Printer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11633965-B2
Application number	US-202117412432-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 26, 2021
Priority date	Aug 31, 2020
Publication date	Apr 25, 2023
Grant date	Apr 25, 2023

Abstract

A printer includes a first accommodating portion, a supply roller, a recording device, a cutter configured to cut a recording medium into a first recording medium and a second recording medium, a second accommodating portion, a third accommodating portion that accommodates an unrecorded second recording medium that is the second recording medium on which an image has not been recorded by the recording device, and a switcher. The third accommodating portion is movable between a first position at which the third accommodating portion receives the unrecorded second recording medium cut by the cutter and a second position at which the unrecorded second recording medium accommodated in the third accommodating portion is in contact with the supply roller. The supply roller is configured to supply the unrecorded second recording medium accommodated in the third accommodating portion that is positioned at the second position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printer, comprising:
a first accommodating portion that accommodates a recording medium;
a supply roller configured to supply the recording medium to a conveyance path;
a recording device configured to record an image on the recording medium supplied to the conveyance path by the supply roller;
a cutter configured to cut the recording medium into a first recording medium and a second recording medium;
a second accommodating portion that accommodates a recorded first recording medium and a recorded second recording medium, the recorded first recording medium being the first recording medium on which an image has been recorded by the recording device, the recorded second recording medium being the second recording medium on which an image has been recorded by the recording device;
a third accommodating portion that accommodates an unrecorded second recording medium that is the second recording medium on which an image has not been recorded by the recording device; and
a switcher configured to switch a conveyance destination of the second recording medium between the second accommodating portion and the third accommodating portion,
wherein the third accommodating portion is movable between a first position at which the third accommodating portion receives the unrecorded second recording medium cut by the cutter and a second position at which the unrecorded second recording medium accommodated in the third accommodating portion is in contact with the supply roller, and
wherein the supply roller is configured to supply the unrecorded second recording medium accommodated in the third accommodating portion that is positioned at the second position.

2. The printer according to claim 1 , wherein the third accommodating portion that is positioned at the second position is nearer to the supply roller than the third accommodating portion that is positioned at the first position.

3. The printer according to claim 1 , wherein the switcher is configured to switch the conveyance destination for the recorded second recording medium to the second accommodating portion and switch the conveyance destination for the unrecorded second recording medium to the third accommodating portion that is positioned at the first position.

4. The printer according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a moving mechanism configured to move the third accommodating portion; and
a controller configured to control driving of the moving mechanism and the supply roller,
wherein the controller is configured to move the third accommodating portion from the first position to the second position by driving the moving mechanism, and supply the unrecorded second recording medium accommodated in the third accommodating portion that is positioned at the second position to the conveyance path.

5. The printer according to claim 4 , further comprising a third conveying roller disposed at a second-guide-surface side of the switcher and configured to convey the unrecorded second recording medium to the third accommodating portion by rotating in the first direction,
wherein the controller is configured to convey the unrecorded second recording medium to the third accommodating portion by rotating the second conveying roller in the second direction and rotating the third conveying roller in the first direction.

6. The printer according to claim 1 , further comprising;
a first conveying roller disposed between the recording device and the cutter in the conveyance path and configured to convey the recording medium to the cutter;
a second conveying roller disposed downstream of the cutter in the conveyance path in a conveying direction and configured to convey the recording medium to the second accommodating portion; and
a controller configured to control the first conveying roller and the second conveying roller,
wherein the switcher includes a first guide surface guiding the recording medium to the second accommodating portion and a second guide surface guiding the unrecorded second recording medium to the third accommodating portion, the first guide surface and the second guide surface being disposed between the first conveying roller and the second conveying roller, and
wherein the controller is configured to:
bring the first recording medium and the recorded second recording medium into contact with the first guide surface of the switcher so as to be conveyed to the second accommodating portion by rotating the first conveying roller and the second conveying roller in a first direction, and
bring the unrecorded second recording medium into contact with the second guide surface of the switcher so as to be conveyed to the third accommodating portion by rotating the second conveying roller in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction.

7. The printer according to claim 6 , wherein the switcher is disposed such that the switcher is rotatable between a first state at which the first guide surface comes into contact with the recording medium and a second state at which the second guide surface comes into contact with the second recording medium.

8. The printer according to claim 7 ,
wherein the third accommodating portion includes a placement portion disposed below a placement surface of the second accommodating portion with a space and on which a part of the unrecorded second recording medium is placed, and
wherein the switcher is configured to guide the unrecorded second recording medium to the third accommodating portion after guiding an end of the unrecorded second recording medium to the placement portion.

9. The printer according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first conveying roller disposed between the recording device and the cutter in the conveyance path and configured to convey the recording medium to the cutter;
a second conveying roller disposed downstream of the cutter in the conveyance path in a conveying direction and configured to convey the recording medium to the second accommodating portion; and
a controller configured to control the switcher, the first conveying roller and the second conveying roller,
wherein the switcher is disposed between the first conveying roller and the second conveying roller and switchable between a first state in which the switcher guides each of the recorded first recording medium and the recorded second recording medium to the second accommodating portion and a second state in which the switcher guides the unrecorded second recording medium to the third accommodating portion, and
wherein the controller is configured to:
convey the recorded first recording medium and the recorded second recording medium to the second accommodating portion by rotating the first conveying roller and the second conveying roller in the first direction in a state in which the switcher is in the first state, and
convey the unrecorded second recording medium to the third accommodating portion by rotating the first conveying roller in the first direction in a state in which the switcher is in the second state.

10. The printer according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second accommodating portion and the third accommodating portion are disposed so as not to overlap each other when viewed from above the printer in a vertical direction.

11. The printer according to claim 1 , wherein the second accommodating portion includes a placement surface on which the recorded first recording medium and the recorded second recording medium are placed, and a protruding portion protruding upward from at least a first edge of the placement surface that is nearer to the third accommodating portion than a second edge of the placement surface.

12. The printer according

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Tsuji Takuya

Classifications

• B41J13/0036 Primary

  in the output section of automatic paper handling systems · CPC title

• B41J15/048

  Conveyor belts or like feeding devices (B41J11/007 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B41J11/44

  by devices, e.g. program tape or contact wheel, moved in correspondence with movement of paper-feeding devices, e.g. platen rotation · CPC title

• B41J11/70 Primary

  cutting perpendicular to the direction of paper feed · CPC title