Stacker and processing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10787336-B2
Application number	US-201816115626-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 29, 2018
Priority date	Aug 31, 2017
Publication date	Sep 29, 2020
Grant date	Sep 29, 2020

Abstract

A stacker of the disclosure is disposed at an ejection opening of a processing apparatus. A support member of the stacker is movable toward an upstream side and a downstream side in an ejecting direction, receives each of the media ejected through the ejection opening, and supports the medium in such an orientation that the medium is inclined with an end edge of the medium on the downstream side in the ejecting direction positioned above an end edge of the medium on the upstream side in the ejecting direction and that the end edge of the medium on the upstream side in the ejecting direction abuts the stacking surface. A receding mechanism of the stacker causes the support member to recede toward the downstream side. A position maintaining mechanism of the stacker maintains a position of the support member having been moved by the receding mechanism.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A stacker adapted to be mounted to a medium ejection tray which stacks medium ejected through an ejection opening of a processing apparatus in a lying orientation, and to cause the medium to be stacked and placed on a stacking surface in a standing orientation, the stacker comprising:
a support member that is movable toward an upstream side and a downstream side in an ejecting direction, that includes a support plate inclined with an end edge of the support plate on the downstream side in the ejecting direction positioned above an end edge of the support plate on the upstream side in the ejecting direction, that receives each of the medium ejected through the ejection opening, and that supports the medium in such an orientation that an end edge of the medium on the upstream side in the ejecting direction abuts the stacking surface by pushing an end edge of the medium on the downstream side in the ejecting direction upward along the inclination of the support plate;
a receding mechanism that causes the support member to recede toward the downstream side;
a position maintaining mechanism that maintains a position of the support member having been moved by the receding mechanism; and
a transport roller that receives the medium ejected through the ejection opening and that transports the medium toward the downstream side, the transport roller being operatively coupled to an ejection roller of the processing apparatus so that the transport roller is driven by motive power from a rotation shaft of the ejection roller, wherein
the stacker does not include a conveyor belt for transporting the medium.

2. The stacker according to claim 1 ,
wherein the position maintaining mechanism includes
a pulling mechanism that applies to the support member a pulling force to pull toward the upstream side, and
a suppressing mechanism that suppresses the pulling force at a position to which the support member has been caused to recede by a specified distance by the receding mechanism.

3. The stacker according to claim 1 , wherein
in order to recede the support member, the receding mechanism applies a moving force to move against a frictional force caused by frictional resistance with the stacking surface which serves as a surface sliding against the support member, and
the position maintaining mechanism maintains the position of the support member by utilizing the frictional resistance.

4. The stacker according to claim 1 ,
wherein the transport roller is driven by transmitting the motive power from the rotation shaft of the ejection roller positioned at a most downstream portion of the processing apparatus in the ejecting direction.

5. The stacker according to claim 1 , wherein
the receding mechanism includes an advancing/retreating member provided on a rotation shaft of the transport roller, and
the advancing/retreating member repeatedly performs, linked with the rotation of the rotation shaft of the transport roller, pushing of the support member and retreating from the support member.

6. The stacker according to claim 5 , further comprising:
a nipping member that, together with the transport roller, nips the medium therebetween so as to transmit a transport force of the transport roller to the medium while the medium is being nipped,
wherein the nipping is released when the advancing/retreating member performs the pushing.

7. The stacker according to claim 5 ,
wherein the advancing/retreating member has a flat plate shape elongated in the ejecting direction.

8. The stacker according to claim 1 ,
wherein the stacker is a unitized device that is removably mountable in the processing apparatus.

9. A processing apparatus comprising:
a processing unit that performs a specified process on medium;
an ejection mechanism that ejects through an ejection opening the medium transported thereto through the processing unit; and
a stacker unit that receives the medium ejected through the ejection opening and stacks the medium,
wherein the stacker unit is the stacker according to claim 1 .

10. A stacker adapted to be mounted to a medium ejection tray which stacks medium ejected through an ejection opening of a processing apparatus in a lying orientation, and to cause the medium to be stacked and placed on a stacking surface in a standing orientation, the stacker comprising:
a support member that is movable toward an upstream side and a downstream side in an ejecting direction, that includes a support plate inclined with an end edge of the support plate on the downstream side in the ejecting direction positioned above an end edge of the support plate on the upstream side in the ejecting direction, that receives each of the medium ejected through the ejection opening, and that supports the medium in such an orientation that an end edge of the medium on the upstream side in the ejecting direction abuts the stacking surface by pushing an end edge of the medium on the downstream side in the ejecting direction upward along the inclination of the support plate;
a receding mechanism that causes the support member to recede toward the downstream side;
a position maintaining mechanism that maintains a position of the support member having been moved by the receding mechanism; and
a transport roller that receives the medium ejected through the ejection opening and that transports the medium toward the downstream side, the transport roller being operatively coupled to an ejection roller of the processing apparatus so that the transport roller is driven by motive power from a rotation shaft of the ejection roller, wherein
the receding mechanism includes an advancing/retreating member provided on a rotation shaft of the transport roller,
the advancing/retreating member repeatedly performs, linked with the rotation of the rotation shaft of the transport roller, pushing of the support member and retreating from the support member,
the receding mechanism includes a first cam member provided on the rotation shaft of the transport roller, and
the first cam member causes, linked with the rotation of the rotation shaft of the transport roller, the advancing/retreating member to perform the pushing and the retreating.

11. The stacker according to claim 10 , wherein
the position maintaining mechanism includes
a pulling mechanism that applies to the support member a pulling force to pull toward the upstream side, and
a suppressing mechanism that suppresses the pulling force at a position to which the support member has been caused to recede by a specified distance by the receding mechanism.

12. The stacker according to claim 10 , wherein
in order to recede the support member, the receding mechanism applies a moving force to move against a frictional force caused by frictional resistance with the stacking surface which serves as a surface sliding against the support member, and
the position maintaining mechanism maintains the position of the support member by utilizing the frictional resistance.

13. A stacker adapted to be mounted to a medium ejection tray which stacks medium ejected through an ejection opening of a processing apparatus in a lying orientation, and to cause the medium to be stacked and placed on a stacking surface in a standing orientation, the stacker comprising:
a support member that is movable toward an upstream side and a downstream side in an ejecting direction, that includes a support plate inclined with an end edge of the support plate on the downstream side in the ejecting direction positioned above an end edge of the support plate on the upstream side in the ejecting direction, that receives each of the medium ejected thro

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Tanjo Toru

Classifications

• B65H2301/42144

  by erecting articles from horizontal transport flushing with the supporting surface of the pile · CPC title

• B65H31/14

  Springs (fluid springs B65H31/16) · CPC title

• B65H31/22

  removable or interchangeable · CPC title

• B65H2701/1914

  Cards, e.g. telephone, credit and identity cards · CPC title

• B65H2701/1916

  Envelopes and articles of mail · CPC title