Tray

Abstract

To enable positioning of a roll body in a width direction even when using a plurality of types of roll bodies having different widths.SOLUTION: A feed tray 1 includes a first storage section 20A capable of storing a first roll body R1, and a second storage section 20B capable of storing a second roll body R2. The first storage section 20A has a pair of guide surfaces 12A, 13A that respectively face left-right end faces R1A of the first roll body R1. The second storage section 20B has a pair of guide surfaces 21B that respectively face left-right end faces R2A of the second roll body R2. The pair of guide surfaces 21B are disposed inside the pair of guide surfaces 12A, 13A in the left-right direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a tray capable of accommodating a roll body. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a paper feed cassette having a roll paper loading section for storing roll paper. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2-264556 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When a narrow roll paper is stored, there is a risk that it will move more in the width direction than when a wide roll paper is stored.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a tray that is capable of positioning a roll body in the width direction even when a plurality of types of roll bodies with different widths are used. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The tray of the present invention has a first storage section and a second storage section, each capable of storing a roll body in which sheet-like medium is wound into a roll, and the first storage section has a pair of first guide surfaces that respectively face the widthwise end faces of the first roll body stored in the first storage section, and the second storage section has a pair of second guide surfaces that respectively face the widthwise end faces of a second roll body that is narrower than the first roll body and stored in the second storage section, and the pair of second guide surfaces are positioned more inward in the width direction than the pair of first guide surfaces. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the tray of the present invention, even if a first roll body and a second roll body having different widths are used, it is possible to position these roll bodies in the width direction. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic side view showing an internal structure of a printer in which a feed tray according to an embodiment of the present invention is used; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2A is a side view of the essential parts showing a state in which a first roll body is housed in a first housing section, and FIG. 2B is a side view of the essential parts showing a state in which a second roll body is housed in a second housing section. [Diagram 5] 13 is a plan view of a main part of a feeding tray according to a modified example. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] A printer 100 employing a feed tray according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Fig. 1. The up-down direction, front-rear direction, and left-right direction shown in Fig. 1 are the up-down direction, front-rear direction, and left-right direction of the printer 100. The left-right direction is the direction when viewed from the front of the printer 100, with the front side of the page in Fig. 1 being the right side and the back side of the page in Fig. 1 being the left side. The front-rear direction (the "intersecting direction" of the present invention) is the orthogonal direction that is perpendicular to the up-down direction and the left-right direction.

[0010] (Overall configuration of the printer 100) As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 100 mainly includes a housing 100A, a feed tray 1, a conveying section 3, a cutting section 5, a head 6, a paper discharge tray 7, and a control section 70. The feed tray ("tray" of the present invention) 1 is disposed below the head 6 in the housing 100A. The feed tray 1 can be inserted and removed from the housing 100A in the front-rear direction through an opening 101 formed in the front wall of the housing 100A. That is, the feed tray 1 can move in the front-rear direction between an inner position (position shown in FIG. 1) in the housing 100A and an outer position outside the housing 100A. The outer position in this embodiment is a position forward of the housing 100A, and when the feed tray 1 is in the outer position, the feed tray 1 is removed from the housing 100A. The inner position is a mounting position where the feed tray 1 is mounted in the housing 100A.

[0011] The feed tray 1 has a roll body storage section 20 capable of storing the roll body R, and a cut paper storage section 30 capable of storing a plurality of cut papers Ks in a stacked state. The roll body R is formed by winding roll paper Rs ("sheet-like medium" according to the present invention), which is paper longer than the cut paper Ks, in a roll shape around the outer circumferential surface of a cylindrical core member Rc. The roll body R is stored in the roll body storage section 20 with the axial direction of its central axis Rx aligned in the left-right direction.

[0012] 1, for the sake of explanation, both the roll R and cut paper Ks are shown stored in the feed tray 1. However, when recording an image on the roll paper Rs with the printer 100, the roll R is stored in the feed tray 1 and the cut paper Ks is removed from the feed tray 1. On the other hand, when recording an image on the cut paper Ks, the cut paper Ks is stored in the feed tray 1 and the roll R is removed from the feed tray 1.

[0013] Furthermore, although the feed tray 1 in this embodiment is configured so that it can be entirely removed from the housing 100A, it may be configured so that the feed tray 1 can only be removed from the housing 100A when the feed tray 1 is in a position midway from the inner position to the outer position and only a portion of the feed tray 1 (for example, the rear end) is inside the housing 100A. Even in this case, it is preferable that the feed tray 1 is configured so that the roll R or cut paper Ks can be stored in the feed tray 1 from outside the housing 100A.

[0014] The transport unit 3 transports, in a transport direction, roll paper Rs and cut paper Ks that have been unwound from the roll body R. As shown in Fig. 1, the transport unit 3 has a feed roller 2A, an arm 2B, a separation wall 3A, a pair of intermediate rollers 4A, a pair of transport rollers 4B, a pair of paper discharge rollers 4C, and a guide 4D.

[0015] The feeding roller 2A feeds out roll paper Rs unwound from the roll R stored in the roll storage section 20 or cut paper Ks stored in the cut paper storage section 30 from the feeding tray 1. The roll paper Rs and cut paper Ks fed by the feeding roller 2A are sent out from the feeding tray 1 via the same path. In the following description, when there is no need to distinguish between cut paper Ks and roll paper Rs, they will be referred to as "paper S."

[0016] The feed roller 2A is axially supported at the tip of the arm 2B. The feed roller 2A rotates about a shaft extending in the left-right direction by the drive of a feed motor (not shown).

[0017] The arm 2B is supported rotatably on the support shaft 2C. The support shaft 2C is supported by the housing 100A. The arm 2B is biased by a biasing member (not shown) so that the feed roller 2A approaches the bottom surface 11A of the feed tray 1. The arm 2B rotates around the support shaft 2C, so that the feed roller 2A can move between a contact position where the arm 2B contacts a friction member (not shown) arranged on the bottom surface 11A of the feed tray 1 and a separated position where the arm 2B is separated from the friction member. The arm 2B can be retracted to a retracted position where the tray body 10 of the feed tray 1 and the feed roller 2A do not interfere with each other by a retracting mechanism (not shown) in conjunction with the feed tray 1 moving from an inner position in the housing 100A to an outer position outside the housing 100A. The separated position is a position to which the feed roller 2A moves when the arm 2B moves to the retracted position.

[0018] The feed roller 2A selectively takes a first feed position or a second feed position between the contact position and the separated position. The first feed position is a position where the feed roller 2A comes into contact with the roll paper Rs supported on the bottom surface 11A of the feed tray 1. The second feed position is a position where the feed roller 2A comes into contact with the cut paper Ks stored in the cut paper storage section 30.

[0019] When the feed motor is driven under the control of the control unit 70, the feed roller 2A rotates, and a conveying force is applied to the sheet S in contact with the feed roller 2A in a direction from the front to the rear. As a result, the sheet S is sent out from the feed tray 1.

[0020] The separation wall 3A is for preventing double feeding when the cut sheets Ks are fed from the feed tray 1. The separation wall 3A extends obliquely upward from the bottom surface 11A of the feed tray 1. The separation wall 3A is provided in the housing 100A. As shown in FIG. 1, the separation wall 3A is located at the rear end of the feed tray 1 in the front-rear direction.

[0021] The intermediate roller pair 4A is composed of a drive roller that rotates when driven by an intermediate motor (not shown) and a driven roller that rotates along with the drive roller. When the intermediate motor is driven under the control of the control unit 70, the intermediate roller pair 4A rotates while sandwiching the sheet S to transport the sheet S. The intermediate roller pair 4A is located above the separation wall 3A. The intermediate roller pair 4A sandwiches and transports the sheet S sent out from the feed tray 1 by the feed roller 2A upward. The guide 4D is located above the intermediate roller pair 4A. The guide 4D guides the sheet S transported upward by the intermediate roller pair 4A forward.

[0022] The conveying roller pair 4B is composed of a drive roller that rotates by the drive of a conveying motor (not shown) and a driven roller that rotates with the drive roller. The paper discharge roller pair 4C is composed of a drive roller that rotates by the drive of a paper discharge motor (not shown) and a driven roller that rotates with the drive roller. When the conveying motor and the paper discharge motor are driven by the control of the control unit 70, the conveying roller pair 4B and the paper discharge roller pair 4C rotate while sandwiching the paper S to convey the paper S. The conveying roller pair 4B is located behind the head 6, and the paper discharge roller pair 4C is located in front of the head 6. The conveying roller pair 4B sandwiches the paper S guided forward by the guide 4D and conveys it forward. The paper discharge roller pair 4C sandwiches the paper S conveyed forward by the conveying roller pair 4B and conveys it forward.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1, the cutting unit 5 is located between the separation wall 3A and the pair of intermediate rollers 4A. The cutting unit 5 includes a fixed blade 5A that is elongated in the left-right direction, and a disk-shaped rotary blade 5B that can move in the left-right direction while in contact with the fixed blade 5A. The rotary blade 5B rotates when driven by a cutting motor (not shown), and moves back and forth in the left-right direction. The roll paper Rs that is unwound from the roll body R and transported is cut in the left-right direction by the fixed blade 5A and the rotary blade 5B when the cutting motor is driven under the control of the control unit 70. This forms a rear end on the roll paper Rs that is sent to the paper output tray 7.

[0024] The head 6 includes a plurality of nozzles (not shown) formed on the bottom surface, and a driver IC (not shown). The head 6 records an image on the paper S transported by the transport unit 3. When the driver IC is driven under the control of the control unit 70, ink is ejected from the nozzles, and an image is formed on the paper S when the paper S transported by the transport unit 3 passes an image recording position facing the bottom surface of the head 6. The head 6 may be either a line type in which ink is ejected from nozzles while being fixed in position, or a serial type in which ink is ejected from nozzles while moving in the left-right direction.

[0025] The paper discharge tray 7 is disposed in front of the head 6 inside the housing 100A and above the feed tray 1. The paper discharge tray 7 can be inserted into and removed from the housing 100A in the front-rear direction through an opening 102 formed in the front wall of the housing 100A. The paper discharge tray 7 receives paper S on which an image is formed by the head 6 and which is transported forward by the paper discharge roller pair 4C.

[0026] The control unit 70 is connected to the feed motor, intermediate motor, transport motor, paper discharge motor, cutting motor, and driver IC via an internal bus (not shown). The control unit 70 has a CPU, ROM, and RAM. The ROM stores programs and data for the CPU to perform various controls. The RAM temporarily stores data used when the CPU executes a program.

[0027] (Feed Tray 1 Configuration) Next, the configuration of the feed tray 1 will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4. In the following description, each part of the feed tray 1 will be described based on the orientation of the feed tray 1 when it is attached to the housing 100A.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 1, the feed tray 1 has a tray body 10. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the tray body 10 has a bottom wall 11 and four side walls 12 to 15 provided on the peripheral edge of the bottom wall 11, and is formed in a box shape that is open upward.

[0029] The bottom wall 11 has a rectangular planar shape extending in the front-rear and left-right directions. Of the four side walls 12 to 15, a pair of side walls 12, 13 arranged on the left and right extend upward from both left and right ends of the bottom wall 11. Furthermore, the pair of side walls 12, 13 extend in the front-rear direction from the front end to the rear end of the bottom wall 11.

[0030] The side wall 14 extends upward from the front end of the bottom wall 11. The side wall 14 extends in the left-right direction from the right end to the left end of the bottom wall 11. Two side walls 15 are provided at the rear end of the bottom wall 11. The two side walls 15 are located at both left-right ends of the rear end of the bottom wall 11, respectively. The two side walls 15 are arranged apart from each other in the left-right direction, and when the feed tray 1 is attached to the housing 100A, a separation wall 3A (see FIG. 1) is located between the two side walls 15 aligned in the left-right direction.

[0031] The roll accommodating section 20 accommodates the roll R in an orientation in which the axial direction of the central axis Rx is along the left-right direction. The roll accommodating section 20 and the cut paper accommodating section 30 are aligned along the front-rear direction. The roll accommodating section 20 is located forward of the cut paper accommodating section 30.

[0032] 1 and 2, the roll body accommodating section 20 has a support section 29 that supports the roll body R from below. The support section 29 is disposed in the front portion of the bottom wall 11. The support section 29 has two holders 21, 22 and four sets of roll support sections 23-26, and rotatably supports the roll body R while supporting the outer peripheral surface of the lower portion of the accommodated roll body R. The roll body R rotates around a central axis Rx.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 2, the roll body storage section 20 has a first storage section 20A capable of storing the first roll body R1 and a second storage section 20B capable of storing the second roll body R2, and is configured to selectively store the first roll body R1 and the second roll body R2. The first roll body R1 has a larger length in the width direction than the second roll body R2. In other words, the width of the roll paper Rs constituting the first roll body R1 is larger than the width of the roll paper Rs constituting the second roll body R2. The width direction is the short side direction of the roll paper Rs, which is the direction along the central axis Rx of the roll body R. In this embodiment, the width of the roll paper Rs constituting the first roll body R1 corresponds to the width of A3 or legal. The width of the roll paper Rs constituting the second roll body R2 corresponds to the width of A4 or letter. The widths of the first roll body R1 and the second roll body R2 may be changed as appropriate and are not particularly limited. In the following description, when there is no need to distinguish between the first roll body R1 and the second roll body R2, they will be referred to as the "roll body R."

[0034] The two holders 21, 22 are disposed spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction. The holder 21 is located forward of the holder 22. Both of the two holders 21, 22 extend along the left-right direction.

[0035] The two sets of roll support parts ("a pair of first support parts" of the present invention) 23, 24 are arranged spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction so as to support each end of the first roll body R1 in the left-right direction from below, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. Each of the roll support parts 23, 24 is arranged at a position sandwiching the lower end of the first roll body R1 in the front-rear direction, and has a pair of support rollers ("first divided support parts" of the present invention) 23A, 23B, 24A, 24B that contact the outer circumferential surface of the lower part of the first roll body R1.

[0036] The two sets of roll support parts ("a pair of second support parts" of the present invention) 25, 26 are arranged spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction so as to support each end of the second roll body R2 in the left-right direction from below, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. The two sets of roll support parts 25, 26 are arranged between the two sets of roll support parts 23, 24 in the left-right direction. Each of the roll support parts 25, 26 is arranged at a position sandwiching the lower end of the second roll body R2 in the front-rear direction, and has a pair of support rollers ("second divided support parts" of the present invention) 25A, 25B, 26A, 26B that contact the outer circumferential surface of the lower part of the second roll body R2.

[0037] As shown in Fig. 2, the four support rollers 23A to 26A are arranged with their rotation axes parallel to the left-right direction, and are rotatably supported by the holder 21. The two support rollers 23A, 24A are arranged at both ends of the holder 21 in the left-right direction. The two support rollers 23A, 24A are also arranged on the same rotation axis. The two support rollers 25A, 26A are arranged on the inside of the two support rollers 23A, 24A in the left-right direction. The two support rollers 25A, 26A are also arranged on the same rotation axis.

[0038] As shown in Fig. 2, the holder 21 has a recess 21A that is recessed downward inside both ends in the left-right direction. The two support rollers 25A, 26A are disposed at both ends in the left-right direction of the bottom of the recess 21A. In this manner, the two support rollers 25A, 26A are disposed at a position one step lower than the two support rollers 23A, 24A. In other words, the rotation axes of the two support rollers 23A, 24A are located above the rotation axes of the two support rollers 25A, 26A, as shown in Fig. 4(b).

[0039] As shown in FIG. 3, the four support rollers 23B to 26B are arranged so that their rotation axes are parallel to the left-right direction, and are rotatably supported by the holder 22. The two support rollers 23B, 24B are arranged at both ends of the holder 21 in the left-right direction. The two support rollers 25B, 26B are arranged inside the two support rollers 23B, 24B in the left-right direction. The four support rollers 23B to 26B are arranged on the same rotation axis. The rotation axes of the four support rollers 23B to 26B are lower than the rotation axes of the support rollers 25A, 26A. The positions of each pair of support rollers 23A, 23B, 24A, 24B, 25A, 25B, 26A, 26B in the left-right direction are the same. Moreover, these support rollers 23A, 23B, 24A, 24B, 25A, 25B, 26A, and 26B are all rollers of the same shape and size.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4(a), the first storage section 20A has a pair of guide surfaces 12A, 13A ("first guide surfaces" of the present invention). The pair of guide surfaces 12A, 13A are present in the front portion of the pair of side walls 12, 13, and are portions that face the end surface R1A of the first roll body R1 supported by the two sets of roll support parts 23, 24 in the left-right direction in close proximity. The pair of guide surfaces 12A, 13A are formed at positions of the pair of side walls 12, 13 that overlap the first roll body R1 stored in the first storage section 20A in the left-right direction. In other words, the pair of guide surfaces 12A, 13A overlap the first roll body R1 stored in the first storage section 20A when viewed from the left-right direction. The first storage section 20A also includes two sets of roll support parts 23, 24 that support the first roll body R1. As shown in FIG. 4(a), the first accommodating portion 20A is defined by a rear wall surface 21D of the holder 21, a front wall surface 22D of the holder 22, and a pair of guide surfaces 12A and 13B.

[0041] 2 to 4, the support rollers 23A, 23B, 24A, and 24B constituting the roll support parts 23 and 24 are different in height from each other in the up-down direction. More specifically, the support rollers 23A and 24A, which are located in front of the lower end of the first roll body R1, are disposed higher than the support rollers 23B and 24B, which are located behind it.

[0042] Also, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4(b), the second storage section 20B has a pair of guide surfaces 21B ("second guide surfaces" of the present invention). The pair of guide surfaces 21B are present on both left and right end surfaces of the inner surface of the recessed section 21A, and are portions that are close to and face the left and right end surfaces R2A of the second roll body R2 supported by the two sets of roll support parts 25, 26. More specifically, the pair of guide surfaces 21B are formed at positions shown by hatching in FIG. 4(b). In this way, the pair of guide surfaces 21B are formed on the inner surface of the recessed section 21A, and are arranged at positions that do not overlap the pair of guide surfaces 12A, 13A in the left and right direction. That is, the pair of guide surfaces 21B do not overlap the pair of guide surfaces 12A, 13A when viewed from the left and right direction. This makes it possible to prevent the pair of guide surfaces 12A, 13A from becoming larger than necessary. If the pair of guide surfaces 12A, 13A and the pair of guide surfaces 21B overlap in the left-right direction, the pair of guide surfaces 12A, 13A will be larger than necessary. In addition, the pair of guide surfaces 21B overlap the second roll body R2 accommodated in the second accommodation section 20B when viewed from the left-right direction. In addition, the second accommodation section 20B includes two sets of roll support parts 25, 26 that support the second roll body R2. The second accommodation section 20B is defined by a rear wall surface 21D of the holder 21, a front wall surface 22D of the holder 22, and a pair of guide surfaces 21B.

[0043] Moreover, the pair of guide surfaces 21B are disposed on the inside in the left-right direction of the pair of guide surfaces 12A, 13A. More specifically, one of the pair of guide surfaces 21B is disposed between the roll support portion 23 and the roll support portion 25 in the left-right direction. The other guide surface 21B is disposed between the roll support portion 24 and the roll support portion 26 in the left-right direction.

[0044] As shown in Figs. 2 to 4, the support rollers 25A, 25B, 26A, and 26B constituting each roll support section 25 and 26 are different in height from each other in the up-down direction. More specifically, the support rollers 25A and 26A, which are located in front of the lower end of the second roll body R2, are arranged slightly above the support rollers 25B and 26B, which are located behind the lower end of the second roll body R2. As shown in Fig. 3, a space portion (above the recess 21A) in which the second roll body R2 of the second storage section 20B is arranged and in which the support rollers 25B and 26B and most of the second roll body R2 are arranged is present in the portion in which the first roll body R1 of the first storage section 20A is arranged. This makes it possible to make the area occupied by the first storage section 20A and the second storage section 20B smaller than when the entire second storage section 20B is outside the first storage section 20A. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the feed tray 1.

[0045] On the other hand, the recess 21A and the support rollers 25A and 26A, which are the other parts of the second storage section 20B different from the part described above, are located below the first storage section 20A as shown in FIG. 2. Since the support rollers 25A and 26A are arranged at the bottom of the recess 21A formed in the holder 21, the support rollers 25A and 26A support the second roll body R2 at a position one step lower than the support rollers 23A and 24A. Therefore, even if the diameter of the second roll body R2 becomes smaller as the roll paper Rs of the second roll body R2 is used, the second roll body R2 is supported at a constant position from below and the end surface R2A of the second roll body R2 and the second guide surface 21B continue to face each other. Therefore, the positioning of the second roll body in the width direction is stable. In addition, the size of the feed tray 1 can be suppressed in the front-rear direction.

[0046] 4, the holder 22 is disposed so that a passage 27 for guiding the roll paper Rs unwound from the roll body R is formed between the lower surface of the holder 22 and the bottom surface 11A. The passage 27 has an entrance 27A disposed between each pair of support rollers 23A, 23B, 24A, 24B, 25A, 25B, 26A, 26B in the front-rear direction. The roll paper Rs unwound from the roll body R selectively stored in either the first storage section 20A or the second storage section 20B is passed through the passage 27 from the entrance 27A between the two holders 21, 22 and pulled out onto a friction member (not shown) along the bottom surface 11A.

[0047] As shown in Fig. 1, the cut paper storage section 30 has a support plate 31 arranged on the bottom wall 11. The support plate 31 is a plate-shaped member extending in the front-rear and left-right directions, and supports the cut paper Ks from below with its upper surface 31A. The cut paper storage section 30 in this embodiment is configured to be able to store A4 or letter-sized cut paper Ks. The size of the cut paper Ks may be changed as appropriate and is not particularly limited.

[0048] 1, a part of the front end of the support plate 31 is inserted into the lower part of the holder 22. The support plate 31 is configured so that the rear end of the support plate 31 can swing up and down with the part inserted into the holder 22 as a fulcrum. The support plate 31 extends rearward from the fulcrum to the vicinity of the rear end of the bottom surface 11A.

[0049] 1, the support plate 31 and the bottom wall 11 define a passage 28. The passage 28 is a passage for passing the roll paper Rs unwound from the roll body R. In other words, the support plate 31 is disposed opposite the bottom surface 11A so that the roll paper Rs can pass between the support plate 31 and the bottom surface 11A. The support plate 31 also has the function of restricting curling of the roll paper Rs passing between the support plate 31 and the bottom surface 11A.

[0050] A cutout 32 is formed at the rear end of the support plate 31. The cutout 32 is located at the center of the support plate 31 in the left-right direction. The cutout 32 is located on the movement path of the feed roller 2A moving from the contact position to the separated position. The friction member is located inside the cutout 32 of the support plate 31.

[0051] Next, the procedure for setting the roll R and the cut paper Ks will be described below.

[0052] (Setting procedure for the first roll body R1) When setting the first roll body R1 in the roll body storage section 20, the feed tray 1 is removed from the housing 100A. At this time, if cut sheets Ks are stored in the cut sheet storage section 30, the cut sheets Ks are removed. At this time, if the second roll body R2 is stored in the second storage section 20B, the second roll body R2 is removed. Then, the first roll body R1 is set in the first storage section 20A by holding both left and right ends of the core member Rc of the first roll body R1. That is, as shown by the two-dot chain lines in Figures 2 and 3, both left and right ends of the first roll body R1 are placed on the two pairs of roll support parts 23, 24. At this time, both end faces R1A of the first roll body R1 are guided by a pair of guide surfaces 12A, 13A. As a result, the first roll body R1 is stably supported in the first storage section 20A. After that, the first roll body R1 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 1, and the roll paper Rs is passed through the passages 27 and 28. Then, the roll paper Rs is pulled out until the leading edge of the roll paper Rs is located downstream of the friction member in the transport direction. In this state, the feed tray 1 is moved from an outer position outside the housing 100A to an inner position inside the housing 100A. As a result, the feed roller 2A, together with the friction member, clamps the roll paper Rs, making it possible to feed the roll paper Rs.

[0053] (Setting procedure for the second roll body R2) When setting the second roll body R2 in the roll body storage section 20, the feed tray 1 is removed from the housing 100A. At this time, in the same manner as described above, if cut sheets Ks are stored in the cut sheet storage section 30, the cut sheets Ks are removed. Also, at this time, if the first roll body R1 is stored in the first storage section 20A, the first roll body R1 is removed. Then, the second roll body R2 is set in the second storage section 20B by holding both left and right ends of the core member Rc of the second roll body R2. That is, as shown by the two-dot chain lines in Figures 2 and 3, both left and right ends of the second roll body R2 are placed on the two pairs of roll support parts 25, 26. At this time, both end faces R2A of the second roll body R2 are guided by a pair of guide surfaces 21B. As a result, the second roll body R2 is stably supported in the second storage section 20B. After that, the second roll body R2 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 1, and the roll paper Rs is passed through the passages 27 and 28. Then, the roll paper Rs is pulled out until the leading edge of the roll paper Rs is located downstream of the friction member in the transport direction. In this state, the feed tray 1 is moved from an outer position outside the housing 100A to an inner position inside the housing 100A. As a result, the feed roller 2A, together with the friction member, clamps the roll paper Rs, making it possible to feed the roll paper Rs.

[0054] (How to set cut paper Ks) When setting cut sheets Ks in the cut sheet storage section 30, the feed tray 1 is pulled out and removed from the housing 100A in the same manner as described above. At this time, if the roll R is in the roll storage section 20, the roll R is removed. Then, multiple cut sheets Ks are stored in a stacked state in the cut sheet storage section 30. In this state, the feed tray 1 is moved from an outer position outside the housing 100A to an inner position within the housing 100A. As a result, the feed roller 2A comes into contact with the uppermost cut sheet Ks among the multiple cut sheets Ks, making it possible to feed the cut sheet Ks.

[0055] As described above, according to the feeding tray 1 of the present embodiment, the pair of guide surfaces 21B of the second storage section 20B are disposed inside the pair of guide surfaces 12A, 13A of the first storage section 20A in the left-right direction. As a result, when the first roll body R1 is used, the pair of guide surfaces 12A, 13A of the first storage section 20A can position the first roll body R1 in the left-right direction. When the second roll body R2 is used, the pair of guide surfaces 21B of the second storage section 20B can position the second roll body R2 in the left-right direction. In this way, even when the first roll body R1 and the second roll body R2 having different widths are used, it is possible to position these roll bodies R in the width direction (left-right direction).

[0056] The widthwise separation distance of the pair of guide surfaces 12A, 13A for positioning the first roll body R1 is slightly larger than the width of the first roll body R1. The widthwise separation distance of the pair of guide surfaces 21B for positioning the second roll body R2 is slightly larger than the width of the second roll body R2. "Slightly larger" here means a size that can ensure stable feeding of the unwound roll paper Rs and printing accuracy by the head 6 on the roll paper Rs even if the first roll body R1 arranged between the pair of guide surfaces 12A, 13A and the second roll body R2 arranged between the pair of guide surfaces 21B move left and right or the central axis Rx tilts with respect to the left and right direction. Also, in FIG. 2, the vertical height of the pair of guide surfaces 21B is at least a size that prevents the second roll body R2 from climbing over the pair of guide surfaces 21B due to the momentum of rotation even if the second roll body R2 rotates as the unwound roll paper Rs is fed from the accommodated second roll body R2. The vertical height of the pair of guide surfaces 12A, 13A is set to a level at least such that the first roll body R1 rotating due to feeding does not climb over the pair of guide surfaces 12A, 13A due to the momentum of rotation.

[0057] The pair of roll support parts 23, 24 and the pair of roll support parts 25, 26 are disposed spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction, which makes it possible to stably support the first roll body R1 and the second roll body R2, respectively.

[0058] The entrance 27A of the passage 27 is disposed between each pair of the support rollers 23A, 23B, 24A, 24B, 25A, 25B, 26A, 26B in the front-rear direction. This allows the roll paper Rs unwound from the roll body R to be guided through the passage 27 from the entrance 27A. Each roll support section 23-26 has a pair of support rollers 23A, 23B, 24A, 24B, 25A, 25B, 26A, 26B. This allows the first roll body R1 to be stably supported by the two pairs of support rollers 23A, 23B, 24A, 24B, and the second roll body R2 to be stably supported by the two pairs of support rollers 25A, 25B, 26A, 26B. In addition, the roll body R can be supported so as to rotate more smoothly.

[0059] The two support rollers 25A and 26A are disposed at the bottom of the recess 21A and are disposed below the two support rollers 23A and 24A. That is, of the pair of support rollers 25A, 25B, 26A, and 26B, the support rollers 25A and 26A, which are upstream of the lower end of the roll body R in the traveling direction (from front to rear in this embodiment) in which the roll paper Rs unwound from the roll body R is guided to the passage 27, are disposed below the support rollers 23A and 24A, which are upstream of the lower end of the roll body R in the traveling direction, of the pair of support rollers 23A, 23B, 24A, and 24B. The passage 27 extends from the entrance 27A toward the lower side of the two support rollers 25B and 26B. As a result, even if the support rollers 25A and 26A are disposed below the support rollers 23A and 24A, the support rollers 25A and 26A do not interfere with the passage 27. This makes it possible to easily provide the two support rollers 25A and 26A.

[0060] The support rollers 25A, 26A are disposed above the support rollers 25B, 26B. This makes it possible to increase the distance from one support roller 25A, 26A to the other support roller 25B, 26B along the circumferential direction of the second roll body R2 while preventing the separation distance between each pair of support rollers 25A, 25B, 26A, 25B from increasing in the front-rear direction. This makes it possible to prevent the feed tray 1 from becoming larger in size in the front-rear direction while making it easier for the roll paper Rs to be unwound from the second roll body R2.

[0061] In the above embodiment, the two support rollers 25A, 26A are disposed below the two support rollers 23A, 24A, but these four support rollers 23A to 26A may be disposed at the same height as the four support rollers 23B to 26B. In this modification, as shown in Fig. 5, a recess 22B is formed in the front wall surface 22D of the holder 22. The length of the recess 22B in the left-right direction is slightly larger than the left-right width of the second roll body R2.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 5, the second storage section 20B has a pair of guide surfaces 22C ("second guide surfaces" of the present invention). The pair of guide surfaces 22C are present on both left and right end surfaces of the inner surface of the recess 22B, and are portions that are close to and face the left and right end surfaces R2A of the second roll body R2 supported by the two sets of roll support parts 25, 26. In this modified example, the widthwise separation distance of the pair of guide surfaces 22C is slightly larger than the width of the second roll body R2, and is large enough to ensure stable feeding of the unwound roll paper Rs and printing accuracy by the head 6 on the roll paper Rs, as in the above embodiment. In this way, the pair of guide surfaces 22C are formed on the inner surface of the recess 22B, and are arranged at positions that do not overlap the pair of guide surfaces 12A, 13A in the left and right direction. In other words, the pair of guide surfaces 22C do not overlap the pair of guide surfaces 12A, 13A when viewed from the left and right direction. In addition, the pair of guide surfaces 22C overlap with the second roll body R2 accommodated in the second accommodation section 20B when viewed from the left-right direction. In addition, the pair of guide surfaces 22C are arranged on the inside in the left-right direction of the pair of guide surfaces 12A, 13A. More specifically, one of the pair of guide surfaces 22C is arranged between the roll support section 23 and the roll support section 25 in the left-right direction. The other guide surface 22C is arranged between the roll support section 24 and the roll support section 26 in the left-right direction. In addition, in FIG. 5, the length of the pair of guide surfaces 22C in the front-rear direction is equal to or greater than the extent that the second roll body R2 rotating due to feeding does not go over the pair of guide surfaces 22C due to the momentum of rotation, as in the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0063] In this manner, the second storage section 20B in this modification has a pair of guide surfaces 22C instead of the pair of guide surfaces 21B described above, and is configured to be able to store the second roll body R2. In the feeding tray 1 in this modification, the pair of guide surfaces 22C of the second storage section 20B is also disposed inside the pair of guide surfaces 12A, 13A of the first storage section 20A in the left-right direction. As a result, when the first roll body R1 is used, the pair of guide surfaces 12A, 13A of the first storage section 20A can position the first roll body R1 in the left-right direction. In addition, when the second roll body R2 having a larger diameter than the first roll body R1 is used, the pair of guide surfaces 22C of the second storage section 20B can position the second roll body R2 in the left-right direction. In this manner, even when the first roll body R1 and the second roll body R2 having different widths are used, it is possible to position these roll bodies R in the width direction.

[0064] 5, a part of the second storage section 20B where the second roll body R2 is disposed, and a space portion (space forward of the recess 22B) where the pair of roll support parts 25, 26 and most of the second roll body R2 are disposed other than the recess 22B, exists in the first storage section 20A. This provides the same effect as the above-mentioned embodiment. Note that the same effect can be obtained in a configuration similar to the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0065] Further, a recess similar to the recess 22B may be further formed on the rear wall surface 21D of the holder 21. The recess may be formed symmetrically with the recess 22B with respect to the rotation axis of the second roll body R2 accommodated in the second accommodation section 20B. This allows the recess to have a pair of guide surfaces 22C. Therefore, the second roll body R2 accommodated in the second accommodation section 20B can be positioned by the pair of front and rear guide surfaces 22C. Note that, when the pair of guide surfaces 22C is formed on the rear wall surface 21D, the pair of guide surfaces 22C may not be formed on the front wall surface 22D.

[0066] Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible as long as they are within the scope of the claims. In the above embodiment and modified example, a part of the second storage section 20B is present inside the first storage section 20A, but the entire second storage section 20B may be located outside the first storage section 20A and shifted forward or backward with respect to the first storage section 20A. In this case, the second storage section 20B may have a pair of guide surfaces that face the end surface R2A of the second roll body R2. In this way, it is possible to position the first roll body R1 and the second roll body R2 in the width direction, even if the first roll body R1 and the second roll body R2 have different widths, as described above.

[0067] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the two support rollers 25A, 26A are arranged below the two support rollers 23A, 24A, but the two support rollers 25B, 26B may also be arranged below the two support rollers 23B, 24B. In this case, a pair of guide surfaces similar to the pair of guide surfaces 21B may be formed on the holder 22. Also, the two support rollers 25A, 26A may be arranged at the same height position as the two support rollers 23A, 24A, and the two support rollers 25B, 26B may be arranged below the two support rollers 23B, 24B. In this case, a pair of guide surfaces similar to the pair of guide surfaces 21B may be formed on the holder 22. In these cases, the same effect as the above-mentioned embodiment can be obtained because the holder 22 has a pair of guide surfaces similar to the pair of guide surfaces 21B.

[0068] Furthermore, a pair of first guide surfaces facing end face R1A of the first roll body R1 arranged in the first housing section and a pair of second guide surfaces facing end face R2A of the second roll body R2 arranged in the second housing section may overlap in the left-right direction. In other words, an outer region of the first guide surface that is outboard of the region facing end face R1A may be arranged to overlap an area of ​​the second guide surface facing end face R2A when viewed in the left-right direction.

[0069] In the above-described embodiment and modified example, the first roll body R1 is supported by the support rollers 23A, 23B, 24A, and 24B, and the second roll body R2 is supported by the support rollers 25A, 25B, 26A, and 26B, but these support rollers may not be provided and the roll body R may be supported by the wall surfaces of the holders 21 and 22. In this case, as shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, the wall surface portions 223A, 223B, 224A, and 224B capable of supporting both ends of the first roll body R1 constitute each pair of first divided support parts, and the wall surface portions 225A, 225B, 226A, and 226B capable of supporting both ends of the second roll body R2 constitute each pair of second divided support parts.

[0070] Also, the passage 27 does not necessarily have to be formed. In this case, the roll paper Rs unwound from the roll body R may be pulled beyond the upper end of the holder 22 to the feeding roller 2A.

[0071] Further, the above-mentioned roll support parts 23 to 26 are configured to be capable of supporting both end parts of the roll body R, but may be configured to be capable of supporting parts of the roll body R other than both end parts in the left-right direction.

[0072] The present invention can be applied to all trays capable of accommodating a roll R. In other words, the feed tray 1 may not be capable of accommodating cut paper Ks. In other words, the feed tray 1 may not have the cut paper accommodating section 30. In addition, the support plate 31 may not be provided. The feed tray 1 may be supported so as to be movable in directions intersecting the front-rear and up-down directions relative to the housing 100A.

[0073] For example, the present invention can be applied not only to inkjet printers equipped with a head that ejects ink from a nozzle as a recording unit, but also to electrophotographic printers equipped with a recording unit of a laser type in which an electrostatic latent image is formed by exposing a photoconductor to a laser, or an LED type in which an electrostatic latent image is formed by exposing a photoconductor to an LED. Also, the sheet-like medium is not limited to paper, and may be cloth, a resin material such as a film, or the like, as long as it is in sheet form. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 1 Feeding tray 12A, 13A Guide surface 20A First storage section 20B Second storage section 21B Guide surface 22C Guide surface 23, 24 Roll support part (first support part) 23A, 23B, 24A, 24B Support roller (first divided support portion) 25, 26 Roll support part (second support part) 25A, 25B, 26A, 26B Support roller (second divided support part) R Roll Body R1 First roll body R1A end face R2 Second roll body R2A end face Rs Roll paper (sheet media)

Claims

1. The sheet-like medium storing device includes a first storage section and a second storage section each capable of storing a roll of the sheet-like medium, the first storage section has a pair of first guide surfaces respectively facing widthwise end surfaces of the first roll body stored in the first storage section, the second storage section has a pair of second guide surfaces that face respective end surfaces in the width direction of a second roll body that is narrower than the first roll body and is stored in the second storage section, The tray according to claim 1, wherein the pair of second guide surfaces are disposed more inward than the pair of first guide surfaces in the width direction.

2. 2. The tray according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the second roll body of the second storage section is located within a portion of the first storage section in which the first roll body is located.

3. The tray according to claim 2 , wherein a portion of the second storage section that is different from the portion is positioned below the first storage section.

4. the first storage section has a pair of first support parts that are in contact with an outer circumferential surface of a lower portion of the first roll body at each end in the width direction of the first roll body and support the first roll body from below, the pair of first support parts being spaced apart from each other in the width direction, the second accommodation section has a pair of second support parts that are in contact with an outer circumferential surface of a lower portion of the second roll body at each end in the width direction of the second roll body and support the second roll body from below, the pair of second support parts being spaced apart from each other in the width direction, the other portion includes at least a portion of the pair of second support portions and the pair of second guide surfaces, At least a portion of the pair of second support portions is located below the pair of first support portions, 4. The tray according to claim 3, wherein the pair of second guide surfaces are disposed between the pair of first support portions and the pair of second support portions in the width direction.

5. the first support portion includes a pair of first divided support portions disposed at positions sandwiching a lower end of the first roll body in an intersecting direction intersecting the width direction and the up-down direction, the second support portion includes a pair of second divided support portions disposed at positions sandwiching a lower end of the second roll body in the intersecting direction, 5. The tray of claim 4, further comprising a passage having an inlet disposed between the pair of first divided support portions and the pair of second divided support portions, for guiding sheet media unwound from the roll body.

6. The passage is disposed below each of the support portions, The tray described in claim 5, characterized in that of the pair of second divided support parts, one of the second divided support parts that is upstream of the lower end of the roll body in the direction of travel in which the sheet-like medium unwound from the roll body is guided into the passage and advances is lower than one of the pair of first divided support parts that is upstream of the lower end of the roll body in the direction of travel.

7. 7. The tray according to claim 6, wherein the one of the second divided support portions is located at a different position in the up-down direction from the other of the second divided support portions.

8. 8. The tray according to claim 4, wherein each of the support portions has a roller for supporting the roll body.

9. 2 . The tray according to claim 1 , wherein the pair of second guide surfaces are disposed at positions that do not overlap with the pair of first guide surfaces along the width direction.

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