Image recording device

Abstract

To reduce the size of a feeding tray along a direction in which the feeding tray is inserted into or removed from a housing.SOLUTION: A printer 100 has a feeding tray 1 which may be inserted into or removed from a housing 100a. The feeding tray 1 has: a first storage part 20 capable of storing a roll body R; and a second storage part 30 capable of storing multiple cut sheets Kp in a lamination state. The first storage part 20 has a holder 22 which covers an outer peripheral surface at the downstream side in a feeding direction of the roll body R while supporting the roll body R from below. A portion, which covers the outer peripheral surface at the downstream side in the feeding direction of the roll body R, of the holder 22 has a guide surface 22a which may contact with ends at the upstream side in the feeding direction of the multiple cut sheets KP stored in the second storage part 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus including a feed tray capable of accommodating a roll body and a sheet-like medium in a stacked state.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a facsimile (image recording apparatus) including a paper feed cassette (feed tray) having a placement portion for roll paper (roll body) and a placement portion for cut paper (sheet-like medium).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the paper feed cassette of the facsimile described in Patent Document 1, the placement portion for roll paper and the placement portion for cut paper are arranged in order along the direction in which the paper feed cassette is inserted into the facsimile main body. At the end of the placement portion for cut paper on the side of the placement portion for roll paper, a guide portion for guiding the cut paper fed by a pickup roller is formed. The guide portion is formed so as to be able to receive the ends of a plurality of cut papers accommodated in the cut paper placement portion when the paper feed cassette is tilted so that the placement portion for roll paper is below the placement portion for cut paper. However, since the guide portion receives the load of a plurality of cut papers when the paper feed cassette is tilted or when the paper feed cassette is inserted and removed forcefully, it becomes large. As a result, the size in the insertion direction of the placement portion for cut paper becomes large, and the paper feed cassette itself becomes large in the insertion direction.

[0005] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an image recording device that can reduce the size of the feeding tray along the insertion / removal direction of the housing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The image recording device of the present invention is From the first perspective, The device comprises a housing, a feeding tray that can be inserted into and removed from the housing, a feeding roller that feeds a sheet-like medium contained in the feeding tray in a feeding direction along the insertion / removal direction of the feeding tray, and a recording unit that records an image on the sheet-like medium fed to the feeding roller. The feeding tray has a first storage section capable of accommodating a roll in which the sheet-like medium is wound into a roll, and a second storage section arranged alongside the first storage section along the feeding direction and capable of accommodating multiple sheet-like media stacked on top of each other. A support plate that supports the plurality of sheet-like media housed in the second housing section from below, The first housing section has a holder that supports the roll body from below and covers the outer peripheral surface of the roll body on the downstream side in the feeding direction, and the portion of the holder that covers the outer peripheral surface of the roll body on the downstream side in the feeding direction has a first guide surface that can contact the upstream end of the plurality of sheet-like media housed in the second housing section The support plate is arranged so that the sheet-like medium unwound from the roll body housed in the first storage section can pass between the bottom surface of the feeding tray and the support plate. It is. In a second aspect, the image recording device of the present invention comprises a housing, a feeding tray that can be inserted into and removed from the housing, a feeding roller that feeds a sheet-like medium contained in the feeding tray in a feeding direction along the insertion / removal direction of the feeding tray, and a recording unit that records an image on the sheet-like medium fed to the feeding roller. The feeding tray has a first storage section capable of accommodating a roll body in which the sheet-like medium is wound into a roll shape, and a second storage section arranged alongside the first storage section along the feeding direction and capable of accommodating a plurality of sheet-like media stacked on top of each other. The first storage section has a holder that supports the roll body from below and covers the outer peripheral surface of the roll body on the downstream side in the feeding direction. The portion of the holder that covers the outer peripheral surface of the roll body on the downstream side in the feeding direction has a first guide surface that can contact the upstream end of the plurality of sheet-like media contained in the second storage section. The feeding tray is attachable to the holder and further includes a mounting guide having a second guide surface that, when attached to the downstream side of the first guide surface in the feeding direction, can contact the upstream end of the plurality of sheet-like media housed in the second housing. In a third aspect, the image recording device of the present invention comprises a housing, a feeding tray that can be inserted into and removed from the housing, a feeding roller that feeds a sheet-like medium contained in the feeding tray in a feeding direction along the insertion / removal direction of the feeding tray, and a recording unit that records an image on the sheet-like medium fed to the feeding roller. The feeding tray has a first storage section capable of accommodating a roll body in which the sheet-like medium is wound into a roll shape, and a second storage section arranged alongside the first storage section along the feeding direction and capable of accommodating a plurality of sheet-like media stacked on top of each other. The first storage section has a holder that supports the roll body from below and covers the outer peripheral surface of the roll body on the downstream side in the feeding direction. The portion of the holder that covers the outer peripheral surface of the roll body on the downstream side in the feeding direction has a first guide surface that can contact the upstream end of the plurality of sheet-like media contained in the second storage section. The feeding tray further has a passage between the bottom surface of the feeding tray and the holder for passing the sheet-like medium unwound from the roll body housed in the first storage section. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the image recording device of the present invention, the holder supporting the roll body has a first guide surface that can contact the upstream end in the feeding direction of the multiple sheet-like media housed in the second housing. Therefore, even when the first housing of the feeding tray is tilted so that it is lower than the second housing while multiple sheet-like media are housed in the second housing, or when the feeding tray is inserted or removed forcefully, the multiple sheet-like media can be received by the first guide surface of the holder. Consequently, it is no longer necessary to provide a large guide on the feeding tray to receive the upstream end in the feeding direction of the multiple sheet-like media, and the size of the feeding tray along the insertion / removal direction into the housing can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a schematic side view showing the internal structure of a printer according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the feeding tray. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the main parts of the feeding tray. [Figure 4] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the main parts of the feed tray with the mounting guide attached. [Figure 5] Figure 4 shows the mounting guide, where (a) is a perspective view from the rear and (b) is a perspective view from the front. [Figure 6] (a) is a perspective view of the main part of the holder when the mounting guide is attached to the plate-shaped member, as seen from the front, and (b) is a cross-sectional view along the line VI-VI shown in Figure 4. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] A printer 100 (the "image recording device" of the present invention) according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figure 1. The vertical, horizontal, and front-to-back directions shown in Figure 1 refer to the vertical, front-to-back, and left-to-right directions of the printer 100. The left-to-right direction is the direction when viewed from the front of the printer 100, with the front of the page in Figure 1 being the right side and the back of the page in Figure 1 being the left side.

[0010] (Overall configuration of printer 100) As shown in Figure 1, the printer 100 mainly comprises a housing 100a, a feed tray 1, a feed unit 3, a transport unit 4, a cutting unit 5, a head 6, an output tray 7, and a control unit 8. The feed tray 1 is located below the head 6 inside the housing 100a. The feed tray 1 can be inserted into 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 inward position inside the housing 100a (the position shown in Figure 1) and an outward position outside the housing 100a. In this embodiment, the outward position is a position in front of the housing 100a, and when the feed tray 1 is in the outward position, the feed tray 1 is removed from the housing 100a.

[0011] The feeding tray 1 has a first storage section 20 capable of accommodating a roll body R, and a second storage section 30 capable of accommodating multiple cut sheets Kp (the "sheet-like medium" of the present invention) in a stacked state. The roll body R is formed by winding roll paper Rp (the "sheet-like medium" of the present invention), which is longer than the cut sheets Kp, around the outer circumferential surface of a cylindrical core member Rc. The roll body R is housed in the first storage section 20 such that the axial direction of its central axis Rx coincides with the left-right direction. The cut sheets Kp are, for example, A4 size or letter size paper, and are housed in the second storage section 30 such that their length coincides with the left-right direction.

[0012] In Figure 1, for illustrative purposes, the feed tray 1 is shown containing both the roll R and the cut paper Kp. However, when recording an image with the printer 100, only one of the roll R or the cut paper Kp is contained in the feed tray 1. Furthermore, although the feed tray 1 in this embodiment is configured to be completely removable from the housing 100a, it may also be configured so that the feed tray 1 can only be removed from the housing 100a to the point where it is in an intermediate position from the inward to the outward position, and a part of the feed tray 1 (for example, the rear end) is still inside the housing 100a. Even in this case, it is desirable that the feed tray 1 be configured to allow the roll R or the cut paper Kp to be placed inside from outside the housing 100a.

[0013] The paper feeding unit 3 has a paper feeding roller 2, an arm 2b, and a partition wall 3a. The paper feeding roller 2 feeds out the roll paper Rp unwound from the roll body R stored in the first storage unit 20 or the cut paper Kp stored in the second storage unit 30 from the paper feeding tray 1. The roll paper Rp and the cut paper Kp fed by the paper feeding roller 2 are sent out from the paper feeding tray 1 along the same path (i.e., a common path). In the following description, when the cut paper Kp and the roll paper Rp are not distinguished, they are referred to as "paper P".

[0014] The paper feeding roller 2 has two rollers 2a pivotally supported at the tip of the arm 2b. The two rollers 2a are arranged side by side in the left - right direction with the arm 2b in between and are spaced apart from each other. The two rollers 2a rotate about an axis along the left - right direction by the drive of a paper feeding motor (not shown).

[0015] The arm 2b is rotatably supported by a 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 paper feeding roller 2 approaches the bottom surface 11a of the paper feeding tray 1. The paper feeding roller 2 is movable between a position where it contacts a roller 18 (see FIG. 2) arranged on the bottom surface 11a of the paper feeding tray 1 and a position spaced apart from the roller 18 as the arm 2b rotates about the support shaft 2c. The arm 2b can be retracted to a retracted position where the tray body 10 of the paper feeding tray 1 and the paper feeding roller 2 do not interfere, in conjunction with the movement of the paper feeding tray 1 from an inner position within the housing 100a to an outer position outside the housing 100a by a retraction mechanism (not shown).

[0016] When the paper feeding motor is driven under the control of the control unit 8, the paper feeding roller 2 rotates, and a conveying force in the direction from the front to the rear is applied to the paper P in contact with the paper feeding roller 2. Thereby, the paper P is sent out from the paper feeding tray 1.

[0017] The separating wall (the "inclined wall" of the present invention) 3a is for preventing double feeding when feeding the cut paper Kp from the feeding tray 1, and extends obliquely upward from the bottom surface 11a of the feeding tray 1. The separating wall 3a is provided on the housing 100a. As shown in FIG. 1, the separating wall 3a is located on the downstream side of the feeding tray 1 with respect to the feeding direction of the paper P by the feeding roller 2 (the direction from the front to the rear: hereinafter simply referred to as the "feeding direction" in the following description). Also, the feeding direction is parallel to the insertion / removal direction (front-rear direction) of the feeding tray 1 with respect to the housing 一百a.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the separating wall 3a has a wall surface 3b that abuts against the leading end (rear end) of the cut paper Kp when feeding the cut paper Kp. The wall surface 3b may be a flat surface where the portion abutting against the cut paper Kp is flat, or may be composed of a surface formed in a stepped continuous manner, etc., as long as it can prevent double feeding of the cut paper Kp. The wall surface 3b extends obliquely upward from the bottom surface 11a of the feeding tray 1, and the lower end is located on the front side of the upper end. More specifically, the wall surface 3b is formed to form an obtuse angle with the bottom surface 11a. Also, the wall surface 3b is formed to form a predetermined angle θ1 with the vertical plane Z1 shown by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 1 passing through the lower end. The separating wall 3a is located at the center in the left-right direction of the feeding tray 1 when the feeding tray 1 is mounted on the housing 100a and is in the inner position. Thereby, when feeding the cut paper Kp, the wall surface 3b contacts the central portion in the left-right direction of the cut paper Kp, and separates the stacked cut paper Kp into the cut paper Kp contacting the feeding roller 2 and the other cut paper Kp. The paper P fed from the feeding tray 1 and contacting the wall surface 3b is guided obliquely upward.

[0019] The transport unit 4 includes an intermediate roller pair 41, a transport roller pair 42, a paper discharge roller pair 43, and a guide member 44. The intermediate roller pair 41 consists of a drive roller that rotates by the drive of an intermediate motor (not shown) and a driven roller that moves along with the drive roller. When the intermediate motor (not shown) is driven by the control unit 8, the intermediate roller pair 41 rotates while gripping the paper P and transports the paper P. The intermediate roller pair 41 is located above the separation wall 3a. The intermediate roller pair 41 transports the paper P upward while gripping it, after it has been fed out of the feed tray 1 by the feed roller 2 and is guided diagonally upward by the wall surface 3b. The guide member 44 is located above the intermediate roller pair 41. The guide member 44 guides the paper P being transported upward by the intermediate roller pair 41 forward.

[0020] The transport roller pair 42 consists of a drive roller that rotates when driven by a transport motor (not shown) and a driven roller that moves along with the drive roller. The paper discharge roller pair 43 consists of a drive roller that rotates when driven by a paper discharge motor (not shown) and a driven roller that moves along with the drive roller. When the transport motor and paper discharge motor (not shown) are driven by the control unit 8, the transport roller pair 42 and the paper discharge roller pair 43 rotate while gripping the paper P to transport the paper P. The transport roller pair 42 is located behind the head 6, and the paper discharge roller pair 43 is located in front of the head 6. The transport roller pair 42 transports the paper P forward while gripping the paper P that has been guided forward by the guide member 44. The paper discharge roller pair 43 transports the paper P forward while gripping the paper P that has been transported forward by the transport roller pair 42.

[0021] As shown in Figure 1, the cutting section 5 is located between the separation wall 3a and the intermediate roller pair 41. The cutting section 5 includes a fixed blade 5a that is elongated in the left-right direction and a disc-shaped rotating blade 5b that is movable in the left-right direction while in contact with the fixed blade 5a. The rotating blade 5b rotates and reciprocates along the left-right direction when driven by a cutting motor (not shown). The roll paper Rp, which has been unwound from the roll body R and conveyed, is cut in the left-right direction by the cutting section 5 when the cutting motor is driven by the control unit 8. As a result, a rear end is formed on the roll paper Rp that is sent to the output tray 7.

[0022] The head (the "recording unit" of the present invention) 6 includes a plurality of nozzles (not shown) formed on its lower surface and a driver IC (not shown). The head 6 records an image on paper P that is fed by the feed roller 2, sent out from the feed tray 1, and transported by the transport unit 4. When the driver IC is driven by the control unit 8, ink is ejected from the nozzles, and an image is formed on the paper P as the paper P transported by the transport unit 4 passes the image recording position facing the lower surface of the head 6. The head 6 may be either a line type that ejects ink from the nozzles while its position is fixed, or a serial type that ejects ink from the nozzles while moving in the left-right direction.

[0023] The output tray 7 is located in front of the head 6 and above the feed tray 1 within the housing 100a. The output tray 7 can be inserted into and removed from the housing 100a in the front-to-back direction through an opening 102 formed in the front wall of the housing 100a. The output tray 7 receives the paper P on which an image has been formed by the head 6 and which has been transported forward by the pair of output rollers 43.

[0024] The control unit 8 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 8 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), and RAM (Random Access Memory). The ROM stores programs and data for the CPU to perform various controls. The RAM temporarily stores data used by the CPU when executing programs.

[0025] (Configuration of feeding tray 1) Next, the configuration of the feed tray 1 will be described with further reference to Figures 1 to 6. In the following description, the orientation of each part of the feed tray 1 will be described based on the orientation of the feed tray 1 when it is mounted on the housing 100a.

[0026] The feeding tray 1 has a tray body 10. As shown in Figure 2, the tray body 10 has a bottom wall 11 and side walls 12 to 15 provided at the peripheral ends of the bottom wall 11, and is formed in a box shape that opens upward.

[0027] The bottom wall 11 extends in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions. The upper surface of the bottom wall 11 is the bottom surface 11a of the feeding tray 1. The bottom surface 11a has a first surface 11a1, a second surface 11a2, and a third surface 11a3, as shown in Figure 1. The first surface 11a1, the second surface 11a2, and the third surface 11a3 are arranged in order along the feeding direction. The first surface 11a1 and the third surface 11a3 are horizontal surfaces that extend in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions. The first surface 11a1 is positioned in front of and below the third surface 11a3. The second surface 11a2 is positioned between the first surface 11a1 and the third surface 11a3, connecting them. The second surface 11a2 is an inclined surface that slopes upward as it approaches the rear.

[0028] Furthermore, multiple ribs 11b are formed on the bottom surface 11a. As shown in Figure 1, the multiple ribs 11b support the roll paper Rp unwound from the roll body R from below. The multiple ribs 11b extend along the front-to-back direction, forming from the rear end of the first surface 11a1 through the second surface 11a2 to the third surface 11a3. In addition, the multiple ribs 11b are spaced apart from each other in the left-to-right direction.

[0029] As shown in Figure 2, the feeding tray 1 is located inside a pair of side walls 12 and 13 and has a pair of side guides 80 that are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction. The pair of side guides 80 are arranged to be movable in the left-right direction along the bottom surface 11a. One side guide 80 and the other side guide 80 are able to move in conjunction with each other in a direction away from each other by a known interlocking mechanism (not shown) consisting of, for example, opposing racks and pinions that mesh with both racks.

[0030] As shown in Figure 2, the side walls 12 and 13 extend upward from both the left and right ends of the bottom wall 11. Furthermore, the side walls 12 and 13 extend along the front-to-back direction from the front end to the rear end of the bottom wall 11. In other words, the side walls 12 and 13 are positioned to sandwich the roll body R and cut paper Kp contained in the feeding tray 1 in the left-to-right direction.

[0031] As shown in Figure 2, the side wall 14 extends upward from the front end of the bottom wall 11. The side wall 14 extends along the left-right direction from the right end to the left end of the bottom wall 11.

[0032] Two side walls 15 are provided at the rear end of the bottom wall 11. The two side walls 15 are located at both ends in the left-right direction at the rear end of the bottom wall 11. Each side wall 15 has a guide wall surface 15a that is connected to the rear end of the bottom surface 11a and is inclined such that its upper end is located behind the lower end. The guide wall surface 15a is located at the inner end of each side wall 15 in the left-right direction. The two guide wall surfaces 15a are spaced apart from each other along the left-right direction, and when the feeding tray 1 is mounted on the housing 100a, the separation wall 3a (see Figure 1) is located between the two guide wall surfaces 15a that are aligned in the left-right direction.

[0033] The guide wall 15a is positioned so as to be able to contact the end of the cut paper Kp (the rear end, which is the end closest to the side wall 15) when the feed tray 1 containing the cut paper Kp is tilted so that the side wall 15 is lower than the side wall 14, when the feed tray 1 has been removed from the housing 100a. The part of the guide wall 15a that contacts the cut paper Kp may be a flat surface, or it may be composed of a series of stepped surfaces, as long as it is configured to prevent the cut paper Kp from sliding off the feed tray 1 by contacting the guide wall 15a.

[0034] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, the two side walls 15 are located at both ends in the left-right direction and are spaced apart from each other. Therefore, when storing multiple cut sheets Kp in the second storage section 30, it is possible to hold the center of the multiple cut sheets Kp in the left-right direction with your hand and store them from between the side walls 15. This makes it easier to store many cut sheets Kp in the second storage section 30.

[0035] The first storage section 20 and the second storage section 30 are aligned along the feeding direction. The second storage section 30 is located downstream of the first storage section 20 in the feeding direction.

[0036] The first housing section 20 houses the roll body R in a position where the axial direction of the central axis Rx coincides with the left-right direction. As shown in Figure 1, the first housing section 20 has a support section 29 that supports the roll body R from below. The support section 29 has two holders 21 and 22 and two rollers 23 and 24. The two holders 21 and 22 are spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction. Holder 21 is located in front of holder 22. Both holders 21 and 22 extend along the left-right direction.

[0037] Roller 23 is mounted on holder 21 so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis extending in the left-right direction. Roller 24 is mounted on holder 22 so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis extending in the left-right direction. Rollers 23 and 24 are spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction. Roller 23 is positioned above Roller 24. The two rollers 23 and 24 support the roll body R from below, in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the lower portion of the roll body R.

[0038] As shown in Figure 1, the holder 21 covers the front outer circumferential surface of the roll body R, which is supported by two rollers 23 and 24. The holder 21 also has a curved surface 21a that is positioned at a distance from the front outer circumferential surface of the roll body R. The curved surface 21a is formed by curving forward from the rear end of the upper surface 21b of the holder 21.

[0039] As shown in Figure 1, the holder 22 covers the rear outer circumferential surface (mainly the lower part of the roll body R) of the roll body R supported by the two rollers 23 and 24. The holder 22 also has a guide surface 22a that can contact the front end of the cut paper Kp housed in the second housing section 30. The guide surface (the "first guide surface" of the present invention) 22a is positioned at an acute angle with respect to the support plate 31, which will be described later. The guide surface 22a is also formed to make a predetermined angle θ2 with respect to the vertical plane Z2 shown by the dashed line in Figure 1 passing through its lower end. The guide surface 22a is positioned such that the angle θ2 is smaller than the angle θ1 of the wall surface 3b with respect to the vertical plane Z1.

[0040] As shown in Figure 3, five recesses 22b1 to 22b3 are formed at the lower end of the guide surface 22a of the holder 22. These recesses 22b1 to 22b3 open toward the rear and downward, and are configured so that the five protrusions 31b1 to 31b3 of the support plate 31, described later, can be inserted from the rear. Of the five recesses 22b1 to 22b3, recess 22b1, which is located in the center in the left-right direction, is formed to be the longest in the left-right direction. Of the five recesses 22b1 to 22b3, two recesses 22b3 are located on the outermost side in the left-right direction. The two recesses 22b2 are located between recess 22b1 and the two recesses 22b3, and their length in the left-right direction is shorter than the other recesses 22b1 and 22b3.

[0041] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, two holes 22c to 22e are formed in the guide surface 22a. These six holes 22c to 22e are formed through the plate-shaped member 22a1 (a plate-shaped member that constitutes part of the holder 22: see Figure 6(b)) which has the guide surface 22a. The two holes 22c are located at the lower end of the guide surface 22a and are positioned to sandwich the recess 22b1 in the left-right direction. The two holes 22c are also located between the recess 22b1 and the two recesses 22b2 in the left-right direction. The two holes 22c have an elongated shape in the left-right direction.

[0042] As shown in Figure 3, the two holes 22d are positioned above the hole 22c. Furthermore, the two holes 22d are positioned so as to overlap the outer ends of the two holes 22c in the vertical direction. The two holes 22d have an elongated shape in the vertical direction. The two holes 22e are positioned between the two holes 22d in the horizontal direction. Of the two holes 22e, one (right) is circular, while the other (left) has an elongated shape in the horizontal direction.

[0043] As shown in Figure 1, the holder 22 is positioned such that a passage 25 is formed between the lower surface of the holder 22 and the bottom surface 11a for passing the roll paper Rp unwound from the roll body R. The roll paper Rp unwound from the roll body R housed in the first storage section 20 is passed through the passage 25 from between the two holders 21 and 22 and pulled out along the bottom surface 11a to the roller 18.

[0044] As shown in Figure 1, the second storage section 30 has a support plate 31 that supports a plurality of stacked cut paper sheets Kp from below. The support plate 31 is a plate-shaped member that extends in the front-rear and left-right directions, and its upper surface is the support surface 31a. As shown in Figure 3, five protrusions 31b1 to 31b3 are formed at the front end of the support plate 31, projecting forward. Of the five protrusions 31b1 to 31b3, the protrusion 31b1 located in the center in the left-right direction is formed to be the longest in the left-right direction. Of the five protrusions 31b1 to 31b3, two protrusions 31b3 are positioned on the outermost side in the left-right direction. The two protrusions 31b2 are positioned between protrusion 31b1 and the two protrusions 31b3, and their length in the left-right direction is shorter than the other protrusions 31b1 and 31b3. The support plate 31 is configured such that the protruding portion 31b1 can be inserted into the recess 22b1, the two protruding portions 31b2 can be inserted into the two recesses 22b2, and the two protruding portions 31b3 can be inserted into the two recesses 22b3.

[0045] The support plate 31 has five protrusions 31b1 to 31b3 that are inserted into five recesses 22b1 to 22b3 of the holder 22, and is resting on a plurality of ribs 11b formed on the third surface 11a3 from the center in the front-rear direction to the rear end. The support plate 31 is also configured so that its rear end can swing up and down, with the portion inserted into the holder 22 (protrusions 31b1 to 31b3) as a pivot point. Furthermore, the support plate 31 extends rearward from this pivot point to near the rear end of the bottom surface 11a.

[0046] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, the support plate 31 and the bottom wall 11 define a feeding path 27 for passing the roll paper Rp unwound from the roll body R housed in the first storage section 20. In other words, the support plate 31 is positioned opposite the bottom surface 11a so that the roll paper Rp can pass between the support plate 31 and the bottom surface 11a. The support plate 31 also has the function of restricting the curling of the roll paper Rp as it passes between the support plate 31 and the bottom surface 11a.

[0047] Multiple ribs 11b formed on the bottom surface 11a support the roll paper Rp passing through the feeding path 27. Also, as shown in Figure 2, two rollers 18 are arranged side by side along the left-right direction on the third surface 11a3 of the bottom surface 11a. The two rollers 18 are located in the center in the left-right direction near the rear end of the bottom surface 11a. The two rollers 2a that constitute the feeding roller 2 are each capable of contacting the two rollers 18.

[0048] As shown in Figure 2, a notch 32 is formed at the rear end of the support plate 31. The notch 32 is located in the center of the support plate 31 in the left-right direction. The notch 32 is located on the movement trajectory of the feed roller 2, which moves from a position in contact with the roller 18 to a position separated from the roller 18. The two rollers 18 are located within the notch 32 of the support plate 31 when viewed from above.

[0049] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, two notches 33 are formed at the front end of the support plate 31. These notches 33 are positioned between the protruding portion 31b1 and the two protruding portions 31b2 in the left-right direction. The two notches 33 are also configured to allow the protruding portions 66 and 67 of the mounting guide 60, which will be described later, to be inserted.

[0050] As shown in Figure 4, the feeding tray 1 has a mounting guide 60 that can be attached to the guide surface 22a side of the holder 22. The mounting guide 60 has a guide surface (the "second guide surface" of the present invention) 60a that can contact the front end (the upstream end in the feeding direction) of a plurality of cut sheets Kp stored in the second storage section when attached to the rear side (downstream side in the feeding direction) of the guide surface 22a. In this embodiment, the mounting guide 60 is attached to the holder 22 when A4-sized cut sheets Kp are stored in the second storage section 30 with their length direction aligned with the left-right direction. This makes it possible to contact the front end of the A4-sized cut sheets Kp with the guide surface 60a and align the front end. On the other hand, the mounting guide 60 is removed from the holder 22 when letter-sized cut sheets Kp are stored in the second storage section 30 with their length direction aligned with the left-right direction. Thus, the mounting guide 60 has a thickness (thickness perpendicular to the guide surface 60a) that is the difference between A4 size and letter size, or close to that difference. Furthermore, the thickness of the mounting guide 60 is almost uniform.

[0051] As shown in Figure 4, the mounting guide 60 consists of a plate-shaped member extending in the vertical and horizontal directions. In the horizontal direction, the mounting guide 60 is shorter than the length of the guide surface 22a and is mounted in the center of the guide surface 22a. Furthermore, the horizontal length of the mounting guide 60 is formed to such an extent that when a cut paper Kp housed in the second housing section 30 comes into contact with one end of the guide surface 60a in the horizontal direction and rotates within the allowable rotation range within the second housing section 30 with the contact point as the center of rotation, the corner of the cut paper Kp closest to that end does not come into contact with the guide surface 22a. Similarly, when a cut paper Kp comes into contact with the other end of the guide surface 60a in the horizontal direction and rotates within the allowable rotation range within the second housing section 30 with the contact point as the center of rotation, the corner of the cut paper Kp closest to that other end does not come into contact with the guide surface 22a. The rotation of the cut paper Kp within the second housing section 30 refers to the range in which the cut paper Kp, housed in the second housing section 30, can rotate within the area enclosed by the pair of side guides 80 and the guide surface 60a. By setting the length of the mounting guide 60 in this manner, even if the cut paper Kp rotates within the second housing section 30, the front corner is less likely to come into contact with the guide surface 22a. Therefore, deformation of the front corner of the cut paper Kp can be suppressed.

[0052] On the part of the mounting guide 60 opposite to the guide surface 60a (the front side), a recess 61 is formed that opens forward, as shown in Figure 5(b). The recess 61 extends over almost the entire length of the mounting guide 60. In the central vertical portion of the left and right side walls 62 and 63 that define the recess 61, there are cut-out sections 62a and 63a where the side walls 62 and 63 are partially missing. Hooks 64 and 65 are formed in each of the cut-out sections 62a and 63a. The hooks 64 and 65 are positioned at a distance from the side walls 62 and 63.

[0053] As shown in Figure 5(a), the hook 64 has a projection 64a that protrudes forward from the bottom surface of the missing portion 62a, and a projection 64b that protrudes outward (to the right) from the front end of the projection 64a. Two engaging portions 64b1 are formed on the rear surface of the projection 64b, which protrude rearward and extend in the left-right direction. These engaging portions 64b1 are spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction. The rear surface of each engaging portion 64b1 is an inclined surface 64b2 that slopes forward as it moves away from the projection 64a.

[0054] As shown in Figure 5(b), the hook 65 has a projection 65a that protrudes forward from the bottom surface of the missing portion 63a, and a projection 65b that protrudes outward (to the left) from the front end of the projection 65a. Two engaging portions (not shown) similar to the engaging portion 64b1 described above are formed on the rear surface of the projection 65b.

[0055] The mounting guide 60 has protrusions 66 and 67 at the lower ends of both ends in the left-right direction, projecting downward from the center. Hooks 68 and 69 are formed on the bottom surface of the protrusions 66 and 67 of the recess 61.

[0056] Each hook 68, 69 has a projection 68a, 69a that protrudes forward from the bottom surface of the recess 61, and a projection 68b, 69b that protrudes downward from the front end of the projection 68a, 69a, as shown in Figure 5(b). In addition, two cylindrical projections 61a are formed on the bottom surface of the recess 61 of the mounting guide 60. The two projections 61a are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction. Furthermore, the two projections 61a are positioned to overlap with the lower ends of the hooks 64, 65 along the left-right direction.

[0057] Next, the method for attaching the mounting guide 60 to the holder 22 will be described below with reference to Figure 6. When attaching the mounting guide 60 to the holder 22, first, as shown in Figure 6(a), insert the two protrusions 66 and 67 of the mounting guide 60 into the two notches 33 of the support plate 31, and then insert the two hooks 68 and 69 into the two holes 22c formed in the guide surface 22a. Two engaging portions 22a3 are formed on the front surface 22a2 of the plate-shaped member 22a1. The two engaging portions 22a3 are formed to protrude forward from below the holes 22c. The two hooks 68 and 69 then engage with the two engaging portions 22a3.

[0058] Next, as shown in Figure 6(a), the two projections 61a of the mounting guide 60 are inserted into the two holes 22e formed in the guide surface 22a, while the two hooks 64 and 65 are inserted into the two holes 22d. Two engaging portions 22a4 are formed on the front surface 22a2 of the plate-shaped member 22a1. The two engaging portions 22a4 are formed to protrude forward from the left and right outer sides of the hole 22d. The two hooks 64 and 65 then engage with the two engaging portions 22a4. More specifically, as shown in Figure 6(b), the two engaging portions 64b1 of each hook 64 and 65 engage with the engaging portion 22a4. As a result, the inclined surface 64b2 of the engaging portion 64b1 comes into contact with the engaging portion 22a4, and the inclination of the inclined surface 64b2 pulls the mounting guide 60 towards the guide surface 22a. This stabilizes the mounting guide 60 attached to the holder 22.

[0059] Thus, the mounting guide 60 attached to the guide surface 22a side of the holder 22 is positioned parallel to the guide surface 60a and the guide surface 22a of the holder 22, as shown in Figure 6(b). In other words, the guide surface 60a is positioned such that the angle θ3 between the guide surface 60a and the vertical plane Z2 is the same as the angle θ2 mentioned above. Furthermore, as the protrusions 66 and 67 are inserted into the notches 33, the portions formed on the protrusions 66 and 67 of the guide surface 60a extend below the support surface 31a.

[0060] (Setting procedure for roll paper Rp and cut paper Kp) When recording an image on a roll of paper Rp, the feed tray 1 is removed from the housing 100a. Then, the roll of paper R is placed in the first storage section 20. At this time, the roll of paper Rp, which has been unwound from the roll of paper R, is inserted into the passage 25. After this, the roll of paper R is rotated counterclockwise in Figure 1 to pass the roll of paper Rp through the feed path 27. As a result, the roll of paper Rp is supported from below by multiple ribs 11b and does not come into contact with the bottom surface 11a. Then, the roll of paper Rp is pulled out until the leading edge of the roll of paper Rp is positioned downstream of the roller 18 in the feeding 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 2, together with the roller 18, grips the roll of paper Rp, and the roll of paper Rp can be fed.

[0061] When recording an image on a cut sheet of paper Kp, remove the feed tray 1 from the housing 100a as described above. When storing an A4-sized cut sheet of paper Kp in the second storage section 30, attach the mounting guide 60 to the holder 22 as described above. On the other hand, when storing a letter-sized cut sheet of paper Kp, if the mounting guide 60 is attached to the holder 22, remove the mounting guide 60 from the holder 22. The method for removing the mounting guide 60 is the reverse of the installation method. Then, store the cut sheet of paper Kp of the desired size in the second storage section 30. As a result, multiple cut sheets of paper Kp are supported from below by the support plate 31. At this time, the front end of the cut sheet of paper Kp is guided by the guide surface 22a (or guide surface 60a). In this state, move the feed tray 1 from an outer position outside the housing 100a to an inner position inside the housing 100a. As a result, the feed roller 2 comes into contact with the uppermost of the multiple cut sheets Kp, enabling the feed of the cut sheet Kp.

[0062] As described above, in the printer 100 of this embodiment, the holder 22 that supports the roll body R has a guide surface 22a that can contact the front end (upstream end in the feeding direction) of the multiple cut paper Kp stored in the second storage section 30. Therefore, even when the first storage section 20 of the feeding tray 1 is tilted so as to be lower than the second storage section 30 while multiple cut paper Kp are stored in the second storage section 30, or when the feeding tray 1 is inserted or removed forcefully, the multiple cut paper Kp can be received by the guide surface 22a of the holder 22. Consequently, it is no longer necessary to provide a large guide on the feeding tray 1 to receive the front ends of the multiple cut paper Kp, and the size of the feeding tray 1 in the direction of insertion and removal from the housing 100a can be reduced.

[0063] The support plate 31 defines a feeding path 27 between the bottom surface 11a of the feeding tray 1, through which the roll paper Rp unwound from the roll body R can pass. As a result, even if the support plate 31 is provided on the feeding tray 1 and a feeding path 27 for passing the roll paper Rp unwound from the roll body R is formed between the support plate 31 and the bottom surface 11a of the feeding tray 1, the front ends of the multiple cut paper Kp supported by the support plate 31 can be guided by the guide surface 22a of the holder 22. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a guide on the support plate 31 that can contact the front ends of the multiple cut paper Kp stored in the second storage section 30.

[0064] The guide surface 22a of the holder 22 is positioned at an acute angle with respect to the support plate 31. As a result, the front ends of the multiple cut sheets Kp stored in the second storage section 30 follow the guide surface 22a, and the rear ends (downstream ends in the feeding direction) of the multiple cut sheets Kp are also positioned parallel to the direction along the guide surface 22a. Therefore, the rear ends of the multiple cut sheets Kp stored in the second storage section 30 are positioned further back as they move upward. This makes it possible to suppress the distance between the rear ends of the multiple cut sheets Kp stored in the second storage section 30 and the separation wall 3a, even if the separation wall 3a extends diagonally upward from the bottom surface 11a of the feeding tray 1. As a result, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the separation performance of the cut sheets Kp by the separation wall 3a.

[0065] The angle θ2 of the guide surface 22a with respect to the vertical plane Z2 is smaller than the angle θ1 of the separation wall 3a with respect to the vertical plane Z1. This makes it possible to reduce the distance at which the rear ends of the multiple cut papers Kp housed in the second housing section 30 move towards the separation wall 3a as they move upward.

[0066] Furthermore, the feeding tray 1 has a mounting guide 60 that can be attached to the holder 22. By attaching the mounting guide 60 to the guide surface 22a, it becomes possible to guide the edges of cut paper Kp (e.g., A4 size cut paper) that are shorter in length in the front-to-back direction (feeding direction) than the cut paper Kp (e.g., letter size cut paper) whose edges are guided by the guide surface 22a, with the guide surface 60a.

[0067] Furthermore, when the mounting guide 60 is attached to the holder 22, the guide surface 60a is parallel to the guide surface 22a. As a result, the guide surface 60a has the same function as the guide surface 22a, and the same effects as those of the guide surface 22a can be obtained.

[0068] Furthermore, the guide surface 60a extends below the support surface 31a of the support plate 31, which contacts the cut paper Kp housed in the second housing section 30. As a result, no gap is created between the support surface 31a and the guide surface 60a in the vertical direction, preventing the front end of the cut paper Kp placed on the support surface 31a from entering this gap, thus ensuring reliable guidance of the front end of the cut paper Kp.

[0069] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible as long as they are within the scope of the claims. For example, in the holder 22 of the above embodiment, a mounting guide 60 can be attached to the guide surface 22a side, but it is not necessary for the holder to be configured to allow the attachment of the mounting guide 60. Also, although the guide surface 22a is positioned at an acute angle with respect to the support plate 31 (support surface 31a), it may be positioned at a right angle or an obtuse angle. In short, the guide surface 22a only needs to be configured to receive the front ends of the multiple cut paper Kp stored in the second storage section 30. Furthermore, the holder 22 only needs to cover at least a part of the outer circumferential surface on the downstream side in the feeding direction of the roll body R, and may also cover parts other than the lower part.

[0070] Furthermore, the support plate 31 is not required. In this case, the cut paper Kp can be supported by the bottom surface 11a of the feeding tray 1. Also, the separation wall 3a is not required. Furthermore, the cut paper Kp stored in the second storage section 30 may be biased upward by the pressure plate as it moves downstream in the feeding direction. In this case, the feeding roller can be positioned near the upper end of the separation wall 3a.

[0071] Furthermore, the guide surface 60a of the mounting guide 60 may also be positioned at a right angle or obtuse angle to the support plate 31 (support surface 31a). In short, the guide surface 60a only needs to be configured to receive the front ends of the multiple cut paper Kp stored in the second storage section 30. Also, the guide surface 60a of the mounting guide 60 when attached to the holder 22 does not have to be parallel to the guide surface 22a of the holder 22. Furthermore, the guide surface 60a does not have to extend below the support surface 31a that supports the cut paper Kp from below.

[0072] The present invention can be applied to any image recording device equipped with a feed tray capable of accommodating a roll body R and cut paper Kp. That is, for example, the present invention can be applied not only to inkjet printers equipped with a head that ejects ink from nozzles as the recording unit, but also to electrophotographic printers equipped with a laser recording unit in which an electrostatic latent image is formed by exposing a photoreceptor with a laser, or an LED recording unit in which an electrostatic latent image is formed by exposing a photoreceptor with an LED. Furthermore, the sheet-like medium is not limited to paper, but may be cloth, film or other resin materials, as long as it is in sheet form. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 1. Feeding tray 3a Separation wall 6. Head (recording unit) 11a Bottom 20. First Detention Unit 22 holder 22a Guide surface (first guide surface) 30 Second Detention Unit 31 Support plate 31a Support surface 60 Installation Guide 60a Guide surface (second guide surface) 100 Printers (image recording devices) 100a enclosure 201 Laura R Roll Body Rp Roll paper (sheet-type media) Kp Cut Sheet (Sheet-shaped media) θ1,θ2 angle

Claims

1. The casing and A feeding tray that can be inserted into and removed from the aforementioned housing, A feeding roller that feeds a sheet-like medium contained in the feeding tray in a feeding direction along the insertion and removal direction of the feeding tray, It includes a recording unit that records an image on a sheet-like medium fed to the aforementioned feeding roller, The aforementioned feeding tray is A first storage section capable of accommodating a roll body in which a sheet-like medium is wound into a roll shape, A second storage section is arranged alongside the first storage section along the aforementioned feeding direction and is capable of accommodating multiple sheet-like media in a stacked state, It has a support plate that supports the plurality of sheet-like media housed in the second housing section from below, The first housing section has a holder that supports the roll body from below and covers the outer peripheral surface of the roll body on the downstream side in the feeding direction, The portion of the holder that covers the outer peripheral surface of the roll body on the downstream side in the feeding direction has a first guide surface that can contact the upstream end of the plurality of sheet-like media housed in the second housing, The image recording apparatus is characterized in that the support plate is arranged so that the sheet-like medium unwound from the roll body housed in the first storage section can pass between the bottom surface of the feeding tray and the support plate.

2. An inclined wall for separating sheet-like media supplied by the supply roller from a plurality of sheet-like media contained in the second storage section, further comprising the inclined wall extending diagonally upward from the bottom surface of the supply tray, The image recording device according to claim 1, characterized in that the first guide surface is arranged at an acute angle with respect to the support plate.

3. The image recording device according to claim 2, characterized in that the angle of the first guide surface with respect to the vertical plane is smaller than the angle of the inclined wall with respect to the vertical plane.

4. The aforementioned feeding tray is The image recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a mounting guide that can be attached to the holder and has a second guide surface that can contact the upstream end of the plurality of sheet-like media housed in the second housing when attached to the downstream side of the first guide surface in the feeding direction.

5. The image recording device according to claim 4, characterized in that the second guide surface is parallel to the first guide surface when the mounting guide is attached to the first guide surface on the downstream side in the feeding direction.

6. The image recording apparatus according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the second guide surface extends below the support surface of the support plate that contacts the sheet-like medium housed in the second housing.

7. Housing and A feeding tray that can be inserted into and removed from the aforementioned housing, A feeding roller that feeds a sheet-like medium contained in the feeding tray in a feeding direction along the insertion and removal direction of the feeding tray, It includes a recording unit that records an image on a sheet-like medium fed to the aforementioned feeding roller, The aforementioned feeding tray is A first storage section capable of accommodating a roll body in which a sheet-like medium is wound into a roll shape, It has a second storage section arranged alongside the first storage section along the aforementioned feeding direction, and capable of accommodating multiple sheet-like media in a stacked state, The first housing section has a holder that supports the roll body from below and covers the outer peripheral surface of the roll body on the downstream side in the feeding direction, The portion of the holder that covers the outer peripheral surface of the roll body on the downstream side in the feeding direction has a first guide surface that can contact the upstream end of the plurality of sheet-like media housed in the second housing, The aforementioned feeding tray is An image recording device characterized by further having a mounting guide that can be attached to the holder and, when attached to the downstream side of the first guide surface in the feeding direction, has a second guide surface that can contact the upstream end of the plurality of sheet-like media housed in the second housing in the feeding direction.

8. Housing and A feeding tray that can be inserted into and removed from the aforementioned housing, A feeding roller that feeds a sheet-like medium contained in the feeding tray in a feeding direction along the insertion and removal direction of the feeding tray, It includes a recording unit that records an image on a sheet-like medium fed to the aforementioned feeding roller, The aforementioned feeding tray is A first storage section capable of accommodating a roll body in which a sheet-like medium is wound into a roll shape, It has a second storage section arranged alongside the first storage section along the aforementioned feeding direction, and capable of accommodating multiple sheet-like media in a stacked state, The first housing section has a holder that supports the roll body from below and covers the outer peripheral surface of the roll body on the downstream side in the feeding direction, The portion of the holder that covers the outer peripheral surface of the roll body on the downstream side in the feeding direction has a first guide surface that can contact the upstream end of the plurality of sheet-like media housed in the second housing, The image recording apparatus is characterized in that the feeding tray has a passage between the bottom surface of the feeding tray and the holder through which a sheet-like medium unwound from the roll body housed in the first storage section passes.

Images