Sheet discharging device and image forming apparatus therewith

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9611119-B2
Application number	US-201514835668-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 25, 2015
Priority date	Sep 2, 2014
Publication date	Apr 4, 2017
Grant date	Apr 4, 2017

Abstract

A sheet discharging device has a discharge port, a discharge tray, a discharge roller including first and second rollers, a flick-out pulley, a sheet pressing member, and a pressing rib. The flick-out pulley is formed coaxially with the rotary shaft of the first roller at an interval from an end of the first roller, and has a circumferential edge and a plurality of projections protruding from it. The sheet pressing member is supported on a pivot axis provided on the downstream side of the discharge roller with respect to the sheet discharge direction to be swingable in the sheet discharge direction. A pressing rib is arranged at a position overlapping the flick-out pulley in the direction along the pivot axis as seen from the sheet discharge direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet discharging device comprising:
a discharge port through which a sheet is discharged;
a discharge tray which receives the sheet discharged through the discharge port;
a discharge roller including a first roller and a second roller, the first and second rollers nipping the sheet at a nip portion therebetween so as to discharge the sheet through the discharge port onto the discharge tray;
a flick-out pulley formed coaxially with a rotary shaft of the first roller at an interval from an end of the first roller, the flick-out pulley having a circumferential edge and a plurality of projections protruding from the circumferential edge; and
a sheet pressing member supported on a pivot axis provided on a downstream side of the discharge roller with respect to a sheet discharge direction so as to be swingable in the sheet discharge direction,
wherein
the sheet pressing member has a pressing rib protruding from an opposite face thereof opposite the discharge roller, the pressing rib being arranged at a position overlapping the flick-out pulley in a direction along the pivot axis as seen from the sheet discharge direction, and
a distance from a center of rotation of the flick-out pulley to a tip end of the projections in a radial direction is equal to or smaller than a radius of the first roller.

2. The sheet discharging device of claim 1 , wherein
the pressing rib is substantially in a V-shape as seen in a side view, and has
a first slant face inclined toward an upstream side with respect to the sheet discharge direction from a peak of the V-shape to the opposite face and
a second slant face inclined toward a downstream side with respect to the sheet discharge direction from the peak to the opposite face.

3. The sheet discharging device of claim 2 , wherein
the first slant face is formed so as to be smoothly continuous from the opposite face to the peak.

4. The sheet discharging device of claim 2 , comprising:
the sheet pressing member which swings by making contact with a top face of sheets placed on the discharge tray; and
a detector which detects swinging of the sheet pressing member,
wherein
a fully loaded condition of sheets placed on the discharge tray is detected as a result of the sheet pressing member swinging in the sheet discharge direction as a number of sheets placed on the discharge tray varies, and
when the sheet pressing member has swung to a position where the sheet pressing member detects the fully loaded condition of the sheets, an angle of the second slant face relative to a horizontal plane is larger than an angle of a top face of the sheets placed on the discharge tray relative to the horizontal plane.

5. The sheet discharging device of claim 1 , wherein
the projections comprise
a pair of first projections located opposite from each other about a center of rotation of the flick-out pulley and
a pair of second projections located opposite from each other about the center of rotation of the flick-out pulley, and

the first and second projections respectively have first thrusting faces and second thrusting faces for flicking out a trailing edge of a sheet, the first projections having the first thrusting faces arranged on a downstream side with respect to a direction of the rotation of the flick-out pulley, the second projections having the second thrusting faces arranged on an upstream side with respect to the direction of the rotation of the flick-out pulley.

6. An image forming apparatus comprising the sheet discharging device of claim 1 .

7. A sheet discharging device comprising:
a discharge port through which a sheet is discharged;
a discharge tray which receives the sheet discharged through the discharge port;
a discharge roller including a first roller and a second roller, the first and second rollers nipping the sheet at a nip portion therebetween so as to discharge the sheet through the discharge port onto the discharge tray;
a flick-out pulley formed coaxially with a rotary shaft of the first roller at an interval from an end of the first roller, the flick-out pulley having a circumferential edge and a plurality of projections protruding from the circumferential edge; and
a sheet pressing member supported on a pivot axis provided on a downstream side of the discharge roller with respect to a sheet discharge direction so as to be swingable in the sheet discharge direction,
wherein
the sheet pressing member has a pressing rib protruding from an opposite face thereof opposite the discharge roller, the pressing rib being arranged at a position overlapping the flick-out pulley in a direction along the pivot axis as seen from the sheet discharge direction,
the projections comprise
a pair of first projections located opposite from each other about a center of rotation of the flick-out pulley and
a pair of second projections located opposite from each other about the center of rotation of the flick-out pulley, and

the first projections respectively have radial-direction tip ends, slant faces, and first thrusting faces for flicking out a trailing edge of a sheet,
the second projections respectively have radial-direction tip ends, slant faces, and second thrusting faces for flicking out a trailing edge of a sheet,
the slant faces are arranged with such an inclination as to connect downstream-side ends of the radial-direction tip ends to a circumferential edge of the flick-off pulley with respect to a rotation direction of the first roller,
the first and second thrusting faces are substantially upright faces that connect the radial-direction tip ends to the circumferential edge of the flick-off pulley,
the first thrusting faces are arranged on a downstream side with respect to a direction of the rotation of the flick-out pulley, and the second thrusting faces are arranged on an upstream side with respect to the direction of the rotation of the flick-out pulley.

Assignees

• Kyocera Document Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Tahara Mitsuhiro

Classifications

• B65H29/22

  and introducing into a pile · CPC title

• B65H31/02

  with stationary end support against which pile accumulates · CPC title

• B65H2404/5214

  extending in parallel to transport direction · CPC title

• B65H29/70 Primary

  Article bending or stiffening arrangements · CPC title

• B65H2404/63

  Oscillating, pivoting around an axis parallel to face of material, e.g. diverting means · CPC title