date	Mar 12, 2024

Abstract

A reading device includes: plural transport rolls that transport a document along a transport path, include a discharge roll disposed on a most downstream side of the transport path, and rotate and do not rotate in synchronization with one another; an opening and closing unit that exposes or covers an upstream portion of the transport path; plural detectors that are provided apart from one another along the transport path, detect a transported document, and include a discharge detector that is disposed on a most downstream side of the transport path and is disposed on an upstream side relative to the discharge roll in a document transport direction; a reader that reads an image formed on a transported document in a downstream portion of the transport path; and a controller that stops the plural transport rolls once upon occurrence of a document jam inside a device body by controlling the transport rolls and rotates the transport rolls for only a predetermined period in a case where the discharge detector is detecting no document and a length of a document is equal to or longer than a threshold length.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A reading device comprising:
a plurality of transport rolls that transport a document along a transport path, include a discharge roll disposed on a most downstream side of the transport path, and rotate and do not rotate in synchronization with one another;
an opening and closing unit that exposes or covers an upstream portion of the transport path;
a plurality of detectors that are provided apart from one another along the transport path, detect a transported document, and include a discharge detector that is disposed on a most downstream side of the transport path and is disposed on an upstream side relative to the discharge roll in a document transport direction;
a reader that reads an image formed on a transported document in a downstream portion of the transport path; and
a controller that stops the plurality of transport rolls once upon occurrence of a document jam inside a device body by controlling the transport rolls and rotates the transport rolls for only a predetermined period in a case where the discharge detector is detecting no document and a length of a document is equal to or longer than a threshold length.

2. The reading device according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller determines that the length of the document is equal to or longer than the threshold length in a case where the length of the document is longer by a predetermined length or more than a longest roll-to-roll distance among distances between pairs of transport rolls adjacent along the transport path.

3. An image forming apparatus comprising:
the reading device according to claim 1 ; and
an image former that forms an image read by the reading device on a recording medium.

4. A reading device comprising:
a plurality of transport rolls that transport a document along a transport path, include a discharge roll disposed on a most downstream side of the transport path, and rotate and do not rotate in synchronization with one another;
an opening and closing unit that exposes or covers an upstream portion of the transport path;
a plurality of detectors that are provided apart from one another along the transport path, detect a transported document, and include a discharge detector that is disposed on a most downstream side of the transport path and is disposed on an upstream side relative to the discharge roll in a document transport direction;
a reader that reads an image formed on a transported document in a downstream portion of the transport path; and
a controller that stops the plurality of transport rolls once upon occurrence of a document jam inside a device body by controlling the transport rolls and rotates the transport rolls for only a predetermined period in a case where the discharge detector is detecting no document and a jammed document is stopped in the upstream portion of the transport path.

5. The reading device according to claim 4 , wherein
the plurality of detectors include a detector disposed in the upstream portion of the transport path; and
the controller determines that the jammed document is stopped in the upstream portion of the transport path in a case where a difference before and after occurrence of the document jam in document passing period for which a document is detected by the detector disposed in the upstream portion of the transport path is equal to or larger than a threshold period.

6. The reading device according to claim 4 , wherein
the plurality of detectors include a pair of detectors that are disposed apart from each other in the downstream portion of the transport path and on an upstream side relative to a reading position at which an image is read by the reader; and
the controller determines, upon occurrence of the document jam, that the jammed document is stopped in the upstream portion of the transport path in a case where an upstream one of the pair of detectors is detecting the document and a downstream one of the pair of detectors is detecting no document.

Assignees

• Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp

Inventors

• Obara Noriyuki
• Takahashi Hidemasa
• Sato Kazunobu
• Tamura Shigeru
• Iguchi Yuki

Classifications

• H04N1/00037 Primary

  Detecting, i.e. determining the occurrence of a predetermined state (H04N1/00031 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04N1/00013

  Reading apparatus · CPC title

• H04N1/00084

  Recovery or repair, e.g. self-repair · CPC title

• H04N1/00543

  Allowing easy access, e.g. for maintenance or in case of paper jam (H04N1/00538 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04N1/00602

  Feed rollers · CPC title