The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 02, 1999
Filed:
Aug. 26, 1997
Hiroyuki Kato, Nagoya, JP;
Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Nagoya, JP;
Abstract
The sheet feeder of an ink jet printer includes a semi-cylindrical feed roller. A first gear and a second gear are fixed to the roller coaxially with it. The feeder also includes a feed motor rotatable in both directions. The torque of reverse rotation and the torque of normal rotation of the motor are transmitted through a first gear system and a second gear system to the first and second gears, respectively. The first gear has a peripheral surface without teeth. The surface is formed in part of a different peripheral portion of the first gear than the peripheral portion of the first gear which engages with the first gear system while the reverse rotation of the motor by a predetermined amount of reverse rotation is turning the roller by a first predetermined amount from an initial position. Even if the roller has turned from another position than the initial position, it can return to the initial position during the reverse rotation of the motor, because the peripheral surface of the first gear prevents the driving force of the first gear system from being transmitted to this gear.