IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,623,880
Granted Patent B2
US 12,623,880 · App. 18/975,380 · Granted May 12, 2026

Medium conveying apparatus

Inventors: Norifumi Tonami (Ishikawa, JP); Sota Matsuura (Ishikawa, JP)
Assignee: PFU LIMITED
B65H31/02B65H2402/31B65H2403/41B65H2405/11164B65H2405/33125B65H2405/354B65H2801/39
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,623,880
App. No.
18/975,380
Granted
May 12, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A medium conveying apparatus includes an apparatus body in which a conveying path is formed, a media tray supported by the apparatus body, an ejection tray supported by the apparatus body, a conveyor to convey a medium placed on the media tray along the conveying path and place the medium on the ejection tray, a first mechanism including a gear, and a second mechanism including a gear. The first mechanism swings the ejection tray from a deployed position where the ejection tray is deployed to a stored position where the ejection tray is stored in the apparatus body, and stops swinging of the ejection tray at a midway position between the deployed position and the stored position. The second mechanism retracts the ejection tray when the swinging of the ejection tray is stopped.

Claims (42)

1 . A medium conveying apparatus comprising:

an apparatus body in which a conveying path is formed;

a media tray supported by the apparatus body;

an ejection tray supported by the apparatus body;

a conveyor to convey a medium placed on the media tray along the conveying path and place the medium on the ejection tray;

a first mechanism including a gear to swing the ejection tray from a deployed position where the ejection tray is deployed to a stored position where the ejection tray is stored in the apparatus body, wherein the first mechanism stops swinging of the ejection tray at a midway position between the deployed position and the stored position; and

a second mechanism including a gear to retract the ejection tray when the swinging of the ejection tray is stopped.

2 . The medium conveying apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the ejection tray includes:

an ejection tray body swingably supported by the apparatus body; and

an extension movably supported by the ejection tray body,

the conveyor places the medium on the ejection tray when the ejection tray body is positioned at the deployed position and the extension is positioned at an extended position,

the ejection tray body is positioned at the stored position when the ejection tray is stored in the apparatus body,

the ejection tray is formed such that a protruding portion of the medium protruding from the ejection tray contacts the media tray when the ejection tray body is positioned at the midway position between the deployed position and the stored position,

the first mechanism stops swinging of the ejection tray body when the ejection tray body is positioned at the midway position, and

the second mechanism retracts the extension toward a retracted position when the ejection tray body is positioned at the midway position.

3 . The medium conveying apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein

the first mechanism includes:

a stopper swingably supported by the apparatus body;

a stopper releaser fixed to the extension; and

a biasing spring to apply a force for swinging the stopper toward a retaining position,

the stopper releaser contacts the stopper to swing the stopper toward a releasing position when the extension moves toward the retracted position,

the ejection tray body contacts the stopper and is secured to the apparatus body to be prevented from swinging toward the stored position when the ejection tray body is positioned at the midway position and the stopper is positioned at the retaining position, and

the ejection tray body is released from the stopper and swings toward the stored position when the stopper is positioned at the releasing position.

4 . The medium conveying apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein

the ejection tray includes an ejection-tray placement surface to face the ejected medium, and

a plane along which the ejection-tray placement surface lies intersects with the media tray when the ejection tray body is positioned at the midway position.

5 . The medium conveying apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein

the ejection tray includes:

an ejection-tray placement surface to face the ejected medium; and

a projection projecting from the ejection-tray placement surface, and

the projection curves the ejected medium such that the protruding portion of the ejected medium intersects with a plane along which the ejection-tray placement surface lies.

6 . The medium conveying apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein

the ejection tray includes an ejection-tray placement surface to face the ejected medium,

the media tray includes:

a media tray body including a media-tray placement surface to face the medium; and

a projection projecting from the media-tray placement surface, and

a plane along which the ejection-tray placement surface lies intersects with the projection when the ejection tray body is at the midway position.

7 . The medium conveying apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein

the media tray body is swingably supported by the apparatus body;

the conveyor conveys the medium along the conveying path when the media tray body is positioned at a media-tray deployed position, and

the apparatus body includes a recess in which the projection fits when the media tray body is positioned at a media-tray stored position different from the media-tray deployed position.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 13, 2024
From: TONAMI, NORIFUMI; MATSUURA, SOTA
To: PFU LIMITED
Reel/Frame 069578/0747 →
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTJP2022024504 · Jun 20, 2022
Related Publication 20250100839A1 · Mar 27, 2025
References Cited (8)
US 7395991B2 · Kuo · 2008 [cited by examiner]
US 10348918B2 · Hongo et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 10913629B2 · Yoshita · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 11724904B2 · Hamada · 2023 [cited by examiner]
JP 07133050A · 1995 [cited by applicant]
JP 2020007093A · 2020 [cited by applicant]
WO 2017187488A1 · 2017 [cited by applicant]
International Search Report issued in corresponding International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2022/024504, dated Aug. 16, 2022, with English translation. [cited by applicant]