Multimode document handling apparatus and reproducing apparatus

Abstract

A multimode document handling apparatus and reproducing apparatus containing same are described wherein the document handling apparatus comprises an upper frame portion pivotally mounted along its rear edge to a lower base frame portion to provide open and closed positions of the upper frame relative to the lower frame. The lower frame contains a substantially horizontal imaging platen and document transport defining a generally horizontal document transport path. The upper portion contains a vertically inclined document loading chute the lower exit portion of which intersects the generally horizontal document transport path. The document loading chute includes a gate to permit loading of successive copies in the chute while preventing it from being fed as the preceding document is being copied. The device makes single copies by inserting a document into the chute and multiple copies by reversing the direction of the transport rolls to drive the document after having once been copied back across the platen in the horizontal path past the exit portion of the chute to be transported forward again across the imaging platen. At the same time in this multicopy mode the chute can be used as a wait station for insertion of the next document to be copied. The chute is also used as a wait station during the stream feeding of successive documents. To copy pages of a book, the upper frame portion is pivoted up and the book is placed on the transport rolls which transport it across the imaging platen.