Medium supporting device and printing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10272704-B2
Application number	US-201715846064-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2017
Priority date	Dec 27, 2016
Publication date	Apr 30, 2019
Grant date	Apr 30, 2019

Abstract

A discharge tray includes a main tray having a support face that supports discharged paper, and an extension tray being supported by the main tray, and being capable of movement between a storage position in which the extension tray is stored in the main tray and an extended position in which the extension tray has been moved to extend along a discharge direction of the paper from a leading end side of the main tray in the discharge direction. A pair of first projections is provided to both ends at the discharge direction leading end side of the main tray, and a pair of second projections that project upward is provided to both ends at the discharge direction leading end side of the extension tray. The pair of second projections are positioned to the inside of the pair of first projections in a width direction orthogonal to the discharge direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A medium supporting device comprising:
a support portion having a support face that supports a discharged medium; and
an extension support portion that is supported by the support portion, and that is capable of movement between a storage position in which the extension support portion is stored in the support portion and an extended position in which the extension support portion has been moved so as to extend along a discharge direction of the medium from a leading end side of the support portion in the discharge direction, wherein
a pair of first projections projecting upward above the height of the support face is provided at both ends of the discharge direction leading end side of the support portion so as to be inclined upward toward the discharge direction side,
a pair of second projections projecting upward above the height of the support face is provided at both ends of the discharge direction leading end side of the extension support portion so as to be inclined upward toward the discharge direction side, and
the pair of second projections is positioned to the inside of the pair of first projections in a width direction orthogonal to the discharge direction,
wherein the pair of second projections of the extension support portion are linked together by a concave curved face directly between the pair of second projections.

2. The medium supporting device according to claim 1 , wherein a pair of walls that extend along the discharge direction is provided at both ends of the support portion in the width direction so as to face each other across the support face.

3. The medium supporting device according to claim 1 , wherein, in a state in which the extension support portion is at the extended position, inner faces of the pair of first projections in the width direction restrict movement in the width direction of any of the medium having a width that is narrower than a distance between the pair of first projections.

4. The medium supporting device according to claim 1 , wherein, in a state in which the extension support portion is at the storage position, the pair of second projections are disposed at the width direction inside of the pair of first projections so as to be adjacent to the first projections, and such that the height of the second projections from the support face is lower than the height of the pair of first projections from the support face.

5. The medium supporting device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one out of the pair of first projections or the pair of second projections decreases in height on progression toward the width direction inside.

6. The medium supporting device according to claim 1 , wherein a pair of upstream projections are provided on the support face in a state spaced apart from each other in the width direction upstream of the pair of first projections in the discharge direction.

7. The medium supporting device according to claim 6 , wherein upper faces of the pair of upstream projections are inclined so as to become lower on progression toward the width direction inside.

8. A printing apparatus comprising:
a printing unit that is disposed inside a casing and that prints on a medium;
a discharge port that is provided to the casing, and from which the medium is discharged after being printed on by the printing unit; and
a support member that supports the medium discharged from the discharge port, the support member being configured by the medium supporting device according to claim 1 .

9. The printing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein a pair of main body projections are provided in the discharge port in a state spaced apart from each other in the width direction.

10. The printing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein upper faces of the pair of main body projections are inclined so as to become lower on progression toward the width direction inside.

11. The printing apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the main body projections are disposed to the inside of the pair of first projections in the width direction.

12. A medium supporting device comprising:
a support portion having a support face that supports a discharged medium; and
an extension support portion that is supported by the support portion, and that is capable of movement between a storage position in which the extension support portion is stored in the support portion and an extended position in which the extension support portion has been moved so as to extend along a discharge direction of the medium from a leading end side of the support portion in the discharge direction, wherein
a pair of first projections projecting upward above the height of the support face is provided at both ends of the discharge direction leading end side of the support portion so as to be inclined upward toward the discharge direction side,
a pair of second projections projecting upward above the height of the support face is provided at both ends of the discharge direction leading end side of the extension support portion so as to be inclined upward toward the discharge direction side, and
the pair of second projections is positioned to the inside of the pair of first projections in a width direction orthogonal to the discharge direction,
wherein, in a state in which the extension support portion is at the storage position, the pair of second projections are disposed at the width direction inside of the pair of first projections so as to be adjacent to the first projections, and such that the height of the second projections from the support face is lower than the height of the pair of first projections from the support face.

13. A printing apparatus comprising:
a printing unit that is disposed inside a casing and that prints on a medium;
a discharge port that is provided to the casing, and from which the medium is discharged after being printed on by the printing unit, wherein a pair of main body projections are provided in the discharge port in a state spaced apart from each other in a width direction orthogonal to the discharge direction; and
a support member that supports the medium discharged from the discharge port, the support member comprising:
a support portion having a support face that supports a discharged medium; and
an extension support portion that is supported by the support portion, and that is capable of movement between a storage position in which the extension support portion is stored in the support portion and an extended position in which the extension support portion has been moved so as to extend along a discharge direction of the medium from a leading end side of the support portion in the discharge direction, wherein
a pair of first projections projecting upward above the height of the support face is provided at both ends of the discharge direction leading end side of the support portion so as to be inclined upward toward the discharge direction side,
a pair of second projections projecting upward above the height of the support face is provided at both ends of the discharge direction leading end side of the extension support portion so as to be inclined upward toward the discharge direction side, and
the pair of second projections is positioned to the inside of the pair of first projections in the width direction orthogonal to the discharge direction.

14. The printing apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein upper faces of the pair of main body projections are inclined so as to become lower on progression toward the width direction inside.

15. The printing apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the main body projections are disposed to the i

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Tamai Satoshi

Classifications

• B65H31/20 Primary

  adjustable for different article sizes · CPC title

• B65H2405/11151

  with surface inclined upwardly in transport direction · CPC title

• B65H2405/1134

  movable, e.g. pivotable · CPC title

• B41J13/106 Primary

  for the sheet output section · CPC title

• B65H2405/11164

  Rear portion extensible in parallel to transport direction · CPC title