Image Recording Apparatus

Abstract

An image recording apparatus, including a sheet-supply tray device which accommodates and holds a plurality of recording sheets and which supplies the recording sheets, one by one, in a sheet-supply direction; and an image recording device which records an image on each of the recording sheets supplied from the sheet-supply tray device. The sheet-supply tray device includes a first tray which accommodates and holds at least one first sheet of the plurality of recording sheets; a second tray which accommodates at least one second sheet of the plurality of recording sheets, and which selectively takes a stacked posture thereof in which the second tray is stacked on the first tray, and an opening posture thereof in which at least a portion of the second tray opens at least a portion of the first tray; and at least one dropping preventing cover which prevents the at least one second sheet from dropping out of the second tray in a state in which the second tray takes the opening posture thereof.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and optional objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be better understood by reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external construction of a multi-function device (MFD) to which the present invention is applied;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an internal construction of the MFD;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a sheet-supply tray device of the MFD;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the sheet-supply tray device;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along 5, 5 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along 6, 6 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an opening posture of a second tray of the sheet-supply tray device;

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the opening posture of the second tray of the sheet-supply tray device;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along 9, 9 in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing a construction of the sheet-supply tray device;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing the changing of posture of the second tray of the sheet-supply tray device; and

FIG. 12 is a schematic view showing an internal construction of a conventional ink-jet recording apparatus.

Claims

1. An image recording apparatus, comprising: a sheet-supply tray device which accommodates and holds a plurality of recording sheets and which supplies the recording sheets, one by one, in a sheet-supply direction; andan image recording device which records an image on each of the recording sheets supplied from the sheet-supply tray device,wherein the sheet-supply tray device includes a first tray which accommodates and holds at least one first sheet of the plurality of recording sheets,a second tray which accommodates at least one second sheet of the plurality of recording sheets, and which selectively takes a stacked posture thereof in which the second tray is stacked on the first tray, and an opening posture thereof in which at least a portion of the second tray opens at least a portion of the first tray, andat least one dropping preventing cover which prevents said at least one second sheet from dropping out of the second tray in a state in which the second tray takes the opening posture thereof.

2. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least said portion of the second tray is pivotable about an axis line relative to the first tray so as to selectively change the second tray to the stacked posture thereof and the opening posture thereof.

3. The image recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second tray includes: a base portion which is supported by the first tray;a pivotable portion which is pivotable relative to the base portion so as to selectively change the second tray to the stacked posture thereof and the opening posture thereof.

4. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second tray includes at least one positioning portion which positions said at least one second sheet, and wherein said at least one dropping preventing cover comprises said at least one positioning portion.

5. The image recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said at least one positioning portion comprises at least one guide portion which guides a movement of said at least one second sheet in the sheet-supply direction, and wherein said at least one dropping preventing cover comprises said at least one guide portion.

6. The image recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the second tray includes a plurality of said positioning portions which cooperate with each other to position said at least one second sheet in a direction perpendicular to the sheet-supply direction, and wherein the sheet-supply tray includes a plurality of said dropping preventing covers comprising the plurality of positioning portions.

7. The image recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of positioning portions comprise two positioning portions at least one of which is movable toward, and away from, an other of the two positioning portions so as to position said at least one second sheet in said direction perpendicular to the sheet-supply direction.

8. The image recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the second tray has a first sheet-support surface which supports said at least one second sheet, and wherein the two positioning portions are movable toward, and away from, each other so that a centerline of said at least one second sheet that is parallel to the sheet-supply direction is aligned with a centerline of the first sheet-support surface that is parallel to the sheet-supply direction.

9. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second tray has a first sheet-support surface which supports said at least one second sheet, and wherein said at least one dropping preventing cover comprises at least one planar portion which is opposed to the first sheet-support surface such that a first space which accommodates said at least one second sheet is provided between said at least one planar portion and the first sheet-support surface.

10. The image recording apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the sheet-supply tray includes two said dropping preventing covers comprising two said planar portions each of which is opposed to the first sheet-support surface in a first perpendicular direction perpendicular to the first sheet-support surface, such that the first space is provided between said each of the two planar portions and the first sheet-support surface, and which are opposed, in a second perpendicular direction perpendicular to the sheet-supply direction and the first perpendicular direction, to each other such that a second space is provided between.

11. The image recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein at least said portion of the second tray is pivotable about the axis line relative to the first tray, by an angle of from 90 degrees, inclusive, to 120 degrees, inclusive, so as to change the second tray from the stacked posture thereof to the opening posture thereof.

12. The image recording apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a housing having a front opening, wherein the sheet-supply tray is insertable into, and removable from, the front opening of the housing in a direction parallel to the sheet-supply direction, wherein the second tray has a structure permitting said at least one second sheet to be inserted thereinto in a direction from a downstream-side portion thereof in the sheet-supply direction, toward an upstream-side portion thereof, andwherein the two planar portions respectively correspond to opposite end portions of said at least one second sheet in the second perpendicular direction, and at least a portion of a downstream-side end portion of one of the two planar portions in the sheet-supply direction is cut away.

13. The image recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein a length of said one of the two planar portions in the sheet-supply direction is smaller than a length of an other of the two planar portions in the sheet-supply direction.

14. The image recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said one of the two planar portions has an inclined downstream-side end surface that is inclined relative to the second perpendicular direction such that a length of said one planar portion in the sheet-supply direction decreases in a direction from said one planar portion toward an other of the two planar portions.

15. The image recording apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a discharged-sheet tray having at least one second sheet-support surface which supports at least one discharged sheet on which an image has been recorded by the image recording device, wherein said at least one planar portion has at least one outer surface comprising at least a portion of said at least one second sheet-support surface of the discharged-sheet tray.

16. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second tray further includes a trailing-end positioning member which contacts and positions a trailing end of said at least one second sheet in the sheet-supply direction, and wherein the trailing-end positioning member is movable toward, and away from, a downstream-side end of the second tray in the sheet-supply direction.

17. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first tray includes a sheet-support wall which supports said at least one first sheet, and a peripheral wall which extends upward from a periphery of the sheet-support wall, and wherein the peripheral wall of the first tray supports the second tray.

18. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a sheet mover which is selectively contactable with said at least one first sheet accommodated by the first tray and said at least one second sheet accommodated by the second tray, so as to supply said at least one first sheet from the first tray and supply said at least one second sheet from the second tray, wherein the second tray is selectively slideable, relative to the first tray, to an advanced position thereof where the sheet mover is contactable with said at least one second sheet and to a retracted position thereof where the sheet mover is contactable with said at least one first sheet.