JPS632861B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (1) Technical Field of the Invention The present invention uses a conveyance roller, a sheet reversing mechanism, and a sheet retracting mechanism to reverse a form discharged from a printer or a copying machine, and to store the form without reversing the order. The present invention relates to a medium storage device including a stepped tray section that moves back and forth depending on the mechanism and the amount of sheet stock.

(2) Background of the Technology There is a desire for a simple and inexpensive device that can store sheets such as forms ejected from a printer, copying machine, etc. into a stacker, which is a receiving tray, without reversing the order. The present invention has been provided in response to this demand.

(3) Prior art and problems Conventional stackers have two methods: one in which sheets such as forms ejected from the printer body are stored as they are in the stacker, one in which they are forcibly inverted within the printer, and the other in which they are inverted onto the top or bottom of the media storage device. There was a method for discharging it. The above-mentioned method in which the sheets such as forms ejected from the printer body are directly stored in the stacker has the disadvantage that the order of the sheets is reversed, requiring replacement work, and the method in which the sheets are forcibly reversed within the printer body has the disadvantage that The paper route is complicated, the mechanism is complicated and therefore expensive, and
Due to its structure, the sheet removal position is too low, it is large, and maintenance is not easy.
Furthermore, the method of inverting and ejecting sheets to the top or bottom of the media storage device has drawbacks such as the structure narrowing the operator area and the sheet removal position being too low. There was a need for a simple mechanism that would allow printed sheets to be stored in a stacker without reversing their order.

(4) Purpose of the Invention The present invention utilizes a sheet retraction mechanism and a movable tray to perform more reliable operation by utilizing the elasticity of sheets such as forms and their natural movement that is not affected by gravity, without using a complicated mechanism. It is an object of the present invention to provide a medium storage device that enables continuous reversal smoothly, does not take up much space, and is easy to maintain and operate.

(5) Structure of the Invention The object of the invention is to provide a substantially dogleg-shaped lower guide plate for guiding the form discharged from the discharge roller downward, and a lower guide plate disposed opposite to the guide plate to guide the discharged form. A tray to be inverted and accommodated; a document retracting means provided on the lower side of the guide plate for sandwiching a document between the tray and applying a downward pulling force to the document; and a moving means for moving the form according to the amount of the form to be stored, and the medium storage device is characterized in that the form is inverted and stored in the tray, or the form discharged from the discharge roller is moved downward. a substantially dogleg-shaped lower guide plate for guiding the ejected forms, a tray disposed opposite to the guide plate and for storing the ejected forms inverted; a document retracting means for sandwiching a document between the trays and applying a downward pulling force to the document; a moving means for moving the tray according to the amount of documents to be accommodated; This is achieved by providing a medium storage device comprising: a means for flipping the rear end of the ejected form toward the tray, and the medium storage device is characterized in that the form is inverted and stored in the tray Ru.

(6) Examples of the invention Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a medium storage device according to the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the sheet pulling mechanism, Fig. 3 is a diagram of various aspects of the conveyance roller, Fig. 4 is a side view of the tray section, Fig. 5 is a front view thereof, and Fig. 6 is the entire stacker of the present invention. FIG.

In the drawing, 1 is a printer main body, 2 is an ejection roller that ejects printed sheets such as forms A to a stacker, and 3 is a lower guide connected to the printer main body 1 and fixed to both side plates (not shown). 3, an upper guide 4 is provided along the lower guide 3 up to the front side of the conveyance roller 5, and opens upward together with the cover 6 about a hinge 7. The conveyance roller 5 is pivoted on a shaft 8 in a state where it contacts the lower guide 3 at about 1/2 of the lower guide 3 or is offset (set so that the leading edge of the sheet is below the stopping position during sheet stocking). It rotates in the direction of the drawing section 21 at a surface speed higher than the speed of the sheet to be discharged. In addition, the conveyance roller 5
The outer periphery is formed into a brush shape as shown in Fig. 3a, or made of rubber or resin into a feather shape as shown in Fig. 3b, or made of soft sponge as shown in Fig. 3c. be done. The lower part of the lower guide 3 is inclined in the opposite direction to the upper part, and is linked to the sheet retracting mechanism 9 in a state that slightly protrudes along the surface of this part. The seat retracting mechanism 9 is connected to the lower guide 3
The sheet is supported by pulleys 12 and 13 provided inside the lower guide 3 and slightly protruding from the notch 24 of the lower guide 3 toward the tray 15 side, which will be described later, and supported by shafts 10 and 11 as shown in FIG. 2a. Retractable belt 1
4, and the retracting belt 14 rotates in the direction of the retracting section 21, that is, in the direction of arrow a, at a speed equal to or higher than the speed of the discharged sheet A.
The pulleys 12 and 13 may be replaced with rubber or sponge rollers as shown in FIG. 2b, as long as they can be retracted uniformly. The retracting portion 21 is arranged slightly above the bent portion 25 of the lower guide 3.
Reference numeral 15 denotes a tray provided with stepped portions 19 and 20, and has a surface along the sheet pull-in belt 14, the lower part of which is bent horizontally as much as possible to store a specified amount of sheets, and its surface is covered with sponge, velvet, etc. A non-slip plate 16 made of the following is attached. Two rollers 27 are fixed horizontally on both sides of the bending part 26, and a linear roller 28 is fixed horizontally on the lower side. The sheet pull-in mechanism 9 of the guide 3 maintains the offset state in the notch provided in the horizontal bending part 26 of the tray 15 in the movement direction, and the tray 15 moves in the horizontal direction (arrow b) without interfering with others. making it possible. In addition, the tray 15 is pressed against the sheet retracting mechanism 9 side with a constant load at any position in the movement range by a constant spring 31, which has one end attached to the bottom of the tray 15 and the other end to the device base. The damper 32 is provided on the shaft 30.
The tray 15 is provided with stepped portions 19 and 20, but the provision of such stepped portions 19 and 20 prevents a phenomenon in which the rear end of a long sheet A breaks from the center immediately after passing the conveyance roller 5. This is a relief to prevent the buckling phenomenon (this is called a buckling phenomenon), and allows the rear end to move smoothly toward the tray 15 side.

The medium storage device according to the present invention has such a structure, and will be explained next.The sheet A, such as a form, discharged from the printer 1 is directed downward by the upper guide 4, and then moved by the conveyance rollers. 5, it runs along the lower guide 3. The leading edge of the traveling sheet A is pulled between the lower guide 3 and the tray 15 at the retracting section 21 by the sheet pulling belt 14 of the sheet pulling mechanism 9, and the leading edge is rapidly bent, so that the rear of the subsequent sheet A is It falls to the tray 15 side. The tip of the drawn sheet A is attached to a non-slip plate 1 provided below the tray 15.
It hits 6 and stops. When the leading edge of the sheet A hits the anti-slip plate 16, if the trailing edge of the sheet A is so short that it passes the conveyance roller 5, the trailing edge of the sheet will be reversed due to its own elastic force. The paper is then turned upside down and stored on the tray 15. However, in the case of a long sheet in which the rear end of the sheet has not yet passed the conveyance roller 5 when the leading end of the sheet hits the anti-slip plate 16, the sheet is in an inchworm state as shown by broken lines B and C in the figure. The center part of the sheet bulges up from the lower guide 3 and is placed on the tray 15 from the side closer to the leading end. Immediately after the leading edge of the sheet hits the anti-slip plate 16 and the trailing edge passes the conveyance roller 5, the brush-like surface of the roller 5 pushes the sheet onto the tray 1.
5, the rear end of the sheet is reversed, and the entire sheet is stored on the tray 15 in an overturned state.

Note that the seat retracting belt 1 of the seat retracting mechanism 9
4 continues to rotate, but the pressing force is small, and the sheet is caught in a small gap between the lower guide 3 and the tray 15, and the leading end is offset by the lower guide 3, retracting mechanism 9, and tray 15. Maintains its condition without buckling. Here, anti-slip plate 1
Reference numeral 6 is provided to prevent the leading end of the sheet in the portion where the lower guide, the retracting mechanism 9, and the tray 15 are not offset from being rolled up toward the retracting mechanism side 9, and the retracting mechanism due to bending of the leading end. This prevents the retraction force from decreasing due to the gap between the tray 9 and the tray 15 expanding more than necessary.

In this way, the sheets are drawn in one after another, and the tray 15 is moved by the rollers 27 and linear rollers 28 on the rails 29 and shaft 30 by the thickness of the drawn sheets. When it comes to the front of the damper 32, a stack full detection section (not shown) provided in advance is activated and the delivery is stopped.

When some or all of the stored sheets are taken out, the tray 15 moves toward the retraction mechanism 9 by the amount taken out by the action of the conston spring 31, stack full detection is canceled, sheet feeding is resumed, and sheets are repeatedly stored.

(7) Effects of the Invention As described above in detail, the medium storage device according to the present invention has an upper guide 4 that changes the direction of the sheet A such as a form discharged from a printer or a copying machine, and a Retracting mechanism 9 for retracting and reversing
This is a simple device consisting of a transport roller 5 for reversing the rear end of the sheet A, and a stepped tray 15 that can be moved back and forth for sequentially storing the sheet A drawn in by the drawing mechanism 9. Sheet A ejected from printer 1 etc. due to the provision of
is dropped on a lower guide 3, and at the lower part of the guide 3, the leading end of the sheet A is turned over and pulled in, and the elasticity due to the bending of the sheet A is transmitted to the rear part to reverse it. Next, by providing the conveyance roller 5, the conveyance roller 5
has a brush-like periphery, so if the sheet is long, the tip of the sheet will be placed in tray 1.
When the sheet reaches the anti-slip plate 16 of No. 5, the rear end of the sheet is peeled off by the conveying roller 5 and thrown away.
In addition to assisting in the reversal of the sheet, the conveyance roller 5 acts as a restraint for short sheets to ensure stable running, until the leading edge of the sheet reaches the anti-slip plate 16 of the tray 15 and is moved to the retracting mechanism 9. This allows the sheet to be turned inside out. Further, the tray 15 is provided at the final stage of the reversing mechanism in the medium storage device according to the present invention,
The printer 1 is movable according to the amount of sheets that reach the anti-slip plate 16, and by taking out some or all of the stored sheets, the printer 1 can be moved toward the retracting mechanism 9 by the amount taken out. The twisted sheets can be operated continuously, and the addition of the stepped portions 19 and 20 to the tray 15 means that
The reversal of the trailing edge of the sheet progresses more smoothly by bending the portion following the leading edge toward the reversal side more than the inverted surface of the leading edge of the sheet. It has a step on it, which has a great effect in assisting in the reversal of the sheet.

As described above, the media storage device according to the present invention does not require a complicated mechanism, enables continuous reversal regardless of sheet size, does not take up much space, is easy to maintain and operate, and is provided at low cost. There is an excellent effect that can be done.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a medium storage device according to the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the sheet pulling mechanism, Fig. 3 is a diagram of various aspects of the conveying roller, Fig. 4 is a side view of the tray section, Fig. 5 is a front view thereof, and Fig. 6 is a medium according to the present invention. It is a perspective view showing the whole accommodation device. 3...Lower guide, 4...Upper guide, 5...
Conveyance roller, 9... Retraction mechanism, 14... Sheet retraction belt, 15... Tray, 16... Anti-slip plate, 17, 18... Rubber or sponge roller,
19, 20...Step part, 22...Rail, 27...
Colo, 28...Linear Colo, 29...Rail,
31...Conston spring.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A substantially dogleg-shaped lower guide plate for guiding the form discharged from the discharge roller downward; and a lower guide plate disposed opposite to the guide plate to invert and accommodate the discharged form. a tray; a form retracting means provided on the lower side of the guide plate for sandwiching a form between the tray and applying a downward pulling force to the form; 1. A medium storage device comprising: a moving means for moving the document, the document being inverted and stored in the tray. 2. A substantially dogleg-shaped lower guide plate for guiding the form discharged from the discharge roller downward; a tray disposed opposite to the guide plate for storing the discharged form inverted; and the guide plate. a document retracting means provided on the lower side of the tray to sandwich the document between the tray and apply a downward pulling force to the document; and a moving device to move the tray according to the amount of documents to be accommodated. , a flip-off means provided on the upper side of the guide plate for flipping the rear end of the ejected form toward the tray, and the form is inverted and stored in the tray. Media storage device.