Recording medium ejecting device and image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10054893-B2
Application number	US-201615089643-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 4, 2016
Priority date	Apr 8, 2015
Publication date	Aug 21, 2018
Grant date	Aug 21, 2018

Abstract

A recording medium ejecting device includes ejecting trays, a guiding member and a switching mechanism. The guiding member is switchable between a first posture to permit ejection of a recording medium on one ejecting tray and a second posture to restrict the ejection of the recording medium on the one ejecting tray. The switching mechanism switches the guiding member between the first posture and the second posture. The switching mechanism includes pulleys, a driving belt and a pressing member. The driving belt is wound around the pulleys. The pressing member presses the guiding member. The driving belt includes a contactable area configured to be contactable with each of the pulleys and a contact restricted area whose contact with each of the pulleys is restricted. The pressing member catches the contact restricted area from both an outer face side and an inner face side.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A recording medium ejecting device comprising:
a plurality of ejecting trays on which a recording medium is ejected;
a guiding member configured to be switchable between a first posture to permit ejection of the recording medium on one ejecting tray of the plurality of ejecting trays and a second posture to restrict the ejection of the recording medium on the one ejecting tray; and
a switching mechanism configured to switch the guiding member between the first posture and the second posture,
wherein the switching mechanism includes;
a plurality of pulleys;
a driving belt wound around the plurality of pulleys; and
a pressing member configured to move in accordance with running of the driving belt and to press the guiding member, and
the driving belt includes;
a contactable area configured to be contactable with each of the pulleys; and
a pair of contact restricted areas whose contact with each of the pulleys is restricted, the pair of contact restricted areas being arranged at both outsides of the contactable area in a width direction of the driving belt, and
the pressing member is fixed to the driving belt in a state that the pressing member catches the pair of contact restricted areas from both an outer face side and an inner face side, and
the pressing member includes:
a main body part configured to come into contact with outer faces of the contactable area and each of the contact restricted areas;
a pair of extending parts configured to extend from the main body part and arranged at both outsides of the driving belt in the width direction of the driving belt; and
a pair of bent parts with each bent part being bent from one of the extending parts toward an inside in the width direction of the driving belt and configured to come into contact with an inner face of one of the contact restricted areas, and
a width of an outer circumferential face of each of the pulleys is smaller than a width of the contactable area of the driving belt, and
the pressing member further includes a flat plate part which protrudes toward an outside in the width direction of the driving belt from the main body part,
wherein a length of each of the extending parts in a running direction of the driving belt is shorter than a length of the main body part in the running direction, and is longer than a length of each of the bent parts in the running direction,
wherein the contactable area and the pair of contact restricted areas are provided on a same face of the driving belt,
the recording medium ejecting device further comprising a restricting member configured to restrict movement of the pressing member in the width direction of the driving belt,
wherein another bent part bent toward the outside in the width direction of the driving belt is formed in one end part of the restricting member, and an outer face of the other bent part faces an inner face of the flat plate part, and
wherein the flat plate part is arranged in parallel with a flat part of an outer face of the driving belt.

2. The recording medium ejecting device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the restricting member is arranged at a whole area in a circumferential direction of the driving belt and at least partially covers an outside of the pressing member in the width direction of the driving belt.

3. The recording medium ejecting device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the plurality of pulleys include:
a driving pulley engaged with a first end part in a longitudinal direction of the driving belt;
a driven pulley engaged with a second end part in the longitudinal direction of the driving belt; and
a supporting pulley arranged between the driving pulley and the driven pulley.

4. The recording medium ejecting device according to claim 3 ,
wherein a driving gear is arranged on an outer circumferential face of the driving pulley, and
a driven gear is arranged on an outer circumferential face of the driven pulley, and
a belt side gear meshed with the driving gear and the driven gear is arranged on an inner circumferential face of the driving belt.

5. The recording medium ejecting device according to claim 3 ,
wherein a position of the supporting pulley in the longitudinal direction of the driving belt corresponds to that of the guiding member in the longitudinal direction of the driving belt.

6. An image forming apparatus comprising the recording medium ejecting device according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Kyocera Document Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Kotani Takashi

Classifications

• B65H29/58 Primary

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• B65H2801/06

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