Fujitsu Corporation

Seigo Umeda

Yoshihiro Takashimizu

Hiroyuki Maruyama

Toshiaki Anzai

Rika Nishiwaki

Tadayoshi Nakata

Toshiaki Kumagai

Masahiro Yoshida

Yoshio Tabata

Noriaki Yamazaki

Hirotoshi Kakegawa

Fumiaki Harada

Toshio Saito

The invention provides a paper supply apparatus for an image reading apparatus, an image reading apparatus with a paper supply apparatus and a paper supply apparatus which can be used suitably with an image scanner wherein a large amount of paper sheets can be taken out one by one with certainty and read successively and rapidly. The paper supply apparatus successively supplies paper sheets accommodated therein to a paper transport mechanism along which an optical image reading mechanism is disposed, and comprises a paper supply hopper, a paper supply roller located above the paper supply hopper for forwarding the paper sheets accommodated in the paper supply hopper, a paper supply roller driving mechanism for rotating the paper supply roller, and a paper separation mechanism for preventing two or more paper sheets forwarded by the paper supply roller from being sent to the paper transport mechanism. The paper separation mechanism includes a paper skew prevention mechanism for holding down a passing paper sheet with a higher paper holding down force at a central location in the widthwise direction of the paper sheet but with lower paper holding down forces at the opposite end locations in the widthwise direction of the paper sheet.

Paper supply apparatus for image reading apparatus and image reading

An improved image reading apparatus suitable for use with an image scanner which can read a large number of paper sheets successively and rapidly and cope with various paper sizes from a small size to a large size. The image reading apparatus includes a paper supply mechanism, a paper transport mechanism, an optical image reading mechanism for optically reading information on a paper sheet being transported by the paper transport mechanism, and a paper stacking mechanism. The paper transport mechanism includes a paper transport path including an inclined transport path and a paper reversing transport path contiguous to the inclined transport path, a plurality of paper transport rollers disposed in a spaced relationship from each other by a distance smaller than the length of a paper sheet in its transportation direction along the paper transport path, a roller driving mechanism for driving the paper transport rollers, and a roller driving mechanism control apparatus for controlling the roller driving mechanism. The optical image reading mechanism includes an optical image reading unit, and an image information extraction control apparatus for controlling extraction of image information obtained by the optical image reading unit.

Image reading apparatus having a steeply inclined paper transport path

Growing community of inventors

Kawasaki, Japan

Seigo Umeda