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:
Oct. 12, 1999
Filed:
Aug. 11, 1997
Shinichi Azumi, Yamatotakada, JP;
Kouji Yamaji, Kyoto, JP;
Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha, Osaka, JP;
Abstract
Sheets stacked on the sheet tray are delivered and fed one by one along the sheet conveyance path by the rotation of a sheet-feed roller in cooperation with a frictional member. The sheet conveyance path has a sheet-feed actuator provided thereon for detecting a sheet being conveyed and further has a sheet-pass actuator provided thereon between the sheet-feed actuator and the sheet-feed roller. Two slit arms of the sheet-feed and sheet-pass actuators are arranged so as to interrupt the optical path of a common optical sensor. When the rear of a preceding sheet being conveyed has passed by the sheet-pass actuator, the optical sensor detects the state. In response to this detection, a signal for starting the delivery of the next sheet is launched, thus reducing the interval between sheets.