Sheet conveying device and image reading apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9567180-B2
Application number	US-201514861297-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 22, 2015
Priority date	Sep 22, 2014
Publication date	Feb 14, 2017
Grant date	Feb 14, 2017

Abstract

A sheet conveying device includes a conveyor, a first cover and a second cover movable in conjunction with the first cover. The second cover includes a restricted portion configured to be moved together with the second cover. The first cover includes a restricting portion configured to contact the restricted portion to prevent the second cover from being moved from a first position toward a second position when the first cover is located at a closed position. The restricting portion and the restricted portion are contacted to each other at a contact position at which a force, which is applied from the restricted portion toward the restricting portion when the second cover receives an external force, does not include a component force acting in a direction of moving the first cover from the closed position toward an opened position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet conveying device comprising:
a conveyor configured to convey a sheet along a predetermined conveyance path;
a first cover configured to be movable between a closed position and an opened position, wherein the first cover is configured to form a part of an outer covering surface of the sheet conveying device by a first surface at the closed position and to support a sheet on a second surface opposite to the first surface at the opened position; and
a second cover configured to be movable between a first position and a second position in conjunction with the first cover, wherein the second cover is located at the first position when the first cover is located at the closed position and is configured to form a part of the outer covering surface of the sheet conveying device at a position adjacent to the first cover at the first position, and wherein the second cover is configured to be moved from the first position to the second position when the first cover is moved from the closed position to the opened position,
wherein the second cover comprises a restricted portion,
wherein the first cover comprises a restricting portion configured to:
contact the restricted portion to prevent the second cover from being moved from the first position toward the second position when the first cover is located at the closed position; and
move to a position, at which the restricting portion does not interfere with movement of the restricted portion, when the first cover is moved from the closed position to the opened position, and

wherein the restricting portion and the restricted portion are configured to be contacted to each other at a contact position at which a force, which is applied from the restricted portion toward the restricting portion when the second cover receives an external force in a direction of moving the second cover from the first position toward the second position at a state where the first cover is located at the closed position, does not comprise a component force acting in a direction of moving the first cover from the closed position toward the opened position.

2. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first cover is configured to be rotatable between the closed position and the opened position, and
wherein the second cover is configured to be rotatable between the first position and the second position.

3. The sheet conveying device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the contact position is located across a virtual boundary surface from the second cover when the first cover is located at the closed position, the virtual boundary surface being orthogonal to the outer covering surface formed by the first cover and passing a center of rotation of the first cover.

4. The sheet conveying device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the restricting portion comprises:
a first part extending from the second surface of the first cover, an extension direction of the first part being a direction extending away from the second surface; and
a second part extending from a tip of the first part with respect to the extension direction in a bending direction with respect to the extension direction, an extension direction of the second part being a direction toward the second cover at a state where the first cover is located at the closed position, and a gap being formed between the second part and the second surface, and

wherein when the first cover is located at the closed position, the restricted portion is inserted into the gap between the second surface and the second part, and a tip of the restricted portion and the second part are contacted to each other.

5. The sheet conveying device according to claim 4 ,
wherein a wall part, which is configured to prevent an end edge of the sheet being discharged from the conveyor from being inserted into the gap, is formed between the second surface and the second part and adjacent to the gap.

6. The sheet conveying device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the first cover and the second cover are configured to be arranged adjacently at a state where an end face of the first cover and an end face of the second cover, which are formed to be parallel with a central axis line of rotation of the first cover and a central axis line of rotation of the second cover, respectively, are made to face each other when the first cover is located at the closed position and the second cover is located at the first position.

7. The sheet conveying device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the first cover is configured such that a part of an entire range in a width direction orthogonal to a sheet conveying direction on the first cover is used as a conveyance area of the sheet, and
wherein the restricting portion is provided at a position outside the conveyance area.

8. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the restricting portion has a first contact part and a second contact part,
wherein the restricted portion has a third contact part and a fourth contact part, and
wherein when the first cover is located at the closed position, the first contact part and the third contact part are contacted to each other and the second contact part and the fourth contact part are contacted to each other, so as to restrict the first cover and the second cover from being relatively moved in a width direction orthogonal to a sheet conveying direction.

9. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the restricted portion extends from the second cover toward below the second surface of the first cover and a tip of the restricted portion is configured be contacted to the restricting portion at the contact position when the first cover is located at the closed position.

10. The sheet conveying device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the force, which is applied from the restricted portion toward the restricting portion when the second cover receives the external force, comprises a component force acting in a direction away from a center of rotation of the first cover.

11. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the force, which is applied from the restricted portion toward the restricting portion when the second cover receives the external force, comprises a component force acting in a direction of urging the first cover toward the closed position.

12. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second cover is configured to be moved from the first position to the second position and to be retreated to a place, at which the second cover does not interfere with movement of the first cover, when the first cover is moved from the closed position to the opened position.

13. An image reading apparatus comprising a sheet conveying device configured to convey a sheet to be read along a predetermined conveyance path, the sheet conveying device comprising:
a conveyor configured to convey the sheet along the predetermined conveyance path;
a first cover configured to be movable between a closed position and an opened position, wherein the first cover is configured to form a part of an outer covering surface of the sheet conveying device by a first surface at the closed position and to support a sheet on a second surface opposite to the first surface at the opened position; and
a second cover movable between a first position and a second position in conjunction with the first cover, wherein the second cover is located at the first position when the first cover is located at the closed position and is configured to form a part of the outer covering surface at a position adjacent to the first cover at the first position and wherein the s

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Murodate Yusuke

Classifications

• H04N1/00525

  Providing a more compact apparatus, e.g. sheet discharge tray in cover · CPC title

• B65H1/04

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

• B65H31/02 Primary

  with stationary end support against which pile accumulates · CPC title

• B65H2405/111646

  involving extension members pivotable around an axis parallel to bottom surface and perpendicular to transport direction · CPC title

• B65H2405/324

  between operative position and non operative position · CPC title