US5710967A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus which indicates to a user the proper placement of pages to be scanned
Assignee: Ricoh Co Ltd
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Filing: 1996-07-12
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Granted: 1998-01-20
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Expires: 2016-07-12
Abstract
Abstract A scanning mechanism which indicates to a user the manner of setting a page in order for the page to be properly scanned. When an automatic document feeder is not being used, a paper orientation indicator which is next to a transparent contact surface is illuminated, depending on the orientation of the input paper onto which an image is to be copied. The orientation indicator is located on a periphery of the paper support surface. The orientation indicator is located either at a corner of the transparent contact surface or centered at an edge of the transparent contact surface, depending on how the page to be scanned should be set on the transparent contact surface. Alternatively, an automatic document feeder is utilized with a copier and the automatic document feeder contains both an orientation indicator and paper position indicators which are illuminated to indicate where to place a stack of pages which are to be fed by the automatic document feeder.
Inventors
- 👤 Tetsuro Motoyama
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 15:37
CPC Classifications
G; G03; G03G; G03G15/00; G03G15/60; G03G15/605; H; H04; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/00567; H04N1/04; H04N1/10; H04N1/12; H04N2201/00; H04N2201/04; H04N2201/0402; H04N2201/0422
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 27
Claim 1
Independent Claim
109 words
A scanning system which indicates where to place a page to be scanned, comprising: a paper support surface including: a transparent contact surface; a paper orientation indicator which indicates how a user is to orient the page to be scanned on the contact surface, the paper orientation indicator representing a page and whether the page to be scanned is to be placed in a portrait or landscape orientation, the paper orientation indicator further being a miniature representation of how a user should place a page on the transparent contact surface in order for the page to be properly scanned; and a scanning mechanism disposed under the paper support surface.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
109 words
A scanning system which indicates where to place a page to be scanned, comprising: a paper support surface including: a transparent contact surface; a paper orientation indicator which indicates how a user is to orient the page to be scanned on the contact surface, the paper orientation indicator representing a page and whether the page to be scanned is to be placed in a portrait or landscape orientation, the paper orientation indicator further being a miniature representation of how a user should place a page on the transparent contact surface in order for the page to be properly scanned; and a scanning mechanism disposed under the paper support surface.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
38 words
A scanning system according to claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of illuminatable indicators, disposed around a periphery of the paper support surface, which indicate a position of where the page to be scanned is to be placed.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
30 words
A scanning system according to claim 2, wherein: the plurality of the illuminatable indicators are located on at least two different sides of the periphery of the paper support surface.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
22 words
A scanning system according to claim 3, wherein: the paper orientation indicator is located proximate to a corner of the contact surface.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
52 words
A scanning system according to claim 2, wherein: the plurality of the illuminatable indicators are located at a single side of the periphery of the contact surface and are arranged in pairs so that each indicator has a corresponding indicator on an opposite side of a central position of the contact surface.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
23 words
A scanning system according to claim 5, wherein: the paper orientation indicator is located proximate to the central position of the contact surface.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
27 words
A scanning system according to claim 2, wherein: the plurality of the illuminatable indicators are located at a single side of the periphery of the contact surface.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
23 words
A scanning system according to claim 2, further comprising: means for selecting which of the plurality of illuminatable indicators are to be illuminated.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
43 words
A scanning system according to claim 8, further comprising: means for selecting which of the plurality of illuminatable indicators are to be illuminated using an orientation and size of input paper which is to receive a copy of the page to be scanned.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
136 words
A scanning system according to claim 9, further comprising: a plurality of input paper trays; at least one switch for selecting, by a user, from which of the plurality of input paper trays input paper is to be used for a copying operation; and a memory which stores information indicating which of the illuminatable indicators are to be illuminated, depending on which of the input paper trays is to be used for the copying operation, wherein the means for selecting which of the plurality of illuminatable indicators are to be illuminated using the orientation and size of the input paper determines which of the plurality of the input paper trays was selected by the at least one switch and the information stored in the memory which indicates which of the illuminatable indicators are to be illuminated.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
20 words
A scanning system according to claim 2, wherein: the plurality of paper orientation illuminatable indicators comprise: a plurality of LEDs.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
35 words
A scanning system according to claim 2, wherein: the paper orientation indicator has a rectangular shape and has an orientation which indicates whether the paper is to be placed in a portrait or landscape orientation.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
22 words
A scanning system according to claim 1, wherein: the paper orientation indicator is located to a side of the transparent contact surface.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
102 words
A scanning system according to claim 1, further including an automatic document feeder which indicates a proper placement for pages of a document to be scanned, the automatic document feeder comprising: a tray for holding the pages to be scanned; a feeding mechanism which feeds pages of the document to be scanned from the tray; and a plurality of illuminatable indicators which indicate a proper placement on the tray to place the pages to be scanned, the plurality of illuminatable indicators having rectangular shapes and having orientations which indicate whether the pages are to be placed in a portrait or landscape orientation.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
56 words
A scanning system according to claim 14, wherein: the paper orientation indicator of the paper support surface is illuminated only when the paper support surface is a source of a page to be scanned and one of the paper orientation indicators of the automatic document feeder is illuminated only when the automatic document feeder is used.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
89 words
An automatic document feeder which indicates a proper placement for pages of a document to be scanned, comprising: a tray for holding the pages to be scanned; a feeding mechanism which feeds pages of the document to be scanned from the tray; and a plurality of illuminatable indicators which indicate a proper placement on the tray to place the pages to be scanned, the plurality of illuminatable indicators having rectangular shapes and having orientations which indicate whether the pages are to be placed in a portrait or landscape orientation.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
89 words
An automatic document feeder which indicates a proper placement for pages of a document to be scanned, comprising: a tray for holding the pages to be scanned; a feeding mechanism which feeds pages of the document to be scanned from the tray; and a plurality of illuminatable indicators which indicate a proper placement on the tray to place the pages to be scanned, the plurality of illuminatable indicators having rectangular shapes and having orientations which indicate whether the pages are to be placed in a portrait or landscape orientation.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
62 words
An automatic document feeder according to claim 16, further comprising: a scanning mechanism which scans pages fed by the feeding mechanism; and a printing mechanism which prints on input paper an image obtained by the scanner, wherein: the plurality of illuminatable indicators indicate different orientations of the pages to be scanned, depending on the input paper onto which the image is printed.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
31 words
An automatic document feeder according to claim 17, wherein: the plurality of illuminatable indicators are located on a surface which is different from a paper tray of the automatic document feeder.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
28 words
An automatic document feeder according to claim 17, wherein: the plurality of illuminatable indicators are located on a surface of a paper tray of an automatic document feeder.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
28 words
An automatic document feeder according to claim 19, wherein: the plurality of illuminatable indicators are illuminated in sequence to indicate a feed direction of the automatic document feeder.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
39 words
An automatic document feeder according to claim 16, wherein: the plurality of illuminatable indicators are miniature representations of how a user should place a page on the transparent contact surface in order for the page to be properly scanned.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
125 words
A scanning system which indicates where to place a page to be scanned, comprising: a paper support surface means for supporting the page to be scanned including: a transparent contact surface; a paper orientation indicator means for indicating how a user is to orient the page to be scanned on the contact surface, the paper orientation indicator means representing a page and whether the page to be scanned is to be placed in a portrait or landscape orientation, the paper orientation indicator means further being a miniature representation of how a user should place a page on the transparent contact surface in order for the page to be properly scanned; and a scanning means for scanning the page, disposed under the paper support surface means.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
125 words
A scanning system which indicates where to place a page to be scanned, comprising: a paper support surface means for supporting the page to be scanned including: a transparent contact surface; a paper orientation indicator means for indicating how a user is to orient the page to be scanned on the contact surface, the paper orientation indicator means representing a page and whether the page to be scanned is to be placed in a portrait or landscape orientation, the paper orientation indicator means further being a miniature representation of how a user should place a page on the transparent contact surface in order for the page to be properly scanned; and a scanning means for scanning the page, disposed under the paper support surface means.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
90 words
An automatic document feeder which indicates a proper placement for pages of a document to be scanned, comprising: a tray means for holding the pages to be scanned; a feeding means for feeding pages of the document to be scanned from the tray; and a paper orientation indicating means for indicating a proper placement on the tray to place the pages to be scanned, the paper orientation indicating means having rectangular shapes and having orientations which indicate whether the pages are to be placed in a portrait or landscape orientation.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
90 words
An automatic document feeder which indicates a proper placement for pages of a document to be scanned, comprising: a tray means for holding the pages to be scanned; a feeding means for feeding pages of the document to be scanned from the tray; and a paper orientation indicating means for indicating a proper placement on the tray to place the pages to be scanned, the paper orientation indicating means having rectangular shapes and having orientations which indicate whether the pages are to be placed in a portrait or landscape orientation.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2001-01-19 | 2001-07-21 | 2002-01-20 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2005-01-19 | 2005-07-21 | 2006-01-20 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2009-01-19 | 2009-07-21 | 2010-01-20 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |