Sheet ejecting device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9718284-B2
Application number	US-201615086242-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2016
Priority date	Mar 31, 2015
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

A sheet ejecting device having a first ejection tray, a first ejection roller to eject the sheet to the first ejection tray, a second ejection tray in a position above the first ejection tray, a second ejection roller to eject the sheet to the second ejection tray, and a first guide and a second guide disposed in widthwise end portions on a lower surface of the second ejection tray, is provided. The first guide and the second guide are configured to contact widthwise end portions of the sheet ejected by the first ejection roller and guide the widthwise end portions of the sheet downward.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet ejecting device, comprising:
a first ejection tray;
a first ejection roller configured to eject a sheet to the first ejection tray in a sheet-ejecting direction;
a second ejection tray disposed above the first ejection tray;
a second ejection roller configured to eject a sheet to the second ejection tray; and
a first guide and a second guide disposed in a downstream portion on a lower surface of the second ejection tray at a position downstream from a midst area in the sheet-ejecting direction, the lower surface of the second ejection tray facing the first ejection tray, the first guide being disposed at a first widthwise end on the lower surface of the second ejection tray in a widthwise direction orthogonal to the sheet-ejecting direction, the second guide being disposed at a second widthwise end opposite to the first widthwise end in the widthwise direction, the first guide and the second guide being configured to contact a first widthwise end and a second widthwise end, respectively, in the widthwise direction, of the sheet ejected by the first ejection roller and guide downward the first widthwise end and the second widthwise end, respectively, of the sheet,
wherein the first guide and the second guide each comprises
a planar portion, at which each of the first guide and the second guide is configured to contact the sheet, the planar portion facing toward the first ejection tray and having a surface area larger than a surface area of each portion of the first guide and the second guide facing perpendicular to the first ejection tray, and
a parallel portion that has a plane extending continuously downstream from the planar portion in the sheet-ejecting direction to spread in parallel with an upper surface of the first ejection tray,

wherein a distance between the upper surface of the first ejection tray and the planar portion of the first and second guides is larger than a distance between the upper surface of the first ejection tray and the plane of the parallel portion of each of the first and second guides, and
wherein the second ejection tray has an indentation at downstream end in the sheet-ejecting direction, the first guide being arranged on one side of the indentation in the widthwise direction, and the second guide being arranged on the opposite side of the indentation in the widthwise direction.

2. The sheet ejecting device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the lower surface of the second ejection tray comprises a first slanted surface and a second slanted surface, the first slanted surface being located closer to the first ejection roller than the second slanted surface, the second slanted surface being located downstream of the first slanted surface in the sheet-ejecting direction; and
wherein an angle between the second slanted surface and a horizontal plane is smaller than an angle between the first slanted surface and the horizontal plane.

3. The sheet ejecting device according to claim 2 , wherein the first guide and the second guide are disposed on the second slanted surface.

4. The sheet ejecting device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the upper surface of the first ejection tray comprises a first placement surface and a second placement surface, the first placement surface being located closer to the first ejection roller than the second placement surface, the second placement surface being located downstream of the first placement surface in the sheet-ejecting direction;
wherein an angle between the second placement surface and the horizontal plane is smaller than an angle between the first placement surface and the horizontal plane; and
wherein at least a part of the second slanted surface is disposed above the second placement surface.

5. The sheet ejecting device according to claim 4 , wherein a boundary between the first placement surface and the second placement surface is in a position downstream from a reference position which is distanced apart from an upstream end of the first ejection tray in the sheet-ejecting direction for a predetermined length, the predetermined length being a dimension of a longer side of an A6-sized sheet.

6. The sheet ejecting device according to claim 1 , wherein an angle between a portion of each of the first guide and the second guide that is configured to contact the sheet and a horizontal plane is at least zero degrees and at most 45 degrees.

7. The sheet ejecting device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an actuator located downstream of the first ejection roller in the sheet-ejecting direction, the actuator being configured to deform by contact with the sheet, the actuator being configured to at least detect an amount of sheets ejected to the first ejection tray reaching a predetermined amount; and
wherein a figure of the actuator being projected on a hypothetical vertical plane spreading in parallel with the widthwise direction is in a position between figures of the first guide and the second guide projected on the hypothetical vertical plane.

8. The sheet ejecting device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first ejection roller comprises a plurality of roller parts and a support shaft, the plurality of roller parts being configured to contact the sheet and rotate, the support shaft supporting the plurality of roller parts thereon; and
wherein at least a part of a figure of each of the first guide and the second guide projected on a hypothetical vertical plane spreading in parallel with the widthwise direction coincides with a figure of at least one of the plurality of roller parts projected on the hypothetical vertical plane.

9. The sheet ejecting device according to claim 1 , further comprising a sheet presser configured to press the sheet being ejected by the first ejection roller, the sheet presser being located downstream of the first ejection roller in the sheet-ejecting direction,
wherein the sheet presser is located in a same position as one of the first guide and the second guide in the widthwise direction.

10. The sheet ejecting device according to claim 1 , wherein the midst area is an area in a middle when the second ejection tray is trisected along the sheet-ejecting direction.

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Hirose Atsuo

Classifications

• B65H2404/63

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

• B65H2405/3311

  for storing articles horizontally or slightly inclined · CPC title

• B65H43/06

  detecting, or responding to, completion of pile (B65H43/08 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65H39/11

  in superposed carriers · CPC title

• B65H2405/1111

  with several surface portions forming an angle relatively to each other · CPC title