JP2004155594A - Paper feeder for image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a front loading type device having improved workability without increasing the occupied area thereof. <P>SOLUTION: The device having a paper storage part arranged drawable to a paper feed part of an image forming apparatus comprises a handle 43 and a small article storage part 34. The handle 43 is formed in a range from the front face of the paper storage part toward the inside of the device for drawing the paper storage part. The small article storage part 34 is arranged on the side of the handle 43 and has a bottom formed with an opening recessed part. The paper storage part has a box-shaped cassette body 31 and the bottom of the small article storage part 43 is located above the bottom of the cassette body 31. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet feeding device, and more particularly, to a sheet feeding device for an image forming apparatus including a sheet storage unit that can be pulled out from a sheet feeding unit of the image forming apparatus.

  For example, in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, there is known a so-called front loading type in which a sheet cassette is mounted in a cassette accommodating portion from a front surface of a copying machine main body. In this type of copying machine, since the paper feed cassette does not protrude outside the apparatus, the installation area of the apparatus can be reduced, and the apparatus can be placed in a small space.

  In this front-loading type copying machine, the paper feed cassette can be pulled out to the front of the apparatus by pulling a handle formed on the front surface of the paper feed cassette forward. A handle for pulling out the paper feed cassette is formed from the front surface of the cassette toward the inside of the apparatus in order to avoid extra protrusion.

  When using a copying machine, it is convenient to have various accessories nearby. For example, it is convenient if a copy of a plurality of sheets, such as a clip or a stapler, is provided on the side of the copying machine.

Also, in image forming apparatuses such as copiers, cassettes containing fixed-size paper are generally prepared, but paper of other sizes, such as postcard size and business card size, is supplied from a manual feed port. are doing. For this reason, when copying an original of postcard size or business card size, prepare paper of that size and insert it from the manual paper feed slot, or copy it to paper in the paper feed cassette, and copy it after copying. It was cut into postcard size and business card size.
JP-A-2-138031

  In the above-described conventional configuration, in order to improve workability, it is conceivable to arrange a storage section for storing small articles or sheets that cannot be stored in the paper feed cassette, at a side portion of the main body of the copying machine. However, originally, a front-loading type copying machine is characterized by a small occupied area of the apparatus. If a space for accommodating small articles is provided on a side portion of the apparatus or the like, the entire installation area becomes large. It loses the characteristics of the front-loading type.

  An object of the present invention is to improve workability in a front-loading type device without increasing the area occupied by the device.

  A sheet feeding device for an image forming apparatus according to claim 1 is a device including a sheet storage unit that is disposed so as to be able to be pulled out from a sheet feeding unit of the image forming apparatus, and includes a grip portion and a small item storage portion. ing. The handle portion is formed from the front surface of the paper storage portion toward the inside of the apparatus, and is for pulling out the paper storage portion. The accessory storage section is disposed on the side of the handle section and is formed of a concave portion having an open bottom. The paper storage section has a box-shaped cassette body, and the bottom surface of the small article storage section is located above the bottom surface of the cassette body.

  In this device, a small item storage portion is arranged beside a handle portion for pulling out the sheet storage portion. Here, the handle portion is formed from the front surface of the paper storage portion toward the inside of the apparatus. For this reason, the paper storage portion has a portion that protrudes inside. The side of this protruding portion cannot be used as a space for feeding paper, and is a dead space.

  Therefore, in the present invention, the small item storage section is arranged using the dead space. Therefore, small items can be accommodated in the device without increasing the occupied area of the device, and workability is improved.

  In addition, since the bottom surface of the accessory storage unit is located above the bottom surface of the cassette body, a fingertip can be inserted into the bottom of the accessory storage unit with the cassette body stored, and the cassette body is stored in the accessory storage unit without being pulled out. The removed paper can be taken out.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sheet feeding device for an image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the sheet storage unit is disposed so as to be drawn out in a rotation axis direction of a sheet feeding roller with respect to a sheet feeding unit of the image forming apparatus. I have.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sheet feeding device for an image forming apparatus, wherein the accessory storage portion is arranged side by side with the handle portion.

  In the paper feeding device according to the present invention, the small-item storing portion is provided on the side of the handle, so that the workability is improved without increasing the occupied area of the entire device. Further, when storing and removing paper of a business card size or the like in the accessory storage section, the user can remove the paper by inserting a fingertip from the bottom opening of the accessory storage section without removing the cassette body.

  FIG. 1 shows a copying machine employing an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, a document table 2 is fixed on the upper surface of a copying machine body 1, and a document holder 3 is provided on the document table 2 so as to be openable and closable. A storage space having an opening (not shown) on the front side of the main body 1 is provided at the bottom of the copying machine main body 1, and a paper feed cassette 4 is detachably mounted in the storage space. On the left side of the main body 1, a paper discharge tray 6 having a part thereof protruding outside the main body 1 is mounted. A manual paper feed tray 22 is mounted on the right side of the main body 1 so as to be freely opened and closed. This manual paper feed tray 22 can be folded when manual paper feed is not performed. In the case of performing manual paper feed, the paper feeder is used in a posture as shown in FIG.

  Inside the main body 1, an exposure device 7 for reading an original is provided above the main body 1. The exposure device 7 includes a light source, a mirror, a lens unit, and the like. A photosensitive drum 8 on the surface of which an electrostatic latent image is formed is disposed at the center of the main body 1. Around the photosensitive drum 8, a charging device 9, a developing device 10, a transfer device 11, a sheet separating device 12, and a cleaning device 13 are arranged in this order. A paper feed path 14 for feeding paper is provided between the paper feed cassette 4 and an image forming unit including the photosensitive drum 8 and the like. Further, between the image forming unit and the paper discharge tray 6, a paper discharge transport path 15, a fixing device 16 for fixing a transferred image on the paper, and a discharge roller 17 are arranged.

  A pair of registration rollers 20 for transporting the paper to the image forming unit at a predetermined timing is disposed at an end of the paper feed transport path 14 on the transfer device 11 side. Further, three pairs of transport rollers 21 are arranged in the paper feed transport path 14 on the upstream side of the registration rollers 20.

  A paper feed roller 19 is arranged above the paper feed cassette 4. The paper feed roller 19 is for carrying out the paper stored in the paper feed cassette 4 to the paper feed path 14 one by one.

  As shown in FIG. 2, rails 30 that are movable in the front-rear direction with respect to the main body 1 are disposed at both left and right ends of an opening formed in the bottom of the copier main body 1. The paper feed cassette 4 is supported by the rail 30. The paper feed cassette 4 includes a resin-made cassette main body 31 formed in a box shape, a loading plate 35 for placing paper, a regulating plate 36 for regulating the rear end of the paper, A pair of regulating plates 37 for regulating the ends. The mounting plate 35 is urged upward by a spring 38 (FIG. 1).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the front surface 32 of the cassette body 31 is wide from substantially the center to the left end. A handle 33 is provided at the center of the front part 32. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the handle 33 is formed from the front surface of the cassette body 31 toward the inside of the cassette body 31. At the front end of the handle 33, a locking portion 33a protruding downward by a predetermined length is formed. The operator can pull out the sheet cassette 4 by hooking a finger on the locking portion 33a.

  In the front part 32 of the cassette main body 31, a small item accommodating portion 34 for accommodating business card size paper is provided on the left side of the handle 33 in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the accessory storage portion 34 is configured by forming a recess in the front surface portion 32 of the cassette main body 31. An opening 44 is formed at the bottom of the accessory storage section 34. The width of the opening 44 in the front-rear direction is smaller than the width of the business card-sized paper 45 so that the paper 45 does not drop. A claw 43 is formed at the lower end of the front wall 34a of the accessory storage section 34 to protrude toward the opening 44. Opposite to the claw 43, a locking portion 31 b is formed at a position slightly deeper than the claw 43 and protrudes forward from the front wall 31 a of the cassette body 31. Above the locking portion 31b, a takeout groove 42 having a predetermined depth toward the rear is formed. The take-out groove 42 allows a sheet of a predetermined thickness to be inserted.

  In this embodiment, when copying a business card, as shown in FIG. 6, insert a hand into the lower surface of the paper feed cassette 4 and put a fingertip on the lower surface of the accommodated paper 45, and move the paper to the left in FIG. Pressing 45 causes the tip to be inserted into the groove 42. As a result, the rear end of the sheet (the end on the front side of the copying machine main body 1) comes off the claws 43 and falls downward. In this state, the sheet is again pulled to the right in FIG. By feeding the paper from the manual paper feed tray 22, a business card can be copied.

  When the paper 45 is taken out, the bottom surface of the small object storage unit 34 is located slightly above the bottom surface of the cassette main body 31. The paper can be taken out without pulling out the paper feed cassette 4.

  In this embodiment, the handle 33 of the paper feed cassette 4 is formed from the front to the inside of the main body in order to minimize the protrusion from the copier main body 1. For this reason, an extra space is created in the front part 32 of the cassette body 31 on both sides of the handle 33 in the depth direction. By forming the accessory storage section 34 in this extra space, it is possible to accommodate accessories required for copying without increasing the cassette size.

[Other embodiments]
(A) In the above embodiment, the paper feeding device of a copying machine has been described as an example, but the present invention is also applicable to a paper feeding device of another image forming apparatus such as a laser printer or a facsimile machine.

  (B) In the above-described embodiment, the business card size paper is stored in the accessory storage unit, but another accessory may be stored.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a copier employing one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a paper feed cassette. The front view. FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view taken along the line VV of FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a method for removing a business card size sheet.

Explanation of reference numerals

1 Copier main body 4 Paper feed cassette 19 Paper feed roller 31 Cassette main body 31b Locking section 33 Handle 34 Small object storage section 43 Claw 44 Opening

Claims (3)

In an image forming apparatus sheet feeding device including a sheet storage unit that is arranged to be able to be pulled out from a sheet feeding unit of the image forming apparatus,
A handle portion formed from the front surface of the paper storage portion toward the inside of the apparatus, for pulling out the paper storage portion,
A small-item storage portion, which is arranged on the side of the handle portion and has a concave portion whose bottom is open,
The paper storage unit has a cassette body formed in a box shape,
The bottom surface of the accessory storage portion is located above the bottom surface of the cassette body,
Paper feeder for image forming apparatus.   2. The sheet feeding device for an image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet storage unit is disposed so as to be drawn out in a rotation axis direction of a sheet feeding roller with respect to a sheet feeding unit of the image forming device. 3.   3. The sheet feeding device for an image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the accessory storage section is arranged side by side with the handle section.

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