JP6145995B2 - Additional discharge tray and image recording apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus for recording an image on a recording medium and an additional discharge tray added thereto.

When the sheet of emissions smaller the tray than usual is discharged, the discharged paper is to be scattered on the tray out exhaust. Therefore, the size that is to a plurality of types of emissions tray that is optimized for different paper selectively mounted, there is known a technique of stably accommodate different paper sizes (for example, Patent Documents 1).

No. 2006-232491

However, when the detachable plural kinds of emissions tray, the higher the cost because it requires detaching mechanism. In addition, the user's work becomes complicated.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an additional discharge tray and an image recording apparatus that can suppress an increase in cost while easily aligning recording media of various sizes with a simple operation.

The additional discharge tray of the present invention is an additional discharge tray for installation on a discharge tray on which a recording medium discharged from a discharge port provided in the image recording apparatus is stacked, and a stacking surface on which the recording medium is stacked The stacking surface extends in one direction which is a direction in which the recording medium is discharged from the discharge port, and extends in an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the one direction and on the first side. On the other hand, the stacking unit has a second side disposed on the downstream side in the one direction, and the stacking unit is erected in a stacking direction that is a direction in which a recording medium is stacked on the stacking surface from the first side of the stacking unit. A first wall portion; a second wall portion erected in the stacking direction from the second side of the stacking portion; and a downstream side in the one direction of the second wall portion formed on the second wall portion. A support for supporting the surface of the paper, and a position for installing the discharge tray at a predetermined position And a deciding part, such that the space is provided between the first wall portion and the second wall portion, and said first wall portion and the second wall portion is not connected.

The image recording apparatus of the present invention includes a discharge port from which a recording medium is discharged, a discharge tray on which the recording medium discharged from the discharge port is loaded, and an additional discharge tray that is detachably disposed on the discharge tray. It has. The additional discharge tray has a stacking surface on which recording media are stacked, and the stacking surface extends in one direction which is a direction in which the recording medium is discharged from the discharge port and in the one direction. A stacking portion that extends in an orthogonal direction and has a second side disposed on the downstream side in the one direction with respect to the first side; and a recording medium from the first side of the stacking unit to the stacking surface. Formed on the second wall portion, the first wall portion standing in the loading direction, the second wall portion standing in the loading direction from the second side of the loading portion, and the second wall portion. a support portion for supporting the downstream-side surface of the one direction in the second wall portion, and a positioning portion for mounting to a predetermined position of the discharge tray, said first wall portion and the second The first wall and the second wall are connected so that a space is provided between the wall and the wall. No.

  According to the present invention, when the additional discharge tray is disposed on the discharge tray on which the recording medium discharged from the discharge port related to the image recording apparatus is stacked so that the second wall portion is farthest from the discharge port, After the recording medium discharged in one direction from the exit collides with the second wall portion, it falls onto the stacking surface. At this time, since the dropped recording medium is guided to the first wall portion, recording media of various sizes can be obtained by a simple operation of arranging an additional discharge tray having a stacking surface corresponding to the size of the recording medium on the discharge tray. Can be easily aligned. Since the configuration can be simplified, an increase in cost can be suppressed. Furthermore, since a space is formed between the first wall portion and the second wall portion, the user can easily take out the recording medium loaded on the loading surface.

1 is a schematic side view showing the inside of an ink jet printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic perspective view of the additional discharge tray shown in FIG. It is a top view before the assembly of the additional discharge tray shown in FIG. It is the schematic of the additional discharge tray seen from the direction of IV shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  First, a schematic configuration of an ink jet printer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  The printer 1 has an upper casing 11 and a lower casing 12 that are both rectangular parallelepiped. In addition, the left side surface in FIG. In addition, the right side surface in FIG. The upper housing 11 has an open bottom surface, and the lower housing 12 has an open top surface. The upper casing 11 is rotatably connected to the lower casing 12 by a rotation mechanism (not shown). The upper housing 11 has a closed position (FIG. 1A) that is a position that seals the opening surfaces of each other to define the internal space of the printer 1 and an open position that is a position that opens the internal space of the printer 1. (Fig. 1 (b)). An open / close sensor 16 is fixed to the upper surface of the lower housing 12. The open / close sensor 16 is configured to output a detection signal when the upper casing 11 is in the closed position and not to output a detection signal when the upper casing 11 is in the open position. The printer 1 has a lock mechanism 14 that restricts rotation of the upper casing 11 when the upper casing 11 is in the closed position.

  A discharge tray 15 formed as a recess is provided on the upper surface of the upper housing 11. A discharge port 40 through which the printed paper P is discharged is disposed on the right side of the discharge tray 15 in FIG. The sheets P discharged from the discharge port 40 are sequentially discharged and stacked on the discharge tray 15. The bottom surface 15 a of the discharge tray 15 is inclined downward toward the discharge port 40. On the bottom surface 15a, there are a side portion and a bottom surface 15a along the longitudinal direction of the discharged paper P (the length direction of the paper P, which is the same as the direction indicated by the arrow in the discharge tray 15 in FIG. 1). A raised portion 15b that is narrower than the width of the paper P and extends in the longitudinal direction of the paper P is formed so that a gap is formed therebetween (see FIG. 4). The user can easily take out the paper P by inserting his hand into the gap between the side of the paper P and the bottom surface 15a formed by the raised portions 15b. Further, an additional discharge tray 50 is installed on the raised portion 15b. The additional discharge tray 50 will be described later.

  In the internal space of the printer 1, an inkjet head 2, a paper tray 20, a paper transport mechanism 30, and a platen 9 are disposed.

  The inkjet head 2 is held by the upper housing 11. The ink jet head 2 has an ejection surface having a plurality of ejection ports through which ink droplets are ejected formed on the lower surface thereof.

  The sheet tray 20 can hold a plurality of stacked sheets P and is detachably disposed on the bottom surface of the lower housing 12. The paper tray 20 can be attached and detached along the right direction when viewed from the front surface 3 of the lower housing 12.

  The platen 9 is a plate member for supporting paper, and is fixed to the lower housing 12 so as to face the ejection surface of the inkjet head 2 when the upper housing 11 is in the closed position. When the upper casing 11 is in the open position, the ejection surface of the inkjet head 2 is farther from the platen 9 than when the upper casing 11 is in the closed position.

  The paper transport mechanism 30 constitutes a transport path for the paper P that passes from the paper tray 20 between the inkjet head 2 and the platen 9 to the discharge port 40. The paper transport mechanism 30 includes a pickup roller 31, nip rollers 32a to 32e, and guides 33a to 33d. The pickup roller 31 sends out the sheets P stacked on the sheet tray 20 one by one from above. The nip rollers 32 a to 32 e are arranged along the conveyance path and apply a conveyance force to the paper P. The guides 33a to 33d are respectively disposed between the pickup roller 31 and the nip rollers 32a to 32e in the conveyance path, and the sheet P to which conveyance force is applied by the nip rollers 32a to 32e reaches the next nip rollers 32a to 32e. The paper P is guided. When the paper P transported by the paper transport mechanism 30 passes between the ink jet head 2 and the platen 9, an image is printed by ink droplets ejected from the ejection surface of the ink jet head 2. The paper P on which the image is printed is further transported by the paper transport mechanism 30 and discharged to the discharge tray 15 via the discharge port 40.

When it is necessary to open the interior of the printer 1 during maintenance work, such as when the paper P is jammed in the transport path, the user rotates the upper housing 11 from the closed position to the open position. Thereby, the space between the inkjet head 2 and the platen 9 is opened, and maintenance work can be easily performed.

Next, the additional discharge tray 50 will be described. The discharge tray 15 is formed so that sheets of the maximum size that can be printed by the printer 1 (for example, A4) are easily stacked. For this reason, when a small size paper (for example, B5) is continuously printed, the discharged paper P tends to be scattered in the discharge tray 15. Further, since the weight of the small size paper P is light compared to the weight of the maximum size paper P, when high speed printing is performed with the small size paper P, the discharged paper P jumps out of the discharge tray 15. There is. In order to prevent these, when printing a small size paper P, an additional discharge tray 50 dedicated to a small size is installed on the raised portion 15 b of the discharge tray 15. Since the additional discharge tray 50 is not fixed to the raised portion 15b, it can be attached and detached very easily.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the additional discharge tray 50 is assembled by bending a single resin plate. The assembling work is provided with a groove in the bent portion so that the user can perform the assembling work. The additional discharge tray 50 includes a stacking portion 53, two first wall portions 51, a second wall portion 52, and four positioning portions 54. The additional discharge tray 50 is installed on the discharge tray 15 so that the second wall portion 52 is farthest from the discharge port 40.

  The stacking unit 53 has a stacking surface on which the sheets P are stacked. The stacking surface is defined by each side extending in the sheet discharge direction (one direction) of the sheet P discharged from the discharge port 40 and the sheet width direction (orthogonal direction) of the sheet P orthogonal to the horizontal direction. Yes.

  The two first wall portions 51 are erected substantially vertically in the paper stacking direction (above: see FIG. 4) from the respective end portions extending in the paper discharge direction located at both ends of the stacking portion 53 in the paper width direction. It is a side wall. The two first wall portions 51 face each other with the stacking portion 53 interposed therebetween. The sheets P stacked on the stacking surface of the stacking unit are aligned by being guided so as to be sandwiched between the two first wall portions 51. A notch 51 a is formed above the portion of the first wall 51 facing the discharge port 40. The notch 51a is formed so as not to contact the vicinity of the discharge port 40 when the upper housing 11 is rotated to the open position with the additional discharge tray 50 installed in the discharge tray 15. Moreover, when the additional discharge tray 50 is installed in the discharge tray 15, the two first wall portions 51 protrude above the side wall 15c of the discharge tray 15 (see FIG. 4). If the two first wall parts 51 are parallel to the bottom surface 15a of the discharge tray 15 and protrude upward in the vertical direction from the plane including the discharge port 40, the paper P discharged from the discharge port 40 is discharged. It can be surely guided.

  The second wall 52 is erected in the paper stacking direction (upward) from the center of the front end of the stacking unit 53 in the paper discharge direction. The 2nd wall part 52 inclines so that it may leave | separate from the discharge port 40 as it goes upwards. Moreover, when the additional discharge tray 50 is installed in the discharge tray 15, the 2nd wall part 52 protrudes upwards rather than the side wall 15c of the discharge tray 15 (refer FIG. 4). In addition, the 2nd wall part 52 should just protrude above the perpendicular direction rather than the plane containing the discharge port 40 in parallel with the bottom face 15a of the discharge tray 15. FIG. A support portion 52a is formed in the vicinity of the stacking portion 53 on the surface of the second wall portion 52 in the sheet discharge direction. The support portion 52a is a portion protruding from both ends of the second wall portion 52 in the paper width direction in the additional discharge tray 50 before assembly. These are bent so as to be positioned downstream of the standing second wall portion 52 in the paper discharge direction, and are formed at one end of the support portion 52a and at the other end. The support part 52a is formed by engaging the engaging part 61b and the engaging part 61c formed at the center of the second wall part 52 with each other. Since the second wall portion 52 has a substantially rectangular shape with the upright direction as a longitudinal direction, the rigidity in the paper discharge direction is low. Therefore, the rigidity of the vicinity of the stacking portion 53 of the second wall portion 52 is increased by forming the support portion 52a by bending. As described above, by increasing the rigidity in the vicinity of the stacking portion 53 and decreasing the rigidity on the upper end portion side, it is possible to impart an appropriate spring property to the second wall portion 52. Thereby, when the leading end of the paper P discharged from the discharge port 40 collides with the second wall portion 52, it is possible to prevent the second wall portion 52 from being elastically deformed and damaging the leading end of the paper P. Further, the height of the second wall portion 52 from the stacking portion 53 is higher than that of the first wall portion 51. Thereby, the second wall portion 52 can reliably receive the paper P discharged from the discharge port 40.

  The length of the second wall portion 52 in the paper width direction is shorter than the width of the paper P stacked on the stacking portion 53, and the first wall portion 51 and the second wall portion 52 are separated from each other. Therefore, a space x is secured between the second wall portion 52 and the first wall portion 51. The user can easily take out the paper P stacked on the stacking unit 53 by using the space x. The first wall portion 51 and the second wall portion 52 have a distance between a side portion of the first wall portion 51 adjacent to the second wall portion 52 and a side portion of the second wall portion 52 adjacent to the first wall portion 51. It is formed so as to be more than the number of user's fingers (1-5).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the difference 12 between the length of the stacking surface in the paper discharge direction and the length of the paper P stacked on the stacking unit 53 is the length of the stacking surface in the paper width direction and the paper stacked on the stacking unit 53. It is longer than the difference l1 from the length of P. As a result, it is possible to prevent the paper P colliding with the second wall portion 52 from bouncing back and clogging the discharge port 40.

The four positioning portions 54 are positioning members for installing the additional discharge tray 50 at a predetermined position of the discharge tray 15, and are protruding portions that protrude in the paper width direction from the four corner portions of the stacking portion 53. Each positioning portion 54 has a rectangular shape defined by ends extending in the paper discharge direction and the paper width direction. The additional discharge tray 50 is positioned at a predetermined position by the end of the positioning portion 54 coming into contact with the wall surface that defines the bottom surface 15 a of the discharge tray 15.

  As shown in FIG. 4, since the additional discharge tray 50 is installed on the raised portion 15b of the discharge tray 15, a gap is formed between the side portion of the stacking portion 53 along the paper discharge direction and the bottom surface 15a. Is done. Thereby, the user can easily take out the paper P stacked on the stacking unit 53.

As described above, according to the printer 1 according to the present embodiment, the paper P discharged in the paper discharge direction from the discharge port 40 falls on the stacking surface after colliding with the second wall portion 52. At this time, since the dropped paper P is guided to the first wall portion 51, various operations can be performed by a simple operation of arranging the additional discharge tray 50 having a stacking surface corresponding to the size of the paper P on the discharge tray 15. The size paper P can be easily aligned. Moreover, since the structure of the additional discharge tray 50 can be simplified, it can suppress that cost becomes high. Further, since the space X is formed between the first wall portion 51 and the second wall portion 52, the user can easily take out the paper P stacked on the stacking surface.

  Further, since the first wall portions 51 are erected on both sides of the stacking portion 53 in the paper width direction, the paper P can be reliably guided.

  Furthermore, since the second wall portion 52 is erected in the paper stacking direction from the center of the front end of the stacking portion 53 in the paper discharge direction, the second wall portion 52 can reliably receive the paper P discharged from the discharge port 40.

  In addition, since the length of the second wall portion 52 in the paper width direction is shorter than the width of the paper P stacked on the stacking portion 53, the user can easily remove the paper P stacked on the stacking surface. It can be taken out.

  Further, the height of the second wall portion 52 from the loading surface of the loading portion 53 is higher than that of the first wall portion 51. Thereby, the second wall portion 52 can reliably receive the paper P discharged from the discharge port 40.

  In addition, the difference 12 between the length of the stacking surface in the paper discharge direction and the length of the paper P stacked on the stacking unit 53 is the difference between the length of the stacking surface in the paper width direction and the length of the paper P stacked on the stacking unit 53. It is longer than the difference l1. As a result, it is possible to prevent the paper P colliding with the second wall portion 52 from bouncing back and clogging the discharge port 40.

  Further, the four positioning portions 54 are positioning members for setting the discharge tray 15 at predetermined positions, and project from the four corners of the stacking portion 53 in the paper width direction. 50 can be accurately positioned.

  Further, since the additional discharge tray 50 is assembled by bending a single resin plate, the cost can be reduced.

  In addition, since the additional discharge tray 50 is installed on the raised portion 15b of the discharge tray 15, a gap is formed between the side portion of the stacking portion 53 along the paper discharge direction and the bottom surface 15a. Accordingly, the user can easily take out the discharged paper P.

  Further, since the notch 51a is formed above the portion of the first wall portion 51 facing the discharge port 40, the upper casing 11 is in the open position with the additional discharge tray 50 installed on the discharge tray 15. When it rotates, it can prevent the 1st wall part 51 from contacting the discharge port 40 vicinity.

  In addition, since the two first wall portions 51 protrude above the side wall 15c of the discharge tray 15, the paper P discharged from the discharge port 40 can be reliably guided.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made as long as they are described in the claims. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the first wall portion 51 is erected on both sides of the stacking portion 53 in the paper width direction, but the first wall portion 51 may be erected only on one side. Good. In this case, it is preferable that the additional discharge tray is brought closer to the other side so that the side wall 15c of the discharge tray 15 can guide the paper P.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the second wall portion 52 is erected in the paper stacking direction from the center of the front end portion in the paper discharge direction of the stacking portion 53, but the second wall portion 52 is You may stand up in the arbitrary positions of the front-end | tip part.

  In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the length of the second wall portion 52 in the paper width direction is shorter than the width of the paper P stacked on the stacking portion 53. The length of 52 in the paper width direction may be equal to or greater than the width of the paper P.

  In the above-described embodiment, the height of the second wall 52 from the loading surface of the loading portion 53 is higher than that of the first wall 51. The height from the stacking surface of the portion 53 may be the first wall portion 51 or less.

  In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the difference 12 between the length of the stacking surface in the sheet discharge direction and the length of the sheet P stacked on the stacking unit 53 is the stacking surface length in the sheet width direction and the stacking unit 53. The length of the sheet P to be printed is longer than the difference l1, but l2 may be equal to or less than l1.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the four positioning portions 54 protrude from the four corners of the stacking portion 53 in the paper width direction, but the positioning portions may protrude from arbitrary positions. For example, you may protrude in the width direction from the loading part. Furthermore, the number of positioning parts may be arbitrary. Instead of the form in which the positioning portion protrudes, for example, a configuration in which the convex portion (positioning portion) of the additional tray is fitted into the concave portion provided in the discharge tray 15 may be employed. That is, as long as the position of the additional tray is defined with respect to the discharge tray 15, the form is not limited.

  Moreover, in the above-mentioned embodiment, although the additional discharge tray 50 is the structure assembled by bending one resin board, the structure which combines a some member may be sufficient.

  In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the additional discharge tray 50 is configured on the raised portion 15b of the discharge tray 15, but the discharge tray may be configured not to have a raised portion, You may install the discharge tray 15 in places other than the protruding part 15b.

  In the above-described embodiment, the notch 51a is formed above the portion of the first wall 51 facing the discharge port 40. However, such a notch may be omitted.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the two first wall portions 51 protrude upward from the side wall 15c of the discharge tray 15, but the two first wall portions protrude upward from the side wall 15c. Further, the two first wall portions 51 and the second wall portion 52 may be parallel to the bottom surface 15a of the discharge tray 15 and protrude upward in the vertical direction from the plane including the discharge port 40. It does not have to be.

  The present invention is not limited to a printer, but can be applied to a facsimile, a copier, and the like. The head may eject any liquid other than ink. The recording medium is not limited to the paper P and may be any recordable medium.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer 2 Inkjet head 11 Upper housing | casing 12 Lower housing | casing 15 Discharge tray 15a Bottom surface 15b Raised part 15c Side wall 40 Discharge port 50 Additional discharge tray 51 1st wall part 52 2nd wall part 52a Support part 53 Stacking part 54 Positioning part 54a Notch

Claims (17)

An additional discharge tray for setting on a discharge tray on which a recording medium discharged from a discharge port provided in the image recording apparatus is loaded,
A stacking surface on which the recording medium is stacked, and the stacking surface extends in a first side extending in one direction, which is a direction in which the recording medium is discharged from the discharge port, and in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the one direction. A stacking unit that is present and has a second side disposed downstream of the first side with respect to the first side;
A first wall portion erected in a stacking direction that is a direction in which a recording medium is stacked on the stacking surface from the first side of the stacking unit;
A second wall portion erected in the loading direction from the second side of the loading portion;
A support portion formed on the second wall portion and supporting a downstream surface of the second wall portion in the one direction;
A positioning part for installing at a predetermined position of the discharge tray,
The additional discharge tray, wherein the first wall portion and the second wall portion are not connected so that a space is provided between the first wall portion and the second wall portion.   2. The additional discharge tray according to claim 1, wherein the support portion is provided in a portion adjacent to the stacking portion in the stacking direction of the second wall portion. The stacking section has two first sides facing each other in the orthogonal direction across the stacking surface,
The additional discharge tray according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first wall portion is erected on each of the two first sides.   The additional discharge tray according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second wall portion is erected so as to include the center of the second side.   The length in the orthogonal direction of the second wall portion is shorter than the length in the orthogonal direction of the recording medium loaded on the stacking portion. Additional discharge tray.   The additional discharge according to claim 1, wherein a height of the second wall portion from the loading surface is higher than a height of the first wall portion from the loading surface. tray.   The difference between the length of the stacking surface in the one direction and the length of the recording medium stacked on the stacking unit is the difference between the length of the stacking surface in the orthogonal direction and the length of the recording medium stacked on the stacking unit. The additional discharge tray according to claim 1, wherein the additional discharge tray is longer.   8. The positioning unit according to claim 1, wherein the positioning unit is provided as a projecting portion that projects in the orthogonal direction from the stacking unit, and is disposed at each corner of the stacking unit. The additional discharge tray according to Item 1.   8. The stacking portion, the positioning portion, the first wall portion, the second wall portion, and the support portion are formed by bending a single plate member. The additional discharge tray according to Item 1.   The support portion includes a pair of projecting portions that project from both ends of the second wall portion in the orthogonal direction toward the downstream side in the one direction and toward the center of the second side and are engaged with each other. The additional discharge tray according to claim 9. Engaging the support unit, a part of the member constituting the second wall portion is formed by bending on the downstream side of the one direction, which than said second wall portion extending downstream of said one direction It includes a coupling section further adds the discharge tray according to claim 10, wherein the pair of projecting portions are engaged respectively the engaging portion both engagement. An outlet through which the recording medium is discharged;
A discharge tray on which the recording medium discharged from the discharge port is loaded;
An additional discharge tray detachably disposed on the discharge tray,
The additional discharge tray is
A stacking surface on which the recording medium is stacked, and the stacking surface extends in a first side extending in one direction, which is a direction in which the recording medium is discharged from the discharge port, and in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the one direction. A stacking unit that is present and has a second side disposed downstream of the first side with respect to the first side;
A first wall portion erected in a stacking direction that is a direction in which a recording medium is stacked on the stacking surface from the first side of the stacking unit;
A second wall portion erected in the loading direction from the second side of the loading portion;
A support portion formed on the second wall portion and supporting a downstream surface of the second wall portion in the one direction;
A positioning part for installing at a predetermined position of the discharge tray,
The image recording apparatus, wherein the first wall portion and the second wall portion are not connected so that a space is provided between the first wall portion and the second wall portion.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the support portion is provided in a portion adjacent to the stacking portion in the stacking direction of the second wall portion.   14. The raised portion is provided on the discharge tray so that a gap is formed between the side portion along the first side of the stacking portion and the discharge tray. The image recording apparatus described in 1. The discharge tray is rotatable toward the discharge port,
The image recording apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein a notch is formed in a portion of the first wall portion facing the discharge port.   When the additional discharge tray is disposed on the discharge tray, the first and second wall portions are parallel to the bottom surface of the discharge tray and protrude upward in the vertical direction from the plane including the discharge port. The image recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the image recording apparatus is an image recording apparatus.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the first wall portion protrudes upward from a side wall of the discharge tray.

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