Medium processing apparatus, loading apparatus and medium loading method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11254148-B2
Application number	US-202016911928-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 25, 2020
Priority date	Jun 28, 2019
Publication date	Feb 22, 2022
Grant date	Feb 22, 2022

Abstract

A medium processing apparatus includes a printer, a supporting member having a sheet-like shape and configured to support a discharged medium, and a winding unit configured to wind the supporting member and move with respect to the printer. The winding unit has a first case and a second case that rotatably support a winding shaft, and a placement portion placed at a flat surface. The first case and the second case in a state where axis lines of respective bearing portions that support the winding shaft are aligned with each other and in a state of being held so as to be mutually non-rotatable in a plane orthogonal to an axis line of the winding shaft, and when the winding unit is installed on a flat surface, the placement portion contacts the flat surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A medium processing apparatus, comprising:
a printer provided with a discharge unit discharging a processed medium;
a supporting member having a sheet-like shape and fixed, in part, to the printer, and moreover configured to support the medium discharged from the discharge unit; and
a winding unit configured to wind the supporting member and move with respect to the printer, wherein
the winding unit includes
a winding shaft to which one end of the supporting member is attached,
a rotation mechanism including a winding mechanism rotating the winding shaft in a direction of winding the supporting member and a stop mechanism configured to stop the winding shaft, in a first state in which a length of the supporting member unwound from the winding shaft is a first unwind amount, and in a second state in which a length of the supporting member unwound from the winding shaft is a second unwind amount that is greater than the first unwind amount,
a first case positioned at one outer side of the supporting member in an axial direction of the winding shaft and rotatably supporting the winding shaft,
a second case positioned at another outer side of the supporting member in the axial direction and rotatably supporting the winding shaft, and
a placement portion that, when the winding unit is placed at a flat surface, contacts the flat surface.

2. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the placement portion includes a first installation surface including a bottom of the first case, and a second installation surface including a bottom of the second case, and
when the first installation surface contacts a flat surface, the second installation surface contacts the flat surface.

3. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising a coupling member configured to fix the first case and the second case to be non-rotatable with respect to each other in a plane orthogonal to an axis line of the winding shaft.

4. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the winding unit includes a guide member having a straight portion that guides the supporting member contacting therewith, and
the straight portion has a length longer than a length of the supporting member in an axial direction of the winding shaft, extends along the axial direction, and has a cross section that has a convex shape orthogonal to the axial direction.

5. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the rotation mechanism is provided inside at least one of the first case and the second case.

6. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the winding mechanism includes a drive unit driving the winding shaft to rotate.

7. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the drive unit is a rotary biasing portion biasing the winding shaft in a winding direction.

8. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein
in one of the first case and the second case that is provided with the rotation mechanism, an operation switch is provided that releases stop of the winding shaft by the stop mechanism, and rotates the winding shaft by the drive unit,
the operation switch includes an operated portion that is operated by a user, and
the stop mechanism is released when the operated portion is operated from a non-operating position, where the operated portion protrudes outward of an outer surface of the case, to an operating position located further inside of the case than the outer surface.

9. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the printer includes a leg portion, and the leg portion includes: a plurality of rollers contacting a surface, at which the printer is installed, and configured to rotate; a locking member regulating rotation of the roller; and a placement surface at which the winding unit is placed.

10. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the winding unit includes an unwind amount regulating portion regulating an unwind amount of the supporting member, and
the unwind amount regulating portion regulates rotation of the winding shaft in the unwinding direction, when the unwind amount exceeds a predetermined amount.

11. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the unwind amount regulating portion is provided inside at least one of the first case and the second case.

12. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the winding unit includes an unwind amount regulating portion regulating an unwind amount of the supporting member, and
the unwind amount regulating portion regulates rotation of the winding shaft in the winding direction, when the unwind amount is smaller than a predetermined amount.

13. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the unwind amount regulating portion is provided within at least one of the first case and the second case.

14. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the printer includes
a support shaft at which the supporting member is hung and which supports the supporting member that is hung, and
a pair of support shaft holding members that hold both ends of the support shaft respectively and are rotatably attached to the printer,
the supporting member unwound from the winding unit that is located in such a way that the support shaft is interposed between the winding unit and a position where the part of the supporting member is fixed to the printer in a direction in which the printer discharges the medium after printing, is fixed to a position lower than the support shaft in the printer, in a state of being hung at the support shaft that is positioned higher than the winding unit, and
an angle of the support shaft holding members is adjusted and hence a position of the support shaft is changed, thereby changing a posture of the supporting member at which the medium is loaded.

15. A media loading method for loading a processed medium discharged from a discharge unit of a printer with use of a loading apparatus including the winding unit and the supporting member in the medium processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
the printer including
a support shaft at which the supporting member is hung and which supports the supporting member that is hung, and
a pair of support shaft holding members that hold both ends of the support shaft respectively and are rotatably attached to the printer,
the method comprising:
fixing a part of the supporting member unwound from the winding unit to the printer, and, in a direction in which the printer discharges the medium after printing, placing the winding unit in such a way that the support shaft is interposed between the winding unit and a position where the part of the supporting member is fixed to the printer, so as to bring the supporting member unwound from the winding unit into a state of being hung at the support shaft that is positioned higher than the winding unit; and
adjusting an angle of the support shaft holding members to change a position of the support shaft, thereby changing a posture of the supporting member at which the medium is loaded.

16. A loading apparatus, comprising:
a supporting member having a sheet-like shape and fixed, in part, to a printer, and moreover configured to support a medium discharged from a discharge unit of the printer; and
a winding unit configured to wind the supporting member, wherein
the winding unit includes
a winding shaft to which one end of the supporting member is attached,
a rotation mechanism including a winding mechan

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Hamada Nobuhiko
• Miyauchi Hiroto
• Takahashi Kazuaki

Classifications

• B65H2801/03

  Image reproduction devices · CPC title

• B65H2404/6911

  by unwinding from storage section · CPC title

• B41J13/106 Primary

  for the sheet output section · CPC title

• B65H2405/1119

  Areas with particular deformation properties, e.g. flexible, elastic · CPC title

• B65H2701/11312

  large formats, i.e. above A3 · CPC title