Sheet conveying device and image reading apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9771233-B2
Application number	US-201514851156-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 11, 2015
Priority date	Sep 30, 2014
Publication date	Sep 26, 2017
Grant date	Sep 26, 2017

Abstract

A sheet conveying device, including: a conveyor; a first supporter configured such that, when located at its closed position, a first surface thereof partially forms an exterior surface of the device and such that, when located at its open position, a second surface thereof supports the sheet to be supplied to the conveyor; a second supporter configured such that, when located at its closed position, a first surface thereof partially forms the exterior surface of the device and such that, when located at its open position, a second surface thereof supports the sheet output from the conveyor; and a link configured such that, when the first supporter is moved from the closed position to the open position, the link transmits a force from the first supporter to the second supporter and thereby moves the second supporter from the closed position to the open position in conjunction with the first supporter.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet conveying device, comprising:
a conveyor configured to convey a sheet along a conveyance path;
a first supporter configured to be moved between a closed position and an open position and having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, the first supporter being configured such that, when located at the closed position, the first surface partially forms an exterior surface of the sheet conveying device and such that, when located at the open position, the second surface supports the sheet to be supplied to the conveyor;
a second supporter configured to be moved between a closed position and an open position and having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, the second supporter being configured such that, when located at the closed position, the first surface partially forms the exterior surface of the sheet conveying device and such that, when located at the open position, the second surface supports the sheet output from the conveyor; and
a link configured such that, when the first supporter is moved from the closed position to the open position, the link transmits a force from the first supporter to the second supporter and thereby moves the second supporter from the closed position to the open position in conjunction with the first supporter,
wherein, when the first supporter is moved from the closed position to the open position in a state in which the first supporter and the second supporter are located at the respective closed positions, the link is moved from a first position to a second position by a force that acts thereon from the first supporter, so that the second supporter is moved from the closed position to the open position by a force that acts thereon from the link,
wherein, when the first supporter is moved from the open position to the closed position in a state in which the first supporter and the second supporter are located at respective open positions, the link is moved from the second position to a third position by a force that acts thereon from the first supporter, such that the link is moved relative to the second supporter with the second supporter kept located at the open position,
wherein, when the first supporter and the second supporter are located at the respective open positions, the first surface of the first supporter and the second surface of the second supporter face to each other with a space interposed therebetween, and
wherein the sheet conveying device is configured such that the conveyor outputs the sheet that has been conveyed by the conveyor, to a region between the first surface of the first supporter and the second surface of the second supporter.

2. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 , wherein, when the second supporter is moved from the open position to the closed position in the state in which the first supporter and the second supporter are located at the respective open positions, the link is moved from the second position to the first position by a force that acts thereon from the second supporter, so that the first supporter is moved from the open position to the closed position by a force that acts thereon from the link.

3. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 , wherein the first supporter is pivotable about a pivot center thereof while the second supporter is pivotable about a pivot center thereof, the pivot centers of the first supporter and the second supporter being parallel to each other and spaced apart from each other in a direction in which the sheet is conveyed.

4. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 , wherein the first supporter and the second supporter are pivotable in the same direction.

5. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 , wherein, when the first supporter and the second supporter are located at the respective closed positions, the first surface of the first supporter and the first surface of the second supporter form the exterior surface of the sheet conveying device.

6. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 , wherein, when the second supporter is located at the closed position, the link is located at a position at which the link is covered with the second supporter.

7. A sheet conveying device, comprising:
a conveyor configured to convey a sheet along a conveyance path;
a first supporter configured to be moved between a closed position and an open position and having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, the first supporter being configured such that, when located at the closed position, the first surface partially forms an exterior surface of the sheet conveying device and such that, when located at the open position, the second surface supports the sheet to be supplied to the conveyor;
a second supporter configured to be moved between a closed position and an open position and having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, the second supporter being configured such that, when located at the closed position, the first surface partially forms the exterior surface of the sheet conveying device and such that, when located at the open position, the second surface supports the sheet output from the conveyor; and
a link configured such that, when the first supporter is moved from the closed position to the open position, the link transmits a force from the first supporter to the second supporter and thereby moves the second supporter from the closed position to the open position in conjunction with the first supporter,
wherein, when the first supporter is moved from the closed position to the open position in a state in which the first supporter and the second supporter are located at the respective closed positions, the link is moved from a first position to a second position by a force that acts thereon from the first supporter, so that the second supporter is moved from the closed position to the open position by a force that acts thereon from the link,
wherein, when the first supporter is moved from the open position to the closed position in a state in which the first supporter and the second supporter are located at respective open positions, the link is moved from the second position to a third position by a force that acts thereon from the first supporter, such that the link is moved relative to the second supporter with the second supporter kept located at the open position, and
wherein, when the second supporter is moved from the closed position to the open position in a state in which the first supporter and the second supporter are located at the respective closed positions, the link is moved from the first position to the third position by a force that acts thereon from the second supporter, such that the link is moved relative to the first supporter with the first supporter kept located at the closed position.

8. The sheet conveying device according to claim 7 , wherein, when the second supporter is moved from the open position to the closed position in the state in which the first supporter and the second supporter are located at the respective open positions, the link is moved from the second position to the first position by a force that acts thereon from the second supporter, so that the first supporter is moved from the open position to the closed position by a force that acts thereon from the link.

9. The sheet conveying device according to claim 7 , wherein the first supporter is pivotable about a pivot center thereof while the second supporter is pivotable about a pivot center thereof, the pivot centers of the first supporter and the second supporter being parallel to each other and spaced apart from each other in a direction in which the sheet is conve

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Miura Katsuro
• Akimatsu Takayuki

Classifications

• B65H2405/11164

  Rear portion extensible in parallel to transport direction · CPC title

• B65H2402/31

  Pivoting support means · CPC title

• G03G15/60

  Apparatus which relate to the handling of originals (for photographic purposes in general G03B) · CPC title

• B65H2402/40

  Details of frames, housings or mountings of the whole handling apparatus · CPC title

• B65H2405/324

  between operative position and non operative position · CPC title