Medium-transporting device and image reading apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022411215-A1
Application number	US-202217809016-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 27, 2022
Priority date	Jun 28, 2021
Publication date	Dec 29, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

A document transporting device includes a main body unit that forms an inner side of an inverting path, a cover unit that exposes a portion of the inverting path, a movable unit, a transport roller, a driven roller, and a roller supporting unit that forms an outer side of the inverting path. By receiving a force from the cover unit, the roller supporting unit rotates in a direction in which the driven roller moves away from the transport roller. By receiving a force from the roller supporting unit, the movable unit rotates in a direction in which the movable unit retreats from the main body unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A medium-transporting device comprising:
a first unit that forms an inner side of an inverting path on which a medium is inverted while being curved; a second unit that forms an outer side of the inverting path and retreats from the first unit to perform an exposing operation of exposing a portion of the inverting path in a transport direction of the medium; a third unit that forms the outer side of the inverting path in a portion downstream of the second unit in the transport direction and is provided so as to be rotatable about a first rotational shaft such that the third unit is configured to be reciprocated with respect to the first unit; an inner roller rotatably provided in the first unit; at least one outer roller located outside the inverting path and configured to transport the medium by rotating with the inner roller; and at least one supporting unit that supports the outer roller so as to be rotatable, that is provided so as to be rotatable about a second rotational shaft, and that forms the outer side of the inverting path, wherein the second unit is configured to apply a pressing force to the supporting unit in accordance with the exposing operation, the supporting unit is configured to rotate, by receiving a force from the second unit, in a direction in which the outer roller moves away from the inner roller, and the third unit is configured to rotate, by receiving a force from the supporting unit, in a direction in which the third unit retreats from the first unit.

2 . The medium-transporting device according to claim 1 , wherein
the supporting unit includes
a first extension section that extends in one direction from the second rotational shaft and supports the outer roller and
a second extension section that extends in another direction from the second rotational shaft and is configured to come into contact with the second unit, and
in a state in which the second extension section receives a pressing force from the second unit, the second extension section is moved to the inner roller, and the first extension section is moved in a direction away from the inner roller.

3 . The medium-transporting device according to claim 2 , wherein
the supporting unit includes an elastic member held by the first extension section and the third unit, and in a closed state in which the second unit forms the outer side of the inverting path, the elastic member applies an elastic force to the supporting unit such that the outer roller approaches the inner roller.

4 . The medium-transporting device according to claim 1 , wherein
a plurality of supporting units are provided in an intersecting direction intersecting the transport direction.

5 . The medium-transporting device according to claim 4 , wherein
a sheet member is provided in a portion of a path surface of the third unit, which forms the inverting path, and the sheet member extends to a portion downstream of the third unit in the transport direction from a portion located between the supporting units, which are adjacent to each other.

6 . The medium-transporting device according to claim 4 , wherein
the plurality of supporting units include
a first supporting unit that includes a first contact section and is located on a center side in the intersecting direction and
a second supporting unit that includes a second contact section and is located outside the first supporting unit in the intersecting direction,
the second unit includes
a first contacting surface configured to come into contact with the first contact section and
a second contacting surface configured to come into contact with the second contact section, and
the first contacting surface is located downstream of the second contacting surface in a movement direction in which the second unit approaches the first supporting unit and the second supporting unit.

7 . The medium-transporting device according to claim 1 , wherein
when the medium is transported on the inverting path, an upstream end of the supporting unit in the transport direction is located farther than a path surface of the third unit, which forms the inverting path, from the first unit.

8 . The medium-transporting device according to claim 1 , wherein
when the medium is transported on the inverting path, a downstream end of the supporting unit in the transport direction is located closer than a path surface of the third unit, which forms the inverting path, to the first unit.

9 . The medium-transporting device according to claim 1 , further comprising
a frame member that rotatably supports the first rotational shaft and a third rotational shaft, wherein the second unit is provided so as to be rotatable about the third rotational shaft.

10 . The medium-transporting device according to claim 1 , wherein
the supporting unit includes a restricting section that restricts a rotational amount of the supporting unit when the supporting unit rotates in the direction in which the outer roller moves away from the inner roller.

11 . The medium-transporting device according to claim 1 , wherein
an opening/closing unit that includes the first unit, the second unit, the third unit, and the supporting unit is coupled to a base unit, which supports the opening/closing unit, so as to be openable/closable, and when a state in which the opening/closing unit closes the base unit and in which the second unit forms the inverting path is a first setting state, a state in which the opening/closing unit closes the base unit and in which the second unit exposes the inverting path is a second setting state, and a state in which the opening/closing unit opens the base unit and in which the second unit exposes the inverting path is a third setting state, a space of the inverting path formed by the first unit and the third unit is provided such that a second space in the second setting state is wider than a first space in the first setting state and such that a third space in the third setting state is wider than the second space.

12 . An image reading apparatus comprising:
a reading section that reads a surface of a medium that is transported; and the medium-transporting device according to claim 1 that transports the medium to the reading section.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Tezuka Seiji
• Migita Koji

Classifications

• B65H15/004 Primary

  employing rollers · CPC title

• B65H2301/333

  Inverting · CPC title

• B65H2301/3423

  by travelling an angled curved path section for overturning and changing feeding direction · CPC title

• B65H5/062 Primary

  between rollers or balls · CPC title

• G03G15/602

  for transporting · CPC title