JP2005263450A - Paper feed cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To store a sheaf of sheets of a special size having a smaller width than a fixed size, accurately register the sheaf of sheets by side guides, and prevent lowering of separating and feeding performance of a separating/feeding means of a sheet feeder to the sheaf of sheets. <P>SOLUTION: In a paper feed cassette 82, a side guide 94 is provided with a base member 102, and an extension guide member 98 is connected to the inside of the base member 102. Further, the extension guide member 98 is provided with a guide plate part 164 extended downward from the inside end of the extension part 162, the lower end of which is inserted in an opening part 166. By this arrangement, even when narrower recording paper sheets are placed on a bottom plate 84, the recording paper sheets placed on the bottom plate 84 are registered to the center position by a pair of guide plate parts 164. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention accommodates a sheet bundle composed of sheets such as recording paper and an OHP sheet, and is detachably attached to a sheet supply apparatus for separating one sheet from the sheet bundle and automatically supplying it to the outside of the apparatus. This relates to the paper cassette.

  In general, in an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, or a facsimile, a sheet supply device is used as a part of the apparatus body in order to automatically supply a recording medium such as a recording sheet or an OHP sheet to an image forming unit. Or a sheet supply device can be added as an optional unit (sheet supply unit). As such a sheet supply apparatus, for example, a sheet bundle in which a plurality of sheets are stacked can be stored, and a sheet feed cassette that is detachably mounted on the main body of the apparatus, and is stored in the sheet feed unit. Some sheets are provided with a separating / feeding mechanism that separates one sheet from the sheet bundle and discharges the sheet from the sheet feeding cassette. In this sheet supply apparatus, in synchronization with the start of image formation by the image forming unit of the image forming apparatus, the separation / paper feeding mechanism separates one sheet from the inside of the paper feeding cassette, and the one sheet is fed into the paper feeding cassette. By carrying the sheet from the inside to the sheet conveyance path, it is possible to automatically feed the sheet to the image forming unit through the sheet conveyance path and form an image on the sheet.

  In the sheet feeding cassette used in the sheet feeding apparatus as described above, for example, a bottom plate on which a sheet bundle can be placed and moved along a predetermined lifting direction, and the bottom plate are moved upward. An urging member such as a coil spring for urging and a positioning mechanism for positioning the sheet bundle placed on the bottom plate to a predetermined reference position are provided.

  Here, the positioning mechanism includes an end fence supported so as to be movable along the sheet carry-out direction by the separating / feeding mechanism, and a width direction (sheet width direction) of the sheet stored in the sheet feeding cassette. And a pair of side guides movably supported, and the end fences and the pair of side guides are adjusted in advance according to the sheet size stored in the sheet feeding cassette. Thus, the sheet bundle placed on the bottom plate can be positioned at the reference position. The bottom plate lifts the sheet bundle positioned at the reference position by the positioning mechanism upward, and presses against a sheet supply member such as a feed roll and a feed belt in the separation / feed mechanism when separating and feeding the sheet from the sheet bundle. Let

  By the way, in an image forming apparatus used for general uses such as office use, the sheet size required as a recording medium is almost in the range of B5 size to A3 size, and sheets that can be stored in a paper feed cassette are also B5. It is customary to be in the range from size to A3 size. However, in an image forming apparatus which is attached to a cargo for storing a part specially by a user, for example, a slip for displaying part ordering information or the like, a special-size slip required for the purpose is used. There is a strong demand to automatically supply sheets to the image forming unit by a sheet supply apparatus. Therefore, when the width of the special size sheet is narrower than the width of the bottom plate of the paper feed cassette, in order to realize the above demand, for example, the special size sheet is adapted to the paper feed cassette. Thus, it is necessary to modify the width and shape of the bottom plate and to change the moving range along the width direction of the pair of side guides. However, if a large-scale modification as described above is performed on a sheet cassette in order to make it possible to feed a special size sheet, the number of such sheet cassettes manufactured is extremely small. Costs will increase significantly.

Patent Document 1 shows an example of a paper feed cassette that can handle special-size (small-size) sheets without performing a large-scale modification as described above. In the paper feed cassette described in Patent Document 1, the spacing between each other is adjusted in accordance with a plurality of standard paper sizes placed on the bottom plate in the paper feed cassette and the orientation of the paper during feeding. A pair of side fences that regulate the position of the paper in a substantially parallel posture with respect to the conveyance direction by contacting both side edges of the paper placed on the bottom plate. The paper feed cassette is described in which an auxiliary position regulating member for small-size paper can be attached and detached.
JP-A-11-217123

  In the paper feed cassette described in Patent Document 1, the dimension of the auxiliary position regulating member formed in a block shape with respect to the entire length of the side fence along the paper (sheet) feeding direction is significantly shortened. In addition, rectangular cutouts corresponding to the shapes of the auxiliary position restricting members are formed at both ends of the bottom plate, and the bottom plate moves up and down without interfering with the pair of auxiliary position restricting members. It is possible to do.

  However, in the paper feeding cassette described in Patent Document 1, when a sheet having a size that is shortened only in the width direction with respect to a general size sheet, that is, a thin sheet in the feeding direction is separated and fed. The dimension along the feeding direction of the auxiliary position regulating member is significantly shorter than that of the side fence, so that the restraining force along the width direction of the auxiliary position regulating member with respect to the separately fed sheet is insufficient, and the feeding direction The sheet conveyed to the skew is skewed, and supply trouble such as a jam easily occurs. Therefore, in order to solve such a problem, when the dimension along the feeding direction of the auxiliary position regulating member is enlarged, it is necessary to enlarge the dimension along the feeding direction of the notch portion formed in the bottom plate. Therefore, the rigidity in the bending direction and the twisting direction of the bottom plate is reduced, the pressure contact force of the sheet on the bottom plate sheet to the feed roll is reduced, and the pressure distribution along the axial direction becomes unstable, resulting in misfeeding. Such a supply trouble is likely to occur.

  In view of the above facts, the object of the present invention is to store a sheet bundle made of a special size sheet narrower than the standard size, and to correctly position the sheet bundle with a side guide, and to separate and It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet feeding cassette that can prevent separation by feeding means and deterioration of feeding performance and can effectively suppress an increase in manufacturing cost.

  The sheet feeding cassette according to claim 1 of the present invention stores a sheet bundle composed of one or more sheets and separates and conveys one sheet from the sheet bundle in a predetermined feeding direction. A sheet feeding cassette that is detachably attached to a main body portion of a sheet feeding apparatus having a feeding unit, and is in contact with and separated from a cassette main body in which a sheet bundle can be stored. A bottom plate that is provided in the cassette main body so as to be movable along the up-and-down direction, and on which the sheet bundle stored in the cassette main body is placed, and a sheet bundle that is placed on the bottom plate The sheet bundle is positioned at a predetermined width reference position along the width direction in contact with the side edge portion of the sheet bundle, and separated and fed by the sheet feeding device. Conveyed by feeding means A pair of side guides for restricting displacement along the sheet width direction, and opening portions at portions corresponding to both side end portions of the sheet bundle placed on the bottom plate in the bottom plate, respectively. A base portion disposed outside the bottom plate along the width direction and connected to the side guide so as to extend inward along the width direction; An extending portion supported above the bottom plate by the base portion, and a guide plate portion extending downward from an inner end portion of the extending portion and having a lower end side inserted into the opening portion are provided. Features.

  In the sheet feeding cassette according to the first aspect, the bottom plate is formed with openings at portions corresponding to both side end portions of the sheet bundle placed on the bottom plate, and the side guide is formed in the width direction. And a base part arranged outside the sheet bundle placed on the bottom plate along the base plate and connected to the base member so as to extend inward along the width direction from the base part. By providing an extending portion supported above the bottom plate and a guide plate portion extending downward from an inner end portion of the extending portion and having a lower end side inserted into the opening portion, a guide for the side guide is provided. The plate part can be supported inside the base part along the width direction, and the bottom plate can move in the ascending / descending direction without interfering with the guide plate part by the opening, Even when a sheet bundle consisting of sheets narrower than the inner part of the Tom plate base is placed on the bottom plate, the guide plate portions of the pair of side guides are placed on the bottom plate along the width direction. The sheet bundle placed on the bottom plate is supported by the pair of guide plate portions at positions corresponding to both end portions of the placed sheet bundle, and the sheet feeding device It is possible to restrict the sheet conveyed by the separating / feeding means from shifting along the width direction.

  Here, the side guide is provided so that the extension part and the guide plate part straddle the part from the side edge of the inner part to the opening part from the base part of the bottom plate, and the guide plate part is the side edge of the bottom plate. Since the side guide is moved inward from the side edge of the bottom plate, it is not necessary to form a notch in the bottom plate from the side edge to the inside. Reduction can be effectively suppressed.

  As a result, the bottom plate is bent or twisted, and the pressure contact force against the separation / feeding means of the sheet bundle placed on the bottom plate is reduced, or the distribution of the pressure contact force against the separation / feeding means of the sheet bundle is reduced. Since it is possible to suppress instability, separation / feeding means separates a special size sheet that is narrower than the standard size from the sheet bundle and feeds it in the feeding direction. Generation | occurrence | production can be prevented effectively.

  Also, as the base portion in the side guide, for example, a conventional side guide in a sheet feeding cassette that stores a standard size sheet can be used as it is, so that an extension portion and a guide plate portion are attached to the conventional side guide. Thus, if the side guide according to the present invention is configured, it is possible to obtain a paper feed cassette that can store a sheet bundle made of special size sheets having a narrower width than the standard size while suppressing an increase in manufacturing cost.

  A paper feed cassette according to claim 2 of the present invention is the paper feed cassette according to claim 1, wherein a notch is formed in a portion of the bottom plate that is spaced rearward from the opening along the feeding direction. The guide plate portion is integrally provided with an extension guide portion that extends rearward along the feeding direction and whose lower end is inserted into the cutout portion.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the paper feed cassette according to the second aspect, wherein the side guide is provided movably along the width direction, and the opening and the notch are provided in the guide. The plate portion and the extending guide portion are formed wider toward the outside and the inside than the moving range along the width direction.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the paper feed cassette according to the second or third aspect, wherein an elastic sheet material is attached to an inner surface along the width direction of the extension guide portion. It is characterized by that.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the paper feeding cassette according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the cassette body is provided in front of the bottom plate along the feeding direction. The front plate portion formed on the front plate portion and a relief formed on the upper end portion of the front plate portion so as to be concave and spread outward from both side ends of the sheet bundle placed on the bottom plate along the width direction. The cassette body is fixed to the inner side surface of the front plate portion and closes at least a part of the escape portion, and the front end portion of the sheet bundle placed on the bottom plate, The stopper plate which opposes is arrange | positioned.

  A sheet feeding cassette according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the sheet feeding cassette according to the fifth aspect, wherein the separation / feeding means of the sheet feeding device is provided from the upper end side of the sheet bundle placed on the bottom plate. A feeding member that feeds one or more sheets in the feeding direction; and a separating member that separates only the uppermost one sheet from other sheets when the feeding member feeds the plurality of sheets. One or a plurality of sheets fed in the feeding direction from the upper end side of the sheet bundle placed on the bottom plate by the feeding member of the separating / feeding means is provided at the upper end portion of the stopper plate. A guide portion for guiding the sheet to the separating member is provided.

  As described above, according to the sheet feeding cassette according to the present invention, a sheet bundle made up of special size sheets narrower than the standard size can be stored and correctly positioned by the side guide, and a sheet feeding device for the sheet bundle The separation by the separating / feeding means and the lowering of the feeding performance can be prevented, and the increase in manufacturing cost can be effectively suppressed.

  Hereinafter, a paper feed cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a laser printer having a paper feed mechanism to which a paper feed cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention can be applied. The laser printer 21 includes an apparatus main body 22 that forms an image on a recording paper P that is a recording medium, and a high capacity stacker (HCS) 71. A process cartridge 25 is provided in the apparatus main body 22, and the process cartridge 25 contains a developer containing toner and a photosensitive drum 26 as an image carrier for forming an electrostatic latent image, an electrostatic system. In addition to a mag roll 27 that attaches toner to the photosensitive drum 26 using an image forming unit, an image forming unit such as a charging device or a cleaner (not shown) is provided, and is configured to be detachable from the apparatus main body 22. Further, the apparatus main body 22 is provided with an image writing device (ROS) 29 such as a laser scanning device adjacent to the process cartridge 25. In the laser printer 21, an exposure path 28 provided in the process cartridge 25 is provided. The photosensitive drum 26 charged after that is exposed by a laser beam. The ROS 29 is an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 26 based on a digital image signal from an image processing unit (IPS) (not shown) in accordance with an image output instruction input from a host device such as a personal computer (PC) (not shown). Configured to form.

  Further, a transfer roll 30 is disposed in the apparatus main body 22 so as to face the photosensitive drum 26, and the transfer roll 30 is a recording paper P on which a toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 26 is conveyed. Transcript to. The recording paper P is transported to the fixing device 31, and the fixing device 31 has a function of fixing the unfixed toner image formed on the recording paper P by, for example, thermocompression bonding. In addition, the apparatus main body 22 includes a control unit (not shown), and in addition to various controls during image formation, the control unit supplies and conveys recording paper P, which will be described later, and controls an optional device. .

  Further, in the apparatus main body 22, reference numeral 33 denotes a multi-sheet inserter, which is configured to be detachable in a state in which recording paper P having an arbitrary size is loaded, and has a long size in the sheet conveyance direction. For P, the paper tray 34 is opened to assist the conveyance of the recording paper P. The recording paper P stacked on the multi-sheet inserter 33 is conveyed to an image forming unit including the photosensitive drum 26 and the like by the rotation of the half-moon-shaped feed roll 35.

  Further, a paper feeding mechanism 36 for automatically supplying the recording paper P to the image forming unit is provided on the lower side of the apparatus main body 22. The paper feed mechanism 36 is provided with a main body side paper feed section 80 configured as a part of the apparatus main body 22 and a paper feed cassette 82 that is detachably attached to the main body side paper feed section 80. ing. In this paper feed cassette 82, a bottom plate is supported so as to be swingable about pivots 88 provided on the side plate portions on both sides of the paper feed cassette 82, and the recording paper P is raised by a coil spring 92. 84 is provided. The bundle of recording paper P placed on the bottom plate 84 (hereinafter referred to as “paper bundle B” when it is necessary to particularly distinguish it from “recording paper P”) has a half-moon shape. It is pressed against the feed roll 37 and supplied by the rotation of the feed roll 37. A retard roll 38 is disposed at a position facing the feed roll 37. This retard roll 38 is provided with a torque limiter (not shown) on its rotation shaft, and does not rotate in a torque state below a certain level. It is configured so that it can be fed and supplied one by one. The recording paper P supplied from the paper feed mechanism 36 is transported toward the image forming unit by a transport roll 39.

  The recording paper P supplied from the multi-sheet inserter 33 and the recording paper P supplied from the paper feed mechanism 36 and passed through the transport roll 39 are timed with the image forming unit by the resist roll 40, It is conveyed to the nip portion with the transfer roll 30. Thereafter, the recording paper P, on which the image is fixed on the first sheet surface by the fixing device 31, passes through the gate 43 and is placed on the paper discharge tray 42 formed on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 22 by the paper discharge roll 41. In the case of single-sided printing, the paper is discharged with one side on which an image is formed facing downward. On the other hand, in the case of double-sided printing, the recording paper P once sent to the discharge tray 42 side is reversed by the reverse rotation of the discharge roll 41 when the vicinity of the rear end reaches the position held by the discharge roll 41. Then, the end portion that has been the rear end until now is sent to the automatic duplex conveying path 44 as the front end portion. In this automatic duplex conveyance path 44, the recording paper P is conveyed by the conveyance roll 45, and printing is performed again on the other side via the registration roll 40.

  In the laser printer 21 of the present embodiment, a high capacity stacker (HCS) 71 is connected to the apparatus main body 22 as an optional apparatus. The HCS 71 is configured to form a transport path 72 having a transport roll 73 and to discharge the recording paper P onto a discharge tray 75 by a discharge roll 74. The discharge roll 74 can be shifted to the left and right for every predetermined number of copies. For example, a plurality of recording sheets P are shifted on the discharge tray 75 according to job information from the host device, and offset output is possible. Has been. The discharge tray 75 is designed so that a large amount of about 500 recording sheets P can be stacked. Here, when the recording medium P is fed into the transport path 72 of the HCS 71, the apparatus main body 22 switches the gate 43 based on a control signal from the control unit to form a transport path in the direction of the transport path 72, and the transport roll 49. Rotate. The recording paper P on which the image is formed is conveyed downstream by the conveying roll 49 through the gate 43 and is loaded on the discharge tray 75 in a state where the offset is controlled by the discharge roll 74.

  2 and 3 show a paper feed cassette 82 that is detachably attached to the paper feed mechanism 36 in the apparatus main body 22. The paper feed cassette 82 is different in the dimensional ratio in the long side direction and short side direction from the standard size recording paper such as A series and B series, and has a small size (for example, B5 size) that is usually used. It is possible to store recording paper P (see FIG. 3) having a narrower width.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the paper feed cassette 82 is flat along the height direction (the direction indicated by the arrow H in FIG. 6), and is formed in a casing shape having an upper surface opened. A bottom plate 84 is disposed on the bottom surface of the paper feed cassette 82, and a paper bundle B stored in the paper feed cassette 82 is placed on the bottom plate 84. The bottom plate 84 is integrally formed with connecting portions 86 that are bent upward at the side end portions on both sides along the width direction (arrow W direction in FIG. 5) of the paper feed cassette 82. The portion 86 is provided with a long hole-like connecting hole 90 into which a support shaft 88 provided on each of the side plate portions on both sides of the paper feed cassette 82 is inserted. Here, the pair of support shafts 88 are inserted into the pair of connecting holes 90 so as to be relatively slidable and rotatable, respectively, so that the bottom plate 84 has a predetermined center around the support shaft 88. It is supported so as to be swingable along the ascending / descending direction.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a coil spring 92 is interposed in the paper feed cassette 82 between the bottom surface portion and the tip side of the bottom plate 84, and the coil spring 92 moves the bottom plate 84 up and down. It is biased upward along the direction. Thereby, in the paper feed cassette 82, as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 6, the upper surface portion of the paper bundle B placed on the bottom plate 84 is lifted to the feed roll 37 side.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a pair of side guides 94 and 96 are provided in the paper feed cassette 82 so as to be positioned on the outer side in the width direction of the paper bundle B placed on the bottom plate 84. ing. The pair of side guides 94 and 96 are each supported so as to be slidable along the width direction, and come into contact with or sufficiently close to the side end portions of the paper bundle B placed on the bottom plate 84. The position is adjusted. Here, the pair of side guides 94 and 96 are connected to each other by an interlocking mechanism (not shown) made up of a rack, a pinion and the like disposed on the lower surface side of the bottom plate 84. In conjunction with the movement of the guides 94, 96, the other side guides 94, 96 are moved to positions symmetrical with respect to the width direction center of the bottom plate 84. Accordingly, the pair of side guides 94 and 96 are always restrained at positions symmetrical to each other with respect to the width direction center of the bottom plate 84, and the width direction center of the paper bundle B on the bottom plate 84 is set to the width of the bottom plate 84. Position it so that it matches the center of the direction.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the side guides 94 and 96 are provided with an extension guide member 98 formed in a cylindrical shape having a substantially U-shaped cross section that opens downward along the width direction. A plate-like base member 102 is erected outside the extension guide member 98, and the extension guide member 98 is connected and fixed to the base member 102. Here, the extension guide member 98 includes a flat plate-like extension portion 162 extending inward in the width direction from the upper end portion of the base member 102, and extending downward from the inner end portion of the extension portion 162. A guide plate portion 164 is integrally provided. The guide plate portion 164 extends in parallel with the depth direction of the paper feed cassette 82 (the direction of the arrow D in FIG. 2), and the plane portion inside the guide plate portion 164 serves as the guide surface 100. The guide surface 100 is in contact with a side end portion of the paper bundle B placed on the bottom plate 84, positions the paper bundle B at the center position of the bottom plate 84 along the width direction, and is fed by the feed roll 37. The recording paper P separated from the paper bundle B is restricted from shifting along the width direction. That is, the pair of guide surfaces 100 guide the recording paper P so that the moving direction on the WD plane of the recording paper P separated from the paper bundle B by the feed roll 37 is the depth direction.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the bottom plate 84 has a substantially rectangular opening 166 whose longitudinal direction is the depth direction at portions corresponding to the both end portions of the sheet bundle B placed on the bottom plate 84. Is drilled. On the other hand, the guide plate portion 164 is formed with a rectangular insertion piece 168 extending downward at a portion facing the opening 166 on the tip end side. The insertion piece 168 is formed in the opening 166. , And the lower end thereof extends to the vicinity of the bottom plate portion of the cassette body 83.

  As shown in FIG. 3, an end fence 106 is provided in the cassette main body 83 so as to be positioned on the rear side in the paper feeding direction of the paper bundle B placed on the bottom plate 84. The end fence 106 is supported by a guide rail portion 170 provided on the bottom plate portion of the cassette body 83 so as to extend in the depth direction so as to be slidable forward and backward along the depth direction. The position is adjusted so as to abut or sufficiently approach the rear end portion of the sheet bundle B placed thereon. As shown in FIG. 2, on the rear end side of the bottom plate 84, an entry portion 172 that is notched in a concave shape toward the distal end side is formed in a portion facing the guide rail portion 170. Accordingly, the end fence 106 can move forward from the rear end of the bottom plate 84 through the entry portion 172, and the recording paper P shorter than the bottom plate 84 is placed on the bottom plate 84. However, the recording paper P can be moved to a position in contact with or sufficiently close to the rear end portion of the recording paper P.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the bottom plate 84 is formed with a notch 174 at a portion spaced rearward from the opening 166 along the depth direction. The notch 174 has an inner end communicating with the entry portion 172. The guide plate portion 164 is formed with a concave relief portion 176 at the rear side portion of the insertion piece 168 at the lower end thereof. The relief plate 176 causes the guide plate portion 164 to swing in the up-and-down direction. No collision with 84. The guide plate portion 164 is integrally provided with an extension guide portion 180 behind the escape portion 176 along the depth direction. The extension guide portion 180 has a lower end side inserted into the notch portion 174. The cassette body 83 extends to near the bottom plate.

  Here, the base member 102 in the side guide 94 is originally provided as a side guide in order to position a standard size recording paper such as the A series or the B series in the width direction, In the present embodiment, the extension guide member 98 is connected and fixed to the inside of the base member 102, and the extension guide member 98 is protruded inward from the base member 102, so that the non-standard and narrow recording paper P is side-guided. 94 and 96 enable positioning. Further, the opening 166 of the bottom plate 84 is formed wider toward the outside and the inside than the movement range along the width direction of the guide plate portion 164, and the notch portion 174 extends along the width direction of the guide plate portion 164. It is formed wider toward the inside than the moving range. Accordingly, the side guide 94 can be moved to a position corresponding to the width of the recording paper P placed on the bottom plate 84.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a rectangular elastic sheet 178 is attached to the extension guide portion 180 of the side guide 94. The elastic sheet 178 is formed of a material having elasticity in the thickness direction and having a small coefficient of friction against the recording paper P, such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate), foamed urethane rubber with a sheet, etc. It is about 0 mm. By sticking such an elastic sheet 178 to the extension guide portion 180, the guide plate portion 164 has a width with respect to the recording paper P while suppressing an increase in conveyance resistance with respect to the recording paper P placed on the bottom plate 84. The binding force along the direction can be effectively increased. As a result, it is particularly effective that the recording paper P shifts along the width direction, that is, skewing occurs when the thin recording paper P as shown in FIG. 3 is separated and fed by the feed roll 37. Can be prevented.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the guide plate portions 164 of the pair of extension guide members 98 are respectively formed with locking portions 104 extending inwardly from the corner portion on the top end side of the guide surface 100. ing. The engaging portion 104 engages both corners on the front end side of the upper surface portion of the paper bundle B placed on the bottom plate 84 and biased upward, and the upper surface portion of the paper bundle B is raised. It is positioned at a predetermined paper feed position along the direction. Although the locking portion 104 is also formed on the base member 102, the locking portion 104 of the base member 102 is not used in this embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the front plate portion 108 on the front end side of the paper feed cassette 82 is formed with a relief portion 110 cut out in a concave shape at the center of the upper end, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8. As described above, the escape portion 110 prevents the front plate portion 108 from interfering with the feed roll 37 and the retard roll 38. A stopper plate 112 is fixed to the front plate portion 108 of the paper feed cassette 82 so as to close the escape portion 110 on the inner surface thereof. The stopper plate 112 is disposed so that the front surface portion thereof escapes backward by the thickness of the front plate portion 108 with respect to the front end surface of the sheet feeding cassette 82, and thus the stopper plate 112 is moved to the feed roll 37 and the retard plate. Interference with the roll 38 is prevented.

  Here, the width of the escape portion 110 is slightly wider than the width of the roll surfaces of the feed roll 37 and the retard roll 38. On the other hand, the width of the recording paper P fed by the feed roll 37 shown in FIG. 4 is narrower than the width of the roll surface of the feed roll 37 or the retard roll 38. For this reason, in the paper feed cassette for storing the standard size recording paper, the end fence 106 is brought into contact with the rear end portion of the paper bundle placed on the bottom plate 84, and the front end portion of the paper bundle is used as the cassette body. The sheet bundle B is positioned at a predetermined position along the sheet feeding direction by abutting the front plate portion 108 of 83, but in the sheet feeding cassette according to the present embodiment, the sheet bundle B is placed inside the stopper plate 112. By abutting against the surface, the sheet bundle is positioned at a predetermined position along the sheet feeding direction.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in the paper feed cassette 82, the bottom plate 84 on which the paper bundle B is placed is inclined rearward. For this reason, a component force toward the end fence 106 acts on the paper bundle B on the bottom plate 84, and when the feed roll 37 is stopped, the leading edge of the paper bundle B and the front plate portion 108 of the cassette main body 83 are separated. A gap is formed between them. However, if the conveying force from the feed roll 37 acts on the sheet bundle B during the separation feeding, the sheet bundle B may be pushed forward. At this time, if the stopper plate 112 does not prevent the paper bundle B from moving forward, the front end side of the paper bundle B may protrude forward from the cassette body 83, causing a failure in the subsequent separation paper feeding operation. There is.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of guide protrusions 114 are formed on the upper end portion of the stopper plate 112 so as to be substantially symmetrical with respect to the center in the width direction of the bottom plate 84. The guide protrusion 114 is bent obliquely upward as shown in FIG. The guide protrusion 114 guides the recording paper P separated from the paper bundle B by the feed roll 37 on the upper surface of the guide protrusion 114 onto the roll surface of the retard roll 38. Thus, even when a plurality of recording papers P are simultaneously separated by the feed roll 37, the recording paper P excluding the uppermost recording paper P can be reliably pushed back by the retard roll 38. Multiple feeding of a plurality of recording sheets P from 82 to the image forming unit at the same time is prevented.

  The paper feed cassette 82 is provided with latch levers 116 at the front end sides of the side plate portions on both sides, and the pair of latch levers 116 is removed from the main body side paper feed portion 80 of the paper feed cassette 82. In conjunction with the engaging portion (not shown) provided in the main body side paper feeding section 80, and the bottom plate 84 is swung to the lower limit position along the elevation direction against the coil spring 92, Restrain to this lower limit position. The pair of latch levers 116 are engaged with an engaging portion (not shown) provided in the main body side paper feeding section 80 in conjunction with the mounting operation of the paper feeding cassette 82 from the main body side paper feeding section 80. The bottom plate 84 in the lower limit position is released. As a result, the bottom plate 84 rises in the ascending / descending direction by the urging force of the coil spring 92 and is held at a position where the upper surface portion of the sheet bundle B is pressed against the pair of locking portions 104.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the main body side paper feeding section 80 has an L-shaped detection lever so as to be positioned above the bottom plate 84 of the paper feeding cassette 82 attached to the main body side paper feeding section 80. 118 is disposed. The detection lever 118 is provided with a connecting shaft 120 at its base end, and this connecting shaft 120 is rotatably connected to a roll frame 119 that supports a feed roll 37. Accordingly, the detection lever 118 is supported so as to be swingable between a predetermined non-detection position (see FIG. 6) and a detection position (see FIG. 8). At this time, the detection lever 118 is always urged toward the detection position by its own weight. Further, the detection lever 118 has a base end side that extends forward from the connecting shaft 120 along the paper feeding direction, and a distal end side that is bent at an intermediate portion along the longitudinal direction so as to extend upward. Yes.

  Here, the detection lever 118 is for detecting the presence or absence of the recording paper P stored in the paper feed cassette 82, and is loaded on the bottom plate 84 along the width direction as shown in FIG. It is arranged outside the set of paper bundles B and at a position above one of the side guides 96. The detection lever 118 has a bent portion at a middle portion in the longitudinal direction as a contact portion 122 corresponding to a first restraining member 132 (see FIG. 9B) described later. A striker portion 124 corresponding to an empty sensor 128 (FIG. 6), which will be described later, is provided at the tip of the detection lever 118.

  Note that the detection lever 118 and the empty sensor 128 detect the presence or absence of recording paper in the paper feeding cassette even when a paper feeding cassette for storing standard size recording paper is mounted on the main body side paper feeding unit 80. Used for. In this case, the detection lever 118 is held at a non-detection position where the empty sensor 128 is not actuated by causing the contact portion 122 to directly contact the recording paper placed on the bottom plate 84. All the recording paper is carried out from above, and the vicinity of the contact portion 122 falls into a notch (not shown) formed in the bottom plate 84, thereby swinging to a detection position where the empty sensor 128 is operated.

  As shown in FIG. 6, an empty sensor 128 is disposed on the roll frame 119 at a portion corresponding to the detection lever 118. The empty sensor 128 is provided with a detection unit 130 having a light emitting element and a light receiving element, and a detection position where the striker part 124 of the detection lever 118 blocks the light emitting element and the light receiving element in the detection unit 130 (see FIG. 8). When it moves, the on state is changed to the off state, and an empty signal is output to the control unit (not shown) of the laser printer 21. Upon receiving this empty signal, the control unit determines that all the recording paper P has been carried out from the bottom plate 84, that is, the inside of the paper feed cassette 82 is empty, and controls the display of empty display to the user, Necessary control such as temporary stop control of image forming operation is performed. The empty sensor 128 is not limited to an optical sensor as in this embodiment, and a sensor that detects the striker unit 124 magnetically or mechanically may be used.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 9, the bottom plate 84 is provided with a plate-like first restraining member 132 at the tip thereof. The first restraining member 132 is provided with a rotating shaft 134 in the vicinity of the central portion in the width direction, and the rotating shaft 134 can be rotated by a support shaft portion 136 provided on the lower surface of the bottom plate 84. It is supported. The axis of the rotating shaft 134 extends so as to substantially coincide with the paper feeding direction of the recording paper P placed on the bottom plate 84. On the other hand, the bottom plate 84 is provided with a slit-shaped insertion portion 138 extending in the paper feeding direction at an inner portion with respect to the rotation shaft 134 and at an outer portion with respect to the rotation shaft 134. A rectangular opening 140 is formed. In addition, the first restraining member 132 is formed with a stack portion 142 that extends through the insertion portion 138 and extends onto the bottom plate 84 at the inner portion of the rotating shaft 134, and at the outer portion of the rotating shaft 134. A lever support portion 144 that is supported in an opening 140 formed in the bottom plate 84 is formed.

  The first restraining member 132 is pivotable about a pivot shaft 134 between a restraining position shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B and an allowable position shown in FIG. 9C. Yes. Here, when the first restraining member 132 is in the restraining position, as shown in FIG. 9A, the stack portion 142 is brought into contact with an inner region with respect to the side guide 94 on the upper surface portion of the bottom plate 84. At the same time, the lever support 144 is inserted into the opening 140 so that the upper surface of the lever support 144 is substantially aligned with the upper surface of the bottom plate 84. Further, when the first restraining member 132 is rotated to the permissible position, as shown in FIG. 9C, the stack portion 142 is separated above the bottom plate 84 and the lever support portion 144 is moved downward. Opening 140 is opened.

  Here, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the first restraining member 132 has the stack portion 142 of the bottom plate 84 in a state where the paper bundle B is placed on the bottom plate 84. It is sandwiched between the upper surface portion and the lower surface portion of the paper bundle B and is held at the restraining position. At this time, since the vicinity of the leading end of the paper bundle B is locked by the locking portions 104 of the side guides 94 and 96, the first restraining member 132 can be moved even if the number of recording papers P (self-weight) is small. Hold it securely in the restrained position. Further, the first restraining member 132 is configured such that the moment of the outer portion is slightly larger than the moment of the inner portion with respect to the rotation shaft 134 generated by its own weight, and as a result, as shown in FIG. As described above, when the paper bundle B disappears on the bottom plate 84, the paper is rotated from the restraint position to the permissible position in conjunction therewith.

  The first restraining member 132 configured as described above is a case where the first restraining member 132 is held at the restraining position by the sheet bundle B on the bottom plate 84, and the number of recording sheets P remaining on the bottom plate 84 is predetermined. In the low range state where the number is less than the threshold number, as shown in FIG. 9B, the lever support portion 144 is brought into contact with the contact portion 122 of the detection lever 118 to limit the downward swing of the detection lever 118. By doing so, the detection lever 118 is restrained to the non-detection position, that is, swinging from the non-detection position to the detection position is prevented. Further, in the empty state where all the recording sheets P have been carried out from the bottom plate 84, the first restraining member 132 separates the lever support portion 144 from the opening portion 140 downward as shown in FIG. 9C. By doing so, the detection lever 118 is allowed to swing from the non-detection position to the detection position. Thus, in the empty state, the detection lever 118 swings from the non-detection position to the detection position by its own weight, and the striker unit 124 changes the empty sensor 128 from the on state to the off state.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the guide member of the side guide 96 is formed with a notch 146 corresponding to the detection lever 118 at the front end portion of the top plate portion. The second restraining member 150 is disposed facing the portion 146. As shown in FIG. 6, the second restraining member 150 is bent in a crank shape when viewed from the outside in the width direction, and one end portion of the second restraining member 150 is positioned below the base end portion of the detection lever 118. It is said that.

  The crank-shaped second restraining member 150 is formed with two bent portions, and the bent portion far from the lever support portion 152 is a bottom contact portion 154 that always contacts the upper surface portion of the bottom plate 84. ing. Further, the bent portion on the side closer to the lever support portion 152 of the second restraining member 150 is a fulcrum portion 156 that becomes the rotation center of the second restraining member 150. On the other hand, the bottom plate 84 is provided with a support plate 158 extending upward in the side guide 94. The second restraining member 150 is pivotally connected to the support plate 158 about the fulcrum part 156 by fitting the fulcrum part 156 into the connection part 160 cut out on the upper side of the support plate 158. .

  Here, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the second restraining member 150 always brings the bottom contact portion 154 into contact with the upper surface portion of the bottom plate 84 and the lever support portion 152 as the base of the detection lever 118. Close to and away from the edge. Further, in the second restraining member 150, the moment generated by the portion on the bottom contact portion 154 side with respect to the fulcrum portion 156 due to its own weight is sufficiently larger than the moment generated by the portion on the lever support portion 152 side with respect to the fulcrum portion 156. It is comprised so that it may become. Accordingly, the second restraining member 150 is interlocked with the swinging motion of the bottom plate 84 along the ascending / descending direction, and the predetermined restraining position (see FIG. 6) and the releasing position (see FIGS. 7 and 8) around the fulcrum portion 156. ).

  Specifically, the second restraining member 150 remains on the bottom plate 84 from the full state where the maximum number of recording sheets P that can be accommodated in the paper feed cassette 82 are placed on the bottom plate 84. In the middle range state until the recording sheet P reaches the predetermined threshold number, the bottom contact portion 154 is maintained in contact with the bottom plate 84 and the lever support portion 152 supports the detection lever 118 from below. By doing so, the detection lever 118 is held at the restraining position. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, the detection lever 118 is held at the non-detection position where the contact portion 122 is located above the first restraining member 132, and does not press the first restraining member 132 downward.

  Further, when the recording sheet P remaining on the bottom plate 84 changes from the middle range state to the low range state where the number of recording sheets is less than the threshold number, the second restraining member 150 moves the lever support portion 144 as the bottom plate 84 rises. As shown in FIG. 8, the lever support portion 152 reaches a release position in which the lever support portion 152 is separated downward from the detection lever 118. As a result, the detection lever 118 abuts the contact portion 122 against the lever support portion 144 of the first restraining member 132 at the restraint position, and is restrained to the non-detection position by the lever support portion 144. After that, when all the recording sheets P are unloaded from the bottom plate 84, the first restraining member 132 moves to the permissible position as described above, and the detection lever 118 moves in conjunction with this to the non-detection position. Swings to the detection position. At this time, the detection lever 118 brings its base end portion into contact with the lever support portion 152 of the second restraining member 150 again, as shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the threshold number of recording sheets P placed on the bottom plate 84 is set to the number of recording sheets P when the thickness of the sheet bundle B is about 5 mm.

  Therefore, in the paper feed mechanism 36, the second restraining member 150 in contact with the bottom plate 84 and the detection lever 118 is placed on the bottom plate 84 and the maximum number of recording papers P that can be stored in the paper feed cassette 82 are placed on the bottom plate 84. In the middle range state from the fully loaded state until the recording sheet P remaining on the bottom plate 84 reaches the threshold number, the bottom plate 84 holds the detection lever 118 in the non-detection position. In the low range state where the number of recording sheets P remaining on the bottom plate 84 is less than the threshold number, the bottom plate 84 is held at the release position and the detection lever 118 is released from the non-detection position. 84 is in the middle range state, the detection lever 118 is detected by the second restraining member 150 at the restraining position. Since it is constrained to the non-detection position, the control unit of the laser printer 21 can determine that the recording paper P remains in the paper feed cassette 82 (recording paper is present) based on the signal state from the empty sensor 128, and the bottom plate 84 is in the low range state, the second restraining member 150 is moved to the release position and the detection lever 118 is allowed to move from the non-detection position to the detection position, but in this low range state. However, the detection lever 118 is continuously restrained to the non-detection position by the first restraining member 132 until all the recording paper P is removed from the bottom plate 84, so that all the recording paper P is kept in the paper feed cassette 82 by the empty sensor 128. It was not detected that it was removed from

  Here, until the paper bundle B on the bottom plate 84 is in the low range state as described above, the detection lever 118 is restrained to the non-detection position by the second restraining member 150, thereby detecting the detection lever 118 as in the present embodiment. Even if the dimension along the swing direction of the detection lever 118 cannot be made sufficiently long, the contact portion 122 of the detection lever 118 does not reach the bottom plate 84 on which the paper bundle B in the middle range state is loaded from the full load state. While the paper bundle B from the full load state to the middle range state is placed on the bottom plate 84, the detection lever 118 can be restrained to the non-detection position by the second restraining member 150. Therefore, according to the paper feed mechanism 36, even if the detection lever 118 is small as in the present embodiment, the paper feed cassette 82 can be stored in the paper feed cassette 82 only by providing the second restraining member 150 in the paper feed cassette 82. The presence / absence of the recording paper P having a special size smaller than the standard size can be detected.

  Further, in the paper feed mechanism 36, when the paper bundle B is placed on the bottom plate 84, the first restraining member 132 provided on the bottom plate 84 abuts on the lower surface portion of the paper bundle B and detects it. When the recording lever P is brought into contact with the contact portion 122 of the lever 118 to restrain the detection lever 118 to the non-detection position and all the recording paper P is unloaded from the bottom plate 84, the detection lever 118 moves from the non-detection position to the detection position. Therefore, when the paper bundle B is placed on the bottom plate 84, that is, when the recording paper P remains in the paper feed cassette 82, the detection lever is restrained to the non-detection position. Since it is not detected by the empty sensor 128 that all the recording paper P has been carried out from the inside of the paper feed cassette 82, the recording paper in the paper feed cassette 82 is detected according to the signal state from the empty sensor 128. Is left (recording paper is present), and the sheet bundle B is not placed on the bottom plate 84, that is, the recording paper P does not remain in the paper feed cassette 82. The detection lever 118 swings from the non-detection position to the detection position by its own weight, and the empty sensor 128 detects that all the recording paper P has been carried out from the inside of the paper feed cassette 82. It is possible to reliably determine that the recording paper P does not remain in the paper feed cassette 82 (no sheet) based on the signal state from.

  Next, the operation of the paper feed cassette 82 according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.

  In the paper feed cassette 82 according to the present embodiment, the bottom plate 84 is provided with openings 166 at portions corresponding to both end portions of the sheet bundle B placed on the bottom plate 84, and the side plate A base member 102 disposed outside the sheet bundle B placed on the bottom plate 84 along the width direction on the guide 94, and a base member extending inward along the width direction from the base member 102 An extension guide member 98 connected to 102 is provided. Further, the extension guide member 98 includes an extension portion 162 supported above the bottom plate 84 by the base member 102, and an insertion piece 168 on the lower end side extending downward from the inner end portion of the extension portion 162. A guide plate portion 164 that is inserted into the opening portion 166 is provided. Accordingly, the guide plate portion 164 of the side guide 94 can be supported inside the base member 102 along the width direction, and the bottom plate 84 swings in the ascending / descending direction without interfering with the guide plate portion 164 by the opening 166. Therefore, even when the recording paper P (paper bundle B) having a narrower width than the inner portion of the base member 102 of the bottom plate 84 is placed on the bottom plate 84, the guide plate portions of the pair of side guides 94. 164 is adjusted to positions corresponding to both end portions of the sheet bundle B placed on the bottom plate 84 along the width direction, and placed on the bottom plate 84 by the pair of guide plate portions 164. The sheet bundle B is positioned at a predetermined center position, and the recording paper conveyed by the feed roll 37 of the paper feed mechanism 36 There can be reliably restricted from displacement along the width direction.

  Here, the extension part 162 and the guide plate part 164 are provided in the side guide 94 so as to straddle the part from the side end of the inner part of the bottom plate 84 to the opening part 166, and the guide plate part Since 164 is supported on the inner side of the side end of the bottom plate 84, in order to move the side guide 94 inward from the side end of the bottom plate 84, a notch is formed on the bottom plate 84 from the side end to the inner side. It is not necessary to form, and strength reduction along the twisting direction and the bending direction generated in the bottom plate 84 can be effectively suppressed.

  As a result, the bottom plate 84 is bent or twisted, and the press contact force of the paper bundle B placed on the bottom plate 84 with respect to the feed roll 37 is reduced, or the axial direction of the paper bundle B with respect to the feed roll 37 is reduced. Instability of the distribution of the pressure contact force along the sheet is separated from the sheet bundle B by the feed roll 37 and the retard roll 38 so that the special size recording paper P narrower than the standard size is separated from the paper bundle B. It is possible to effectively prevent a trouble in supplying the recording paper P when the paper is fed.

  In the paper feed cassette 82 of the present embodiment, the conventional side guide in the paper feed cassette that stores the standard size recording paper is used as the base member 102 in the side guide 94 as it is. If the extension guide member 98 is attached to the base member 102), the side guide 94 according to this embodiment can be configured. As a result, according to the paper feed cassette 82 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to store a sheet bundle made of recording paper P having a special size narrower than the standard size while suppressing an increase in manufacturing cost.

It is a side view showing a schematic structure of a laser printer provided with a paper feed mechanism to which a paper feed cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the sheet feeding cassette according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed obliquely from above along the width direction, and shows a state where a sheet bundle is not stored in the sheet feeding cassette. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the sheet feeding cassette shown in FIG. 2 as viewed obliquely from above along the width direction, and shows a state in which a sheet bundle is stored in the sheet feeding cassette. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the paper feeding cassette shown in FIG. 2 as viewed obliquely from above along the paper feeding direction, showing a state in which a paper bundle is stored in the paper feeding cassette. FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating a configuration of a paper feed cassette illustrated in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the paper feed cassette shown in FIG. 2, showing a state in which a sheet bundle in the middle range state is stored in the paper feed cassette. FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the paper feed cassette shown in FIG. 2, showing a state where a low-range paper bundle is stored in the paper feed cassette. In other words, the recording paper is stored in the paper feeding cassette. FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the paper feed cassette shown in FIG. 2 and shows an empty state in which no paper bundle is stored in the paper feed cassette. FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of a first restraining member and a detection lever provided in the paper feed cassette shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. (B) a state where a paper bundle in a low range state is stored in the paper feed cassette, and (C) is a first restraining member in an empty state where a paper bundle is not stored in the paper feed cassette; The detection lever is shown.

Explanation of symbols

21 Laser Printer 22 Main Unit 36 Paper Feeding Mechanism (Sheet Feeder)
37 Feed roll (separation / feeding means)
38 retard roll (separation / feeding means)
82 Paper feed cassette 83 Cassette body 84 Bottom plate 94 Side guide 98 Extension guide member 102 Base member (base portion)
112 Stopper plate 114 Guide protrusion (guide part)
162 Extension part 164 Extension guide part 166 Opening part 174 Notch part 176 Escape part 178 Elastic sheet B Paper bundle (sheet bundle)
P Recording paper (sheet)

Claims (6)

In a main body of a sheet feeding apparatus that includes a sheet bundle composed of one or more sheets and that includes a separating / feeding unit that separates one sheet from the sheet bundle and conveys the sheet in a predetermined feeding direction. A paper cassette that is detachably mounted,
A cassette body in which a sheet bundle can be stored,
A bottom plate that is provided in the cassette body so as to be movable along an ascending / descending direction that is in contact with / separating from the separating / feeding means, and on which a sheet bundle stored in the cassette body is placed;
The sheet bundle placed on the bottom plate is provided on the outer side in the width direction at both end portions of the sheet bundle. The sheet bundle is brought into contact with the side end portion of the sheet bundle and moved to a predetermined width reference position along the width direction. A pair of side guides for positioning and restricting the sheet conveyed by the separating / feeding means of the sheet feeding device from shifting along the width direction;
Drilling openings in portions corresponding respectively to both end portions of the sheet bundle placed on the bottom plate in the bottom plate;
The side guide is connected to the base portion disposed outside the bottom plate along the width direction, and is connected to the base portion so as to extend inward along the width direction. An extension portion supported above the bottom plate and a guide plate portion extending downward from an inner end portion of the extension portion and having a lower end side inserted into the opening portion are provided. Paper cassette. Forming a notch in a portion spaced rearward from the opening along the feeding direction in the bottom plate;
2. The feeding according to claim 1, wherein the guide plate portion is integrally provided with an extending guide portion extending rearwardly along the feeding direction and having a lower end thereof inserted into the cutout portion. Paper cassette.   The side guide is provided so as to be movable along the width direction, and the opening and the notch are directed outward and inward from the movement range of the guide plate portion and the extension guide portion along the width direction. 3. The paper feed cassette according to claim 2, wherein the paper feed cassette is formed wide.   The sheet feeding cassette according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a sheet material having elasticity is attached to an inner surface along the width direction of the extension guide portion. The cassette body is formed to have a front plate portion provided in front of the bottom plate along the feeding direction and a concave shape at an upper end portion of the front plate portion, and the bottom body along the width direction. A relief portion extending outward from both side ends of the sheet bundle placed on the plate,
The cassette body is fixed to the inner surface of the front plate portion, closes at least a part of the escape portion, and is opposed to the front end portion of the sheet bundle placed on the bottom plate. The paper feed cassette according to claim 1, wherein the paper feed cassette is provided. The separating / feeding means of the sheet feeding apparatus includes a feeding member that feeds one or more sheets in the feeding direction from the upper end side of the sheet bundle placed on the bottom plate, and a plurality of sheets by the feeding member. And a separating member that separates only the uppermost sheet from the other sheet when the sheet is fed,
One or more sheets fed in the feeding direction from the upper end side of the sheet bundle placed on the bottom plate by the feeding member of the separating / feeding means are provided on the upper end portion of the stopper plate. 6. The paper feed cassette according to claim 5, further comprising a guide portion for guiding the separation member.

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