IP Library Granted Patent US 12,404,127
Granted Patent B2
US 12,404,127 · App. 18/150,312 · Granted Sep 2, 2025

Image recording apparatus and feed tray

Inventors: Kengo Noda (Inazawa, JP); Nao Morimoto (Nagoya, JP)
Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
B65H5/062B65H1/027B65H3/44B65H7/02B65H2301/5111B65H2402/30
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,404,127
App. No.
18/150,312
Granted
Sep 2, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

An image recording apparatus includes: a feed tray; a feed roller configured to feed a sheet medium accommodated in the feed tray; and a recording unit. The feed tray includes: a first accommodating part configured to accommodate a rolled body formed by rolling the sheet medium; a second accommodating part configured to accommodate a plurality of sheet media in a stacked state, each of the sheet media being the sheet medium; a contact surface configured to contact, from below, the sheet medium unrolled from the rolled body accommodated in the first accommodating part; and a support member having a support surface configured to support the sheet media accommodated in the second accommodating part. The feed roller is movable between a contact position at which the feed roller contacts the contact surface and a separation position at which the feed roller is away from the contact surface.

Claims (86)

1. An image recording apparatus, comprising:

a feed tray;

a feed roller configured to feed a sheet medium accommodated in the feed tray; and

a recording unit configured to record an image on the sheet medium fed by the feed roller,

wherein the feed tray includes:

a first accommodating part configured to accommodate a rolled body formed by rolling the sheet medium;

a second accommodating part configured to accommodate a plurality of sheet media in a stacked state, each of the sheet media being the sheet medium;

a contact surface configured to contact, from below, the sheet medium unrolled from the rolled body accommodated in the first accommodating part; and

a support member having a support surface configured to support the plurality of sheet media in the stacked state, which is accommodated in the second accommodating part,

in a state where the second accommodating part is in a posture to accommodate the plurality of sheet media in the stacked state, a position of the second accommodating part relative to the first accommodating part is fixed,

the feed roller is configured to be movable between a contact position at which the feed roller contacts the contact surface and a separation position at which the feed roller is away from the contact surface, and

the support member is configured to be movable between a first position at which the support member is outside a movement path of the feed roller and a second position at which the support member is on the movement path of the feed roller with the support surface facing upward.

2. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the feed tray further includes a roller having the contact surface.

3. An image recording apparatus comprising:

a feed tray;

a feed roller configured to feed a sheet medium accommodated in the feed tray; and

a recording unit configured to record an image on the sheet medium fed by the feed roller,

wherein the feed tray includes:

a first accommodating part configured to accommodate a rolled body formed by rolling the sheet medium;

a second accommodating part configured to accommodate a plurality of sheet media in a stacked state, each of the sheet media being the sheet medium;

a contact surface configured to contact, from below, the sheet medium unrolled from the rolled body accommodated in the first accommodating part;

a support member having a support surface configured to support the sheet media accommodated in the second accommodating part, and

a roller having the contact surface,

the feed roller is configured to be movable between a contact position at which the feed roller contacts the contact surface and a separation position at which the feed roller is away from the contact surface,

the support member is configured to be movable between a first position at which the support member is outside a movement path of the feed roller and a second position at which the support member is on the movement path of the feed roller with the support surface facing upward,

the support surface includes a first area and a second area having a coefficient of friction higher than a coefficient of friction of the first area, and

in a state that the support member is positioned at the second position, the second area is positioned on the movement path of the feed roller.

4. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in the second position, the support member covers a contact part, of the contact surface, at which the feed roller contacts the contact surface.

5. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a controller; and

a detecting unit configured to detect whether the sheet medium is placed at a feed position at which the sheet medium is fed by the feed roller,

wherein in a case that the detecting unit detects that the sheet medium is placed at the feed position, the controller is configured to control the feed roller to feed the sheet medium from the feed tray.

6. An image recording apparatus comprising:

a feed tray;

a feed roller configured to feed a sheet medium accommodated in the feed tray; and

a recording unit configured to record an image on the sheet medium fed by the feed roller,

wherein the feed tray includes:

a first accommodating part configured to accommodate a rolled body formed by rolling the sheet medium;

a second accommodating part configured to accommodate a plurality of sheet media in a stacked state, each of the sheet media being the sheet medium;

a contact surface configured to contact, from below, the sheet medium unrolled from the rolled body accommodated in the first accommodating part; and

a support member having a support surface configured to support the sheet media accommodated in the second accommodating part,

the feed roller is configured to be movable between a contact position at which the feed roller contacts the contact surface and a separation position at which the feed roller is away from the contact surface,

the support member is configured to be movable between a first position at which the support member is outside a movement path of the feed roller and a second position at which the support member is on the movement path of the feed roller with the support surface facing upward, and

the support member is a plate member with one side as the support surface, and moves between the first position and the second position by rotating around a first axis extending in one direction in a plane parallel to the support surface.

7. The image recording apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein

the feed tray further includes a partitioning member configured to partition a space in the feed tray into an upper space and a lower space,

the first axis is parallel to a horizontal direction and extends in a first direction orthogonal to a feed direction of the sheet medium by the feed roller,

the support member has a base end, at which the first axis is located, at an upstream end in the feed direction in a state of the support member being in the second position, and

the base end of the support member is attached to a downstream end in the feed direction of the partitioning member.

8. The image recording apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein

the support member has a first protrusion formed on the other side opposite to the one side, and

in the state of the support member being in the second position, the first protrusion is arranged at a position between the first accommodating part and a contact part, of the contact surface, at which the feed roller contacts the contact surface, such that the first protrusion prevents the sheet medium unrolled from the rolled body from proceeding toward the contact part.

9. The image recording apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the other side of the support member faces upward in a state of the support member being in the first position.

10. The image recording apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein

the contact surface has a recess configured to receive the first protrusion of the support member in the second position, and

a tip end of the first protrusion is chamfered.

11. The image recording apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein

the feed tray further includes a main body,

the support member has a second protrusion formed on the other side opposite to the one side, and

the main body has an abutment surface which faces upstream side in the feed direction such that the second protrusion abuts against the abutment surface in the state of the support member being in the second position.

12. The image recording apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the support member is on an upper surface of the partitioning member in a state of the support member being in the first position.

13. The image recording apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein

the feed tray further includes a link member via which the support member is attached to the partitioning member,

in the state of the support member being in the second position, the link member is arranged between the support member and the partitioning member in the feed direction, and an upstream end in the feed direction of the link member is attached to the partitioning member such that the link member rotates around a second axis extending in the first direction,

in the state of the support member being in the second position, the support member is attached to a downstream end in the feed direction of the link member such that the support member rotates around the first axis, and

the link member includes a regulating part configured to interfere with the support member to prevent an angle between the contact surface and the link member from being 90 degrees or more under a condition that the support member moves from the second position to the first position by rotating.

14. The image recording apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein

the link member is a plate member long in the first direction,

one end in a short direction of the link member is attached to the partitioning member and the other end in the short direction of the link member is attached to a central part in the first direction of the support member, and

the link member has a protruding portion protruding in the first direction, at one end in the first direction of the other end in the short direction.

15. The image recording apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein

the partitioning member is formed with a notch at the downstream end in the feed direction, and

the support member is attached to an inside of the notch of the partitioning member.

16. The image recording apparatus according to claim 7 , further comprising a separation strip configured to contact the sheet medium fed from the second accommodating part by the feed roller to separate the sheet medium contacting the feed roller from other sheet media accommodated in the second accommodating part,

wherein in the state of the support member being in the second position, the support member extends to a downstream side in the feed direction with respect to the movement path of the feed roller.

17. The image recording apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein

the partitioning member has a support portion configured to support the member, and

the partitioning member is configured to rotate around a third axis extending along the first direction.

18. A feed tray, comprising;

a first accommodating part configured to accommodate a rolled body formed by rolling sheet medium;

a second accommodating part configured to accommodate a plurality of sheet media in a stacked state, each of the sheet media being the sheet medium;

a contact surface configured to contact, from below, the sheet medium unrolled from the rolled body accommodated in the first accommodating part; and

a support member having a support surface configured to support the plurality of sheet media in the stacked state, which is accommodated in the second accommodating part,

wherein in a state where the second accommodating part is in a posture to accommodate the plurality of sheet media in the stacked state, a position of the second accommodating part relative to the first accommodating part is fixed, and

the support member is configured to be movable between a cover position at which the support member covers a part of the contact surface with the support surface facing upward and a separation position at which the support member is farther from the part of the contact surface as compared with the cover position.

19. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a housing, wherein during recording by the recording unit, the first accommodating part is located inside the housing.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 5, 2023
From: NODA, KENGO; MORIMOTO, NAO
To: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 062281/0935 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2022-012863 · Jan 31, 2022 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230242361A1 · Aug 3, 2023
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