Paper discharge unit and printing apparatus employing the paper discharge unit
View Patent ↗A printer having a plurality of printing engines that eject papers to a common chute box is provided, wherein papers are discharged in an aligned state, even in the case that papers of different sizes are ejected. Papers of different sizes are inserted through slots of the chute box. Movement on a guide member of the papers, having the largest width from among the inserted papers, is regulated by side walls of the chute box. Meanwhile, widthwise movement of papers of a smaller size than the largest papers is regulated by one of the side walls of the chute box and a guide rib.
1. A paper discharge unit comprising:
a chute box having a plurality of slots for inserting papers of different sizes thereinto, provided at different heights in a first surface thereof;
a plurality of guide members, inclined downwardly from the plurality of slots, provided to form a gap through which the papers fall toward a second surface of the chute box facing the first surface in which the plurality of slots are formed; and
a plurality of guide ribs,
wherein
the chute box is provided with side walls for regulating widthwise movement on the guide member of a first paper, having the largest width among the papers; and
each of the guide members is provided with one of said guide ribs for regulating widthwise movement of a second paper, which is smaller than the first paper, in cooperation with one of the side walls, the guide ribs extending from the slots to the second surface of the chute box,
wherein:
the guide ribs are provided so that the width between each of them and the one of the side walls becomes narrower toward the second surface of the chute box.
2. A paper discharge unit as defined in claim 1 , wherein:
the guide ribs are provided so that upper edges thereof approach the second surface of the chute box toward the ends of the guide ribs away from the slots.
3. A paper discharge unit as defined in claim 1 , further comprising:
downwardly extending sheet members provided at distal ends of the guide members, the sheet members being in contact with the second surface of the chute box.
4. A paper discharge unit as defined in claim 3 , wherein:
for first and second papers which are curled in the cross section of their width directions each sheet member is provided with a first space for both edges in the width direction of the first paper to be inserted in, and a second space for both edges in the width direction of the second paper to be inserted in.
5. A paper discharge unit as defined in claim 1 , further comprising:
a paper housing portion, for stacking and housing the papers, provided below the chute box; and
a position controlling member, for causing the papers which fall through the chute box to be stacked in the same direction, provided between the chute box and the paper housing portion.
6. A printing apparatus comprising:
a plurality of printing engines capable of discharging papers of different sizes on which images are printed, the printing engines being housed in the printing apparatus in a stacked manner;
a chute box having a plurality of slots for inserting thereinto papers of different sizes which are discharged by the printing engines, each of said slots being associated with a different one of the printing engines, and being arranged at a different height in a first surface of the chute box;
a plurality of guide members, inclined downwardly from the plurality of slots, provided to form a gap through which the papers fall toward a second surface of the chute box facing the first surface in which the plurality of slots are formed; and
a plurality of guide ribs, wherein
the chute box is provided with side walls for regulating widthwise movement on the guide member of a first paper, having the largest width among the papers; and
each of the guide members is provided with one of said guide ribs for regulating widthwise movement of a second paper, which is smaller than the first paper, in cooperation with one of the side walls, the guide ribs extending from the slots to the second surface of the chute box; and
wherein the guide ribs are provided so that the width between each of them and the one of the side walls becomes narrower toward the second surface of the chute box.