Copy medium receiving tray

Abstract

A copy medium receiving tray for a copy machine is disclosed. The present invention provides a folding type tray attached to the copying machine, wherein the tray has an opening formed therethrough, or wherein the tray is divided into a fixed or stationary tray, and a rotatable tray so as not to cover a discharge opening even when the rotatable tray is folded. The copying operation may be carried out in a safe and convenient manner without blocking sheets of copy medium at the discharge opening of the machine.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a copy medium receiving tray used for apparatus adapted to form an image on a sheet-like copy medium such as photosensitive paper, ordinary paper, synthetic resin, etc.

2. Description of the Prior Art

In copying machines, a tray for the copying medium generally has a size larger than a maximum size of a sheet of paper to be copied by the copying machine, and in most cases, the tray projects from the machine body adjacent to a discharge opening. This requires, therefore, an extra space and interrupts in various respects when the copying machine is not in use. For this reason, some trays are designed so that they may easily be removed from the body when desired or they may be folded adjacent to the machine. However, in the tray of the removable type, there arises a problem of where to place it after it is removed and, troubles such as breakage of the tray resulting from dropping it on the floor during operation are likely to occur. In the tray of the folding type while being attached to the machine, conversely, it possesses advantages such that no room to place the tray is required, the tray is convenient to handle and can quickly be set in an operational state as desired.

The simplest form of the folding type tray as mentioned above is shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, which will be discussed hereinafter. The reference character 1 designates a tray. In a location of the tray 1 close to a copying machine 2 there is provided a shaft 3 about which the tray 1 is rotated. At the time of use, the tray is positioned as indicated in dotted line, while at the time not in use, it is positioned as indicated in full line. The mechanism is very simple but this system presents a problem in that when the tray 1 is folded, an area adjacent to the discharge opening is blocked. If an operator commences copying without taking notice of it, the copy medium discharged through the discharge opening would be blocked at that area. If the operator then continues copying without taking notice of it, this blockage of the copy mediums would be carried into the copying machine, resulting in sheets of paper being wound round the roller within the machine, or resulting in serious troubles such the origination of a fire in the heating portion of the apparatus for fixing the developed image.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of this invention to provide a tray for a copying machine which can be folded while being attached to the machine body.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tray which will not block a discharge opening for the folded tray.

A further object of this invention is to provide a tray which is safe and convenient.

That is, according to the present invention, the tray is designed so that an opening is formed in the rotatable tray, or the tray is divided into a fixed tray and a rotative tray so as not to cover a discharge opening even when the rotatable tray is folded.

From the above, it may be noted, in the copy medium receiving tray according to the present invention, that the provision of the opening can avoid covering the area adjacent to the discharge opening even in a state with the tray folded as described above. Consequently, even if the copying is carried out without taking notice of the fact that the tray is in its folded condition, "blockage" does not occur in the vicinity of the discharge opening. In the case of small-sized copy medium, sheets of copy medium are accumulated on the fixed tray, and the extremity of the copy medium is removed from the opening, thus involving no problem. On the other hand, in the case of large-sized copy medium, sheets of copy medium may not be accumulated on the fixed tray but they are discharged outside the machine through the folded tray and through the discharge opening of the machine body to avoid blocking the copy medium in the vicinity of the opening. Accordingly, the present invention overcomes the disadvantages noted above with respect to prior arts and provides a safe and convenient copy medium receiving tray.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1 and 4 illustrate an embodiment of a conventional folding type tray;

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate a preferred embodiment of a copy medium receiving tray in accordance with the present invention; and

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 illustrate a modified form of a folding type copy medium receiving tray in accordance with the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

An embodiment of the present invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In FIGS. 2 and 3 one form of a tray in accordance with the present invention is shown. The rotatable tray shown in FIG. 2 is disposed in a position to accumulate thereon sheets of large-sized copy medium. The fixed tray, shown in FIG. 3 in a state where the above-mentioned rotatable tray is folded, is disposed in a position to accumulate thereon sheets of small-sized copy medium.

As shown in FIG. 2, the copy medium receiving adjacent discharge opening 6 provided in a body 5 of apparatus for forming an image on a copy medium. This tray roughly comprises a mount portion 7, a fixed tray portion 8, and a movable tray portion 9 which is adjustable to form an extension of the fixed tray portion 8. The mount portion 7 is secured to the body 5, and the fixed tray portion 8, having the length about one half of full length of the tray, is upwardly obliquely mounted on the mount portion 7. The rotatable tray portion 9 has the remaining length, and has that is, about one half of the full length, a side wall 9.sub.1 extending to the mount portion 7. A pin 10 disposed adjacent the discharge opening on the side wall 9.sub.1 of the rotatable tray is received in a long hole 11 made in the mount portion 7, the rotatable tray portion 9 being rotated on said pin 10, and requiring a counterclockwise turning effort. A cam pin 12 similarly disposed on the side wall 9.sub.1 of the rotatable tray impinges upon a stopper 14 at one end of a pin guide surface 13 of the mount portion 7 to hold the rotatable tray portion 9 in a posture substantially parallel to the fixed tray portion 8. In this case, a moderate offset is formed between the fixed tray portion 8 and the rotatable tray portion 9. In using the copy medium receiving tray in a state as just described above, where sheets of small-sized copy medium A are processed by the machine, the sheets of copy medium A may be accumulated only on the fixed tray portion 8 with their rearmost ends uniformly arranged, and even when the sheets of copy medium A are taken out, the foremost ends of the accumulated copy medium A may readily be caught due to the provision of the offset formed between the fixed tray portion 8 and the rotatable tray portion 9. On the other hand, where sheets of large-sized copy medium B are used, the sheets of copy medium A may be accumulated across the fixed tray portion 8 and rotatable tray portion 9 with their rearmost ends uniformly arranged.

The tray according to the present invention may be folded as shown in FIG. 3 in a manner such that a foremost end 9.sub.2 of the rotatable tray portion 9 is first raised, whence the pin 12 is slipped, about the pin 10, on the pin guide surface 13 which constitutes a cam surface, and the rotatable tray portion 9 is rotated clockwise in the drawing. When the rotatable tray portion 9 is rotated to a position substantially parallel to the body 5, the pin 12 is dropped and set in a groove 15 formed in one end of the pin guide surface 13 by the weight of the rotatable tray portion 9. The long hole 11 made in the mount portion 7, in which the pin 10 is received, is provided to allow such a vertical movement as just mentioned.

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 illustrate a modified form of the tray according to the present invention. In FIG. 5, there is formed in the tray 1 an opening 21, which has its width greater than the width of a maximum size of copy medium to be used. The opening 21 is in a portion of the tray disposed in alignment with the discharge opening when the tray 1 is folded. Accordingly, if the copying operation should be made in a state with the tray 1 folded, the copy medium discharged through the discharge opening 4 passes through the opening 21 and drops onto a floor on which the copying machine is installed, whereby the copy medium is prevented from being blocked at the discharge opening 4.

Further, dropping of the copy medium on the floor calls attention of the operator to the fact that the tray is not in a normal position.

On the other hand, the center of rotation 3 of the tray 1 is generally provided close to the discharge opening 4 and as a result, the opening 21 is also provided in a position close to the center of rotation 3. The foremost end of the copy medium discharged from the discharge opening 4 comes into contact with the tray in a position somewhat apart from the center of rotation 3. For this reason, even though the tray 1 has the opening 21 positioned close to the center of rotation 3, the opening does not impede the tray's function of accumulating sheets of copy medium.

While the described embodiment provides the opening 21, it is to be understood that a cut 22 such as shown in FIG. 7 may also be employed in place of the opening 21, without losing a practical effect at all.

Claims

We claim:

1. In a copying machine having an opening through which processed copy medium sheets are discharged, an improved copy medium receiving tray comprising a fixed tray portion for accumulating discharged sheets of copy medium, and a movable tray portion rotatable on an axis disposed adjacent the discharge opening of the copying machine, said movable tray portion being rotatable to a first position for providing an extension of said fixed tray portion for accumulating discharged copy medium sheets, and to a second position wherein it is in a folded condition alongside the machine, said movable tray portion having an opening therein disposed in alignment with the discharge opening of the machine when said movable tray portion is in said second position to permit rotation of said movable tray portion between said first and second positions without blocking the discharge of copy sheets from the discharge opening of the machine.

2. The copy medium receiving tray according to claim 1 further comprising a mounting plate having a cam surface, a cam follower pin attached to said rotatable tray portion near the axis of rotation thereof for movement along said cam surface to guide the rotation of said rotatable tray between said first and second positions.

3. In a copying machine having an opening through which processed copy medium sheets are discharged, the improvement comprising: a copy medium receiving tray rotatably mounted adjacent the copy medium discharge opening of the copying machine, said tray having a first position to accumulate sheets of copy medium discharged from said machine and a second position wherein it is in a folded condition alongside said machine, and said tray having an opening therein disposed in alignment with said discharge opening in the machine when said tray is in said second position to permit copy medium discharge when said tray is in either of said first and second positions.