Patent Application
20130334765
This application claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C. §119 from Taiwan Patent Application No. 101121418, filed on Jun. 14, 2012 in the Taiwan Intellectual Property Office, the contents of the Taiwan Application are hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to image formation devices, and particularly relates to a paper feeding mechanism of a printer.
2. Description of Related Art
A printer typically includes a paper cassette for storing stacks of paper. A feeding roller pulls paper from the paper cassette and feeds the paper into a paper transport path. However, the feeding roller can sometimes pull more than one sheet of paper from the paper cassette at a time, resulting in paper jams.
Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art.
Many aspects of the embodiments can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the embodiments. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
The disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like references indicate similar elements. It should be noted that references to “an” or “one” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean “at least one.”
The baffle 20 is located at a side of the paper cassette 10. The baffle 20 is oblique relative to a bottom plate of the paper cassette 10. A sheet of paper can be pulled from the paper cassette 10 by the feeding roller 40, moved towards and across the baffle 20, and finally fed into a paper transport path by the conveying roller 50.
The feeding roller 40 is located above the paper cassette 10. The feeding roller 40 is movable relative to the paper cassette 10.
The paper separating apparatus 30 is mounted to the baffle 20. The paper separating apparatus 30 can prevent more than one sheet of paper from being fed into the paper transport path at a time.
The securing plate 31 defines an opening 311. The opening 311 is elongated an extending direction along the paper transport path. Two flanges 312 are bent from two opposite edges of the securing plate 311 and abut against the upper surface of the baffle 20. Thus, the paper separating apparatus 30 together with the baffle 20 form a receiving space. In one embodiment, the opening 311 is defined at a middle portion of the securing plate 31.
The rubber pad 32 is received in the receiving space between the paper separating apparatus 30 and the baffle 20. The rubber pad 32 includes a main body 321 and a rib 322. The rib 322 protrudes from an outer side of the main body 321 and extends out of the opening 311 of the securing plate 31 of the paper separating apparatus 30. The rib 322 is elongated an extending direction along the paper transport path. Two wings 323 are bent from two opposite edges of the rubber pad 32 and contact the upper surface of the baffle 20.
Because the paper sheets are stacked in the paper cassette 10, the feeding roller 40 may sometimes pull more than one sheet of paper from the paper cassette 10. If more than one sheet of paper is picked up and transferred to the baffle 20, the bottom sheet of paper will contact the rib 322 of the rubber pad 32. The friction force produced between the rib 322 and the bottom sheet of paper prevents the bottom sheet of paper from moving. The other sheets of paper will not be affected by either the friction force produced by the rib 322 or the friction force produced by the feeding roller 40. Thus, only the top sheet of paper can be fed into the paper transport path.
In some embodiments, the paper separating apparatus 30 further includes an isolating medium 33. The isolating medium 33 is located between and sandwiched by the securing plate 31 and the rubber pad 32. The isolating medium 33 includes two isolating pieces 331. The two isolating pieces 331 are located at two opposite sides of the rib 322 of the rubber pad 32. The isolating medium 33 can prevent the rubber pad 32 from sticking to the securing plate 31. In one embodiment, each of the two isolating pieces 331 is a polyester film.
It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages have been set forth in the foregoing description of embodiments, together with details of the structures and functions of the embodiments, the disclosure is illustrative only and changes may be made in detail, especially in the matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the disclosure to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 101121418 | Jun 2012 | TW | national |
