Image reading apparatus and image forming apparatus having inclined surface for easy document removal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12177403-B2
Application number	US-202318303713-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 20, 2023
Priority date	May 13, 2022
Publication date	Dec 24, 2024
Grant date	Dec 24, 2024

Abstract

An image reading apparatus includes a transparent member including a document placing surface on which a document is placed, a document pressing portion that presses the document placed on the transparent member against the transparent member, a pivot supporting portion that pivotably supports the document pressing portion so as to be pivotable about a pivot shaft with respect to a casing of the image reading apparatus, an image reading unit, an abutment portion against which an edge portion of the document placed on the document placing surface is abutted in order to position the document at a reference position, and an inclined surface. The abutment portion is provided at one portion of a front end on a side far from the pivot supporting portion. The inclined surface is provided at another portion of the front end and inclined upward toward the side far from the pivot supporting portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image reading apparatus comprising:
a transparent member including a document placing surface on which a document is placed;
a document pressing member configured to press the document placed on the transparent member against the transparent member;
a hinge configured to support the document pressing member so as to be pivotable about a pivot shaft with respect to a casing of the image reading apparatus between a closed position where the document pressing member presses the document against the transparent member and an open position where the document pressing member permits removal of the document from the transparent member;
an image reading sensor configured to read an image on the document placed on the document placing surface;
a first abutment portion against which a front edge portion of the document placed on the document placing surface is abutted in order to position the document at a reference position for reading by the image reading sensor, the first abutment portion being provided at one portion of a front end on a side far from the hinge, among a pair of ends of the document placing surface in a front-rear direction orthogonal to the pivot shaft;
a second abutment portion against which a side edge portion of the document orthogonal to the front edge portion is abutted in order to position the document at the reference position, the second abutment portion being provided at one side with respect to the first abutment portion in a left-right direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction; and
an inclined surface provided at another portion of the front end and on a side opposite to the second abutment portion with respect to the first abutment portion in the left-right direction, and inclined upward toward the side far from the hinge.

2. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a lowermost end of the inclined surface is positioned below the document placing surface.

3. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a motor configured to move the image reading sensor in the orthogonal direction in a case where the image reading sensor reads a document placed on the transparent member.

4. The image reading apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising
an automatic document feeding apparatus including a document supporting tray configured to support the document, a document feeding roller configured to feed the document supported by the document supporting tray to an image reading position, and a document discharge roller configured to discharge the document that has passed through the image reading position,
the automatic document feeding apparatus being provided in the document pressing member,
wherein
the motor positions the image reading sensor at the image reading position in a case where reading an image on a document conveyed by the automatic document feeding apparatus, and
the image reading position is located on a rear side with respect to the document placing surface in the front-rear direction.

5. The image reading apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
a home position of the image reading sensor is located on a side of the first abutment portion in the front-rear direction.

6. The image reading apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising:
a first detection sensor configured to detect that the document is supported by the document supporting tray;
a document conveying roller configured to convey the document fed by the document feeding roller toward the image reading position;
a second detection sensor configured to detect that the document conveyed by the document conveying roller has reached a position on an upstream side of the image reading position with respect to a document conveying direction;
a controller configured to control the document feeding roller, the motor, and the document conveying roller and execute a mode in which the automatic document feeding apparatus conveys the document and the image reading sensor reads an image on the document; and
an execution start portion operated by an operator to start execution of the mode,
wherein the controller is configured to control the document feeding roller, the motor, and the document conveying roller such that
the image reading sensor starts moving from the home position toward the image reading position in a case where the first detection sensor detects the document,
the document feeding roller starts feeding the document in response to the execution start portion being operated to start the execution of the mode even in a case where the image reading sensor has not reached the image reading position,
the conveyance of the document is stopped in a case where the image reading sensor has not reached the image reading position when the second detection sensor detects the document, and
the conveyance of the document is restarted in a case where the image reading sensor has reached the image reading position.

7. The image reading apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein a direction in which the image reading sensor moves is a direction along a direction in which the document is fed by the document feeding roller.

8. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the inclined surface is disposed at a position farther from the pivot shaft than the first abutment portion in the front-rear direction.

9. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an operation unit configured to receive an operation by an operator,
wherein
the first abutment portion is disposed on an apparatus front side which is a front side of the image reading apparatus provided with the operation unit with respect to the transparent member, and
the hinge is disposed on an apparatus rear side which is a rear side of the image reading apparatus with respect to the transparent member.

10. An image forming apparatus comprising:
an apparatus main body that forms an image on a sheet; and
an image reading apparatus provided in an upper portion of the apparatus main body and reads an image on a document,
wherein the apparatus main body includes
a cassette configured to support a sheet,
a sheet feeding roller configured to feed the sheet supported by the cassette,
an image former configured to form an image on the sheet fed by the sheet feeding roller, and
a sheet discharge roller configured to discharge the sheet on which the image is formed by the image former,

wherein the image reading apparatus includes
a transparent member including a document placing surface on which a document is placed,
a document pressing member configured to press the document placed on the transparent member against the transparent member,
a hinge configured to support the document pressing member so as to be pivotable about a pivot shaft with respect to a casing of the image reading apparatus between a closed position where the document pressing member presses the document against the transparent member and an open position where the document pressing member is opened the transparent member,
an image reading sensor configured to read an image on the document placed on the document placing surface,
a first abutment portion against which a front edge portion of the document placed on the document placing surface is abutted in order to position the document at a reference position for reading by the image reading sensor, the first abutment portion being provided at one portion of a front end on a side far from the hinge, among a pair of ends of the document placing surface in a front-rear direction orthogonal to the pivot shaft,
a second abutment portion against which a side edge portion of the document orthogonal to the front edge

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Ono Takahiro
• Fukushima Takayuki
• Matsuo Kazuki
• Yasuda Yuya
• Tachibana Takuma
• Mitamura Akiyuki
• Matsumoto Akira
• Urita Akira
• Hishinuma Norikazu
• Nakamura Takatsugu
• Hashimoto Yu

Classifications

• H04N1/1235

  Feeding a sheet past a transparent plate; Details thereof · CPC title

• H04N1/1225

  Means for maintaining contact between the sheet and the image sensor, e.g. pressing means · CPC title

• H04N1/10

  using flat picture-bearing surfaces {(H04N1/113, H04N1/195 take precedence)} · CPC title

• H04N2201/0422

  Media holders, covers, supports, backgrounds; Arrangements to facilitate placing of the medium (H04N2201/0406 - H04N2201/0412, H04N2201/0434 take precedence) · CPC title

• H04N2201/02449

  using a reference element, e.g. a stop · CPC title