EP0908405A1 - Paper feeding cassette with adjustable pressing means - Google Patents
Paper feeding cassette with adjustable pressing means Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0908405A1 EP0908405A1 EP98119052A EP98119052A EP0908405A1 EP 0908405 A1 EP0908405 A1 EP 0908405A1 EP 98119052 A EP98119052 A EP 98119052A EP 98119052 A EP98119052 A EP 98119052A EP 0908405 A1 EP0908405 A1 EP 0908405A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- paper
- pickup device
- shaft
- feeding cassette
- paper feeding
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
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Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H1/00—Supports or magazines for piles from which articles are to be separated
- B65H1/26—Supports or magazines for piles from which articles are to be separated with auxiliary supports to facilitate introduction or renewal of the pile
- B65H1/266—Support fully or partially removable from the handling machine, e.g. cassette, drawer
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H1/00—Supports or magazines for piles from which articles are to be separated
- B65H1/08—Supports or magazines for piles from which articles are to be separated with means for advancing the articles to present the articles to the separating device
- B65H1/12—Supports or magazines for piles from which articles are to be separated with means for advancing the articles to present the articles to the separating device comprising spring
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2515/00—Physical entities not provided for in groups B65H2511/00 or B65H2513/00
- B65H2515/30—Forces; Stresses
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2515/00—Physical entities not provided for in groups B65H2511/00 or B65H2513/00
- B65H2515/30—Forces; Stresses
- B65H2515/34—Pressure, e.g. fluid pressure
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a paper feeding cassette in a laser beam printer (LBP) using an electrophotographic developing method, and in particular, to a paper pickup device installed to keep plural sheets of paper in a pickup position.
- LBP laser beam printer
- Electrophotographic development is generally used for a printer, copier, LBP, facsimile or the like.
- a device is equipped with a paper feeding cassette to accommodate plural sheets of paper, and the paper feeding cassette has a paper pickup device for keeping the paper pile in a pickup position.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional paper feeding cassette.
- the conventional paper feeding cassette is a universal type including at least one of guides 201 and 202 for regulating placement of papers with different lengths and widths to accommodate papers of different sizes.
- the paper feeding cassette 200 is comprised of a knock-up plate 203 elastically supported by one or more compressed coil springs 204, for loading a plurality of paper sheets.
- the compressed coil springs 204 press up against the knock-up plate 203 to keep the paper pile of the knock-up plate 203 in a pickup position.
- the paper is fed sheet by sheet from the knock-up plate 203 to a register roller (not shown) by a pickup roller (not shown) and a finger (not shown).
- the uppermost paper sheet of the paper pile is kept in contact with the pickup roller and transferred by the friction force between the paper and the pick up roller when the pickup roller rotates.
- the paper feeding cassette 200 feeds papers of different sizes (e.g., A4 size, letter size, and OHP (OverHead Projector) film size) as a recording medium.
- the papers differ in weight as well as in size and thickness.
- the mechanism of setting the pickup position of paper by use of one or two compressed coil springs under a knock-up plate cannot cope with the weight difference in paper. Further, different loads are imposed on a universal type of cassette capable of containing 500 sheets of paper at maximum depending on the kinds of paper. In comparison of A4-size paper and A6-size paper, a paper tray receives a much larger load from the latter than the former. The resulting difference in pickup force makes paper feeding unreliable.
- a paper pickup device in a paper feeding cassette having a knock-up plate having a knock-up plate.
- a compressed coil spring is provided under the knock-up plate, for pressing up the knock-up plate and providing paper pickup force
- a hinge shaft is rotatably connected to both sidewalls of the paper feeding cassette by a hinge
- a sub-plate is extended from a portion of the hinge shaft, under the knock-up plate
- means for pressing up the sub-plate is installed inside a frontal section of the paper feeding cassette to add to the upward pressure of the compressed coil spring.
- FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a paper feeding cassette according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a paper pickup device in the paper feeding cassette.
- the paper pickup device is provided inside a front section 14 of the paper feeding cassette 10, and a knock-up plate 13 is installed on the bottom of the paper feeding cassette 10 to be rotatable with respect to a side thereof.
- One or more guide members 11 and 12 are installed in the paper feeding cassette 10 movably in a paper feeding direction to regulate placement of papers with different lengths and in the direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction to regulate placement of papers with different widths, respectively.
- a curved slot 16 is formed on a frontal portion of each side wall 15 of the paper feeding cassette 10 to movably insert a shaft 20 thereinto.
- a hinge hole is formed at one side of each slot 16, for inserting a hinge shaft 30 thereinto. Both end portions of the slot 16 are shaped into circles of a larger diameter than the width of the slot 16 so as to keep the shaft 20 in position.
- both ends of the hinge shaft 30 are rotatably extended through the hinge holes in the paper pickup device.
- Under the knock-up plate 13 is a sub-plate 31 extended from a portion of the hinge shaft 30 in the paper feeding direction.
- a connecting member 32 is vertically extended from each of both end portions of the hinge shaft 30, for acting as a lever to apply an upward pressure to the sub-plate 31, and has an engaging portion 33 formed at an end of the connecting member 32. That is, the sub-plate 31, the connecting member 32, and the engaging portion 33 are all integrated with the hinge shaft 30.
- the shaft 20 of a predetermined length is inserted into the slots 16 on both the side walls 15 of the paper feeding cassette 10 shown in FIG. 2, with both ends of the shaft 20 extending through the slots 16.
- a mounting groove 21 is formed around the outer circumference of each end portion of the shaft 20 to a predetermined depth to be caught in the slot 16. Therefore, the shaft 20 may move along the curved slots 16 by user manipulation.
- a resilient member connects an end portion of the shaft 20 with the engaging portion 33 of each connecting member 32 so that the shaft 20 and the connecting member 32 exert tensile force on each other.
- a tension coil spring 40 is used as the resilient member.
- FIG. 4 is a partial side view of the paper pickup device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the position of the shaft when the tension coil spring is not strained.
- FIG. 5 is a partial side view of the paper pickup device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the position of the shaft when the tension coil spring is strained.
- the sub-plate presses up the knock-up plate in a single stage.
- the sub-plate works in two stages by use of at least two resilient members, preferably tension coil springs.
- FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a paper feeding cassette according to the second embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a paper pickup device in the paper feeding cassette according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
- the paper pickup device is provided inside a front section 114 of the paper feeding cassette 100, and a knock-up plate 113 is installed on the bottom of the paper feeding cassette 100 to be rotatable with respect to a side thereof.
- One or more guide members 111 and 112 are installed in the paper feeding cassette 100 movably in a paper feeding direction to regulate placement of papers with different lengths and in the direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction to regulate placement of papers with different widths, respectively.
- a first slot 116 of a predetermined curvature is formed on a frontal portion of each side wall 115 of the paper feeding cassette 110 to movably insert a shaft 120 thereinto.
- a hinge hole is formed at one side of each slot 116, for inserting one end of a hinge shaft 130 thereinto. Both end portions of the slot 116 are shaped into circles of a larger diameter than the width of the slot 116 so as to keep the shaft 120 in position.
- a second slot 117 of a predetermined curvature is formed just above the first slot 116 on one of the sidewalls 115 of the paper feeding cassette 100 and also shaped into circles in both ends thereof.
- a locker 170 of a predetermined shape is installed above the second slot 117 in such a manner that it can rotate around a hinge shaft 171 to cover the lower portion of the second slot 117, and a stopper 173 protrudes from below the second slot 117 to limit the rotation of the locker 170 at the time the locker 170 covers the lower portion of the locker 170. That is, the locker 170 is so installed that it freely moves around the hinge shaft 171, and is set in a stationary state by the stopper 173, while partially covering the second slot 117.
- a knob 172 protrudes from the outer surface of the locker 170 to allow convenient user manipulation.
- both ends of the hinge shaft 130 are rotatably extended through the hinge holes in the paper pickup device.
- Under the knock-up plate 13 is a sub-plate 131 extended from a portion of the hinge shaft 130 in the paper feeding direction.
- a connecting member 132 is vertically extended from each of both end portions of the hinge shaft 130, for acting as a lever to apply an upward pressure to the sub-plate 131, and has a first engaging portion 133 formed at an end of the connecting member 132 and a second engaging portion 134 extended from the first engaging portion 133. That is, the hinge shaft 130, the sub-plate 131, and the first and second engaging portions 133 and 134 are all integrally formed.
- Both ends of the shaft 120 of a predetermined length are inserted to extend through the first slots 116 on both the side walls 115 of the paper feeding cassette 100 shown in FIG. 6.
- a mounting groove 121 is formed around the outer circumference of each end portion of the shaft 120 to a predetermined depth to be caught in the first slot 116. Therefore, the shaft 120 may move along the curved first slots 116 by user manipulation.
- a first resilient member connects an end portion of the shaft 120 with the first engaging portion 133 of each connecting member 132 so that the shaft 120 and the connecting member 132 exert tensile force on each other.
- a tension coil spring 140 is used as the first resilient member.
- a lever 150 bent at the right angle in two portions.
- An end 151 of the lever 150 is protrusively inserted into the second slot 117 and the other end 152 thereof is rotatably connected to a fixing member 160.
- the lever end 151 is rotatable upon the other lever end 152.
- Both ends 151 and 152 of the lever 150 have a circular section to easily move or rotate.
- a second resilient member connects the second engaging portion 134 of one of the connecting members 132 to a portion of the lever end 151 so that the connecting member 132 and the lever 150 exert tensile force on each other.
- the second resilient member is preferably a tension coil spring, and referred to as a second tension coil spring 141 hereinafter.
- FIG. 8 is a partial side view of the paper pickup device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the positions of the shaft and the lever when neither the first tension coil spring nor the second tension coil spring is strained.
- FIG. 9 is a partial side view of the paper pickup device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the positions of the shaft and the lever when only the first tension coil spring is strained.
- FIG. 10 is a partial side view of the paper pickup device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the positions of the shaft and the lever when both the first and second tension coil springs are strained.
- the upward pressure applied to the knock-up plate 113 is increased by user manipulation of the shaft 120 protrusively inserted into the first slots 116 and the lever end 151 protruded through the second slot 117.
- the present invention is advantageous in that a user can control pickup force to paper depending on the loads of papers different in size and amount in a paper feeding cassette of an LBP, which contains papers of different sizes.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Sheets, Magazines, And Separation Thereof (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to a paper feeding cassette in a laser beam printer (LBP) using an electrophotographic developing method, and in particular, to a paper pickup device installed to keep plural sheets of paper in a pickup position.
- Electrophotographic development is generally used for a printer, copier, LBP, facsimile or the like. Such a device is equipped with a paper feeding cassette to accommodate plural sheets of paper, and the paper feeding cassette has a paper pickup device for keeping the paper pile in a pickup position.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional paper feeding cassette. As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional paper feeding cassette is a universal type including at least one of
guides paper feeding cassette 200 is comprised of a knock-upplate 203 elastically supported by one or morecompressed coil springs 204, for loading a plurality of paper sheets. The compressed coil springs 204 press up against the knock-upplate 203 to keep the paper pile of the knock-upplate 203 in a pickup position. The paper is fed sheet by sheet from the knock-upplate 203 to a register roller (not shown) by a pickup roller (not shown) and a finger (not shown). The uppermost paper sheet of the paper pile is kept in contact with the pickup roller and transferred by the friction force between the paper and the pick up roller when the pickup roller rotates. - In the above structure, the
paper feeding cassette 200 feeds papers of different sizes (e.g., A4 size, letter size, and OHP (OverHead Projector) film size) as a recording medium. The papers differ in weight as well as in size and thickness. - The mechanism of setting the pickup position of paper by use of one or two compressed coil springs under a knock-up plate cannot cope with the weight difference in paper. Further, different loads are imposed on a universal type of cassette capable of containing 500 sheets of paper at maximum depending on the kinds of paper. In comparison of A4-size paper and A6-size paper, a paper tray receives a much larger load from the latter than the former. The resulting difference in pickup force makes paper feeding unreliable.
- It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a paper pickup device in a paper feeding cassette, which enables papers of different sizes and thus different weights to be reliably picked up.
- It is another object of the present invention to provide a paper pickup device capable of controlling application of pickup force to paper in a paper feeding cassette.
- It is still another object of the present invention to provide a paper pickup device in a paper feeding cassette, which allows a user to control application of pickup force to paper with simple manipulation.
- To achieve these and other objects, there is provided a paper pickup device in a paper feeding cassette having a knock-up plate. In the paper pickup device, a compressed coil spring is provided under the knock-up plate, for pressing up the knock-up plate and providing paper pickup force, a hinge shaft is rotatably connected to both sidewalls of the paper feeding cassette by a hinge, a sub-plate is extended from a portion of the hinge shaft, under the knock-up plate, and means for pressing up the sub-plate is installed inside a frontal section of the paper feeding cassette to add to the upward pressure of the compressed coil spring.
- The above objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional paper feeding cassette;
- FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a paper feeding cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention;
- FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a paper pickup device according to the embodiment of the present invention;
- FIG. 4 is a partial side view of the paper pickup device according to the embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the position of a shaft when a tension coil spring is not strained;
- FIG. 5 is a partial side view of the paper pickup device according to the embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the position of the shaft when the tension coil spring is strained;
- FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a paper feeding cassette according to another embodiment of the present invention;
- FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view of a paper pickup device according to the second embodiment of the present invention;
- FIG. 8 is a partial side view of the paper pickup device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the positions of a shaft and a lever when neither a first tension coil spring nor a second tension coil spring is strained;
- FIG. 9 is a partial side view of the paper pickup device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the positions of the shaft and the lever when only the first tension coil spring is strained; and
- FIG. 10 is a partial side view of the paper pickup device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the positions of the shaft and the lever when both the first and second tension coil springs are strained.
-
- A detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention will hereinbelow be given with reference to the attached drawings. It is to be noted that like reference numerals denote the same components in the drawings and a detailed description of a known related function or structure of the present invention is omitted if it is deemed to obscure the subject matter of the present invention.
- FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a paper feeding cassette according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a paper pickup device in the paper feeding cassette.
- Referring to FIG. 2, the paper pickup device is provided inside a
front section 14 of thepaper feeding cassette 10, and a knock-up plate 13 is installed on the bottom of thepaper feeding cassette 10 to be rotatable with respect to a side thereof. One ormore guide members paper feeding cassette 10 movably in a paper feeding direction to regulate placement of papers with different lengths and in the direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction to regulate placement of papers with different widths, respectively. - A
curved slot 16 is formed on a frontal portion of eachside wall 15 of thepaper feeding cassette 10 to movably insert ashaft 20 thereinto. A hinge hole is formed at one side of eachslot 16, for inserting ahinge shaft 30 thereinto. Both end portions of theslot 16 are shaped into circles of a larger diameter than the width of theslot 16 so as to keep theshaft 20 in position. - Turning now to FIG. 3, both ends of the
hinge shaft 30 are rotatably extended through the hinge holes in the paper pickup device. Under the knock-upplate 13 is asub-plate 31 extended from a portion of thehinge shaft 30 in the paper feeding direction. A connectingmember 32 is vertically extended from each of both end portions of thehinge shaft 30, for acting as a lever to apply an upward pressure to thesub-plate 31, and has anengaging portion 33 formed at an end of the connectingmember 32. That is, thesub-plate 31, the connectingmember 32, and theengaging portion 33 are all integrated with thehinge shaft 30. - The
shaft 20 of a predetermined length is inserted into theslots 16 on both theside walls 15 of thepaper feeding cassette 10 shown in FIG. 2, with both ends of theshaft 20 extending through theslots 16. To prevent theshaft 20 from getting out of position in theslots 16, amounting groove 21 is formed around the outer circumference of each end portion of theshaft 20 to a predetermined depth to be caught in theslot 16. Therefore, theshaft 20 may move along thecurved slots 16 by user manipulation. - A resilient member connects an end portion of the
shaft 20 with theengaging portion 33 of each connectingmember 32 so that theshaft 20 and the connectingmember 32 exert tensile force on each other. In the present invention, atension coil spring 40 is used as the resilient member. - In the thus-constituted paper pickup device, user displacement of the
shaft 20 along theslots 16 in a direction indicated by arrow A of FIG. 3 changes the tensile force of thetension coil springs 40 applied to the connectingmembers 32. Hence, the upward pressure which thesub-plate 31 applies to the knock-upplate 13 is varied in a direction indicated by arrow B of FIG. 3 with respect to thehinge shaft 30 integrally formed with the lower end of the connectingmember 32. - FIG. 4 is a partial side view of the paper pickup device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the position of the shaft when the tension coil spring is not strained.
- As shown in FIG. 4, with the
shaft 20 in a position a of theslots 16 on the sidewalls of the paper feeding cassette, a paper pile lowers the knock-upplate 13, but thetension coil spring 40 is not strained while only the upward pressure of a pressure spring (not shown) under the knock-upplate 13 is applied to the knock-upplate 13. In this case, the load of the paper pile is small. - FIG. 5 is a partial side view of the paper pickup device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the position of the shaft when the tension coil spring is strained.
- As shown in FIG. 5, with the
shaft 20 in a position b of theslots 16, a paper pile lowers the knock-upplate 13. In so doing, the connectingmember 32 moves around thehinge shaft 30 and thetension coil spring 40 is strained with a predetermined tensile force. Thus, the pressure spring presses up the knock-upplate 13 with the aid of thesub-plate 31. In this case, the load of the paper pile is large. - In the first embodiment of the present invention, the sub-plate presses up the knock-up plate in a single stage.
- In a second embodiment of the present invention, the sub-plate works in two stages by use of at least two resilient members, preferably tension coil springs.
- FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a paper feeding cassette according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a paper pickup device in the paper feeding cassette according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
- As shown in FIG. 6, the paper pickup device is provided inside a
front section 114 of thepaper feeding cassette 100, and a knock-upplate 113 is installed on the bottom of thepaper feeding cassette 100 to be rotatable with respect to a side thereof. One ormore guide members paper feeding cassette 100 movably in a paper feeding direction to regulate placement of papers with different lengths and in the direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction to regulate placement of papers with different widths, respectively. - A
first slot 116 of a predetermined curvature is formed on a frontal portion of eachside wall 115 of the paper feeding cassette 110 to movably insert ashaft 120 thereinto. A hinge hole is formed at one side of eachslot 116, for inserting one end of ahinge shaft 130 thereinto. Both end portions of theslot 116 are shaped into circles of a larger diameter than the width of theslot 116 so as to keep theshaft 120 in position. In addition, asecond slot 117 of a predetermined curvature is formed just above thefirst slot 116 on one of thesidewalls 115 of thepaper feeding cassette 100 and also shaped into circles in both ends thereof. - A
locker 170 of a predetermined shape is installed above thesecond slot 117 in such a manner that it can rotate around ahinge shaft 171 to cover the lower portion of thesecond slot 117, and astopper 173 protrudes from below thesecond slot 117 to limit the rotation of thelocker 170 at the time thelocker 170 covers the lower portion of thelocker 170. That is, thelocker 170 is so installed that it freely moves around thehinge shaft 171, and is set in a stationary state by thestopper 173, while partially covering thesecond slot 117. Aknob 172 protrudes from the outer surface of thelocker 170 to allow convenient user manipulation. - Turning now to FIG. 7, both ends of the
hinge shaft 130 are rotatably extended through the hinge holes in the paper pickup device. Under the knock-upplate 13 is a sub-plate 131 extended from a portion of thehinge shaft 130 in the paper feeding direction. A connectingmember 132 is vertically extended from each of both end portions of thehinge shaft 130, for acting as a lever to apply an upward pressure to the sub-plate 131, and has a firstengaging portion 133 formed at an end of the connectingmember 132 and a secondengaging portion 134 extended from the first engagingportion 133. That is, thehinge shaft 130, the sub-plate 131, and the first and second engagingportions - Both ends of the
shaft 120 of a predetermined length are inserted to extend through thefirst slots 116 on both theside walls 115 of thepaper feeding cassette 100 shown in FIG. 6. To prevent theshaft 120 from getting out of position in thefirst slots 116, a mountinggroove 121 is formed around the outer circumference of each end portion of theshaft 120 to a predetermined depth to be caught in thefirst slot 116. Therefore, theshaft 120 may move along the curvedfirst slots 116 by user manipulation. - A first resilient member connects an end portion of the
shaft 120 with the first engagingportion 133 of each connectingmember 132 so that theshaft 120 and the connectingmember 132 exert tensile force on each other. In the present invention, atension coil spring 140 is used as the first resilient member. - At one side of the sub-plate 131 is provided a
lever 150 bent at the right angle in two portions. Anend 151 of thelever 150 is protrusively inserted into thesecond slot 117 and theother end 152 thereof is rotatably connected to a fixingmember 160. Hence, thelever end 151 is rotatable upon theother lever end 152. Both ends 151 and 152 of thelever 150 have a circular section to easily move or rotate. - A second resilient member connects the second
engaging portion 134 of one of the connectingmembers 132 to a portion of thelever end 151 so that the connectingmember 132 and thelever 150 exert tensile force on each other. The second resilient member is preferably a tension coil spring, and referred to as a secondtension coil spring 141 hereinafter. - In the thus-constituted paper pickup device, user displacement of the
shaft 120 along thefirst slots 116 in a direction indicated by arrow A of FIG. 7 changes the tensile force of the first tension coil springs 40 applied to the connectingmembers 32. Simultaneously when thelever end 151 protruded through thesecond slot 117 is moved in a direction indicated by arrow C of FIG. 7, the tensile force applied to the connectingmember 132 is changed again. In this manner, the upward pressure which the sub-plate 131 applies to the knock-upplate 113 can be varied in a direction indicated by arrow B of FIG. 7 in two stages. - FIG. 8 is a partial side view of the paper pickup device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the positions of the shaft and the lever when neither the first tension coil spring nor the second tension coil spring is strained.
- As shown in FIG. 8, with the
shaft 120 in a position a of thefirst slots 116 on the sidewalls of the paper feeding cassette and thelever end 151 in a position c of thesecond slot 117, a paper pile lowers the knock-upplate 113, but neither the firsttension coil spring 140 nor the secondtension coil spring 141 is strained while only the upward pressure of a pressure spring (not shown) under the knock-upplate 113 is applied to the knock-upplate 113. In this case, the load of the paper pile is small. - FIG. 9 is a partial side view of the paper pickup device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the positions of the shaft and the lever when only the first tension coil spring is strained.
- As shown in FIG. 9, with the
shaft 20 in a position b of thefirst slots 116 and thelever end 151 in the position c of thesecond slot 117, a paper pile lowers the knock-upplate 113. In so doing, the connectingmember 132 moves around thehinge shaft 130 and only the firsttension coil spring 140 is strained with a predetermined tensile force. Thus, the sub-plate 131 adds a predetermined force to the upward pressure of the pressure spring on the knock-upplate 113. In this case, the load of the paper pile is larger than that in FIG. 8. - FIG. 10 is a partial side view of the paper pickup device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the positions of the shaft and the lever when both the first and second tension coil springs are strained.
- As shown in FIG. 10, with the
shaft 120 in the position b of thefirst slots 116 and thelever end 151 in a position d of thesecond slot 117, a paper pile lowers the knock-upplate 113. In so doing, the first and second tension coil springs 140 and 141 concurrently exert tensile force on the connectingmember 132. Thus, the sub-plate 131 applies a larger force than that in FIG. 9 to the knock-upplate 113. In this case, the load of the paper pile is larger than that in FIG. 9. - In FIG. 10, when the
lever end 151 moves toward the position d of thesecond slot 117, thelever end 151 pushes an end of thelocker 170 and then thelocker 170 rotates around thehinge shaft 171. Finally, thelever end 151 is set in the position d of thesecond slot 117, and thelocker 170 returns to the original position where its motion is limited by thestopper 173. Thelever end 151 is kept in position while receiving the tensile force of the second tension coil spring 141by thelocker 170 and thestopper 173. To move thelever end 151 to the position c of thesecond slot 117, on the other hand, a user rotates thelocker 170 at a predetermined angle counterclockwise with theknob 172. Then, the tensile force of the secondtension coil spring 141 moves thelever end 151 to the position c of thesecond slot 117 and is released. - In the second embodiment of the present invention, the upward pressure applied to the knock-up
plate 113 is increased by user manipulation of theshaft 120 protrusively inserted into thefirst slots 116 and thelever end 151 protruded through thesecond slot 117. - As described above, the present invention is advantageous in that a user can control pickup force to paper depending on the loads of papers different in size and amount in a paper feeding cassette of an LBP, which contains papers of different sizes.
- While the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the specific embodiments, they are mere exemplary applications. Thus, it is to be clearly understood that many variations can be made by anyone skilled in the art within the scope and spirit of the present invention.
Claims (13)
- A paper pick-up device in a paper feeding cassette having a knock-up plate and a compressed coil spring under the knock-up plate, for pressing up the knock-up plate and providing paper pickup force, characterised in that at least one adjustable pressing means is installed inside a frontal section of the paper feeding cassette for adding an adjustable pressure to the upward pressure exerted by the compressed coil spring.
- The paper pickup device according to claim 1, characterised in that the adjustable pressing means is at least adjustable between two pressure values.
- The paper pickup device according to claim 2, characterised in that the two pressure values are a zero pressure and a positive pressure of predetermined value.
- The paper pickup device according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that said adjustable pressure means at least comprisesa hinge shaft rotatably connected to both sidewalls of the paper feeding cassette by a hinge;a sub-plate extending from a portion of the hinge shaft under the knock-up plate, andmeans for pressing up the sub-plate, installed in a front section of the paper feeding cassette to add pressure to the upward pressure of the compressed coil spring.
- The paper pickup device according to claim 4, characterised in that the means for pressing up comprises at least:a first curved slot formed on a frontal portion of each sidewall of the paper feeding cassette;a shaft having both ends protrusively inserted into the curved slots inside a frontal section of the paper feeding cassette;a connecting member extending from each of the hinge shafts to a predetermined length in a direction perpendicular to the sub-plate and having at least a first engaging portion at one end thereof, anda resilient member having one end connected to each end of the shaft and the other end connected to the first engaging portion of each first connecting member, for making the shaft and the connecting member exert tensile force on each other.
- The paper pickup device according to claim 5, characterised in that the resilient members are tension coil springs.
- The paper pickup device according to one of the previous claims, characterised in that a mounting groove of a predetermined depth is formed in each end portion of the shaft around the outer circumference, for preventing the shaft from getting out of position in the first curved slots.
- The paper pickup device according to one of the previous claims, characterised in that both end portions of the first curved slots are shaped in circle of the diameter larger than the width of the first slots, for enabling the shaft to easily move and keeping in shaft the position in the first slots.
- The paper pickup device according to one of the previous claims, characterised in that the connecting member has a second engaging portion at another end thereof;a second curved slot is formed on a portion of at least one side wall of the paper feeding cassette;a fixing member is inside the paper feeding cassette;a lever is bent in two positions and has one end protrusively inserted into the second slot and the other end rotatably connected to the fixing member by a hinge, anda second resilient member has one end connected to the second engaging portion of the connecting member and the other end connected to the lever end, for making the shaft and the connecting member exert tensile force on each other.
- The paper pickup device according to one of the previous claims, characterised in that a stopping means is arranged nearby the second slot for stopping movement of the end of the lever.
- The paper pickup device according to one of the previous claims, characterised in that the second resilient members are tension coil springs.
- The paper pickup device according to one of the previous claims, characterised in that a locker is installed just above the second slot on the sidewall of the paper feeding cassette by a hinge, for partially covering the second slot, and a stopper protrudes below the second slot for limiting the rotation of the locker.
- The paper pickup device according to claim 12, characterised in that the locker includes a knob protruding outward from the outer surface thereof for facilitating user manipulation.
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
KR2019970027888U KR200186325Y1 (en) | 1997-10-08 | 1997-10-08 | Paper pick-up unit for paper cassette |
KR9727888 | 1997-10-08 | ||
KR2019970030916U KR200189812Y1 (en) | 1997-11-03 | 1997-11-03 | Pick-up device for paper cassette |
KR9730916 | 1997-11-03 |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0908405A1 true EP0908405A1 (en) | 1999-04-14 |
EP0908405B1 EP0908405B1 (en) | 2003-05-07 |
Family
ID=34380444
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP98119052A Expired - Lifetime EP0908405B1 (en) | 1997-10-08 | 1998-10-08 | Paper feeding cassette with adjustable pressing means |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0908405B1 (en) |
CN (1) | CN1178795C (en) |
DE (1) | DE69814284T2 (en) |
Families Citing this family (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN102408023A (en) * | 2011-06-10 | 2012-04-11 | 刘安成 | Paper separation incline |
CN102785952A (en) * | 2012-08-20 | 2012-11-21 | 天津光电通信技术有限公司 | Paper bin structure for left-side feeding of office equipment |
CN103660618B (en) * | 2013-11-21 | 2015-10-21 | 浙江大学 | Convenience paper extractor |
CN109703214A (en) * | 2019-02-26 | 2019-05-03 | 天津光电通信技术有限公司 | A kind of laser printer paper storehouses of plain type adjust automatically paper type |
Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JPH07206180A (en) * | 1994-01-18 | 1995-08-08 | Canon Inc | Sheet feed device and image forming device |
US5443252A (en) * | 1991-03-11 | 1995-08-22 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Sheet supplying apparatus for feeding sheets from cassettes having different sheet holding capacities |
US5823525A (en) * | 1995-07-21 | 1998-10-20 | Ricoh Company Ltd. | Methods of and systems for adjustably feeding image-carrying media of various sizes |
-
1998
- 1998-10-08 CN CNB981246737A patent/CN1178795C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1998-10-08 EP EP98119052A patent/EP0908405B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1998-10-08 DE DE69814284T patent/DE69814284T2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Patent Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5443252A (en) * | 1991-03-11 | 1995-08-22 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Sheet supplying apparatus for feeding sheets from cassettes having different sheet holding capacities |
JPH07206180A (en) * | 1994-01-18 | 1995-08-08 | Canon Inc | Sheet feed device and image forming device |
US5823525A (en) * | 1995-07-21 | 1998-10-20 | Ricoh Company Ltd. | Methods of and systems for adjustably feeding image-carrying media of various sizes |
Non-Patent Citations (1)
Title |
---|
PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN vol. 095, no. 011 26 December 1995 (1995-12-26) * |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
DE69814284D1 (en) | 2003-06-12 |
CN1222450A (en) | 1999-07-14 |
EP0908405B1 (en) | 2003-05-07 |
CN1178795C (en) | 2004-12-08 |
DE69814284T2 (en) | 2003-11-13 |
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