JP2002241026A - Multistage delivery tray and recorder having the multistage delivery tray - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a multistage delivery tray having a structure capable of selectively unfolding only a specific tray in the multistage delivery tray having a plurality of unfoldable trays. SOLUTION: This multistage delivery tray can unfold stepwise the plurality of delivery trays according to the size of recording paper for supporting the recording paper from the lower side, and has the first delivery tray 27 unfoldable as a drawer, and the second delivery tray 35 rotatably connected to the lower side of the first delivery tray 27, and rotatably unfoldable on the front end side of the first delivery tray. A cutout part 48 can be formed in the first delivery tray 27 so that an operator can contact with the second delivery tray 35 by fingers, and a holding part 47 may be formed on the front end side of the second delivery tray 35 for pulling out the first delivery tray 27.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a paper discharge tray for temporarily stacking printed matter discharged after printing in a printer or the like, and more particularly to a paper receiving surface according to the size of paper. The present invention relates to a multi-stage discharge tray that can be expanded in size in multiple stages.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an example of a conventional multi-stage output tray 101, as shown in FIG.
And a second-stage withdrawn recording paper lay 107 which can be further pulled out below the first-stage withdrawn recording-paper lay 105.
Some are provided with:

[0003] Such a multi-stage pull-out tray is used, for example, when printing on B5 size paper, the first-stage pull-out recording paper tray 105 or the second-stage pull-out recording paper tray 1.
07 and pull it out to receive the paper.
When printing on larger A4 size paper, for example, the first and second pull-out recording paper lays 105, 10
7 was pulled out to receive the paper (FIG. 8).
State).

[0004]

However, in the multi-drawer tray as described above, even if one of the first and second pull-out recording paper trays 105 and 107 is pulled out, depending on the pulling-out force. The first-stage and second-stage pulled-out recording paper layers 105 and 107 may be pulled out together. Further, even if it is attempted to pull out only the first-stage withdrawn recording paper lay 105, only the second-stage withdrawn recording-paper lay may be pulled out.

[0005] Such a phenomenon is caused by the fact that the first-stage pulled-out recording paper lay 105 and the second-stage pulled-out recording paper lay 107 are pulled out in the same direction, and the frictional force between the trays on the pull-out rail is reduced. This is because it is difficult to adjust the difference.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problem by providing a multi-level paper discharge tray having a plurality of expandable trays, in which only a specific tray can be selectively expanded. It is an object of the present invention to provide a multi-stage paper discharge tray having a structure.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the multi-stage paper discharge tray according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of paper discharge trays for supporting recording paper from below, according to the size of the recording paper. A multi-stage paper output tray capable of expanding the paper output tray in stages, a first paper output tray that can be developed in a drawer type;
A second discharge tray rotatably connected to a lower end of the discharge tray and rotatably deployed at a front end side of the first discharge tray.

According to the present invention, only the operation of pulling out the multi-stage discharge tray to the front side allows the first discharge tray to be expanded. At this time, since the second paper discharge tray is not pulled out together, there is no need to adjust the force when pulling out the second paper discharge tray. Further, if only the operation of rotating the second discharge tray is performed, only the second discharge tray can be developed. Further, when it is desired to unfold all the trays of the multi-stage discharge tray, the operation of pulling out the multi-stage discharge tray to the front side and then the operation of rotating the second discharge tray may be performed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the multi-level output tray according to the first aspect, an operator can contact the first output tray with a finger to the second output tray. In this manner, a cutout portion for exposing the second paper discharge tray is formed. According to the present invention, the second discharge tray can be operated with a finger through the cutout portion to rotate the second discharge tray located below the first discharge tray.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the multi-level discharge tray according to the first or second aspect, wherein the first discharge tray is drawn to a front end side of the second discharge tray. Is formed. According to the present invention, the first paper discharge tray connected to the second paper discharge tray can be developed by hooking a finger on the grip portion and pulling it toward the user. On the other hand, at this time, no rotational moment acts on the second discharge tray, so that the second discharge tray is not expanded.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the multi-stage paper discharge tray according to the third aspect, when the grip portion is pulled, no rotational moment is generated in the second paper discharge tray. It has a first position and a second position for generating a rotational moment on the second discharge tray when pulled. According to the present invention, only the first discharge tray is deployed when the finger is pulled at the first position of the gripper, and only the second discharge tray is expanded when the finger is pulled at the second position of the gripper. Expands. Also, after the finger is hooked on the first position of the gripper and pulled, the position of the finger is shifted to the second position of the gripper and pulled, whereby the first discharge tray and the second discharge tray are continuously developed. be able to.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a multi-level paper output tray according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the multi-level paper output tray is provided with respect to a paper output port of a recording apparatus. When the multi-stage discharge tray is not used, the discharge port is closed so that the surface of the multi-stage discharge tray is substantially flush with the outer surface of the housing of the recording apparatus. It is characterized by having been done. ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the storage state of the whole recording paper becomes compact, and at the same time, the whole storage appearance has a coherent appearance.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the multi-level paper discharge tray according to the fifth aspect, wherein the grip portion serves as a handle for rotating the multi-level paper output tray toward the front when not in use. It is characterized by functioning. According to the present invention, it is possible to expand the first discharge tray by continuously pulling the grip portion while pulling the grip portion and rotating the multi-stage discharge tray to the front side. Therefore, if the configuration of the invention of claim 4 is additionally provided, a series of operations from the rotation of the multi-stage paper discharge tray to the expansion of the first paper discharge tray and the second paper discharge tray are performed while holding the finger on the grip portion. The operation can be performed smoothly.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided the multi-level discharge tray according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the first discharge tray or the second discharge tray is accommodated therein. A means for temporarily locking in a state or a deployed state. According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the first paper discharge tray or the second paper discharge tray from being unintentionally expanded or stored.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the multi-stage discharge tray according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the second discharge tray is substantially semicircular. It is characterized by the following. According to the present invention, since the outer periphery passes through the same orbit while the second discharge tray is being deployed or stored, there is no risk of the corner hitting a finger or the like, and the second discharge tray is stacked on the second discharge tray at the time of deployment. The recording paper can be easily collected by grasping the corner of the leading end of the recording paper.

Further, the recording apparatus according to claim 9 of the present application is
A multi-stage discharge tray according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is provided. According to the present invention,
According to the size of the recording paper used in the recording apparatus, it is possible to easily achieve a desired state of the discharge tray,
Work efficiency is good, and an efficient recording apparatus can be provided.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an ink jet printer 1 to which a multi-stage paper discharge tray 3 according to the present invention is applied. The inkjet printer 1 includes a housing 5 that extends long in the width direction. A paper feed unit 7 is formed on the rear side of the housing 5, and a paper discharge unit 9 is formed on the front side. The window 11 extends from the top of the housing 5 to the front.
The window 11 is openably closed by a transparent curved plastic cover 13. On the right side of the housing 5, an operation panel 15 for performing various operations of the printer is provided.

A paper discharge port 17 is formed in the paper discharge section 9, and as shown by a solid line in FIG. 1, a multi-stage paper discharge tray 3 is provided so as to close the paper discharge port 17 when the printer is not used. Have been. In a state where the multi-stage paper discharge tray 3 closes the paper discharge port 17, that is, in a stored state of the multi-stage paper discharge tray 3, the outer surface 4 of the multi-stage paper discharge tray 3 is substantially flush with the front surface of the housing 5. Is formed. As a result, the storage state of the entire printer is compact, and at the same time, the overall storage appearance has a coherent appearance.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view of the multi-stage discharge tray 3. As shown in FIG. 2, rotation projections 19 are formed on the left and right sides of the multi-stage paper ejection tray 3, and each of the rotation projections 19 is received by a projection receiving portion (not shown) formed inside the paper ejection opening 17. As a result, the multi-stage paper discharge tray 3 is supported so as to be rotatable to the front side as shown by a broken line in FIG. On the left side of the multi-stage paper discharge tray 3, a holding protrusion 21 urged to protrude outward is formed. When the multi-stage paper discharge tray 3 is stored, the holding protrusion 21 is located inside the paper discharge port 17. By engaging the holding protrusion receiving portion (not shown) formed in a pressed state, the stored state of the multi-stage paper discharge tray 3 can be maintained.

As shown in FIG. 3, the multi-stage discharge tray 3 includes an upper member 23 and a lower member 25 which constitute a tray housing 22.
And a pull-out recording paper lay 27 and a rotating tray 35 provided in the tray housing 22. The pull-out recording paper lay 27 is movable in the front-rear direction indicated by an arrow along a rail 29 formed on the lower member 25. When the pull-out recording paper lay 27 is in the storage position, the rear end of the lower member 25 is moved. The elastically deformable locking pieces 33 formed at two places at the rear end of the pulled out recording paper lay 27 are elastically deformed and temporarily locked at the two locking parts 31 formed at The storage state of the recording paper lay 27 can be maintained.

As shown in FIG. 4, a rotating tray 35 is provided below the pulled-out recording paper layer 27. The rotating tray 35 is a substantially semicircular member, and a circular supported portion 37 is formed substantially at the center thereof.
The rotary tray 35 is rotatably supported by the pull-out recording paper lay 27 by being fitted around a support protrusion group 39 formed in a substantially circular shape on the back surface of the pull-out recording-paper lay 27. An elastically deformable locking projection 41 is formed on the periphery of the rotating tray 35. When the rotating tray 35 is stored (the state shown in FIG. 4), the locking projection 41 is formed.
However, the free rotation of the rotating tray 35 is suppressed by being elastically deformed and temporarily locked in the receiving portion 43 when the locking projection piece is formed, which is formed on the back surface of the pulled-out recording paper lay 27. When the rotating tray 35 is stored, the shoulder 4
The rotation tray 2 prevents rotation of the rotation tray 35 in a direction opposite to the direction in which the rotation tray 35 should be rotated, by contacting the rotation stopper 45 formed on the back surface of the drawn recording paper lay 27.

A grip portion 47 extending downward is formed at the front end of the rotary tray 35, and this grip portion 47 functions as a handle for pulling out the recording paper lay 27 from the multi-stage discharge tray 3. At the same time, it also functions as a part to which a finger is put when rotating the stored multi-stage paper discharge tray 3 toward the near side.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, a cut-out portion 48 having a shape substantially similar to the tip of the thumb is formed on the right side of the front end of the drawn-out recording paper lay 27.
By rotating the rotary tray 35 clockwise in FIG. 3 by 180 degrees in FIG. 3, the rotary tray 35 can be developed on the leading end side of the drawn-out recording paper lay 27.
In addition, instead of picking the rotating tray 35 with the notch portion 48,
In FIG. 3, if a finger is placed on the right end side (position indicated by A) of the grip portion 47 and pulled toward the user, a rotational moment is applied to the rotating tray 35, so that the rotating tray 35 can be rotated similarly.

When the rotating tray 35 is in the unfolded state on the leading end side of the drawn-out recording paper lay 27 (in the state shown in FIG. 6), the locking projection 41 is elastically deformed and the locking projection 41 is used. By temporarily locking to the receiving portion 49 (formed on the left side in FIGS. 4 and 5), free rotation of the rotating tray 35 can be suppressed (the state shown in FIG. 5).

As shown in FIG. 6, the rotating tray 35 is provided with an arrow 51 indicating the direction in which it should be rotated during storage. Below the arrow 51, as shown in FIG.
Finger notch 53 for hanging a finger when storing
Are formed on the flange portion 52 around the rotating tray 35.

The multi-stage paper discharge tray 3 of the present invention has the above-described configuration, and its operation will be described below.
First, when the multi-stage paper output tray 3 is not used, FIG.
As shown in the figure, the multi-stage paper discharge tray 3 is in an upright state so as to close the paper discharge unit 9, and the holding projections 21 of the multi-stage paper discharge tray 3 are pressed against the holding protrusion receiving parts (not shown). , The stored state of the multi-stage paper discharge tray 3 is maintained.

In the case of using the multi-level paper discharge tray 3, the user grips the grip portion 47 and pulls the multi-level paper discharge tray 3 toward the user. State. When the grip portion 47 is further pulled toward the user from this state, the pulled-out recording paper lay 27 is pulled out. At this time,
Since no rotating force acts on the rotating tray 35, the rotating tray 35 does not unfold when the drawn-out recording paper lay 27 is unfolded. For example, postcards and B5
When printing on a relatively small sheet of paper, such as a size, the length of the sheet receiving portion is sufficient when only the drawn-out recording sheet lay 27 is developed, and thus printing may be started in this state.

For example, in the case of printing on A4 size paper, the length of the paper receiving portion is not enough if the drawing recording paper lay 27 is unfolded, and the paper may fall from the paper receiving portion. There is. In this case, from the state where the drawn-out recording paper lay 27 is unfolded, the rotating tray portion exposed in the cutout portion 48 is grasped with a finger and pulled toward the user. As a result, the rotating tray 35 rotates clockwise in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, the rotating tray 35 is deployed in front of the drawn-out recording paper lay 27, and can receive even a sheet length of A4 size.

After the printing is completed, the rotating tray 35 and the pulled-out recording paper lay 27 are stored in the multi-stage discharge tray 3 by the operation opposite to the above, and the multi-stage discharge tray 3 is rotated upward. Return to the state of 1.

In the operation described above, instead of gripping the rotating tray portion exposed in the notch portion 48 with a finger, the position where the finger of the grip portion 47 is hooked is shifted to the position A in FIG. Thereby, the rotating tray 35 can be developed. By the way, when such a method of expanding the rotating tray 35 is adopted, the multi-stage output tray 3 is rotated forward from the state shown by the solid line in FIG. The operation of sequentially developing the output recording paper lay 27 and the rotating tray 35 can be smoothly performed in series.

Next, another embodiment of the multi-stage discharge tray 3 of the present invention will be described. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the rotating tray 35 has a substantially semicircular shape, but the rotating tray 35 may be rectangular as shown in FIG.
Other shapes may be used.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the pull-out recording paper lay 27 is of a single-stage type, but it is a conventional two-stage pull-out recording-sheet lay as shown in FIG. The rotating tray 35 as described above is further provided below the second-stage pulled-out recording paper lay 107, and the second-stage pulled-out recording-paper lay 107 is provided.
A structure in which the rotating tray 35 can be deployed at the front end of the tray may be adopted.

[0033]

According to the present invention, only the operation of pulling out the multi-stage paper discharge tray toward the front side allows only the first paper discharge tray to be developed. At this time, since the second paper discharge tray is not pulled out together, there is no need to adjust the force when pulling out the second paper discharge tray. Further, if only the operation of rotating the second discharge tray is performed, only the second discharge tray can be developed. Further, when it is desired to unfold all the trays of the multi-stage discharge tray, the operation of pulling out the multi-stage discharge tray to the front side and then the operation of rotating the second discharge tray may be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ink jet printer to which a multi-stage paper ejection tray of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the multi-stage paper discharge tray of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the multi-stage paper discharge tray of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the drawn-out recording paper lay and the rotating tray showing a state in which the rotating tray is positioned below the drawn-out recording paper lay;

FIG. 5 is a rear view of the pulled-out recording paper lay and the rotating tray showing a state in which the rotating tray projects to the front side of the drawn-out recording paper lay.

FIG. 6 is a front view at the time of use of a multi-stage paper ejection tray showing a state in which a pulled-out recording paper lay is pulled out and a rotary tray rotates and projects to the front side of the pulled-out recording paper lay.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing another embodiment of the multi-stage paper ejection tray of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing a conventional multi-stage paper discharge tray.

[Explanation of symbols]

 3 Multi-stage paper discharge tray 5 Housing 9 Paper discharge part 17 Paper discharge port 19 Rotating protrusion 21 Holding protrusion 22 Tray housing 23 Upper member 25 Lower member 27 Pull-out recording paper ray 29 Rail 31 Locking part 33 Locking piece 35 Rotating tray 37 Supported Part 39 Supporting Protrusion Group 41 Locking Projection Piece 43 Locking Projection Piece Receiving Section 45 Rotation Suppressing Section 47 Grip Section 48 Notch Section 49 Locking Projection Use Section 51 Receiving Section 51 Arrow 52 Flange Section 53 Finger Hanging Chip

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A multi-level discharge tray capable of expanding a plurality of discharge trays stepwise according to the size of a recording sheet in order to support the recording sheet from below. A multi-stage paper discharge, comprising: a paper tray; and a second paper discharge tray rotatably connected to a lower side of the first paper discharge tray and rotatably deployable at a front end side of the first paper discharge tray. tray. 2. The notch portion according to claim 1, wherein the first discharge tray has a cutout portion exposing the second discharge tray so that an operator can contact the second discharge tray with a finger. A multi-stage discharge tray characterized by the following. 3. The multi-level discharge tray according to claim 1, wherein a grip portion for pulling out the first discharge tray is formed at a front end side of the second discharge tray. 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the grip portion has a first position at which no rotational moment is generated in the second discharge tray when pulled, and a rotational moment applied to the second discharge tray when pulled. And a second position for generating a multi-level paper discharge tray. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein:
The multi-stage output tray is provided so as to be rotatable forward with respect to the discharge port of the recording apparatus. When the multi-stage discharge tray is not used, the multi-stage output tray is closed, and the surface of the multi-stage discharge tray is closed. A multi-stage discharge tray formed so as to be substantially flush with an outer surface of a housing of a recording apparatus. 6. The multi-stage paper discharge tray according to claim 5, wherein the grip portion functions as a handle for rotating the multi-stage paper discharge tray toward the front when not in use. 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein
A multi-stage paper discharge tray comprising means for temporarily locking the first paper discharge tray or the second paper discharge tray in its stored state or expanded state. 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein
The multi-stage paper discharge tray, wherein the second paper discharge tray has a substantially semicircular form. 9. A recording apparatus comprising the multi-stage paper ejection tray according to claim 1. Description: