JP2000296924A - Sheet housing container, sheet feeding device, and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet housing container having easy setting and handling of sheets, and sheet feeding and image forming devices using it. SOLUTION: This sheet housing container, set to a mount part of a sheet feeding device, has a container main body 23 having an opening in a downstream side of a sheet feeding direction, a sheet holding member 25 holding sheets housed inside the container main body 23, and a release member 27 capable of releasing a sheet holding state of the sheet holding member 25 when the container main body 23 is set to the mount part of the sheet feeding device.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine or a printer. The present invention relates to an apparatus and an image forming apparatus provided with the apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, a plurality of sheets are stacked and set, and these are separated and fed one by one to an image forming means to record a predetermined image.
In general, the sheet is fed by mounting a sheet cassette containing the sheets and feeding the sheets one by one from the cassette. However, in today's image forming apparatuses, the sheet is fed from the sheet cassette. In many cases, a manual feeding unit is provided so that sheets of any size can be fed in addition to feeding.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show an example of the manual feeding section. FIG. 7 is an explanatory front view of the manual feed section, and FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of the manual feed section as viewed from above. When feeding sheets from this manual feed section, first,
The upper side regulating plate 51 is slid to fit the size of the sheet to be fed. At this time, the size can be easily adjusted by adjusting the protrusion 51a of the side regulating plate 51 to the scale of the size index 52 as a guide.

Next, the required number of sheets are set so that the widthwise direction (the direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction) is between the side regulating plates 51 and the leading end in the feeding direction abuts against the abutting plate 53. . When the sheet S is set in this way, the image forming apparatus main body recognizes the sheet size from the position of the side regulating plate 51, determines an image recording area, and starts image formation. In synchronization with this, when the manual feed unit receives the feed start signal, the pressing member 54 moves upward to press the leading end of the sheet against the feed roller 55, and the feed roller 55 rotates. Then, the sheet is fed to the image forming means.

[0005]

However, in the above-described conventional manual feeding configuration, when the sheet is set, the leading end of the sheet cannot be reliably abutted against the abutment plate 53, or the sheet cannot be set. When the user suddenly touches the sheet S after the movement and the sheet S separates from the abutment plate 53,
The sheet may not be fed or may be double fed.

When the position of the side regulating plate 51 is slightly larger than the width of the sheet due to misalignment at the time of size adjustment or unexpected touching, the sheet is guided when feeding the sheet. Skew without moving.

Further, when a plurality of sheets are set, it is necessary to align the edges of the sheets before setting in order to prevent a feeding failure or a skew, and the operation becomes complicated.

Further, in the case where a user stores a plurality of sheets having different types and sizes of sheets to be used in manual feeding, if various sheets are stored in an overlapped manner, it is difficult to use the sheet at the time of use. A cumbersome sorting operation is required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a sheet storage container which can easily set and handle sheets, a sheet feeding apparatus using the same, and an image forming apparatus. It is.

[0010]

A typical configuration according to the present invention for achieving the above object is a sheet storage container set on a mounting portion of a sheet feeding device, which is located downstream of a sheet feeding direction. A container body having an opening on the side, sheet holding means for holding a sheet stored in the container body, and a sheet provided by the sheet holding means when the container body is set on a mounting portion of a sheet feeding device. Releasing means capable of releasing the holding state.

In the above configuration, since the sheet holding means holds the sheet in the container body when the sheet storage container is not set in the sheet feeding device, the sheet may not be displaced even if it is stored as it is. Absent. Then, when the sheet storage container is set in the feeding device, the release unit releases the sheet holding state by the holding unit,
Sheet setting can be easily performed.

[0012] Further, by setting the sheet storage container on the mounting portion of the feeding device, the sheet is prevented from being displaced, and further, by providing a cover member for covering the stored sheet, the user is provided with a cover member. Can be prevented from touching the sheet carelessly.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, a sheet storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention and an image forming apparatus provided with a sheet feeding apparatus for setting and feeding a sheet will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a sheet feeding apparatus according to a first embodiment, FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of a sheet feeding apparatus as viewed from above, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional explanatory view showing the operation, FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the sheet storage container as viewed from above, and FIG. 5 is a schematic explanatory diagram of an image forming apparatus including a sheet feeding device.

(Overall Configuration) First, the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus having a sheet feeding device will be schematically described with reference to FIG.

This image forming apparatus is a digital type electrophotographic copying machine, and is an apparatus in which an image reading apparatus A and an image recording apparatus B are combined, and performs recording using original information read by the image reading apparatus A. In addition to being used as a copying machine, it can be used as a facsimile, and can also be connected to a computer and used as a printer.

The image reading apparatus A scans the light source 2 to irradiate light on a document placed on the platen glass 1 with the document face down, and reflects the reflected light via a mirror 3 and a lens 4. The light is converted to an electric signal by the photoelectric conversion element 5 and transmitted to a predetermined image recording apparatus.

The image recording apparatus B separates and feeds a plurality of sheets S stacked on the deck feeding section 6 one by one by a pickup roller 7 and a separation roller pair 8, and transports the sheets S by a conveyance roller pair 9 and a registration roller pair 10. The sheet is conveyed to the image forming unit 11. The image forming means 11 forms an image by an electrophotographic method, and includes a charging means 11b for uniformly charging the drum 11a around the photosensitive drum 11a, and a charging means 11b for charging the photosensitive drum 11a.
Exposure unit 11c for forming a latent image on the sheet a, developing means 11d for developing the latent image with toner to make it visible, and transfer means 11 for transferring the developed toner image to the conveyed sheet S
e, cleaning means 11f for removing toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 11a after the transfer of the toner image, and in the case of the copy mode, in accordance with the original reading information sent from the image reading apparatus A of its own, and in the case of the facsimile mode. Is for forming a toner image on a sheet according to read information transmitted from another device.

And fixing means for fixing the toner-transferred sheet to the sheet.
Transfer to 12 and apply heat and pressure to fix the image,
The sheet is discharged to a discharge tray 14 by a discharge roller pair 13.

The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment can feed a sheet from a manual feeding section 15 in addition to the sheet feeding from the deck feeding section 6. The deck feeding unit 6 can store a large amount of sheets and can store the sheets inside the apparatus. However, the manual feeding unit 15 as the sheet feeding apparatus is configured such that the stacking tray 16 is located outside the apparatus main body. When a user sets an arbitrary sheet here, sheets S of various paper types can be set. Then, the set sheets are separated and fed one by one by a feeding roller 17, and the image forming unit 11 is fed by a pair of conveying rollers 18 and a pair of registration rollers 10.
It is transported to

(Sheet Feeding Apparatus) Next, the configuration of a manual feeding section as a sheet feeding apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS.

In this embodiment, sheets are stored in a sheet storage container C, and the sheets are set on a stacking tray 16 as a sheet mounting portion and fed. still,
A side regulating plate 19 is provided on the stacking tray 16 so as to be slidable in the sheet width direction (a direction orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction). The side regulating plate 19 is slid to fit the size of the sheet to be fed. By adjusting the protrusion 19a of the side regulating plate 19 as the scale of the size index 20, the size can be easily adjusted.

The width direction of the sheet is the side regulating plate 51.
When the sheet is set so that the leading end in the feeding direction abuts against the abutting plate 21, the image forming apparatus main body recognizes the sheet size from the position of the side regulating plate 19, determines an image recording area, and forms an image. To start. In synchronization with this, the manual feed unit 15 receives the feed start signal, and the pressing member 22 moves upward to press the leading end of the sheet against the feed roller 17, and
When the feeding roller 17 rotates, the sheet is fed to the image forming unit.

The sheet storage container C is detachable from the stacking tray 16, and when mounted on the stacking tray 16, the sheet feeding direction and the sheet width direction are positioned. As shown in FIG. 3, the sheet storage container C has a container main body 23 having an opening on the downstream side in the sheet feeding direction in a state of being mounted on the stacking tray 16, and a sheet holding the sheets stored in the container main body. Holding means and loading tray 16
Release means which can release the sheet holding state by the sheet holding means when the sheet is set to. Also,
The upper surface of the container main body 23 is configured so as to be able to cover the cover member 24, and when set on the stacking tray 16, the user cannot carelessly touch the stored sheets with his or her hands. As a result, it is possible to prevent a problem such as a jam (paper jam) or skew caused by an erroneous operation by the user.

Here, the sheet holding structure of the sheet storage container C and the releasing structure thereof will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b) show a state where the sheet storage container C is removed from the stacking tray 16, and
(a) shows a state where a sheet is not stored, and (b) shows a state where a sheet is stored. FIG. 3C shows a state where the container C containing the sheets is set on the stacking tray 16.

As shown in FIG. 3 (a), a sheet holding member 25 as a sheet holding means has a shaft 26 fixed to the container body 23.
Is mounted so as to be rotatable around the center. On the other hand, a release member 27 serving as release means has a long hole formed in the horizontal direction.
The engagement member 27a engages with the shaft 28 fixed to the container body 23, so that the release member 27 can slide in the directions of arrows a and b (horizontal direction) with respect to the container body 23. Further, the release member 27 is provided with an engaging portion 23a formed at a lower portion of the container body 23.
And one end thereof protrudes outward from the upstream end face of the engaging portion 23a in the sheet feeding direction. The other end of the release member 27 is a shaft not fixed to the container body 23.
It is rotatably connected to the sheet holding member 25 by 29. One end of the tension spring 30 as the urging means is
, And the other end is locked to the shaft 29. The sheet holding member 25 is always urged in the direction of arrow d (counterclockwise in FIG. 3) by the urging force of the tension spring 30, and the release member 27
Is always urged in the direction of arrow b.

Therefore, the sheet storage container C is placed on the loading tray 16.
3B, the sheet S housed in the container body 23 and abutted against the rear end abutting portion 31 in the container body 23 and aligned as shown in FIG. The sheet is held by the sheet holding member 25 in the vicinity of the rear end. For this reason, even if the opening side (downstream side in the sheet feeding direction) of the sheet storage container C faces downward, the sheet S remains in the container body 23.
The sheets are not dropped off, and the sheets can be easily stored.

On the other hand, when the sheet storage container C is set on the stacking tray 16, the engaging portion 23a formed on the lower portion of the container body 23 is fitted to the tray engaging portion 16a formed on the stacking tray 16. Positioning is also performed in the sheet width direction and the feeding direction. At this time, the release member 27 protruding outside from the engagement portion 23a is pushed in by the inclined portion 27b formed at the end thereof hitting the edge of the tray engagement portion 16a, and the biasing force of the tension spring 30 is applied. It slides in the direction of arrow a against it. As a result, the sheet holding member 25 linked to the release member 27 rotates in the direction of the arrow c around the shaft 26, so that the holding of the sheet S is automatically released, and the sheet can be fed. Therefore, there is no need to perform an operation of releasing the sheet holding after the sheet storage container C is set.

When sheets are stored in the storage container C in a state where the sheet storage container C is not set on the stacking tray 16 (the state shown in FIG. 3A), the user manually releases the release member.
By pushing the end of the sheet holding member 27 in the direction of arrow a, the sheet holding member is rotated in the direction of arrow c.
The sheet can be easily stored by removing the hand from the release member 27 after inserting the sheet until it hits the sheet.

As described above, since the sheet storage container C has the sheet holding means and the releasing means, the management and storage of the sheets are facilitated, and the skewing and jam after setting can be effectively prevented.

Second Embodiment Next, another example of the sheet storage container will be described as a second embodiment. FIG. 6 is an explanatory cross-sectional view of a main part of the sheet storage container according to the second embodiment. Members having the same functions as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. Further, the sheet feeding device and the image forming apparatus for setting the sheet storage container C are the same as those in the first embodiment, and the description is omitted here.

In FIG. 6, a sheet holding member 25 as a sheet holding means is rotatable about a shaft 26 fixed to the container body 23. A long hole 27a formed in a release member 27 as a release means in a vertical direction and a shaft 28 fixed to the container body 23
The release member 27 is slidable in the directions of the arrows a and b (vertical direction) with respect to the container body 23 by the engagement of. One end of the release member 27 projects downward from the bottom surface of the engagement portion 23a, and the other end is rotatably connected to the sheet holding member 25 by a shaft 29 that is not fixed to the container body 23. .

Further, a tension spring 30 as an urging means is provided.
Has one end locked to the shaft 28 and the other end locked to the shaft 29,
The release member 27 is always urged in the direction of arrow b by the urging force of the spring 30, and the sheet holding member 25 is always urged in the direction of arrow d.

In the above configuration, similarly to the first embodiment, when the sheet storage container C is removed from the stacking tray, the sheet holding member 25 holds the sheet stored therein.
When the sheet storage container C is set on the stacking tray, the lower end of the release member 27 comes into contact with the tray engaging portion surface of the stacking tray and is pushed up, so that the release member 27 slides in the direction of arrow a, and The linked sheet holding member 25 rotates in the direction of arrow c to release the sheet holding state.

Therefore, even with the configuration of the second embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

In the first and second embodiments, a plurality of sheet storage containers C are provided for each sheet size and paper type to be stored. C is selectively set on the loading tray 16 for use.

As described above, since the sheets are stored in the sheet storage container C for each size and paper type, when not used, the stored sheets are held in the sheet storage container by the sheet holding member, and the sheets are disintegrated. Therefore, the operability is good because it is only necessary to replace the sheet storage container C when used.

[0038]

The present invention is constructed as described above.
In a state where the sheet storage container is not set in the sheet feeding device, the sheet holding means holds the sheet in the container main body. Then, when the sheet storage container is set in the feeding device, the releasing means releases the sheet holding state by the holding means, so that the sheet can be easily set.

Further, by setting the sheet storage container on the mounting portion of the feeding device, the sheet is prevented from being displaced, and furthermore, by providing a cover member for covering the stored sheet, the user is provided with a cover member. Can be prevented from touching the sheet carelessly.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional explanatory view of a sheet feeding device according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a top view explanatory diagram of a sheet feeding apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view illustrating the operation of the sheet storage container.

FIG. 4 is a top view explanatory diagram of a sheet storage container.

FIG. 5 is a schematic explanatory view of an image forming apparatus provided with a sheet feeding device.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory sectional view of a main part of a sheet storage container according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory front view of a manual feeding section.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of the manual feed unit as viewed from above.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A: Image reading device B: Image recording device C: Sheet storage container S: Sheet 1: Platen glass 2: Light source 3: Mirror 4: Lens 5: Photoelectric conversion element 6: Deck feeding unit 7: Pickup roller 8: Separation roller Pair 9: Conveyance roller pair 10: Registration roller pair 11: Image forming means 11a: Photoconductor drum 11b: Charging means 11c: Exposure unit 11d: Developing means 11e: Transfer means 11f: Cleaning means 12: Fixing means 13: Discharge roller pair 14 ... discharge tray 15 ... manual feed section 16 ... stacking tray 16a ... tray engaging section 17 ... feed roller 18 ... transport roller pair 19 ... side regulating plate 19a ... projecting section 20 ... size index 21 ... abutment plate 22 ... Pressing member 23 ... Container body 23a ... Engagement part 24 ... Cover member 25 ... Sheet holding member 26 ... Shaft 27 ... Release member 27a ... Long hole 27b ... Inclined part 28 ... Shaft 29 ... Shaft 30 ... Tensile splice Grayed 31 ... rear end abutting portions

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Hiroshi Suimon 3-11-28 Mita, Minato-ku, Tokyo Within Canon Sales Inc. (72) Inventor Takanari Kominato 3- 30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon (72) Inventor Hiroshi Inaga 326-201 Ueda, Hino City, Tokyo F-term (reference) 2H072 BA06 BA12 BA19 BB01 HB07 3F343 FA02 FB02 FB04 FC04 FC12 GA01 GB01 GC01 GD01 HA14 HA29 HA37 HB03 HC07 HC25 JA01 JD02 JD21 JD33 LA04 LA15 LC06 LD04 LD25

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A sheet storage container set on a mounting portion of a sheet feeding device, comprising: a container main body having an opening on a downstream side in a sheet feeding direction; and a sheet stored in the container main body. A sheet storage container, comprising: sheet holding means; and release means capable of releasing a sheet holding state of the sheet holding means when the container main body is set on a mounting portion of a sheet feeding device. 2. The sheet holding means having a sheet holding member urged against the sheet by an urging means for holding the sheet in a state where the container main body is not set on the mounting portion of the feeding device. The means has a release member projecting from the container main body by the urging of the urging means, and the release member engages with the engaging portion formed on the mounting portion when the container main body is set on the mounting portion. The sheet storage container according to claim 1, wherein the sheet storage container moves to a position where the sheet holding state of the sheet holding member is released against the urging of the urging means. 3. An end of the release member is rotatably connected to the sheet holding member by a connection shaft, one end of the urging means is fixed to the connection shaft, and the other end is fixed to the container body. 3. The sheet storage container according to claim 2, wherein: 4. A cover member for covering a sheet in the container body in a state where the container body storing the sheet is set on the mounting portion of the feeding device. A sheet storage container according to any one of the above. 5. A sheet feeding device for feeding a sheet, comprising: a mounting portion on which the sheet storage container according to claim 1 can be set; and a sheet set on the mounting portion. A sheet feeding device, comprising: feeding means for feeding. 6. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the placement section is a sheet placement tray for manual feeding. 7. The sheet feeding device according to claim 5, further comprising a plurality of types of sheet storage containers, wherein the sheet storage containers can be selectively set on the mounting portion. 8. An image forming apparatus for recording an image on a sheet fed from a sheet feeding device, wherein the sheet feeding device according to any one of claims 5 to 7 is provided. An image forming apparatus, comprising: an image forming unit that records an image on a sheet.