# US 12,169,380 B2 · Discharge device and image forming apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,169,380 B2 - Document ID: US12169380B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/894,138 - Filed: 2022-08-23 - Published: 2023-09-28 - Granted: 2024-12-17 - Earliest claimed: 2022-03-22 - Assignees: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp. - Applicants: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp. - Inventors: Yoshinori Shuin; Takahiro Iizuka; Kohei Takahashi; Mai Yamazaki - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12169380B2 ## CPC - G03G 15/6552: {Means for discharging uncollated sheet copy material, e.g. discharging rollers, exit trays} - B41J 11/007: {Conveyor belts or like feeding devices} - B41J 13/106: {for the sheet output section} - 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 31/20: adjustable for different article sizes - G03G 15/6573: {Feeding path after the fixing point and up to the discharge tray or the finisher, e.g. special treatment of copy material to compensate for effects from the fixing} - B65H 29/00: Delivering or advancing articles from machines; Advancing articles to or into piles - B65H 2405/1111: with several surface portions forming an angle relatively to each other - B65H 2405/111646: involving extension members pivotable around an axis parallel to bottom surface and perpendicular to transport direction - B65H 2405/1124: pivotable, details therefor - B65H 2511/11: Length - B65H 2511/13: Thickness - B65H 2511/214: Inclination - B65H 2515/40: Temperature; Thermal conductivity - B65H 2515/805: Humidity - B65H 2801/06: Office-type machines, e.g. photocopiers - G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY - B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS - B65H: HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES ## Abstract A discharge device includes a placement part on which a medium discharged from an apparatus body is placed and from which the medium is returned to the apparatus body, a loading part which is disposed on a lower side of the placement part to have a space between the loading part and the placement part and on which the medium discharged to the space from the apparatus body in a predetermined discharge direction is loaded, a support portion that is provided on the loading part to protrude toward an upper side of the loading part, includes an inclined surface having an upward gradient toward a downstream side in the discharge direction, and supports the medium which is loaded on the loading part at an upper end of the inclined surface, and an opening/closing part of which one end is rotatably mounted on a downstream portion of the loading part in the discharge direction and is opened and closed to a closed position where the opening/closing part closes a downstream portion of the space in the discharge direction and an open position where the downstream portion is open and a part of the medium loaded on the loading part is loaded on the opening/closing part; and an angle of a loading surface of the opening/closing part at the open position with respect to a horizontal is set to an angle at which a movement of the medium to the downstream side in the discharge direction is limited such that a centroid of a longest medium loaded on the loading part and the loading surface is positioned upstream of a downstream end of the opening/closing part in the discharge direction, and an imaginary line extending to the upper end from an upstream end of the inclined surface of the support portion in the discharge direction is along the loading surface of the opening/closing part at the open position. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A discharge device comprising: a placement part on which a medium discharged from an apparatus body is placed and from which the medium is returned to the apparatus body; a loading part which is disposed on a lower side of the placement part to have a space between the loading part and the placement part and on which the medium discharged to the space from the apparatus body in a predetermined discharge direction is loaded; a support portion that is provided on the loading part to protrude toward an upper side of the loading part, includes an inclined surface having an upward gradient toward a downstream side in the discharge direction, and supports the medium which is loaded on the loading part at an upper end of the inclined surface; an opening/closing part of which one end is rotatably mounted on a downstream portion of the loading part in the discharge direction and is opened and closed to a closed position where the opening/closing part closes a downstream portion of the space in the discharge direction and an open position where the downstream portion is open and a part of the medium loaded on the loading part is loaded on the opening/closing part, wherein an angle of a loading surface of the opening/closing part at the open position with respect to a horizontal is set to an angle at which a movement of the medium to the downstream side in the discharge direction is limited such that a centroid of a longest medium loaded on the loading part and the loading surface is positioned upstream of a downstream end of the opening/closing part in the discharge direction, and an imaginary line extending to the upper end from an upstream end of the inclined surface of the support portion in the discharge direction is along the loading surface of the opening/closing part at the open position; and a control device comprising a processor configured to electrically control the angle of the loading surface of the opening/closing part. ### Claim 2 A discharge device comprising: a placement part on which a medium discharged from an apparatus body is placed and from which the medium is returned to the apparatus body; a loading part which is disposed on a lower side of the placement part to have a space between the loading part and the placement part and on which the medium discharged to the space from the apparatus body in a predetermined discharge direction is loaded; a support portion that is provided on the loading part to protrude toward an upper side of the loading part, includes an inclined surface having an upward gradient toward a downstream side in the discharge direction, and supports the medium which is loaded on the loading part at an upper end of the inclined surface; an opening/closing part of which one end is rotatably mounted on a downstream portion of the loading part in the discharge direction and is opened and closed to a closed position where the opening/closing part closes a downstream portion of the space in the discharge direction and an open position where the downstream portion is open and a part of the medium loaded on the loading part is loaded on the opening/closing part, wherein an angle of a loading surface of the opening/closing part at the open position with respect to a horizontal is set to 20° or more, and an imaginary line extending to the upper end from an upstream end of the inclined surface of the support portion in the discharge direction is along the loading surface of the opening/closing part at the open position; and a control device comprising a processor configured to electrically control the angle of the loading surface of the opening/closing part. ### Claim 3 A discharge device comprising: a placement part on which a medium discharged from an apparatus body is placed and from which the medium is returned to the apparatus body; a loading part which is disposed on a lower side of the placement part to have a space between the loading part and the placement part and on which the medium discharged to the space from the apparatus body in a predetermined discharge direction is loaded; a support portion that is provided on the loading part to protrude toward an upper side of the loading part, includes an inclined surface having an upward gradient toward a downstream side in the discharge direction, and supports the medium which is loaded on the loading part at an upper end of the inclined surface; an opening/closing part of which one end is rotatably mounted on a downstream portion of the loading part in the discharge direction and is opened and closed to a closed position where the opening/closing part closes a downstream portion of the space in the discharge direction and an open position where the downstream portion is open and a part of the medium loaded on the loading part is loaded on the opening/closing part; an angle changing unit that changes an angle of the opening/closing part; and a control device comprising a processor configured to electrically control the angle of a loading surface of the opening/closing part. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the angle of the loading surface of the opening/closing part at the open position with respect to the horizontal is less than an angle that allows the longest medium to ride on the loading surface at a position above the upper end. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The discharge device according to claim 2, wherein the angle of the loading surface of the opening/closing part at the open position with respect to the horizontal is less than an angle that allows the longest medium to ride on the loading surface at a position above the upper end. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The discharge device according to claim 3, wherein the angle of the loading surface of the opening/closing part at the open position with respect to the horizontal is less than an angle that allows the longest medium to ride on the loading surface at a position above the upper end. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the angle of the loading surface of the opening/closing part at the open position with respect to the horizontal is set to 20° or more and 40° or less. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The discharge device according to claim 2, wherein the angle of the loading surface of the opening/closing part at the open position with respect to the horizontal is set to 20° or more and 40° or less. ### Claim 9 (depends on 3) The discharge device according to claim 3, wherein the angle of the loading surface of the opening/closing part at the open position with respect to the horizontal is set to 20° or more and 40° or less. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The discharge device according to claim 7, wherein angles of the loading surface of the opening/closing part at the open position and the imaginary line with respect to the horizontal are set to 20° or more and 40° or less. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The discharge device according to claim 8, wherein angles of the loading surface of the opening/closing part at the open position and the imaginary line with respect to the horizontal are set to 20° or more and 40° or less. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the support portion is disposed at a position on a downstream side of a position, where a distal end of the medium discharged to the space from the apparatus body starts to be in contact with the loading part, in the discharge direction. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The discharge device according to claim 1, wherein a loading surface of the loading part includes a first surface that has an upward gradient toward the downstream side in the discharge direction and a second surface that is disposed on a downstream side of the first surface in the discharge direction and has an angle closer to the horizontal than an angle of the inclined surface, and the support portion is disposed at a position on a downstream side of a middle of the second surface in the discharge direction. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The discharge device according to claim 12, wherein the support portion is disposed at a position on an upstream side of a contact position between the support portion and the opening/closing part positioned at the closed position in the discharge direction. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The discharge device according to claim 1, wherein in a case where a distal end of the medium discharged to the space from the apparatus body is in contact with the inclined surface, a height of the support portion from a loading surface of the loading part is set to be equal to or lower than a height that allows the distal end to ride on the upper end of the inclined surface. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The discharge device according to claim 15, wherein in a case where the distal end of the medium is discharged up to a position of the support portion in a state where corrugation occurs on the medium, the height of the support portion from the loading surface of the loading part is set to be equal to or higher than a height that allows the distal end to be in contact with the inclined surface. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The discharge device according to claim 1, wherein a height of the support portion from a loading surface of the loading part is set to 30 mm or less. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The discharge device according to claim 17, wherein the height of the support portion from the loading surface of the loading part is set to 15 mm or more and 30 mm or less. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The discharge device according to claim 1, further comprising: a drive source that drives the opening/closing part to be opened and closed; and a changing unit that changes the angle of the opening/closing part on the basis of a predetermined condition. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit that is provided in the apparatus body and forms an image on the medium; and the discharge device according to claim 1 in which a medium on which an image is formed on one surface by the image forming unit is placed on the placement part and is inverted and a medium on which images are formed on both surfaces is loaded on the loading part.