Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Hiroshi Matsumoto

Takao Araki

Kosuke Takaki

Yoshihiro Itoh

Junichi Mutoh

Katsuzi Ichimaru

Tetsurou Fukuzoe

The present invention provides a paper feeding apparatus for use in an image reader, e.g. such as an image scanner, which is designed especially to prevent overlap feeding of sheets of paper, and can adjust both the pressing forces between a hopper for carrying sheets of paper in a stacked manner and a pickup roller for paper feeding and between a parting roller and a retard roller for the prevention of overlap feeding. The paper feeding apparatus of the present invention serves to feed the sheets of paper one by one from the hopper and to restrict overlap feeding by the parting roller and the retard roller. This optimizes the paper feeding in the pass line from the hopper to the preventing mechanism for overlap feeding, thereby achieving a secure prevention overlap feeding.

Paper feeding apparatus

An image reading and printing apparatus having a housing, a printing part located in the upper part of the housing, an image reading part located in the lower part of the housing, a sheet feeding part located in the lower part of the housing below the image reading part and receiving thereinto a sheet inserted from the lower part of the front face of the housing, a C-like shape sheet conveying path through which the sheet is led from the sheet feed part to the printing part, and is discharged outside of the housing from the upper part of the front surface thereof, and a C-like shape document conveying path through which a document inserted from the lower part of the front face of the housing is led to the image reading part, and is then discharged outside of the housing from the front face of the housing, the C-like document conveying path being surrounded by the C-like sheet conveying path, thereby making it possible to miniaturize the image reading and printing apparatus and to absorb a shift between the timing of the reading operation and the timing of the printing operation caused by the printing speed of the printing part which is relatively lower than the reading speed of the image reading part.

Apparatus for reading images from documents and printing information on

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Kurume, Japan

Hiroshi Matsumoto