Sheet feeding or delivering – Delivering – To receiver for pack of sheets
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-29
2001-05-15
Walsh, Donald (Department: 3653)
Sheet feeding or delivering
Delivering
To receiver for pack of sheets
C271S188000, C271S161000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06231043
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to a media exit or output tray for an imaging apparatus, and more particularly, to a retractable media exit or output tray for an ink jet printer.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Most ink jet printers include some method of providing for a tray or bin to hold media once the media exits the printer. Early trays consisted of a flat tray that held the media in a flat fashion. The printing speed of early printers was slow enough so as to allow for the ink on a printed sheet of media to dry before the next sheet of media was positioned on top of the previous sheet.
As printing speeds increased, the ink on a printed sheet of media was unable to dry before the next sheet of media was positioned on top of the previous sheet. Hence, the ink would often smudge due to the contact with the next sheet of media. Some attempts have been made to address this problem by adjusting the drying properties of the ink. Other attempts have focused on methods of processing the media. For example, several printers have elaborate devices that tilt and kick the media onto staging platforms that are later actuated to allow the media to drop onto the surface of the tray. Other attempts have been directed to mechanisms which actively or passively hold the media such that the media's transverse cross section is concave.
Although the aforementioned attempts have addressed ink smudging problems with various degrees of success, they typically require complex, non-compact mechanisms or special media. Furthermore, the complexity of the mechanisms lend themselves to a higher probability of breakdown and higher costs. Also, the size of the mechanisms consume valuable desk space and are cumbersome to use. Thus, a need exists for a media exit tray with a simple design that addresses the ink drying problem, and is retractable within the printer to reduce the space required for the printer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is directed to a media tray for an imaging apparatus for receiving a sheet of media. The media tray includes a base having a first side region and a second side region, a first sheet support member, a second sheet support member, a first mechanism, a second mechanism, and a force applying mechanism. The first and second mechanisms pivotally couple the first and second sheet support members to the side regions of the base, respectively. The force applying mechanism applies a force on the first and second sheet support members such that each of the first and second sheet support members diverge upwardly and outwardly from the base. The force applying mechanism can be either a cam or spring mechanism.
In one preferred embodiment, a media tray for receiving a sheet of media transported thereto from an imaging apparatus includes a base and a media support assembly. The media support assembly is moveably coupled to the base and includes at least one cam member that engages an inclined region of the base. The at least one cam member forces an outer portion of said media support assembly to move upwardly relative to the base when the media support assembly is moved in a first direction relative to the base. The base is slideably coupled to the imaging apparatus.
The media support assembly includes a base extension having a first side region and a second side region positioned above the base. The base extension is slideably coupled to the base. The media support assembly also includes a first and second sheet support member, each of which is pivotally coupled to the first and second side regions of the base extension, respectively. Each of the first and second sheet support members includes a downwardly extending cam member having a cam surface for engaging the inclined region of the base. As the base extension is slid outward from the base, the first and second cam surfaces engage the inclined region of the base to force each of the first and second sheet support members to pivot upward and away from the base.
Other features and advantages of the invention may be determined from the drawings and the detailed description of the invention that follows. Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding elements throughout the several figures.
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James, III Edmund Hulin
Pangburn Thomas Eugene
Tattershall David Christopher
White David Howard
Aust Ronald K.
Daspit Jacqueline M.
Lexmark International Inc.
Miller Jonathan R.
Walsh Donald
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