Feed device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12054347-B2
Application number	US-202217702726-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2022
Priority date	Sep 30, 2019
Publication date	Aug 6, 2024
Grant date	Aug 6, 2024

Abstract

A feed device includes: a feed tray configured to accommodate a roll, in which a medium is rolled in a roll shape, rotatably; a housing configured to support the feed tray installable; and a pull-back mechanism configured to pull back the medium unrolled from the roll in a direction orthogonal to a rotation axis of the roll in conjunction with an outward movement of the feed tray from the housing in the direction orthogonal to the rotation axis of the roll.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A feed device comprising:
a feed tray configured to accommodate a roll, in which a medium is rolled in a roll shape, rotatably;
a housing configured to support the feed tray movably; and
a pull-back mechanism configured to pull back the medium unrolled from the roll in conjunction with movement of the feed tray.

2. The feed device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the pull-back mechanism comprises a rotation mechanism that is rotatable so as to pull back the medium unrolled from the roll in conjunction with the movement of the feed tray.

3. The feed device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the rotation mechanism rotates the roll so that the medium unrolled from the roll is rerolled to the roll.

4. The feed device according to claim 3 ,
wherein the rotation mechanism comprises:
a roller that is rotatably supported by the feed tray and is configured to rotate the roll by being rotated with contacting an outer peripheral surface of the roll;
a pinion gear configured to transmit a rotational force to the roller; and
a rack gear that is provided in the housing and is engaged with the pinion gear so as to rotate the pinion gear in accordance with the movement of the feed tray.

5. The feed device according to claim 4 ,
wherein the feed tray comprises:
a tray main body; and
a support base that is disposed on the tray main body and is configured to support the outer peripheral surface of the roll from below, and

wherein the tray main body is configured to support the roller so that the roller is rotatable while contacting a lower part of the outer peripheral surface of the roll.

6. The feed device according to claim 5 ,
wherein the tray main body comprises a presser configured to press the roll toward the support base.

7. The feed device according to claim 5 ,
wherein the support base is configured to be installable to and removable from the tray main body, and
wherein the tray main body is configured to accommodate cut sheet paper in a state the support base is removed.

8. The feed device according to claim 4 ,
wherein the pinion gear has a diameter that is smaller than a diameter of the roller.

9. The feed device according to claim 4 ,
wherein the roller is supported to be movable between:
a separation position at which the roller is separated from the outer peripheral surface of the roll; and
a contact position at which the roller contacts the outer peripheral surface of the roll.

10. The feed device according to claim 9 ,
wherein the feed tray is movable between a first position and a second position, the second position being outward from the housing than the first position,
wherein in a case the feed tray is in a first state where the feed tray is installed to the housing at the first position, the rack gear is disposed to be not engaged with the pinion gear,
wherein in a case the feed tray is in a second state, which is a state where the feed tray is at a position between the first position and the second position, the rack gear is disposed to be engaged with a lower part of the pinion gear,
wherein in a case the rack gear and the pinion gear are not engaged with each other, the roller is disposed at the separation position, and
wherein in a case the rack gear and the pinion gear are engaged with each other, the roller is located from the separation position to the contact position.

11. The feed device according to claim 4 ,
wherein the rotation mechanism further comprises a power transmission device configured to transmit the rotational force from the pinion gear to the roller, and
wherein the power transmission device is configured to:
in a case the feed tray is moved with respect to the housing, transmit the rotational force of the pinion gear, which rotates by the engagement between the pinion gear and the rack gear, to the roller; and
in a case the feed tray is installed to the housing, not to transmit the rotational force of the pinion gear, which rotates by the engagement between the pinion gear and the rack gear, to the roller.

12. The feed device according to claim 3 ,
wherein the rotation mechanism is configured to rotate the roll so that a tip of the medium in a case the feed tray is moved with respect to the housing, is disposed below an upper end of a tip portion of the feed tray in a case the feed tray is installed to the housing.

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Tatematsu Yuya

Classifications

• B41J11/48

  Apparatus for condensed record, tally strip, or like work using two or more papers, or sets of papers {, e.g. devices for switching over from handling of copy material in sheet form to handling of copy material in continuous form and vice versa or point-of-sale printers comprising means for printing on continuous copy material, e.g. journal for tills, and on single sheets, e.g. cheques or receipts (B41J15/042 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B65H16/028

  on its outer circumference (B65H16/08 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B41J15/14

  and detached from the carriage · CPC title

• B41J15/10

  and mounted on the carriage · CPC title

• B41J15/12

  and coupled to the carriage · CPC title