Document feeder and flattener for moving platen copiers

Claim 1

In a document handling system for a copier with a moving platen imaging system, wherein the imaging platen of the copier is integral a moving platen unit reciprocally driven relative to the stationary body of the copier in a non-imaging movement and an imaging movement, for imaging a document sheet on said platen moving with said platen during said imaging movement at a stationary narrow scanning imaging station underlying said platen, the improvement comprising: document registration and clamping means adjacent one end of said moving platen unit and moving therewith; means for opening and closing said document registration and clamping means to receive and clamp one end of the document sheet at a registration position; document sheet input means for guiding the document sheet into said document registration and clamping means while it is so opened, and into a copying position overlying said platen; narrow imaging backing plate means, not moving with said moving platen unit, and movable relative to said platen into an imaging position closely and stationarily overlying only a minor portion of said platen at said imaging station for ironing the document at the imaging station; said imaging backing plate means providing a light reflective imaging background surface optically overlying said imaging station in said imaging position; said imaging backing plate means being adapted to allow a document sheet on said platen to be pulled under said imaging backing plate means by said imaging movement of said moving platen unit; wherein said imaging backing plate means in said imaging position flattens the document sheet pulled thereunder for improved document imaging; said imaging backing plate means further including lifting means for automatically lifting said imaging backing plate means away from said platen during said non-imaging movement of said moving platen unit; and means for automatically removing the document sheet from said platen, after it has been copied.

Claim 9

A method of plurally copying a document sheet in a moving platen copier wherein a document on the moving platen is reciprocally moved over an imaging station, comprising the steps of: feeding a document sheet onto the platen into a registration edge position and clamping one edge of the document sheet adjacent the registration edge position before reciprocally moving the platen with the document so clamped thereto; ironing the moving document down against the platen over only the imaging station to flatten wrinkles and curls in the document with a small stationary ironing member; providing with said ironing member a substantially uniform imaging background surface fully overlying the imaging station, while pulling the document under said ironing member on said moving platen with continued said clamping in one direction of movement of said moving platen; lifting said ironing member away from the document and the platen during the opposite movement of said moving platen; and repeating the above steps to make plural copies of the document sheets.

Claim 10

A method of plurally copying a document sheet in a moving platen copier wherein a document on the moving platen is reciprocally moved over an imaging station, comprising the steps of: feeding a document sheet onto the platen into a registration edge position and clamping one edge of the document sheet adjacent the registration edge position before reciprocally moving the platen with the document so clamped thereto; ironing the moving document down against the platen over only the imaging station to flatten wrinkles and curls in the document with a small stationary ironing member; providing with said ironing member a substantially uniform imaging background surface fully overlying the imaging station, while pulling the document under said ironing member on said moving platen with continued said clamping in one direction of movement of said moving platen; lifting said ironing member away from the document and the platen during the opposite movement of said moving platen; and repeating the above steps to make plural copies of the document sheets.