Matsushita Graphic Communication Systems, Inc.

Kiroyuki Yamada

Toshihiro Kumano

Yuji Ishii

Shiro Takamizawa

Masanori Sato

An image reading device having a feed roller and a document-separating member for separating and feeding one document at a time from a stack of documents on a hopper, and an image sensor for reading each document being transported through a suitable document transport path inside the device. The document transport path is inclined downward for a short distance immediately downstream of the feed roller and the document-separating member, then is bent in a near-horizontal direction, stretching substantially straight. This structure reduces the overall height of the device. A rotatable pushing member for pushing the document-separating member against the feed roller has a document guide surface which is located downstream of the document-separating member and which protrudes beyond the putative extension of the document contact plane at the end of the document-separating member, the pushing member thereby constituting a bend of the path. Because the document guide surface supports a document being fed while bending along the path, the document does not hit and raise the document-separating member to disrupt its document-separating action.

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Chiisagata, Japan

Kiroyuki Yamada