Paper-separating mechanism

Abstract

A paper-separating plate is adapted for a paper-separating mechanism having a paper-separating roller. The paper-separating plate placed around a side of the paper-separating roller comprises a main body and a cushion. The main body has a surface and a plurality of grooves and the grooves are positioned on the surface. The cushion is positioned on the surface of the main body and covers the grooves. The cushion positioned over the partial grooves is elastically pressed onto the paper-separating roller. The grooves, neighboring one another or each other, linearly extend in a direction substantially parallel with the axis of the paper-separating roller. Besides, the cushion is made of flexible material and the main body is made of rigid material.

Description

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates in general to a paper-separating plate with multi-stages. More particularly, the invention relates to a paper-separating plate suitable for a paper-seized mechanism of an automatic document feeder (ADF).

2. Description of the Related Art

An image input/output device, such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine or a scanner, plenty a plurality of linear grooves 236a that are located on a surface 238 of the main body 230a. The linear grooves 236a extends in a direction substantially parallel with the axis of the paper-separating roller 210 and neighbor one another. In other words, the structure between every two of the neighboring linear grooves 236a neighbored can be regarded as a linear protrusion 236b. Besides In addition, the cushion 230b is placed on the surface 238 of the main body 230a and covers the linear grooves 236a. The cushion 230b can be made of flexible material, while the main body 230a can be made of rigid material.

Referring to both FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, because the paper-separating roller 210 can be made of elastic material, when the paper-separating plate 230 is elastically pressed onto the bottom surface of the paper-separating roller 210, the bottom surface of the paper-separating roller 210 can contact closely with the cushion 230b of the paper-separating plate 230. The bottom surface of the paper-separating roller 210 is deformed as a flat type elastically flattened in the region directly adjacent the paper-separating plate 230. The cushion 230b positioned over the linear grooves 236a can be deformed as shallow cavities by the pressure applied by the paper-separating roller 210. The pressure applied on the cushion 230b positioned on the linear protrusions 236b is larger than the pressure applied on the cushion 230b positioned over the linear grooves 236a at the two sides of the linear protrusions 236b. The regions of the cushion 230b located on the linear protrusions 236b is defined as linear pressed regions, the circular regions indicated with dotted lines as shown in FIG. 3.

Referring to both FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, when two or more documents 20 are transferred to the space between the paper-separating roller 210 and the paper-separating plate 230 with multi-stages, the documents can be first separated at a first linear pressed region 301a. If not only one document 20 is separated at the first linear pressed region 301a, the retaining documents 20 are transferred to a second linear pressed region 301b and separated again at the second linear pressed region 301b. Then, if not only one document 20 is separated at the second linear pressed region 301b, the retaining documents 20 are transferred to a third linear pressed region 301c and separated again at the third linear pressed region 301c until the documents is output one by one. Also, the documents can be separated at the space between the paper-feed roller 220 and the paper-separating plate 230 with multi-stages.

Referring to FIG. 2, the contact surface 232 of the paper-separating plate 230 with multi-stages can be divided into a first contact surface 232a and a second contact surface 232b. The documents 20 can be separated at the space between the paper-separating roller 210 and the first contact surface 232a, and, also, the documents 20 can be separated at the space between the paper-feed roller 210 and the second contact surface 232b. The paper-separating plate 230 with multi-stages is provided with a turning region, the circular region indicated with dotted lines as shown in the central region of FIG. 2. There is an acute angle between the normal vector of the first contact surface 232a and the normal vector of the second contact surface 232b. After the documents 20 are separated at the space between the paper-feed roller 210 and the second contact surface 232b, the documents 20 are transferred to the outer surface of the paper-separating roller 210 in the direction parallel with the second contact surface 232b. When the documents 20 contact with the outer surface of the paper-separating roller 210, the paper-separating roller 210 stirs an a leading edge of the documents 20. Thus, the neighbored leading edge of neighboring documents 20 are stacked not so closely that become separated, thereby allowing the documents 20 can to be separated relatively easily when they are transferred to the space between the paper-separating roller 210 and the second contact surface 232b of the paper-separating plate 230. The structure of the paper-separating plate 230 around the paper-separating roller 210 and the paper-feed roller 220 is similar with the structure as shown in FIG. 3.

To sum up In summary, the present invention has the following advantages:

• • 1. According to the present invention, intensive linear grooves (or linear protrusions) are formed on the main body of the paper-separating plate with multi-stages and a cushion covers the linear grooves and the linear protrusions. Thus, many linear press regions are distributed on the cushion and documents can be separated many times by the paper-separating roller and the paper-separating plate with multi-stages. Therefore, the successful probability likelihood that documents are output one by one is enhanced.
  • 2. According to the present invention, the paper-separating plate is provided with two contact surfaces with an acute angle therebetween. When documents contact with the outer surface of the paper-separating roller, the paper-separating roller can stir an a leading edge of the documents. Thus, the neighbored leading edge of neighboring documents are stacked not so closely that become separated, thereby allowing the documents can to be separated relatively easily during following separating operations.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A paper-separating plate adapted for a paper-separating mechanism having a paper-separating roller and the paper-separating plate, placed around a side of the paper-separating roller , comprising:

a main body having a surface and a plurality of grooves, the grooves with at least one groove positioned on the surface are , wherein the at least one groove is lined in parallel with respect to an axis of the a paper-separating roller; and

a cushion positioned on the surface of the main body and covering the at least one grooves , wherein the cushion positioned over the partial grooves is elastically pressed onto the paper-separating roller.

2. The paper-separating plate according to claim 1, wherein the cushion extends over the grooves, neighboring one another or each other, linearly extend in a direction substantially parallel with the axis of the paper-separating roller at least one groove.

3. The paper-separating plate according to claim 1, wherein the cushion is made of flexible material.

4. The paper-separating plate according to claim 1, wherein the main body is made of rigid material.

5. A paper-separating mechanism, comprising:

a paper-separating roller; and

a paper-separating plate, placed around a side of adjacent to the paper-separating roller, comprising:

a main body having a first surface and a plurality of first grooves, the first grooves positioned on the first surface, wherein the plurality of grooves are lined in parallel with respect to an axis of the paper-separating roller; and

a first cushion positioned on the first surface of the main body and covering the first plurality of grooves, wherein the first cushion positioned over the partial first grooves is elastically pressed onto the paper-separating roller.

6. The paper-separating mechanism according to claim 5, wherein the first plurality of grooves, neighboring one another or each other, linearly extend in a direction substantially parallel with to the axis of the paper-separating roller.

7. The paper-separating mechanism according to claim 5, wherein the first cushion is made of flexible material.

8. The paper-separating mechanism according to claim 5, wherein the main body is made of rigid material.

9. The paper-separating mechanism according to claim 5, wherein the paper-separating mechanism further comprises comprising a paper-feed roller placed around having an axis, wherein the paper-feed roller is located near the paper-separating roller, and wherein the axis of the paper-separating feed roller is parallel with that to the axis of the paper-feed separating roller.

10. A paper-separating mechanism, comprising:

a paper-separating roller having an axis;

a paper-feed roller placed around having an axis, wherein the paper-feed roller is located near the paper-separating roller and an the axis of the paper-separating roller is generally parallel with that to the axis of the paper-feed roller; and

a paper-separating plate, placed around a side located adjacent to an outer diameter of the paper-separating roller, comprising:

a main body having a first surface and with a plurality of first grooves, the first grooves positioned on the first surface, a plurality of second grooves and a second cushion, the second grooves are placed on a second surface, the second cushion is placed on the second surface and covers the with a plurality of second grooves, and the second cushion positioned over the partial second groove is elastically pressed onto the paper-feed roller, and

a first cushion positioned on the first surface of the main body and covering the first grooves, wherein the first cushion positioned over the partial first grooves is elastically pressed onto the paper-separating roller a cushion positioned on the first and second surfaces of the main body.

11. The paper-separating mechanism according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of second grooves, neighboring one another or each other, linearly extend in a direction substantially parallel with the axis of the paper-feed roller.

12. The paper-separating mechanism according to claim 10, wherein the second cushion is made of flexible material.

13. The paper-separating mechanism according to claim 10, wherein there is an acute angle between the a normal vector of the first surface and the a normal vector of the second surface.

14. A paper-separating plate, comprising:

a main body having a surface with at least one groove; and

a cushion positioned on the surface of the main body and covering the at least one groove, wherein the cushion covering the at least one groove is elastically pressed onto a paper-separating roller, and wherein the at least one groove is parallel to an axis of the paper-separating roller.

15. The paper-separating plate according to claim 14, wherein the at least one groove linearly extends in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of the paper-separating roller.

16. The paper-separating plate according to claim 14, wherein the cushion is made of flexible material.

17. The paper-separating plate according to claim 14, wherein the main body is made of rigid material.

18. An automatic document feeder, comprising:

a paper-separating roller having an axis;

a paper-feed roller having an axis, wherein the paper-feed roller is located near the paper-separating roller and the axis of the paper-separating roller is substantially parallel to the axis of the paper-feed roller; and

a paper-separating plate, comprising:

a single main body having a first cushioned surface elastically pressed toward the paper-separating roller and a second cushioned surface elastically pressed toward the paper-feed roller, wherein the main body comprises a plurality of grooves.

19. The automatic document feeder according to claim 18, further comprising a cushion positioned on the main body.

20. The automatic document feeder according to claim 19, wherein the cushion is configured to deform into the plurality of grooves located beneath the paper-separating roller.

21. The automatic document feeder according to claim 19, wherein the cushion covers the plurality of grooves on the main body.

22. The automatic document feeder according to claim 19, wherein the cushion is made of flexible material.

23. The paper-separating mechanism according to claim 10, wherein the cushion comprises:

a first cushion positioned on the first surface of the main body; and

a second cushion positioned on the second surface of the main body.

24. The automatic document feeder according to claim 19, wherein there is an acute angle between a normal vector of the first cushioned surface and a normal vector of the second cushioned surface.

25. The paper-separating mechanism according to claim 10, wherein the cushion covers the plurality of first grooves and the plurality of second grooves.