Patent Publication Number: US-8118304-B1

Title: Stopping device and multi-function peripheral using the same

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan application serial no. 99143768, filed on Dec. 14, 2010. The entirety of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to a stopping device, and in particular, to a stopping device capable of keeping an object intact and a multi-function peripheral (MFP) using the same. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     With the advent of information society, an office may be provided with office automation equipments such as a scanner, a photocopier, and a printer. A user may perform word processing by the aid of the office automation equipment. It should be noted that, when the office automation equipments are configured in an office at the same time, a lot of space is occupied. Therefore, an MFP integrated with, for example, photocopying, printing, and scanning functions, is developed to solve the above problem. 
     The user usually places a stack of paper in the MFP for use for photocopying, printing, or scanning. The MFP needs a stopping device, so as to precisely stop the paper before the paper is fed into the MFP. A conventional stopping device of the MFP uses a gear to drive a rack, so as to move a paper stopping plate up and down to stop or allow the paper to pass through. However, in the method using the rack, space is required to be reserved in the MFP for the movement of the rack in a perpendicular direction, thus causing limitation to design height, and waste of space, thereby the overall volume of the MFP cannot be decreased effectively. 
     In addition, another conventional stopping device uses a motor, a spring, a paper fetching arm, a stopping arm, and a restricting point, which work in a combined manner to achieve an effect of stopping or allowing the paper to pass through. However, the spring may become fatigued sometime, reverse rotation with wrong step number of the motor may occur sometime, and thus the paper stopping plate and the stopping arm cannot be restored in positions thereof, and the stopping device fails. Alternatively, when a case of the MFP is opened, the paper stopping function is still kept, in this case, if the paper is still under the paper stopping plate, the paper may be torn. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a stopping device capable of keeping a fed object intact. 
     The present invention is directed to an MFP having an effectively decreased overall volume. 
     The present invention provides a stopping device, suitable for being disposed on a track having a recess, to stop an object from passing through the track. The stopping device includes a driving unit, a forcing unit, a first restricting point, a second restricting point, a rotating unit, and a stopping unit. The forcing unit has a pivoting portion pivoted with the driving unit, and a forcing portion. The first restricting point and the second restricting point are aligned in a perpendicular direction, and the forcing portion is located between the first restricting point and the second restricting point. The rotating unit has a rotating axle, and a first end and a second end located at two opposite sides of the rotating axle. The forcing portion of the forcing unit contacts the first end. The stopping unit has a third end and a fourth end. The third end has an opening, through which the second end of the rotating unit passes. In a first state, the forcing portion of the forcing unit contacts the first restricting point, and the fourth end is located in the recess to stop the object. 
     In an embodiment of the stopping device of the present invention, the pivoting portion is C-shaped. 
     In an embodiment of the stopping device of the present invention, the second end is arc-shaped. 
     In an embodiment of the stopping device of the present invention, the driving unit rotates to drive the forcing portion of the forcing unit to move to press against the second restricting point. The forcing portion applies a force on the first end of the rotating unit. The second end of the rotating unit rotates with the rotating axle as an axis to drive the stopping unit to move up in the perpendicular direction. Therefore, the fourth end of the stopping unit departs from the recess, and thus the object passes through the track. 
     The present invention further provides an MFP, which includes a case and a stopping device. The case has a track, paper is suitable for being conveyed through the track, and the track includes an entrance and a recess adjacent to the entrance. The stopping device is disposed above the track of the case, and includes a driving unit, a forcing unit, a first restricting point, a second restricting point, a rotating unit, and a stopping unit. The forcing unit has a pivoting portion pivoted with the driving unit, and a forcing portion. The first restricting point and the second restricting point are aligned in a perpendicular direction, and the forcing portion is located between the first restricting point and the second restricting point. The rotating unit has a rotating axle, and a first end and a second end located at two opposite sides of the rotating axle. The forcing portion of the forcing unit contacts the first end. The stopping unit has a third end and a fourth end. The third end has an opening, through which the second end of the rotating unit passes. In a first state, the forcing portion of the forcing unit contacts the first restricting point, and the fourth end is located in the recess to stop the object. 
     In an embodiment of the MFP of the present invention, the pivoting portion is C-shaped. 
     In an embodiment of the MFP of the present invention, the second end is arc-shaped. 
     In an embodiment of the MFP of the present invention, the driving unit rotates to drive the forcing portion of the forcing unit to move to press against the second restricting point. The forcing portion applies a force on the first end of the rotating unit. The second end of the rotating unit rotates with the rotating axle as an axis to drive the stopping unit to move up in the perpendicular direction. Therefore, the fourth end of the stopping unit departs from the recess, and thus paper passes through the track. 
     In view of the above, the stopping unit of the stopping device of the present invention stops or allows the paper to pass through by rotating, so that an MFP using the stopping device can save the space for up and down movement of a rack, as compared with a conventional MFP, thus reducing the overall volume effectively. 
     In order to make the aforementioned features and advantages of the present invention more comprehensible, embodiments are described in detail with accompanying drawings below. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic partial sectional view of an MFP according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic three-dimensional view of the MFP in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIGS. 3 and 4  are schematic sectional views of an action process, in which a stopping device stops stopping paper, and the paper is fed into an MFP. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the present embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts. 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic partial sectional view of an MFP according to an embodiment of the present invention,  FIG. 2  is a schematic three-dimensional view of the MFP in  FIG. 1 , and paper P is not shown in  FIG. 2 . Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , in this embodiment, an MFP  1000  includes a case  1100  and a stopping device  1200 . The case  1100  has a track  1110 , and the track has a recess  1112 . The stopping device  1200  is disposed in the case  1100 , and is located on the track  1110  to stop objects, such as paper P, from passing through the track  1110 . The stopping device  1200  includes a driving unit  1210 , a forcing unit  1220 , a first restricting point  1230 , a second restricting point  1240 , a rotating unit  1250 , and a stopping unit  1260 . The forcing unit  1220  has a pivoting portion  1222  pivoted with the driving unit  1210 , and a forcing portion  1224 . The first restricting point  1230  and the second restricting point  1240  are aligned in a perpendicular direction V in the case  1100 . The forcing portion  1224  is located between the first restricting point  1230  and the second restricting point  1240 . The rotating unit  1250  has a rotating axle  1252 , and a first end  1254  and a second end  1256  located at two opposite sides of the rotating axle  1252 . The forcing portion  1224  of the forcing unit  1220  contacts the first end  1254 . The stopping unit  1260  has a third end  1262  and a fourth end  1264 . The third end  1262  has an opening  1262   a , through which the second end  1256  of the rotating unit  1250  passes. 
     In this embodiment, the driving unit  1210  may be a shaft of a paper-fetching roller, and may be driven by a motor. The pivoting portion  1222  is C-shaped, so as to be sleeved on the roller. In other embodiments, the pivoting portion  1222  may also be of a hollow round shape, and is selected according to practical demands. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , in a first state, the stopping device  1200  stops the paper P, so that the paper P cannot enter into the track  1110  of the case  1100  of the MFP  1000  for being conveyed. In this case, the forcing portion  1224  of the forcing unit  1220  contacts the first restricting point  1230 , and the fourth end  1264  is located in the recess  1112  to stop the paper. Particularly, the second end  1256  of the rotating unit  1250  is slightly arc-shaped, so that after passing through the opening  1262   a , the second end  1256  slightly hooks the third end  1262  of the stopping unit  1260 . If the shape of second end  1256  cannot interfere with the third end  1262  of the stopping unit  1260 , it is very likely that the second end  1256  departs from the opening  1262   a , and thus the whole stopping device  1200  fails, since the fourth end  1264  of the stopping unit  1260  is fixed in the recess  1112 , and acts as a rotating axle of the stopping unit  1260 , so that the third end  1262  rotates relative to the fourth end  1264  with the rotating axle as an axis. Therefore, a slight arc-shape of the second end  1256  of the rotating unit  1250  can prevent the second end  1256  from departing from the opening  1262   a , so as to keep the function completeness of the stopping device  1200 . 
       FIGS. 3 and 4  are schematic sectional views of an action process, in which a stopping device stops stopping paper, and the paper is fed into an MFP. As shown in  FIG. 3 , when the driving unit  1210  rotates (in this embodiment, the driving unit  1210  rotates counterclockwise), the driving unit  1210  drives the pivoting portion  1222  to rotate together, so that the forcing portion  1224  of the forcing unit  1220  moves and leaves the first restricting point  1230 . Meanwhile, the forcing portion  1224  of the forcing unit  1220  applies a force on the first end  1254  of the rotating unit  1250 , the second end  1256  of the rotating unit  1250  rotates with the rotating axle  1252  as an axis to draw the stopping unit  1260  to move up in the perpendicular direction V, and thus the fourth end  1264  of the stopping unit  1260  departs from the recess  1112 . Then, as shown in  FIG. 4 , when the paper is fed into the track  1110 , a front end of the paper P contacts a front edge of the fourth end  1264  facing an entrance  1110   a  of the track  1110 , and a force with which the paper P entering into the track  1110  pushes the fourth end  1264  to move. The fourth end  1264  rotates counterclockwise with the third end  1262  hooked by the second end  1256  of the rotating unit  1250  as an axis, so as to allow the paper P to pass continuously and successfully. In addition, the disposition of the second restricting point  1240  can prevent the forcing portion  1224  of the forcing unit  1220  from over rotating along with the rotating axle  1252  with the pivoting portion  1222  as an axis to make the stopping unit  1260  rise too much. In other words, the forcing portion  1224  only moves from the first restricting point  1230  against which the forcing portion  1224  presses to press the second restricting point  1240 . 
     After a feeding process of the paper P is completed, there is no more paper P to push the fourth end  1264  of the stopping unit  1260  to move, and thus the fourth end  1264  naturally droops. In this case, the transmission member  1210  rotates in a reverse direction (clockwise) to drive the forcing portion  1224  of the forcing unit  1220  moves from the second restricting point  1240  up to the first restricting point  1230 . With the rotating axle  1252  of the rotating unit  1250  as an axis, the first end  1254  rotates upwards along with the forcing portion  1224 , and the second end  1256  rotates downwards, so that the force for lifting the stopping unit  1260  vanishes, the stopping unit  1260  moves downwards, and the fourth end  1264  re-enters into the recess  1112 , thus achieving a stopping effect. 
     In view of the above, in the stopping device and the MFP using the same according to the present invention, the stopping unit of the stopping device is pushed by the paper to rotate to enable the paper to pass through the track. Although the stopping unit moves in the perpendicular direction, the movement range of the stopping unit in the perpendicular direction is small. Therefore, unlike the conventional MFP in which the rack makes the paper stopping plate move in the perpendicular direction, the distance of the movement of the rack in the perpendicular direction is saved, thus effectively reducing the overall volume of the MFP. In addition, when the paper is being fed, the fourth end of the stopping unit is naturally perpendicular to the paper. Therefore, if the paper is stuck, after the case is opened to remove the stuck paper, then the case is closed, and the paper is fed again, the fourth end of the stopping unit is unlikely to tear the paper located in the track. 
     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.