Media feeding apparatus

Abstract

A media feeding assembly capable of feeding media from a media source including a rotatable connecting shaft and a pick roller. Driving of the shaft may provide a driving and a normal force on the pick roller towards a media source.

1 . A media feeding assembly capable of feeding media from a media source comprising a rotatable shaft and a pick device wherein driving of said shaft provides a normal force on said pick device towards said media source.  
   
   
       2 . The media feeding assembly of  claim 1  further including a housing.  
   
   
       3 . The media feeding assembly of  claim 1  wherein said rotatable shaft has two ends, one end engaged to an angled drive gear and one end engaged to an angled driven gear.  
   
   
       4 . The media feeding assembly of  claim 3  wherein said pick device comprises a pick roller that is engaged to said shaft via said angled driven gear.  
   
   
       5 . The media feeding assembly of  claim 4  including an axle positioned between said pick roller and angled driven gear.  
   
   
       6 . The media feeding assembly of  claim 3 , including a housing mounted for rotation on a pivot about said angled drive gear wherein driving of said input shaft places a torque on said housing about said pivot to force said pick device towards said media source.  
   
   
       7 . The media feeding assembly of  claim 1  wherein said media source comprises a media tray including a rotatable member positioned to extend through an opening in a bottom of said tray and biased toward said opening to contact said pick device when said tray is empty to permit rotation of said pick device when said tray is empty.  
   
   
       8 . The media feeding assembly of  claim 3  wherein said angled drive gear or angled driven gear comprises a bevel gear.  
   
   
       9 . The media feeding assembly of  claim 3  wherein said angled drive gear or angled driven gear comprises a miter gear.  
   
   
       10 . The media feeding assembly of  claim 3  wherein said angled drive gear or angled driven gear comprises a helical gear.  
   
   
       11 . The media feeding assembly of  claim 3  wherein said angled drive gear or angled driven gear comprises a worm gear.  
   
   
       12 . A media feeding assembly capable of feeding media from a media source comprising: 
 a drive gear and a driven gear engaged with a pair of gears on either end of a connecting shaft having a length such that the number of gear meshes is two wherein the efficiency (Eff) of said assembly remains substantially constant and independent of said length of said connecting shaft after compensating for the gear ratio.    
   
   
       13 . The media feeding assembly of  claim 12  wherein the efficiency Eff of said assembly that remains substantially constant and independent of the length of said shaft after compensating for the gear ratio is calculated by the following equation:  
       Eff=(Torque out /Torque in )*[( N   1   *N   3 )/( N   2   *N   4 )] 
     where N 1  represents the number of teeth on the drive gear, N 2  and N 3  represent the number of teeth on said gears on the end of said connecting shaft and N 4  represents the number of teeth on said driven gear.  
   
   
       14 . The media feeding assembly of  claim 12  wherein a pick device is engaged to said shaft.  
   
   
       15 . The media feeding assembly of  claim 14  including an axle positioned between said pick device and said driven gear.  
   
   
       16 . The media feeding assembly of  claim 12  wherein driving of said shaft provides a normal force on said pick device towards said media source.  
   
   
       17 . The media feeding assembly of  claim 12  wherein said media source comprises a media tray including a rotatable member positioned to extend through an opening in a bottom of said tray and biased toward said opening to contact said pick device when said tray is empty to permit rotation of said pick device when said tray is empty.  
   
   
       18 . The media feeding assembly of  claim 12  wherein said drive gear or driven gear comprises a bevel gear.  
   
   
       19 . The media feeding assembly of  claim 12  wherein said drive gear or driven gear comprises a miter gear.  
   
   
       20 . The media feeding assembly of  claim 12  wherein said drive gear or driven gear comprises a helical gear.  
   
   
       21 . The media feeding assembly of  claim 12  wherein said drive gear or driven gear comprises a worm gear.