Patent Description:
The present disclosure relates to a medium-discharging device that discharges a medium and an image reading apparatus including the medium-discharging device.

For example, some document scanners that read a document while transporting the document and some printers that perform recording on a sheet include a tray for receiving a discharged medium and a pressing member for pressing the medium discharged to the tray as described in <CIT>. Since the discharged medium is pressed down by the pressing member, the media accumulate on the tray in an appropriate state, even when the media are strongly curled.

In the configuration described in <CIT>, the pressing member is configured to be detachably attached. When the pressing member is detachably attached as described above, it is possible to avoid breakage of the pressing member during storage or transportation of the device, but, on the other hand, management of the detached pressing member is problematic in a typical use environment.

<CIT> discloses a sheet handling device wherein a guide member forming a part of a carrying passage for guiding the sheet medium to a discharge part is movably provided so as to open and close the carrying passage.

<CIT> discloses an image forming apparatus in which the paper output portion is arranged under the scanner portion and over the main part including a paper feed cassette, image forming portion and control panel, a box-like paper output tray without lid is provided in the paper output portion.

<CIT> discloses a liquid ejection apparatus having an ejector which ejects a first target medium to the outside of the apparatus. A guide member is disposed at a position closer to the outside of the apparatus than the ejector, has a guide face and is pivotable between a first position for closing the guide face and a second position for opening the guide face to support a tray member.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a medium-discharging device according to claim <NUM>.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image reading apparatus according to claim <NUM>.

The disclosure will be schematically described below.

A medium-discharging device according to a first aspect includes: a device main body including a medium-discharging section that discharges a medium; a medium-receiving tray that receives the medium discharged by the medium-discharging section; and a pressing member that is configured to be attached to and detached from the device main body and presses the medium discharged by the medium-discharging section against the medium-receiving tray in a state in which the pressing member is attached to the device main body, in which the pressing member is configured to switch, in the state in which the pressing member is attached to the device main body, between a first state in which the pressing member comes into contact with the medium discharged by the medium-discharging section and a second state in which the pressing member retreats upward to a position at which the pressing member does not come into contact with the medium discharged by the medium-discharging section.

According to the present aspect, since the pressing member is configured to be detachably attached to the device main body and is configured to switch, in the state of being attached to the device main body, between the first state in which the pressing member comes into contact with the medium discharged by the medium-discharging section and the second state in which the pressing member retreats upward to the position at which the pressing member does not come into contact with the medium discharged by the medium-discharging section, when the pressing member is not necessary in a typical use environment, the pressing member may be brought into the second state without being detached from the device main body, and it is thereby possible to meet user demand, thus making it possible to enhance user convenience.

The medium-discharging device according to a second aspect further includes, in the first aspect, a load applying unit that applies a load to the pressing member in an operation of switching from the second state to the first state.

According to the present aspect, since the load applying unit that applies a load to the pressing member in the operation of switching from the second state to the first state is further included, it is possible to suppress the pressing member from switching from the second state to the first state against an intention of a user, thus making it possible to further enhance user convenience.

According to a third aspect, in the first or second aspect, the pressing member is provided so as to switch between the first state and the second state by rotating, and the pressing member rotates to be in the second state, when an external force including a vertically upward component is applied to a tip end of the pressing member positioned at a lower-rotation limit.

In a case in which the device main body is lifted for moving, there is a possibility that, when the device main body is placed, the pressing member positioned at the lower-rotation limit comes into contact with an installation surface of the device, resulting in breakage of the pressing member. However, according to the present aspect, when the external force including the vertically upward component is applied to the tip end of the pressing member positioned at the lower-rotation limit, the pressing member rotates to be in the second state, and it is thereby possible to suppress breakage of the pressing member as described above.

According to a fourth aspect further includes, in the third aspect: an abutting section that is formed at the pressing member; and a regulating section that comes into contact with the abutting section and regulates a rotation of the pressing member. The pressing member at the lower-rotation limit is regulated and inclined obliquely downward when the abutting section comes into contact with the regulating section.

According to the present aspect, since the lower-rotation limit of the pressing member is regulated when the abutting section formed at the pressing member abuts the regulating section, and the orientation of the pressing member is inclined obliquely downward in the state in which the abutting section abuts the regulating section, when the external force including the vertically upward component acts on a lower edge of the pressing member positioned at the lower-rotation limit, the pressing member is able to reliably rotate to be in the second state, and it is possible to reliably suppress breakage of the pressing member described above.

The medium-discharging device according to a fifth aspect further includes, in the first or second aspect: a lock section that fixes the pressing member to the device main body; and an operation section that is configured to unlock a lock of the lock section, in which the pressing member is provided so as to switch between the first state and the second state by rotating, and when an external force that causes the pressing member to rotate in a direction in which the member rotates from the first state to the second state is applied to the pressing member positioned at the lower-rotation limit, a portion of the pressing member abuts against the operation section and the lock of the lock section is unlocked.

When the external force which causes the pressing member to rotate in the direction opposite to the direction in which the pressing member is brought into the second state is applied to the pressing member positioned at the lower-rotation limit, there is a possibility of causing breakage of the pressing member. However, according to the present aspect, when the external force which causes the pressing member to rotate in the direction opposite to the direction in which the pressing member is brought into the second state is applied to the pressing member positioned at the lower-rotation limit, since a portion of the pressing member abuts the operation section, and the fixation of the pressing member which is performed by the lock section is terminated, the pressing member is able to detach and drop, thus making it possible to suppress breakage of the pressing member.

According to a sixth aspect, in any of the first to fifth aspects, a contact position at which the medium discharged by the medium-discharging section comes into contact with the pressing member in the first state is further downstream in a discharging direction than a position at which the medium discharged by the medium-discharging section comes into contact with the medium-receiving tray.

When the medium discharged by the medium-discharging section comes into contact with the pressing member before coming into contact with the medium-receiving tray or a medium loaded on the medium-receiving tray, there is a possibility of the medium deforming and causing a jam. However, according to the present aspect, since the contact position at which the medium discharged by the medium-discharging section comes into contact with the pressing member is further downstream in the discharging direction than the position at which the medium discharged by the medium-discharging section comes into contact with the medium-receiving tray or a medium loaded on the medium-receiving tray, it is possible to suppress jamming, as described above, from occurring.

According to a seventh aspect, in any of the first to sixth aspects, the pressing member has at least two contact portions that come into contact with the medium in a width direction which is a direction intersecting a medium-discharging direction when the pressing member is in the first state.

According to the present aspect, since the pressing member has at least two contact portions that come into contact with the medium in the width direction which is the direction intersecting the medium-discharging direction when the pressing member is in the first state, it is possible to suppress rotation, that is, skewing, of the discharged medium.

According to an eighth aspect, in any of the first to seventh aspects, the pressing member has two contact portions that come into contact with the medium in a width direction which is a direction intersecting a medium-discharging direction when the pressing member is in the first state, and a center position in the width direction of the medium discharged by the medium-discharging section is between the two contact portions.

According to the present aspect, since the medium is pressed by the pressing member on both sides in the width direction with respect to the center position in the width direction, it is possible to more effectively suppress rotation, that is, skewing, of the discharged medium.

According to a ninth aspect, in the eighth aspect, the two contact portions come into contact with the medium at different positions in the width direction, and the pressing member has a shape in which a center section between the two contact portions in the width direction is cut out.

According to the present aspect, since the pressing member expands, downstream in the medium-discharging direction, in the width direction which is the direction intersecting the medium-discharging direction and has the shape in which the center section in the width direction is cut out, by pressing the medium in a region which is wide in the width direction, it is possible to effectively suppress rotation, that is, skewing, of the discharged medium. Moreover, since the pressing member has the shape in which the center section in the width direction is cut out, it is possible to reduce an area of the device main body which is covered by the pressing member when the pressing member switches to the second state and possible to suppress a degradation in operability of the device main body.

According to a tenth aspect, in any of the first to ninth aspects, the pressing member has a protruded portion that comes into contact with the medium-receiving tray and protrudes toward the medium-receiving tray when viewed in the width direction which is the direction intersecting the medium-discharging direction.

In a case in which the medium-receiving tray is configured to be expanded/contracted, particularly when the medium-receiving tray is contracted, there is a possibility of the medium-receiving tray being caught by the pressing member. However, according to the present aspect, since the pressing member has the shape in which the portion that comes into contact with the medium-receiving tray protrudes toward the medium-receiving tray, it is possible to suppress the medium-receiving tray from being caught.

According to an eleventh aspect, in any of the first to tenth aspects, the pressing member is configured to adjust a pressing load with which the pressing member presses the medium.

According to the present aspect, since the pressing member is configured to adjust the pressing load with which the pressing member presses the medium, it is possible to adjust the pressing load in accordance with a size, a type, or the like of the medium, thus making it possible to appropriately press the medium.

According to a twelfth aspect, in any of the first to eleventh aspects, the pressing member is configured to adjust a dimension of the pressing member in the medium-discharging direction.

According to the present aspect, since the pressing member is configured to adjust the dimension of the pressing member in the medium-discharging direction, it is possible to adjust, in accordance with a size of the medium, a position at which the pressing member presses the medium, thus making it possible to appropriately press the medium.

According to a thirteenth aspect, in any of the first to twelfth aspects, the pressing member is configured to switch a portion which comes into contact with the medium between a first portion in which a frictional coefficient between the first portion and the medium is a first frictional coefficient and a second portion in which a frictional coefficient between the second portion and the medium is a second frictional coefficient which is larger than the first frictional coefficient.

According to the present aspect, since the pressing member is configured to switch the portion which comes into contact with the medium between the first portion in which the frictional coefficient between the first portion and the medium is the first frictional coefficient and the second portion in which the frictional coefficient between the second portion and the medium is the second frictional coefficient which is larger than the first frictional coefficient, it is possible to switch the frictional coefficient in accordance with a size, a type, or the like of the medium, thus making it possible to appropriately press the medium.

According to a fourteenth aspect, in any of the first to thirteenth aspects, the device main body includes a display section displaying various types of information, and, the pressing member in the second state is located at a position at which the pressing member covers a portion of the display section so as not to obstruct viewing of display content on the display section in a planar view.

According to the present aspect, since, in the planar view of the display section, the pressing member in the second state is located at the position at which the pressing member covers a portion of the display section so as not to obstruct viewing of the display content on the display section, it is possible to suppress the pressing member in the second state from obstructing viewing of the display section 7a by a user.

According to a fifteenth aspect, in any of the first to fourteenth aspects, the device main body includes an operation panel that receives various operation settings, the operation panel includes at least one pressing button configured to be pressed, and, the pressing member in the second state is located at a position at which the pressing member covers a portion of the pressing button and the pressing member exposes a portion of the pressing button in a planar view.

According to the present aspect, since, in the planar view of the pressing button, the pressing member in the second state is located at the position at which the pressing member covers a portion of the pressing button and the pressing member exposes a portion of the pressing button, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the pressing member in the second state prevents a user from pressing the pressing button.

An image reading apparatus according to a sixteenth aspect includes: a reading unit that reads the medium; and the medium-discharging device according to any of the first to fifteenth aspects which discharges the medium read by the reading unit.

According to the present aspect, in the image reading apparatus, it is possible to obtain an effect of any of the first to fifteenth aspects described above.

The disclosure will be specifically described below.

As an example of an image reading apparatus, a document scanner <NUM> capable of reading at least one of a front surface and a rear surface of a document, which is an example of a medium, will be described below. The document scanner <NUM> will be hereinafter abbreviated as the scanner <NUM>. Moreover, a document will be hereinafter referred to as a document P.

Note that, in the X-Y-Z coordinate system illustrated in each drawing, the X-axis direction indicates an apparatus width direction and a document width direction, and the Y-axis direction indicates a document transport direction when a document is read and a discharging direction when a document is discharged. The Z-axis direction indicates a direction which intersects the Y-axis direction and which is orthogonal to a surface of the document P to be read. Hereinafter, a direction (+Y-axis direction) in which the document P is transported may be referred to as "downstream", and a direction (-Y-axis direction) opposite thereto may be referred to as "upstream".

In <FIG>, the scanner <NUM> includes a device main body <NUM>. The device main body <NUM> is constituted by a lower unit <NUM> and an upper unit <NUM>. The upper unit <NUM> is provided so as to be openable/closable with respect to the lower unit <NUM> with a pivot axis (not illustrated) downstream in the document transport direction as a pivot fulcrum, and the configuration is such that it is possible to handle jamming of the document P by opening the upper unit <NUM> in a device front direction to expose a document transport path.

On the rear side of the device main body <NUM>, a document mounting section <NUM> on which the document P to be fed is mounted is provided. The document mounting section <NUM> is provided so as to be detachably attached to the device main body <NUM>.

Moreover, a pair of edge guides 12A and 12B that guide side edges of the document P in the width direction is provided in the document mounting section <NUM>.

The document mounting section <NUM> includes a paper support <NUM>. The paper support <NUM> is configured to be able to be accommodated in the document mounting section <NUM> and to be able to be drawn out from the document mounting section <NUM>, thus making it possible to adjust a dimension of a document mounting surface.

On the device front side of the upper unit <NUM>, the device main body <NUM> includes an operation panel <NUM> for performing various operation settings. In addition to a display section 7a on which various types of information are displayed, a plurality of operation buttons for performing various operation settings are provided on the operation panel <NUM>, and an operation button denoted by reference numeral 7b is one of such operation buttons.

A feed opening <NUM> that leads to the interior of the device main body <NUM> is provided in an upper portion of the device main body <NUM>, and the document P mounted on the document mounting section <NUM> is transported from the feed opening <NUM> toward a reading section <NUM> (refer to <FIG>) provided in the device main body <NUM>.

Next, the document transport path in the scanner <NUM> will be described with reference to mainly <FIG>.

In <FIG>, a two-dot chain line denoted by reference T indicates the document transport path. The document transport path T is formed by a region between the lower unit <NUM> and the upper unit <NUM>.

The document mounting section <NUM> is provided in the most upstream portion of the document transport path T, and a feed roller <NUM> that transports the document P mounted on the document mounting section <NUM> toward the reading section <NUM> and a separation roller <NUM> that nips the document P between the separation roller <NUM> and the feed roller <NUM> and separates the document P are provided downstream of the document mounting section <NUM>.

The feed roller <NUM> driven by a motor (not illustrated) comes into contact with the lowest document P of the documents P mounted on the document mounting section <NUM>. Thus, when a plurality of documents P are set on the document mounting section <NUM> of the scanner <NUM>, the documents P are sequentially fed downstream starting with the lowermost one. Torque in a direction for returning the document P to the upstream portion is transferred from a motor (not illustrated) to the separation roller <NUM> via a torque limiter (not illustrated).

A transporting roller pair <NUM>, the reading section <NUM> which reads the document P, and a discharge roller pair <NUM> which constitutes an example of a medium-discharging section are provided downstream of the feed roller <NUM>. The transporting roller pair <NUM> includes a transporting drive roller 16a that is rotationally driven by a motor (not illustrated) and a transporting driven roller 16b that is driven to rotate.

The document P nipped by the feed roller <NUM> and the separation roller <NUM> and fed downstream is nipped by the transporting roller pair <NUM> and transported to the reading section <NUM> which is positioned downstream of the transporting roller pair <NUM>.

The reading section <NUM> includes an upper reading sensor 20A provided in the upper unit <NUM> and a lower reading sensor 20B provided in the lower unit <NUM>. In the present embodiment, the upper reading sensor 20A and the lower reading sensor 20B each include a contact image sensor module (CISM).

The lower reading sensor 20B reads a lower surface of the document P, and the upper reading sensor 20A reads an upper surface of the document P.

After at least one of the upper surface and the lower surface is read by the reading section <NUM>, the document P is nipped by the discharge roller pair <NUM> which is positioned downstream of the reading section <NUM> and discharged toward a document receiving tray <NUM> which is an example of a medium-receiving tray from a discharge opening <NUM> provided in the device front surface.

The discharge roller pair <NUM> includes a discharge drive roller 17a that is rotationally driven by a motor (not illustrated) and a discharge driven roller 17b that is driven to rotate.

The document receiving tray <NUM> and the device main body <NUM>, which includes a pressing member <NUM> described below and the discharge roller pair <NUM>, constitute a document discharging device <NUM> which is an example of a medium-discharging device. Note that, from the viewpoint of discharging the document P which is an example of the medium, it is also possible to consider the entire scanner <NUM> as an example of the medium-discharging device.

The document receiving tray <NUM> includes a base tray <NUM>, a first expansion tray <NUM>, a second expansion tray <NUM>, and a third expansion tray <NUM> as illustrated in <FIG>.

The first expansion tray <NUM> is held by the base tray <NUM> and can be in a state of being accommodated in the base tray <NUM> as illustrated in <FIG> or in a state of being drawn out from the base tray <NUM> as illustrated in <FIG>.

The second expansion tray <NUM> is held by the first expansion tray <NUM> and can be in a state of being accommodated in the first expansion tray <NUM> as illustrated in <FIG> or in a state of being drawn out from the first expansion tray <NUM> as illustrated in <FIG>.

The third expansion tray <NUM> is provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the second expansion tray <NUM> about a rotation shaft (not illustrated) positioned downstream of the second expansion tray <NUM> and can be in a folded state as illustrated in <FIG> or in an upright state (not illustrated). That is, in the upright state, the third expansion tray <NUM> functions as a stopper that suppresses the discharged document P from being discharged beyond the third expansion tray <NUM>.

Next, the pressing member <NUM> that presses the document P discharged by the discharge roller pair <NUM> against the document receiving tray <NUM> will be described.

The pressing member <NUM> is provided in the upper unit <NUM> constituting the device main body <NUM> such that the pressing member <NUM> is detachably attached to the upper unit <NUM>. Among <FIG>, <FIG> illustrate a state in which the pressing member <NUM> is attached to the upper unit <NUM>, and <FIG> illustrates a state in which the pressing member <NUM> is detached from the upper unit <NUM>.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the pressing member <NUM> is provided so as to be rotatable with respect to a pedestal section <NUM> about a rotation shaft 30d (refer to <FIG> and <FIG>). When the pressing member <NUM> is attached to the device main body <NUM>, the axis of the rotation shaft 30d is parallel to the X-axis direction, and the pressing member <NUM> is thereby rotatable in a Y-Z plane in the state of being attached to the device main body <NUM>.

The pedestal section <NUM> includes a recess 31a and a lock section 31b. The pressing member <NUM> is detachably attached to the device main body <NUM> via the pedestal section <NUM>. The pedestal section <NUM> is suitably formed of, for example, a resin material so as to have elasticity to some extent. The pressing member <NUM> may be formed of a resin material or a metal material.

In a housing <NUM> that constitutes the upper surface of the upper unit <NUM>, a fixation section <NUM> is provided above the discharge opening <NUM> as illustrated in <FIG>. The pedestal section <NUM> described above is attached to the fixation section <NUM>. When the pedestal section <NUM> is attached to the fixation section <NUM>, an edge section 19a constituting the upper edge of the discharge opening <NUM> in the housing <NUM> protrudes into the recess 31a of the pedestal section <NUM>, the lock section 31b constituting the pedestal section <NUM> and having a hook shape is hooked at the upper edge of the fixation section <NUM>, and the pedestal section <NUM> is thereby fixed to the fixation section <NUM>.

As illustrated in <FIG>, an operation section 31c is provided on the lower side of the pedestal section <NUM>. When the operation section 31c is pushed up from the lower side as indicated by arrow Fa in <FIG>, the pedestal section <NUM> rotates clockwise as per <FIG>, that is, in a direction in which the lock section 31b disengages the upper edge of the fixation section <NUM>, in a state in which a contact portion of the edge section 19a and the recess 31a is used as a fulcrum. Accordingly, as illustrated by the change from <FIG>, the lock section 31b disengages the upper edge of the fixation section <NUM>, and the fixation state of the pedestal section <NUM> is terminated. In this manner, the pedestal section <NUM> and the pressing member <NUM> are able to be detached from the device main body <NUM>.

Next, by rotating, the pressing member <NUM> is able to switch between a first state which enables the pressing member <NUM> to come into contact with the discharged document P and a second state in which the pressing member <NUM> retreats upward to a position at which the pressing member <NUM> does not come into contact with the discharged document P. Among <FIG>, <FIG> illustrate an example of the first state of the pressing member <NUM>, and <FIG> illustrate the second state of the pressing member <NUM>.

Here, as illustrated in <FIG>, a load applying section 31d serving as a load applying unit is formed in the pedestal section <NUM>. A protrusion <NUM> is formed on the periphery of the rotation shaft 30d of the pressing member <NUM> and is able to engage the load applying section 31d. With such a configuration, when the pressing member <NUM> is in the second state, the pressing member <NUM> is kept in the second state as illustrated in <FIG>. When the pressing member <NUM> switches from the second state to the first state, the protrusion <NUM> of the pressing member <NUM> pushes aside the load applying section 31d. Thus, as illustrated by the change from <FIG>, the pressing member <NUM> is able to switch to the first state. As described above, the load applying section 31d applies a load to the pressing member <NUM> in the operation of switching from the second state to the first state.

Next, as illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, the pressing member <NUM> expands, in the downstream discharging direction of the document P, in the X-axis direction, that is, the width direction, and has a shape in which a center section 30c in the width direction is cut out. Thereby, the state is such that a first arm section 30a is formed in the -X direction of the center section 30c and such that a second arm section 30b is formed in the +X direction of the center section 30c.

With such a configuration, the pressing member <NUM> comes into contact with the document P at a plurality of contact positions in the width direction and, more specifically, comes into contact with the document P at two contact positions in the present embodiment.

Moreover, a center position in the width direction of the discharged document P is indicated by the one-dot chain line C in <FIG>, and the center position C is between the two contact positions, that is, between the first arm section 30a and the second arm section 30b, more specifically, in the center of the two contact positions.

Next, a rotating operation of the pressing member <NUM> will be described. When no document P is present on the document receiving tray <NUM>, the pressing member <NUM> in the first state is in contact with the upper surface of the document receiving tray <NUM> due to the weight of the pressing member <NUM>. When the document P is discharged to the document receiving tray <NUM> in such a state, the pressing member <NUM> is pushed upward by the document P. When the document P drops onto the document receiving tray <NUM>, the pressing member <NUM> moves downward accordingly and stops rotating in the state of being in contact with the upper surface of the document P. Thereafter, the pressing member <NUM> repeats the upward rotation and the downward rotation each time a document P is discharged. In addition, in accordance with an increase in the amount of documents P that accumulate on the document receiving tray <NUM>, a position at which the pressing member <NUM> stops rotating moves upward. The above-described rotating operation of the pressing member <NUM> is performed when the pressing member <NUM> is in the first state.

As described above, the document discharging device <NUM> includes the pressing member <NUM> that is detachably attached to the device main body <NUM> and presses the document P discharged by the discharge roller pair <NUM> against the document receiving tray <NUM> in the state in which the pressing member <NUM> is attached to the device main body <NUM>. When no pressing member <NUM> is provided, the document P discharged by the discharge roller pair <NUM> is likely to rotate, that is, skew, in response to a discharging force, after being discharged. However, when the pressing member <NUM> is provided as described above, since the pressing member <NUM> presses the discharged document P against the document receiving tray <NUM>, it is possible to suppress the document P from skewing and to improve alignment performance of the document P on the document receiving tray <NUM>. Note that, although the rotation, that is, skewing, of the document P is able to be suppressed by providing a side fence that controls a side edge of the document P to be discharged, for example, when documents P having different sizes are mixed, the side fence is not able to guide a small document, and thus the pressing member <NUM> is effective.

Moreover, since the pressing member <NUM> is able to be detached from the device main body <NUM>, it is possible to avoid breakage of the pressing member <NUM> by detaching the pressing member <NUM> during storage or transportation of the device.

Furthermore, in the state of being attached to the device main body <NUM>, the pressing member <NUM> is able to switch between the first state which enables the pressing member <NUM> to come into contact with the document P discharged by the discharge roller pair <NUM> and the second state in which the pressing member <NUM> retreats upward to a position at which the pressing member <NUM> does not come into contact with the document P discharged by the discharge roller pair <NUM>. Accordingly, when the pressing member <NUM> is not necessary in a typical use environment, the pressing member <NUM> may be brought into the second state without being detached from the device main body <NUM>, and it is thereby possible to meet user demand, thus making it possible to enhance user convenience. For example, when jamming is handled, it is possible to achieve a state in which the pressing member <NUM> is placed aside, by switching the pressing member <NUM> to the second state.

Note that, in the present embodiment, when no document P is present on the document receiving tray <NUM>, the pressing member <NUM> is in contact with the upper surface of the document receiving tray <NUM>, but the configuration may be such that, when no document P is present on the document receiving tray <NUM>, the pressing member <NUM> is apart from the document receiving tray <NUM> to some extent.

Moreover, the document discharging device <NUM> includes the load applying section 31d that applies a load to the pressing member <NUM> in the operation of switching from the second state to the first state as described with reference to <FIG>. It is thereby possible to suppress the pressing member <NUM> from switching from the second state to the first state against an intention of a user, thus making it possible to further enhance user convenience.

Moreover, at least two contact portions at the pressing member <NUM> in the first state come into contact with the document P in the width direction which is a direction intersecting the discharging direction of the document P. It is thereby possible to suppress rotation, that is, skewing, of the discharged document P in the X-Y plane.

Moreover, two contact portions at the pressing member <NUM> come into contact with the document P at two contact positions in the width direction, more specifically, at the first arm section 30a and the second arm section 30b, and the center position C in the width direction of the document P discharged by the discharge roller pair <NUM> is between the two contact portions, that is, between the first arm section 30a and the second arm section 30b. With such a configuration, it is possible to more effectively suppress rotation, that is, skewing, of the discharged document P.

Hereinafter, features of the present embodiment will be further described.

The pressing member <NUM> expands, in the downstream discharging direction of the document P, in the width direction and has the shape in which the center section 30c in the width direction is cut out. With such a shape, by pressing the document P in a region which is wide in the width direction, it is possible to effectively suppress rotation, that is, skewing, of the discharged document P. Since the pressing member <NUM> has the shape in which the center section 30c in the width direction is cut out, it is possible to suppress an increase in weight of the pressing member <NUM>, thus making it possible to suppress deforming at a time of discharging a document P having low rigidity.

In addition, it is possible to reduce an area of the device main body <NUM> which is covered by the pressing member <NUM> when the pressing member <NUM> switches to the second state and to suppress a degradation in operability of the device main body <NUM>. This will be further described below.

As illustrated in <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>, the upper edge of the pressing member <NUM> in the second state is located at a height at which the upper edge overlaps a portion of the operation panel <NUM> in a height direction. Moreover, as illustrated in <FIG>, in planar view of the display section 7a, the pressing member <NUM> covers a portion of the operation panel <NUM> and, in particular, covers both lower corners of the display section 7a and a portion of the operation button 7b. In the present embodiment, the operation button 7b is a return button for returning a state of an operation setting to the previous state.

When the pressing member <NUM> is in the second state in this manner, although the pressing member <NUM> covers a portion of the operation panel <NUM>, since the pressing member <NUM> has the shape in which the center section 30c in the width direction is cut out, the pressing member <NUM> does not cover the display section 7a in a wide region, thus making it possible to suppress a degradation in operability.

Moreover, in the present embodiment, in planar view of the display section 7a, the pressing member <NUM> in the second state is located at a position at which the pressing member <NUM> covers a portion of the display section 7a so as not to obstruct viewing of display content on the display section 7a. The display content here is characters, images, or the like displayed on the display section 7a for a user. Since the pressing member <NUM> in the second state is located at the position at which viewing of the characters, images, or the like displayed on the display section 7a is not obstructed, it is possible to suppress the pressing member <NUM> from obstructing viewing of the display section 7a by a user.

Moreover, although the pressing member <NUM> covers a portion of the operation button 7b, the pressing member <NUM> is located at a position at which the pressing member <NUM> exposes a portion of the operation button 7b, and an area sufficient for the operation button 7b to be pressed is ensured, resulting in the operation button 7b being in a state of being able to be pressed. Accordingly, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the pressing member <NUM> prevents a user from pressing the operation button 7b.

Particularly, in the present embodiment, since the pressing member <NUM> covers a portion of the operation button 7b which is the return button for returning the state of the operation setting to the previous state, even when the pressing member <NUM> covers the entire operation button 7b, and the operation button 7b is in a state of not being able to be pressed, a basic reading operation of the document P is able to be performed. As an operation button not to be covered by the pressing member <NUM>, a power button, a scan button, or the like is suitable.

Moreover, also when the display section 7a is a touch panel, and a user interface by which various setting operations are performed is realized by the display section 7a, a configuration in which the pressing member <NUM> does not cover a touch region for performing the basic reading operation of the document P, or covers only a portion of the touch region, and in which a touch operation is able to be performed is similarly suitable. Alternatively, the user interface for performing various setting operations is suitably realized in a region other than the region covered by the pressing member <NUM>.

Note that the upper edge of the pressing member <NUM> in the second state is suitably located at a height at which the upper edge does not overlap any portion of the operation panel <NUM> in the height direction. This is because the pressing member <NUM> does not obstruct viewing of the display section 7a or operation of a plurality of operation buttons.

Moreover, even when the upper edge of the pressing member <NUM> in the second state is located at a position at which the upper edge overlaps a portion of the operation panel <NUM> in the height direction, by forming the pressing member <NUM> by using, for example, a transparent material, it is possible to ensure visibility for a user.

In <FIG>, straight line L1 is a common tangent of the discharge drive roller 17a and the discharge driven roller 17b; that is, line L1 indicates the document discharging direction of the discharge roller pair <NUM>. Moreover, reference numeral <NUM>-<NUM> indicates the pressing member <NUM> which is in contact with the document receiving tray <NUM> when no document P is present on the document receiving tray <NUM>. Reference numeral <NUM>-<NUM> indicates the pressing member <NUM> which is in contact with an uppermost document Pt in a state in which documents P are loaded on the document receiving tray <NUM> to the maximum loading height. Further, a position T1 is a position at which the document P discharged by the discharge roller pair <NUM> comes into contact with the document receiving tray <NUM>, and a position T2 is a position at which the document P discharged by the discharge roller pair <NUM> comes into contact with the uppermost document Pt. Note that the position T2 varies on the common tangent L1 in accordance with a document loading amount.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the common tangent L1 does not intersect the pressing member <NUM> regardless of the loading amount of the document P. That is, regardless of the loading amount of the document P, a contact position at which the document P discharged by the discharge roller pair <NUM> comes into contact with the pressing member <NUM> is further downstream in the discharging direction than the position T1 at which the document P discharged by the discharge roller pair <NUM> comes into contact with the document receiving tray <NUM> or the position T2 at which the document P comes into contact with the uppermost document Pt among the documents P loaded on the document receiving tray <NUM>.

Thereby, the following effect is obtained. When the document P discharged by the discharge roller pair <NUM> comes into contact with the pressing member <NUM> before coming into contact with the document receiving tray <NUM>, there is a possibility of the document P deforming and causing a jam. Similarly, when the discharged document P comes into contact with the pressing member <NUM> before coming into contact with the uppermost document Pt among the documents P loaded on the document receiving tray <NUM>, there is a possibility of the document P deforming and causing a jam. However, according to the present aspect, the contact position at which the document P discharged by the discharge roller pair <NUM> comes into contact with the pressing member <NUM> is further downstream in the discharging direction than the position T1 at which the document P discharged by the discharge roller pair <NUM> comes into contact with the document receiving tray <NUM> or the position T2 at which the document P comes into contact with the uppermost document Pt among the documents P loaded on the document receiving tray <NUM>. Thus, it is possible to suppress jamming, as described above, from occurring.

Next, as illustrated in <FIG>, the pressing member <NUM> has a shape in which a portion 30f in contact with the document receiving tray <NUM> protrudes toward the document receiving tray <NUM> when viewed in the width direction intersecting the discharging direction of the document P. Hereinafter, the portion 30f at which the pressing member <NUM> is in contact with the document receiving tray <NUM> is referred to as "tray contact portion 30f".

In the present embodiment, the tray contact portion 30f is V-shaped and protrudes toward the document receiving tray <NUM>. Thereby, the following effect is obtained. When the document receiving tray <NUM> is brought into a contracted state from an expanded state which is illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, there is a possibility of the second expansion tray <NUM> or the third expansion tray <NUM> being caught by the pressing member <NUM>. However, since the pressing member <NUM> has the shape in which the tray contact portion 30f protrudes toward the document receiving tray <NUM>, it is possible to suppress the second expansion tray <NUM> or the third expansion tray <NUM> from being caught.

Note that, although the tray contact portion 30f is V-shaped in the present embodiment, the shape is not limited thereto and may be another shape such as a U-shape.

Next, <FIG> illustrates a state in which the pressing member <NUM> is positioned at a lower-rotation limit. The lower-rotation limit of the pressing member <NUM> is regulated when an abutting section <NUM> formed in the pressing member <NUM> abuts the operation section 31c which is formed in the pedestal section <NUM> and which is serves as a regulating section. This state is realized, for example, when the device main body <NUM> is lifted for moving. In this case, there is a possibility that, when the device main body <NUM> is placed on an installation surface, the pressing member <NUM> comes into contact with the installation surface of the device and is subjected to an upward external force Fc, resulting in breakage. However, when the external force Fc including a vertically upward component is applied to a lower edge of the pressing member <NUM> positioned at the lower-rotation limit, as is clear from <FIG>, the pressing member <NUM> rotates to be in the second state. Thereby, it is possible to suppress breakage of the pressing member <NUM> as described above.

Moreover, the lower-rotation limit of the pressing member <NUM> is regulated when the abutting section <NUM> abuts the operation section 31c serving as the regulating section. In a state in which the abutting section <NUM> abuts the operation section 31c, the orientation of the pressing member <NUM> is inclined obliquely downward as illustrated in <FIG>. Thereby, when the external force Fc including the vertically upward component acts on the lower edge of the pressing member <NUM> positioned at the lower-rotation limit, the pressing member <NUM> is able to reliably rotate to be in the second state, and it is possible to reliably suppress breakage of the pressing member <NUM> as described above.

Moreover, also when an external force Fd which causes the pressing member <NUM> to rotate in a direction opposite to the direction in which the pressing member <NUM> is brought into the second state is applied to the pressing member <NUM> positioned at the lower-rotation limit, there is a possibility of causing breakage of the pressing member <NUM>. However, when the external force Fd described above is applied, the abutting section <NUM> which is a portion of the pressing member <NUM> abuts the operation section 31c and applies an external force indicated by arrow Fb to the operation section 31c. Since the fixation of the pressing member <NUM> which is performed by the lock section 31b is thereby terminated as described with reference to <FIG>, the pressing member <NUM> is able to detach and drop, thus making it possible to suppress breakage of the pressing member <NUM>.

Subsequently, other embodiments of the pressing member will be described. <FIG> and <FIG> illustrate a pressing member <NUM> according to a second embodiment. Note that, in the following embodiments, a constituent the same as the constituent which has already been described will be given the same reference numeral, and redundant description will be omitted.

The pressing member <NUM> includes a first arm <NUM> and a second arm <NUM>. The first arm <NUM> is rotatable about the rotation shaft 30d, and the second arm <NUM> is coupled so as to be rotatable with respect to the first arm <NUM> via a rotation shaft <NUM> having an axis parallel to the width direction. Moreover, a friction member (not illustrated) is provided in the rotation shaft <NUM>, and the configuration is such that a frictional force is applied to rotation of the second arm <NUM> with respect to the first arm <NUM>. Accordingly, the second arm <NUM> is in a state in which rotation thereof is regulated by the frictional force, except for rotation when an external force is applied by a user.

A tray contact portion 51a which protrudes toward the document receiving tray <NUM> is formed in the first arm <NUM>, and a tray contact portion 52a which protrudes toward the document receiving tray <NUM> is formed similarly in the second arm <NUM>. As illustrated in <FIG>, when the first arm <NUM> and the second arm <NUM> are aligned with each other, the pressing member <NUM> is, as a whole, in the longest state in the document discharging direction. In this state, the tray contact portion 52a of the second arm <NUM> is in contact with the document receiving tray <NUM> or in contact with the discharged document P.

Moreover, when the second arm <NUM> is rotated clockwise in <FIG> from the state illustrated in <FIG> to be brought into the state illustrated in <FIG>, the pressing member <NUM> is, as a whole, in the shortest state in the document discharging direction. In this state, the tray contact portion 51a of the first arm <NUM> is in contact with the document receiving tray <NUM> or in contact with the discharged document P.

As described above, since the configuration is such that the dimension of the pressing member <NUM> in the discharging direction of the document P is able to be adjusted, it is possible to adjust, in accordance with the size of the document P, a position at which the pressing member <NUM> presses the document P, thus making it possible to appropriately press the document P.

Note that, in the present embodiment, although the configuration is such that the two members of the first arm <NUM> and the second arm <NUM> are used for adjusting the dimension of the pressing member <NUM> in the discharging direction of the document P, the configuration may be such that the pressing member <NUM> has a configuration of three or more members to adjust the dimension in the discharging direction in a stepwise manner.

Alternatively, for example, the configuration may be such that the second arm <NUM> is provided so as to be slidable in the discharging direction with respect to the first arm <NUM> to adjust the dimension in the discharging direction in a stepless manner.

Next, <FIG> illustrates a pressing member <NUM> according to a third embodiment. In the pressing member <NUM>, a contact portion <NUM> which comes into contact with the document P includes a first portion 61a in which a frictional coefficient between the first portion 61a and the document P is a first frictional coefficient and a second portion 61b in which a frictional coefficient between the second portion 61b and the document P is a second frictional coefficient which is larger than the first frictional coefficient of the first portion 61a. The contact portion <NUM> is rotatable with respect to the pressing member <NUM> about a rotation shaft <NUM>, and when the contact portion <NUM> rotates, a portion which comes into contact with the document P is able to switch between the first portion 61a and the second portion 61b. Note that a friction member (not illustrated) is provided between the contact portion <NUM> and the rotational shaft <NUM>, and the contact portion <NUM> is in a state in which rotation thereof is regulated by the frictional force of the friction member, except for rotation when an external force is applied by a user.

As described above, since the contact portion <NUM> is able to switch between the first portion 61a in which the frictional coefficient between the first portion 61a and the document P is the first frictional coefficient and the second portion 61b having the second frictional coefficient which is larger than the first frictional coefficient, it is possible to switch the frictional coefficient in accordance with a size, a type, or the like of the document P, thus making it possible to appropriately press the document P.

For example, when the document P has low rigidity and readily deforms, the document P is suitably pressed by the first portion 61a, and when the document P has rigidity to some extent and does not readily deform, the document P is suitably pressed by the second portion 61b.

Next, <FIG> illustrates a pressing member <NUM> according to a fourth embodiment. On the upper surface of the pressing member <NUM>, a weight <NUM> is provided so as to be able to move in a direction of arrow a. The weight <NUM> is provided such that a frictional force is generated between the weight <NUM> and the pressing member <NUM> by a friction member (not illustrated). The weight <NUM> is in a state in which movement thereof is regulated by the frictional force of the friction member, except for movement when an external force is applied by a user. By moving the weight <NUM>, it is possible to adjust a pressing load with which the pressing member <NUM> presses the document P. With such a configuration, it is possible to adjust the pressing load in accordance with a size, a type, or the like of the document P, thus making it possible to appropriately press the document P.

For example, when the document P has low rigidity and readily deforms, the pressing load is suitably reduced, and when the document P has rigidity to some extent and does not readily deform, the pressing load is suitably increased compared with the pressing load for pressing the document P which has low rigidity and readily deforms.

For example, a detecting unit which detects the first state or the second state of the pressing member <NUM> may be provided and when the pressing member <NUM> is in the first state, a document discharge speed may be reduced compared with the document discharge speed in the second state.

Claim 1:
A medium-discharging device comprising:
a device main body (<NUM>) including a medium-discharging section (<NUM>) that discharges a medium;
a medium-receiving tray (<NUM>) that receives the medium discharged by the medium-discharging section; and
a pressing member (<NUM>) that is configured to be attached to and detached from the device main body and press the medium discharged by the medium-discharging section against the medium-receiving tray in a state in which the pressing member is attached to the device main body, characterised in that:
the pressing member is configured to switch, in the state in which the pressing member is attached to the device main body, between a first state in which the pressing member comes into contact with the medium discharged by the medium-discharging section and a second state in which the pressing member retreats upward to a position at which the pressing member does not come into contact with the medium discharged by the medium-discharging section, and by further comprising:
a load applying unit (31d) formed in a pedestal section (<NUM>) via which the pressing member (<NUM>) is detachably attached to the device main body (<NUM>), is configured to apply a load to the pressing member (<NUM>) in an operation of switching from the second state to the first state, a protrusion (<NUM>) formed on the periphery of a rotation shaft (30d) of the pressing member (<NUM>) being configured to engage with the load applying unit (31d) to keep the pressing member <NUM> in the second state, and such that the protrusion (<NUM>) of the pressing member (<NUM>) pushes aside the load applying unit (31d) when the pressing member (<NUM>) switches from the second state to the first state.