Sheet Storage Apparatus with Projections for Curling Sheets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sheet storage apparatuses fail to reliably store sheets with strong curl, as the front end of the sheet can curl up inside the concave portion and become dislodged, leading to incomplete discharge in inkjet printing apparatuses.
Innovation Solution
A sheet storage apparatus with a receiving unit and a sheet butting unit that includes projections on its inner surfaces to regulate the vertical movement of the sheet's front end, preventing curling and ensuring reliable storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a concave portion is used to receive and store the front end of the sheet, then the sheet can be regulated and stored, but sheets with strong curl may curl up inside the concave portion and become dislodged, leading to unreliable storage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by adding projections to specific locations on the sheet butting unit (inner side surface and/or inner upper surface) rather than changing the entire structure. These localized projections create specific contact points that regulate sheet movement precisely where needed, maintaining simple overall structure while improving storage reliability for strongly curling sheets.
Solution Approach 2:
The projections on the sheet butting unit act as intermediary elements between the concave portion and the sheet. They provide intermediate contact points that prevent the sheet from curling up and becoming dislodged, mediating the interaction between the storage structure and the strongly curling sheet to achieve reliable storage.
2Ease of operation
If the front end of the sheet is allowed to move freely in the concave portion, then the structure remains simple, but the sheet may curl up and come off, failing to regulate vertical movement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent maintains operational simplicity by adding only small projections to specific locations on the sheet butting unit rather than complicating the overall structure. These localized features provide the necessary regulation function while keeping the device easy to operate and maintain.
Solution Approach 2:
The sheet butting unit is segmented into functional zones: the concave portion for receiving the sheet and the projections for regulating vertical movement. This segmentation allows each part to perform its specific function independently, maintaining simplicity while achieving reliable sheet regulation.
3Reliability
If projections are added to the sheet butting unit to regulate vertical movement, then sheet storage reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent minimizes structure complexity by adding projections only to specific locations (inner side surface and/or inner upper surface of the sheet butting unit) rather than modifying the entire structure. This localized approach improves sheet storage reliability while keeping the overall device simple.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making the entire sheet butting unit complex to handle strongly curling sheets, the patent uses a simple inversion approach: adding small projections to the existing simple concave structure. This reverses the conventional thinking of how to increase complexity, achieving reliability through minimal structural addition.
Data Source
AI summary
A sheet storage apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a receiving unit which receives a sheet that is discharged from a discharge port at a position below the discharge port, and a sheet butting unit which is provided in the vicinity of the receiving unit and receives a front end portion of the sheet. The sheet butting unit has a projection which is provided on at least one of an inner side surface and an inner upper surface of the sheet butting unit. The projection is configured to be capable of retaining a state of regulating vertically upward movement of the front end portion of the sheet being discharged from the discharge port.