Image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12280975-B2
Application number	US-202117563410-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2021
Priority date	Dec 29, 2020
Publication date	Apr 22, 2025
Grant date	Apr 22, 2025

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes a housing, a feeding tray capable of being inserted into and pulled out from the housing, a feed roller, and one or more detection units. The feeding tray includes a first accommodation part in which a roll body having a configuration where a sheet-shaped medium is rolled in a roll shape is accommodated and a second accommodation part in which a plurality of sheet-shaped media are accommodated in a state of being stacked. The feed roller feeds a sheet-shaped medium from the feeding tray toward a conveying path. The image forming unit forms an image on a sheet-shaped medium provided in the conveying path. The one or more detection units detect whether a sheet-shaped medium is arranged in a predetermined position in the feeding tray.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a housing;
a feeding tray capable of being inserted into and pulled out from the housing, and including a first accommodation part in which a roll body having a configuration where a sheet-shaped medium is rolled in a roll shape is accommodated and a second accommodation part in which a plurality of sheet-shaped media are accommodated in a state of being stacked;
a feed roller configured to feed a sheet-shaped medium from the feeding tray toward a conveying path;
an image forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet-shaped medium provided in the conveying path; and
one or more detection units configured to detect whether a sheet-shaped medium is arranged in a predetermined position in the feeding tray.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a notification unit configured to execute a notification operation of issuing a notification to a user of the image forming apparatus; and
a control unit configured to cause the notification unit to execute the notification operation, based on a detection result by the one or more detection units.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the control unit is configured to cause the notification unit to:
execute, as the notification operation, an operation of notifying a content pertaining to an arrangement of a sheet-shaped medium accommodated in the first accommodation part with respect to the feeding tray, in a case where an instruction for printing on a sheet-shaped medium accommodated in the first accommodation part is received and the detection result does not indicate that a sheet-shaped medium is accommodated in the first accommodation part; and
execute, as the notification operation, an operation of notifying a content pertaining to an arrangement of a sheet-shaped medium accommodated in the second accommodation part with respect to the feeding tray, in a case where an instruction for printing on a sheet-shaped medium accommodated in the second accommodation part is received and the detection result does not indicate that a sheet-shaped medium is accommodated in the second accommodation part.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the control unit is configured to cause the notification unit to execute, as the notification operation, an operation of notifying that it is necessary to exclude a sheet-shaped medium from the second accommodation part, in a case where an instruction for printing on a sheet-shaped medium accommodated in the first accommodation part is received and the detection result does not indicate that a sheet-shaped medium is not accommodated in the second accommodation part.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the control unit is configured to cause the notification unit to execute, as the notification operation, an operation of notifying that it is necessary to re-roll a sheet-shaped medium unrolled from the roll body, in a case where an instruction for printing on a sheet-shaped medium accommodated in the second accommodation part is received and the detection result does not indicate that a sheet-shaped medium is not accommodated in the first accommodation part.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the one or more detection units include a first detection unit configured to detect whether a sheet-shaped medium is accommodated in the first accommodation part of the feeding tray, and
the control unit is configured to cause the notification unit to execute the notification operation, based on a detection result by the first detection unit.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 ,
wherein the control unit is configured to cause the notification unit to execute, as the notification operation, an operation of notifying a content pertaining to an arrangement of a sheet-shaped medium accommodated in the first accommodation part with respect to the feeding tray, in a case where an instruction for printing on a sheet-shaped medium accommodated in the first accommodation part is received and the detection result by the first detection unit indicates that a sheet-shaped medium is not accommodated in the first accommodation part.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 ,
wherein the control unit is configured to cause the notification unit to execute, as the notification operation, an operation of notifying that it is necessary to re-roll a sheet-shaped medium unrolled from the roll body, in a case where an instruction for printing on a sheet-shaped medium accommodated in the second accommodation part is received and the detection result by the first detection unit indicates that a sheet-shaped medium is accommodated in the first accommodation part.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising:
a conveying detection unit configured to detect a sheet-shaped medium in the conveying path,
wherein the control unit is configured to:
drive the feed roller, in a case where an instruction for printing on a sheet-shaped medium accommodated in the first accommodation part is received and the detection result by the first detection unit indicates that a sheet-shaped medium is accommodated in the first accommodation part; and
cause the notification unit to execute, as the notification operation, an operation of notifying that a sheet-shaped medium accommodated in the first accommodation part is not appropriately arranged in the feeding tray, in a case where a sheet-shaped medium is not detected by the conveying detection unit until a first time elapses since the feed roller is driven.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising:
a conveying detection unit configured to detect a sheet-shaped medium in the conveying path,
wherein the control unit is configured to:
drive the feed roller, in a case where an instruction for printing on a sheet-shaped medium accommodated in the first accommodation part is received and the detection result by the first detection unit indicates that a sheet-shaped medium is accommodated in the first accommodation part; and
cause the notification unit to execute, as the notification operation, an operation of notifying that it is necessary to exclude a sheet-shaped medium from the second accommodation part, in a case where a sheet-shaped medium is no longer detected by the conveying detection unit by a time a second time elapses since a sheet-shaped medium is detected by the conveying detection unit after the feed roller is driven.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 ,
wherein the one or more detection units further include a second detection unit configured to detect whether a sheet-shaped medium is accommodated in the second accommodation part of the feeding tray, and
the control unit is configured to cause the notification unit to execute the notification operation, based on detection results by the first detection unit and the second detection unit.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11 ,
wherein the control unit is configured to cause the notification unit to execute, as the notification operation, an operation of notifying that it is necessary to exclude a sheet-shaped medium from the second accommodation part, in a case where an instruction for printing on a sheet-shaped medium accommodated in the first accommodation part is received and the detection result by the second detection unit indicates that a sheet-shaped medium is accommodated in the second accommodation part.

13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11 ,
wherein the

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Yamaguchi Masatomo
• Tatematsu Yuya
• Takasaki Hironori

Classifications

• B65H3/06

  Rollers or like rotary separators {(B65H3/42 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B65H2801/06

  Office-type machines, e.g. photocopiers · CPC title

• B65H20/02

  by friction roller · CPC title

• B65H16/10

  Arrangements for effecting positive rotation of web roll · CPC title

• B65H2511/515

  Absence · CPC title