Granted Patent B2

US 8,405,889 · App. 12/790,392 · Granted Mar 26, 2013

Abstract

Claims (37)

1. An imaging apparatus comprising:

an automatic document feeder having a media feeding section, a media collecting section and a media conveying path extending from the media feeding section to the media collecting section;

a first scan head adjacent to the automatic document feeder and moveable to a raised position aligned with a first portion of the media conveying path for scanning a media sheet in the first portion of the media conveying path; and

a first housing attached to a second housing, wherein the automatic document feeder is disposed within the first housing, the first scan head is disposed within the second housing and a portion of the first scan head extends above a top surface of the second housing when the first scan head is in the raised position.

2. The imaging apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a first imaging surface disposed along the top surface of the second housing selectably coupled to the first scan head and moveable to a raised position when the first scan head is in the raised position.

3. The imaging apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising a pressure pad in the first housing for pressing a media sheet against the first imaging surface and moveable with the first imaging surface and the first scan head.

4. The imaging apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an obstruction member disposed in the second housing for engaging the first scan head and moving the first scan head to the raised position.

5. The imaging apparatus of claim 4 , further comprising a lower member extending from the first scan head for engaging the obstruction member.

6. The imaging apparatus of claim 5 , further comprising:

a first imaging surface disposed along the top surface of the second housing selectably coupled to the first scan head and moveable to a raised position when the first scan head is in the raised position;

a second imaging surface disposed along the top surface of the second housing; and

a guide rail within the second housing, the first scan head being slidably disposed on the guide rail for bi-directionally moving the first scan head below the first imaging surface and the second imaging surface;

wherein the obstruction member is a ramp and when the first scan head is moved along the guide rail toward the first imaging surface, the lower member engages and ascends the ramp causing the first scan head to move to the raised position causing the first imaging surface to move to the raised position.

7. The imaging apparatus of claim 4 , further comprising a first imaging surface disposed along the top surface of the second housing selectably coupled to the first scan head and moveable to a raised position when the first scan head is in the raised position, wherein the obstruction member is a cam rotatably mounted on a cam shaft for rotating the cam to engage with and cause the first scan head to move to the raised position to cause the first imaging surface to move to the raised position.

8. The imaging apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising the first scan head for scanning a first side of a media sheet and a second scan head in the first housing for scanning the second side of the media sheet, wherein the media conveying path is substantially planar from a point upstream from the first scan head to a point adjacent to a portion of the second scan head when the first scan head is in the raised position.

9. The imaging apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first scan head is in an inclined position with respect to the top surface of the second housing when the first scan head is in the raised position.

10. An imaging apparatus comprising:

a first housing attached to a second housing;

the first housing having an automatic document feeder having a media feeding section, a media collecting section, a media conveying path extending from the media feeding section to the media collecting section, the media conveying path having a first portion and a second portion, the second portion being disposed downstream from the first portion and upstream from the media collecting section; and

the second housing having a first scan head adjacent to the automatic document feeder and moveable from a first position where the first portion of the media conveying path is not coplanar with the second portion of the media conveying path to a raised position to cause the first portion of the media conveying path to be substantially coplanar with the second portion of the media conveying path, wherein a portion of the first scan head extends above a top surface of the second housing when the first scan head is in the raised position.

11. The imaging apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising a first imaging surface disposed along the top surface of the second housing selectably coupled to the first scan head and moveable to a raised position when the first scan head is in the raised position.

12. The imaging apparatus of claim 11 , further comprising a pressure pad in the first housing for pressing a media sheet against the first imaging surface and moveable with the first imaging surface and the first scan head.

13. The imaging apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising an obstruction member disposed in the second housing for engaging the first scan head and moving the first scan head to the raised position.

14. The imaging apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising a lower member extending from the first scan head for engaging the obstruction member.

15. The imaging apparatus of claim 14 , further comprising:

a first imaging surface disposed along the top surface of the second housing selectably coupled to the first scan head and moveable to a raised position when the first scan head is in the raised position;

a second imaging surface disposed along the top surface of the second housing; and

a guide rail within the second housing, the first scan head being slidably disposed on the guide rail for bi-directionally moving the first scan head below the first imaging surface and the second imaging surface;

wherein the obstruction member is a ramp and when the first scan head is moved along the guide rail toward the first imaging surface, the lower member engages and ascends the ramp causing the first scan head to move to the raised position causing the first imaging surface to move to the raised position.

16. The imaging apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising a first imaging surface disposed along the top surface of the second housing selectably coupled to the first scan head and moveable to a raised position when the first scan head is in the raised position, wherein the obstruction member is a cam rotatably mounted on a cam shaft for rotating the cam to engage with and cause the first scan head to move to the raised position to cause the first imaging surface to move to the raised position.

17. The imaging apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising the first scan head for scanning a first side of a media sheet and a second scan head in the first housing for scanning a second side of the media sheet, wherein the media conveying path is substantially planar from a point upstream from the first scan head to a point adjacent to a portion of the second scan head when the first scan head is in the raised position.

18. The imaging apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the first scan head is in an inclined position with respect to the top surface of the second housing when the first scan head is in the raised position.

19. An imaging apparatus comprising:

an automatic document feeder having a media feeding section, a media collecting section and a media conveying path extending from the media feeding section to the media collecting section;

a first scan head adjacent to the automatic document feeder and moveable to a raised position aligned with a first portion of the media conveying path for scanning a media sheet in the first portion of the media conveying path; and

a second portion of the media conveying path disposed downstream from the first portion of the media conveying path and upstream from the media collecting section;

wherein the first scan head is moveable from a first position where the first portion of the media conveying path is not coplanar with the second portion of the media conveying path to the raised position to cause the first portion of the media conveying path to be substantially coplanar with the second portion of the media conveying path.

Assignments (8)