EP3924190A1 - Media trays and media stops - Google Patents

Media trays and media stops

Info

Publication number
EP3924190A1
EP3924190A1 EP19935382.2A EP19935382A EP3924190A1 EP 3924190 A1 EP3924190 A1 EP 3924190A1 EP 19935382 A EP19935382 A EP 19935382A EP 3924190 A1 EP3924190 A1 EP 3924190A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
media
base
stop
orientation
storage tray
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Pending
Application number
EP19935382.2A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP3924190A4 (en
Inventor
Seung Il Kim
Kenneth K. Smith
Robert S. MOSER
Min-Chul Lee
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Hewlett Packard Development Co LP
Original Assignee
Hewlett Packard Development Co LP
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Hewlett Packard Development Co LP filed Critical Hewlett Packard Development Co LP
Publication of EP3924190A1 publication Critical patent/EP3924190A1/en
Publication of EP3924190A4 publication Critical patent/EP3924190A4/en
Pending legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65HHANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H1/00Supports or magazines for piles from which articles are to be separated
    • B65H1/04Supports or magazines for piles from which articles are to be separated adapted to support articles substantially horizontally, e.g. for separation from top of pile
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65HHANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H2405/00Parts for holding the handled material
    • B65H2405/10Cassettes, holders, bins, decks, trays, supports or magazines for sheets stacked substantially horizontally
    • B65H2405/11Parts and details thereof
    • B65H2405/111Bottom
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65HHANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H2405/00Parts for holding the handled material
    • B65H2405/10Cassettes, holders, bins, decks, trays, supports or magazines for sheets stacked substantially horizontally
    • B65H2405/11Parts and details thereof
    • B65H2405/111Bottom
    • B65H2405/1116Bottom with means for changing geometry
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65HHANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H2405/00Parts for holding the handled material
    • B65H2405/10Cassettes, holders, bins, decks, trays, supports or magazines for sheets stacked substantially horizontally
    • B65H2405/11Parts and details thereof
    • B65H2405/112Rear, i.e. portion opposite to the feeding / delivering side
    • B65H2405/1122Rear, i.e. portion opposite to the feeding / delivering side movable linearly, details therefor
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65HHANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H2405/00Parts for holding the handled material
    • B65H2405/10Cassettes, holders, bins, decks, trays, supports or magazines for sheets stacked substantially horizontally
    • B65H2405/12Parts to be handled by user
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65HHANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H2405/00Parts for holding the handled material
    • B65H2405/10Cassettes, holders, bins, decks, trays, supports or magazines for sheets stacked substantially horizontally
    • B65H2405/12Parts to be handled by user
    • B65H2405/121Locking means
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65HHANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H2511/00Dimensions; Position; Numbers; Identification; Occurrences
    • B65H2511/10Size; Dimensions
    • B65H2511/11Length
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65HHANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H2601/00Problem to be solved or advantage achieved
    • B65H2601/40Increasing or maximizing
    • B65H2601/42Increasing or maximizing entities relating to the handling machine
    • B65H2601/422Versatility

Definitions

  • Printers, copiers, scanners, and other such media handling devices may include media storage trays (or more simply“storage trays”) for holding a volume of media (e.g., print media such as paper).
  • a storage tray within a media handling device e.g., a printer, copier, scanner, etc. may be able to receive a variety of media sizes.
  • FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a media handling device including a media storage tray and a media stop according to some examples
  • FIG. 2 is a top view of the media storage tray and the media stop of FIG. 1 according to some examples
  • FIG. 3 is a schematic, partial top view of the storage tray and the media stop of FIG. 1 according to some examples;
  • FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along section A-A in FIG. 3;
  • FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the media stop of FIG. 1 according to some examples
  • FIG. 6 is a top view of the media stop of FIG. 5;
  • FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the media stop of FIG. 5;
  • FIGS. 8-10 are perspective views of examples of a stop wall of the media stop of FIG. 5;
  • FIG. 1 1 is a schematic, partial top view of the storage tray and the media stop of FIG. 1 according to some examples;
  • FIG. 12 is a top view of the storage tray and the media stop of FIG. 1 with the media stop in a first orientation
  • FIG. 13 is a top view of the storage tray and the media stop of FIG. 1 with the media stop in a second orientation.
  • the terms “including” and “comprising” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “including, but not limited to... .”
  • the term “couple” or “couples” is intended to be broad enough to encompass both indirect and direct connections. Thus, if a first device couples to a second device, that connection may be through a direct connection or through an indirect connection via other devices, components, and connections.
  • axial and axially generally refer to positions along or parallel to a central or longitudinal axis (e.g., central axis of a body or a port), while the terms “lateral” and“laterally” generally refer to positions located or spaced to the side of the central or longitudinal axis.
  • the word “or” is used in an inclusive manner.
  • “A or B” means any of the following:“A” alone, “B” alone, or both“A” and“B.”
  • the word“generally” or“substantially” means within a range of plus or minus 10% of the stated value.
  • the terms“downstream” and“upstream” are used to refer to the arrangement of components and features within a printer or scanning device with respect to the “flow” of media through the printer or scanning device during operations.
  • a first component of such a device receives media after it is output from a second component of the device during operations, then the first component may be said to be“downstream” of the second component and the second component may be said to be“upstream” of the first component.
  • a“media handling device” refers to any device that holds or stores media for printing or copying operations.
  • “media” refers to any medium or substrate that may have images, data, text, etc., printed or deposited thereon. The term specifically includes paper, but may also include a variety of other substrates including, textiles, polymers, composite materials, etc.
  • a storage tray for a media handling device may be able to hold a variety of different media sizes.
  • a media stop (or a plurality of media stops) may be moved along the storage tray to a plurality of positions associated with predetermined sizes of media.
  • the number of such available predetermined media sizes (and associated positions of the media stop) may be limited by the size, arrangement and orientation of the storage tray and the media stop.
  • many media handling devices may be designed to occupy as small a space as possible so as to enhance the usability and versatility thereof. Accordingly, examples disclosed herein include media stops, for media trays of a media handling device that are to be selectively transitioned between different orientations along the storage tray so as to accommodate a larger number of stop positions (and thus media sizes) within the storage tray.
  • media handling device 10 is a printer that includes an outer housing 12 (or more simply“housing”), a media storage tray 20 (or more simply “storage tray 20”), and an outlet tray 14.
  • media handling device 10 is to print or otherwise deposit printing substance (e.g., ink, toner, etc.) on media to form an image, text, etc., thereon.
  • printing substance e.g., ink, toner, etc.
  • Any suitable type of printing technique may be used within by media handling device 10, such as, for instance thermal InkJet printing, piezo-electric ink printing, dry electro-photographic laser printing, wet electro-photographic laser printing, dot-matrix impact printing, etc.
  • storage tray 20 may receive a volume of media (e.g., a stack of paper) therein that may be progressively fed into the media handling device 10 for printing operations. Following the printing operations, the media (with images, text, etc., printed thereon) may be deposited in outlet tray 14.
  • media e.g., a stack of paper
  • storage tray 20 includes a longitudinal axis 15, a first or inner end 20a, and a second or outer end 20b opposite inner end 20a.
  • Inner end 20a is disposed within and generally occluded by housing 12 and outer end 20b is extended from housing 12.
  • storage tray 20 includes a first or inner portion 26 extending from inner end 20a, and a second or outer portion 24 coupled to and extending axially from inner portion 26 to outer end 20b.
  • Inner portion 26 may be disposed (partially or entirely) within housing 12 and outer portion 24 may extend outward from inner portion 26 along axis 15 away from housing 12.
  • Inner portion 26 includes a first end 26a that is coincident with inner end 20a of storage tray 20, and a second end 26b opposite first end 26a.
  • Outer portion 24 includes a first end 24a and a second end 24b that are coincident with outer end 20b of storage tray 20 and opposite first end 24a.
  • a support surface 22 is defined along both the inner portion 26 and outer portion 24 (that is some of the support surface 22 is defined by inner portion 26 and the rest of support surface 22 is defined by outer portion 24).
  • Support surface 22 is to support a volume (e.g., a stack) of media thereon during operations. Specifically, a user may load or deposit a volume of media onto support surface 22 of storage tray 20, such that the media may then be progressively drawn into media handling device 10 for subsequent printing operations as previously described above. During these operations, the media may be drawn into media handling device 10 generally along axis 15 such that axis 15 may also define a media feed path or direction into media handling device 10 for media deposited within storage tray 20.
  • outer portion 24 may be removable (or decoupled) from inner portion 26 during operations. Any suitable readily disengageable connection(s) may be established between first end 24a of outer portion 24 and second end 26b of inner portion 26 so as to facilitate the removability of outer portion 24 from inner portion 26 during operations.
  • outer portion 24 may include a pair of hooks (not shown) generally disposed at first end 24a that engage about a pair of projections or pins (not shown) generally disposed at second end 26b of inner portion 26.
  • a user may rotate outer portion 24 relative to inner portion 26 to allow the hooks (not shown) on outer portion 24 to release or decouple from the pins (not shown) on inner portion 26 (in some examples, outer portion 24 may not be rotated to decouple outer portion 24 from inner portion 26 as described above).
  • storage tray 20 may be entirely removable from media handling device 10.
  • storage tray 20 may be slid out from housing 12 so as to expose the support surface 22 when media is to be loaded thereon.
  • the specific arrangement of storage tray 20 shown in the figures is merely one possible implementation of the storage tray 20 in various examples.
  • a pair of parallel tracks 30 may extend axially along support surface 22, across both the inner portion 26 and outer portion 24 of storage tray 20.
  • a pair of grooves 32 may be also extend into support surface 22 that also extend axially across both portions 24, 26 of storage tray 20.
  • grooves 32 are defined (e.g., totally or partially defined) by tracks 30 such that both grooves 32 and tracks 30 are parallel to one another along support surface 22 of storage tray 20 (thus, tracks 30 and grooves 32 extend axially across support surface 22 with respect to axis 15).
  • the tracks 30 and grooves 32 may extend along both the inner portion 26 and the outer portion 24 of storage tray 20.
  • a first length or section of tracks 30 and grooves 32 may be disposed along inner section 26 and a second length or section of tracks 30 and grooves 32 may be disposed along outer section 24.
  • the section of tracks 30 and grooves 32 disposed along outer portion 24 is axially aligned with the section of tracks 30 and grooves 32 disposed along inner portion 26.
  • tracks 30 each include a wall 35 disposed at or proximate to outer end 20b of storage tray 20 (and thus also second end 24b of outer portion 24).
  • tracks 30 and the pair of grooves 32 are disposed on radially opposite sides of axis 15. Specifically, tracks 30 are radially outside of the grooves 32 with respect to axis 15.
  • tracks 30 each include a first or vertical member 31 and a second or lateral member 33 extending perpendicularly from vertical member 31 .
  • the lateral member 33 may extend perpendicularly away from axis 15 in a generally radial direction.
  • each groove 32 may be partially defined by a corresponding one of the tracks 30.
  • each track 30 may form a first wall of a corresponding one of the grooves 32. Accordingly, vertical member 31 may also be referred to herein as a wall 31.
  • Each groove 32 may also include a second wall 34 that is opposite the wall 31 of the corresponding track 30.
  • lateral members 33 of tracks 30 may include a plurality of notches or recesses 36 formed therein.
  • Recesses 36 may be axially spaced along tracks 30 so as to correspond with pre-determ ined media sizes that may be disposed on support surface 22 of storage tray 20.
  • the recesses 36 on one of the tracks 30 may not be aligned (e.g., in a radial direction) with the recesses 36 on the other track 30, such that the recesses 36 on one of the tracks 30 may correspond with a first sub-set of predetermined media sizes, and the recesses 36 on the other of the tracks 30 may correspond with a second sub-set of predetermined media sizes.
  • a media stop 100 is slidably coupled to tracks 30 and grooves 32 of support surface 22.
  • media stop 100 may be axially traversed along support surface 22 with respect to axis 15 (e.g., across both outer portion 24 and inner portion 26) so as to adjust a size of media that may be inserted or placed on support surface 22.
  • the media stop 100 may function to properly position or align the stack of media within storage tray 20 such that media handling device 10 may reliably feed the media from the storage tray 20 into housing 12 during operations as previously described above.
  • media stop 100 may have a plurality of pre-determ ined positions along storage tray 20 that correspond with a plurality of media sizes that may be inserted within storage tray 20. Further details of the structure of examples of media stop 100 are now described in more detail below.
  • media stop 100 may include a central or longitudinal axis 105, a base 102, and a media stop wall 150 extending from base 102.
  • the axis 105 may generally be parallel and radially offset from axis 15 of storage tray 20.
  • base 102 may slidingly engage with tracks 30 on support surface 22 and stop wall 150 may engage with media disposed on support surface 22 (see e.g., FIGS. 1 and 2).
  • Base 102 includes a first end 102a, a second end 102b axially opposite first end 102a, a top side 104, and a bottom side 106 opposite top side 104.
  • Base 102 may be generally rectangular in shape in some examples (see e.g., FIGS. 4 and 5); however base 102 may be include a variety of shapes in other examples (e.g., trapezoidal, oval, triangular, etc.).
  • a pair of L-shaped track engagement members 1 10 extend from bottom side 106 that define a pair of slots 1 12. As will be described in more detail below, the slots 1 12 are to receive lateral members 33 of tracks 30 therein so as to facilitate sliding engagement between base 102 and tracks 30 during operations (see e.g., FIG. 4). As best shown in FIG. 1 1 , one of the track engagement members 1 10 includes a registration member 1 14. Referring briefly now to FIGS. 3 and 7, as will be described in more detail below, registration member 1 14 may be selectively engaged within one of the recesses 36 as media stop 100 is traversed along tracks 30 so as to accommodate difference sizes of media within storage tray 20 during operations.
  • a plurality of projections extend from bottom side 106 of base 102 that are to be inserted within grooves 32 of support surface 22 when lateral members 33 of tracks 30 are received within slots 1 12 of track engagement members 1 10 during operations (see e.g., FIG. 4).
  • a pair of projections 120a, 120b extends from bottom side 106 of base at second end 102b.
  • each projection 120a, 120b extends axially past first end 102a.
  • Projections 120a, 120b may comprise any suitable shape or size so as to engage within grooves 32 of support surface 22 during operations.
  • projections 120a, 120b may be differently shaped in some examples based on a desired amount of friction between projections 120a, 120b and walls 31 , 34 of grooves 32 (see e.g., FIG. 4) during operations.
  • a first of the projections 120a is more elongated in the axial direction with respect to central axis 105 than a second of the projections 120b.
  • base 102 also includes a pair of parallel ribs 122 extending from bottom side 106. Ribs 122 may be axially spaced from the first projection 120a and may engage within one of the grooves 32 during operations as previously described for projections 120a, 120b (again, see e.g., FIG. 4).
  • projections 120a, 120b and ribs 122 may engage with grooves 32 so as to prevent misalignment or wobble between media stop 100 and tracks 30 of storage tray 20 during operations.
  • a viewing window 108 extends through top side 104 and bottom side 106 of base 102.
  • the viewing window 108 is more proximate the second end 102b than the first end 102a.
  • window 108 may allow a user to see a selected media size marking on support surface 22 corresponding with a current position of media stop 100 within storage tray 20.
  • window 108 may be engaged by a user to slide media stop 100 along tracks 30 during operations.
  • viewing window 108 by placing viewing window 108 closer to second end 102b than first end 102a of base 102, different markings such as markings on the support surface 22 may be visible through window 108 depending on the specific orientation of media stop 100 (e.g., such as the first orientation and second orientation as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 and discussed in more detail below).
  • a pair of projections or blocks 124 extends from bottom side 106 of base 102 at first end 102a. As will be described in more detail below, blocks 124 may prevent media from sliding between media stop 100 and support surface 22 (see e.g., FIG. 2) during operations.
  • stop wall 150 extends from top side 104 of base 102 at first end 102a.
  • Stop wall 150 includes a first or front side 152 that is coincident with first end 102a of base 102, and a second or back side 154 that is opposite front side 152.
  • stop wall 150 e.g., either front side 152 or back side 154 may engage with media disposed on support surface 22 of storage tray 20.
  • Stop wall 150 may be any suitable shape or size. For instance, in this example, stop wall 150 is generally trapezoidal in shape; however, other shapes and designs are contemplated (e.g., rectangular, arcuate, etc.).
  • a recess or aperture 156 may be formed in stop wall 150 that extends between front side 152 and back side 154 (see e.g., recess 156 in FIGS. 8-10).
  • a recessed wall 158 (see e.g., FIG. 8) and/or a plurality of ribs 159 (see e.g., FIG. 9) may extend within the aperture 156 so as to provide a structure that a user may grip to slide media stop 100 along the tracks 30 of storage tray 20 during operations.
  • no wall or ribs e.g., wall 158, ribs 159) extend within aperture 156 (see e.g., FIG. 10).
  • media stop 100 may be slidingly disposed on tracks 30 on support surface 22 of storage tray 20.
  • lateral members 33 of tracks 30 are slidingly received within slots 1 12 of track engagement members 1 10 such that media stop 100 may be traversed axially along support surface 22 via tracks 30 with respect to axis 15.
  • the pair of projections 120a, 120b and the ribs 122 may be inserted within the grooves 32.
  • the first projection 120a and the ribs 122 may be inserted within one of the grooves, while the second projection 120b is inserted within the other of the grooves 32.
  • the projections 120a, 120b and ribs 122 may sliding engage with the walls 31 , 34 of the corresponding grooves 32 so as to prevent media stop 100 from wobbling or rotating relative to tracks 30 and grooves 32 during operations.
  • the blocks 124 may also be inserted within the grooves 32 so as to prevent media that is being inserted between base 102 and support surface 22, such as, when media is inserted or installed within storage tray 20.
  • the outward movement of the media stop 100 along tracks 30 may be limited by walls 35.
  • media stop 100 may be traversed toward outer end 20b until media stop 100 (e.g., track engagement assemblies 1 10 shown in FIG. 1 1 ) engages with walls 35.
  • media stop 100 e.g., track engagement assemblies 1 10 shown in FIG. 1 1
  • the media stop 100 may be prevented from being slid off (and thus separated from) the tracks 30 at the outer end 20b of storage trays 20.
  • registration member 1 14 on one of the track engagement members 1 10 may align and engage with recesses 36 at each position of media stop 100 along support surface 22 that corresponds with a predetermined media size.
  • the resiliency of the material forming registration member 1 14 (which may comprise a polymer material in some examples) along with the shape of registration member 1 14 and recess 36 allow registration member 1 14 to disengage from recesses 36 when a sufficient axially directed force (e.g., axial with respect to axis 15 of storage tray 20) is imparted to media stop 100.
  • a sufficient axially directed force e.g., axial with respect to axis 15 of storage tray 20
  • a user may feel a click or pop when the media stop 100 is placed at a position corresponding with a pre-determ ined media size that may be supported on support surface 22 during operations.
  • support surface 22 may include a plurality of markings 109 corresponding to positions of media stop 100 that may allow for certain types or sizes of media to be installed within storage tray 20.
  • the markings 109 may be disposed adjacent (or to one side of) the media stop 100 and/or may be disposed in the general path of media stop 100 such that they are visible by a user through the window 108.
  • media stop 100 may be movably disposed on track 30 in a first orientation (shown in FIG. 12) and a second orientation (shown in FIG. 13).
  • first orientation FIG. 12
  • second orientation FIG. 13
  • the base 102 of media stop 100 is flipped or rotated relative to the support surface 22 of storage tray 20 to transition media stop 100 between the first and second orientations such that the second orientation of FIG.
  • FIG. 13 is rotationally opposite the first orientation of FIG. 12.
  • the media stop 100 when media stop 100 is in the first orientation (FIG. 12), the media stop 100 may be placed in positions to accommodate larger sizes of media within storage tray 20 (e.g., letter, A4, legal, etc.). Conversely, when media stop 100 is in the second orientation (FIG. 13), the media stop 100 may be placed in positions to accommodate smaller sizes of media within storage tray 20 (e.g., A6, etc.).
  • media (not shown) when the media stop 100 is in the first orientation (FIG. 12), media (not shown) may be placed on support surface 22 axially between back side 154 of stop wall 150 and inner end 20a of storage tray 20.
  • media (not shown) when media stop 100 is in the second orientation (FIG. 13), media (not shown) may be placed on support surface 22 axially between front side 152 of stop wall 150 and inner end 20a of storage tray 20.
  • the registration member 1 14 may be selectively engaged with recesses 36 formed in a corresponding one of the tracks 30. Specifically, when media stop 100 is in the first orientation (FIG. 12), the registration member 1 14 may be selectively engaged with recesses 36 formed in one of the tracks 30 as media stop 100 is traversed axially along support surface 22 with respect to axis 15. Conversely, when media stop 100 is in the second orientation (FIG.
  • the registration member 1 14 may be selectively engaged with recesses 36 formed in the other of the tracks 30 as media stop 100 is traversed axially along support surface 22 with respect to axis 15.
  • the registration member 1 14 is disposed along one of the track engagement members 1 10
  • the recesses 36 on one of tracks 30 may be engaged by the registration member 1 14 when the media stop 100 is in the first orientation (FIG. 12)
  • the recesses 36 on the other of the tracks 30 may be engaged by the registration member 1 14 when the media stop 100 is in the second orientation (FIG. 13).
  • the recesses 36 in one of the tracks 30 may be positioned and spaced so as to correspond with positions of media stop 100 along tracks 30 for a first subset of predetermined media sizes when the media stop 100 is in the first orientation (e.g., larger media sizes such as, for instance, letter, A4, legal, etc.), and the recesses in the other of the tracks 30 may be positioned and spaced so as to correspond with positions of media stop 100 along tracks 30 for a second subset of predetermined media sizes when the media top 100 is in the second orientation (e.g., smaller media sizes such as, for instance A6, etc.).
  • a first subset of predetermined media sizes when the media stop 100 is in the first orientation e.g., larger media sizes such as, for instance, letter, A4, legal, etc.
  • the recesses in the other of the tracks 30 may be positioned and spaced so as to correspond with positions of media stop 100 along tracks 30 for a second subset of predetermined media sizes when the media top 100 is in the second orientation (e.g., smaller
  • transitioning of the media stop 100 between the first orientation (FIG. 12) and the second orientation (FIG. 13) may be generally accomplished by first disengaging the inner portion 26 and outer portion 24 of storage tray 20 in the manner described above. Thereafter, the media stop 100 may be disengaged from the tracks 30, rotated, and then re-engaged with the tracks 30 in the opposite orientation (e.g., first orientation to second orientation, or second orientation to first orientation).
  • the media stop 100 is transitioned from the first orientation (FIG. 12) to the second orientation (FIG. 13) to transition the media stop 100 from the first orientation (FIG. 12) to the second orientation (FIG. 13). Thereafter, the media stop 100 may be slid along the tracks 30 toward the corresponding disengaged end 24a, 26b such that the media stop 100 may be slid off and disengaged from tracks 30. For instance, if media stop 100 is slidingly coupled to the inner portion 26 when portions 24, 26 are disengaged as previously described, the media stop 100 may be traversed (e.g., slid) along inner portion 26 toward second end 26b to disengage media stop 100 from tracks 30.
  • the media stop 100 may be traversed (e.g., slid) along inner portion 26 toward second end 26b to disengage media stop 100 from tracks 30.
  • media stop 100 may be traversed (e.g., slid) along outer portion 24 toward first end 24a to disengage media stop 100 from tracks 30.
  • media stop 100 may be rotated and re-engaged with the track 30 (e.g., either at second end 26b of inner portion 26 or first end 24a of outer portion 24 as previously described) such that the media stop 100 is now in the second position.
  • the outer portion 24 may be reengaged with the inner portion 26 such that media stop 100 may be traversed along support surface 22 to a position corresponding with a selected media size and the appropriately sized media may be inserted within storage tray 20.
  • the transitioning of the media stop 100 from the second orientation (FIG. 13) to the first orientation (FIG. 12) may be generally the same as the operations described above, except that when the media stop 100 is rotated (following disengagement from the tracks 30 as previously described), the orientation of the media stop 100 is different from that described above.
  • media stop 100 may be movably disposed on either inner portion 26 or outer portion 24 of storage tray 20, as described above, the media stop 100 may be sized and arranged such that outer portion 24 may be disengaged from inner portion 26 as described above with the media stop 100 still coupled to outer portion 24.
  • an axial length of media stop 100 e.g., a length of media stop 100 along axis 105
  • media stop 100 may be selectively positioned entirely on outer portion 24 when outer portion 24 is disengaged from inner portion 26.
  • examples disclosed herein include media stops for media trays of a media handling device that are to be selectively transitioned between different orientations along the storage tray so as to accommodate a larger number of stop positions (and thus media sizes) within the storage tray (e.g., media stop 100 and storage tray 20).
  • a storage tray of a media handling device may be able to accommodate a relatively large number of media sizes, without necessarily increasing a size of the storage tray more generally.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Packaging For Recording Disks (AREA)
  • Sheets, Magazines, And Separation Thereof (AREA)

Abstract

Examples of media stops and media storage trays including the media stops are disclosed. In an example, the media stop includes a base including a first end and a second end opposite the first end, a top side, and a bottom side opposite the top side. In addition, the media stop includes a stop wall extending from the top side. The base is to be slidingly coupled to a track of the support surface in a first orientation and a second orientation. When the base is in the first orientation, the first end of the base is more proximate an outer end of the support surface than the second end of the base. When the base is in the second orientation, the second end of the base is more proximate the outer end of the support surface than the first end of the base.

Description

MEDIA TRAYS AND MEDIA STOPS
BACKGROUND
[0001] Printers, copiers, scanners, and other such media handling devices may include media storage trays (or more simply“storage trays”) for holding a volume of media (e.g., print media such as paper). In some instances, a storage tray within a media handling device (e.g., a printer, copier, scanner, etc.) may be able to receive a variety of media sizes.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0002] Various examples will be described below referring to the following figures:
[0003] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a media handling device including a media storage tray and a media stop according to some examples;
[0004] FIG. 2 is a top view of the media storage tray and the media stop of FIG. 1 according to some examples;
[0005] FIG. 3 is a schematic, partial top view of the storage tray and the media stop of FIG. 1 according to some examples;
[0006] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along section A-A in FIG. 3;
[0007] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the media stop of FIG. 1 according to some examples;
[0008] FIG. 6 is a top view of the media stop of FIG. 5;
[0009] FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the media stop of FIG. 5;
[0010] FIGS. 8-10 are perspective views of examples of a stop wall of the media stop of FIG. 5;
[0011] FIG. 1 1 is a schematic, partial top view of the storage tray and the media stop of FIG. 1 according to some examples;
[0012] FIG. 12 is a top view of the storage tray and the media stop of FIG. 1 with the media stop in a first orientation; and
[0013] FIG. 13 is a top view of the storage tray and the media stop of FIG. 1 with the media stop in a second orientation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] In the figures, certain features and components disclosed herein may be shown exaggerated in scale or in somewhat schematic form, and some details of certain elements may not be shown in the interest of clarity and conciseness. In some of the figures, in order to improve clarity and conciseness, a component or an aspect of a component may be omitted.
[0015] In the following discussion and in the claims, the terms "including" and "comprising" are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean "including, but not limited to... ." Also, the term "couple" or "couples" is intended to be broad enough to encompass both indirect and direct connections. Thus, if a first device couples to a second device, that connection may be through a direct connection or through an indirect connection via other devices, components, and connections. In addition, as used herein, the terms "axial" and "axially" generally refer to positions along or parallel to a central or longitudinal axis (e.g., central axis of a body or a port), while the terms "lateral" and“laterally” generally refer to positions located or spaced to the side of the central or longitudinal axis.
[0016] As used herein, including in the claims, the word “or” is used in an inclusive manner. For example,“A or B” means any of the following:“A” alone, “B” alone, or both“A” and“B.” In addition, when used herein including the claims, the word“generally” or“substantially” means within a range of plus or minus 10% of the stated value. As used herein, the terms“downstream” and“upstream” are used to refer to the arrangement of components and features within a printer or scanning device with respect to the “flow” of media through the printer or scanning device during operations. Thus, if a first component of such a device receives media after it is output from a second component of the device during operations, then the first component may be said to be“downstream” of the second component and the second component may be said to be“upstream” of the first component.
[0017] As used herein, a“media handling device,” refers to any device that holds or stores media for printing or copying operations. For instance, the term “media handling device,” includes printers, copiers, scanners, fax machines, and combinations thereof. As used herein,“media” refers to any medium or substrate that may have images, data, text, etc., printed or deposited thereon. The term specifically includes paper, but may also include a variety of other substrates including, textiles, polymers, composite materials, etc.
[0018] As previously described, a storage tray for a media handling device may be able to hold a variety of different media sizes. To accommodate differently sized media, a media stop (or a plurality of media stops) may be moved along the storage tray to a plurality of positions associated with predetermined sizes of media. However, the number of such available predetermined media sizes (and associated positions of the media stop) may be limited by the size, arrangement and orientation of the storage tray and the media stop. In addition, many media handling devices may be designed to occupy as small a space as possible so as to enhance the usability and versatility thereof. Accordingly, examples disclosed herein include media stops, for media trays of a media handling device that are to be selectively transitioned between different orientations along the storage tray so as to accommodate a larger number of stop positions (and thus media sizes) within the storage tray.
[0019] Referring now to FIG. 1 , a media handling device 10 is shown. In the example of FIG. 1 , media handling device 10 is a printer that includes an outer housing 12 (or more simply“housing”), a media storage tray 20 (or more simply “storage tray 20”), and an outlet tray 14. During operations, media handling device 10 is to print or otherwise deposit printing substance (e.g., ink, toner, etc.) on media to form an image, text, etc., thereon. Any suitable type of printing technique may be used within by media handling device 10, such as, for instance thermal InkJet printing, piezo-electric ink printing, dry electro-photographic laser printing, wet electro-photographic laser printing, dot-matrix impact printing, etc. Generally speaking storage tray 20 may receive a volume of media (e.g., a stack of paper) therein that may be progressively fed into the media handling device 10 for printing operations. Following the printing operations, the media (with images, text, etc., printed thereon) may be deposited in outlet tray 14.
[0020] Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, and as is best shown in FIG. 2, storage tray 20 includes a longitudinal axis 15, a first or inner end 20a, and a second or outer end 20b opposite inner end 20a. Inner end 20a is disposed within and generally occluded by housing 12 and outer end 20b is extended from housing 12. In addition, storage tray 20 includes a first or inner portion 26 extending from inner end 20a, and a second or outer portion 24 coupled to and extending axially from inner portion 26 to outer end 20b. Inner portion 26 may be disposed (partially or entirely) within housing 12 and outer portion 24 may extend outward from inner portion 26 along axis 15 away from housing 12. Inner portion 26 includes a first end 26a that is coincident with inner end 20a of storage tray 20, and a second end 26b opposite first end 26a. Outer portion 24 includes a first end 24a and a second end 24b that are coincident with outer end 20b of storage tray 20 and opposite first end 24a.
[0021] A support surface 22 is defined along both the inner portion 26 and outer portion 24 (that is some of the support surface 22 is defined by inner portion 26 and the rest of support surface 22 is defined by outer portion 24). Support surface 22 is to support a volume (e.g., a stack) of media thereon during operations. Specifically, a user may load or deposit a volume of media onto support surface 22 of storage tray 20, such that the media may then be progressively drawn into media handling device 10 for subsequent printing operations as previously described above. During these operations, the media may be drawn into media handling device 10 generally along axis 15 such that axis 15 may also define a media feed path or direction into media handling device 10 for media deposited within storage tray 20.
[0022] In addition, outer portion 24 may be removable (or decoupled) from inner portion 26 during operations. Any suitable readily disengageable connection(s) may be established between first end 24a of outer portion 24 and second end 26b of inner portion 26 so as to facilitate the removability of outer portion 24 from inner portion 26 during operations. For instance, in some examples, outer portion 24 may include a pair of hooks (not shown) generally disposed at first end 24a that engage about a pair of projections or pins (not shown) generally disposed at second end 26b of inner portion 26. Thus, during operations, a user may rotate outer portion 24 relative to inner portion 26 to allow the hooks (not shown) on outer portion 24 to release or decouple from the pins (not shown) on inner portion 26 (in some examples, outer portion 24 may not be rotated to decouple outer portion 24 from inner portion 26 as described above).
[0023] In some examples, storage tray 20 may be entirely removable from media handling device 10. For instance, in some examples storage tray 20 may be slid out from housing 12 so as to expose the support surface 22 when media is to be loaded thereon. Thus, the specific arrangement of storage tray 20 shown in the figures is merely one possible implementation of the storage tray 20 in various examples.
[0024] Referring still to FIGS. 1 and 2, a pair of parallel tracks 30 may extend axially along support surface 22, across both the inner portion 26 and outer portion 24 of storage tray 20. In addition, a pair of grooves 32 may be also extend into support surface 22 that also extend axially across both portions 24, 26 of storage tray 20. In some examples, grooves 32 are defined (e.g., totally or partially defined) by tracks 30 such that both grooves 32 and tracks 30 are parallel to one another along support surface 22 of storage tray 20 (thus, tracks 30 and grooves 32 extend axially across support surface 22 with respect to axis 15). The tracks 30 and grooves 32 may extend along both the inner portion 26 and the outer portion 24 of storage tray 20. Thus, a first length or section of tracks 30 and grooves 32 may be disposed along inner section 26 and a second length or section of tracks 30 and grooves 32 may be disposed along outer section 24. When outer portion 24 is coupled to inner portion 26 as shown, the section of tracks 30 and grooves 32 disposed along outer portion 24 is axially aligned with the section of tracks 30 and grooves 32 disposed along inner portion 26. In addition, as best shown in FIG. 2, tracks 30 each include a wall 35 disposed at or proximate to outer end 20b of storage tray 20 (and thus also second end 24b of outer portion 24).
[0025] Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, an example schematic top view and cross-sectional view, respectively, of storage tray 20 (e.g., of outer portion 24) is shown. The pair of tracks 30 and the pair of grooves 32 are disposed on radially opposite sides of axis 15. Specifically, tracks 30 are radially outside of the grooves 32 with respect to axis 15. In addition, as best shown in FIG. 4, tracks 30 each include a first or vertical member 31 and a second or lateral member 33 extending perpendicularly from vertical member 31 . The lateral member 33 may extend perpendicularly away from axis 15 in a generally radial direction. Further, each groove 32 may be partially defined by a corresponding one of the tracks 30. Specifically, the vertical member 31 of each track 30 may form a first wall of a corresponding one of the grooves 32. Accordingly, vertical member 31 may also be referred to herein as a wall 31. Each groove 32 may also include a second wall 34 that is opposite the wall 31 of the corresponding track 30.
[0026] As best shown in FIG. 3, lateral members 33 of tracks 30 may include a plurality of notches or recesses 36 formed therein. Recesses 36 may be axially spaced along tracks 30 so as to correspond with pre-determ ined media sizes that may be disposed on support surface 22 of storage tray 20. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the recesses 36 on one of the tracks 30 may not be aligned (e.g., in a radial direction) with the recesses 36 on the other track 30, such that the recesses 36 on one of the tracks 30 may correspond with a first sub-set of predetermined media sizes, and the recesses 36 on the other of the tracks 30 may correspond with a second sub-set of predetermined media sizes.
[0027] Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, a media stop 100 is slidably coupled to tracks 30 and grooves 32 of support surface 22. As will be described in more detail below, during operations, media stop 100 may be axially traversed along support surface 22 with respect to axis 15 (e.g., across both outer portion 24 and inner portion 26) so as to adjust a size of media that may be inserted or placed on support surface 22. Without being limited to this or any other theory, the media stop 100 may function to properly position or align the stack of media within storage tray 20 such that media handling device 10 may reliably feed the media from the storage tray 20 into housing 12 during operations as previously described above. Thus, media stop 100 may have a plurality of pre-determ ined positions along storage tray 20 that correspond with a plurality of media sizes that may be inserted within storage tray 20. Further details of the structure of examples of media stop 100 are now described in more detail below.
[0028] Referring now to FIGS. 5-7, media stop 100 may include a central or longitudinal axis 105, a base 102, and a media stop wall 150 extending from base 102. When media stop 100 is slidably coupled to tracks 30, as described in more detail below, the axis 105 may generally be parallel and radially offset from axis 15 of storage tray 20. Generally speaking, during operations, base 102 may slidingly engage with tracks 30 on support surface 22 and stop wall 150 may engage with media disposed on support surface 22 (see e.g., FIGS. 1 and 2).
[0029] Base 102 includes a first end 102a, a second end 102b axially opposite first end 102a, a top side 104, and a bottom side 106 opposite top side 104. Base 102 may be generally rectangular in shape in some examples (see e.g., FIGS. 4 and 5); however base 102 may be include a variety of shapes in other examples (e.g., trapezoidal, oval, triangular, etc.).
[0030] A pair of L-shaped track engagement members 1 10 extend from bottom side 106 that define a pair of slots 1 12. As will be described in more detail below, the slots 1 12 are to receive lateral members 33 of tracks 30 therein so as to facilitate sliding engagement between base 102 and tracks 30 during operations (see e.g., FIG. 4). As best shown in FIG. 1 1 , one of the track engagement members 1 10 includes a registration member 1 14. Referring briefly now to FIGS. 3 and 7, as will be described in more detail below, registration member 1 14 may be selectively engaged within one of the recesses 36 as media stop 100 is traversed along tracks 30 so as to accommodate difference sizes of media within storage tray 20 during operations.
[0031] Referring again to FIGS. 5-7, a plurality of projections extend from bottom side 106 of base 102 that are to be inserted within grooves 32 of support surface 22 when lateral members 33 of tracks 30 are received within slots 1 12 of track engagement members 1 10 during operations (see e.g., FIG. 4). In particular, a pair of projections 120a, 120b extends from bottom side 106 of base at second end 102b. In some examples, each projection 120a, 120b extends axially past first end 102a. Projections 120a, 120b may comprise any suitable shape or size so as to engage within grooves 32 of support surface 22 during operations. In addition, projections 120a, 120b may be differently shaped in some examples based on a desired amount of friction between projections 120a, 120b and walls 31 , 34 of grooves 32 (see e.g., FIG. 4) during operations. For instance, in the example of FIGS. 5-7, a first of the projections 120a is more elongated in the axial direction with respect to central axis 105 than a second of the projections 120b. Further, base 102 also includes a pair of parallel ribs 122 extending from bottom side 106. Ribs 122 may be axially spaced from the first projection 120a and may engage within one of the grooves 32 during operations as previously described for projections 120a, 120b (again, see e.g., FIG. 4). As will be described in more detail below, projections 120a, 120b and ribs 122 may engage with grooves 32 so as to prevent misalignment or wobble between media stop 100 and tracks 30 of storage tray 20 during operations.
[0032] A viewing window 108 extends through top side 104 and bottom side 106 of base 102. In this example, the viewing window 108 is more proximate the second end 102b than the first end 102a. As will be described in more detail below, window 108 may allow a user to see a selected media size marking on support surface 22 corresponding with a current position of media stop 100 within storage tray 20. In addition, in some examples, window 108 may be engaged by a user to slide media stop 100 along tracks 30 during operations. Without being limited to this or any other theory, by placing viewing window 108 closer to second end 102b than first end 102a of base 102, different markings such as markings on the support surface 22 may be visible through window 108 depending on the specific orientation of media stop 100 (e.g., such as the first orientation and second orientation as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 and discussed in more detail below).
[0033] In addition, a pair of projections or blocks 124 extends from bottom side 106 of base 102 at first end 102a. As will be described in more detail below, blocks 124 may prevent media from sliding between media stop 100 and support surface 22 (see e.g., FIG. 2) during operations.
[0034] Referring still to FIGS. 5-7, stop wall 150 extends from top side 104 of base 102 at first end 102a. Stop wall 150 includes a first or front side 152 that is coincident with first end 102a of base 102, and a second or back side 154 that is opposite front side 152. As will be described in more detail below, during operations stop wall 150 (e.g., either front side 152 or back side 154) may engage with media disposed on support surface 22 of storage tray 20. Stop wall 150 may be any suitable shape or size. For instance, in this example, stop wall 150 is generally trapezoidal in shape; however, other shapes and designs are contemplated (e.g., rectangular, arcuate, etc.).
[0035] Reference is now briefly made to FIGS. 8-10 wherein different examples of stop wall 150 are shown. In some examples, a recess or aperture 156 may be formed in stop wall 150 that extends between front side 152 and back side 154 (see e.g., recess 156 in FIGS. 8-10). In addition, in some of these examples, a recessed wall 158 (see e.g., FIG. 8) and/or a plurality of ribs 159 (see e.g., FIG. 9) may extend within the aperture 156 so as to provide a structure that a user may grip to slide media stop 100 along the tracks 30 of storage tray 20 during operations. Further, in some examples no wall or ribs (e.g., wall 158, ribs 159) extend within aperture 156 (see e.g., FIG. 10).
[0036] Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 1 1 , during operations, media stop 100 may be slidingly disposed on tracks 30 on support surface 22 of storage tray 20. In particular, as best shown in FIG. 1 1 , lateral members 33 of tracks 30 are slidingly received within slots 1 12 of track engagement members 1 10 such that media stop 100 may be traversed axially along support surface 22 via tracks 30 with respect to axis 15. In addition, the pair of projections 120a, 120b and the ribs 122 may be inserted within the grooves 32. Specifically, the first projection 120a and the ribs 122 may be inserted within one of the grooves, while the second projection 120b is inserted within the other of the grooves 32. Thus, as media stop 100 is moved along tracks 30, the projections 120a, 120b and ribs 122 may sliding engage with the walls 31 , 34 of the corresponding grooves 32 so as to prevent media stop 100 from wobbling or rotating relative to tracks 30 and grooves 32 during operations. In addition, the blocks 124 may also be inserted within the grooves 32 so as to prevent media that is being inserted between base 102 and support surface 22, such as, when media is inserted or installed within storage tray 20.
[0037] As may be appreciated from FIG. 2, the outward movement of the media stop 100 along tracks 30 (that is movement of media top 100 along tracks 30 toward outer end 20b of storage tray 20) may be limited by walls 35. Specifically, during operations, media stop 100 may be traversed toward outer end 20b until media stop 100 (e.g., track engagement assemblies 1 10 shown in FIG. 1 1 ) engages with walls 35. As a result of this engagement, the media stop 100 may be prevented from being slid off (and thus separated from) the tracks 30 at the outer end 20b of storage trays 20.
[0038] Further, as is also best shown in FIG. 1 1 , as media stop 100 is slidingly traversed along tracks 30, registration member 1 14 on one of the track engagement members 1 10 may align and engage with recesses 36 at each position of media stop 100 along support surface 22 that corresponds with a predetermined media size. The resiliency of the material forming registration member 1 14 (which may comprise a polymer material in some examples) along with the shape of registration member 1 14 and recess 36 allow registration member 1 14 to disengage from recesses 36 when a sufficient axially directed force (e.g., axial with respect to axis 15 of storage tray 20) is imparted to media stop 100. Thus, a user may feel a click or pop when the media stop 100 is placed at a position corresponding with a pre-determ ined media size that may be supported on support surface 22 during operations.
[0039] As best shown in FIG. 2, support surface 22 may include a plurality of markings 109 corresponding to positions of media stop 100 that may allow for certain types or sizes of media to be installed within storage tray 20. The markings 109 may be disposed adjacent (or to one side of) the media stop 100 and/or may be disposed in the general path of media stop 100 such that they are visible by a user through the window 108.
[0040] Referring now to FIGS. 12 and 13, during operations, media stop 100 may be movably disposed on track 30 in a first orientation (shown in FIG. 12) and a second orientation (shown in FIG. 13). In the first orientation (FIG. 12), the first end 102a of media stop 100 is more proximate the outer end 20b of storage tray 20 than the second end 102b. Conversely, in the second orientation (FIG. 13), the second end 102b of media stop 100 is more proximate outer end 20b of storage tray 20 than the first end 102a. Accordingly, the base 102 of media stop 100 is flipped or rotated relative to the support surface 22 of storage tray 20 to transition media stop 100 between the first and second orientations such that the second orientation of FIG. 13 is rotationally opposite the first orientation of FIG. 12. By selectively switching the media stop 100 between the first orientation (FIG. 12) and the second orientation (FIG. 13), the number of available positions of stop wall 150 along support surface 22 may be increased. As a result, the number of media sizes that may be accommodated on support surface 22 via adjustments of media stop 100 may also be increased.
[0041] Specifically, in some examples when media stop 100 is in the first orientation (FIG. 12), the media stop 100 may be placed in positions to accommodate larger sizes of media within storage tray 20 (e.g., letter, A4, legal, etc.). Conversely, when media stop 100 is in the second orientation (FIG. 13), the media stop 100 may be placed in positions to accommodate smaller sizes of media within storage tray 20 (e.g., A6, etc.). In addition, when the media stop 100 is in the first orientation (FIG. 12), media (not shown) may be placed on support surface 22 axially between back side 154 of stop wall 150 and inner end 20a of storage tray 20. Conversely, when media stop 100 is in the second orientation (FIG. 13), media (not shown) may be placed on support surface 22 axially between front side 152 of stop wall 150 and inner end 20a of storage tray 20.
[0042] Referring now to FIGS. 1 1 -13, when media stop 100 is transitioned between the first orientation and the second orientation (see e.g., FIGS. 12 and 13, respectively), the registration member 1 14 may be selectively engaged with recesses 36 formed in a corresponding one of the tracks 30. Specifically, when media stop 100 is in the first orientation (FIG. 12), the registration member 1 14 may be selectively engaged with recesses 36 formed in one of the tracks 30 as media stop 100 is traversed axially along support surface 22 with respect to axis 15. Conversely, when media stop 100 is in the second orientation (FIG. 13), the registration member 1 14 may be selectively engaged with recesses 36 formed in the other of the tracks 30 as media stop 100 is traversed axially along support surface 22 with respect to axis 15. Thus, because the registration member 1 14 is disposed along one of the track engagement members 1 10, the recesses 36 on one of tracks 30 may be engaged by the registration member 1 14 when the media stop 100 is in the first orientation (FIG. 12), and the recesses 36 on the other of the tracks 30 may be engaged by the registration member 1 14 when the media stop 100 is in the second orientation (FIG. 13). Accordingly, the recesses 36 in one of the tracks 30 may be positioned and spaced so as to correspond with positions of media stop 100 along tracks 30 for a first subset of predetermined media sizes when the media stop 100 is in the first orientation (e.g., larger media sizes such as, for instance, letter, A4, legal, etc.), and the recesses in the other of the tracks 30 may be positioned and spaced so as to correspond with positions of media stop 100 along tracks 30 for a second subset of predetermined media sizes when the media top 100 is in the second orientation (e.g., smaller media sizes such as, for instance A6, etc.).
[0043] Referring again to FIGS. 12 and 13, in some examples, transitioning of the media stop 100 between the first orientation (FIG. 12) and the second orientation (FIG. 13) may be generally accomplished by first disengaging the inner portion 26 and outer portion 24 of storage tray 20 in the manner described above. Thereafter, the media stop 100 may be disengaged from the tracks 30, rotated, and then re-engaged with the tracks 30 in the opposite orientation (e.g., first orientation to second orientation, or second orientation to first orientation).
[0044] Specifically, to transition the media stop 100 from the first orientation (FIG. 12) to the second orientation (FIG. 13), the first end 24a of outer portion 24 of storage tray 20 is disengaged from the second end 26b of inner portion 26 in the manner previously described above. Thereafter, the media stop 100 may be slid along the tracks 30 toward the corresponding disengaged end 24a, 26b such that the media stop 100 may be slid off and disengaged from tracks 30. For instance, if media stop 100 is slidingly coupled to the inner portion 26 when portions 24, 26 are disengaged as previously described, the media stop 100 may be traversed (e.g., slid) along inner portion 26 toward second end 26b to disengage media stop 100 from tracks 30. Conversely, if media stop 100 is slidingly coupled to the outer portion 24 when portions 24, 26 are disengaged as previously described, the media stop 100 may be traversed (e.g., slid) along outer portion 24 toward first end 24a to disengage media stop 100 from tracks 30. Regardless, once media stop 100 is disengaged from tracks 30, it may be rotated and re-engaged with the track 30 (e.g., either at second end 26b of inner portion 26 or first end 24a of outer portion 24 as previously described) such that the media stop 100 is now in the second position. Thereafter, the outer portion 24 may be reengaged with the inner portion 26 such that media stop 100 may be traversed along support surface 22 to a position corresponding with a selected media size and the appropriately sized media may be inserted within storage tray 20. The transitioning of the media stop 100 from the second orientation (FIG. 13) to the first orientation (FIG. 12) may be generally the same as the operations described above, except that when the media stop 100 is rotated (following disengagement from the tracks 30 as previously described), the orientation of the media stop 100 is different from that described above.
[0045] In addition, because media stop 100 may be movably disposed on either inner portion 26 or outer portion 24 of storage tray 20, as described above, the media stop 100 may be sized and arranged such that outer portion 24 may be disengaged from inner portion 26 as described above with the media stop 100 still coupled to outer portion 24. In particular, in some examples, an axial length of media stop 100 (e.g., a length of media stop 100 along axis 105) may be less than a length of outer portion 24 of storage tray 20 along axis 15, between ends 24a, 24b. As a result, media stop 100 may be selectively positioned entirely on outer portion 24 when outer portion 24 is disengaged from inner portion 26.
[0046] As described above, examples disclosed herein include media stops for media trays of a media handling device that are to be selectively transitioned between different orientations along the storage tray so as to accommodate a larger number of stop positions (and thus media sizes) within the storage tray (e.g., media stop 100 and storage tray 20). As a result, through use of the examples disclosed herein, a storage tray of a media handling device may be able to accommodate a relatively large number of media sizes, without necessarily increasing a size of the storage tray more generally.
[0047] The above discussion is meant to be illustrative of the principles and various examples of the present disclosure. Numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:
1. A media storage tray for a media handling device, the media storage tray comprising:
a support surface to support media thereon, wherein the support surface comprises an outer end;
a track extending along the support surface; and
a media stop to be slidably engaged with the track, wherein the media stop comprises a base including a first end and a second end opposite the first end;
wherein the media stop is to transition between:
a first orientation, wherein the first end of the base is more proximate the outer end of the support surface than the second end of the base; and
a second orientation, wherein the second end of the base is more proximate the outer end of the support surface than the first end of the base.
2. The media storage tray of claim 1 , wherein the media stop comprises a stop wall extending from the base, wherein the stop wall is disposed at the first end.
3. The media storage tray of claim 2, wherein the media stop comprises a plurality of projections extending from a side of the base that is opposite the stop wall, wherein the projections are to be inserted within grooves extending along the support surface.
4. The media storage tray of claim 3, wherein the plurality of projections are disposed at the second end of the base.
5. The media storage tray of claim 2, comprising a pair of parallel ribs extending from the base that are to engage with a groove extending along the support surface.
6. The media storage tray of claim 2, wherein the media stop comprises a viewing window extending through the base, wherein the viewing window is more proximate the second end than the first end of the base.
7. The media storage tray of claim 1 , wherein the storage tray comprises a first portion and a second portion, wherein the track extends along the first portion and the second portion, and wherein the first portion is to be removed from the second portion to transition the media stop from the first orientation to the second orientation or from the second orientation to the first orientation.
8. A media stop for a support surface of a media tray, the media stop comprising:
a base including a first end and a second end opposite the first end, a top side, and a bottom side opposite the top side;
a stop wall extending from the top side;
wherein the base is to be slidingly engaged with a track of the support surface in a first orientation and a second orientation; wherein when the base is in the first orientation, the first end of the base is more proximate an outer end of the support surface than the second end of the base; and
wherein when the base is in the second orientation, the second end of the base is more proximate the outer end of the support surface than the first end of the base.
9. The media stop of claim 8, comprising a plurality of projections extending from the bottom side of the base, wherein the projections are to be inserted within grooves extending along the support surface.
10. The media stop of claim 9, wherein the plurality of projections comprises a pair of projections extending from the bottom side of the base at the second end.
1 1 . The media stop of claim 9, comprising a viewing window extending through the top side and the bottom side of the base, wherein the viewing window is more proximate the second end than the first end of the base.
12. The media stop of claim 8, comprising a pair of parallel ribs that are to engage a groove extending along the support surface.
13. A method of adjusting a media stop of a media storage tray for different sizes of media, the method comprising:
(a) slidingly engaging a base of the media stop with a track extending along a support surface of the media storage tray with the base of the media stop in a first orientation;
(b) disengaging the base from the track; and
(c) slidingly engaging the base of the media stop with the track after (b) with the base in a second orientation that is different from the first orientation.
14. The method of claim 13, comprising:
(d) disengaging a first portion of the storage tray from a second portion of the storage tray before (b) and (c), wherein the track extends along the first portion and the second portion; and
(e) reengaging the first portion with the second portion after (c).
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the second orientation is rotationally opposite the first orientation.
EP19935382.2A 2019-06-27 2019-06-27 Media trays and media stops Pending EP3924190A4 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/US2019/039504 WO2020263260A1 (en) 2019-06-27 2019-06-27 Media trays and media stops

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP3924190A1 true EP3924190A1 (en) 2021-12-22
EP3924190A4 EP3924190A4 (en) 2022-10-05

Family

ID=74060726

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19935382.2A Pending EP3924190A4 (en) 2019-06-27 2019-06-27 Media trays and media stops

Country Status (4)

Country Link
US (1) US20220106138A1 (en)
EP (1) EP3924190A4 (en)
CN (1) CN113727863A (en)
WO (1) WO2020263260A1 (en)

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP7439491B2 (en) * 2019-12-18 2024-02-28 京セラドキュメントソリューションズ株式会社 image forming device

Family Cites Families (19)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1419508A (en) * 1972-12-01 1975-12-31 Rank Xerox Ltd Sheet stack receptacle
JPH04243731A (en) * 1991-01-25 1992-08-31 Toshiba Corp Paper feeder
US5511770A (en) * 1994-09-23 1996-04-30 Hewlett-Packard Company Sheet media handling system with interrelated input alignment and output support
JP4100395B2 (en) * 2004-11-01 2008-06-11 船井電機株式会社 Laser beam printer and printer
JP4419075B2 (en) * 2004-11-30 2010-02-24 ブラザー工業株式会社 Paper feeding cassette and image forming apparatus
JP2007197098A (en) * 2006-01-23 2007-08-09 Funai Electric Co Ltd Image forming device
US8020849B2 (en) * 2007-02-28 2011-09-20 Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Image recording apparatus
CN201901461U (en) * 2010-12-14 2011-07-20 旭丽电子(广州)有限公司 Composite paper carrying tray structure
JP5375883B2 (en) * 2011-06-24 2013-12-25 ブラザー工業株式会社 Sheet supply tray and image forming apparatus
JP6123456B2 (en) * 2013-04-24 2017-05-10 セイコーエプソン株式会社 Recording device
CN104229268A (en) * 2014-07-21 2014-12-24 国网上海市电力公司 Adjustable dual-purpose bearing tray
JP2016150843A (en) * 2015-02-19 2016-08-22 ブラザー工業株式会社 Image formation apparatus
EP3378812B1 (en) * 2015-11-20 2020-06-24 Canon Denshi Kabushiki Kaisha Sheet transporting device
JP6800619B2 (en) * 2016-06-03 2020-12-16 キヤノン株式会社 Sheet feeding device and image forming device
JP6819852B2 (en) * 2016-06-30 2021-01-27 セイコーエプソン株式会社 Media ejector, image reader
JP6833395B2 (en) * 2016-08-09 2021-02-24 キヤノン株式会社 Sheet feeding device and image forming device
CN110546010B (en) * 2017-04-15 2021-10-15 惠普发展公司,有限责任合伙企业 Printer, method for tray orientation and print size selection, and readable medium
JP7022565B2 (en) * 2017-11-01 2022-02-18 シャープ株式会社 Sheet accommodating device and image forming device equipped with it
JP7439491B2 (en) * 2019-12-18 2024-02-28 京セラドキュメントソリューションズ株式会社 image forming device

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP3924190A4 (en) 2022-10-05
CN113727863A (en) 2021-11-30
WO2020263260A1 (en) 2020-12-30
US20220106138A1 (en) 2022-04-07

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US8170462B2 (en) Adjustable paper cassette
JP4429952B2 (en) Image forming apparatus
US7980554B2 (en) Friction backup roller for media picking
US7401915B2 (en) Image-recording apparatus
US10272704B2 (en) Medium supporting device and printing apparatus
US20040247349A1 (en) Sheet cassette, sheet feeding device and image forming apparatus
US20130106043A1 (en) Sheet-medium Conveying Device and Image Forming Apparatus
US8814158B2 (en) Image recording apparatus
JP2006182481A (en) Paper feeding device
US20220106138A1 (en) Media trays and media stops
US9085431B2 (en) Sheet feed cassette
US20070120319A1 (en) Paper feeding cassette
US7753607B2 (en) Media input tray having movable datum members
US20090206545A1 (en) Medium feeding cassette and image forming apparatus
EP2096058B1 (en) Sheet conveying device and image recording apparatus
US8202015B2 (en) Media tray assembly and a printer having the same
EP3442891B1 (en) Bail arm to rotate and oscillate, and corresponding output tray assembly
JP4844755B2 (en) Paper feed tray and image recording apparatus
US10611586B2 (en) Sheet stacking apparatus and image forming apparatus
JP2010013276A (en) Paper feeding tray and image forming apparatus
JP6372281B2 (en) Conveying apparatus and image recording apparatus
US20110242247A1 (en) Recording device
US8864127B2 (en) Paper supply unit and image forming apparatus
JPH10250894A (en) Paper discharge tray
JP2004331380A (en) Paper feeding device

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

Free format text: STATUS: THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICATION HAS BEEN MADE

PUAI Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012

STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

Free format text: STATUS: REQUEST FOR EXAMINATION WAS MADE

17P Request for examination filed

Effective date: 20210913

AK Designated contracting states

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL NO PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR

REG Reference to a national code

Ref country code: DE

Ref legal event code: R079

Free format text: PREVIOUS MAIN CLASS: B41J0013100000

Ipc: B65H0001040000

A4 Supplementary search report drawn up and despatched

Effective date: 20220906

DAV Request for validation of the european patent (deleted)
DAX Request for extension of the european patent (deleted)
RIC1 Information provided on ipc code assigned before grant

Ipc: B65H 1/04 20060101AFI20220831BHEP

GRAP Despatch of communication of intention to grant a patent

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOSNIGR1

STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

Free format text: STATUS: GRANT OF PATENT IS INTENDED

INTG Intention to grant announced

Effective date: 20240328