Image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11701902-B2
Application number	US-202117533429-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 23, 2021
Priority date	Nov 27, 2020
Publication date	Jul 18, 2023
Grant date	Jul 18, 2023

Abstract

An image forming apparatus, having a housing, a tray detachably attachable to the housing and having a storage to store a sheet-formed medium, an image forming device to form an image on the sheet-formed medium, a conveyer assembly to convey the sheet-formed medium from the storage along a conveyer path, and a cutter to cut the sheet-formed medium at a predetermined position in the conveyer path, is provided. The conveyer assembly includes a feeder roller to feed the sheet-formed medium from the storage to the conveyer path, and an intermediate roller pair arranged in the conveyer path between the feeder roller and the image forming device. The intermediate roller pair is supported by the housing and is configured to nip the sheet-formed medium. The predetermined position is located in the conveyer path between the feeder roller and the intermediate roller pair.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
a housing;
a tray detachably attachable to the housing, the tray having a storage configured to store a sheet-formed medium;
an image forming device configured to form an image on the sheet-formed medium;
a conveyer assembly configured to convey the sheet-formed medium from the storage along a conveyer path; and
a cutter configured to cut the sheet-formed medium at a predetermined position in the conveyer path,
wherein the conveyer assembly includes:
a feeder roller configured to feed the sheet-formed medium downward from the storage to the conveyer path along a bottom surface of the tray; and
an intermediate roller pair arranged in the conveyer path between the feeder roller and the image forming device,

wherein the intermediate roller pair is supported by the housing and is configured to nip the sheet-formed medium, and
wherein the predetermined position is located in the conveyer path between the feeder roller and the intermediate roller pair.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the storage is configured to store a rolled body, the rolled body being the sheet-formed medium wound into a roll.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the storage is configured to store a plurality of sheet-formed media in a stack, a length of each of the plurality of sheet-formed media being greater than a distance between the feeder roller and the intermediate roller pair in the conveyer path.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the storage includes:
a first storage configured to store a rolled body, the rolled body being the sheet-formed medium wound into a roll; and
a second storage configured to store a plurality of sheet-formed media in a stack, a length of each of the plurality of sheet-formed media being greater than a distance between the feeder roller and the intermediate roller pair in the conveyer path,

wherein the conveyer assembly is configured to convey the sheet-formed medium selectively from one of the first storage and the second storage.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the feeder roller is supported by the tray.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the tray is movable to be drawn outward from the housing in a direction opposite to a direction of conveying the sheet-formed medium by the feeder roller.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the intermediate roller pair includes two driving rollers, each of which is-being rotatable by driving of a motor.

8. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
a storage configured to store a sheet-formed medium;
an image forming device configured to form an image on the sheet-formed medium;
a conveyer assembly configured to convey the sheet-formed medium from the storage in a conveying direction along a conveyer path; and
a cutter configured to cut the sheet-formed medium at a predetermined position in the conveyer path,
wherein the storage is configured to store a rolled body, the rolled body being the sheet-formed medium wound into a roll,
wherein the conveyer assembly includes:
a feeder roller urged to be closer to a bottom surface of the storage, the feed roller being configured to feed the sheet-formed medium from the storage to the conveyer path;
an intermediate roller arranged in the conveyer path between the feeder roller and the image forming device; and
a conveyer roller arranged in the conveyer path between the intermediate roller and the image forming device,

wherein the predetermined position is located in the conveyer path between the feeder roller and the intermediate roller, and
wherein the sheet-formed medium is unrolled downward from the roll and is urged downward against the bottom surface of the storage by the feeder roller to be conveyed along the bottom surface of the storage.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , further comprising:
a tray including the storage; and
a housing, to which the tray is detachably attachable.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 ,
wherein the conveying direction is arranged to invert between the intermediate roller and the conveyer roller.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 ,
wherein the conveyer path includes a linear section between the feeder roller and the intermediate roller, and
wherein the predetermined position is arranged in the linear section.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the cutter includes a blade, the blade being arranged to intersect orthogonally with the conveyer path.

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Yamaguchi Masatomo

Classifications

• B41J11/70 Primary

  cutting perpendicular to the direction of paper feed · CPC title

• B41J15/042

  for loading rolled-up continuous copy material into printers, e.g. for replacing a used-up paper roll; Point-of-sale printers with openable casings allowing access to the rolled-up continuous copy material · CPC title

• G03G15/6517 Primary

  Apparatus for continuous web copy material of plain paper, e.g. supply rolls; Roll holders therefor · CPC title

• G03G15/6523

  Cutting · CPC title

• B26D1/045

  for thin material, e.g. for sheets, strips or the like · CPC title