Document Feeder with Adjustable Conveyor Height and Multi-Faceted Receptacle
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current document processing systems face challenges in efficiently handling and processing documents of varying sizes and types, particularly in scanning, sorting, and managing documents within a system that requires manual intervention and is prone to jamming due to overlapping documents.
Innovation Solution
A document processing system that includes a scanner for image data capture, a conveyor system with adjustable height, a sorter with rotatable cams and cam followers for controlled document displacement, and a printer assembly with a linkage system to maintain print head engagement with documents of varying thickness, along with a document receptacle designed to minimize overlapping and jamming by using a multi-faceted interior to guide documents into bins.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a conveyor system is used to transport documents, then document processing efficiency is improved, but documents may overlap and cause jamming
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor system divides documents into individual processing units using separate conveyors for different document types (color copies, B&W copies, originals). Each conveyor handles specific document streams independently, preventing overlap and jamming while maintaining high processing efficiency through parallel operation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If manual intervention is required for document processing, then flexibility in handling different document types is improved, but processing speed and efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically routes documents to appropriate conveyors based on their type (color, B&W, original) without requiring manual sorting. The automatic document feeder and multi-conveyor system perform self-service routing, eliminating manual intervention while maintaining the ability to handle diverse document types through dedicated processing paths.
3Device complexity
If a fixed conveyor height is used, then system simplicity is improved, but adaptability to documents of varying sizes deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor system incorporates adjustable height mechanisms that allow each conveyor to be dynamically positioned according to the size of documents being processed. This enables the system to adapt to varying document dimensions while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure through modular adjustment capabilities rather than complex mechanical systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A system is provided for processing documents. In particular, the system incorporates a feeder for feeding documents to a device for further processing of the documents. For instance, the system finds particular application in the field of document imaging in which a variety of documents of varying sizes and orientation are to be fed to an imaging system, such as a document scanner. The system may provide a sorting station that receives documents from a workstation and sorts the documents to a plurality of sort locations. The system may export the image data for the documents to a fileserver so that a remote operator can provide instructions for the processing of the documents so that the documents can be subsequently processed according to the instructions provided by the operator.