# US 10,534,304 B2 · Image forming apparatus

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- Number: US 10,534,304 B2
- Document ID: US10534304B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/913,932
- Filed: 2018-03-07
- Published: 2019-02-28
- Granted: 2020-01-14
- Earliest claimed: 2017-08-22
- Assignees: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Yuki Terakado; Shin Honda; Hidekazu Amamoto; Hiroki Ando; Takashi Akaike; Yuichi Sono; Satoru Ishii; Kazunori Shindo
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10534304B2

## CPC

- G03G 15/6552: {Means for discharging uncollated sheet copy material, e.g. discharging rollers, exit trays}
- B65H 29/26: by dropping {the articles}
- B65H 29/52: Stationary guides or smoothers
- B65H 31/00: Pile receivers (carriers used for associating, collating or gathering articles B65H39/00)
- B65H 31/02: with stationary end support against which pile accumulates
- B65H 31/26: Auxiliary devices for retaining articles in the pile
- G03G 21/1609: {for space saving, e.g. structural arrangements}
- B65H 2301/42146: by introducing articles from above
- B65H 2404/61: Longitudinally-extending strips, tubes, plates, or wires
- B65H 2404/74: Guiding means
- B65H 2404/743: for guiding longitudinally
- B65H 2405/214: sides
- B65H 2405/22: pocket like holder
- B65H 2801/06: Office-type machines, e.g. photocopiers
- G03G 2215/00012: Upright positioning as well as horizontal positioning for image forming
- G03G 2215/00421: Discharging tray, e.g. devices stabilising the quality of the copy medium, postfixing-treatment, inverting, sorting
- G03G 2215/00675: Mechanical copy medium guiding means, e.g. mechanical switch
- G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- B65H: HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES

## Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes: a transport member that transports a medium; a storage that is disposed below the transport member in a gravitational direction, and that stores the medium which is delivered by the transport member and falls into the storage; a supporter that is provided in the storage, and that has an upper end disposed below the transport member in a gravitational direction, and that allows the medium to be stored with a front end of the medium in a discharge direction matching a lower end of the medium in a gravitational direction; and a guidance member that is disposed in the supporter with the medium interposed between the guidance member and the supporter, and that guides the medium which falls to the supporter.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An image forming apparatus comprising:
a transport member that transports a medium;
a storage that is disposed below the transport member in a gravitational direction, and that stores the medium which is delivered by the transport member and falls into the storage;
a supporter that is provided in the storage, and that has an uppermost end disposed below the transport member in the gravitational direction, and that allows the medium to be stored with a front end of the medium in a discharge direction matching a lower end of the medium in the gravitational direction; and
a plurality of guidance members that are disposed in the supporter with the medium interposed between the plurality of guidance members and the supporter, and that guide the medium which falls to the supporter,
wherein the plurality of guidance members are disposed with an interval in a width direction crossing a falling direction of the medium,
wherein the interval between the plurality of guidance members in the width direction at an upper position of the storage is wider than the interval between the plurality of guidance members in the width direction at a lower position of the storage according to a size of the medium.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein each of the plurality of guidance members is disposed correspondingly to an upper portion of the medium stored in the storage in a height direction, and is disposed at a position lower than an upper end of the medium.

### Claim 3

An image forming apparatus comprising:
a transport member that transports a medium;
a storage that is disposed below the transport member in a gravitational direction, and that stores the medium which is delivered by the transport member and falls into the storage;
a supporter that is provided in the storage, and that has an uppermost end disposed below the transport member in the gravitational direction, and that allows the medium to be stored with a front end of the medium in a discharge direction matching a lower end of the medium in the gravitational direction; and
a plurality of guidance members that are disposed in the supporter with the medium interposed between the plurality of guidance members and the supporter, and that guide the medium which falls to the supporter,
wherein the plurality of guidance members are disposed with an interval in a falling direction of the medium,
wherein the guidance member disposed lower in the falling direction has a longer length of projection into the storage.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein each of the plurality of guidance members is composed of a member having flexibility.