Sheet supplying apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12077399-B2
Application number	US-202217685669-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 3, 2022
Priority date	Mar 3, 2021
Publication date	Sep 3, 2024
Grant date	Sep 3, 2024

Abstract

A sheet supplying apparatus includes a supplying roller, a supply tray, and a lifting/lowering member having a protrusion. The pressure plate includes a pressure plate body and a contact member supported by the pressure plate body so as to be movable between a first position and a second position. The contact member is pushed up and lowered with the pressure plate body while being in contact with the protrusion at the first position in a state in which the protrusion is placed below the pressure plate body. The contact member moves to the second position at which the contact member is escaped from the lifting/lowering member when the protrusion moves from a position higher than the pressure plate toward a position lower than the pressure plate. The contact member moves to the first position when the lifting/lowering member moves to the position lower than the pressure plate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet supplying apparatus, comprising:
a supplying roller configured to supply a sheet;
a supply tray supporting the sheet and including a pressure plate movable between a supply position at which an uppermost sheet in the supply tray is caused to be brought into contact with the supplying roller and a non-supply position which is lower than the supply position; and
a lifting/lowering member having a gear and a protrusion protruding from the gear, the lifting/lowering member being configured to move so as to move the pressure plate in a state in which the protrusion of lifting/lowering member is in contact with the pressure plate from below,
wherein the pressure plate includes:
a pressure plate body supporting the sheet; and
a contact member supported by the pressure plate body so as to be movable between a first position and a second position, the contact member being pushed up with the pressure plate body while being in contact with the protrusion of the lifting/lowering member at the first position when the protrusion of the lifting/lowering member is lifted for moving the pressure plate from the non-supply position to the supply position in a state in which the protrusion of the lifting/lowering member is placed below the pressure plate body, the contact member being lowered with the pressure plate body while being in contact with the protrusion of the lifting/lowering member at the first position when the lifting/lowering member is lowered for moving the pressure plate from the supply position to the non-supply position in the state in which the lifting/lowering member is placed below the pressure plate body,

wherein in a state where the protrusion of the lifting/lowering member is at a position higher than the pressure plate, the contact member is configured to move to the second position where the contact member is pushed away by the lifting/lowering member in accordance with the contact with the protrusion of the lifting/lowering member as the protrusion of the lifting/lowering member moves from the position higher than the pressure plate toward a position lower than the pressure plate, and
wherein the contact member is configured to move to the first position when the lifting/lowering member moves to the position lower than the pressure plate.

2. The sheet supplying apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first position of the contact member is a position at which a contact portion of the contact member is in contact with a contacted portion of the pressure plate.

3. The sheet supplying apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the second position of the contact member is a position at which the contact portion of the contact member is spaced apart from the contacted portion of the pressure plate.

4. The sheet supplying apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the pressure plate includes a first urging member disposed between the pressure plate body and the contact member and configured to urge the contact member toward the first position.

5. The sheet supplying apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the contact member includes:
a first contact portion brought into contact with the lifting/lowering member from below when the lifting/lowering member is lifted for moving the pressure plate from the non-supply position toward the supply position, and
a second contact portion protruding from the first contact portion toward the pressure plate body of the supplying tray in a width direction, an upper end of the second contact portion coming into contact with the pressure plate body from below when the first contact portion is brought into contact with the lifting/lowering member from below.

6. The sheet supplying apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein the contact member includes:
a supported portion supported by the pressure plate body so as to be swingable about a first axis extending in the width direction of the supplying tray, and
an extending lever extending from the supported portion in a radial direction of the first axis,

wherein the first contact portion is located on a distal end side of a center of the extending lever, and
wherein the second contact portion is adjacent to the first contact portion on the distal end side of the extending lever.

7. The sheet supplying apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the contact portion is supported by the pressure plate body so as to be swingable about a first axis extending in the width direction of the supplying tray.

8. The sheet supplying apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the gear of the lifting/lowering member is a sector gear having a second axis extending in the width direction of the supplying tray as a center,
wherein the protrusion is an arm extending in the radial direction of the second axis from the sector gear, the arm having a contacted surface formed on a distal end side of a center of the arm and contactable with the contact member.

9. The sheet supplying apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a housing,
wherein the supplying tray is supported by the housing so as to be movable between an accommodated position at which the supplying tray stands along a side surface of the housing and an extended position at which the supplying tray extends in a direction intersecting the side surface so as to support the sheet, and
wherein the contact member includes a guiding portion configured to guide the lifted lifting/lowering member to a position lower than the contact member while the guiding portion is in slide-contact with the lifting/lowering member when the supplying tray moves from the extended position to the accommodated position.

10. The sheet supplying apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a housing; and
a link arm, a first end of which is coupled to the housing,
wherein the pressure plate body includes a pivoting shaft having a third axis extending in the width direction of the supplying tray as a center and supported at a second end of the link arm,
wherein the supplying tray includes a link rail configured to guide the pivoting shaft, the supplying tray being supported by the housing so as to be movable between (a) a accommodated position at which the supplying tray stands along a side surface of the housing when the pivoting shaft is guided to a first rail end of the link rail and (b) an extended position at which the supplying tray extends in a direction intersecting the side surface so as to support the sheet when the pivoting shaft is guided to a second rail end, which is on an opposite side of the first rail end, of the link rail, and
wherein the link rail has a drawing-shape portion configured to give resistance to the pivoting shaft which moves from the first rail end to the second rail end.

11. The sheet supplying apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the supplying tray includes a second urging member configured to urge the pressure plate in a direction directed from the non-supply position to the supply position.

12. A sheet supplying apparatus, comprising:
a supplying roller configured to supply a sheet;
a supply tray supporting the sheet and including a pressure plate movable between a supply position at which an uppermost sheet in the supply tray is caused to be brought into contact with the supplying roller and a non-supply position which is lower than the supply position;
a gear; and
a protrusion protruding from the gear, the protrusion being configured to move so as to move the pressure plate in a state in which the protrusion is in contact with the pressure plate from below,
wherein the pressure plate includes:
a pressure plate body supporting the sheet;
a disk supp

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Nishimura Shoichiro
• Sugimoto Kouichi

Classifications

• B65H2407/21

  Manual feeding · CPC title

• B65H2405/1117

  pivotable, e.g. around an axis perpendicular to transport direction, e.g. arranged at rear side of sheet support · CPC title

• B65H3/0661

  for separating inclined-stacked articles with separator rollers above the stack · CPC title

• B65H1/12

  comprising spring {(B65H1/022 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B65H1/04

  adapted to support articles substantially horizontally, e.g. for separation from top of pile · CPC title