Feed tray and image forming apparatus including the same

Abstract

To suppress a feed tray from increasing in size in the horizontal direction while facilitating unwinding of a sheet-like medium from a roll body.SOLUTION: A feed tray 1 includes: a support part 12 for rotatably supporting a roll body R; and a passage 20 for guiding a sheet P unwound from the roll body R. The support part 12 is in contact with and supports an outer peripheral surface of a lower portion of the roll body R at two support positions Ra1, Ra2 sandwiching a lower end of the roll body R. The two support positions Ra1, Ra2 are different from each other in a vertical direction D.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a feeding tray capable of accommodating a roll body, and an image forming apparatus including the feeding tray.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a paper feeding cassette (feeding tray) that is detachable from the mounting port of the image forming apparatus main body and accommodates a roll paper (roll body) in a state of being pivotally supported.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the support configuration of the roll paper in the paper feeding cassette described in Patent Document 1 above, the replacement work of the roll paper can be complicated. For example, when attaching the shaft of a new roll paper to the paper feeding cassette, operations such as adjusting the position of the roll paper so that the shaft of the roll paper is properly supported by the bearing of the paper feeding cassette may occur.

[0005] Therefore, in order to facilitate the replacement operation of the roll body (for example, roll paper), the present inventor has studied the configuration of a feeding tray having a support portion that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the lower portion of the roll body and supports the roll body. In such a configuration, the roll body is rotatably supported at two support positions at the same height level with the lower end of the roll body sandwiched therebetween in a direction intersecting the rotation axis of the roll body, and the sheet-like medium unwound from the roll body is guided to a passage. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, when the entrance of the passage is between the two support positions, if the horizontal separation distance between the two support positions is small, after the tip of the sheet-like medium passes through one support position, before the sheet-like medium is unwound from the roll body (that is, before the tip of the sheet-like medium separates from the roll body), it may reach the other support position, and the sheet-like medium may not be guided to the passage. By increasing the horizontal separation distance between the two support positions and lengthening the distance required for the tip of the sheet-like medium to reach the other support position after passing through one support position, the tip of the sheet-like medium is more likely to be unwound from the roll body before reaching the other support position, and it becomes possible to guide it to the passage. However, as the horizontal separation distance between the two support positions increases, the passage itself may become longer in the horizontal direction. As a result, the horizontal size of the feeding tray may increase.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a feeding tray capable of suppressing the increase in the horizontal size of the feeding tray while facilitating the unwinding of the sheet-like medium from the roll body, and an image forming apparatus including the same.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The feeding tray of the present invention is a feeding tray capable of accommodating a roll body around which a sheet-like medium is wound in a roll shape, and contacts the outer peripheral surface of the lower portion of the roll body at two support positions sandwiching the lower end of the roll body, and rotatably supports the roll body. A support portion, and an entrance disposed between the two support positions, and a passage for guiding the sheet-like medium unwound from the roll body. The two support positions Among them, one of the support positions that is upstream of the lower end of the roll body in the traveling direction in which the sheet-like medium unwound from the roll body is guided through the passage is at a higher position than the other support position. are as follows.

[0008] Also, from another perspective, the feeding tray of the present invention is a feeding tray capable of accommodating a roll body in which a sheet-like medium is wound in a roll shape, and includes a support portion that rotatably supports the roll body, and a contact member that is disposed in contact with at least a part of the outer peripheral surface of the lower side portion of the roll body and restricts the movement of the roll body in the rotational direction.

[0009] The image forming apparatus of the present invention includes the above-described feeding tray and a housing to which the feeding tray is detachably attached. And inside the housing, a conveyance mechanism for conveying the sheet-like medium of the roll body accommodated in the feeding tray and an image forming unit for forming an image on the sheet-like medium conveyed by the conveyance mechanism are provided.

Advantages of the Invention

[0010] According to the feeding tray of the present invention, the two support positions of the support portion that supports the roll body are in a state of being displaced in the vertical direction. As a result, while suppressing an increase in the horizontal separation distance between the two support positions, it is possible to increase the distance along the circumferential direction of the roll body from one support position through the lower end of the roll body to the other support position. For this reason, it is possible to facilitate the unwinding of the sheet-like medium from the roll body between the time of passing through one support position and reaching the other support position, while suppressing an increase in the size of the feeding tray in the horizontal direction. Also, according to another aspect of the feeding tray of the present invention, by bringing the contact member into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the roll body, it is possible to facilitate the unwinding of the sheet-like medium from the roll body. Also, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to facilitate the unwinding of the sheet-like medium from the roll body.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, a printer 100 employing the feeding tray 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, a printer (the "image forming apparatus" of the present invention) 100 includes a housing 100a, a feeding tray 1, a feeding unit 2, a conveying unit 3, a cutting unit 4, a head 5, a paper discharge tray 6, and a control unit 7. The feeding tray 1 is detachable from the lower part of the housing 100a. The paper discharge tray 6 constitutes one side wall at the upper part of the housing 100a and is openable and closable with respect to the housing 100a.

[0014] As shown in Fig. 1, the feeding tray 1 can accommodate a roll body R in which a long sheet P (the "sheet-like medium" of the present invention) is wound in a roll shape around the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical core member (paper tube) Rc. The roll body R is arranged such that the axial direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in Fig. 1) along its rotation axis Rx (the central axis of the core member Rc) is orthogonal to the vertical direction D. The axial direction of the rotation axis Rx also corresponds to the width direction of the sheet P. Further, as shown in Fig. 1, the traveling direction A in which the sheet P unwound from the roll body R in the present embodiment is guided and advances through a later-described passage 20 is generally to the right. Further, when the roll body R rotates in the rotation direction B, the sheet P is unwound from the roll body R. That is, the rotation direction B is also the direction in which the roll body R is unwound.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 1, the feeding tray 1 includes a tray body 11, a support portion 12 that rotatably supports the roll body R while supporting the outer peripheral surface of the lower portion of the roll body R, and a passage 20 for guiding the sheet P unwound from the roll body R. The tray body 11 has a box shape that is open upward and is configured to be able to accommodate the roll body R. The support portion 12 includes a support base 13 and two rollers 14, 15.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 2, the support base 13 has two pedestal portions 13a, 13b that are spaced apart from each other in the horizontal direction C orthogonal to the rotation axis Rx. These two pedestal portions 13a, 13b are arranged on the bottom portion 11a of the tray body 11. Further, each of the pedestal portions 13a, 13b extends longitudinally along the axial direction of the rotation axis Rx. The pedestal portions 13a, 13b in the present embodiment are formed to be slightly longer than the width of the sheet P, that is, the roll body R. The pedestal portion 13a has an inclined surface 13a1 (the "second guiding surface" of the present invention) that faces the lower surface of the sheet P unwound from the roll body R. The inclined surface 13a1 is inclined downward as it goes in the traveling direction A. The inclined surface 13a1 defines a part of the passage 20.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 2, the table portion 13b is disposed on the downstream side (right side in the figure) of the rotation axis Rx of the roll body R supported by the support portion 12 in the traveling direction A. The table portion 13b has an inclined surface 13b1 (the "first guide surface" of the present invention) facing the upper surface of the paper P unwound from the roll body R. The inclined surface 13b1 is inclined downward as it goes in the traveling direction A. The inclined surface 13b1 defines a part of the passage 20. Further, a groove 13b2 that defines a part of the passage 20 is formed on the lower surface of the table portion 13b. The groove 13b2 opens toward the bottom surface 11a1, extends horizontally along the traveling direction A, and is formed such that the width in the axial direction of the rotation axis Rx is slightly longer than the width of the roll body R. Further, the groove 13b2 is formed on the lower surface of the table portion 13b over the entire traveling direction A from the downstream end of the inclined surface 13b1.

[0018] The passage 20 is defined and configured by the two inclined surfaces 13a1, 13b1, the bottom surface 11a of the tray body 11, and the groove 13b2. Further, the passage 20 has an inlet 20a (an inlet formed between the upper ends of the two inclined surfaces 13a1, 13b1) disposed between the two rollers 14, 15, and extends rightward (traveling direction A) in the figure from the inlet 20a. By forming the passage 20 in this way, it becomes possible to pass the paper P unwound from the roll body R through the passage 20 via the inlet 20a between the two rollers 14, 15 (between the two support positions Ra1, Ra2 described later). The paper P passed through the passage 20 is arranged along the bottom surface 11a1 of the tray body 11 and guided to a feeding position (a position where it can come into contact with the feeding roller 2a) where it is fed by the feeding roller 2a, as shown in Fig. 1.

[0019] Further, the inclined surface 13b1 is formed such that the inclination angle θ1 with respect to the horizontal bottom surface 11a1 (the "horizontal plane" of the present invention) of the tray body 11 is larger than the inclination angle θ2 with respect to the bottom surface 11a1 of the inclined surface 13a1. As a result, the passage 20 becomes tapered as it advances along the advancing direction A from the inlet 20a. For this reason, it becomes possible to more smoothly guide the paper P unwound from the roll body R in the advancing direction A. Further, the inclination angle θ1 is set to an inclination angle at which jamming is unlikely to occur even when the leading end of the paper P unwound from the roll body R comes into contact with the inclined surface 13b1.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, a restricting portion 16 extending upward is formed at the upstream end portion of the base portion 13a in the advancing direction A. A restricting portion 17 extending upward is formed at the downstream end portion of the base portion 13b in the advancing direction A. These two restricting portions 16 and 17 are arranged so as to be able to approach the outer peripheral surface of the roll body R having the maximum size that can be supported by the support portion 12. Thereby, even if the winding of the roll body R becomes loose and the outer diameter of the roll body R tends to increase, the outer peripheral surface of the roll body R comes into contact with the restricting portions 16 and 17, and it becomes possible to restrict the increase in the outer diameter. Note that the inner surfaces of the restricting portions 16 and 17 facing the roll body R may be curved along the outer peripheral surface of the roll body R.

[0021] The two rollers (the "support rollers" of the present invention) 14 and 15 extend in a long shape along the axial direction of the rotation axis Rx, and are formed to be slightly longer than the width of the roll body R. Each of the rollers 14 and 15 has a shaft member 14a, 15a and a cylindrical member 14b, 15b through which the shaft members 14a, 15a are inserted. Note that each of the rollers 14 and 15 may have a plurality of cylindrical members through which the shaft members 14a, 15a are inserted and which are spaced apart from each other along the axial direction of the rotation axis Rx. Further, a plurality of the rollers 14 and 15 may be arranged spaced apart from each other along the axial direction of the rotation axis Rx.

[0022] The roller 14 is disposed at the upper center in the horizontal direction C of the base portion 13a, and its shaft member 14a is rotatably supported by the base portion 13a around a rotation axis parallel to the rotation axis Rx. Further, the roller 14 is disposed upstream and above the inclined surface 13a1 in the traveling direction A. The roller 15 is disposed at the upper part of the upstream end portion in the traveling direction A of the base portion 13b, and its shaft member 15a is rotatably supported by the base portion 13b around a rotation axis parallel to the rotation axis Rx. The roller 15 is disposed on the downstream side of the roller 14 in the traveling direction A. Also, the roller 15 is disposed below the roller 14 and above the inclined surface 13b1 in the vertical direction D. Then, these two rollers 14 and 15 support the roll body R from below in a state of being in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the lower portion of the roll body R. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, they are in contact with the lower semi-circular region Ra of the outer peripheral surface of the roll body R. Further, the two rollers 14 and 15 are configured to be able to support the roll body R in a state of being in contact with the outer peripheral surface (lower semi-circular region Ra) of the roll body R at two support positions Ra1 and Ra2 that sandwich the lower end of the roll body R in the horizontal direction C. One support position Ra1 is upstream of the lower end of the roll body R in the traveling direction A. The other support position Ra2 is downstream of the lower end of the roll body R in the traveling direction A. One support position Ra1 is disposed above the other support position Ra2 in the vertical direction D. Also, the separation distance between the two rollers 14 and 15 is smaller than the outer diameter of the core member Rc. Therefore, the roll body R does not fall between the two rollers 14 and 15.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 1, the paper feed unit 2 includes a paper feed roller 2a, an arm 2b, a transmission mechanism (not shown), and a paper feed motor 2M (see Fig. 3). The paper feed roller 2a is pivotally supported at the tip of the arm 2b. The arm 2b is rotatably supported by a support shaft 2c. The transmission mechanism transmits the power of the paper feed motor 2M to the paper feed roller 2a when the paper feed motor 2M is driven under the control of the control unit 7. That is, when the paper feed motor 2M is driven to rotate forward, the paper feed roller 2a rotates so that the paper P is fed in the conveyance direction E. At this time, the transmission mechanism biases the arm 2b so that the paper feed roller 2a approaches the bottom surface 11a1 of the tray body 11. Thereby, the paper P is fed in the conveyance direction E. Further, when the paper feed motor 2M is driven to rotate reversely, the transmission mechanism rotates the arm 2b so that the paper feed roller 2a separates from the bottom surface 11a1. Thereby, the paper feed roller 2a does not feed the paper P toward the roll body R. Note that the arm 2b is configured to be retractable upward when attaching / detaching the tray body 11.

[0024] The conveyance unit 3 includes three pairs of conveyance rollers 3a to 3c and a conveyance motor 3M (see Fig. 3). Each pair of conveyance rollers 3a to 3c is composed of a drive roller that rotates by the drive of the conveyance motor 3M and a driven roller that rotates together with the drive roller. When the conveyance motor 3M is driven under the control of the control unit 7 and each pair of conveyance rollers 3a to 3c rotates while sandwiching the paper P, the paper P is conveyed in the conveyance direction E. The paper feed unit 2 and the conveyance unit 3 constitute the conveyance mechanism of the present invention. Note that the conveyance direction E in the present embodiment is the direction in which the paper P is conveyed and advanced by the paper feed unit 2 and the conveyance unit 3. As shown in Fig. 1, it advances from the paper feed roller 2a toward the front end side of the tray body 11, then advances upward, and thereafter advances horizontally toward the head 5.

[0025] The cutting unit 4 is disposed above the pair of conveyance rollers 3a. The cutting unit 4 includes a cutter 4a and a cutting motor 4M (see Fig. 3) that drives the cutter 4a. The paper P unwound and conveyed from the roll body R is cut by the cutter 4a when the cutting motor 4M is driven under the control of the control unit 7. Thereby, the rear end of the paper P is formed.

[0026] The head 5 includes a plurality of nozzles (not shown) formed on the lower surface and a driver IC 5a (see FIG. 3). When the driver IC 5a is driven under the control of the control unit 7, ink is ejected from the nozzles, and an image is formed on the paper P conveyed by the conveying unit 3. Note that the head 5 corresponds to the "image forming unit" of the present invention, and may be either a line type that ejects ink from the nozzles in a fixed position state or a serial type that ejects ink from the nozzles while moving in the axial direction of the rotation axis Rx. The paper P on which an image is formed by the head 5 and cut by the cutter 4a is received in the paper discharge tray 6 in an open state with respect to the housing 100a.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 7 is connected to the feeding motor 2M, the conveying motor 3M, the driver IC 5a, and the cutting motor 4M via the internal bus 100b. The control unit 7 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 7a, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 7b, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 7c. Programs and data for the CPU 7a to perform various controls are stored in the ROM 7b. The RAM 7c temporarily stores data used when the CPU 7a executes a program.

[0028] Subsequently, with reference to FIG. 2, the operation until the roll body R is accommodated in the feeding tray 1 and the feeding tray 1 is attached to the housing 100a will be described.

[0029] When accommodating the roll body R in the feeding tray 1, first, the feeding tray 2 is removed from the housing 100a. Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the roll body R is placed on the two rollers 14 and 15 of the support portion 12. When replacing the roll body R, the old roll body R accommodated in the feeding tray 1 is taken out and then the new roll body R is accommodated.

[0030] Next, the user rotates the roll body R in the rotation direction B with a hand or the like. By rotating the roll body R, before the leading end of the paper P wound around the roll body R reaches the support position Ra2 after passing through the support position Ra1, it is unwound from the roll body R and passes through the inlet 20a. After that, the leading end of the paper P is guided along the traveling direction A in the passage 20 by the two inclined surfaces 13a1 and 13b1 of the passage 20. Since the support position Ra1 and the support position Ra2 are arranged at different positions vertically, compared with the case where the two support positions are at the same position in the vertical direction D, even if the horizontal separation distance in the horizontal direction C of the two rollers 14 and 15 is not increased, the distance from when the leading end of the paper P passes through the support position Ra1 until it reaches the support position Ra2 along the circumferential direction of the roll body R can be lengthened. For this reason, it becomes easier for the leading end of the paper P to be unwound from the roll body R and to be guided into the passage 20 until it reaches the support position Ra2 after passing through the support position Ra1. Then, when the leading end of the paper P reaches the vicinity of the leading end of the tray body 11, the rotation of the roll body R is stopped. As a result, when the feeding tray 1 with the roll body R accommodated therein is attached to the housing 100a, the paper P can be fed by the feeding roller 2a.

[0031] Next, as shown in FIG. 1, the user attaches the feeding tray 1 in which the roll body R is accommodated to the housing 100a. In this way, the attachment of the feeding tray 1 in which the roll body R is accommodated is completed.

[0032] As described above, according to the paper feed tray 1 of the printer 100 of the present embodiment, the two support positions Ra1 and Ra2 of the support portion 12 that supports the roll body R are displaced in the vertical direction D. As a result, while suppressing an increase in the separation distance in the horizontal direction C between the two support positions Ra1 and Ra2, it is possible to increase the distance along the circumferential direction of the roll body R from one support position Ra1 through the lower end of the roll body R to the other support position Ra2. For this reason, it is possible to facilitate the unwinding of the paper P from the roll body R between the time of passing through one support position Ra1 and reaching the other support position Ra2, while suppressing an increase in the size of the paper feed tray 1 in the horizontal direction C. Incidentally, if the separation distance in the horizontal direction C between the two rollers 14 and 15 is increased to increase the separation distance in the horizontal direction C between the two support positions Ra1 and Ra2, the passage 20 increases in size along the horizontal direction C by the amount of the increased separation distance between the rollers 14 and 15. When the length of the passage 20 in the horizontal direction C increases, the arrangement of various components constituting the paper feed tray is shifted along the horizontal direction C by the increased amount, and the paper feed tray increases in size along the horizontal direction C. However, in the present embodiment, since an increase in the separation distance in the horizontal direction C between the two support positions Ra1 and Ra2 is suppressed, it is possible to suppress an increase in the size of the paper feed tray 1 in the horizontal direction C.

[0033] Also, one support position Ra1 is at a higher position than the other support position Ra2. As a result, it becomes easier to unwind the paper P from the roll body R on the upstream side in the traveling direction A from the lower end of the roll body R. For this reason, the paper P can be easily guided into the passage 20.

[0034] The inclined surface 13b1 is disposed below the support position Ra2 and is inclined downward as it moves away from the roll body R along the traveling direction A. Thereby, it becomes possible to smoothly guide the leading edge of the paper P unwound from the roll body R in the traveling direction A. For this reason, it becomes possible to suppress the occurrence of a jam in the vicinity of the inlet 20a of the passage 20 in the paper P unwound from the roll body R. In addition, although the inclined surface 13b1 in the present embodiment has the inclination angle θ1 at which jamming hardly occurs as described above, by making the inclination angle θ1 approach 90 degrees, it is possible to shorten the length in the horizontal direction C of the passage 20 and suppress the enlargement of the feeding tray 1. However, jamming is more likely to occur in the vicinity of the inlet 20a of the passage 20 accordingly.

[0035] Further, since the support portion 12 has two rollers 14 and 15, it becomes possible to rotate the roll body R smoothly.

[0036] In the above-described embodiment, in order to facilitate unwinding of the paper P from the roll body R, the vertical arrangement positions of the two rollers 14 and 15 are shifted to make the vertical positions of the two support positions Ra1 and Ra2 different. However, by bringing the flap 250 into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the roll body R, the paper P may be more easily unwound from the roll body R. As shown in FIG. 4, the feeding tray 201 in this modification has only a support portion 212 different from the above-described support portion 12, a flap 250, and a coil spring 260, and other parts are the same as the above-described feeding tray 1. Note that the same components as those of the above-described feeding tray 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

[0037] As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the support portion 212 has a support base 213 and eight rollers 214, 215. The support base 213 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that is slightly longer than the roll body R in the axial direction of the rotation axis Rx. On the upper surface 213a of the support base 213, a curved surface 213b that curves along the outer shape of the roll body R is formed at the center in the horizontal direction C. The curved surface 213b is formed over the entire length of the support base 213 along the axial direction of the rotation axis Rx. Further, eight recesses 213c that open upward and recesses 213d that open upward and laterally (in the horizontal direction C and opposite to the traveling direction A) are formed in the support base 213. The eight recesses 213c are arranged in four on each side of the curved surface 213b in the horizontal direction C. The four recesses 213c arranged on the upstream side of the support base 213 in the traveling direction A and the four recesses 213c arranged on the downstream side of the support base 213 in the traveling direction A are arranged side by side along the axial direction of the rotation axis Rx. As shown in FIG. 4, the recess 213d is arranged at the center of the support base 213 in the axial direction of the rotation axis Rx.

[0038] Also, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, a groove 213e that defines a part of the passage 220 is formed on the lower surface of the support base 213. The groove 213e opens toward the bottom surface 11a1, extends horizontally along the traveling direction A, and is formed such that the width in the axial direction of the rotation axis Rx is slightly longer than the width of the roll body R. Further, the groove 213e is formed over the entire length of the support base 213 in the traveling direction A. The passage 220 is configured to be defined by the bottom surface 11a of the tray body 11 and the groove 213e.

[0039] As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the eight rollers 214 and 215 are arranged on the upper part of the support base 213. Also, the eight rollers 214 and 215 are arranged in the eight recesses 213c, and the upper half parts are exposed. That is, these rollers 214 and 215 are arranged in four each across the curved surface 213b in the horizontal direction C. The four rollers 214 and the four rollers 215 are arranged side by side along the axial direction of the rotation axis Rx. Each of the rollers 214 and 215 also has shaft members 214a and 215a and cylindrical members 214b and 215b through which the shaft members 214a and 215a are inserted, similar to the above-described rollers 14 and 15. The four rollers 214 are supported by the support base 213 so that their shaft members 214a are rotatable around a rotation axis parallel to the rotation axis Rx. The four rollers 215 are supported by the support base 213 so that their shaft members 15a are rotatable around a rotation axis parallel to the rotation axis Rx. The roller 214 is arranged upstream of the roller 215 in the traveling direction A.

[0040] These rollers 214 and 215 support the roll body R from below in a state of being in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the lower part of the roll body R, that is, the lower semi-circular region Ra of the outer peripheral surface of the roll body R, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Also, each of the rollers 214 and 215 is configured to be able to support the roll body R in a state of being in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the roll body R at support positions Ra3 and Ra4 that sandwich the lower end of the roll body R in the horizontal direction C. One support position Ra3 is upstream of the lower end of the roll body R in the traveling direction A. The other support position Ra4 is downstream of the lower end of the roll body R in the traveling direction A. These support positions Ra3 and Ra4 are arranged at the same height position in the vertical direction D. Also, the separation distance between these rollers 214 and 215 is smaller than the outer diameter of the core member Rc.

[0041] The flap (the "contact member" of the present invention) 250 is disposed in the recess 213d as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6. That is, the flap 250 is disposed at the center of the support base 213 in the axial direction of the rotation axis Rx. Further, the flap 250 is a plate-like member having a tapered tip, and the tip is disposed so as to be able to contact the outer peripheral surface of the roll body R. More specifically, the tip of the flap 250 is disposed so as to be able to contact the outer peripheral surface of the roll body R upstream of the lower end of the roll body R and outside the support positions Ra3 and Ra4 in the traveling direction A. At the base end portion of the flap 250, a pair of shaft portions 251 protruding in the axial direction of the rotation axis Rx are formed. The flap 250 is supported by the support base 213 via the pair of shaft portions 251 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis parallel to the rotation axis Rx. As shown in FIG. 5, the flap 250 is disposed such that its rotation center is upstream of the lower end of the roll body R and below the support position Ra3 in the traveling direction A. Further, a protrusion 252 protruding in the axial direction of the rotation axis Rx is formed at the central portion of the side surface of the flap 250.

[0042] The coil spring (the "biasing member" of the present invention) 260 is disposed through one of the pair of shaft portions 251. One end of the coil spring 260 abuts against the bottom of the recess 213d of the support base 213, and the other end abuts against the protrusion 252 of the flap 250, and biases the flap 250 so that the tip of the flap 250 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the roll body R.

[0043] Subsequently, referring to FIG. 5, the operation until the roll body R is accommodated in the feed tray 201 and the feed tray 201 is attached to the housing 100a will be described.

[0044] When accommodating the roll body R in the feed tray 201, first, the feed tray 201 is removed from the housing 100a. Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the roll body R is placed on the eight rollers 214 and 215 of the support portion 212. When replacing the roll body R, the old roll body R accommodated in the feed tray 201 is taken out and then the new roll body R is accommodated. After that, the tip of the flap 250 is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the roll body R.

[0045] Next, the user rotates the roll body R in the rotation direction B with a hand or the like. By rotating the roll body R, the tip of the flap 250 enters between the roll body R and the tip of the sheet P, and the tip of the sheet P is unwound from the roll body R. The unwound tip of the sheet P advances downward outside the flap 250, enters the passage 220 from the inlet on the upstream side in the advancing direction A of the passage 220, and advances along the advancing direction A. Then, when the tip of the sheet P reaches near the tip of the tray body 11, the rotation of the roll body R is stopped. As a result, when the paper feed tray 201 is attached to the housing 100a, the sheet P can be fed by the paper feed roller 2a.

[0046] Next, the user attaches the paper feed tray 201 in which the roll body R is accommodated to the housing 100a. In this way, the attachment of the paper feed tray 201 in which the roll body R is accommodated is completed.

[0047] As described above, according to the paper feed tray 201 of this modification example, by bringing the flap 250 into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the roll body R, it becomes possible to easily unwind the sheet P from the roll body R.

[0048] Further, the support portion 212 contacts the outer peripheral surface of the lower portion of the roll body R at two support positions Ra3 and Ra4 and rotatably supports the roll body R. This facilitates the replacement work of the roll body R.

[0049] Further, the flap 250 is in contact with the roll body R outside the two support positions Ra3 and Ra4. Thereby, it is possible to suppress an increase in the separation distance in the horizontal direction C between the two support positions Ra3 and Ra4 as compared with when the flap 250 is in contact with the lower portion of the roll body R between the two support positions Ra3 and Ra4.

[0050] Further, the passage 220 extends horizontally so as to pass below the two support positions Ra3 and Ra4. Thereby, it becomes possible to smoothly guide the paper P unwound from the roll body R by the flap 250 through below the two support positions Ra3 and Ra4.

[0051] Also, since it has the coil spring 260, it becomes possible to surely press the outer peripheral surface of the roll body R with the flap 250. Therefore, it becomes possible to make the paper P more easily unwound from the roll body R.

[0052] In the above-described modification, the flap 250 contacts only the central portion of the outer peripheral surface of the roll body R in the axial direction of the rotation axis Rx, but it may contact at least a part of other portions than the central portion, or extend over at least a part of the central portion and other portions.

[0053] Also, the flap 250 may be arranged to contact the outer peripheral surface between the two support positions Ra3 and Ra4 in the lower half of the roll body R. In this case, it is preferable to configure the passage 220 like the passage 20 in the above-described embodiment.

[0054] Also, in the above-described modification, the coil spring 260 biases the flap 250 so that the tip of the flap 250 contacts the outer peripheral surface of the roll body R, but the flap 250 may be biased by a biasing member other than the coil spring 260. Further, the rotation center of the flap 250 is arranged in the horizontal direction C to be farther from the rotation axis Rx than the tip of the flap 250 and below the tip, and the flap 250 may be configured such that the tip contacts the outer peripheral surface of the roll body R by its own weight. By doing so, it becomes unnecessary to provide a biasing member, and the structure can be simplified. Also, the flap 250 may be bent so that the tip of the corner portion of the bent portion contacts the outer peripheral surface of the roll body R. That is, a middle portion other than the longitudinal tip of the flap 250 may contact the outer peripheral surface of the roll body R.

[0055] In the above-described modification, the roll body R was supported from below by a plurality of rollers 214 and 215. However, the roll body R may be supported by the support portion 212 rotatably supporting both ends of the core member Rc.

[0056] As described above, the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible as long as they are within the scope described in the claims. For example, in the above-described embodiment, one support position Ra1 is higher than the other support position Ra2. However, the other support position Ra2 may be higher than the one support position Ra1. Even in this case, while suppressing an increase in the separation distance in the horizontal direction C between the two support positions Ra1 and Ra2, it is possible to increase the distance along the circumferential direction of the roll body R from one support position Ra1 through the lower end of the roll body R to the other support position Ra2. Therefore, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

[0057] In the above-described embodiments and modifications, the roll body R is supported from below by the rollers 14, 15, 214, and 215. However, the roll body R may be supported from below by something other than rollers (for example, a support surface such as a curved surface) instead of the rollers 14, 15, 214, and 215.

[0058] Also, instead of the above-described inclined surfaces 13a1 and 13b1, a vertical surface along the vertical direction D may be provided. Further, when the roll body R is supported by contacting the outer peripheral surface of the lower portion, it may be a coreless one without a core member Rc. The present invention can be applied to a feeding tray capable of accommodating the roll body R in general. Further, the present invention can be applied not only to the roll body R but also to a feeding tray capable of accommodating cut paper.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0059] 1,201 Feeding Tray 5 Head (Image Forming Unit) 11a Bottom Surface (Horizontal Plane) 12,212 Support Portion 13a1 Inclined Surface (Second Guide Surface) 13b1 Inclined surface (first guide surface) 14, 15, 214, 215 Roller (support roller) 20, 220 Passage 20a Entrance 100 Printer (image forming apparatus) 100a Housing 250 Flap (contact member) 260 Coil spring (biasing member) A Forward direction E Conveying direction P Paper (sheet-like medium) R Roll body Ra1 to Ra4 Support positions Rx Rotation axis

Claims

1. A feeding tray capable of accommodating a roll body in which a sheet-like medium is wound in a roll shape, a support portion that contacts an outer peripheral surface of a lower portion of the roll body at two support positions that sandwich a lower end of the roll body, and rotatably supports the roll body; an inlet disposed between the two support positions, and a passage for guiding the sheet-like medium unwound from the roll body; and among the two support positions, one support position that is upstream of the lower end of the roll body in a traveling direction in which the sheet-like medium unwound from the roll body is guided to the passage and advances is at a higher position than the other support position. A feeding tray characterized by this.

2. The passage has a first guide surface facing an upper surface of the sheet-like medium unwound from the roll body, and a second guide surface facing a lower surface of the sheet-like medium, The first guide surface is disposed below the other support position, and is inclined downward as it moves away from the roll body along the traveling direction. The feeding tray according to claim 1, characterized by this.

3. The second guide surface is inclined downward as it moves away from the roll body along the traveling direction, The inclination angle of the first guide surface with respect to the horizontal plane is larger than the inclination angle of the second guide surface with respect to the horizontal plane. The feeding tray according to claim 2, characterized by this.

4. The support portion has two support rollers that are in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the lower portion of the roll body at the two support positions and are rotatable around a rotation axis parallel to the rotation axis of the roll body. The feeding tray according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by this.

5. A feeding tray according to any one of claims 1 to 4, a housing to which the feeding tray is detachably attached, and inside the housing, a transport mechanism for transporting the sheet-like medium of the roll body accommodated in the feeding tray, An image forming apparatus, characterized in that an image forming unit for forming an image on the sheet-like medium conveyed by the conveying mechanism is provided.

Images